Aging Gracefully: the Rollie McKenna Photo Show at the Lighthouse Museum
By Chelsea Mitchell, Director of the Woolworth Library, Historic Stonington
Stonington has always been known as a haven for artists, with a long and celebrated tradition of talented residents. Each year Historic Stonington honors Rosalie “Rollie” McKenna, a 20th Century portrait photographer who called the village her home for more than forty years, by hosting a community photography contest. Every April, the Lighthouse Museum opens for two weeks so the public may visit and vote for their favorite submissions. The theme for the 2025 show is Aging Gracefully and features Stonington residents over the age of sixty-five. As a culture that is obsessed with youth (don’t believe us, consider how many anti-aging creams are available on the market), Historic Stonington wanted to celebrate the wisdom, lived experiences, and beauty that accompanies the privilege of growing older. Featured below are a few of the portraits that will be on display at the Lighthouse Museum through April 27, 2025.
Alice Houston by Dodie Bump
Anyone who knows Alice Houston knows that she is the epitome of this year’s theme, and is truly a community treasure. She maintains a beautiful historic home on Main Street, active in the Stonington Garden Club, and many other community and regional organizations. This photograph was taken by Dodie Bump, just before Alice spoke at the opening of Northern Lights: Inuit Prints, Drawings and Carvings, 1950-1990, an exhibition drawn from the collection of her late husband, James Houston.
Captain Allan Chaplaski by Jerry Donovan
Captain Alan Chaplaski didn’t grow up in Stonington, but he’s one of the most recognizable faces at the Town Dock, despite having retired in 2018. Alan grew up on the water and got his first small lobster boat when he was just sixteen years old. In 1991, he bought the Neptune, which he described as “a fixer-upper that he never finished fixing up.” Captain Chaplaski is perhaps most well known for fishing deepwater red shrimp, which provided an additional source of income in the 1990s when dramatically decreased quotas on certain breeds of fish began to negatively impact the fishing fleet. This photograph was taken by Jerry Donovan.
Marya Ursin by Alice Houston
Marya Ursin of Mystic Paper Beasts is a well-respected artist with numerous creative outlets. Around Stonington, she is most well-known for her role as Artistic Director for MPB, for which she performs, writes, and directs plays, designs masks, and makes costumes. Marya taught at the Merce Cunningham Studio in New York City and studied in Paris in mime at L’Ecole de Mime Marcel Marceau, among many other prestigious and notable ballet and movement companies. Photograph taken in Marya’s studio by Alice Houston.
James Tertius DeKay by Thomas Thornton
If you’re a fan of naval history, then James Tertius DeKay is the man to know. Born in 1930, DeKay is a well-known author of more than twenty-eight titles, including topics like Martin Luther King Jr., the Battle of Stonington, the Frigate Macedonian, left-handedness, and the confederacy’s secret navy. His most recent book, published in 2012, Roosevelt’s Navy, was lauded as an “expertly crafted work of intense focus and broad appeal.” Tertius was also an invaluable resource to Historic Stonington staff during our research into the Battle of Stonington after a 2018 National Park Service Grant. As you can see, he is also never one to miss out on the festivities of the Borough’s Fourth of July celebrations. Photograph by Tom Thornton.
There are plenty more portraits to be seen on display at the Lighthouse Museum, so come down to celebrate your friends and neighbors who are aging gracefully. But hurry! The exhibit ends April 27, 2025.
The museum will be open Thursday through Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm. Admission is free.