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A Celebration of Friendship-- Zeneida Swegun Northcott: A Newtown Notable
(with photos)
By Joanne Greco Rochman
Though her home is steeped in more than two centuries of New England history,
Zeneida Swegun Northcott, a thoroughly modern woman, always has been on a
best-friend basis with the future.
After living in Newtown for more than 40 years, she continues to turn the
pages in the chapters of her colorful life. With talk of retirement and a
possible move in the near future, some of her Taunton Hill neighbors got
together with her recently to celebrate long years of close friendship. It was
an event laced with local color and history.
Before Mrs Northcott moved from Staten Island to Newtown in 1955, she asked
the realtor if there was a League of Women Voters organization in town. The
affirmative response brought Mrs Northcott, then Mrs Peck, to the Taunton Hill
district of Newtown where she settled in a house dated 1748 and quietly and
determinedly set out to "make a difference in the charming countryside
community."
A widow with two young children, the move afforded the young mother the
opportunity to be closer to her sons, Phillip Curran Peck Jr and John H. Peck,
both of whom attended private boarding schools in the area. Within two years
from the day she moved into town, the former president of the Staten Island
League of Women Voters was president of the Newtown chapter. Enthusiastically,
she encouraged women to get more involved with the political issues of the
times.
"The League was an on-going education. It meant that you could have a hand, a
say in your government," said Mrs Northcott during a recent interview. "I knew
it was important for women of all ages to be well informed and involved in the
political structure. It still is," she added.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, a daughter of Russian immigrants, she had three
sisters, one of whom was her identical twin sister, the late Irene MeVay of
East Williston, Long Island. Zeneida, especially accomplished in secretarial
skills, found her first job in the Wall Street district of New York in 1937.
There she met her husband Phillip Curran Peck, a successful lawyer who
specialized in patents and trademarks.
"In those days it was considered a disgrace for a wife to work," said the
dedicated volunteer. "My husband had graduated from Yale in 1896 and had a
very successful career. He frowned upon my working because of the social
stigma that accompanied working wives in those days. That's why I threw myself
into volunteerism. The League of Women Voters was my first choice because it
was made up of active, intelligent women."
"I remember one time when Mother told my father that she wanted to go to work.
He didn't speak to her for three days," said Mrs Northcott's younger son John,
a Colorado resident who is currently staying with his mother.
"My mother always had a way of including friends and family in her projects.
Even as young boys, my brother and I were often assigned to addressing,
stuffing and sealing "League" newsletters, envelopes or special mailings,"
said John, adding that in the 1950s addressing envelopes meant writing them
out in longhand or typing them out individually on a typewriter. "We couldn't
print out labels on a computer, then," he said with a laugh.
"When I first moved to my home on Taunton Hill, the former main house of the
Fairchild Estate, there were few houses. There was Boxwood Farm, the small
Fairchild house on the corner, and the Mentley house. Eventually, the
Engelbergers and the Brunos moved into the area," said Zeneida, her aqua-
colored eyes sparkling as she recalled the "good old days."
John interjected. "Joseph Engelberger is considered the father of robotics and
James Bruno created the game `Scrabble.' Mr Bruno used to produce the game in
a small factory around the corner on Plumtrees Road in Bethel. Today that
factory is a Day Care Center for children. As a teen, I used to do odd jobs
for both men. I used to mow the lawn for Mr Engelberger and simonize Mr
Bruno's car," he said.
"Marge Engelberger and I used to swap recipes," said Zeneida, "But Mrs Bruno's
hobby was her sheep farm. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Mrs Bruno had a
full time shepherd living on the grounds. I guess Taunton Hill has changed
quite a bit since those days."
In 1957 Zeneida married Thomas Graham Northcott, a Presbyterian Church
minister and an intellectual with a quick wit and droll sense of humor. He had
three young children of his own, so the marriage instantly turned the young
mother of two into a young mother of five.
"Those were very busy times filled with hard work and laughter. Everyone had
to help with the chores. There were just too many of us, so we all had to do
our part. In the summer all the children helped with the gardening. We would
plant, pick and pickle," said Mrs Northcott with a laugh.
"We felt like indentured servants," laughed her older son Phillip, a Manhattan
resident, who was also visiting with his mother. "The garden was huge and when
the string beans were ready, we children actually formed an assembly line in
order to prepare them for the freezer. Someone picked them, someone else
snapped off the ends, someone else broke them in half and someone else put
them in the pot for blanching before they were put into plastic bags and put
into the freezer."
Even with five young children, Mrs Northcott not only managed to stay active
in the League, but she also held needlepoint classes in her red barn located
on her property directly across the street from her house. Family and friends
referred to the old New England barn as "Northcott's Needle."
When the late Reverend Northcott opened a travel agency in the center of town,
Mrs Northcott helped him in the office one day a week and almost always
accompanied him on his international travel expeditions. Together they pretty
much covered the world, making friends wherever they went.
"We visited Europe, South East Asia, Australia and the Holy Land, of course,"
said Mrs Northcott, adding that they traveled by sea, air and land.
A notable Newtowner, Mrs Northcott, has been an active member in many church
and community organizations. An open-minded, ecumenical, progressive thinker,
Mrs Northcott not only supported her own church and opened her home to weekly
bible instruction, she was also an active member in Hadassah, which recently
honored her with a lifetime membership.
She has actively supported Newtown's library, often working behind the scenes
for the annual book sale and she has supported the American Association of
University Women. Locally, through the years she has been a supporting member
of the Town Players and the Friends of Music. When her twin was alive, the two
women would meet in New York City on Saturdays. Subscribers to the
Metropolitan Opera and the major museums, they would spend the day taking in
the arts, shopping and dining in New York before returning to their domestic
roles.
During the week, Mrs Northcott enjoyed golfing and socializing at Rock Ridge
Country Club, which she said she especially enjoyed because of its
appreciation for a diverse membership long before diversity was timely.
Known far and wide for her generous spirit and Christian fellowship, Mrs
Northcott would often take special projects under her protective wing. A small
post office that served a population of 200 in Deerton, Michigan, was in
danger of having its doors closed, in which case the woman who worked there, a
widow, would find herself out of a job. Mrs Northcott encouraged friends,
family and neighbors in Connecticut to take part in her postal crusade to save
the little post office. They all purchased their postage from Deerton. For a
while, the main office outside Deerton was confused by the sudden volume in
stamp sales that was coming and going from Deerton, but the end result was
that Mrs Northcott nearly single-handedly saved it.
While her sons reminisced with her about days of old, when the Dodgingtown
Volunteer Fire Deprtment held clam bakes every August, when they shopped for
meat at Abe's Butcher Shop in Danbury and chopped Christmas trees down from
their extensive backyard woodlands, her friends celebrated their good fortune
at having known a woman who was quick to help and slow to complain.
"When Zeneida moves out of the neighborhood, it will be a sad day for Taunton
Hill Road," said Joe Engelberger, who could not attend the neighborhood fete,
but who along with his wife wrote a note expressing their pleasure at having
been longtime friends.
"Memories of the Northcotts and the Pecks and the Engelbergers tumble over
each other," wrote Marge Engelberger.
Dr Ralph Schwartz and his wife Zelda, who purchased the farm that once
belonged to the Brunos, Fran Tyluki Roche, whose family now lives on what was
once part of the Wilder estate, longtime friend and neighbor Jo Spector and
Pierre Rochman and family shared happy memories with Zeneida. Conversations
focused on Mrs Northcott's custom-made stylish hats, which have been her
trademark; her beautifully prepared luncheons and dinner parties that brought
to her table guests including artists, missionaries and international
dignitaries; her knowledge of antiques and collectibles; and her unique and
personal way of caring for those less fortunate than herself.
"Zee Northcott can never really leave our community, her accomplishments and
her legacy will stay with us forever," said her neighbor and friend Pierre
Rochman. "She'll never be forgotten for the work she has done, especially for
the League of Women Voters, but also for many worthy causes, public and
private. She has shared her blessings with family, friends and strangers and
her generosity has touched so many lives that she'll be part of this community
forever."
One thing is for sure, the residents in the Taunton Hill area of Newtown, who
have known Zeneida Northcott, consider themselves especially lucky and cherish
their friendships with her. Everyone is confident that wherever Mrs Northcott
lives, that community will quickly recognize her extraordinary talents and
will embrace her as well.