THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 29, 2025 Page 11 Looking back on the life and times of Saugus educator Constance O. Putnam By Janice Jarosz C onstance O. Putnam was a well-known and well-loved Saugus Elementary School teacher, who was born at home in Saugus on Feb. 10, 1908. Her grandfather built their home at 147 Essex Street, and her father built another home somewhere else in the area of Saugus. She told me that her parents, the late Marion, and Emily (Oliver) Putman, were married 13 years prior to her birth, her mother 40, and her father 50 years old. Miss Putnam chuckled when she said, “I must surely have been a surprise for both parents upon my appearance into the world!” Unfortunately, her father passed away when Constance was quite young, and several years later, her mother married Mr. Frank Sloan. Constance attended the Felton School, the old Armitage School, Saugus High School, Wheelock College, Boston University and the Scott Carbee School of Art. After she completed her education, Miss Putnam obtained employment in the Saugus School System as a first-grade teacher. She taught at the Cliftondale School for approximately 20 years, along with Marleah Graves, Florence Stone and Mrs. Beckman, principal. Miss Putnam shared her many concerns on teaching children. “I do not believe children should have homework assignments until the fourth or fifth grade. There is too much stress on the students and by the time they reach the high school level – sometimes the stress gets ORANGE DINOSAUR | FROM PAGE 7 tion with the prospective buyer, Wingate, at 26 Collins (‘Unit 5’) and 30 Collins (‘Unit 4’).” Crabtree told Barsamian towards the end of the Meeting that “the obstacles to the development would be removed.” But TB Holdings alleged that things got worse and that the town and Crabtree “continued to obstruct TB Holdings’ development of the Undeveloped Units.” “In September of 2022, despite meeting with Crabtree and the tender of the required $200,000 Payment, the Town— at Crabtree’s instigation—issued a cease and desist for its project and required TB Holdings to undergo a complete peer review on the project site where millions of dollars of site work had already been completed and approved by the Town,” TB Holdings alleged. “After the peer review was completed (which further delayed the project and cost TB Holdings thousands of dollars), the Planning Board then required TB Holdings to perform additional work on the site, which was not required or set forth in the plans. The Defendants have improperly delayed and denied subsequent municipal approvals sought by TB Holdings for the development of the Undeveloped Units since the $200,000 Payment on multiple occasions.” TB Holdings alleged that unnecessary obstacles created by the town and Crabtree have delayed construction of assisted living housing on Route 1 in addition to 40 more apartment units. “We’re proud to be the owners of the orange dinosaur, which everybody sees when they drive down Route 1,” Barsamian told The Saugus Advocate in an interview this week. “The orange dinosaur and the Citgo Sign outside Fenway Park are the two most iconic signs in Greater Boston. The orange dinosaur is a Saugus landmark. But now the orange dinosaur is suing the Town of Saugus,” he said. “The town manager took the $200,000. But instead of helping us, he hurt us with a three-year delay in the project. It’s caused us a lot of harm and we still have a construction trailer on-site,” he said. too much for many of them to manage. Given the fact they have so much needless pressure early in their school years, it is perfectly understandable,” she told me in a 2008 interview. “Children are not allowed to be children today. Everything is programmed and planned for them. Parents should let their children have some free time to be themselves, not worrying about assignments. These poor children sit in a classroom most of the day and they need to release that tension to just play and be carefree,” she said. “The most important subject during the first three years of school is Reading. Our teachers taught the Scott Forman System about Dick, Jane, and baby Sally. We put words together with the pictures and children were able to learn by association. We taught Phonics and some children who could not grasp that method, they all could relate to ‘See Sally run.’” Miss Putnam offered the following tips for future teachers: “I believe that it would be a good idea to teach a class in money management. Youngsters today do not seem to know the cost of anything. They spend too much and do not take into consideration tomorrow or plan for a rainy day. A course in Ethics would also go a long way in preparing students for their adult life. “I also do not believe in all the tests children have to endure. Each child develops in his or her own way and time. Some children take a little longer than others, while others learn at a faster rate. The children are all individuals and should be treated as such.” “Every summer the custodian oiled the floors in preparation for the new school year. When I had only 40 students in my class, I considered myself lucky! I often wondered why the school was never named after Mr. Bond – it really should have been his name from what I remember.” Miss Putnam passed away on May 13, 2012, at Oosterman’s Rest Home in Melrose, Mass. She was 104 years old. Note: As a testament to her love of children, in 1997 she set up a private foundation, donating approximately $400,000 each year to dozens of organizations and hospitals, all earmarked for the care and protection of children. BBB Scam Alert: Preparing to travel abroad? Watch out for online passport renewal scams Tips from the Better Business Bureau I f you’re traveling internationally, you might need to renew your passport. Consumers unaware of the passport renewal process might fall victim to online scams. These scams trick U.S. citizens into paying a fee to fill out a renewal form that is a free download on the government’s website. As a result, consumers might be tricked into providing their personal and financial information on potentially unsecure websites. U.S. citizens can now renew their passports online with the U.S. Department of State if they meet the online renewal requirements. If you do not meet the requirements, you can still renew your passport by mail. How the scam works: You have planned an exciting international trip, so you go online and search for how to renew your passport. At the top of your search results is what appears to be the U.S. passport renewal website. The website might even be listed as “sponsored.” The site tells you what forms need to be provided and that you can fill out the forms right there. You’re asked to provide your personal information: your social security number, home address, birth date and much more. After completing the form, you’re asked to pay a “processing fee” or an “application fee.” You’re then told that you’ll receive your completed form as a PDF in an email confirmation. When you receive your confirmation email with your completed PDF form, you are told that you still need to pay money for the actual renewal of your passport. At this moment, you might realize you’ve been scammed into paying to fill out a form instead of actually paying to renew your passport. On top of that, you might have just handed your personal and financial information over to a scammer. How to avoid similar scams · Do your research. Before renewing your passport, look up the most recent information on the renewal process. Start by checking with the U.S. government. Remember that you should not have to pay a fee to fill out the required forms for a passport renewal — you’ll only need to provide payment for the renewal itself. You can check the costs of passport fees in advance. · Give yourself plenty of time SCAM ALERT | SEE PAGE 12
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