Tedder, Tanya

Tanya Tedder Interview:

This is file #3, cycle 3. Today’s date is Oct. 25, 2017. This is Jean McMillen. I am interviewing Tanya Tedder on the Jane Lloyd Fund. First we will start with the genealogical information.

JM:What is your name?

TT:Tanya Tedder

JM:What is your birthdate?

TT:May 3, 1956.JM:

JM:Where were you born?

TT:Torrington, Ct.

JM:What were your parents’ names?

TT:My father is Newton Brainerd Davis, and my mom is Anne Scroonmaker.

JM:Do you have siblings?

TT: I do. I have an older brother Newton Brainerd Davis Jr., a sister Lauren Stewart Tyler, and a younger brother named Scot Kelso Davis.

JM:Tell me about your dad.

TT: My dad was a race car driver, a car enthusiast. He started several things in the area. The first thing was Lotus East where he imported Lotus cars from London. (138 Rt. 44, Millerton, NY Ed.) That got him integrated in the area. With that he ran the Lime Rock Lodge in Lime Rock Ct.

JM:How long did he own that?

TT:I want to say maybe 10 years.

JM:Was it at that time a restaurant or…?

TT:It was rooms to rent with a restaurant and bar.

JM:Did he have staff?

TT:Yes, local people. (See #95 Jeff Silvernale)

JM:Anybody we know?

TT:I would have to research that. He ran that during the time that Lime Rock Race Track was going.

JM:He was involved with Lime Rock Race Track?

TT:Yes he was one of the founders of it.2.

JM:That started in the 1950’s?

TT:1956

JM:With Jim Vaill?

TT:Yes, (See tape #56 James Vaill ,File #65, cycle 2 Gail Vaill, and also File #84 Skip Barber)

JM:How long was he involved with the race track?

TT:Up until almost his death in 1994. He worked in various aspects: not only founding it but racing in there, working there. In the end he worked Security.

JM:What kind of a car did he race with?

TT:Lotus and Porsche

JM:You gave me a wonderful story about your first babysitting job.

TT:I used to go to the track with my parents. We used to hang around with the race car drivers and they all had children. I started my first job up there by helping all the drivers take care of their children. My dad found an old camper bus, put it in the in-field and secured a large area with fencing around it. All the race car drivers would drop their children off for me to take care of during the day. It was fun.

JM;I always envisioned race car drivers as single, not with families.

TT:I know but that is not us; that is not true. I think the area and the track itself was conducive to families and kids.

JM:It is a beautiful track; I think Skip told me it was the most beautiful in the country, and 5th most beautiful in the world.

(Tanya told me that her father also was instrumental in starting the ambulance service. ED. See File #5, cycle 2 Elyse Harney, File #79 Mike Brenner, File #60, Patricia Barton, and File #39 Jacqueline Rice)

JM: Now we will move on to the Jane Lloyd Fund. How did the idea of this occur?

TT:When Jane Lloyd passed away (9/14/05), the community had helped Jane in her time of need when she was so sick. They helped her in whatever way she needed, to keep her home running and paying her bills. Without the community support, it would have been very difficult for her to live and to die in the home she loved.

JM:Where was that home?

TT:On Dugway Road in Lime Rock- the small little cabin which belonged to Hezekiah Goodwin. (See Tape #41 Hezekiah Goodwin) The family was very appreciative to the community and all they did. After

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Jane died in Sept. 14, 2005, the family got together and tried to decide what could we do to give back? Thus within the family came this idea of a fund and how can we help others in the same way as the community had helped Jane? I had had a huge loss in my life and was struggling with what to do with that grief. At that time Jeff came to me and asked if I would help start a fund in her honor to give back to the community? (See File #42, cycle 2 Jeff Lloyd) It felt so right to me to do that for people in our community. The funds would stay here and we could help our neighbors. I immediately said yes; I didn’t even have to think about it at all. I didn’t know what to do, so I went to see Alice Yoakum, who is a local lawyer and also a founder of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. She steered me toward talking to them. At that point I talked to the President Jennifer Dowley. They are a 501(c3) a nonprofit organization. She said that they could help us immediately even having no funds to start the Jane Lloyd Fund.

Under their auspices here we are. We have a fund that takes care of families battling cancer in the region #1 area, the six towns in Region #1. We have been going for 12 years.

JM:That is a long time for a local fund to exist.

TT:It really gets to the heartstrings of people, anybody really because cancer can strike anyone unfortunately. There are too many stories about how it can ravage a person and their family. I think, knowing what we do and how we help and the money stays here, it is heartfelt for so many people that they want to give.

JM:As it is for you; it is very much your passion. It is a wonderful thing to do for the community and in turn they respond. Is there a board of advisors?

TT:Yes, there is. Currently it is Donna Lloyd, Caroline Burchfield, and me.

JM:You do fund raising, do you not?

TT:We do. We have one that is our annual clambake. It happens every last Saturday in July. That is our biggest fund raiser.

JM:Describe that one, if you will in more detail.

TT:It is a fun one. It brings about 75 volunteers who just come from anywhere and everywhere to help because they want to. I never have to call anybody. We work really hard and we laugh really hard. It is a good time for a good cause. It is an event that is held at the Salisbury Winter Sports Association grounds. They have graciously donated the space every year. We build a kiln which is about 10 feet high, built out of 4 x 4 wood with river rocks in the middle. We light it on fire as a big bonfire. The river rocks get hot: the wood is pulled away and the rocks are covered with seaweed. The clams and potatoes have been cleaned and bagged. The corn has been bagged and there are lobsters in crates all of this gets put on top of the seaweed. Then it is covered with these really heavy think tarps that have been soaked in water. It steams and in about 40 minutes we serve 300 people. It is fun.

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JM:It sounds it. You said you have to give a little speech before these people. What do you say in your mission speech?

TT:My mission speech is that the Jane Lloyd Fund is not really me or the advisory board. It is all the faces in the crowd. They are the Jane Lloyd Fund. We could not be here without them and I cry. We may be the working force behind this but we could not give money away if it weren’t for all the people from the community that gave. That is my mission speech.

JM:You had mentioned some specific people and organizations that help with the clambake, such as Mike Fitting (See File # 51 Mike Fitting).

TT:He has been a sole source of and wealth of knowledge for getting things we might need in the community. He goes to the Montgomery Lodge to borrow the enormous barrels to heat our water. He is there for the fire house. He helps organize things there. The fire company lends us tents and chairs and tables. Salisbury Ambulance helps us with tables and chairs. The Congregational Church and Camp Sloane all help; it is a community effort. SWSA donates the space. It is a lot of us.

JM:It has to be because it is a lot of work to get it set up, to get supplies, to feed people to clean up afterwards.

TT:The Town Garage gives us space to clean the clams. The town is involved. There is an organization which we could do without their help. There is a gentleman whose name is Ray Zukowski who is a retired police chief from Greenfield, Mass. area. He and 4 or 5 other men come; they are the reason that we can put this on. They come on their own time with no charge and give their time, energy and spirit.

JM:Do they provide the clams and lobsters?

TT: They helped us get in touch with a fish store; it is through them that we found the fish store. They are the catalyst for finding the source. They bring their equipment like long rakes for the fire pit, the barrels to wash the clams, the heavy gloves and other tools.

JM:You have another fund raiser of a small proportion in March.

TT:In March we have a dance at the White Hart Inn. A local band has offered their time so we can make money. (See File #52, cycle 2 RAM Miles) It is a gift. It is the band from Indian Mountain School. We have smaller ones. We have partnered with John Rice Scholarship Fund from the high school. (See tape #133 Denise Rice)

JM:Are they the ones that have the lake plunge in cold weather?

TT:Yes, they have the lake plunge usually around Easter time. John Rice was the husband of Denise Rice, our former tax collector. We do that ice plunge. There are other fund raising events throughout the year like Indian Mountain School has “Pink Sox Week” which is sports teams wear pink; they sell

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pink hats, pink sox, and pink wristbands. The Salisbury School for Boys may do a “Dress Down Day”. We will collect funds from that day. Kids have had lemonade stands. It is all ages, all walks of life all parts of the community.

JM:It truly is a community endeavor and all ages. What is the process that a cancer family goes through to receive some of your funds?

TT:Once they have the diagnosis, they take their diagnosis to either a pastor or a social service agent. Through them there is an application process. The application then goes to the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. They review it; then the story comes to our advisory board. We don’t know names, that is a very private business and we respect that unless they want us to know, but usually we do not know who is applying. Then we OK it. We offer three different grants. We have three different kinds of helping. The first request is for $2,500, the second request is for $1,500, and the third request can be for $1,000. Within one year’s time they can make those three requests. It is a lot of money. Often we hear that it is that amount of money that puts people above and beyond and help them get above the struggle that they are in. It can help pay a mortgage, electric bill, phone bill, fuel, or a car payment.

JM:It is not restricted to something medical.

TT:No it is mainly for helping them live day to day; that is our motto, helping cancer patients day to day. Whatever it takes and not only the cancer patient, but also we will help families of the patient as well. Perhaps they need to stay with the family member somewhere.

JM:If somebody was diagnosed with cancer and they had to go to Peter Brent Brigham Hospital in Boston, then the money could be used to pay hotel bills while they are staying there.

TT:Right

JM:Can you give me a rough idea how many client you have in a year?

TT:I am going to say 5 to 7 families. It could be a little bit more because it also depends on the level which they are asking, which request they are asking for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. and how much money we have.

JM:How much money do you generally give away in a yea?

TT:Probably around $30,000

JM: You have to raise a lot of money with the clams, and the dances and the pink sox to do it.

TT:We do, and luckily we do it.

JM:It is a generous community.

 

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TT:Yes, it is. There have been two years in a row that we did have to close the fund because we ran out of money which shows the need. We had to step it up and raise more money. WE haven’t turned anyone away, but we have had to ask people to wait, unfortunately. Waiting when you have cancer is an awful world. It breaks your heart. We have always given what we had.

JM:Is there anything that you want to add to this that I haven’t covered?

TT:Although it is such a ravenous disease and so hard to deal with when you are in it, but what we do makes you feel so good. We give them hope; we are giving back hope. The sort of thank you notes we receive afterwards when people have been thinking they were going to lose their home, they were just devastated. Because of our fund they don’t have to lose it. That is the thing that makes you feel so good by giv9ing this money because you have saved somebody’s life. You wish you could save them health-wise, but you know that you have saved an emotional part of their life,

JM:That is a wonderful endeavor. Thank you so very much.

TT:Thank you for having me; I am grateful to do it.