My Back Pages A graduate of Longmeadow High School and Assumption College, I worked briefly in medical research before embarking on a three-decade career as pianist and bandleader based in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. After touring extensively, I started a piano tuning and restoration business covering a large portion of southern New England. My daily sojourns took me into quaint towns and villages to service clients in 200-year-old farmhouses and churches, colleges and military academies, historic theaters and hotels. From Block Island and Fisher's Island to Essex, Chester, Mystic and Stonington; I was tracing the footsteps of early American artists and limners like John Warner Barber, and my camera was always at the ready. I still got to travel, but home every evening and sitting at the piano in some landmark hotel, restaurant, yacht club or art museum. It was magic. It was Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" all the way.
The bubble burst in 2000 when my father had a massive stroke and died at age 87. Mom was in rough shape, so I packed it all in and moved up here to Longmeadow to take care of her. We all want to stay in our homes as long as possible. "Longmeadow Chronicles" came about as a creative outlet. I submitted a few photos to the town website's photo gallery. I emailed the Webmaster, Jim Moran, and asked if he would like something a little more 'newsy', with possibly a caption. I wanted to focus on human-interest matters of a positive nature.. sort of a slice of life in our small town. In doing so, I was actually reacquainting myself with the town I left at age 17 and never really got to see as an adult. I'm glad I did it, and I appreciate all the kind feedback I have received over the past few years. I sure don't consider myself a writer in the professional sense. Call it beginner's luck.
As fortune (or misfortune) would have it, my work is done. Mom and Dad are reunited in the Great Beyond, my new house-by-the-sea is almost ready, and I must get back to work... if you can call it that. I consider it greatly fortuitous that I have this opportunity to bid you all a fond adieu and thank you all for your support. It's all a journey!
Take care!
Bob Lezinski
Webmaster's Note: We are very grateful for Bob's contributions to the Longmeadow website. His Longmeadow Chronicles articles will be archived here for many years and we're sure that many newcomers (as well as old timers) to Longmeadow (and from afar as well ) will read and enjoy these articles. Perhaps, we will be able to entice Bob to write an occasional article for us from his new house-by-the-sea.
We wish Bob the best of health and good luck for the future.
