Adele Hopkins receives Boston Cane in Camden ceremony
Adele Hopkins (seated) receives the Boston Cane from members of the Camden Select Board, who include Alison McKellar, Marc Ratner, Bob Falciani and Jenna Lookner. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Seated is Adele Hopkins and standing are family members Melissa Mank, Alice and Allan Hopkins and Shannon Hopkins
Marc Ratner presents Hopkins with her cane
Sarah Callan and Mercedes Tremblay present Hopkins with cake and cupcakes to celebrate.
Adele Hopkins (seated) receives the Boston Cane from members of the Camden Select Board, who include Alison McKellar, Marc Ratner, Bob Falciani and Jenna Lookner. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Seated is Adele Hopkins and standing are family members Melissa Mank, Alice and Allan Hopkins and Shannon Hopkins
Marc Ratner presents Hopkins with her cane
Sarah Callan and Mercedes Tremblay present Hopkins with cake and cupcakes to celebrate.
CAMDEN – Members of the Camden Select Board presented the Boston Cane to Adele Hopkins, who resides at Quarry Hill. Adele was born on November 28, 1918, which makes her 99 years old. The Boston Cane is typically award to Camden's oldest citizen.
Hopkins has resided at Quarry Hill for the last three years.
Originally from Tenant's Harbor, Hopkins grew up there and said there were 21 fellow students in her class.
"I loved school and every part of it," she said. "It was a busy place believe it or not. I've been away, but by spells. I moved to Rockport and then to Camden."
Adele worked as a bookkeeper and had attended Ballard Business School in Rockport.
"I found Camden to be a very good place to live," she said. "People here are very enthusiastic about living here and what they do."
On August 2, 1909, Mr. Edwin A. Grozier, Publisher of the Boston Post, a newspaper, forwarded to the Board of Selectmen in 700 towns* (no cities included) in New England a gold-headed ebony cane with the request that it be presented with the compliments of the Boston Post to the oldest male citizen of the town, to be used by him as long as he lives (or moves from the town), and at his death handed down to the next oldest citizen of the town, according to the Boston Cane Information Center. The cane would belong to the town and not the man who received it.
In 1930 eligibility for the cane was extended to women, as well.
