The Corners on Main Street in a Second Half of Life
By Jack Davidson
As a recently retired founder of TCV, I have not, as they say, left the family. The eight founders of TCV were previously employed by the Vermont National Bank in its trust department and I took pride in hiring these individuals whom I had worked with for many years. Most of the founders came from other states, myself included, and embraced a culture of living in our Vermont neighborhoods and working with clients from start to finish.
In our trust world, the start is when a prospect would like estate planning. Often the prospects are parents whose first focus is on their family and how to help them through one or more generations. The finish may be many years away.
Most of the TCV founders showed up in Vermont in the seventies, when many of the bank trust departments had been locally controlled for many generations, and we worked together at the Vermont National Bank trust department in Brattleboro. Our offices were located on Main Street in a building the bank built in 1871. Vermont National Bank at the time was the state’s oldest and longest-operating financial institution.
Corner# 1 Elliot Street
In 1820, Jonathan Hunt and his wife purchased the corner property on High Street. The Hunts’ home was the first brick house in Windham County. In 1821,
Mr. Hunt was the founder of the Vermont National Bank (originally named the “Brattleboro Bank”). His mansion is no longer in existence but his front yard eventually became Pliny Park, named after Pliny Burrows, a long-time and very respected resident of Brattleboro.
Corner #2 High Street
When our employer, Vermont National Bank, was purchased by another bank, we all knew that our new employer would change our culture of staying in town from start to finish. That is why we took the chance of creating a trust company, thanks in part to our legislators who had recently changed the law to allow a trust company that is not a bank.
The trust culture in a bank is very different than a bank culture. My limited perception of the banking world is that it exists simply to offer deposits and make loans. In the trust culture, there is a mosaic of bits and pieces…managing assets, adapting to changing laws, and helping family members over several generations. Vermont National Bank allowed us to embrace the trust culture, but we were concerned that the new owners would change our culture and we wanted to keep doing what we loved to do from start to finish with our clients.
When I was young, most of my clients were older. As I look at the average age of TCV’s current staff, I see that most of our clients are still older, thanks to those who have joined us as we increased in size. Although retired, I decided to stay on the board in part because I want to be part of the TCV family and our culture is family planning. I would like to continue writing articles to engage the older clients who may have to deal with the second half of life, retirement. My focus is to learn and share rather than sleeping in my chair holding my iPad.
I have many areas of concern and the need to study the various routes I will take. Writing articles will allow me to share with our staff and our clients my “bits and pieces” of retirement. Whether my mosaic will help others, time may tell. So this is the start.
Bits: keep a pad and pen or iPhone with you to write down names. Not remembering names as we age is simply well known and expected.
Pieces: iPhones are easy to find if you leave them within ring range…borrowing my wife’s phone and calling mine has been very helpful in most cases but not when I leave my phone in my car. I am considering tile trackers for my phone. Tile trackers connect to the internet, and are useful in finding my car keys when I lose them.
Old-fashioned writing pads may need a tile tracker if I can’t find my pad to write down the names of those I used to know but cannot recall their names and some of my interactions with them.
Bits: My diet has changed based on what I read. So far I think I am making the right choices. I now concentrate on the unprocessed organic foods so available in Vermont. However, were I to move to another state, I am not sure that I could trust my local grocery store.
Pieces: I have certainly changed my diet and my sugar consumption is now under control.
Bits: I need to exercise to stay healthy.
Pieces: I try to walk many steps a day, but I often forget to bring my umbrella.
Bits: I am addicted to my iPad. I am not sure that many in my age category share this addiction.
Pieces: I wake up, read the local paper online, and play “Words with Friends” and “Wordle” while drinking 16 ounces of coffee. I also have an app that reminds me how much water I need to consume each day.
Bits: Across the country, many places have started to teach seniors about Artificial Intelligence and its ability to affect their lives and the threats that technology poses.
Pieces: I simply don’t trust my iPad like I used to…pop-up news often misinforms.
Bits: I have recently been asked a very complicated question: Assisted living when those of us will be getting close to the gates of heaven. Location, cost and compatibility of residents are very complicated. This question may show up again when I write my next article.
I hope my mosaic will be helpful to others.
Elliot Street
For over 150 years, this was the key location for a bank. As a result of bank consolidations, the names have changed from Vermont National to Chittenden in 2000, People’s United in 2008 and M&T in 2022. Last year, M&T sold the building to the Snow Republic Brewery, which plans an establishment that would sell brewed-on-site beers like Hop Avalanche, Joy Ride, and My Hands Feel Like Two Maracas. Once it opens, I plan to invite the founders to celebrate our second half of life.
High Street and Pliny Park
Thanks to Jonathan Hunt, and Mary Lacy and Corrine Yonce who pieced together a wall-size mosaic in downtown Brattleboro’s Pliny Park.