A Good Age: Two stalwarts of South Shore parks retire after 38 years of service

Sue Scheible, The Patriot Ledger
·4 min read

BRAINTREE – For 38 years, Sean Cleaves, of Hanover, loved going to work. A Braintree native, he took a job in his hometown right out of the forestry program at UMass Amherst in 1983 and became a ranger at Pond Meadow Park.

On his watch, the critical flood control and conservation area in Braintree and Weymouth developed into a popular family destination for walking, jogging, cycling, birdwatching, fishing and even weddings.

Sean Cleaves, of Hanover, park supervisor for the Pond Meadow Park in Braintree and Weymouth, is retiring after 38 of service.
Sean Cleaves, of Hanover, park supervisor for the Pond Meadow Park in Braintree and Weymouth, is retiring after 38 of service.

When COVID locked the state down in 2020 and many parks closed, Cleaves advocated successfully to keep Pond Meadow open.

"I felt it was important for people to have a place to go," he said.

Maggi Brown, of Weymouth, also threw her hat into the outdoor recreation ring in 1983. She started on the Boston Harbor Islands with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, and joined Blue Hills Reservation in 1992.

"I loved the diversity of the job," she said.

Maggi Brown, of Weymouth, with her new golden retriever puppy K.D., which she got when she retied as park supervisor in the Blue Hills Reservation. She was visitor services supervisor in the Blue Hills Reservation.
Maggi Brown, of Weymouth, with her new golden retriever puppy K.D., which she got when she retied as park supervisor in the Blue Hills Reservation. She was visitor services supervisor in the Blue Hills Reservation.

TrailWatch, the Southeastern Mass Adult Walking Club, First Day New Year's Walks, wildlife detective hikes for children – all engaged her. She eventually became visitor services supervisor at Blue Hills.

"There has been so much loss during this pandemic, I think of the parks and outdoor activity as places of serenity, resiliency and refuge," Brown said. "I console myself that these protected green spaces will endure."

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For decades, the two encouraged hundreds of families to explore new activities and horizons. Cleaves is especially proud of Pond Meadow's annual summer nature camp; and Brown created the state's historical tribute to the Civilian Conservation Corps camp, built in the Blue Hills during the Depression.

Sean Cleaves, of Hanover, park supervisor for the Pond Meadow Park in Braintree and Weymouth, has retired after 38 of service
Sean Cleaves, of Hanover, park supervisor for the Pond Meadow Park in Braintree and Weymouth, has retired after 38 of service

As 2022 unfolds, you may still find Cleaves and Brown out on area trails, but they will be on their own. Both have retired – Cleaves, in December, as park supervisor at Pond Meadow Park and Brown last September. Both are 61.

A rapidly changing role

Several factors influenced Cleaves' decision – time, age, he was fully vested in his pension, he and his wife Fran are eager to travel and pursue outdoor hobbies – but the pandemic played a prominent role.

"COVID did me in," Cleaves said recently. The tremendous increase in park visitors meant he was making tough decisions alone and on some days spent hours directing traffic, managing the crowds and on administrative tasks like billing, invoices, payroll and taxes.

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"I was not doing the park maintenance I enjoyed. It was nerve wracking," he said.

Sean Cleaves of Hanover.
Sean Cleaves of Hanover.

When he started, the 320-acre park had only a few hiking paths.

"I'd be the only person here all day," he said.

He set about fixing trails, making bridges, building picnic tables and trimming trees "to make the park more useable."

His most dramatic story in 38 years of service dates to Feb. 27, 1989. Two girls crossing the park's 20-acre pond fell through the ice. He could see them thrashing in the water.

"I knew I wasn't going to drown because the pond is shallow (three feet)," he said. He walked out on the ice, busted through, picked up one girl and put her on solid ice and picked up the other one as firefighters arrived.

On March 1, 1989, Sean Cleaves, ranger at Pond Meadow Park in Braintree, receives a thank you gift from two young girls who fell through the ice on the pond two days earlier on Feb. 27, and were rescued by Cleaves and the town fire department. Allison Asci, left, 11, and Nicole Caruso, right, 12, and her dog.
On March 1, 1989, Sean Cleaves, ranger at Pond Meadow Park in Braintree, receives a thank you gift from two young girls who fell through the ice on the pond two days earlier on Feb. 27, and were rescued by Cleaves and the town fire department. Allison Asci, left, 11, and Nicole Caruso, right, 12, and her dog.

"Sean put his whole heart and soul into that park," Joan Fabrizio, longtime secretary to the park's board of commissioners said. "The park was his home and he took care of it so well. No matter what the commissioners asked of him, he did it."

One of his proudest achievements was expanding the "super popular" summer nature camp that offers arts and crafts, kayaking, fishing and nature walks. Brion Keith, of Weymouth, a Pond Meadow ranger for 20 years, is now the park supervisor.

Gone, but not forever

Brown, a Weymouth native and graduate of the University of New Hampshire, said that several factors caused her to retire and she was ready for new pursuits. She intends to remain involved as a volunteer in Blue Hills TrailWatch and is busy with the family's new puppy, a Golden retriever named K.D.

Maggi Brown, of Weymouth, with her new golden retriever puppy, K.D.
Maggi Brown, of Weymouth, with her new golden retriever puppy, K.D.

She grew up coming to the Blue Hills and was inspired by the Trailside Museum, "seeing the wildlife there, seeing the naturalist with a hawk on his arm, talking about wildlife."

Known for her open friendliness and enthusiasm, Brown embraced special events such as the annual First Day hikes on New Year's Day and the Houghton Pond fishing festival. Preserving legacies, she worked with The Friends of Blue Hills on a new interpretive sign at the site of the former Civilian Conservation Corps Camp in Milton. The sign reveals the fascinating 1930’s Depression era history of Roosevelt’s “Tree Army.”

Maggi Brown, of Weymouth, retired after 38 years with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. She was visitor services supervisor in the Blue Hills Reservation.
Maggi Brown, of Weymouth, retired after 38 years with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. She was visitor services supervisor in the Blue Hills Reservation.

"Connecting people to our open spaces was one of the greatest pleasures of my life, and hopefully inspiring a few new park stewards to care for our parks and open spaces," Brown Monday as she took K.D. for an outing at Webb State Park.

A list of DCR programs and self-guided outings is on the state park website.

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Reach Sue Scheible at sscheible@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore park supervisors Sean Cleaves, Maggi Brown retire