Why 12 ladies in a Hingham senior living community shed clothes for props in 2024 calendar

HINGHAM − Linden Ponds is not becoming “that kind” of private community, despite what some people might think they saw as they passed by the library, peeked through the window of one of its restaurants or noticed in the residents' garden.

Yes, librarian Suzanne Monk may have shed a few layers of clothing in the workplace and, yes, resident Judie Hass was dressed as a scantily clad Playboy Bunny raising a toast. And maybe that was community garden overseer Marylee Muise going au naturel save for glasses and a wide-brimmed hat out among the greenery, but there is an explanation.

The three were among a group of 12 of the “Lovely Ladies of Linden Ponds,” as they call themselves, who took part in a 2024 calendar inspired by the 2003 movie "Calendar Girls," which centers on the real-life story of a group of older women who bared it all for a calendar to raise money for their local hospital.

Sales from the Linden Ponds calendar benefit its resident care fund, which helps residents remain in the community in times of financial challenges.

“We’re celebrating age and raising some money for a great cause,” said Christine Griffin, who was among a handful of residents who helped get the ball rolling on the project.

The Linden Ponds calendar girls span in age from 69 to 92.

Calendar inspires friendship among Linden Ponds neighbors

Many of the women who took part didn’t know each other, or didn’t know each other well, at the outset of the project, which mirrors a similar one at Linden Ponds in 2011.

Through attending mutual events at the 1,100-unit gated senior living community off Route 53 in Hingham, Griffin said she and other organizers started asking women. And they all said yes.

For Monk, who can now also go by “Miss September” in addition to her title as librarian, the decision to take part came on the fly as she got a call early on a Sunday morning to be photographed just a few hours before she planned to head out to the Berkshires.

“I thought, ‘What the heck am I doing?’” she said. “But I knew if I drove out to the Berkshires and didn’t do it, I’d be kicking myself.”

The first photo didn’t quite work out, with some of the book props blocking more than what needed to be blocked. A reshoot soon followed.

“That gave me more time to think about it, but it was too late," she said. "I was nervous as anything."

That nervousness is not evident in the photo, which, like the women in all the other months, shows Monk wearing a big smile, if little else.

“I’ve sent copies to my family members and their response has been wonderful,” she said.

Did they really go the full monty?

Now, for perhaps a bit of a spoiler.

While the women appear to be completely unclothed, the shoots actually involved bathing suits, cleverly placed props and careful angles by photographers Don Mitchell and Roseanne Zaino, a graphic artist who also edited the layout of the calendar.

Shooting the pictures in the communal areas around Linden Ponds made keeping the project under wraps difficult.

“That was the hardest part, keeping it secret,” Griffin said. “When people started to look in and saw Judy (Hass) as a Playboy Bunny, we just told them to move along.”

But they managed to keep the project a secret

While there may have been whispers about the shoots, the calendar did manage to stay a secret until its big reveal.

The $20 calendar was unveiled during a community-wide, standing-room-only gathering in the Linden Ponds theater, where, the women said, many of those attending assumed the meeting would be about an increase to fees or taxes or something similarly dry.

Boy, were they wrong.

“They didn’t know what they were going to see,” Griffin said

The women, who were seated on the stage so they could stand up and wave after the announcement, were in for a surprise themselves.

“None of us knew they were going to put up a giant picture of us,” said Sandy Tuthill, whose picture for November shows her relaxing in a chair by a fireplace reading an issue of the AARP Bulletin.

“The curtain opened, and it was marvelous,” said Griffin. “You could hear an audible gasp.”

Lovely Ladies of Linden Ponds become local celebrities

The surprise quickly turned to admiration.

“They had a reception for us afterwards, and people came up and asked for our autograph,” Tuttle said.

The women have had to keep pens with them since as their recognition continues to spread.

“People I don’t know pop out and say, ‘Hey, Miss January,’” said Scotty Hart, who was posed behind a TV screen displaying the community channel that she worried might fall as she leaned on it. (It did not.)

Monk, aka the librarian, aka Miss September, posed behind a pile of books in the library while holding a tall book on tall ships that covered what needed covering.

“Unfortunately, the books take up most of the room in my photo, so I have had to sign autographs across my chest,” she said.

While the cause behind the fundraiser is an important one, the images are permeated with an air of fun, whether it's Miss February, Carole Walt, wearing a faux shocked expression in the hair salon as she holds a Men’s Health magazine with Jason Momoa on the cover, or Sandy Creaser (March) working a sewing machine with just enough fabric to keep the censors at bay.

Other women were photographed holding appropriately placed artwork (Pat Bianco, March), oversized playing cards ordered especially for the occasion (Linda Hiller, May) and behind a well-laced piano (Lo Stelle, October).

A few of the risqué-looking pictures included Cindy Reid (June), who was photographed wearing a baseball cap and what looks like little else behind the wheel of an SUV, and Deni Janey, whose picture in the pool included an obscuring splash of water taken at just the tight time.

“I think part of the whole calendar is that there’s a good sense of humor behind it,” said Tuthill.

Where and how the women were placed for the shoots was not random, Griffin said.

“We wanted the women in the calendar to represent their own interests and all the different activities we do here,” she said. “We're all living our lives and having a great time.”

Fundraising helps more than just residents

The Linden Ponds’ philanthropy programs are big. They include a scholarship fund for high school seniors who work there, as well as bonuses for the 600 or so people employed in food service jobs who do not collect tips as part of their job.

Griffin said this year’s scholarship round resulted in14 of the high school seniors employed at Linden Ponds receiving $10,000 each.

The appreciation fund for the food service workers ended up with $360,000 in its coffers, which is subsequently distributed in amounts reflecting each employee’s length of service.

"Even someone who started here just a few months ago will get a gift card,” Griffin said. “This is a very generous community.”

The calendar also comes as Linden Ponds celebrates its 20th anniversary.

While all the participants want the calendar to raise money, they are also thankful for the new friendships.

“A lot of us didn’t know each other before, but this created a real level of camaraderie,” Walt said. “We are the Calendar Girls.”

How you can buy a Lovely Ladies of Linden Ponds calendar

Calendars can be purchased at Hingham Jewelers or by contacting Griffin at Cmg195666@gmail.com or 978-609-2516.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Linden Ponds women get 'naked': How 'Calendar Girls' inspired them