On Thursday, July 6 at 5:30 pm, East Chop will gather at the beach club to celebrate the life of Scott Brooks. All are welcome. Scott died peacefully at his home in Stowe, Vt. on Feb. 14 with all of his family there. Scott was 77.

Scott came from one of the first East Chop families. His great-grandfather purchased the family home on the bluff right after the Civil War. Scott rarely missed a summer. We will remember his great athletic ability. He played varsity lacrosse at Princeton, and was an avid ski racer throughout his life. We will especially miss his warm personality and the wonderful stories he told over cocktails on the Brooks’s porch.

Six weeks later we lost Boyd Cowper, who died on March 24 after a short illness. Like Scott, Boyd was an accomplished ski racer, but East Chop will remember him best for his love of the ocean. His favorite activities included clamming, sailing, swimming, and walking on the beach. I will especially miss our engaging conversations at the beach club. Boyd was both interested and knowledgeable on many topics. It was a rare occasion when I didn’t learn something from him.

Although we did not hold our annual spring trash pick up this year, the nips were not too bad thanks to Paul Doherty, a Vineyard Haven resident. He walks his dog in different Vineyard settings on a regular basis picking up nips. He has been several times to our community. Many thanks Paul!

Last fall I joined several East Choppers on a mission to pick up plastic on our beaches. I was assigned to cover the area from the Oak Bluffs jetty to the yacht club and was amazed at how clean it was. I wondered why, and then I remembered. Howie Sashin, an Oak Bluffs resident, walks this area every morning with Daisy, his little pug, picking up trash and poop. If East Chop had a Hall of Fame, Paul and Howie would be my first two nominees.

Special thanks also go to Page Stephens, Dave Bryan, Dale McClure, and Billy O’Brien, the Yacht Club team, that planned and managed the repair of the bulkhead this winter. As most yacht club members know, the wooden support structure of the old bulkhead was rotting, with the walkway sinking into the mud in several places. The new support structure is built from a fiberglass material that will outlive even the youngest member of our community.

For parents with young children looking for something to do on Saturday mornings in July, Friends of Sengekontacket sponsors Saturdays on Senge. Each Saturday in July, beginning tomorrow, July 1, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. the organization conducts a nature excursion on the pond led by a Felix Neck Wildlife naturalist. Topics in the past have included mollusks, birds, and shells. Children ages 4 and up are encouraged to attend with the only requirement that a parent is with them. There is no charge for the excursion. If interested, plan to be at Little Bridge in Oak Bluffs at 9:30 a.m.

Finally, if you happen to see Les Woodcock around town, East Chop’s sexiest senior citizen, be sure to give him a hug. Les turns 90 today.

Send East Chop news to herricklr@verizon.net.