Congrats to all of the seniors from Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School. This was an especially difficult year because of the virus, remote learning, isolation from friends and limited sports and student activities — all combined to render a year full of challenges and complexities.

I would also like to salute three graduates from Oak Bluffs legacy families: Bruce Bolling Jr., Zachary Alphonse Carter Lyncee and Logan William Finley-Wallace.

Logan’s mother Kharma Finley shares that her son is a theatre kid who participated in several plays at his high school. When not on stage, he was running the tech department and handling audio visual for all of the school events. For the past two years he also played on the varsity rugby team, all while nourishing his budding interests in photography and culinary arts. No surprise that he is headed to the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, where he was accepted into the Kessler Presidential Scholars Program. Well, sounds to me like he has some of his grandfather‘s DNA. Proud Skip Finley of radio and communication fame is certainly musing over Logan’s broad range of interests and talents and all of his options for a professional career.

Dr. Cindy Carter sent photos and notes from her trip to Atlanta to see her son Zach walk across the stage and join the ranks of the immortal Morehouse men. Underscoring the talent represented by so many that have graced the yard on this Atlanta campus, the famous phrase goes: “You can always tell a Morehouse Man, but you can’t tell him much!”

The late Dr. Al Carter, Zach’s grandfather, would have been applauding the loudest as Zach received his bachelor of arts degree with a concentration in business management. Al was the former president of the Union Chapel trustee board and served for many years as the dean of the business school at Hampton University. Zack is excited about his new job in Atlanta.

Joyce Ferriabough Bolling was anxious about the Covid-related ticket limitations for commencement exercises at Boston College Law School a few weeks back. But nothing was going to stop her from getting in to see her son Bruce C. Bolling Jr. receive his juris doctorate degree. Joyce was effusive about the significance of this milestone for the Bolling family. Young Bruce served as vice president of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) where he also handled chapter communications. His interest in public service was nourished by working with outside attorneys on pro bono cases and his summer internship with Senator Nick Collins. Bruce also shares his late father’s interest in business and real estate.

The family was joined by city councilors Lydia Edwards and Michelle Wu at the post-graduation fete. The gathering’s highlight was Boston Mayor Kim Janey sharing the political history of the graduate’s family. His father, the late Bruce Bolling Sr., was president of Boston City Council, uncle Royal Bolling Jr. served in the state legislature and his grandfather, the late Royal Bolling Sr., was a state senator.

Please stop by the Washington Park open market on East Chop Drive that starts at noon each Sunday. A wide variety of vendors and entrepreneurs are available. Also go to Dukes County avenue to visit the arts district galleries that have reopened and restocked!

Paradise is living the Vineyard experience. Enjoy it as life is fleeting.