Lucille Boucher

by Lynne Ober

Lucille Boucher has watched Hudson change from a sleepy village to a thriving New England town. Born in Hudson over seventy years ago, this long-time resident has watched Hudson grow.

“I started school at Hudson Center School. We had two classrooms. One held first through third graders and the other held fourth through sixth graders,” recounts Boucher.

But even then Hudson was growing. When Dr. H.O. Smith School opened in 1935 Boucher and her classmates continued their education there. “I attended H. O. Smith School for six years – through the ninth grade. Then I had to go to Nashua for high school,” Boucher remembers. “I graduated in 1950 – just a few years before Alvirne High School was started.”

Boucher and her husband raised two children; a boy and a girl. “Child care wasn’t as easy to get back then. My husband worked first shift and I got a job at a vending company that stocked snack machines and worked second shift. I started packing donuts to go into the snack machines. One of us was always home for the children.”

When her daughter started first grade, Boucher moved to first shift because “my husband’s job allowed him to be home when the kids came home from school. I continued to work for the vending company and became their ‘Girl Friday.’ I dispatched maintenance workers when the machines needed repairing, worked in the office, was the cashier, and whatever else I was asked to do.”

When she finally retired, she decided to become a substitute teacher so that she could work with children. “I worked a lot at St. John’s School. It was rewarding work.”

Although Boucher will turn seventy-two next May, she is extremely active.

“The Lions started a Senior Club back in ‘78. John Bednar was one of the first people involved. The club was allowed to use Lions Hall. When the Town bought Lions Hall, the Seniors continued to use the hall. Today they offer programs two days a week.

Boucher was President of Hudson Seniors for three years and still serves on their Board. “I wish that we had our own center,” she wistfully says. “There are programs that seniors need but we can’t offer. I get a lot of calls from seniors who need rides. If we had our own center, we could get a grant for a bus and provide transportation.”

Boucher has seen the Senior program grow. Today they offer monthly foot clinics, line dancing, aerobics, luncheons, trips, and other activities. “The flu clinic that we held had over 300 participants. We just can’t have many programs in two days, but thank God for all the volunteers who do help us.”

Hudson Seniors do offer a variety of trips from single day to multiple day trips. “I take all the trips. We try to keep the cost down so that people can afford them,” Boucher says.

The seniors are going to Washington D.C. in May 2004 for the inauguration of the World War II Monument. “We have tickets for the inauguration. We gave a donation to this. When we made the donation, we had 40 living WW II vets and now we have only 29.”

Boucher worked on the committee that planned Hudson’s 250-year celebration. “It was fun. We had money leftover after the celebration and we used it to build the gazebo on the Common. I was involved with that too. We did it at no cost to the Town.”

Boucher just recently started the Police Academy. “The first meeting was November 4. About 20 of us are going. It’s been fun so far. I’m interested in upcoming sessions.”

Community Questions:

HLN: If you had a magic wand and could change one thing about Hudson, what would it be?

Boucher: “We’ve had a lot of growth – maybe too much. I’d like to see Hudson remain affordable for seniors who have lived their lives here.

HLN: If you were in the presence of a selectman and could ask any question, what would it be?

Boucher: “I’d like to ask them when they will support a Senior Center. Pelham has Town support. Nashua just got a lot of support from their Town. Lowell and Windham have supported the Seniors. When will the Selectmen support us? We paid taxes for a lot of years.”

HLN: If you were about to ask President Bush one question, what would it be?

Boucher: When will you quit spending so much money overseas and put those dollars to work for Americans?