Webster Lake
 Oxford Common  Dudley Hill |
The Janet Malser Humanities Trust was established in 2009 as a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation. Its purpose is to fund educational, cultural, historic, and charitable causes in the towns of Dudley, Oxford, and Webster, Massachusetts. Janet Malser was a lifelong resident of Dudley and Webster, Massachusetts. She established this Trust so that the causes she was involved with would continue to be supported when she was no longer with us. Her love of art, history, nature, and music inspired her to champion causes related to the arts and humanities, community service, and conservation. Through this Trust, Janet’s generosity of “self” will continue to be realized for years to come. This is her legacy. Born in Dudley in 1917, Janet Malser was a graduate of Bartlett High School in Webster. Miss Malser lived with her bachelor-brother Leonard on West Main Street in Dudley before establishing a residence on Webster Lake. Len worked for the American Optical Company in Southbridge, Massachusetts, while Janet was employed as an office manager at the Waterhouse Company and then the H.C. Bartlett Insurance Company. Len and Janet both possessed a wry sense of humor. Len, a pilot, liked to joke that he had been taught to fly by Wilbur and Orville Wright. Len and Janet liked to travel, to sail on Webster Lake, and to serve the communities of Webster and Dudley. Janet served as Treasurer of the Webster-Dudley Garden Club, the Webster-Dudley Food Share, and auditor of the Killdeer Island Club. Whether an officer or not, Janet kept a watchful eye on the budgets of every organization to which she belonged. |
Janet was a rare individual who had a talent for the arts as well as numbers. She loved history and served as a member of the Webster-Dudley Historical Society and the Black Tavern Dudley Historical Society. Janet was aware of the close historical relationship among Dudley, Oxford and Webster and established the Trust to support the humanities in all three towns.
The natural world also inspired her. She was dedicated to the scenic and environmental protection of Webster Lake, whose Native American name, Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, she was also able to rattle off. She established a yearly benefit foot race at Killdeer Island, an event that continues to this day in her honor.
A quiet, diminutive woman with a raspy voice and a ready smile, Janet was a gifted artist and musician. She produced sketches of Webster Lake, the Oxford Green, and historic sites in Dudley, including the Black Tavern and the First Congregational Church. She also possessed a passion for music and, for more than thirty years, she donated her considerable skill as an organist to the First Congregational Church of Dudley. At age 90, just a week before her death, she was playing the organ for the church and for the 275th Anniversary Celebration of the town of Dudley.
Janet also was an early investor in the Commerce Insurance Company of Webster. Upon her death in June 2007, she directed that the annual dividends from that stock be used to fund a charitable trust supporting the humanities solely in the towns of Dudley, Oxford, and Webster, Massachusetts. Following the third party acquisition of the Commerce Group and the forced sale of its stock, the Trustees reinvested the proceeds in order to maintain the charitable purposes of the Trust. The Janet Malser Humanities Trust serves as an enduring legacy for the tri-town community and to the talented and caring woman who created it.
The natural world also inspired her. She was dedicated to the scenic and environmental protection of Webster Lake, whose Native American name, Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, she was also able to rattle off. She established a yearly benefit foot race at Killdeer Island, an event that continues to this day in her honor.
A quiet, diminutive woman with a raspy voice and a ready smile, Janet was a gifted artist and musician. She produced sketches of Webster Lake, the Oxford Green, and historic sites in Dudley, including the Black Tavern and the First Congregational Church. She also possessed a passion for music and, for more than thirty years, she donated her considerable skill as an organist to the First Congregational Church of Dudley. At age 90, just a week before her death, she was playing the organ for the church and for the 275th Anniversary Celebration of the town of Dudley.
Janet also was an early investor in the Commerce Insurance Company of Webster. Upon her death in June 2007, she directed that the annual dividends from that stock be used to fund a charitable trust supporting the humanities solely in the towns of Dudley, Oxford, and Webster, Massachusetts. Following the third party acquisition of the Commerce Group and the forced sale of its stock, the Trustees reinvested the proceeds in order to maintain the charitable purposes of the Trust. The Janet Malser Humanities Trust serves as an enduring legacy for the tri-town community and to the talented and caring woman who created it.
TRUSTEES
Kenneth Deary
Debra Horan Secretary and Co-Treasurer
Keith Kirkland
Ann Lada Vice-Chairperson
Allison Lane
Paul Macek
Thomas Smith Chairperson and Co-Treasurer
Kenneth Deary
Debra Horan Secretary and Co-Treasurer
Keith Kirkland
Ann Lada Vice-Chairperson
Allison Lane
Paul Macek
Thomas Smith Chairperson and Co-Treasurer