The Latest Buzz

Sometimes you want to travel because you have always wanted to see the Great Wall of China and you know it is once in a lifetime; sometimes you are sick of winter and you want to get warm; other times it is because of curiosity…and sometimes it is to see somebody..for a once in a lifetime party.

Maurice ‘Buzz’ Beaulieu was going to celebrate his 90th birthday in Norfolk, VA on May 8, 2011. As far as the family tree grows, we begin with the lovely Landry sisters: Gini, Janice and Linda. Their father, Charles, had two sisters. They grew up in Lowell, MA. The elder sister Janet found the love of her life in Lowell and that would be Buzz. He would become a career Naval officer, a pilot. And not just any ol’ pilot, he was a fighter pilot in WWII and the Korean War. Interestingly enough, he attended Lowell High School with Jack Kerouac. They both played football for LHS.

Their family, which eventually would include two sons and a daughter (Mike, Michele and Marc chronologically), would move 30 times across oceans and continents. His decorations included the Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Aircraft carriers were his welcome mats and launching pads. His favorite was the USS Enterprise (“The Big E”):



My first encounter with the esteemed aviator was with his wife Janet at a lobster bake in New Hampshire celebrating our wedding:



Always a proper and respectful guest, he never once mentioned my ‘Mao’ hat with its red star and the ‘flower children’ abundantly present. In fact I would say he immediately was in the spirit and made sure he was going to enjoy his ‘lobstah’.

Over the years we developed a fine relationship. He and Janet had settled in Winter Park for his retirement, the same city as Gini’s parents. This allowed for the exchange of many visits, stories and the building of our own memories of Buzz.

Sadly, several years ago we lost Janet. and Buzz finally left his home in the Orlando area to live in the same community as his oldest son Mike. You might remember our visit there last year on our way to Miami Beach (“We’re Off” – December 30, 2009). Buzz was gracious enough to share his apartment with us for a couple of nights.

So the Landry contingent eagerly gathered to begin their voyage of homage. Parking was our first challenge at Logan Airport. This included commandeering and surviving an elevator:



After a brief stay in Philly to connect to Norfolk we gathered at Fellini’s courtesy of Mike Baloo Limousine servce. Twenty four celebrants gathered to ‘mangia a la italiana’.



Buzz is fourth from the right and busily engaged. However, though he had an ear for everyone who would sit next to him to share memories and receive accolades, he would inevitably search out the youngest and follow their antics:



Ava and Christa were more than glad to oblige in their mutual enjoyment of the party and being four years old.

The next day was the actual birthday. With an early start, decorating began at the activity room in the independent living community that is home for Buzz. Michele had filled a van for their drive from St Louis containing party materials and mementos lovingly prepared and researched.

The activity room quickly lived up to its name:



The honored guest arrived and the girls grabbed their uncle for pictures:



The theme was tropical and, yes, those are flamingoes on top of Janice’s head.

It is impossible to describe in detail the books thoroughly encompassing Buzz’ military career and the organization of the memorabilia pages prepared by many, many family members and friends. Here is the one from Gini:


Each person had taken the time to express why they thought this day and the guest of honor were worthy of their love, respect and admiration.

Though feeling very emotional themselves, Mike, Michele and Marc each read excerpts that they felt were of note. This included anecdotes from Buzz’ brother, advice for aging and George Carlin’s take on getting old. We enjoyed it all.

Four generations are always impressive especially when there is so much ‘beaming’:



Dutifully playing the honored guest, Commander Beaulieu played his part with ease. The formal act of honoring his attainment of nine decades was a ‘piece of cake’:



He thanked one and all with his love and emotion stirring the scene. Thank you sir!