The staff and board of directors at the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard would like to recognize the retirement of one our most passionate and tireless volunteers, Janet Norton. Since the beginning of the animal shelter, Janet has helped do the many tasks and thankless jobs that are a necessary to care for the dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs that come through our doors. Without the time and care Janet and the many other volunteers do at the shelter, we could not operate as we do.

Will somebody please plant a mulberry bush in the middle of the roundabout! After so much bickering, I think it’s time to sing its praises.

Remembering Jack Howland — his wit, his wisdom, his way with words — his place at the round table at the ArtCliff Diner. The following, titled Snapshots, was written by Jack in November 2010, but he still had a few good miles to go. You are missed by many, Jack.

The other day I was looking at a photo taken from Pam Clark’s old house of Shenandoah, at anchor in back of the Black Dog, and waxing nostalgic. Then today I read about Shenandoah’s namesake, and the original Alabama. I had thought they had been Confederate blockade runners, sort of romantic vessels.

Tea Party member Peter Robb (letter, May 17) complains that “Barack Hussein Obama has done precious little to bring liberals and conservatives together.” Without suggesting any useful measures, Mr. Robb instead goes on to assert that the administration has done a whole list of bad things, and lied about them.

I’m always amused to see how information given to someone working for a newspaper can get turned around, and I normally just enjoy it. But when Skip Finley’s Oak Bluffs piece from the May 17 Gazette was pointed out to me, I knew it was time to correct some misinformation. I think my mother, Elizabeth Hilliard Stacy, would be very surprised to hear that she was the founder of Hilliard’s Kitch-in-vue Candies and that Marguerite Cook was one of her five daughters.