Please share your love story in a few paragraphs or less (connected to the Square or not) and e-mail it to us at hsba@harvardsquare.com.
We will print, laminate and display as many ‘Love Notes’ as possible at the Out of Town News Kiosk located in the heart of Harvard Square. Please include your name, hometown and country. Our intention is to include the ‘Love Notes’ in a time capsule that will be presented to the City of Cambridge. We will ask that it be buried under the Kiosk which is slated for restoration this coming spring.
To kick-off our ‘Love Notes’ project, Jennifer Sabella, a Connecticut artist, shared a sweet story. Jen is a dear and longtime friend of Lynn and Dave Waller, husband and wife owners of Neon Williams, the company that recently repaired the Out of Town News neon lights displayed at the Kiosk.
“It’s hard to believe that it was nearly forty years ago, that I worked with Lynn Riddle and went to Emerson with Dave Waller. Somehow, I just knew they would be perfect for each other, so I set them up on a date. My date and I, and Lynn and Dave met at the Hong Kong in Harvard Square. We ordered scorpion bowls and something to eat…they immediately hit it off. The next day, they both thanked me enthusiastically for the introduction. When they married a couple of years later, I was their maid of honor. We see and speak to each other frequently, and to this day, whenever we say goodbye, or at any random time, they always say “thanks Jen” and I know why. They are still perfect for each other…and still thankful to me for setting them up!” 😊
-Jen Sabella, Litchfield, CT
As an aside, Lynn Waller is deeply connected to the Square. Her great-grandfather, William T. Daley, owned and operated Daley’s Drug Store, which was located in College House, directly across from the Kiosk. “Pop” Daley immigrated from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to NY around 1906. He moved to the Boston area after the depression and later set up shop in Harvard Square. In addition to her great-grandfather, Lynn’s dad, Jack Riddle, cousin Ruth Coffill and uncle Ned Kent, all worked at the store. Mr. Kent managed Daley’s and eventually opened Brattle Street Drug, which was also located in Harvard Square.
Denise Jillson said, “Repairing the Out of Town News neon lights brings this love story full circle.”
During the nearly 8 years of public process regarding the restoration of the Kiosk, many people in the community expressed their hope that the neon lights, which were in utter disrepair, remain displayed in the structure after the restoration.
According to Jillson, the HSBA has had stewardship of the structure since early December. She said, “My first priority was to repair the lights as a holiday gift to all those who expressed their fondness for them. As it was a costly proposition, I reached out to a dear friend and longtime member of the association for financial support. The kind owner of College House…yes, the same College House where Daley’s was located all those years ago…responded generously and without hesitation. Dave and Lynn Waller were contracted, the lights are repaired and every evening, they light up the Square from inside the Kiosk.”
