LACONIA — The Belknap Mill Society hosted a luncheon Wednesday afternoon to thank, honor and fete its many volunteers and supporters. An annual event for the Mill Society, the recognition luncheon including the creation of a new designation of Trustee Emeritus, which was bestowed upon Peter S. Karagianis, who turned 97 years old this year.

ROD DYER, center, accepts his award for
Outstanding Membership from Belknap Mill
Society President David Stamps, left, and
Interim Executive Director Andre Paquette,
right. Dyer was honored, along with several
other volunteers, at a recognition luncheon
at the Belknap Mill Wednesday afternoon.

“I first knew Peter as the original owner of the Laconia Spa when I was one of the little kids he wanted out of the store quickly,” said David Stamps, president of the Belknap Mill Society. “Peter literally mortgaged his home to rescue the Mill, he has been the face of the Mill, and he never wanted to move on from working with us.” As Trustee Emeritus, he will be able to attend any meeting or function, and he will be always listed in their membership. “That wry smile of his is always welcome at our events,” said Stamps.

Also honored on Wednesday was longtime member Rod Dyer, who was given an award for his outstanding membership. Dyer first helped the Mill when he was Mayor of Laconia and the Save the Mill Society reached out for help from the city. He was instrumental in saving the Mill’s bell, has provided legal counsel, and been a general “go to” person for the Mill Society over the last three decades.

“I can say with total honesty that I was surprised when I saw my name on the agenda today,” said Dyer. “My contributions to the Mill pale in comparison to a man like Peter Karagianis. I will accept this award and the spirit with which it was given, but there are many, many people who deserve this award.” Dyer relayed a story about how, with his wife and two children, he created the tradition of ringing the Mill’s bell on New Year’s Eve. He keeps a photo of the original bell-ringing from the 1970’s as one of his favorite photographs. Dyer also noted that his grandfather Napoleon Dyer actually worked in the Mill before becoming a barber, then a lawyer, and finally the postmaster of Laconia and eventually building the Laconia Post Office.

Four volunteers were singled out for their service over the past year. Typically, volunteers work as part of the Belknap Mill Visitation Program, often role playing as former mill workers, or just generally keeping things running smoothly. “We literally couldn’t get along without our volunteers,” said Stamps. He first thanked Tom Tardiff, who has been volunteering with the program since 1997 and generally helps out around the Mill. Stamps offered an anecdote about Tardiff donning hip-boots to wade into the flooded Mill basement and restart the sump pump as an example of his dedication to the Mill.

Jon Pounds was also thanked. He started as a role player in the powerhouse during the fourth grade tours and has since joined the board of trustees and is now treasure of the Mill Society. Diane Wells was singled out for her work in the finishing room during Mill tours and as a guide on the river walk. “She’s just one of our strongest volunteer,” said Stamps.

Finally Stewart Ramsey was thanked for his work with the machines in the knitting room. Ramsey is one of the few local residents capable of keeping the antique machines up and running. While the Mill Society hopes to bring in new membership also capable of maintaining the machines, Ramsey is concurrently bringing in two new pieces of mill equipment for the knitting room display. The first is a machine that originally came from the mill and is used to knit jersey material that connects sleeves on t-shirts. He plans to install it and get it up and running. The second machine is the very last toque machine produced by Scott & Williams in 1982. “I really think it will be the show piece of the knitting room,” said Ramsey.

Also during the luncheon, Helga Stamp, who oversees the visitation program, thanked Barbara Pitch, president of the New Hampshire Historical Society and who helped create the program 17 years ago. “It’s been the highlight of my professional life,” said Pitch. The fourth grade visitation program has educated more than 15,000 students. Stamp mentioned that the fourth grade students from the very first tour are now 27 years old, and some of them have been back to volunteer and even get married at the Mill.“I believe this is the best historical tour in the state right now,” said Pitch. She talked about how the tour was crafted to dovetail with four grade’s usual focus on state history and with state mandated social studies guidelines. “The Belknap Mill Visitation Program is one of the few field trips that survived the hit we took when No Child Left Behind was enacted. Students can construct their own knowledge out of the stops on our tour, and we touch on everything from economics to geography to history and civics,” said Pitch. In this past year alone, they have conducted 21 tours from 27 different schools, totally more than 1000 students.

Finally, the Mill Society honored Bank of New Hampshire for their outstanding support of the Mill over the years. Stamps presented Louis Guevin Jr., the executive vice president of Commercial Services, with a cast-iron bell made in replica of the one at the Mill. It was cast with the date 1831, commemorating the founding of Meredith Bridge Savings Bank, which eventually became Bank of New Hampshire.