Before she was ever born, Carolyn's Vermont grandparents left the state. They weren’t sure they’d ever come back.

Carolyn Emma Knight Hallock '65 spent her childhood in Springfield, MA. Despite this, she felt tethered to the Green Mountain state. Between her mother's and grandfather's tales, family lore, and Vermont vacations on Lake Champlain, Carolyn dreamed of a life in Vermont.

Moving to Massachusetts was an arduous decision, one driven by economic necessity in the downturn precipitating the Great Depression. But they did what had to be done.

Decades later, from her Essex Junction home, Carolyn still safekeeps her mother's fastidious hand-written records -- self-tallied UVM credits, years-long work history, and preparatory notes for teaching interviews -- alongside the photos, newspaper clippings, and war food rations books.

Carolyn finally found home, by way of Jericho, in the Vermont town where several of her relatives had for so long.

The Long Road Back

Carolyn reflects on her family's ties to UVM, beginning with her mother, Linna B. (Stevens) Knight '27, and her mother's siblings -- aunt Doris Stevens and uncle Ralph Chesley Stevens -- all students in the 1920s. And grandchildren of prominent Essex Junction business owner William Bennett Johnson, and Linna Ann Stowell Marshall Johnson.

Linna and her siblings spent the earlier part of their childhood in Essex, Vermont. Linna completed the two-year teacher training program at UVM, leading to a rich career as a teacher. Thirty-five years later, in 1962, she would graduate from Springfield College with a bachelor's of science degree -- alongside her daughter Rosemary, who graduated with degrees in English and Education.

But in her Catamount days, while Linna attended UVM's teacher training program, she stayed with her grandparents during the school week, trolleying into campus from the Junction.

Weekends were spent in Stowe, on the family farm where Linna's parents, Ralph Hale Stevens and Alice Blanche Johnson, then resided with their children Ralph, Doris, and Patricia. The farm was subsequently lost in the Depression.

After her graduation from UVM, Linna taught for a number of years across the country. She met her future husband, Charles W. Knight, in the 1930s.

Charles was a friend of Linna's brother, Ralph Chesley, from the military. Following their service, the two young men relocated to Springfield, Vermont to work for Ralph's father at the American Bosch Company, and eventually for the US Post Office.

Linna and Charles married. Their two daughters, Rosemary and Carolyn, would soon make their way into the world.

From Linna's generation of Catamounts would spring two more -- her children and grandchildren, education to business to biology majors.

All four of Carolyn's children -- Elizabeth Ann Hallock Steckel '94, Sharon Lynn Hallock Mallory '93, Andrew Scott Hallock '99 (deceased), Mary Alice Hallock Lahiff '00-- and two of their spouses are all Catamounts, as was Carolyn's late husband, Scott S. Hallock '62.

The Family

Carolyn's great-grandparents operated, among other businesses, a grist mill at Salmon Hole along the Winooski River.

As the Midwest “became America’s breadbasket,” the saw and gristmills on the Winooski declined, backgrounded by the economic downturn leading up to the Great Depression; their mill was no exception.

The Great Flood of 1927 was its death knell.

“They blew it up during the flood [of 1927]. So he lost that,” Carolyn tells us. “And he, you know, during the Depression, they lost a lot of money.”

Through the hardship, Uncle Ralph immersed himself in UVM life. A Literary Scientific major, Uncle Ralph had a big personality – one that found its way to the Wig and Buskin Society, the student drama club, and a few theatre productions. 

Uncle Ralph Chesley would stay in Springfield, MA, after returning from the military, eventually working at a large car dealership.

The Boomerang Kids

The family's move to Massachusetts marked a significant turning point. 

Despite their hardships, Carolyn's family worked to maintain a connection to Vermont.

Carolyn's grandfather, Ralph Hale Stevens, ever committed to his Vermont roots, would bring various grandchildren up to a lakeside cottage during the summer. Ralph Hale and son Ralph Chesley were avid fishermen and spent many hours on the lake.

These extended stays were more than vacations—they were opportunities for the younger generation to deepen their relationship to Vermont and to each other.

For Carolyn, they offered a window into the land she had come to cherish and would one day call home.

Essex Junction looks a lot different than it did back in Carolyn's great-grandparents' days. Where the Johnson's giant Victorian once presided near eminent Five Corners now stands a pub, a bank, and a mixed-use building.

Along the way, Carolyn, like several of her children and other family members, carried on the UVM legacy.

Despite the hardships her family faced along the way, Carolyn feels fortunate to have found her way back.

Looking for Descendants

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Did your relative attend UVM in the 1920s? If so, we want to talk to you and hear your story -- and theirs. We're also interested in memorabilia or more scrapbooks from UVM in the 1920s.

Get in touch! Email Lisa Wartenberg Velez to feature your UVM descendant story.