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Irene Farley Boulton West Irene was born in Hollis in 1908 daughter of Wilbert Farley and Adeline Keith. Her Mother died when Irene was four and she grew up close to her father and cared for by her sister, Dorothy and brother. She graduated from Keene Teacher’s College and taught very briefly in Hollis. (Hear her oral history about this) In 1934 she married Albert Boulton (several years her senior) and they had a daughter, Marcia, who lives in Hollis. In 1962, six years after Albert's death, she married Frank West. Irene was the 7th generation of Farley Family, which has contributed greatly to Hollis in a variety of ways. Irene's Father was Selectman and active in the Grange, a very influential group, and her relative: Mary S. Farley having run her father Christopher Farley's tanning business from 1848- 1875 bequeathed in 1875 $10,000 if the town would build a high school. Built in 1879 the Farley Building at the head of Monument Square still serves the Town with its classrooms. Irene chaired the 1976 committee of the Hollis Historical Society which produced the book for the centennial: Where the Past Has Been Preserved Hollis 1879-1979 as Joan Tinklepaugh puts it "a monument of another type to the Farleys and all the other families who lived the story of Hollis". This book is very readable and very thorough on Hollis History. Irene was active with Girl Scouts before her daughter was born; she received the Golden Eaglet Prize in 1930 and continued active professionally in scouting as a means of educating young people becoming the head of the Nashua Area Council. From her many have learned much Hollis history including delightful anecdotes of life on Farley Farm. The Hollis Heritage Commission adopted a photo of the Farley farm as its logo. The photo of Irene on the website People section was taken at the time of the presentation to her of the pen &ink drawing from this photo. The willingness on Irene's part to pass on to newcomers to Hollis the Hollis Heritage with accuracy and humor is one example of her ongoing service to the Community. Listen to her oral history for more details.
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