Appreciation: Olive DuBois

How to describe someone who helped raise our family, kept The White Hart Inn on an even keel for 47 years, shared all the joy her husband, Jim DuBois, brought through the Salisbury Band, and was so much a part of what we all love about Salisbury.

Olive DuBois passed gently in the early morning of Nov. 25 with all the verve, charm and straightforward Yankee honesty we have all known and loved.

She was born Sept. 2, 1915, graduated from Salisbury Central School and the High School, which was located in the lower building of what is now Salisbury Central. Olive played basketball there for four years, and raced cross country-skiing in the heyday of the great Norwegians who started the ski jumps in Salisbury. She and Jim were childhood sweethearts, members of St. Mary’s Parish and, although they never had children of their own, were parents to so many of the young people in town.

For her 47 years with The White Hart, which started with Edsel Ford and lasted through the ownership and management of Reese and Jane Harris, Donald Warner and John Harney, Olive was impeccably dressed, always there with her morning chocolate bar, and always the level head to solve the myriad of problems of a country inn which was the hub of the community, with the switchboard for the fire department, ambulance and residential alarms.

Her gingerbread village lit up the lobby of The White Hart with a collection of miniatures and replicas of The White Hart, the old Town Hall, the ski jump and all the landmarks of the village. Photographed and written up in both Yankee and Woman’s Day magazines, Olive brought visitors to The White Hart all through the Christmas season.

The Perle Mesta of Salisbury, Olive was famous for her parties. She actually surprised Jim on his 80th birthday with a party on the train from Canaan to West Cornwall — red hats required, food and music by the "Over the Hill Band" — with lots of food and singing. New Year’s Eve at The White Hart was always a party, complete with a live band and dancing. Snowed out one year, Olive just moved the whole party to her basement party room and the beat went on!

In 2003, Olive and Jim needed the care provided by Noble Horizons. Eileen Mulligan and the wonderful staff at Noble cared for Jim through his last days, with baseball games and the Salisbury Band coming to see him, and then put Olive right to work. She covered the reception desk over the weekends, checked the residents in and out, sported her favorite clothes, checked reservations for the dining room, and lest her hands be idle, always had brochures and mailings to take care of.

Hotchkiss students volunteering at Noble were attracted to this perky lady who loved music, roosters and needed help for her prize-winning Halloween costume. Olive’s collection of hats was always available, and an Alaskan cruise found a teddy bear costume in the suitcase again for a prize-winning costume ball on board ship.

A friend, an inspiration, Olive will always be a part of our lives.

Elyse Harney

Salisbury