John Edward Calhoun



CORNWALL — John Edward Calhoun died peacefully at home on the evening of April 30, 2026, at Cathedral Pines Farm in Cornwall, Connecticut, surrounded by family. He was 86 years old. Born March 20, 1940, in Torrington, Connecticut, to parents Francis “Frank” Ellinwood Calhoun and Mary “Polly” Everett Swift Calhoun, John was the fourth of six children who grew up on the family’s dairy farm located in Cornwall’s Coltsfoot Valley. His family’s multi-generational presence in Cornwall dated back to 1792, fostering in John a deep sense of stewardship for the valley that stayed with him throughout his life.
John attended Cornwall Consolidated School through the eighth grade and graduated from The Hotchkiss School in the class of 1958. He attended Colby College in Maine for one year before graduating from Windham College in Vermont in 1964. At Windham, he met and married Elizabeth “Timme” Quay and had two sons, Nathan and Christopher, before divorcing in 1968.
As a young man, John ran the family dairy farm, taught English at the Rectory School, and ran a successful landscaping business with his first cousin John “Denny” Frost. In 1970, John married Nancy Clark Gray at her family’s summer home on Yelping Hill in Cornwall before immigrating to New Brunswick, Canada, in 1975. There, John and Nancy built Shikatehawk Farm in Glassville, began raising llamas, and had two daughters, Caroline and Sarah.
After eight years of farming in Canada, John and Nancy returned to Cornwall in 1983 as their daughters began their schooling. Together, on a treasured piece of Calhoun land, Nancy designed and John built their 18th-century style farmhouse. There they established Cathedral Pines Farm, set on a hillside apple orchard overlooking Cornwall Village and bordered by its 200-year-old namesake—a 42-acre grove of old-growth white pines recognized as one of the largest, most significant remaining stands east of the Mississippi River.
This historic forest was a testament to the family’s legacy of conservation. The Calhouns originally purchased the preserve in 1883 to prevent logging, later donating it to The Nature Conservancy in 1967. The land was ultimately deeded to the Cornwall Conservation Trust in 2020. Decades before that final transfer, however, a tornado decimated most of the ancient pines in July 1989. The destruction created years of daunting cleanup—a monumental task for which John was uniquely suited, given his penchant for the outdoors and his prowess with a chainsaw.
At Cathedral Pines Farm, John and Nancy spent the next 40 years building a life as hardworking entrepreneurs, breeding and selling llamas and running a bed and breakfast; raising their daughters; and contributing to Cornwall’s civic life. John served as Cornwall’s first Zoning Enforcement Officer for 15 years; as a trustee of The Cornwall Library for 17 years; and as treasurer for the Cornwall Cemetery Association for nearly 20 years. But it is perhaps his unofficial role as steward of Coltsfoot Valley for which John will be best remembered. As part of an intergenerational team of Calhoun family members, John worked alongside his relatives to navigate the legal complexities of subdividing the family land and incorporating the Coltsfoot Valley Association in 1989 to permanently protect and conserve the valley. Well into his retirement, and despite living with chronic lymphocytic leukemia for twenty years, John spent countless hours bush hogging the valley and trimming Birdseye Brook—a labor of love that kept Coltsfoot Valley the natural focal point of Cornwall Village.
John found his greatest peace in nature, relishing its colors, sounds, and especially the birdsong. Often, he took in this natural world while wielding a maul, methodically splitting and stacking firewood—a source of pride right up to the end of his life. A lover of history, literature, classical music, and language, John possessed a sharp wit and sense of humor that belied his quiet reticence. His facility with words often shone through in memorable puns, witty jokes, and well-timed quips delivered from the head of his hand-hewn dining table—much to the delight of family and friends enjoying dinner and drinks on the hill. Cathedral Pines was a hub for those in John and Nancy’s orbit, and together they were the ultimate hosts, providing a seemingly effortless hospitality fueled by Nancy’s home-cooked meals, John’s well-provisioned bar, and his masterfully built, roaring fires.
John was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Polly Calhoun; his paternal grandparents, John Edward and Marjorie Ellinwood Calhoun; his maternal grandparents, William Everett and Mable Alice Runner Swift; his siblings, David Swift Calhoun, Gordon Swift Calhoun, and Susan Gordon Calhoun Heminway; and his brother-in-law, James Callender Heminway, Jr.
He is survived by his loving wife of nearly 56 years, Nancy Gray Calhoun; their daughter, Caroline Claire Calhoun and her husband, Declan Patrick Curtin; and their daughter, Sarah Clark Calhoun and her fiancée, Emily Claire Garlough.
He is also survived by his siblings, Theodore Warner Calhoun (Karrin) and Faith Jade Calhoun; sister-in-law, Mimi Kentta Calhoun; sons, Nathan John McKay (Kate) and Christopher David Calhoun-McKay (Susanne); grandchildren, Colby John Calhoun McKay, Mackenzie Elizabeth McKay, and their mother, Dawn Marie Clark; grandchildren, Jonathan William Calhoun McKay and Liv Christine Calhoun McKay; step-grandchildren, Ryan Patrick, Brayden Michael, Collin Phillip, Brennan Blake, and Ronan Allen Curtin; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended Calhoun relatives, and dear Gray family members.
John’s passing leaves a larger-than-life hole in the fabric of the Calhoun family and the Cornwall community. He will be dearly missed.
The family held a private celebration of John’s life on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Cathedral Pines Farm. To honor John’s deep Cornwall roots and lifelong love of local history, memorial gifts may be made to the Cornwall Historical Society or The Cornwall Library.
Online expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family by visiting www.thurstonrowefuneralhome.com
Natalia Zukerman
Elyse Deublein Harney (center) celebrates with Keith Harney, Elyse Harney Morris, Paul Harney and Michael Harney after receiving an honorary doctorate from St. Joseph’s University.
On May 19, Elyse Deublein Harney returned to St. Joseph’s University in New York City, her alma mater, where she graduated in 1952. Before the crowd gathered for the university’s 107th commencement ceremony, the Salisbury resident, entrepreneur and community leader received an honorary doctorate and delivered the commencement address to the Class of 2026.
The recognition arrives at a meaningful moment for the Harney family. In February 2027, Elyse Harney Real Estate will celebrate its 40th anniversary, joining Harney & Sons Fine Teas, co-founded by Elyse and her husband, John, in 1983, as one of two enduring family businesses that have shaped both the region and the family’s legacy.
At a moment when many people are expected to reflect on their accomplishments, Harney used her commencement address to talk instead about possibility.
“God has a job for you,” she told the graduates. “Something that you alone can do.”
That line may very well be the organizing principle of a life that has included hotel management, raising five children, launching two businesses, serving on local boards, helping found the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service and, somehow, still finding time to reopen conversations about preserving historic institutions.
One of the most striking parts of Harney’s address centered on beginning again.
When she and her husband were 50 years old, the partners of the White Hart Inn in Salisbury, where John was general manager for many years, decided to sell. Suddenly, the couple needed a new source of income.
John launched what would become Harney & Sons Fine Teas, and Elyse opened a real estate office across the street.
“Simple as that, I did,” she told graduates with characteristic understatement.
Of course, anyone familiar with the growth of Elyse Harney Real Estate knows there was nothing simple about it. What began as a small local office became one of the most respected real estate firms in the region, helping define the market across northwestern Connecticut, the Hudson Valley and the Berkshires.
Her commencement address wandered delightfully through subjects that rarely appear together: Nobel Prize-winning genetic research, French entrepreneurs, Catholic education, self-driving cars, German teachers and divine purpose.
At one point, Harney reflected on the women who educated her at St. Joseph’s.
“They made it very clear we could do whatever we wanted to do, if we were willing to work for it,” she said. “Being a woman was not a handicap.”
For graduates entering a world transformed by artificial intelligence, political upheaval and economic uncertainty, Harney offered neither nostalgia nor easy reassurance.
“AI is here,” she said. “We have to learn to use it and to control it.”
After discussing technology, entrepreneurship and faith, Harney turned to the subject of consciousness. Quoting author Michael Pollan, she shared the final lines from his new book, “A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness,” that she said had stayed with her:
“Consciousness is a miracle, truly. It is the most mysterious of things, and yet it can be put in one short sentence: I open my eyes and I see the world.”
Then she offered her final message to the graduates.
“Open your eyes and see the world.”
At 95, Elyse Harney is still opening her eyes and seeing the world. Thankfully, she’s still telling the rest of us what she finds there.
Richard Feiner And Annette Stover
Think logically and then break the mold with creativity.
— Pilar Proffitt
Pilar Proffitt is forging a remarkable artistic path grounded in her long history in Northwest Connecticut. Proffitt is a true Renaissance woman with a quirky sense of humor — a visual artist, architect, designer of interiors, furniture and products, and curator of home furnishings.
Her latest grand project is still quite literally under wraps. Large windows obscured by construction paper on a bustling avenue in Manhattan prevent passersby from peeking into the 15-story boutique hotel designed and furnished by Proffitt for an international hotel group, which is nearing completion. The hotel’s lobby, restaurant, common areas and rooms stand out for their attention to design — from the furnishings, colors and fabrics to the mosaic floor tiles, hardware, wrought-iron gates and stairs, selection of antique books, and the art on the walls. The collection includes paintings by Proffitt, photographs by Wassaic Project co-Executive Director Jeff Barnett-Winsby, time-lapse photography by Xan Padron and classics from the Warhol Factory.
Proffitt and her husband and business partner, Robert Bristow, are well-known leaders in the art and architecture communities, and their home, studio and workshop in Lakeville; store and office at 16 Main St. in Salisbury; and gallery space in Norfolk are vibrant hubs for arts and design in the region.
Proffitt has been coming to the area since she was a teenager. Originally from Puerto Rico, her moved to the New York City area in the 1970’s. Her artist and architect father encouraged her interests in art and design and her deep desire to create. At school, she excelled in math and art and soon realized that this was all she wanted to do. “Think logically and then break the mold with creativity,” she said.
Armed with a degree in visual art from Trinity College, she pursued advanced studies at Berkeley and Pratt before receiving a master’s degree in architecture from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, where she met Bristow. Both landed apprenticeships in Boston and were drawn to the arts community in Norfolk centered around the Yale Summer Arts Program. The area quickly became their personal and family anchor.
They started Poesis, a furniture design and manufacturing studio, with a small loan from her mother. They landed a major house project and soon met a hotelier at a party who hired them on the spot to design a hotel in Washington, D.C.
Proffitt said, “I was hooked because it combined everything I wanted to do creatively: design experiences in the broadest sense with all the supporting pieces of the puzzle — furniture, objects, art. My father felt that architecture was the Renaissance profession: It holds the seeds of art, design, engineering and all the other ingredients. For me, it all starts with art.”

Proffitt is devoted to the area. She and Bristow raised their family in Lakeville. Their daughter Grace, a sculptor, attended Hotchkiss and is pursuing her MFA at Univer sity of Pennsylvania. Their daughter Ellis, also a graduate of Hotchkiss and Trinity, is a mathematician and aspiring actress in Los Angeles; and their son Sam attended Salisbury School and is a junior at Trinity, majoring in art history with a minor in architecture. They all are carrying forward the family’s passion for arts, architecture and design.
Proffitt’s interior design work and unique furniture pieces welcome visitors at Hotchkiss’ Art Center, the Scoville Memorial Library, her own wHole hOuse shop in Salisbury and, soon, across the street in the new Jam Food Shop, which is expected to open this fall.
The region’s many museums and galleries include some of Proffitt’s favorites, from Mass MoCA and the Clark to Salisbury’s Geary, Mad Rose in Millerton, Jack Shainman in Kinderhook and Art Omi in Ghent. Proffitt loves the connections and new opportunities brought to the community by the increase in full-time residents, as well as impromptu get-togethers with friends — recently watching a Knicks playoff game at the tavern bar at the White Hart. Moments like that keep her grounded here.
In addition to the White Hart, Proffitt is a fan of area restaurants, including Fern for a quick pasta at the bar; Isabela in Amenia, where Michelin-starred chef Jose Ramirez Ruiz is from Puerto Rico; and Clare de Boer’s Stissing House in Pine Plains.
A perfect day for Proffitt is spent working in her studio overlooking Lake Wononscopomuc, without distractions, rain or shine. It is a quiet and peaceful place that supports her many architecture and design projects. When asked what she would say to a younger version of herself just starting a career, she responded, “Don’t be so shy. As one of my professors told me, ‘Sometimes you just have to crash the party.’ Draw, write, run, play tennis. And travel!”
D.H. Callahan
The set for “Swingtime Canteen” transports the audience to WWII London.
Dateline: 1944. A platoon of our boys are stationed in London, waiting to be sent to the mainland to fight the Axis powers and liberate Europe. While they wait, a group of glamorous gals from Hollywood are sent over to distract them with singing, dancing and a few memories of home.
That’s the scene at “Swingtime Canteen,” the new production now on stage at the Sharon Playhouse.
From the moment you enter the playhouse, the stage takes you right back to another time, with recruitment and War Bonds posters setting the tone alongside soldiers’ footlockers and blankets. When the lights go down, the smiles of the cast light up the room, and the audience is quickly recast as a troupe of American G.I.s.
What follows is a jukebox musical in the truest of sense, bouncing from one 1930s hit to more “contemporary” 1940s tunes and back again, all performed with the kind of polished finish audiences have come to expect from the Sharon Playhouse.
The gals in the band are our entire cast, and they spin yarns in between numbers, throwing the spotlight back and forth between the five singing-and-dancing sensations. But they don’t stop there. Between piano, saxophone, drums and even a banjo, they work with the musicians on stage to create that quintessential ‘30s and ‘40s sound.
“Swingtime Canteen” transports its audience to a time when, unlike today, there was very little division among Americans. The war they were fighting had a 97% initial approval rating from U.S. citizens. In a year when the nation is celebrating its 250th anniversary, the production serves as a reminder of a moment when Americans largely shared a common purpose and a common enemy. Even if the swinging songs of the ‘30s and ‘40s aren’t your thing, the production is a marvelous little escape to a time when life was a little simpler and the lines between good and evil were a little clearer. For showtimes and tickets, visit sharonplayhouse.org

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Thomas Jensen
Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood.
The Tanglewood classical music schedule is loaded with gems. Here are eight to consider:
Thursday, July 9, 8 p.m., in Ozawa Hall. The dynamic duo of Augustin Hadelich, violin, and Seong-Jin Cho, piano, take on works by Brahms, Janacek, Beach and Prokofiev. Whether you get seats in the hall or sit outside on the lawn, you will not regret getting to this one.
Friday, July 10, 8 p.m., in the Shed. Seong-Jin Cho plays Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and excerpts from “Swan Lake.” This special evening features dancers from Boston Ballet and will be wonderful for the ears and the eyes.
Saturday, July 18, 8 p.m., in the Shed. The BSO, with Joe Hisaishi conducting, Jean-Yves Thibaudet on piano and Song Hee Lee, soprano, will perform Hisaishi’s “Adagio for Two Harps and Strings,” Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, Hisaishi’s “Da-Ma-Shi-E” and Hisaishi’s “Symphonic Suite from Princess Mononoke.” The multitalented Hisaishi will be the most accomplished Japanese artist to grace the grounds since Ozawa’s time. Not to be missed.
Sunday, July 19, 2:30 p.m., in the Shed. The BSO, with Andris Nelsons conducting, Daniil Trifonov on piano and Thomas Rolfs on trumpet, presents a powerful program: Haydn’s Symphony No. 22, “The Philosopher”; Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2. This is quite a lot to take in. Rolfs remains one of the orchestra’s most compelling virtuosos, and his trumpet playing is always worth hearing live. Trifonov, legendary on piano, playing another Russian legend’s finest music; extraordinary. Then, Beethoven. Better get there early.
Friday, July 24, 8 p.m., in the Shed. The BSO, with Andris Nelsons conducting and the brilliant Augustin Hadelich on violin, performs Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3, “Polish.” Hadelich is worth seeing again and again; the tones he produces are so sweet.
Saturday, July 25, 8 p.m., in the Shed. The BSO, with Andris Nelsons conducting and Paul Lewis on piano. The super-catchy Mozart Piano Concerto No. 27, K. 595, will have Lewis demonstrating his artistic command of tempo and tone while dancing and blending delightfully with the orchestra. Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 follows after intermission, and you’ll practically float home.
Thursday, July 30, 8 p.m., in Ozawa Hall. The Danish String Quartet, which brings a lot of energy to the stage, performs Stravinsky’s “Suite Italienne,” Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 16 in F, Op. 135, and arrangements of Danish folk songs. Come to hear Frederik, Rune, Asbjørn and Fredrik. Skål!
Friday, July 31, 8 p.m., in the Shed. The BSO, with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting and Yefim Bronfman on piano. The power of Wagner’s “Prelude and Liebestod” from “Tristan und Isolde,” followed by Sibelius’ Symphony No. 7 and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor,” will leave you feeling like you are the new emperor.
Other events of note: Friday, July 17, 8 p.m., in the Shed. The BSO performs John Adams’ selections from “Nixon in China.” Also, don’t miss Laurie Anderson’s curated series of events Aug. 13, 15 and 16.
For a full schedule and tickets, visit bso.org/tangle
wood
Robin Roraback
Ken Mussleman with his paintings “Red Apple #2” and “Nine Servings Daily.”His show, “Time Passages,” opens Saturday, June 27, at Hunt Library in Falls Village.
Hunt Library in Falls Village will host a farewell show of the work of well-known local artist Ken Musselman, beginning with an opening reception on June 27 from 5 to 7 p.m. The show will run until July 31.
Musselman, a longtime resident of the Northwest Corner, recently moved to Woodbury, Connecticut, where he will begin a new phase of his life.
After the loss of his wife of 43 years, Cathy, three years ago, the prolific artist took a break from painting.
“I am finally getting back on my feet,” he said.“I am beginning to paint again.”
“Time Passages” is a collection of his paintings from past years. With this show, he said, he will be “getting rid of the old and starting new.” He intends to “move in a different direction,” which involves a monochromatic palette. “I am in a sepia mood right now,” he explained.
Musselman has long been known for his whimsical paintings. He recalled his first one, depicting deer ice skating, which was sold at P S Gallery in Litchfield.
He explained how he gets his ideas. “I sit and visualize things,” said Musselman. “I paint from my head.”
He is also known for local landscapes, still lifes and flowers. His wife was from East Canaan, and her family’s Ford Farm inspired many of his paintings.
Musselman, who always loved drawing, was studying to be an aviation structural mechanic in the Navy when he painted a mural in the mess hall. He recalled, “They told me, ‘You’re wasting your time being a mechanic.’” So he painted murals and created technical illustrations instead.
After the Navy, while living in Florida, an opportunity arose for a job as a graphic designer at Dotty Smith’s in Lakeville, a women’s fashion and jewelry company that closed in 2001. Musselman applied and moved to the region where his wife had grown up.
Later, he worked full time as a painter, with work in five galleries. He was in his studio “14 hours a day, seven days a week” to keep the galleries supplied.
“Time Passages” contains favorite Musselman themes, including cowscapes, local landscapes, still lifes, flowers and barns, on both large canvases and 4-by-4-inch canvases, in styles ranging from whimsical to realistic.
He is now semi-retired. Future plans include painting portraits inspired by family photos. “I’m not going to chase it anymore. I’ll let it come.”
Musselman is concentrating on a “leap of faith, a new chapter in life.”
For more information, visit huntlibrary.org/
art-wall/.
D.H. Callahan
“Butterfly in the Stomach” by Hanna Washburn at “Bugs!” part of Upstate Art Weekend.
Artist and curator Charlotte Woolf thinks bugs get a bad rap. Her new multimedium show at Foxtrot Farm and Flowers in Stanfordville seeks to change how people see these creepy-crawly creatures.
This time of year, there’s no way to escape the onslaught on bugs closing in from the wild. The little flyers and crawlers somehow penetrate even the tightest window screens. If there’s a crack in a floor board, it might as well have a big neon “Enter” sign. Like zombies from “Night of the Living Dead,” they approach with dispassionate determination.
But bugs aren’t just trying to make you squirm. Woolf’s show, “Bugs!,” highlights the underappreciated roles that insects, arachnids and myriapods play in our lives. They break down natural waste, serve as food for birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and mammals, and pollinate about 75% of the food humans eat. Without bugs, our world simply doesn’t work.
To shine a different light on them, Woolf has enlisted more than 40 artists working in a wide variety of media, from fiber artists and tattooists to writers, sculptors and painters for a full weekend of art and activities.
The “Bugs!” show is part of Upstate Arts Weekend, an ever-growing celebration of the arts happening throughout the Hudson Valley. This year, the weekend kicks off on Thursday, June 25, at Olana State Historic Site, the estate of celebrated American painter Frederic Church, whose 200th birthday will be part of the celebration.
Events are being held all over the valley, including a dance party at Assembly in Kingston on Friday night. Beyond the official gatherings, Upstate Art Weekend is a chance to find new art and interact with artists and like-minded creative people.
The shows themselves are far too numerous to list. Even the official Upstate Art Weekend website has more information than a mere mortal could comprehend. But with a little determination, visitors can sift through filters to organize events by region, medium or price, though many of the shows are free to the public. There’s even a feature to help plot an itinerary, complete with recommended routes based on drive time, location and preferred pace, making it easier than ever to see as much art as the human heart desires.
For more info about Upstate Art Weekend, visit upstateartweekend.org and for more info on “Bugs!” visit foxtrotfarmflowers.com/events.

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