Models of ships, airplanes and buildings of all shapes and sizes, from the U.S. Capitol Building to the Eiffel Tower cover nearly every available surface in Alton Swett’s room at Chase Point Assisted Living.
Part workshop, Swett’s apartment is testament to an active mind and a long and busy life.
Some of the models hark back to Swett’s career as an engineer and traveling trouble shooter for Ingersoll Rand, which manufactures industrial compressors and other equipment. That work brought him to Paris, where he had dinner in the Eiffel Tower, and to Dallas, Texas, where he was working when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Others, especially the models of boats, are reminiscent of Swett’s childhood in Boothbay Harbor where he grew up in a family of fishermen. His dad was a caretaker in a large estate and was also town manager of Boothbay Harbor for many years. His grandfather and several uncles fished the Grand Banks for cod.
At 87 years old, Swett said he builds the models to stay busy, focusing on projects that catch his interest: a European castle or an intricate model of the Bluenose, a famous Canadian fishing schooner.
It is painstaking work. The models don’t always come with clear directions and it often takes some trial and error to figure out how the parts fit together. It helps to have a lifetime of experience putting things together.
Growing up, Swett built models of airplanes and ships. He also played basketball. It was the sort of place where everybody knew everybody
Article source: http://www.wiscassetnewspaper.com/article/chase-point-resident-recreates-world-memories/79241
