The New England Cemetery Association held its 108^th annual meeting and conference last week in Providence, Rhode Island.  The Providence location held significance, as it was the site of the first NEC annual meeting in 1903.  It had also been almost 100 years since the group last met in Providence in 1913.  

Anthony Hollingshead, president of Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, and acting president of the NEC association, put together an outstanding program that included educational sessions as well as fun-filled events for attending members and their families.

Poul Lemasters, ICCFA cremation counsel and I were pleased to contribute to the convention through presentations on current cemetery legislation and today’s cremation consumer. 

An additional highlight of the meeting was the tour of the historic Swan Point Cemetery.  Founded in 1846, Swan Point Cemetery is considered to be one of the foremost garden cemeteries in the United States.  The beautiful and distinctive trees and shrubs in its landscape have been described as “an appropriate and beautiful spot for the repose of the dead, but an interesting resort for the living.”  I highly recommend visiting Swan Point Cemetery if you are ever in the Providence area. 

Thanks, Anthony and the entire New England Cemetery Association, for the warm hospitality you extended to both Poul and me.  We had a lot of fun!

John DiPietro, Knollwood Memorial Park, Canton, MA, president 2010-2011 NECA

Poul Lemasters, Lemasters Consulting, ICCFA Cremation Counsel

Anthony Hollingshead, president Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, RI, president 2009-2010 NECA