The Boston Post Cane, a Massachusetts tradition dating back to 1909.
Alice and Chris Nahatis were married 72 years. Chris Nahatis was a three-time recipient of the Boston Post Cane. (Courtesy image)
Manchester Select Board Chair Becky Jaques presented Alice Nahatis with a town proclamation declaring September 17, 2022 "Alice Nahatis Day."
Alice Nahatis, who at 100 is Manchester’s eldest resident, was presented Monday with the Boston Post Cane by the Select Board. With her are daughters (from left) Johanna Nahatis Kadra, Christina Nahatis Barrett, granddaughter Alexandra Sweet and husband Mike. (Photo Erika Brown)
For the first time in the town’s history, Manchester has presented the Boston Post Cane to a woman, Alice Nahatis, Manchester’s eldest living resident who will be turning 100 years old on Saturday.
The cane was awarded to Mrs. Nahatis in a ceremony by Select Board members at her home on School Street, along with a proclamation naming Saturday, September 17, 2022 in Manchester as “Alice Nahatis Day.”
There was sweet congruity to the milestone. After all, Mrs. Nahatis’ husband Chris Nahatis won the Boston Post Cane himself three times starting in 2016 before he died in 2019. The couple were married 72 years.
Mrs. Nahatis, a native of Greece, moved to Manchester when she married her husband, who grew up in Manchester and was the president of Saladmaster, the national company that pioneered stainless steel cookware. She thanked Selectman John Round, who presented the actual cane, and said she has enjoyed an amazing life in Manchester with her wonderful family—her husband and their children Stephanie Nahatis Senecal, twins Christina Nahatis Barrett and Johanna Nahatis Kadra, Charles Nahatis and Arthur Nahatis.
Select Board Chair Becky Jaques then presented the proclamation, with fellow board members Ann Harrison and Cathy Bilotta and Mr. Round on hand along with Mrs. Nahatis’ twin daughters and her granddaughter, Alexandra Sweet and her husband Mike Sweet. The Sweets are expecting a child in November, who will be Mrs. Nahatis’ eleventh great grandchild.
The Boston Post Cane is a tradition in many Massachusetts towns going back to 1909, when the publisher of the Boston Post newspaper, Edwin A. Grozier, commissioned the making of 700 fine ebony canes with two-inch, 14-carat gold, ferruled-tipped heads, all decorated by hand.
Historically, the cane was a symbol honoring the eldest male in every local municipality in the Commonwealth but over the years, many towns chose to award the cane to the eldest resident regardless of gender. Manchester’s Elder Brethren had been awarding the cane for nearly 113 years until 2021 when the fraternal club decided it would award its own cane to the eldest male resident, giving the town the opportunity to expand the tradition.
