Canton Journal: JoAnne & Bill Pierce

They have been to Europe 17 times. But, it hasn’t been all castles and truffles. JoAnne and Bill Pierce have learned to expect the unexpected in their travels; like finding out the bathroom in their Italian hotel room was on a fire escape.

Over the years, they’ve also found that if you are polite and interested in learning new experiences, language is never a barrier. For example, while they speak a little French and a little Spanish between the both of them, that didn’t hinder their trip down the Danube River cruise - to Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Slovakia.

And while they’ve traveled to every state in the union, what they know for sure is that visiting another cultures means staying open to what’s different. That was especially true on their trip, last summer, to China and Japan.

Besides her travels, About Town was also interested in JoAnne’s many years of community service to Canton; where it seems that being: interested in new experiences; prepared for the unexpected; and open to the possibilities have also served her well.

AT: You started working with the community in theater. You were a singer right?

JP: Bill and I had just moved to Canton, a few months before. And, I was home with a one month old infant. I had sung in choirs before, so I decided to try out for the chorus in the Canton Benefits production of, “New Girl in Town.” Then, unexpectedly, the lead actress bowed out. The play’s director pulled me out of the chorus to star in the play. Over the next few years, I’d also be part of the Canton Benefits productions of  "My Fair Lady" and the "Sound of Music."

As her family grew to include three children, Pierce turned her interests to Canton’s Board of Education. She remained there for six years until, frustrated by the town’s budget process, she ran for Canton’s Board of Finance. She was the first women in town elected to serve on it.

AT: So basically, you joined the Board of Finance to be an advocate for the Board of Education. Then, something unexpected happened.

JP: I quickly became very conservative! It happens when you’re responsible for other people’s money.

Once their youngest child was in kindergarten, Pierce pursued her lifelong interest in books and went back to school to get a Masters Degree in Library Science. In the 1980’s, Pierce worked part-time as Director of the Burlington Library, then full-time as Children’s Librarian at the Simsbury Library.

AT: So, you went from Director of a small library to a children’s librarian at a larger organization?

JP: As it turned out, within a few months I was promoted to Director of the SimsburyLibrary. And, I spent the next 20 years there. I was part of the planning committee that secured funding for the current Simsbury Library building and a member of the fundraising committee which raised $400,000 to cover ‘extras' for the Library.

While JoAnne pursued her career, she never left her commitment to community service far behind. In 1987, while she and Bill were members of the Foreign Affairs Council in Hartford, they stepped up and opened their home to host a Japanese, English teacher on an exchange program with the Canton school system.   

JP: We’ve remained friends, over the years, with Katsuhiko Inoue. And when we were in Tokyo last summer, we visited him, his wife Kiyomi and their family.

In 1996, JoAnne retired and she and Bill began to pursue their passion for travel in earnest.

AT: So, any final practical wisdom to share with others who want to get more out of their travels?

JP & BP:  People all over the world genuinely like Americans. And, they want to speak English. This perception of the ugly American really isn’t so. At least not any more.

Learn the number system of the country you’re in. It will help you get around and communicate.

You’re not always going to be as comfortable as you are in your own home. It’s part of the experience.

Be prepared to be inconvenienced.  Airports and train stations are going to have long lines and you will be waiting. You’ll actually learn a lot about yourself this way. And, what better way to observe humanity than when you’re waiting?

AT: And, one final travel story?

JP & BP: One of the groups that we have traveled with is Elder Hostel. Their accommodations can be pretty spare. Some of the most lasting memories we have are of the places we’ve stayed with them. In the Netherlands, for example, we stayed in a building that we found out had once housed Nazi headquarters. It was a refurbished barracks.

On another trip to Budapest, when the Communist Party was still in power, we stayed in a `workers’ hotel. The bathroom was part of the bedroom. So when we turned on the spicket for a shower, everything in the room got soaked. We could have made a fortune selling them shower curtains!

Here’s the Deal

JoAnne and Bill Pierce have been married over 50 years. They have raised three children and are now enjoying their four grandchildren. They continue to make plans to travel the world together.