Needham Invited to Become 'East Wellesley'

Among the dignitaries to step up to the podium during Saturday's rededication of the was a selectman from Needham's sister town of Wellesley.

Despite the two towns' separation in 1881, "Wellesley remains a valued neighbor," Needham Selectman Moe Handel declared, as he welcomed Wellesley Selectman Barbara Searle to the stage on Nov. 5.

Searle, chairman of the Wellesley board, delivered the following address, concluding with a tongue-in-cheek appeal to Needham to consider rejoining Wellesley and to be known "from here on and forever" as "East Wellesley."

(Speaking for Needham selectmen, Handel "politely declined" the offer.)

A Proclamation from the Wellesley Board of Selectmen to the Town of Needham:

“Whereas, Wellesley and Needham began life as sisters, together left their mother Dedham in 1711 and grew up together until Wellesley felt the need to leave home 170 years later;

"And whereas, they didn’t let this sisterly quarrel estrange them and have shared such special and wide-ranging events as the oldest high school football rivalry in the nation, the 19th-century Disneyland known as the Baker Estate, space travel—each providing one astronaut—and “Mad Men," with an actor from Needham and a writer from Wellesley;

"And whereas, while the sister towns created their own identities they also paralleled each other as both have been known for flowers—Needham introduced the pansy and Wellesley was known as the Carnation Capital of the U.S.; for business—Monster.com’s founder Jeff Taylor is from Needham, Twitter’s founder Biz Stone is from Wellesley; for Nobel Prize winners—Needham has one, Wellesley modestly reminds you it has three; for music—Wellesley gave its residents a free concert by The Beach Boys, Needham gave the world New Kids on the Block's Joey McIntyre; and for celebrities—it is fair to mention that Wellesley claims Hillary Clinton and Needham produced Jessica Simpson’s fiancé Eric Johnson;

"And whereas, Wellesley, the younger sister, has always watched out for the older one, first turning Wellesley’s Poor Farm into a country club; having three colleges of her own, enabling Needham to get Wellesley land to build ; and, finally, making sure that Needham was given Wellesley land for and every year sending her own elder statesmen and -women—and their tax dollars—to live there;

"And whereas, Wellesley is clearly and proudly in the lead in the most vitally important categories of number of football wins, banks, Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts and generously wants to share its value with its beloved neighbor;

"Now therefore be it resolved that the worldly Board of Selectmen on behalf of the town, which is eager to re-establish closeness with its sister town, magnanimously invites Needham to erase the separation of 130 years ago and come into the fold, becoming part of Wellesley.

"Be it further resolved, and mindful that it was a Wellesley boy who was the first to extend a hand of friendship and unity in inviting Needham to take part in the annual football rivalry, the town of Wellesley is ready to welcome Needham with open arms right now, proclaiming that from here on and forever Needham will be known as East Wellesley, with delightful benefits that will more than be a tradeoff for the increased taxes and endless senior center debate."