Master Road Scholar Tom Saari

Master Road Scholar John Sowerby

Tom Saari is the Road Agent in New Ipswich. Before becoming Road Agent ten years ago, he supervised the construction of many major buildings in the New England area. He also was self-employed with his brother, Walter, in an excavating business; they sold the business in the late eighties. He now owns a new excavation business, Saari Excavation.

Taking classes keeps Tom abreast of new methods. He likes hearing different points of view about what is going on in the world. He says, "The best part of my job is the satisfaction in improving the road network." He finds it "useful to learn about improving methods and equipment to get the job done."

Tom thanks the Selectmen for sending him and other men to classes. He’s found that the classes guide them in the right direction to complete the work as safely and as efficiently as possible.

Tom and Corrine have been married for 30 years and have five children and two grandchildren. He likes working with his son at Saari Excavation. He also plays "old-timers" hockey, enjoys traveling, and has been known to take kids to auto races in the New England area.

Congratulations to Master Road Scholar Tom Saari!

John Sowerby recently retired from the Town of Exeter after working 13 years as an engineering technician. He graduated from UNH with a BA in forestry and wildlife management. He worked in intelligence and construction. Before taking this position in Exeter, John worked in Dover for 6 years. He retired from the Air Force after 34 years.

John finds that taking classes is very helpful. He finds it is productive to learn new things, from the classes and put them into effect, like pavement management. He also enjoys the opportunity to learn from others.

The Selectmen in Exeter and John’s supervisor have congratulated him for becoming a Master Road Scholar. John says, "they thought it was great."

John is a widower and has two daughters and two grandchildren. He often drives to Texas and Alabama to see them. Now that he is retired, he plans to spend time hunting, fishing, and puttering. He enjoys building model sailboats from scratch and rewinding fly rods. He also likes assembling gun kits and woodworking.

Congratulations to Master Road Scholar John Sowerby!