Photographer takes top spot

As a photographer, Paula Tognarelli of Cambridge admits she does what she advises others against: photographing "all over the place" instead of completing one body of work at a time. Knowing what's best for others, however, is part of her role as the new executive director and curator of the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester. Former administrative assistant Meredith Mulcahy of Dorchester has stepped into Tognarelli's previous role as deputy director and assistant curator.

Tognarelli, who left a vice president position in the printing industry to pursue a master's degree in arts administration after Sept. 11, joined the Griffin Museum of Photography five years ago. A graduate of the New England School of Photography, she is also pursuing a master's degree in education at Lesley University in Cambridge.

While she is represented by the Charles-Baltivik Gallery in Provincetown, Tognarelli said she most enjoys advancing the careers of other photographers.

"My work is for my own personal satisfaction," she said. "Helping others is where my heart is."

SCHOLARSHIP FOR CAREGIVERS: When her 88-year-old mother, Julia McConnell, was released from the hospital after breaking her hip in a fall in December 2006, Marianne Alagero accompanied her father on daily visits to his bride of 64 years at the Prescott House Nursing Home in North Andover. The staff still recalls McConnell's kindness, and Alagero said she and her family remain appreciative of the care and attention their mother received until her death in February.

Since many of McConnell's caregivers have ties to Haverhill-based Northern Essex Community College, McConnell's husband and five children created an endowed scholarship fund for its students in her name. The first recipients of the Julia Fahy McConnell Memorial Nursing Scholarship -- Joyce Laliberty of Methuen, Nora Kiwanuka of North Andover, Julie DeLaCruz of Lawrence, and Allison Eramo of Haverhill - were recently awarded $1,000 each for the 2007-08 school year. All four have worked at the Prescott House Nursing Home.

"It's very meaningful to my family to honor our mother in this way," said Alagero, who lives in Andover. "I think she would have been proud, too."

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