Kate Szal
Posted on January 20, 2025 by Jenny ONeill
WOMEN OF WESTPORT POINT
Kate Szal (1945-2004)
Potter, Jungian analyst
1871 Main Road and 1720 Main Road, Westport Point
Katy was born Kathy Jean McFarland in Chicago, daughter of Allen P McFarland and Dorthy Grace Miller McFarland. She spent her early years with her maternal grandparents who lived in a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Charles City, IA. She moved around frequently as a child, but spent formative teenage years on a ranch in Prescott, AZ. She attended Whittier College in CA where she majored in Education and Fine Arts. After graduating she took a teaching job in Pacific Grove, CA where she met Roger Szal, then a PhD. candidate in Marine Biology. They were married in 1968.
They moved to Westport in 1970 when Roger took a position teaching Marine Biology at the Southeastern Massachusetts University (now UMass Dartmouth.) They rented a tiny farmhouse on Cross Road in Westport Harbor from Borden Tripp. Their daughter Amma Yolande was born in 1971 at Newton Wellesley Hospital as it was the only hospital that would allow partners to attend the birth.
That same year they moved to Westport Point and rented the half gambrel at 1871 Main Road from Bob and Priscilla Church. This property was where Katherine Stanley Hall had started the first library in Westport. And, it was there that Katy decided to make Westport Point her permanent home.
To support the family, Katy offered pottery classes in the “old” library where she installed a pottery wheel. Eventually, Katy established Suntree Pottery and worked out of the tiny former library, developing a remarkable reputation for her grey and blue pottery. One annual ritual was preparing for craft fairs. Rhinebeck, the well-known New York crafts fair was where she established a growing clientele that included the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and Brookstone, the mail-order catalogue. She had an amazing way with people and would remember what return customers had bought the year before so that she could suggest something new for them.
During this time, Katy became interested in the work of Carl Jung and was a faithful attendee to weekly discussion group at Joe and Ginny Shannon’s.
In 1980 Katy bought about 9 acres from Ed Yeomans at 1720 Main Road, just north of the present Westport Art Group. Here she and Roger worked with Anne ‘Pete’ Baker to take apart and move a 17th Century house from Lowell to Westport. The house, which had been scheduled for demolition was redesigned by architect Chip Gillespie and restored by local builder David Hobart and his crew. She worked with landscape designer Martha Paull to surround the house with gardens inspired by her grandmother’s terraced gardens in Charles City, which were abundant with flowers, berries, and vegetables. She also moved Suntree Pottery to the new location and became known throughout the country for her ceramics.
Katy loved children and another annual ritual was her Easter Egg Hunt – for which she and her friends would paint a blown egg to be given to each child before they set off to hunt for dyed eggs. Her woods provided the perfect venue.
In the late 1980’s Katy returned to school to earn a Master’s Degree in Depth Psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA, while continuing to operate the pottery studio.
In 1990 Katy made the hard decision to close Suntree Pottery. She moved to Switzerland to follow her bliss and become a Jungian analyst.
In 1997 Katy moved back to Westport Point and opened her therapy practice in her former pottery studio. At this time, she became involved with protecting the historic integrity of Westport Point and worked on developing the first bylaws for the Westport Point Neighborhood Association just before her death.
In late May of 2004, Kate, 59, suffered a devastating stroke and died of complications from it on June 10. The community rallied behind her daughter, Amma, because of their love for this kind, talented woman. Grog Nowell constructed her coffin and several of her friends with Grog put items close to her into her coffin, including the bylaws.
Her daughter Amma Szal, now living in Austin TX, owns the property and continues to visit with her daughter Stella and husband Maro Robbins. Several acres of the property have a conservation restriction on them to protect them.