The Amazing Dr. Ashkins and His Not-So-Magnificent Flying Machine

Of all of the people who have lived at Resthaven, Dr. Joseph Ashkins is tops on my list of those who I wish I had met. A prominent local surgeon, he and his family lived almost a life of celebrity in the small town of Mendon, in which their every vacation, personal achievement, and party held at their estate was documented in the local newspaper. Daring and adventurous, Dr. Ashkins was a man who knew what he wanted, and set out to get it. He purchased Resthaven in 1940 from the Resthaven Trust established after the death of C.R. Seabury in 1929, and took two years to painstakingly renovate the house back into a single family home. I met with his daughter, Sally, who kindly shared photos and memories of her father and their lives at Resthaven.

Dr. Ashkins was an avid pilot who owned several small airplanes throughout his lifetime. His last flight was a solo trip to Clearwater, FL at age 71, with his faithful dog, Bo III by his side. It was December, and as he flew off the coast of New Jersey, both engines on his Cessna-310 quit without warning. When he crash landed into the heavy surf about 250 yards off of the beach, he became trapped inside by the pressure of the mounting water as the plane sank. "I never thought I'd get out", he told his friends. "I wasn't so much afraid to die, but I thought to myself- what a way to go." He managed to get out, but was unable to save his labrador retriever, which was afraid of the water. He then swam the 250 yards to shore, where a local judge who had seen the plane go down was able to assist him.

It was the second time that Dr. Ashkins narrowly escaped death. More than 15 years before, while enroute to his home from Milford Hospital after operating until late at night, he dozed off and flipped his car into a gully, severing an artery. The doctor took off his belt and applied a tourniquet around his leg, and then dragged himself up the embankment to the highway, where a passing motorist found him. Despite Dr. Ashkins brushes with death, he lived well into his 90's, and is now buried near his beloved Resthaven.