April 13, 2001

EDITORIAL INK DROPS — DON’T DELAY THE VOTE ON THE 5/6 SCHOOL: It started as a hypothetical question late in the April 4 meeting of the Legislative Council. “What if we can’t go to a town meeting until November or December,” asked council chairman Pierre Rochman. At issue was the new school for grades 5 and 6. After years of planning, the Board of Education finally put the $33 million project out to bid last month. So the suggestion that the town put off the vote on the project from the planned June town meeting until November or December came as quite a shock to school officials, who tried to console themselves later by allowing that it had just been a hypothetical question. This week, it appears that some council members, at least, are seriously considering a five or six-month delay in voting on the school project — a delay that would be a serious mistake.

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HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER of Bill Halstead.

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An eight-woman, four-man jury was scheduled to resume its deliberations Thursday morning in Danbury Superior Court in the felony murder trial of two men charged in the July 1999 Sandy Hook shooting death of 15-year-old Jason Gowdy. On Wednesday afternoon, Judge Gary White gave the jurors instructions on considering the five charges pending against each of the two defendants. The jurors deliberated for just over an hour Wednesday without reaching a verdict.

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Photographs by two Newtown residents are on display at the C.H. Booth Library for the next six weeks. The exhibit of about 80 favorite photographs taken by Mary Mitchell and Al Goodrich, entitled “Ten Years of Fun with Photography,” includes an array of subjects, including Newtown’s Main Street, landmark historic homes, and Cavanaugh Pond. It also includes photographs of trips they have taken over the past 11 years, such as to Trinidad-Tobago, Butchart Gardens, and the western United States and Alaska. Photographs of children, tulips, architecture, and a category called “What Is It?” complete the exhibit.

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Just two games into the season, the Newtown High School softball team has already run the gamut of emotions — winning its first game in thrilling fashion and then following up with an agonizing loss three days later. … Newtown opened the season April 5 with a 1-0 non-conference win over Brookfield that sent the big crowd at Treadwell Park into a bit of a frenzy. … On Monday, Newtown opened league play at Community Field in Southbury and after taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the eighth, ended up losing 2-1.

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Newtown resident Georgette Sgammato suffers from Lyme disease. She was diagnosed on February 20. Her friend, Nancy Zitnay, had it for 18 months before finally ridding her body of the disease. Both women attended Monday night’s “Seminar on Lyme Disease” at the Fireside Inn hoping to find out more information on what has become the second fastest growing infectious disease behind AIDS. They joined about 500 others who attended the event to find out more about a disease which has been widely misunderstood and misdiagnosed for many years. The Newtown Rotary Club and the Newtown Lyme Disease Task Force sponsored the forum.

April 9, 1976

Two major offers of land to the Town of Newtown were resurrected this week at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, April 6. One, the 153-acre Italian Community Center property on Route 34 in Sandy Hook, received an unfavorable reaction from the selectmen, while the other offer, parcels of Bridgeport Hydraulic Company property in three areas of town, were referred to the Planning & Zoning Commission. The Bridgeport Hydraulic tracts are part of the acreage the utility owns that is no longer needed for its watershed. The company intends to release them over the next several years. The town, under the statutes, has first right of refusal, and the properties have been discussed in the past.

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The largest crowd in recent years attended the annual dinner-dance of the Newtown Fish and Game Club on Saturday evening at the KofC Hall. All the tables were filled to capacity, with guests numbering 340, and many people without reservations were turned away at the door. Among those in attendance were Newtown First Selectman Jack Rosenthal; Dave French, who is presently serving in his third term as president of the Fish and Game Club; and Fred Scholz, who was president of the club for 23 years. Music for the evening was provided by The Innovations, a great many door prizes were awarded, and some handsome gifts were presented to raffle winners. A buffet dinner was served early in the evening and dancing continued to 1 am.

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Storm clouds of protest burst at the Board of Police Commissioners’ meeting on Monday night as commissioners and members of the department expressed fury over the suggested cuts in the police budget which have been made by the Legislative Council’s public safety committee. The dismay over the cuts was shown in two parts of the meeting, the old business part of the agenda when the commissioners discussed it and then later during public participation when the men on the force had their say.

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Structural engineer Bruce Onderdonk took another look at the high school cracks on Monday of this week, but he still has to submit a report on his findings and won’t until he is able to examine the structural steel drawings. The drawings, from Leake and Nelson Company, structural steel contractors of Bridgeport, have been mailed to Mr Onderdonk, and as soon as he studies them he hopes to be able to make a report, possibly by next Monday.

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Poverty Hollow Pony Club District Commissioner Mrs Donald Fox reigned supreme as she conducted the first rally event of her office. Twenty teams of two rode over a well-marked, carefully planned close to two hour course cross country from Hanover Road, up Papoose Hill, across Parmalee, around in a big circle and back down Platt’s Ridge over Bezok’s to the finish line at the entrance to Open Gate Farm. The critique at the finish, stressing good condition of the horse, was hardly necessary, as ponies and horses all finished in outstanding condition, not only dry and cool, but eager to go on for another two hours.

April 6, 1951

Plans for a new fire house to accommodate a new fire pumper expected to be delivered this June have been announced by the Dodgingtown Volunteer Fire Company. The building would also serve as a community center. The proposed structure is to consist of a full basement where all the fire apparatus can be housed. It would also be large enough to provide a meeting room, kitchen and lavatories. The entire first floor will be used as a company and community meeting and entertainment hall.

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The evening of Friday, May 18, was set for the 1951 Youth Club Jamboree by representatives of Newtown youth clubs who met with Recreation Director Harold S. DeGroat in Hawley School auditorium Monday night. Mr DeGroat was in charge of the meeting and, in addition to determining the date, plans were discussed for the coming event. It was agreed at the meeting that the general plan of the 1950 Jamboree, which was considered highly successful, should be followed in this year’s event, with added features.

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A May production of “The Wisteria Trees” by Joshua Logan was not on the 1951 production schedule of Town Players, but a set of circumstances combined this past week-end to not only make the plan possible but especially attractive. To begin with, the group intended to do “The Heiress” and try-out notices were present to the membership, calling for a try-out reading at the home of Mr and Mrs Harold F. Smith, South Center District, last Sunday. At the last minute Town Players was notified that “The Heiress” had been temporarily withdrawn from amateur production rights in Connecticut.

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Saturday was the last day at the Newtown Post Office for Barton Carmody, who has resigned his post there to accept a position in the Internal Revenue Department in Hartford, where he will be doing auditing work, starting on April 16th.

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Mr and Mrs Richard McCallister and daughter returned to their home in Taunton District on Friday, after a stay of some six weeks in New York City.

April 9, 1926

Mrs Julia Hawley returned, Monday night, after a winter’s sojourn at St Petersburg, Fla.

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Donald Griscom, Albert Kuhne, William Lahey, Fred Kuhne, DeForest Glover, William Seamon, Hobart Warner, Frank Hopkins, Jr., John Ray, Herbert Meyers and Wilson Reynolds motored to Bridgeport, Tuesday night, and saw Harold Lloyd in the picture, “For Heaven’s Sake,” at the Palace Theater.

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Leroy Conklin, employed on the engineering work on the Housatonic river, was struck in the head by a pulley block the other day, cutting a bad gash. Dr E.L. Kingman was obliged to take several stitches to close the wound.

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Mr and Mrs A.J. Smith motored to New York, Wednesday, to meet Misses S.J. and M.E. Scudder, just returned from a trip to Nassau, Cuba and other southern points.

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Taylor & Buckingham, through Attorney F.W. Marsh of New Milford, brought suit in the Superior court in January before Judge Nickerson for a foreclosure of their mortgage of $15,000 on the Castle Ronald property, now owned by Ex-Mayor B.N. Beard of Shelton. The same firm also brought foreclosure proceedings on a mortgage on a certain piece of real estate in Shelton owned by Mr Beard. Mr Beard was given by the court until June 4 to redeem the property.

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THE SANDY HOOK SANITARY MARKET FORGING AHEAD: We have a market at Sandy Hook, where you can buy the choicest of meats and not hurt your pocket book. Fruit and vegetables that are priced with-in reach: oysters and clams, fresh fish from the beach: Our fish and sea food the pick of best stock, delivered at your door with one round of the clock. So if you can’t come to the market to select from display, just ring 264, and we will send it without delay. Our market is clean and a large stock in store. So if there is anything you need, just ring 264. The Sandy Hook Public Market, where courtesy dwells and service excels.—J.W. Burr, Prop.

April 12, 1901

The town meeting on Saturday last was attended by about 100 voters and proved to be a lengthy one, as the taxpayers and others came “loaded” with questions and oratory on the various resolutions. D.G. Beers was chosen chairman of the meeting. The first resolution was one authorizing the selectmen to borrow $10,000 to meet the running expenses of the town for the current year.

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A large and representative meeting of the men in the borough and vicinity was held on Monday night at the Newtown Inn, when the final steps were taken for the organization of a fire company. A.P. Smith presided, and a committee of which Frank Wright was chairman, brought in a set of bylaws which were adopted. It was decided to name the organization the Newtown Fire Co. The following officers were elected: Foreman, L.C. Morris. 1st Assistant Foreman, John H. Blackman. 2d Assistant Foreman, Henry M. Smith. 3d Assistant Foreman, Patrick Gannon. Secretary, Oscar Pitzschler. Assistant Secretary, Frank Wright. Treasurer, George F. Duncombe.

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RESOLUTIONS on the Death Of Helen M. Beers. Adopted by Pootatuck Grange. Whereas, The untiring Reaper, Death, has in obedience to the mandate of the Supreme Master of the Universe, taken to the garner of the Lord, the soul of our sister, Helen May Beers; therefore, be it / Resolved, That the members of Pootatuck Grange desire to place upon record an expression of the deep sense of the loss they have sustained in her removal from their companionship

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A local taxpayer in defense of the position taken by C.H. Peck at Saturday’s town meeting, calls the attention of The Bee’s readers to a decision of the Supreme court in the case of the Coe Brass Co., who were assessed $164,150 by the Torrington assessors and later raised $60,850, by the board of relief of that town. From this the Coe people appealed and on refusing to pay the tax assessed the case was taken to the highest court and went against them.

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The social committee of the Congregational Christian Endeavor society planned the second sociable for the part of the society that comes in age above the juniors, and this was held on Wednesday evening at the home of Miss Anna Hamburger. A delightful evening was passed with games and charades. “Consequences” brought out some very strange combinations of events, and “Bean-bag” caused some of the pictures on the wall to be in danger when an inexpert thrower was aiming at a much lower mark. … Miss Minnie R. Thicket, the chairman of the social committee, deserves the credit for the pleasant hours of unmixed fun that were afforded the young people.

Do you have photographs of people or places in town from a bygone era? The Way We Were is the perfect landing spot so that your photographs can be enjoyed by readers of The Newtown Bee. Images can be e-mailed as attachments to shannon@thebee.com, subject line: Way We Were photo. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date. If you live locally and would like to loan a photo/photos, please give us a call (203-426-3141) to let us know when you will be visiting.