Next Wednesday evening, May 24, there will be a special town meeting at 8 pm in the Middle School auditorium to act on a special appropriation of $98,469 which will affect a change order for the work on the high school roof, enabling one portion of it to be replaced instead of repaired. The section involved is the A wing, housing the auditorium, cafeteria, and some classrooms. Also to be replaced will be the connector roof between the A and C wings.

***

Southern Connecticut State College sophomore Sharon MacDonald of Hawthorne Hill Road, Newtown, parlayed a dazzling smile and a witty monologue into the title of “Miss Tri-Town” in a Miss America Pageant preliminary contest Thursday, May 11, and now she’s in for a busy summer. A series of meetings, pageant workshops, and talent reviews lies ahead of the petite brunette, daughter of Mr and Mrs Elmer MacDonald, who is a 1977 graduate of Newtown High School.

***

Is there a need for rental housing in the Town of Newtown? In the opinions of several town officials with whom The Bee spoke over recent weeks, of tenants interviewed who say they are having problems with their landlords, and, if from nothing else but visual evidence, the answer is yes. On the surface it would appear that rental accommodations shouldn’t be a problem here. Rentals are allowed only grudgingly, if at all. If Newtown is a bedroom community, then you probably think the people sleeping in them own those bedrooms. Yet Union Carbide officials at a recent press conference estimated Newtown has 344 apartments in existence, enough to cause Planning & Zoning Commissioner Arthur Sepctor to wonder just last week whether a fair rent commission could be established by the Legislative Council so the commission can get rentals registered and accounted for.

***

“They should have passed it,” has been the observation of Town Attorney William J. Lavery about the Newtown Legislative Council’s rejection in December of last year of a proposed fair rent commission ordinance for the town.

***

The Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials, the area’s regional planning agency, announced that an informational session on major new state legislation covering a Sewer Avoidance Program has been set for Tuesday, May 23, at 7:30 pm in the council’s office, 256 Main Street, Danbury.

***

Wednesday evening, the Legislative Council unanimously acted on $4,800 for a gantry-type crane for the new town garage for repairs to the vehicles. The original recommendation, which had come before the council to consider, was $10,000 for a jib crane. When the public works subcommittee took it under advisement, that group asked that other alternatives be studied.

***

Phillip Kopp of Newtown was elected a member-at-large of the Board of Directors of the Southwestern Connecticut Girl Scout Council Inc at the Council’s 19th annual meeting held in Ridgefield recently.

MAY 22, 1953

A traffic tieup of several hours duration resulted from a spectacular collision of two loaded over-the-road trucks at 1:45 am Monday, May 18, on Mt Pleasant Hill. The crash occurred when an auto-carrier truck of the Anchor Motor Freight Lines, carrying several new cars, passed another truck while descending the hill and struck a van trailer-truck, which was parked at the side of the road, about midway up the hill, according to state police. The latter truck, owned by the Keeshin Freight Lines, Inc, of Chicago, Ill., had stalled while attempting to climb the hill some time earlier.

***

Monday was a gala day for Mr and Mrs John V. Pendergart, Sr, of Walnut Tree Hill with their sons, S/Sgt John V., Jr, and A/1c Frederick J. Pendergast arrived home on brief furloughs the same day, from Savannah, Ga. and Okinawa respectively.

***

The alumnae day celebration of St Margaret’s School of Chase Parkway, Waterbury, on Saturday, May 16, was attended by Mrs Richard Burdett, Mrs Hawley Warner, Mrs Hobart Warner and Miss Judith Warner who was the guest of her grandmother, Mrs Hobart Warner. It was the 50th class reunion of the class of 1903 of which Mrs Hobart Warner is a member.

***

Sunday, May 10, was a red letter day for Thomas Digilio, son of Mr and Mrs Dominic Digilio of Sandy Hook, who made his first solo flight and landing at the Monroe Airport. Tom, who is 16 years old, had nine and one-half hours of dual flight before his first solo, taken under the direction of Ed Czap at the Monroe Flying School.

***

Final preparation are being made by The Southern New England Telephone Company for converting all telephones in the Newtown exchange to dial operation Sunday morning, June 7, at 7 o’clock. At that time new two-letter and five-figure numbers will also go into use here. Thomas H. Tuohy, local telephone manager, said this week that new telephone directories for this exchange will be distributed in two weeks. Newtown numbers will begin with the name Garden followed by five figures. For example, a typical Newtown number will be Garden 6-1099. It will only be necessary to dial the five figures, however, in placing a call within the local exchange.

***

Miss Ann Coleman of Taunton Hill Road was hostess to a group of young friends at a luncheon in honor of her tenth birthday on Saturday, May 16. Guests were Anne McLennan, Bonnie Mayberry, Gay Parker, Pat Dayton, Martha Rohleder, Karen Magnuson, Marilyn Peterson, and Kathe Coleman.

***

Approximately 150 are expected to attend the testimonial dinner for Robert D. Fairchild of Taunton Hill Road on Monday evening, May 25. The dinner, to mark Mr Fairchild’s appointment as deputy sheriff of the county, is sponsored by the Sheriffs and Keepers Association of Fairfield County.

***

The First Selectmen’s Association of Fairfield County of which Newtown’s A. Fenn Dickinson is president, visited Fairfield State Hospital on Wednesday as the guests of Superintendent William F. Green. After lunch at the hospital the group conducted its business meeting. Later in the afternoon, Mr Dickinson escorted members on a tour of the Newtown High School building on Queen Street, where much interest was shown by the visitors in Newtown’s new educational plant and its many modern facilities.

MAY 18, 1928

William R. Burroughs, president of the Newtown Chamber of Commerce, and W.A. Upham, representative to the State Chamber of Commerce from the local body, were in Hartford, Wednesday and Thursday, attending the annual meeting of the State Chamber.

***

The Pootatuck Tea Room in Sandy Hook will be open for business, Saturday, May 19.

***

A.E. Brinton is installing a pipeless heater and new plumbing in the new residence of Martin A. Moller.

***

On April 21 the afternoon class of dancing at Yonkers, N.Y. gave an exhibition of toe dancing. Among the participants was Miss Ruth Parsons, daughter of Mr and Mrs Herbert Parsons. She was accompanied on the piano by her mother.

***

Fred Reiner is having his building repainted and alterations made. The work is being done by Abram Klein and son.

***

During the past week Maurice Levenson of New York City bought the former Samuel Nalevky store in Huntingtown Center. The new owner will carry a complete stock of groceries, hardware, and shoes.

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The industry committee of the Chamber of Commerce is working on what seems an excellent proposition for a live industry to occupy the Dutch rubber factory so called.

MAY 22, 1903

Dr A.L. Schuyler and family have taken two rooms in the residence of George A. Northrop at the head of the Street. He has moved his household goods from the Beardsley cottage.

***

Norman Northrop and son, Will, completed putting their roads in first class condition, last week Thursday. Norman Northrop, although 77 of age, can show the young men yet how to push their work.

***

Sherman Smith of Bethel, the expert well digger, is digging a well on the lot of the Bee Publishing Company.

***

The burning of the wooden bridge over the Pomperaug River, Friday night, has put the New York and New Haven road to much inconvenience in carrying on the traffic on the Highland division. It has been necessary to transfer the passengers by teams, and W.A. Leonard, Charles Hawley, Julius Tilson, and Edward Taylor have had teams engaged to transfer the passengers around the break.

***

Curtis Glover, who injured himself while playing ball at Cheshire, last week, cutting himself in the side, passed Sunday with his mother, Mrs S.C. Glover.