June 29, 2001

EDITORIAL INK DROPS — SECURING KELDA LANDS FOR PUBLIC USE: While local officials were still basking in the glow of the town’s decision to purchase the 189-acre Fairfield Hills property in the center of town, the Connecticut General Assembly last week voted to add another 645 acres to Newtown’s growing inventory of open space by funding the purchase of more than 18,000 acres of utility land statewide. The state has agreed this year to fund $65 million of the total $90 million price of property now owned by Kelda, the British firm that purchased the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company.

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HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER of Joel Malin.

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First Selectman Herb Rosenthal has long been an advocate for getting rid of Newtown’s more notorious eyesores, most notably the old and unsightly Texaco gas station on Church Hill Road. He even pledged to rid the town of these blights during his first candidacy. He soon discovered how difficult it is to force property owners to clean up their land, and today the gas station still stands vacant more than 10 years after closing up shop. Other unsightly parcels also remain unchanged for years.

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Sandy Hook School kindergartners in Mrs Ford and Miss Calbo’s class are heading to first grade in style along with the other kindergartners in Mrs Vollmer’s and Mrs Dievert’s classes. During a graduation ceremony at the school for the students’ families June 21, the students wore sun appropriate accessories for the ceremony in which they sang songs and received diplomas for their achievements for their first year in school.

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Richard Mulligan is a modest man, but his humor, kind heart, and love for his family are something worth noting. And now that has happened. The Danbury Jaycees recently named him Father of the Year. Mr Mulligan’s third child, Oona, wrote a letter to the Jaycees after learning that the organization was soliciting nominations for Father of the Year award. She felt compelled to write because of her own childhood and the surrogate father role Mr Mulligan has played for her two children, Brandon and Keenan, for the last seven years.

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It has been nearly three months since Therese Hychko’s untimely death from cancer. But her memory is very much alive at Merryhill Child Care Center, where she served as founding director for 12 years. More than 100 friends, family, business representatives, and Merryhill families joined recently to dedicate a garden created in her honor at the Merryhill site on Queen Street.

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Members of Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue (NUSAR) and Connecticut Canine Search and Rescue (CCSR), a West Hartford-based volunteer organization, teamed up June 24 for a joint training session at the cove on Lake Lillinonah near Alberts Hill Road. … The morning-long session gave ten dogs and their handlers a change to improve their search and rescue skills. NUSAR divers played the role of drowning victims. Members of NUSAR, which was formed in 1990, gather monthly at practice sites to sharpen their underwater skills.

June 25, 1976

The Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously on June 18 to disapprove Stamfordite Cyrill Mantell’s application for a special exception permit to place a 78,000 square foot shopping mall on 14 acres of industrially-zoned South Main Street property. The commission members found that in their opinion the application did not comply with three of the nine criteria in the zoning regulations for granting of a special exception. Each of the nine criteria must be met for approval. The decision becomes effective with the publication of the legal notice in this week’s Bee. Mr Mantell will have 15 days to appeal the decision.

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As the result of a vote taken last Friday night, it’s uncertain whether the Planning & Zoning Commission would approve a zone change for the residentially-zoned town landfill even if First Selectman Jack Rosenthal were successful in persuading the Board of Selectmen to make an application. Arguing that the landfill will never be used for residential purposes anyway, and that changing the property to an industrial zone could save the town $5,000 to $6,000 which he said would be necessary to apply for a special exception, chairman Robert DiGiovanni brought up the question to “feel out” the commission members.

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The Newtown Junior Chess Club climaxed a busy and fun-filled 1975-76 season with a five-round Swiss system championship tournament. In this type of tournament there are no eliminations. After the first round players are paired with opponents having similar scores. Twenty-four youngsters entered the event. Last year’s champion, 11-year-old David Herscovici of the Hawley School’s 5th grade, won all his games and took the title again. He was awarded The Newtown Bee Cup.

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Ellen Louise Lauricella, daughter of Mr and Mrs C.V. Lauricella, Castle Hill Road, Newtown, and Richard Francis Repay, son of Mr and Mrs Joseph Repay, Pierce Avenue, Bridgeport, were wed in an afternoon ceremony at St. Rose of Lima Church, Newtown, Father William Thompson officiating. The reception was held at the Preston Hill Inn, Middlebury. The bride was given in marriage by her father. She wore a gown she had made herself of white silk organza styled with a scoop neckline and long sheer sleeves cuffed at the wrist. An A-line skirt extended to a chapel train and the gown was accented with reimbroidered clusters of rosebuds. The veil was caught in a matching cameo cap.

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Members and chiefs of all five volunteer fire companies in Newtown and the Board of Police Commissioners paid tribute to a 32-year veteran of Newtown Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 when Tommy Anderson was honored at a farewell dinner at the Yankee Drover on June 17. In charge of arrangements for the send-off for Mr Anderson, who is moving to New York State, was Hook and Ladder’s First Assistant Chief William McCarthy. There were 65 guests at the party, and Mr Anderson was presented with a chief engineer’s badge from the chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, Jack Gill, and a fire trumpet by Chief Kenneth Pelletier of Hook and Ladder on behalf of his company.

June 22, 1951

A new high school for Newtown of Colonial design was voted at Wednesday night’s special town meeting, which drew an attendance of a little more than 350 voters and taxpayers of the town. The meeting also authorized an appropriation of $1,055,000 for the construction, equipping and furnishing of the new high school building, and continued the present High School Building Committee in office to complete the project.

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John Robert Harasymczuk, son of Mrs Louis Harasymczuk and the late Louis Harasymczuk of Palestine District, Newtown, was graduated from the University of Connecticut on Sunday, June 10, receiving a degree from the College of Agriculture.

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At the regular semi-monthly meeting of the Newtown Lions Club held in the Sallie Chase Restaurant Wednesday evening, June 13, Miss Caroline A. Hill, this year’s winner of the George W. Trull award, was guest of honor. The award, a $25 U.S. Savings Bond, is made annually to the undergraduate at Hawley School who in the opinion of the faculty excelled not only in scholarship but had also participated in various school activities such as athletics, and class and club groups. The annual award has been arranged in honor of the late George W. Trull, first present of the Lions Club.

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The closing night of “Main Street, U.S.A.” at Edmond Town Hall last Friday night brought the photograph contest award to Edwin F. Dickinson, 19-months-old son of First Selectman and Mrs A. Fenn Dickinson of Dayton Street, Sandy Hook, and a first and second prize to Miriam E. Janzer, daughter of Mr and Mrs Herbert W. Janzer, and William T. Matthews, Jr., of 280 Upper Mount Avenue, Montclair, N.J., in the number guessing contest on a jar of pennies.

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TE Robert Shannon, of the U.S.S. Manchester, who recently enjoyed a birthday cake aboard the Navy’s “fightingest” ship in Korean waters, landed with his 1,350 shipmates at Long Beach, Calif., last Friday and came directly to Newtown on his 30-day leave to visit his mother, Mrs Gordon Driscoll of Walnut Tree Hill District and his sister, Mrs David Cassidy.

June 25, 1926

The alumni, versus the town team, has some ball tossers and came pretty near beating the Hawley High, last Saturday afternoon. The score stood Hawley 9 to the town team 8. Warner, the old time pitcher, of long ago started on the mound for the town team. His slants rather pleased the Hawley High and in the three innings that he pitched they had gathered in five runs. He was relieved by Nichols and Conger and they pitched air tight balls up to the ninth inning, when G. Herbert Beers went in to the pitcher’s box.

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TO DR WALTER H. KIERNAN, A Tribute: No funeral can be like that unto a doctor’s, and so on the afternoon of the 15th inst., a sorrowing throng gathered at the Kiernan homestead in the village of Sandy Hook to pay their last tribute of love and respect to him, our beloved country doctor. Devoted to his family and faithful to his trust, with his heart, hands and time at the service of the unfortunate and worthy poor, he served his Master, well.

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A NOTE OF THANKS: While God in His infinite wisdom has taken to Himself our beloved husband and father, yet as we pass through the valley of sorrow, our grief is softened and our hearts inexpressibly touched by the loving ministrations of almost numberless friends and neighbors. Words can never in any sense fully express our deep gratitude to each and every one whose sympathy came to us in so many ways in which our every wish was anticipated, our every desire granted before asking, and our every need supplied. … —Mrs Walter H. Kiernan and family.

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Mr and Mrs Henry Blackman of New Britain were week end guests of Mr and Mrs Stanley Blackman.

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A.C. and W.P. Lake, Miss Ina Lake and Miss Alice Hardy of Bethlehem were callers at The Bee office on Wednesday.

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Mr and Mrs George A. Northrop and Mr and Mrs Lewis Andrews and children were Sunday guests of Mr and Mrs Paul Clarkson of Waterville.

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Misses Ebba and Emma Moller of Bridgeport were guests over Friday night of Miss Edna Stowe and attended the commencement exercises at the Newtown High school. Miss Emma Moller also remained as Miss Stowe’s guest for the week end.

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Mr and Mrs R.D. Fairchild and children motored to White Plains, N.Y., Saturday, where they were the guests of Mrs Fairchild’s sister, Mrs John Hess.

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Frank H. Johnston, the popular school supervisor, will enter the summer school at Columbia university shortly after July 1.

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Miss Mary Hawley has added a new Pierce-Arrow sedan to her fleet of cars.

June 28, 1901

By invitation of Rev O.O. Wright, rector of St John’s church, the members of Hiram lodge, No. 18, F. & A.M., to the number of 40 or more, attended service in St John’s church on Sunday afternoon. The Masons assembled in their lodge room and shortly before 4 o’clock proceeded in a body to the church. The Masons wore their aprons and the officers the aprons and jewels of their station. Rev Mr Wright, who is a member of Hiram lodge, took his text from 1st Kings 6:7, his subject being “The Building of the Temple.”

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The Sandy Hook school district held its annual school meeting, Saturday night, there being a large attendance. A resolution was offered that a district committee be appointed consisting of Thomas J. Bradley, George F. Taylor and J.W. Gordon. … The applications of Miss Catharine Bradley and Miss Ella Lillis as teachers in the second department were read, and Miss Lillis was elected by a vote of 37 to 23. … The candidacy of Miss Bradley was something of a surprise, but the friends of Miss Lillis, who has taught this school a number of years, got wind of it on Friday, and a sharp, swift canvass was made, resulting in victory as described.

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Hiram lodge, F. & A.M., conferred the fellow craft degree on two candidates, Tuesday night. A special communication will be held next Tuesday night when the M.M. degree will be exemplified.

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Misses Julia and Lillian Dikeman of Newtown and Mr and Mrs Oscar Dikeman and daughter of New York are enjoying the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, N.Y., this week.

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The pleasant cottage of Miss Elizabeth Shepard on Shepard hill in Head of Meadow district is now open for the summer.

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Mr and Mrs I.W. Birdsey, daughter and maid, who have been stopping at the Inn, left, last Saturday morning, for the Pan-American Exposition, where they expect to pass a week or more.

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Philo T. Platt was in Bridgeport, last Friday. Mr Platt expects to visit the Pan-American Exposition in the near future.

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.