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THE WAY WE WERE FOR OCTOBER 18, 1996

O CTOBER 22, 1971

The Newtown Parks & Recreation Commission announced the appointment of

Newtown's first full-time recreation director at its meeting this week. He is

Edward F. O'Dowd of Marquette, Mich., and was chosen from a field of 47

candidates. He graduated with honors from Northern Michigan University in 1970

with a bachelor's degree in physical education and received his master's

degree from the same school in educational administration the following year.

He was employed as director of recreation in Pelham, N.Y., from 1964 to 1968.

On Tuesday night more than 30 young men and women between the ages of 13 and

20 came to Edmond Town Hall to hear about a new Explorers Post, which is being

organized in Newtown under the sponsorship of the Newtown Police Department.

The post will be a special interest one, mainly for young people who are

interested in following a career in law enforcement.

Newtown's selectmen at their October 19 meeting one by one expressed their

unwillingness to sign a call to a town meeting on the Vietnam War. The purpose

of the meeting was to give townspeople a chance to vote on immediate

withdrawal of US troops. At their October 5 meeting the selectmen had agreed

to call such a meeting provided it was legal, but Robert Hall, the town

counsel, said it was not the proper subject for a town meeting. The meeting

had been requested by a group headed by William J. Clark, which expressed its

unhappiness with the decision, calling it "legal finagling to get the

selectmen out of a difficult position."

The Conservation Commission's attempt to save the Halfway River from pollution

came up again in a proposal by Joseph T. Chase, representing Alexander Nestor,

to develop the Bradley Woods subdivision along the river. Commission Chairman

William Morrissey wants a 50-foot strip of land to be donated along the river

to the Newtown Forest Association. Mr Chase said it would require redrawing of

at least one lot to make it meet the minimum two-acre zoning regulation. The

two men will meet again this week to discuss the issue further.

A contract of sale for the Italian Community Center on Route 34 is on file in

the town clerk's office. The contract shows the selling price for the 143

acres to be $300,000 with Michael Frascatore and Orlando Vazzano of Trumbull

as trustees for the purchaser. First Selectman Timothy Treadwell said the

trustees have indicated their willingness to continue a lease agreement with

the town for the ICC's use as a youth and recreation center.

OCTOBER 18, 1946

George M. Stuart, who has served as representative in the General Assembly

from the First District for three terms, has been named to head Newtown's USO

Campaign for 1946-47. Mr Stuart served throughout the war, first as chairman

of the USO drives then as chairman of the United War Fund Drives. Newtown will

have a quota of $800. The countrywide quota is $19 million.

The bugles called 74 enrollees to the first regular meeting for practice of

the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Company's Fife, Drum and Bugle Corps held at the

company's firehouse last Friday evening. Seventeen new names were added to the

57 previously enrolled. Bert Sheldon is in charge of instruction. In the

recent statewide competition, his New Milford musicians took first place, his

Grassy Plain Corps took second place and one of his Bethel Pupils, Barbara

Thurmann, majorette, has been state champion baton twirler for three years in

the juvenile class. She will give instruction to twirlers in Sandy Hook.

For a considerable period of time, costs in the production of a newspaper have

steadily increased. The latest boost is a rise of $10 a ton in the price of

newsprint. The Bee is now paying $83.50 a ton, a 106 percent increase in just

10 years. As a result, The Bee feels compelled to raise its subscription price

from $2 to $2.50 a year, a one-cent increase in the cost of the weekly

newspaper. All subscribers, however, will have an opportunity to renew at $2

if they do so before November 5.

Some 36,143 fans watched the seventh and final game of this year's World

Series, played Tuesday afternoon at Sportsman's Park in St Louis, when the St

Louis Cardinals almost literally stole the championship from the Boston Red

Sox in a thrilling 4-3 encounter. Countless others hung spellbound in front of

their radios, as one startling play after another made it anybody's game until

the Cards forced the Sox into their third out in the first half of the ninth

inning.

Robert Hawley, son of Mr and Mrs Charles F. Hawley, and Frank H. Leaver, son

of William Leaver, who enlisted in the US Army two weeks ago, are now

stationed at Fort Dix, NJ, prior to being sent to another camp for basic

training.