Date: Fri 12-Jul-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

schools-Hawley-clock

Full Text:

Operation Tick Tock

with photos...

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

It seems Mary Hawley brings out the best in everyone.

It's taken the generosity and helping hands of more than a few people, but the

old clock on the face of historic Hawley School on Church Hill Road is on its

way to repair.

The 1927 timepiece, with its hands stuck on half past five, was carefully

removed from its home 50 feet above Hawley's front lawn.

The clock hasn't worked in about a decade, and the school district, with all

its addition and renovation plans, had not placed the repair of the clock high

on its list of things to do.

Luckily, a group of parents whose children recently graduated from Hawley's

fifth grade, have worked to get it fixed. They see Hawley School as one of the

town's historic landmarks and believe the clock represents the living legacy

of the town's patroness, Mary Elizabeth Hawley.

Still looking to raise money for the job, the parents called on experienced

clocksmith Paul Jahnke of "Grandfather Time" in Monroe who agreed to fix the

clock at almost no cost.

Led by parents Barbara Cottingham and Judy Crane, parents scheduled to have

the clock, 40 inches in diameter, removed Wednesday morning.

David Rosato of DGR Contracting and Demolition out of Sandy Hook was already

doing demolition work behind Hawley School and agreed to lend his cherry

picker to lift up Mr Jahnke to remove the clock. However, his cheery picker

came up a few feet short.

It looked like Operation Tick Tock was far from running like clockwork.

As a disappointed Barbara Cottingham watched from below, it appeared the plan

was going to be delayed.

"We were hoping to have the clock up and running by September, but now I don't

know," she said.

Mr Jahnke had set aside most of his morning to retrieve the clock. It looked

like his time had been wasted.

But the story doesn't end there.

Mr Rosato knew a local landscaper/tree surgeon who had a cherry picker that

went plenty high enough. The call went out to Newtown resident Percy Ferris of

Total Landscaping and Tree Service.

Despite a busy morning cleaning up the mess left by Tuesday's storm, Mr Ferris

arrived on the scene within minutes and wasted little time hoisting Mr Jahnke

to the clock, which was promptly removed and transported to the shop for

repair.

The clock is expected to be fixed in two to three weeks.

"It was a lucky day, and it was a successful day," said Mrs Cottingham moments

after the clock was taken down. "Maybe we had the spirit of Mary Hawley

hovering over us."

The parents behind the Hawley School clock repair are still seeking assistance

from local businesses to help defray the cost of the project.