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THE WAY WE WERE FOR SEPTEMBER 5, 1997

SEPTEMBER 8, 1972

Selectman Sidney Seligmann, 65, died Friday, September 1, in Danbury Hospital

after an illness of several months. A graduate of the City College of New

York, Mr Seligmann spent his career as an executive with Eagle Pencil

Industries and its parent company, the Berol Company. As secretary-treasurer,

he was involved with relocating Eagle from Pennsylvania to Danbury before he

retired in 1964. He then did private tax work, served as a substitute teacher

in the Newtown schools and joined the faculty of Post Junior College in

Waterbury, teaching corporate finance. Active in many civic and charitable

organizations, he became Newtown's third selectman in May of 1971. Newtown's

flags flew at half staff until services were conducted on Sunday at the Honan

Funeral Home with Rabbi Jerome Malino of Danbury officiating.

The first selectman's meeting of the month met at 7 pm on September 5 because

a special meeting was scheduled at 8 pm to which the heads of all the town's

boards and commissions had been invited by First Selectman Frank DeLucia.

After adopting a memorial resolution extending sympathy to Selectman Sidney

Seligmann's wife, Rose Seligmann, and to members of his family, the selectmen

began the special meeting. Its purpose was to improve communication among the

various groups and to try to work out a monthly schedule in which the fewest

possible meetings would conflict. Most of the boards and commissions were

represented except for two of the most important: The Board of Finance and

Planning & Zoning. The Police and Charter Revision Commissions also were

meeting elsewhere in Edmond Town Hall. There was a general agreement by those

attending the special meeting that communication with the Board of Finance was

a problem. They also agreed that a more complete budget should be printed for

study by the townspeople.

More than 300 people attended an open house held by the Newtown Historical

Society at the Belden House on Main Street over the Labor Day weekend. The

house, which has stood on Main Street since 1750, is scheduled to be restored

to its original condition. Various sketches and drawings of the house were on

display. They were prepared by Robert Carter of Essex, the architect engaged

by the society for the restoration.

The Education Association of Newtown and the Board of Education have reached

an agreement on the teachers' contract. The decision to agree to contract

terms came at a special meeting of the teachers on Wednesday morning,

September 6, before the first day classes began. The agreement is tentative

and still must be ratified. Details of the agreement have not been revealed

because the final wording of the contract is not completed. However, School

Board Chairman Lester Boroughs said that in the area of salaries, the

agreement was very near that suggested by the state's arbitration board, which

means an approximate 4.5 percent increase in salaries including increments.

Newtown was treated to one of the best parades the town has ever seen on Labor

Day as marchers walked the parade route for more than two hours to the delight

of the crowd which lined the route. The parade was coordinated by Robert

Rubinstein and Chris Spiro of the Newtown Jaycees. Parade judges were Paul

Allen, Madeline Aragones, Harvey Hubbell, Robert Carruth, Dan DelVecchio,

Edward Sullivan and Del Fahey. Seated in the judging box also were Bertram

Stroock and the parade's honorary chairman, Edwin Weber, Sr, and honorary

parade marshal Arthur Bennett, Sr, and Mrs Bennett. Mr Spiro acted as master

of ceremonies, announcing each entry as it went by the judge's stand.

SEPTEMBER 5, 1947

St Peter's Church in Dorcester, Mass., was the scene of a pretty wedding last

Saturday morning when Miss Jeanne Marguerite Craffey, daughter of Mr and Mrs

John Craffey, became the bride of Mr William Arthur Honan, Jr, son of Mr and

Mrs William A. Honan of Main Street, Newtown. The Rev Richard J. Swift, a

friend of the bride's family, performed the marriage ceremony and officiated

at the nuptial Mass. Following a wedding breakfast and reception at the

Sheraton Hotel in Boston, the couple left for a motor trip to Canada and upper

New York. Upon their return, they will reside in Newtown, where Mr Honan is

associated with his father in the Honan Funeral Home.

The Charles Howard Peck Post, 308, Veterans of Foreign Wars will canvass

Newtown starting the end of September in an effort to raise a $25,000 building

fund. The building, when erected, will be dedicated in the memory of the

Newtown men who died in World War II. William Hunter, well known for his

efforts during the war in Newtown's Red Cross work and scrap drives, will act

as a treasurer for the fund. He will be assisted by William Weiss, post

quartermaster.

In an exhibition of tennis superior to any seen on these courts in years, the

final matches of the 1947 Tennis Tournament were held at the Newtown Country

Club over the Labor Day weekend. The winners were Jack Mason, men's singles;

Mrs Robert Fulton, women's singles; Frank Hamilton and James Diamond, men's

doubles. The high point in the finals was the match between Mrs Robert Fulton

and Miss Carol Mason which the former won after two hours and a quarter of

probably the best women's tennis that had ever been played on these courts.

The Newtown Bees faced Buddy Luckner and his mates of the Stepney ball team in

an unsuccessful attempt to win the title in the Pomperaug Valley League in a

closely played game on Sunday afternoon on the Stepney field. Buddy was in top

form, striking out 18 Newtown batters and allowing only three scattered hits.

Bill Brown, on the mound for Newtown, also pitched a good game with 10

strikeouts and allowing only three hits, which Stepney converted into two

runs. The defeat of Newtown by Stepney placed the two teams in a three-way tie

with Bethany for the league title.

Both Republican and Democratic electors of the town of Newtown will hold their

party caucuses now to secure nominations for candidates to be elected in the

October town elections. The first of these, the Republican caucus, will take

place this Friday evening in the Edmond Town Hall gym. The Democratic caucus

will be held on September 12 at 8 pm in the Alexandria Room of Edmond Town

Hall.

A public hearing will be held on September 9 at 8 pm in the Alexandria Room of

Edmond Town Hall to review the bids for proposed alterations and additions to

Hawley School. Slides showing plans of the proposed work also will be shown.