June 23, 2000

EDITORIAL INK DROPS — IMPROVING THE PARADE: Members of the Newtown Labor Day Parade Committee this week successfully petitioned the Board of Selectmen to reduce the number of permits it issues to outside vendors for the town’s annual parade. Last year, 26 vendors secured permits for the Labor Day Parade. With their massive carts and arrays of balloons and merchandise they managed to distract children and irritate adults all along the parade route. To find evidence of past problems associated with parade vendors, one has only to read the town’s vendor application form: “no silly string, no poppers or firecrackers, no fake vomit.” … We have one other suggestion. In recent years, it has become the custom for units in the parade to throw candy to children along the parade route. We have witnessed a few very close calls, when toddlers scramble perilously close to the massive rolling tires of large trucks to retrieve a small wrapped candy. If they had tripped or stumbled, they would have been crushed, in front of their own parents, in front of other children, in front of everybody. It could easily happen this year or any year. … If groups wish to distribute toys or candy to children along the parade route, let’s require that they walk the sidewalks behind the crowds at the curb. If there is to be any scrambling of children, let it be away from the roadway, not into it.

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HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER of Brett Tannone.

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“I know progress is going to go on,” Faith Gulick said this week, standing by her 1712 farmhouse on Church Hill Road while hulking 18-wheel tractor-trailer trucks roared by on nearby Interstate 84. But, she added, she hoped that the march of progress does not mean that her two-acre property will be devastated by a planned reconfiguration of the adjacent Exit 10 interchange. Ms Gulick lives in the white wood-frame farmhouse at 68 Church Hill Road. Years ago, before there was an I-84, the front yard sat above I-84. But with the coming of the highway about 40 years ago, workers elevated the level of the street, boosting it much higher than her front yard, to allow Church Hill Road to cross over the interstate on a bridge.

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While many in Newtown and throughout the country watched the Installation Mass for Edward Michael Egan, New York’s ninth archbishop, on television Monday afternoon, Newtown residents Rich and Chris Plavnicky could smell the incense. They were the only two altar servers for the celebration, and in a procession of clergy and laity that snaked around an entire city block, Rich, 14, and Chris, 11, brought up the rear, closing the cathedral’s heavy doors behind the last priest in line. “It sounded like they were almost being sealed tight,” Chris mused Wednesday afternoon of his door-closing duties, after which the two brothers proceeded down the aisle carrying the archbishop’s miter and crozier.

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The Currituck Road bridge replacement project continued this week as workers from Dayton Construction of Watertown worked to install a second box culvert. The first box culvert was installed earlier this year after contractors finally managed to divert water from Pond Brook. Currituck Road has been closed to through traffic since late December. The work is being done at the far north end of the road.

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Vandals wreaked havoc in Newtown earlier this week, focusing their attention on the high school and Dickinson and Treadwell parks. At Newtown High School, vandals used a knife Tuesday night to cut gaping holes in at least two tennis nets, rendering the courts all but useless for the remainder of the summer. They also cut large holes in at least one field hockey goal net. They then broke into an equipment storage unit, slicing blocking dummies. Garbage was also strewn across the tennis courts. … At Dickinson, vandals Tuesday night smashed lawn chairs at the pavilion that had been set up for Wednesday’s senior picnic. And at Treadwell, vandals tossed bottles over the fence that surrounded the park’s pool. The bottles smashed across the deck, sending shards of glass in all directions. Newtown police are investigating the incidents.

June 20, 1975

EDITORIAL INK DROPS — REJECTING IS NOT THE ANSWER: Following the circulation of a petition, a Town Meeting has been set to vote on either accepting or rejecting the recently agreed upon teachers’ contract. A move to reject this contract was started a short time ago, based, for the most part, on the theme that the contract was accomplished through the pressures of an illegal action, a strike by the teachers. ... We do not believe that rejecting the contract at this point would prove a constructive move, but would only open up what can definitely be termed a bad time for Newtown. ... The Board of Education, in conjunction with the town officials, should certainly be able to set policies to punish strike leaders and participants and in no way tolerate again a situation such as we have recently experienced. ... Rejecting the contract, and then turning right around and accepting the same one without the stigma of a strike, will really not prove a point to complete satisfaction. ... If we had meant business, then it should have been accomplished long before this. Better we be prepared, as we are not to date, for what might be coming.

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The Newtown Junior Chess Club championship tournament finished at Hawley School last Friday afternoon after three Fridays of play. Five rounds altogether took place and the 31 youngsters who started played competitors drawn by lots, advancing to play other competitors who had similar scores right down to the awarding of the championship trophy, sponsored by The Newtown Bee.

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Barring the possibility of an appeal referendum, the town finally has a Board of Education budget approved for fiscal 1975-76 in the amount of $6,642,435. The final outcome of the balloting showed a tally of 290 persons voting for the budget and 58 opting to turn it down. At the May annual budget meeting, the voters had turned down the budget, at the request of the Board of Education, which stated that drastic cuts would have to be made in the system’s programs were a $650,000 cut by the Board of Finance from the BofEd’s original budget proposal of over $7,000,000 made.

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Barbara Ann Dudley, daughter of Mr and Mrs Raymond F. Dudley of Poverty Hollow Road, Dodgingtown, became the bride of Donal Frank Lewis, son of Mr and Mrs Donald E. Lewis of Philo Curtis Road, Sandy Hook, on Saturday, June 14, at 12:30 pm in the rose garden of her parents’ home. On their return from a wedding trip the couple will make their home in Newtown. Mrs Lewis is employed in customer relations at Barclay Knitwear Company. Mr Lewis is employed by Newtown Refuse Company. Both are graduates of Newtown High School.

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On June 10 the Chapter 99 of the Connecticut State Employees Association at Fairfield Hills had an annual election for officers of the Chapter. The following persons, all residents of Newtown, were elected: James Fowler, president; Shirley Pavone, vice president; Mary Parker, secretary, and Louis Belair, treasurer. All are incumbents.

June 16, 1950

Friends will be interested to know that in a recent issue of a Dallas, Texas, newspaper, Leon Deraps, meteorologist, formerly of Newtown, and his assistants, John Painter and Rollie Terrell, were subject matter of a two-column feature story. Entitled “Whether Analysts Give Good Forecast Picture,” the article described the work of the three men in mapping out the weather predictions given by the U.S. Weather Bureau. Mr Deraps, son of Mr and Mrs T.J. Deraps of Sandy Hook Road, also forecasts the daily weather report over station WFAA-TV, Dallas, along with his other duties as meteorologist in that city.

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Alfred H. Jurgens, Sr and Mrs Jurgens left Newtown Thursday morning to attend the 41st annual convention of Rotary International being held in Detroit June 18 to 22. En route Mr and Mrs Jurgens will visit Mrs Jurgens’ mother in Utica, N.Y., and will stop at Niagara Falls. Carlos P. Romulo, president of the United Nations General Assembly, who recently flew in 12,000 miles to take a degree at the University of Rochester, will deliver the convention address on international service.

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For the third consecutive year, The Bee congratulates its school administration, teachers and students by issuing a special supplement, the year-end school edition, which appears this week. Readers will find the edition in section four of the present issue. That many persons spent long hours in preparation of the material used, is obvious; that not all of the material submitted could be used, is obvious too. The articles and stories selected were considered representative, the pictures also. Thanks go to all who had a hand in cooperating with the project.

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Joseph J. Paulis is a craftsman who takes pride in his work and is his own architect, engineer, draftsman, carpenter, cabinetmaker, metal worker, electrician — just to name a few of the specialized jobs he is called upon to perform. His latest job was the library on wheels he constructed for the board of trustees of the Ferguson Library, Stamford. Before its delivery to Stamford, where it was commissioned and put on a regular operating schedule May 22, the library trailer — a circulating library on wheels — stopped for a photo with its maker, proprietor of East Craft Trailer Mfg., Route 25, Newtown. The trailer is already in operation, making a regularly scheduled circuit of Stamford’s districts six days a week.

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John H. Hughes of Huntingtown District, Newtown, received the oath of deputy sheriff from Henry J. Lyons, clerk of the Superior Court, in ceremonies Tuesday at the office of Sheriff Edward A. Platt in the County Courthouse, Bridgeport. Sheriff Hughes, a resident of Newtown ten years and a former assistant superintendent in the Pennsylvania State Highway Department, succeeds Frank A. Blackman, who died last fall.

June 19, 1925

Miss Helen Mead of the Lenox Hill hospital in New York, is passing a vacation with her mother, Mrs Seaman Mead.

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Garden hose, rake, hoes, Flit for Flies will keep the flies and mosquitoes away. At S. Nalevky’s.—Adv.

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The annual meeting of the Trinity Guild was held on Thursday, June 18, 11 members being present. The rector presided. Mrs Tiemann, secretary and treasurer, made a report of the work done during the past year. Most of this was done to put the rectory in good order, for which, and the special care given by some of the ladies, the rector expressed his gratitude. Votes of appreciation for their faithful services were given Mrs Wallace Mitchell, retiring president, Miss Julia Dikeman, president of the altar committee, and Mrs Ada Blakeman, for making the very pretty choir caps. Mrs Fannie Beers Edwards was unanimously elected president and Miss Katharine Gesner, secretary-treasurer.

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Miss May Egan attended the ordination of Rev J. Richard Egan in St Patrick’s cathedral, New York, on June 6.

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Mr and Mrs Ernest Sniffen of Newport News, Va., are visiting Mr Sniffen’s mother, Mrs Harriett Sniffen, in Sandy Hook.

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Sunday was a notable day at St Rose’s church, because of the fact that Rev J. Richard Egan, ordained to the priesthood at St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City on Saturday, June 6, was to officiate at the 9 o’clock Mass. Rev Father Egan celebrated his first Mass at St Sebastian’s church, Woodside, L.I., on Sunday, June 7. The church was crowded. Following the Mass the entire congregation approached the altar and received the blessing of Rev Father Egan. Later in the day Mr and Mrs Richard Egan of Palestine gave a reception at their home in honor of Father Egan, attended by 50 or more relatives and invited guests. Rev Father Egan is the son of Dr Andrew Egan of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a nephew of Richard Egan and William Egan of this town.

June 22, 1900

Wednesday evening about 9 o’clock, the Orlando Platt house was discovered to be on fire. The building was unoccupied and there being no apparatus to draw water from the well it soon burned to the ground. It was owned by Burr Hawley of Stepney who had just begun to make repairs upon it. About 1000 feet of lumber was saved and the carpenter tools of Thomas Perkins. The house was one of the oldest in this vicinity, being over a hundred years old. … It is hinted that the house was deliberately fired but whether for deviltry or revenge is a question. Your correspondent understands Mr Hawley is determined to use every means possible to discover the rascal who did the deed and the good people of this place hope and pray he will succeed.

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Thomas Perkins wishes to publicly thank those persons who saved his carpenter tools from being destroyed by the fire at Hattertown, last Wednesday night.

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The closing exercises of the school in Huntingtown took place last Friday afternoon. Everyone seemed to take a deep interest in the occasion and consequently everything passed off very nicely. About 50 visitors were present to enjoy the literary exercises consisting of singing, recitations, dialogues and class exercises given by children, and there is no question but that the children enjoyed the feast of good things of which there was an abundance, prepared for them by their parents and friends.

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The annual school meeting of the North Center district, held last week Thursday evening, was the largest attended and most exciting meeting this district has had in recent years. The question at issue was the retention of the present teacher, Patrick H. McCarthy, or the hiring of a former teacher, Miss Hourigan. For a long time the friends of the latter have been laying “pipes” for the defeat of Mr McCarthy, but they reckoned without their host, for Mr McCarthy was chosen by a vote of 35 to 31. The friends of Mr McCarthy forced the fight at the opening of the meeting, demanding a ballot for chairman and winning by a vote of 31 for Frank Wright to 30 for M.J. Bradley. A.W. Peck was then re-elected clerk and George P. Sanford as treasurer and collector.

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Mr and Mrs A.L. Peck of Hartford were guests, last week, of Z.S. Peck, at his pleasant home on Mile Hill.

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 Newtown Bee readers. 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.