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THE WAY WE WERE FOR JANUARY 16, 1998

JANUARY 19, 1973

Connecticut Gov Thomas J. Meskill this week announced the appointment of

Timothy J. Loughlin of Taunton Ridge Road as chairman of the State

Unemployment Compensation Commission. Before his appointment as commissioner

from the Fifth District on January 1, Mr Loughlin served as chairman of the

Republican Town Committee and a member of the Newtown Board of Police

Commissioners.

Newtown's first anti-war protest organization plans to hold a public meeting,

on Inauguration Day, featuring an ecumenical prayer service on the lawn in

front of the middle school and a procession to Edmond Town Hall. A symbolic

meal of tea and rice cakes in the Memorial Room of the Congregational Church

hall will follow. The meeting, to be called an "Inauguration of Conscience,"

will began at 10 am so as to be finished before President Nixon's second

inauguration ceremonies begin in Washington. Among those expected to take part

in the Newtown observance are Rev John D. Buttrick of the Newtown

Congregational Church, Rev Bernard Dolan of St Rose and I. David Falker, a

member of Adath Israel Synagogue in Newtown and the United Jewish Center in

Danbury.

About 30 people attended the Newtown League of Women Voters meeting on January

17 at which First Selectman Frank DeLucia spoke about solid waste disposal. Mr

DeLucia said that "in this day of Aquarius, open burning should be as obsolete

as the pony express." He said that although recycling is the ideal aim of both

the league and the town, efficient solid waste disposal is a necessary and

positive step toward that goal. He said Newtown's landfill, which no longer

has open burning, is a step ahead of many landfills in the state. The landfill

was originally expected to last at least 50 years but with the ban on burning,

it probably will have a lifespan half that long, he added.

At its meeting Monday night, the Board of Selectmen scheduled a February 7

meeting for public input on the spending of revenue sharing funds. First

Selectman Frank DeLucia said using the money to reduce taxes would have a

negligible effect and suggested that the funds be spent over the next five

years on capital improvements. He suggested that the money could be spent for

a needed community center, increased health and social services, additional

recreational facilities, a new dog shelter, a town garage, more governmental

office space, new police facilities, or needed repairs to schools. He said he

had discussed with the Borough Board of Burgesses the possibility of a joint

project including the construction of sidewalks, improving Elm Drive and Town

Hall renovations.

New officers were elected for the Newtown Ambulance Association this week:

Robert Heisel, chief driver; Nick Smith, assistant chief driver, and Alex

Neubert, secretary-treasurer. The corps reported that there was nearly a 24

percent increase in the number of ambulance calls during 1972, breaking all

previous records. The ambulance made 632 trips, traveling 14,975 miles. This

was 120 more trips than in 1971. Seven men were added to the corps during

1972. Each took an extensive 33-hour ambulance first aid training course as

part of their preparation. Other corpsmen took a refresher course and some

took the special EMT-Ambulance (81-hour) course.

The Newtown Montessori Society met on January 10 at the Congregational Church

House to review plans for renovating their newly acquired building on Route

202 and Taunton Hill Road. Architects Paul Curtis and Roger Smith will be

heading the project. Parents enthusiastically pledged donations of time and

services to hasten completion of plans for the new location.

JANUARY 16, 1948

Some 50 town officials and interested citizens braved the cold of Sunday

afternoon to attend the ground breaking ceremonies held at the rear of Hawley

School at 2 pm on the site for the new addition. William A. Honan, chairman of

the Newtown Board of Education, turned over the first spade full of dirt and

conducted the brief exercises. The invocation was given by the Rev Walter J.

Conroy, pastor of St Rose Church. Mr Honan expressed appreciation for the

opportunity to take part in the process which will allow the town to

discontinue use of its remaining one-room schools. Before Mary Elizabeth

Hawley built Hawley School in 1922, there were 20 one-room schools in Newtown.

Walter Glover, speaking for the Permanent School Building Committee, said

every effort will be made to construct the 10-classroom addition as

substantially as possible and yet at the lowest possible cost to the

taxpayers.

The vital statistics for the year 1947 as recorded at the office of Town Clerk

May Sullivan show that 1947 was a record year for births and marriages in

Newtown. Forty-six boys and 31 girls were born last year, compared to 21 boys

and 22 girls in 1946. There were 68 weddings last year, compared to 53 in

1946, 35 in 1945, and 21 in 1944. Among residents there were 49 deaths in

1947, 48 in 1946, 44 in 1945. At Fairfield State Hospital, there were 265

deaths in 1947, 230 in 1946, and 228 in 1945. Of 47 town residents who died

last year, one was 96 years old, two were 90, 11 were between 80 and 90, and

14 were aged 70 to 80, indicating that Newtown is a town of healthy clime,

contributing to a long as well as a happy life among its residents, according

to The Bee.

The fuel oil shortage begins to be serious. First Selectman William W.

Holcombe urged all householders again to cut down on oil consumption wherever

possible. Newtown has many new oil burner installations, many new houses, and

many more winter residents than normal. The oil supply required is therefore

much greater than it used to be. Residents are urged to lower room

temperatures, close off unused rooms, and use auxiliary heating devices.

The Tawanka Camp Fire Girls did the inserting, addressing and mailing of 1,200

folders to Newtown households to start this year's March of Dimes campaign to

fight infantile paralysis. Sandy Hook Athletic Club members distributed coin

boxes to stores, schools and other public places in town, and the Riff Raff

Club completed arrangements for a benefit dinner dance to be held in the Pines

Inn on Route 25 on January 28. During the past five years, polio had increased

150 percent over the previous five years with 80,000 people stricken between

January 1, 1943, and December 1947. Last year $39,000 was spent in Fairfield

County assisting victims and their families.

William B. Jones of Norwich has been selected to direct Newtown's public

school music. Mr Jones replaces Miss Lillian E. Brennan, who resigned

recently. Mr Jones majored in vocal and instrumental music education at the

Julius Hartt School of Music in Hartford. His particular interest is the

violin, but he has had thorough training in virtually all instruments. This is

the first year that a full-time music teacher was employed by the Newtown

schools to set up a vocal and instrumental music program for all 12 grades.

After a particularly chilly weekend, the weather moderated on Monday and a

heavy cotton-like snow began to fall. It made the countryside a delight to

look at, especially with the limbs of trees laden with several inches of

fluffy white batting, but it was less of a delight to wade through. Late

Tuesday, road crews were still working, keeping the more traveled

thoroughfares open.

Eight people attended the Newtown Couples Club's square dance in the

Alexandria Room at Edmond Town Hall last Friday evening. The highlight of the

evening was an elimination dance, the prize for which was a live and freshly

washed plump goose. The couple to win the beast was a terpsichorean team

composed of Miss Beatric Leaver and Gilbert Aiken. Another bright spot of the

evening was the intermission at which time Bob deVeer delivered one of his

popular monologues. The dance was the suggestion of the Rev Paul Cullens. The

event chairmen were Bob and Jean Russell, Ernie and Eleanor Newman, and Joe

and Barbara Wiser.

Mrs Elizabeth Bale, mother of Mrs Leona B. Freedman of the Hawleyville

district, flew from LaGuardia Field on Monday evening for Dallas, Texas, to

spend an extended visit with her daughter, Mrs Robert E. Irvin of Irving,

Texas. This is the second airplane trip in two years for Mrs Bale, who is now

86 years of age, and is still able to maintain an air of nonchalance and

complete enjoyment from flying.