“This is only the first step,” high school principal Alvah Cramer cautioned education board members Tuesday night as they were given a report on ideas for an addition to the high school. Recognizing that Newtown High School is over-crowded now, and possibly will continue to be for several years, the Board of Education named an educational specifications committee five months ago, charging the group to come up with a report on what would be needed for a high school addition.

***

One of the General Assembly’s thorniest tasks this session is to tackle the problem of how to come up with a formula which will help equalize education, providing “poorer” towns with the same resources as the richer ones. The legislature has until May 1 to come up with such a formula. Now perhaps it has a more accurate and clearer way to determine a town’s wealth because of a report from the State Department of Education which used for reference a survey made by the State Department of Revenue Services.

***

The proposed Stefanko Park in Sandy Hook is still in the planning stages and state officials have begun to ask why. Parks and Recreation Director Lee Davenson told the P&R Commission Tuesday night that because construction hasn’t begun officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection have been asking what’s going on. Half of the money for the $358,000 park comes from the government.

***

The Junior Women’s Club Spelling Bee for Newtown fifth graders was the longest one since the annual event began. A large share of the 227 words were spelled out before most of the contestants were eliminated. A word that stumped a number of contestants was “gymnasium.” As things got tense, Spelling Bee chairman Joan Fitzsimmons gave a contestant the word, “suppose,” then went right ahead and spelled it, as she’d heard the youngsters doing. That word was retired, and finally there were three contestants left. Chris Godfrey and Mariann Peterson both missed on “pewter,” and a spell-off was declared. In the second place runoff, Mariann missed on “knowledge” and it was all over for another year. Amy Williamson was declared the winner townwide.

MARCH 19, 1954

First Selectman A. Fenn Dickinson expressed the hope that the town government “might reach an even higher peak of efficiency…if we had a greater understanding of the problems that face each of  us in our departments,” to a group of the town’s officials at a meeting called by him last Thursday evening, March 11, in Edmond Town Hall.

***

Peter Knaur left by plane last Sunday night for Linz, Austria, to resume his duties as head of the Linz information bureau of Radio Free Europe. He had spent a month’s leave with his parents, Mr and Mrs Karl Knaur, South Main Street.

***

 Telephone customers in Newtown, Redding and Ridgefield will be interviewed by telephone company representatives starting next Monday to find out how many favor the proposal to enlarge their local calling areas. Under the company’s proposal, the local calling area of these exchanges would be enlarged as follows: Newtown customers would be able to place and receive toll-free calls to and from Danbury, Newtown and Ridgefield; and Ridgefield would receive toll-free service to and from Danbury, Redding and Wilton and to South Salem.

***

 Sandra Johnson and Kenneth Berglund, Newtown High School seniors, were the first and second place winners of the citizenship essay contest sponsored by Charles Howard Peck, Sr, and Jr, Post 308, Veterans of Foreign Wars for local high school students. Mrs George A. Powell, contest chairman, announced the winners this Thursday morning, Nine essays were entered in the contest, which was judged by Mr and Mrs Edmond J. Pelletier.

***

Next Tuesday evening, March 23, at 7:45 at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, Newtown World Federalists will hold a discussion group on the topic of World Disarmament. Arthur Terry and Frank L. Johnson will attempt to persuade their listeners of the many benefits that would derive to all peoples if the cost of an airplane carrier, for example, at $180,000,000 for both ship and its complement of fighting planes, could be diverted to peacetime projects.

***

Three Newtown girls made a strong showing in dressmaking contests sponsored this month by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Ellen Slusalek, a junior in Newtown High School, was winner of Class II, silk dresses, in an area contest held early this month in Danbury under the auspices of the Mary Wooster Chapter of the DAR, and placed second in her class in the state judging. Joan Rumble of Hopewell District, a high school sophomore, was winner of Class I, cotton dresses, in the Danbury contest, while Lorraine Keating, a senior student in the high school, placed second in the class for silk dresses at Danbury.

***

Miss Ginny Wynne, who has been visiting her grandparents, Mr and Mrs Nate Wagner, Morning Star Farm, Taunton District, left this Thursday with Miss Rosalie Russell of Southbury to visit Miss Rosalind Russell, star of “Wonderful Town,” at the Hotel Pierre, New York City, for a few days. Southbury’s Miss Russell is a niece of the famous comedienne.

MARCH 15, 1929

Following the supper at Trinity Church Wednesday night, a few people stood about engaged in social converse. George B. Beers called the attention of H.G. Warner and others to a light on the ceiling near where the furnace pipe passes to the room above. An examination discovered that a slow burning fire was in progress in the timbers near the furnace pipe. Pails of water were quickly secured and the fire was gotten under control in short order. A fire alarm was sounded and Foreman J.A. Carlson and others responded. The fire, however, was under control before they arrived.

***

 Sunday morning people awoke to find one of the coldest days in March on record. In Newtown and Sandy Hook thermometers varied from four to six degrees above zero, and with a lively breeze blowing it was one of the most uncomfortable mornings of the winter.

***

Officers Palau and Mayo of the State Police were stationed on Main Street Saturday afternoon, stopping cars to look for those driving without licenses.

***

At the union Lenten service at the Congregational Church Wednesday night, Rev A.B. Coe, of the Second Church, Waterbury, gave a sermon of great spiritual power and helpfulness based on the text, “What will you do with Jesus, called Christ?”

MARCH 18, 1904

At a session of the Newtown Probate Court Saturday Robert A. Clarke’s resignation as conservator over Mrs Ida Hawley was accepted and Miss Julia M. Hawley, Mrs Hawley’s daughter, named as his successor.

***

L.C. Nickerson and family of Danbury moved into the old Nichols place, owned by William B. Terrill.

***

Martin Woolsey of Hattertown was a caller at The Bee office, Tuesday. Mr Woolsey says he will rebuild his house in the early spring. He says he will devote his time for the present to rewriting the six chapters of his forthcoming book, the manuscript of which was burned in the recent fire. Mr Woolsey thinks the fire started from the chimney and may have been smouldering for a week.

***

A camp of the Woodmen of the World is being formed in Sandy Hook. Austin Ferry of Bridgeport has been in town looking after the the project.

***

George Ruffels, Jr, is now commuting daily between Hawleyville and Bridgeport. He has taken a position in the office of the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Company.

***

The Henderson place in South Center district has been sold to F.L. Northrop, who has been manager of Lordship Park Farm in Bridgeport the past two years.

***

The cattle auction of Walter Hine, the Orange hustler, at the Inn hotel yard last week Thursday, brought together a large and representative body of cattle men.