January 16, 1998

It wasn’t until they read in last week’s Newtown Bee that Elizabeth and Mark D’Avola learned that the 1998 First Baby of Newtown had not been found. Soon after they called the paper ahead of Wednesday’s deadline, however, they learned that their second child (and second daughter), Emma Rose D’Avola, had in fact won the honorary title. Emma was born January 3 at Putnam (NY) Hospital.

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A gala Saturday evening celebration and Sunday afternoon open house heralded the long-awaited reopening of Cyrenius H. Booth Library last weekend, giving Newtown residents their first look at the completed $4.1 million project. More than 200 townspeople gathered at the library for the $35-per-person gala, where the lilting melodies of flutists Catherine Isles and Pat Reinhardt matched the general mood of relief and delight felt by the guests at once again being inside their beloved new “old” library, and seeing it so beautifully transformed.

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According to police officials, Police Captain Michael Fekete has retired from town service, setting the stage for the reorganization of the police department approved by the Police Commission last summer. That’s news to Captain Fekete. He said this week that he has not submitted his resignation papers to the town and thus has not retired from the police department. At a January 6 Police Commission meeting, Police Chief James E. Lysaght Jr reported a June 1997 agreement reached between Mr Fekete and former first selectman Robert Cascella has been reviewed and endorsed by the town’s labor lawyer, resulting in Mr Fekete’s retirement having taken effect December 31.

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Police have published the results of their drunken driving enforcement campaign conducted during the holiday season in December. There were three drunken driving arrests, three seat belt violations, one seat belt warning, 13 motor vehicle summonses, and 18 various other warnings. The enforcement program places extra police on overtime duty through use of a federal highway safety grant.

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In order to help fund its youth development program over the past year, and to help promote the sport of tennis to all local residents, the Newtown Tennis Association began what it called its Partners Program. Through the help of “Partners” such as Allstate Insurance’s Randy Oberg, Amaral Motors, Chintz-N-Prints, My Place Restaurant, Newtown Pools, and others, NTA was able to offer free tennis instruction to juniors and beginning adults last summer, introducing them to a sport that they can enjoy for life. Through their donations, each of these “Partners” was thanked with a durable indoor/outdoor sign which was, and will continue to be, displayed at all NTA events including the Newtown Open Tennis Championships, NTA Junior Championships (Coopersmith Cup), Bertram Strook Memorial Tennis Championships, tennis clinics and individual tournaments, and indoor tennis parties. The names were also placed on the NTA’s Partnership Roll of Honor.

January 12, 1973

When the regular meeting of the Board of Burgesses of the Borough of Newtown adjourned January 8, First Selectman Frank DeLucia was present to discuss several aspects of revenue sharing. Mr DeLucia commented that he would be happy to discuss any Borough project which might also benefit the Town, with a view to teaming some of the Town revenue sharing money with that of the Borough. Later in the evening, however, after the First Selectman had left, it developed that the consensus of the Borough Board was one of opposition to the whole concept of revenue sharing to the extent that several members urged that the money be returned to the Government.

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A power blackout lasting four and a half to seven hours in parts of Sandy Hook turned off lights and automatic heating systems the evening of January 9, the coldest of the winter to date, when the thermometer outside Ben McCready’s house on High Rock Road stood at exactly zero. Connecticut Light & Power Company said the outage occurred at 5:55 pm, when a stepdown transformer failed at Bennett’s Bridge Road and Berkshire Road, blacking out 385 customers in the area south along Route 34 and High Rock Road to the town line. A new transformer was installed by 10:30, and power was restored in stages so as not to overload the circuits and cause another breakdown. Restoration of service throughout the area was completed by 1 am.

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State Representative Sarah Frances Curtis was in Newtown January 6 and Redding January 8 to talk with her constituents, and found it a useful and stimulating experience. The subjects most often mentioned, she found, were taxes — the capital gains and dividend tax, talk of an income tax, and the special property tax problems of senior citizens. The racetrack proposals facing Newtown and other towns throughout the state also came in for a good deal of discussion … Another subject brought up by Newtown residents was the need for a street light at the intersection of Mile Hill Road and Route 34, and Rep Curtis reports that she has asked the State Highway Department for such a light and expects it to be installed in the near future.

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Mr and Mrs David Steinfeld of Huntingtown Road were the delighted guests at a surprise party in honor of their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary January 6 at the home of Mr and Mrs B. Kabacoff in Norwalk. The party was planned by their two sons and daughters-in-law, Dr and Mrs Alvin Steinfeld of Brooklyn and Mr and Mrs Mark Steinfeld of West Haven, and the number of friends and relatives in attendance was appropriately 35.

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The Board of Managers of Edmond Town Hall took a long look at the building’s future at their meeting January 10, and decided it was time to start a public dialogue about it. Should the Town Hall become solely an office building for the town government, or solely a community center for meetings and recreational use? Demands for both uses are increasing so much that they cannot all be met, the board found. The question was raised in a letter from the Newtown InterClub Association, Inc.

January 9, 1948

The Newtown Congregational church was the scene of an attractive wedding the afternoon of the last day in the year when Miss Mary Ann Bowen, daughter of Mr and Mrs William A. Bowen of Hawley Manor, Newtown, became the bride of Donald W. Moxley, son of W. Royden Moxley of Greenwich and the late Mrs Moxley. The double-ring ceremony was performed against a background of pine boughs and cones and seasonal poinsettias by the Rev Robert P. Bell, pastor of the Congregational church in Bethel. Following the wedding and a reception held at Hawley Manor, a New Year’s Eve party was given by Dr and Mrs Duncan Stephens at their home at Fairfield State hospital for immediate members of the bride’s and groom’s families and close friends. Mr and Mrs Moxley left for their wedding trip in a house trailer, which later will serve as their home until both have completed their courses at the University of Connecticut at Storrs, where Mary is majoring in the Home Economics Department, and Donald is studying for the Diplomatic Service.

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A future generation’s folklore of “the blizzard of 1947” may include the following: Dr J. Benton Egee and son David and Mortimer B. Smith and son Stephen [were] determined to see the Madison Square Garden tennis match on December 26th. The foursome left Newtown by motor car at the height of the storm for Bridgeport, when a 7-hour train ride — much of it heatless — brought them to the Grand Central station in time to bring them back to Bridgeport for 6 a.m., the following morning. They missed transmissions of the match produced by local television sets while they were en route to the metropolis.

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The Permanent School Building Committee signed a contract, at its meeting Monday night, for the construction of a ten-classroom addition to Hawley School. Bids from four contractors were opened at the meeting and the contract awarded to the low bidder, The De Fonce Construction Company, 110 Colonial Avenue, Bridgeport, for a contract price of $192,912, which covers the general construction only.

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Benjamin G. Ferris is confined to his home in Berkshire with a badly sprained ankle suffered in a fall two weeks ago.

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Mr and Mrs Richard Hibbard of Main street held an enjoyable open house for a number of their friends on New Year’s Day.

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Pfc. Robert Hawley returned on Sunday to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, after spending the holidays with his parents, Mr and Mrs Charles F. Hawley, in Sandy Hook. He is stationed with the 323rd Army Band at Fort Sam Houston.

January 5, 1923

J.L. O’Neil in the interest of fire protection offers to Sandy Hook one 50 H.O. water wheel in perfect condition, one brand new Fairbanks-Morse Bulldog Pump, value $150. Said equipment to be located in the Niantic Mill. Same may be used to protect property within 200 yards in four different directions from Sandy Hook corner. All interested parties will mail check for $25 to complete equipment in Hose, Hydrants, etc. No meetings, no committees, no oratory, decorate the mahogany. Sincerely.—[John L. O’Neil

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There were six tables at whist at the Newtown Country Club, last Monday night, and they had a jolly New Year’s time. Mrs Rodney Shepard and Mrs I.S. Jones secured the highest scores for the ladies while Arthur J. Smith and I.H. Jones were high for the gentlemen. Mrs L.C. Morris and Mrs Arthur J. Smith entertained. The next whist will be held on Monday night, January 8.

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The annual meeting of the St John’s parish was held at the home of George Taylor, January 2, for the purpose of electing officers for the ensuing year and transacting any other business brought before the meeting. The officers for the year were as follows: Treasurer, George F. Taylor. Trustee, George F. Taylor. Senior Warden, H.H. Curtis. Junior Warden, L.T. Briscoe. Clerk, D.S. Bartram. Delegates for Convention: J.O. Pitzschler and H.H. Curtis. Alternates: H.G. Warner and D.S. Bertram. Vestrymen: George F. Taylor, H.H. Curtis, H.G. Warner, H.B. Sniffin, G.A. Betts, F.E. McGuire, J.A. Page, L.T. Briscoe, M.D. Bartram, George Beeher, J.O. Pitzschler.

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CARD OF THANKS: We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks, through the columns of The Newtown Bee, to the friends and neighbors, who helped us during the sickness and death of our father.—[Mrs John Hudock, Mrs William Kyle, Mrs Peter Couchvitz.

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Comptroller Frederick Salmon has reappointed John W. Behn of Newtown as Senate coat room messenger at the Capitol building at Hartford for the 1923 session of the Legislature.

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The death of Celestia A. Benedict occurred in Bethel, Thursday, December 28. She was 82 years and seven months. She was the daughter of George and Jerusha Northrop Benedict of Hattertown. Early in life she took up the study of medicine and in time became a prominent physician. After the death of her parents she moved to Bridgeport, where she enjoyed a large practice for many years. A few years ago on account of failing health she disposed of her practice and property in the city and made her home in Bethel. She is survived by a sister, Mrs Cornelia Morgan of Bethel, and a nephew and two nieces. The funeral occurred Saturday afternoon. The burial was in the Huntingtown cemetery.

January 14, 1898

On January 4, H.G. Clark had seven horses at work, filling his ice house for 1898. The ice was from Charles Warner’s pond and was nine inches thick.

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A.B. Blakeman harvested a crop of nice 8-inch ice from Kane’s pond, last week.

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Mrs J.A. James of Hawleyville has visited New Haven friends, the past week.

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A call on E.C. Bowers, last week, found some fine fowls in his poultry houses. Mr Bowers is an enthusiastic poultry fancier and pins his faith on Barred Plymouth Rocks. He is one of our advertisers and has an extra nice pen of cockerels.

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Mrs William McKenzie of Zoar district has been passing the week in New Haven.

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Charles R. Knight and James T. Miner of New York and Frank W. Miner of New Rochelle have been recent guests at Elmshade.

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.