By a two-two vote, the Board of Finance members turned down Monday night the request of the Board of Police Commissioners for a special appropriation of $22,250 to fund purchase of five replacement police cruisers.

***

The Newtown Exchange Club has selected Nelson Denny, Wills Road, Newtown as the recipient of the Book of Golden Deeds Award. The award is given to individuals whose record of community service is outstanding.

***

David Larson and Judith Furlotte were cited as the Outstanding Young Man and Woman in Newtown last Saturday evening at the annual dinner sponsored by the Jaycees. The awards were presented by First Selectman Frank DeLucia before an audience of about 125 people at the banquet room of the Holiday Inn, Danbury.

***

The Newtown Assessor’s office has released figures for the 1974 Grand List, which reflect a three per cent increase over last year’s total taxable net assessments. Assessment on taxable real estate, motor vehicles and personal property came to $172,228,072, up from a total of $167,195,129 on the 1973 Grand List. Taxable net figures for real estate and motor vehicles increased slightly: real estate from $136,324,872 to $141,581,826; and motor vehicles from $13,518,668 to $15,484,910.

***

It’s June in January for 36 Newtown High School students. They graduated on January 24, one semester earlier than the traditional commencement. They represent about 12 per cent of the Senior Class and most want to get a taste of the working world before continuing their formal education. “I need a break” or “I can save some money before going to college in the fall” are the most common reasons for leaving school in the middle of a New England winter. Since their prospective jobs will be temporary, few college-bound students seem worried about finding employment; anything that pays will do, no matter how dreary. Pictured, waving farewell to Newtown High were Kathy DePuis, Maureen Doherty, Mary Lou Purcell, Ann Tassinary, Kathy Dutton, Stephanie Slinko, Dawn Connelly, Phil Fazio and Brian Kean.

***

On Monday morning, January 27, just before daylight, the Harrie Wood house in Dodgingtown was broken into by a husky marauder, wearing a mask. Having forced his way into the recently unlocked door, he proceeded at a leisurely pace to case the joint, going at once to the TV; it was thought to be his main objective. However, as it is black and white, not color, it was not tampered with. He examined with great interest Mrs Wood’s snuff-box collection, then an antique French clock in a crystal case, the fireplace with its old iron equipment, and then meandered up to jump on Mrs Wood’s bed, being careful not to wake her. He returned to the living room, discovered a bowl of imported foil-wrapped candies in a dish on the table in front of a sofa. Forthwith he perched his large furry rear on the scarlet velvet sofa and selected a couple of candies, carefully peeled off the foil and munched happily. Meanwhile, Mr Wood, having left the door open invitingly, was urging him to the outdoors; the large family cats were cowering under tables and chairs not saying a thing. Mr Wood threw some candies through the door and finally the invader (the biggest racoon seen in the area ever) slowly tried the ones outside, took a good hearty gnaw on the door to the extra freezer room, ripped a yard of weather stripping off the storm door and slowly went his way. The police were not called.

***

Raul Camejo, Sr, scoutmaster of the Dodgingtown Fire Company’s Scout Troop 270 has been named the outstanding male scouter of the Scatacook District Fairfield County Council, Boy Scouts of America for 1974 and has been presented the Hamilton Orgelman Award.

FEBRUARY 3, 1950

Plans were completed on Wednesday for flag-raising dedicatory exercises to be held at the newly erected all-steel flagpole in the center of town, the ceremony to take place on Lincoln’s Birthday, Sunday, February 12, at 2 pm. Judge Paul V. Cavanaugh will be the principal speaker and Arthur T. Nettleton will give a brief eulogy on Abraham Lincoln. Boy Scouts of Troop 70, Newtown, will officiate. The committee in charge of the exercises consists of Oswald Peck, chairman; William H. Knox, Col. C. Sidney Haight and Richard Lane. According to First Selectman A. Fenn Dickinson, a new flag has been purchased to fly from the top of the mast and it will be put aloft during the dedicatory exercises on February 12.

***

Substantial contributions have been received in the Newtown drive for the March of Dimes and up to this Tuesday, $827 had been received from 311 donors, according to Judge Paul V. Cavanaugh, Newtown chairman for the Fairfield County Chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.

***

By order of the Swiss authorities, Consul Dr Richard Pestalozzi, on behalf of the Consulate General in New York, has presented in the name of Switzerland’s most historic town of Sempach the scroll of Honorary Citizen to Herman C. Honegger of Sandy Hook and New York City. This honor is being bestowed for Mr Honegger’s gift of the six now-famous Wegmann Stained Glass Panels which had left the Town Hall of Sempach in 1814 on their interesting odyssey.

***

Two Newtown men, both overseas airline pilots, made national news this week as they flew their respective planes. One was Captain John Hennessey of Currituck Road, who was credited with diverting a possible mishap at sea, and the other, Captain Charles R. Spaulding of South Main Street, who was credited with helping to rescue four persons adrift at sea. Captain Heinnessey reversed the flight of his Germany-bound airliner Monday night when it was 75 miles at sea and sped back to Boston when smoke from an undetermined source filled the cockpit. According to the Associated Press, the plane, carrying 39 passengers, landed safely at Logan Airport. Captain Hennessey said the plane was flying at 15,000 feet when smoke poured into the cockpit. The eight crewmen put on oxygen masks and the craft descended to 1,500 feet where some hydraulic equipment was shut off. Captain Spaulding, pilot of a commercial airliner, who was flying a Pan-American ship from New York to Bermuda, is credited with sighting flares which led to the rescue of four persons adrift in a small boat off Bermuda Sunday night.

***

A meeting of some of those interested in continuing the reading of the Great Books which was started in Newtown last spring was held at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library on Tuesday evening. Those present were Mr and Mrs James B. Forbes, Mr and Mrs Mortimer B. Smith, Mrs Bradley Randall, Mrs F. Willard Johnson, Mrs John D. Bald and Miss Anne McCann.

***

Col C. Sidney Haight and Dr Earl P. Lasher, with Frank K. Johnson as treasurer, are Newtown members of the Danbury Chapter, Connecticut Heart Association, now opening its campaign to raise funds for its local services.

***

At their annual meeting January 10, the corporate members of Town Players elected the following officers for the 1950 season: president, Ruth Baridon; treasurer, C. Mallory Loewe; business manager, Jeanne Karcheski; corresponding secretary, Estelle Penning; recording secretary, Frances Goodsell; publicity chairman, Betty Taylor. Plans and recommendations for the coming year were discussed.

 

JANUARY 30, 1925

Five hundred and fifty different makes of automobiles have been registered for use in Connecticut during the year 1925, according to announcement from the state Motor Vehicle Department. Of this number, there are 304 different makes of pleasure automobiles and 246 of commercial vehicles.

***

Miss Mary Hawley has presented to the Newtown Cemetery Association $25,000 in bonds to be called The Hawley Memorial Fund, to provide funds to care for the upkeep of the new receiving vault and gateway that is about completed at the entrance to the Newtown Village Cemetery.

FEBRUARY 2, 1900

Honorary P.L. Ronalds has presented the Newtown Library Association with $50 for the fund for the library site. This handsome gift of Mr Ronalds is greatly appreciated. Mr. Ronalds is now at Monte Carlo. He expects to return to Newtown in March, or June at the latest.

***

The Methodist people had a pleasant 10c supper and sociable, Tuesday night, at Ezra J. Halls’. Games added to the interest of the evening.

***

They tell of a party of Sandy Hook fishermen who went a fishing over South Britain way and came back with a crosscut saw.

***

William C. Johnson, Newtown’s popular local ice man, has lately bought the Foundry property of the estate of Frederick Sanford.