March 13, 1998

A concrete retaining wall next to a Pootatuck River dam in Sandy Hook cracked into three pieces Monday following heavy rains and high water, forcing the evacuation of offices housed in two old mills alongside the raging river. Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Chief Bill Halstead said firefighters received a call at 9:42 am Monday alerting them that a retaining wall next to a dam at the mill at 27 Glen Road had broken, causing an embankment between the river and a parking lot to wash away. For the next six hours, firefighters, town Public Works crews, police, and others worked to prevent a tragedy. No injuries were reported in the incident.

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The Legislative Council voted Tuesday to make what amounts to an $800,000 cut to the Board of Education’s proposed budget for 1998-99. The board’s 9-3 vote dropped the school board’s overall budget proposal to $31,959,812, a reduction of the original request from a 10.1 percent increase over last year’s budget to an increase of 7.4 percent.

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Some members of the Legislative Council received a public chastising from Mike Snyder last week for their alleged violation of the Freedom of Information (FOI) laws. Mr Snyder, a former member of the Board of Selectmen, claimed council members violated the law when they agreed to meet in private with members of the Library Board of Trustees to discuss the library’s proposed budget. Was he right or wrong? The answer appears subject to interpretation, but a staff attorney for FOI in Hartford believes the council members may have been in violation.

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Since 1970, John Qubick has served at the Newtown Police Department, working to set an example for young patrol officers by providing leadership and direction for their investigations. Sgt Qubick, 57, who grew up in a house on Hall Lane, will be retiring after 28 years of service to Newtown. In addition to his years at the police department, Sgt Qubick served for three years in the Navy in an anti-submarine warfare squadron. His late stepfather, Hiram Hanlon, was the town’s first constable.

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Joseph Kugielsky recently donated a large framed photograph to C.H. Booth Library. The photo was one of several the Newtown resident created for an article about technique for Modern Photography magazine. To create the image he donated to the library, Mr Kugielsky laid a mirror on a table, hung a collage which reflected in the mirror, then dropped beads of water on the surface of the mirror. He used colored lights to intensify the colors in the collage while photographing the composition. Mr Kugielsky, who has had a long career as a commercial photographer and an artist, is the founder of the Flagpole Photographers Club in Newtown.

March 9, 1973

Members of Hiram Lodge No 18, AF & AM, gathered at the Hawley Manor Inn on Friday evening, March 2, for their annual George Washington Birthday Dinner. Among those honored that night were Donald J. Miller, the recently installed Worshipful Master of Hiram Lodge; and Frederick L. Harris, who was presented The 1972 Joseph H. Symonds Award for Outstanding Service in Masonry and Hiram Lodge.

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The Board of Education gave approval to the Superintendent of Schools’ proposed 1973-74 budget at the final public work session on Tuesday evening, March 6, before one member of the press and three of the public. The official vote will take place next Tuesday, two days before the March 15 deadline for submitting the budget to the Board of Finance, but the Board of Education gave the nod to Superintendent Boyd so that preparation for the final figures can be completed by next week. There were few cuts or additions at the work session, so the budget will not be far from the Superintendent’s recommended total of $5,495,707.

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It took the Board of Finance only ten minutes to approve a request for a $10,000 special appropriation for the Police Department Monday evening after George McLachlan, chairman of the Board of Police Commissioners, explained what it was all about. The request had been tabled at the BofF February 26 meeting for lack of sufficient information. Mr McLachlan said the money was needed for the police private duty account, which pays men who are hired to do traffic control or other police work for private organizations, such as churches, utilities, construction companies, and clubs. The town is reimbursed for these payments, so the money need not be borrowed or come out of taxes; but an appropriation is nevertheless needed so the man can be paid.

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On Tuesday evening, February 6, Chief Louis Marchese told the Board of Police Commissioners that he and his men had decided at a departmental meeting that the force would have no high speed chases through town. Instead of giving chase to speeders and possibly endangering the lives of residents and themselves, the police will adopt the policy of calling ahead either to another Newtown patrol car, another town or the state police, whatever the situation would call for. There are many people to take into consideration in the town and the department’s responsibility is to protect them, the chief told the Board. “The fact that a life many be lost during a chase after a speeder is just not worth the risk,” concluded the Chief.

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A delegation from the Newtown Area Forum for Action was assured by Senator Abe Ribicoff last Sunday that he would not support aid to Vietnam as long as funds appropriated by Congress for domestic social welfare programs are being held up by the President. At a meeting with the group in the Holiday Inn at Waterbury, Sen Ribicoff said the question of the President’s power to impound appropriated funds would require a decision by the Supreme Court. The Democrats are more united than ever on this issue, and a lot of Republicans are unhappy over it as well, he said. The NAFA delegation of five members was led by Daniel Dorman, co-chairman of the group.

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Ron Hodge, assistant golf pro at Newtown Country Club, has recently completed Business School II, conducted by the Professional Golf Association of America in Pinehurst, N.C. The week-long course attended by some 170 golf professionals was another in a series of steps Rob is required to take to achieve membership in the PGA. His final step will be to take a national exam. Ron has been assistant pro at Newtown Country Club for ten years.

March 5, 1948

The opening performance of George Kelly’s “The Show Off,” which Town Players produced at the Edmond Town Hall Theatre on Wednesday evening, brought with it one or two surprises. Not the best play in the world, the Players nonetheless made it interesting and credible; they even managed to ignore some of the more obvious moth-holes to make the evening one of complete entertainment. Credit goes to both producer and director, the one for more realistically capturing the mood and temper of a middle-class home, the other for getting characters on and off and about the stage with a fine feeling for movement. The play itself has none.

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The Newtown Parent Teacher Association meeting on Wednesday evening, March 3rd, at Hawley School was an unusually interesting one. The principal speaker was Louis Cooper, Professor of Education at the University of Connecticut. The topic of Mr Cooper’s talk was remedial reading. In spite of opening his speech with the statement that there was so much to be said on the subject of reading disabilities that it was almost impossible to cover it in a long course, to say nothing of one evening, Mr Cooper did manage to impart a great deal of interesting information on the subject and to give his listeners so much to think about that there was a long period of questions and discussion at the end.

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Rev and Mrs Lawrence Fairchild of Malden, Mass., have twin daughters, born on March 3rd. Robert D. Fairchild of Taunton district is grandfather of the little ladies.

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In the December jingle contest sponsored by Peter Paul’s Almond Joy Candy, Robert Hall, son of Mr and Mrs Raymond Hall, was one of the 1000 winners. His prize just arrived last week.

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Mr and Mrs Eric Nelson of the Grays Plains district are the proud parents of a Leap Year daughter, born in Danbury Hospital Sunday, February 29th. Mother and daughter are doing nicely.

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At the meeting of the Permanent School Building committee held last Friday night in the selectmen’s office at the Edmond Town hall, the contract for the electrical work in the addition to Hawley school was awarded to Ernest J. Ward, 9 Highland avenue, Danbury. The contract includes all of the electrical work, exclusive of fixtures, the successful bidder submitting a figure of $8,587.52.

March 2, 1923

The Community Workers have just finished and returned to St John’s Guild, New York, 52 children’s dresses, which they have been making for this Guild, which ministers to the sick children of New York City. For some years the Community Workers have been doing this before commencing the regular missionary sewing which is done by the combined societies of the Congregational and Episcopal Churches, during the Lenten season. This work is now under way and all women interested are cordially invited to meet with us each Tuesday in the Congregational Church parlor. Come for all day if possible, you will be very welcome.

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The local high school basketball team motored to Westport and handed the Staples High School team a lacing, to the tune of 37-17. This marks the fifth consecutive victory, and the ninth of the season, for Coach Badger’s fast aggregation. The locals were never in danger, and scored at will. The fast and clean playing of the local team brought admiration and respect from the Westport fans.

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Miss Florence Caddick of Walnut Tree Hill played Dvorak’s “Humoresque” as a piano solo at the Washington’s birthday entertainment and dance given at Forester’s Hall, White Plains, N.Y.

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OBITUARY — LUCY COBURN SMITH: Died on February 28, from pneumonia, after a short illness. Mrs Smith was the widow of Rev Herbert M. Smith, and a sister of Mrs E.L. Kingman, with whom she had made her home the last three years. The funeral will take place on Friday at 10 a.m., from Christ Church, Rev M. Baker officiating.

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The Palestine school was opened, Monday, with Miss Esther Coger substituting teacher, until the qualified teacher can be appointed by the School Board. The weather has been so severe and the traveling impossible, that it seemed the common sense thing to do.

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W.C. Johnson, W.R. Curtis and Clark Page attended the hearing before the roads, rivers and bridge committee of the Legislature, Tuesday, in favor of the new proposed trunk link road via Berkshire and Stevenson.

March 11, 1898

ST JOHN’S CHURCH: Rev O.O. Wright is delivering a series of Sunday evening lectures on the Ten Commandments. The young ladies of the parish have formed a guide to work for a sale to be held next summer. The Sandy Hook Book Club has recently added 75 volumes to its library, making in all 210 bound books, a number in paper covers and numerous magazines. There are now 50 members of the club and 350 numbers were drawn during the last six months. Miss Crofutt is the librarian.

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Miss Lizzie Turney of Shelton, formerly of Newtown, started last week on Tuesday morning for Chicago, where she is to visit a faith cure sanitarium for the purpose of being healed, as she has for many years been unable to walk or lie down. She has remarkable faith and so far it has not failed her. Her many friends hope for her restoration. She had to be carried in a chair, which was placed in an open wagon and thus she was taken to the depot. The conductor moved the train so that she could be carried directly into the car. Kind friends looked after her there and in Bridgeport a lady was to meet her and accompany her, with an invalid son, whom she was also taking there to be healed. The outcome of Miss Turney’s faith will be looked for with much interest by many.

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Mr and Mrs George W. Stuart have been the recipients of many congratulations, this week, over the birth of a son on Sunday afternoon. The prospective voter weighed 10 pounds, and with his mother is getting along nicely.

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Mr and Mrs F.B. Hubbell and son, Franklin, of Westport, have been passing a few days with Mr and Mrs I.B. Goodsell.

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Miss Mamie Hubbell, now teaching in Westport, passed Sunday at her home in town.

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Mr and Mrs H.W. Wheeler of New Haven passed Sunday with Mr and Mrs J.B. Wheeler.

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Mr and Mrs J. Botsford Fairchild visited relatives in Trumbull on Tuesday.

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At a meeting of the Homeopathic Medical Society of Danbury and vicinity, last week, Dr Paul U. Sunderland was elected secretary and treasurer.

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.