June 12, 1998

HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER of Emily Harasymczuk.

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Superintendent of Schools John Reed said this week that a male bus driver will lose his contract to drive for Newtown Schools if he repeats what he did to a Middle Gate fourth grade student. The driver taped the boy’s mouth shut. According to the boy’s mother, when her son walked into their home on June 4, he was not acting himself. After asking what was wrong, the mother learned that the driver had pulled the bus over and told the boy, “I warned you I was going to do it, and here it is.” Dr Reed said in his 24 years as a superintendent, “this is something I’ve not been exposed to before.” Dr Reed and the boy’s mother both said the driver was very apologetic. Dr Reed said that while the behavior was uncharacteristic for the driver, should it happen again the driver’s contract will be terminated on the spot.

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Late last week, town officials discovered a structural problem in the floor of the Hook & Ladder Fire Company. They promptly ordered that all trucks be taken off the floor. Now, more than $1 million in firefighting equipment sits parked outside the fire station located behind Edmond Town Hall. The trucks are expected to remain outside their bays until the floor and walls can be shored up. Late this week, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said the town was still waiting for an unnamed contractor to begin installing steel beams underneath the flooring as a temporary measure. During the time the trucks are outside, the area will have around-the-clock security, a cost to be borne by taxpayers.

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Bill Allard, familiar to many Bee readers as the friendly gentleman distributing papers to motorists at our Thursday afternoon roadside newsstand in front of our offices on Church Hill Road, suffered a stroke early Wednesday and was hospitalized. We, along with everyone else who will miss his Thursday afternoon affability, wish him a speedy recovery. Cards may be sent to the Intensive Care Unit-Room 12, Danbury Hospital, 24 Hospital Avenue, Danbury CT 06810.

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On June 5, a group of Newtown police officers ran on Route 302 from Bethel to the Ram Pasture, and then on Route 25 to the Monroe town line as part of town police’s participation in the Special Olympics of Connecticut’s 1998 Law Enforcement Torch Run. Newtown police, state police, and correction officers from Garner Correctional Institution participated in the Newtown leg of the event.

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Regina Bower, a private in the US Army and the daughter of Monica Bower of Newtown, has completed her basic military training and will be stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.

June 8, 1973

EDITORIAL INK DROPS — A TIME TO VOTE: Few Newtowners need to be reminded that the budgets of the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Education will come to a vote again on Tuesday, June 12. We have stated before, and will do so again, that we support these budgets and would like to see them approved. A “yes” vote at this time will give the various boards and commissions the needed funds to continue projects, be they routine matters such as road oiling or summer recreation programs for our young people. We do not approve of this referendum, or the constant threat of one at the mention of a budget town meeting. We are of the mind that Newtown can pass judgement and vote whether to accept or to reject a budget during the course of a regular town meeting, without the need of a costly referendum. —R.S.S.

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Two new patrolmen — Mike Brokaw of Newtown and Martin Pytko of Stratford — began their duties as members of the Newtown Police Department Monday, June 4, and they spent the day going out on patrol with an officer and learning about the inner workings of headquarters. Both applied for a position on the force a year ago and at the same time took the police examination with a large group of candidates. One has been hired to replace the recently resigned Officer Francis Bresson, and the other will replace patrol Office Kevin Flynn, who has been appointed Canine Control Officer.

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At the annual meeting of Newtown Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 Monday evening, June 4, two long-time members of the company resigned from their posts after many years of service: Chief Lee Glover and President Albert Nichols. Elected to fill their vacancies were Kenneth Pelletier as Chief and Llewellyn Rowe as president. Chief Glover has been a member of Hook and Ladder since 1946 and had served as Chief since 1956. Mr Nichols had served several years in office as president and has been a member of the company for 32 years. The new Chief, Ken Pelletier, has been a member of Hook and Ladder for 13 years and has served as an assistant chief for the past ten years. Mr Rowe, the newly-elected president, has been a member of the Company for nine years and has served as engineer, secretary, and vice-president.

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A “Drug-Alert” information program was the feature of a husbands-and-wives dinner meeting of the Newtown Kiwanis Club May 24 at the Hawley Manor Inn, when Officer Robert Taylor of the detective division used facsimiles of marijuana, heroin, LSD, and other well-known drugs to demonstrate what they are like and how drug users can be recognized.

June 4, 1948

Wednesday evening at 8:30 o’clock the curtain rose on the Town Players production of “Outward Bound.” This play was first produced in London and revived on Broadway in 1939. The story begins on board a small ocean liner, just leaving the shores of England. As the various personages of the voyage assemble in the ship’s lounge, it seems that something is decidedly wrong with this particular voyage. They eventually discover that they are all dead. The manner in which the characters of the play accept this fact provides many amusing moments, and opportunities for the members of the cast to display their acting abilities. To say that this was just another production would be doing the Town Players a decided unjustice. For an opening night things went along quite smoothly with but few of the usual first night wrinkles.

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Fortunately, the rain on Memorial Day let up in time for Newtown’s parade in the afternoon. The units, which assembled at Lovell’s Garage at 2:15 p.m., proceeded to the War Memorial monument at the head of Main street, where appropriate exercises were held. The event was staged under the joint sponsorship of the Charles Howard Peck Post, V.F.W., and the Raymond L. Pease Post, American Legion, and was witnessed by townspeople who gathered on porches and along Main street, and around the monument for the exercises.

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There was great excitement at the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium last Saturday night when Nancy Giddings was crowned Queen of the Mardi Gras for 1948. The Mardi Gras has become a tradition in the Newtown Congregational Church School. It gives each class an opportunity to participate in a specific project with each child doing his part. One class planned and built a shooting gallery, another a dart booth, another a baseball throw, while some of the high school young people ran the soda stand and others a specially designed juke box. A real zoo, an ice cream counter, a novelty stand, a fish pond, a miniature movie theater and a play yard for the little tots rounded out the attractions.

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The Newtown P.T.A. held its final meeting of the year at Hawley High School on Tuesday evening, June 1st. Reports of the various heads of committees in charge of the organization’s projects were submitted and showed how much the PTA has been doing in helping to make Newtown a good place for children to live.

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Leon B. Deraps, son of Mr and Mrs John T. Deraps, Sandy Hook, received a Bachelor of Science degree from 130-year-old St Louis University in commencement exercises Tuesday, June 1. Deraps is a graduate of the university’s Parks College of Aeronautical Technology, where he majored in aviation operations.

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The Bee office is receiving a new dress of paint, changing from the accustomed gray to a dark red with white trim. Alfred W. Nelson of Botsford is doing the work.

June 1, 1923

The patriotic service at the Town hall, Tuesday night, in honor of the Memorial day spirit, was well attended and an interesting one, Rev J.L. Lasher, presided. The exercises opened with the singing of “America,” followed by a duet by Mrs Phillips and Miss Phillips, Mrs Jennie Cree Gregory of Danbury gave a vocal solo, Miss Victoria Martin presided and was accompanist at the piano. Rev Mr Lasher then introduced the speaker of the evening, Rev Charles Lewis Biggs of St Paul’s, Brookfield. Said the speaker in part: It is a beautiful thing for a man to risk his life for another. It is a noble thing to die for one’s country. But to die for a principle, it is more noble, it is beautiful, it is Christian.

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Mrs Lonisa Taylor, wife of Harlow Benedict of Palestine, died on Tuesday night, after an illness of four weeks. She was 74 years old, and is survived by her husband, one daughter, and several grandchildren. Mrs Benedict was a woman of fine character, and her death is a sad blow to her husband. The funeral will take place on Friday afternoon, Rev J.L. Lasher officiating.

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James Bakey, a long-time and respected resident of Hawleyville, died on Wednesday, aged 70 years. Three children, a son, William, and two daughters, Misses Winnifred and Julia, survive him. The funeral will take place on Friday at 10 a.m., standard time from St Rose’s.

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Mr and Mrs E. Wilson wish to announce the marriage of their daughter, Miss Adeline Wilson of Sandy Hook to Matthew Cabral of Bridgeport. The marriage took place at Olivet Church, Bridgeport, Saturday, May 19, 1923.

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At the Congregational church, Sunday morning, Rev Dr A.B. Covell, of the Congregational Board of Pastoral Supply, of Boston, Mass., was the preacher. He gave a very eloquent sermon on the theme, “The Unsearchable Riches of Christ.”

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Born, in New York City, May 26, 1923, a daughter to Mr and Mrs C.E. Beck, formerly of Hopewell district, this town.

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The residence of Mrs H.H. Curtis is looking very handsome in its new dress of paint. A.B. Nichols of Taunton had the contract.

June 10, 1898

THE EDITOR’S FAMILIAR CHAT: A valued subscriber in Oil City, Pa., writes The Bee in the following kindly strain: “Success to you for the future, as you edit a very interesting sheet and one that is almost indispensable in a family of a former Connecticut man.”

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When the janitor of the Methodist church opened the building on Sunday he discovered that some miscreant had thrown a huge rock through the shutters and window. It is an uncomfortable fact to know that in our midst there are parties who will stoop to such cowardly and despicable acts. It would be a relief if the party responsible for this and other acts of vandalism could be lodged in prison.

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A horse belonging to Frank Gable performed a feat near the Newtown station, the other night, and certainly would be bought quickly by the circus managers, if they knew the facts. The horse was standing close to a high fence, and becoming frightened, jumped the fence, and stood quietly after the feat was concluded. The owners quickly unharnessed the animal and released it from its perilous position. Not even a strap was broken, but the horse was somewhat scratched.

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Oliver Northrop has returned to Newtown and is spending most of the time on his farm in Palestine attending to the summer’s work, going down to New Haven occasionally.

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Thomas Holian, the operator and assistant to Agent C.G. Taylor at the Newtown station, passed Sunday at his former home at Sheffield, Mass.

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.