June 26, 1998

HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER of Frank DeLucia.

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CLASS OF ‘98 SAYS FAREWELL, BUT NOT GOODBYE: The band was playing on the left. Family and friends cheered and applauded from the right. Billowing clouds were overhead. Members of Newtown High School’s Class of 1998 filed across the grass and were seated in the center of Bruce Jenner Stadium Monday evening for graduation. One by one, local dignitaries stepped up to the podium with words of inspiration for the 247 graduates seated before them.

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David Lydem wasn’t born on Flag Day, but he probably should have been. The Newtown police lieutenant has come to be known as much for his role as guardian of the town’s most endearing landmark as for the 30 years he has served the community on its police force. “Newtown Celebrates The Flagpole” is the theme for this year’s Labor Day Parade and to recognize the keeper of the flag, the Newtown Summer Festival Committee announced recently that Lt Lydem will be the parade’s grand marshal.

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Nearly 80 years ago farmer Israel Nezvesky, an immigrant from Russia, donated a small piece from the 100 acres of land he owned along Huntingtown Road in Newtown to be used as the site of a synagogue. The temple was named Adath Israel, or House of Israel. The size of the congregation has more than doubled in the years since then, forcing the schools to operate on double sessions. The congregation overflows the sanctuary, especially on the holidays. So after nearly two decades of planning, the congregation is taking steps to bring to fruition the long-held dream of building a larger house of worship.

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Edward Eliscu, 96, died June 18 at his home in Newtown. Mr Eliscu was a playwright, screenwriter and lyricist who wrote the words to “Orchids in the Moonlight,” “Great Day,” and “Without a Song,” among many other popular tunes. He worked on the first Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers film, Flying Down to Rio, and wrote the adaptation for their later movie, The Gay Divorcee. At the time of his death he was in the process of distributing the world of his wife, the painter Stella Bloch, to museums and universities. In addition to his wife, Mr Eliscu is survived by two sons and six grandchildren.

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Apparently Hall of Fame bound Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson touched off a firestorm of sorts this week when he announced his resignation from the only reigning dynasty in professional sports. Over at Newtown High School, three head coaches followed suit. Bob Zito resigned his post of athletic director in order to fully dedicate himself to his football program, while Rick Medve and Kevin O’Sullivan will both be stepping out of the NHS coaching arena entirely.

June 22, 1973

Residents of Toddy Hill Road have stepped up their protests against the trucking of sand and gravel past their homes, and First Selectman Frank DeLucia has forwarded the protests to the D’Addario Sand & Gravel Company, owners of the gravel pits involved, to see what can be done about it. Mr DeLucia said he was also seeking an opinion from Town Counsel Robert Hall about the possibility of legal action.

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John Wiggins of Newtown, manager of the State National Bank of Connecticut’s East Danbury office, has been promoted to assistant vice president. Mr Wiggins resides on Scenic View Drive with his wife, Susan, and their two daughters. He is a member of the Newtown Rotary Club and the Jaycees.

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Eighty friends and relatives of Vincent “Boss” Gaffney (as he is fondly remembered by former students and teachers alike) assembled on Monday evening, June 11, at the Lamplight Restaurant in Monroe for a testimonial dinner in his honor. Mr Gaffney, a math teacher at Newtown High School, is retiring from teaching after 36 years of service to Newtown, and 40 total years service to the teaching profession.

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The Board of Selectmen is cleaning up a lot of year-end business Tuesday evening, much of it over the opposition of Selectwoman Diana Schwerdtle, who found herself on the losing end of 2-1 votes on all contested issues. The main business of the evening was approving departmental requests for budget-line transfers to use surpluses remaining in some accounts to plug gaps in other accounts before the end of the fiscal year June 30. There was a long list of them, and First Selectman Frank DeLucia said there may be more to come. If so, he said, the BofS will host a special meeting before the Board of Finance meets next week.

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The proceeds from the annual benefit theatre party held last August by the Newtown-Brookfield Junior Woman’s Club made possible the awarding of two art books each to high school seniors, Miss Lisa Berry of Newtown High School and Miss Sue Dreyfus of Brookfield High School, for their achievements in the field of art. Mrs Robert Silva, past president of the club, presented the books to Miss Dreyfus at the Brookfield High School awards ceremony last Monday night. Miss Berry received her books from Mrs John Halapin, fine arts chairman for the club.

June 18, 1948

Through the generosity of Mrs Ervin C. Stickles, Sr, grandmother of Harry Greenman, Jr, the fifth grade from the Hawleyville school enjoyed a picnic at the Stickles cottage near Taunton Lake on Tuesday. Games were played by the group during the morning and lunch of hot dogs and hamburgers were cooked on the outdoor fireplace. The mothers who helped with the group and supplied transportation, besides Mrs Clara Jillson, the teacher, were Mrs Harry Greenman, Mrs Wilbur Briscoe, Mrs Robert Clark and Mrs Paul Smith. Mrs Stickles also attended the party.

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Miss June Wikstrom, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G.E. Wikstrom, came home to Newtown last Thursday from Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she is attending the University of Michigan. She expects to return to Michigan quite soon. Roy Wikstrom, son of Mr. and Mrs. G.E. Wikstrom, has been accepted into the class of ‘52 at Dartmouth College.

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At the Waverly Inn in Cheshire last Saturday afternoon, some fifty Connecticut sailors who volunteered for the Spanish War in 1898 held their fiftieth reunion. Among those present were Charles G. Morros of Newtown, who was boatswain’s mate, First Class, in the First Division, and Louis B. Wilson of Litchfield, who was boatswain’s mate, First Class, of the Second Division.

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Mr. and Mrs. Robert Leibold have a son, born on June 12th at the Danbury hospital.

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Friends in town are glad to see Harry Hillhouse again, Harry having arrived at the Parker House Tuesday evening to spend a few days here. On Wednesday he called at The Bee office, bursting with good health and challenged the editor to a boxing match. The best the editor would do, however, was to offer to hold down first base in a softball game, provided Harry would round up some of the old Country Club team and play behind the plate himself. Both recalled the days of the old team with pleasure and also report that that same team will never play again.

June 15, 1923

Herman H. Peck, a life-long resident of the town, died about six o’clock, Saturday morning. He was taken with an apoplectic seizure about 2 a.m., and passed away a few hours later as stated. Mr Peck had attended a meeting of a few of the men of Trinity church the night before and apparently was in his usual health. Mr Peck was 77 years old, the son of Herman Peck and Maria Hawley Peck. … Mr Peck was a useful and highly respected citizen, a splendid, helpful neighbor, and his death is greatly regretted.

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Thomas Cavanaugh had an enjoyable party, Tuesday afternoon, in honor of his 13th birthday. He had as his guests Isabelle McCarthy, Dorothy Kennedy, William Mayers, Cora Northrop, John Northrop, Earl Meyers, Malcolm Lasher, James Lasher, Agnes Smith and Mary Smith.

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A WORD FROM A GEORGIA FRIEND: I’m going to Ashville, N.C., tonight and will take the Bee along and read every column. Last week I was coming from Memphis, Tenn., and met a fellow on a train from New Haven and he saw me reading the “Bee” and asked me if he couldn’t look it over. Never expected to see that paper down here. How are you all? We are O.K. Mrs D. sends kind personal regards. Will surely see you first time north. Many thanks, yours, John L. Donahue, Atlanta, Ga.

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While playing about the barn of his father, Albert Winters, of Hawleyville, Sunday afternoon, Paul Winters, seven years old, caught his right hand in the knives of an old hay-cutting machine which was stored away in the building. The blades cut the fingers of his hand through to the bone, severing the tendons of each finger. The injury was hastily dressed at the home of the boy and then he was hurried to the Danbury hospital. Although the fingers were badly cut, it is believed at the hospital that it will not be necessary to amputate them.

June 24, 1898

The annual closing entertainment of the Newtown academy passed off very successfully at the Town hall, last Friday evening. This marked the 61st anniversary of the Academy’s existence, which has been a pleasant one all through this period of years. A good sized audience was present to show their interest in the school and the performance of the young people.

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The John Hawley Bible school at Hawleyville was the scene of a wedding, last week Wednesday. The happy couple was Miss Myrtle Ingersoll of Sherman and William P. Knapp of Danbury, both of whom have been pupils at the school. The ceremony took place at 4 o’clock in the presence of a company of 40 people. The officiating clergymen were Rev William P. Ray, Rev Hezekiah Davis and Rev F.K. Hawley. Mr Knapp is to be ordained on June 27 at New Britain and with his wife is soon to leave, it is understood, to engage in missionary work in Africa.

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At the annual meeting of Zoar school district held at the schoolhouse in said district, Saturday evening, June 18, John F. Keating was elected committeeman for the ensuing year, and Patrick Bradley, clerk. Miss Mary A. Bradley was elected teacher for the ensuing year.

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John Baptiste Drini, a well known stone mason of Danbury, has been doing some substantial jobs at Hawleyville. He put in the foundations for the new house of Agent J.A. James, and also the foundations for the food store of Mr Conger.

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HATTERTOWN: Hattertown seems to be alive with horse jockeys just now. | Mrs Arthur Favreau and daughter have been visiting at Frank Favreau’s. | Benjamin Fairchild, who is well known in Hattertown, has the sympathy of all his friends in the loss of his baby. | Dr C.M. Penney of Bridgeport spent Sunday with his parents, Mr and Mrs J.W. Penney. | J.W. Penney and son are helping Isaac Harris with his haying, this week.

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.