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THE WAY WE WERE

APRIL 26, 1974

The League of Women Voters has come to consensus on a one-year local

government study of alternate forms of government for Newtown. The consensus

states that Newtown's present form of government, which is Selectman-Town

Meeting, is not meeting the total needs of the community, particularly in its

adoption of the budget. For the most part, town meetings are poorly attended.

Often, a large percentage of persons attending only listen without voting. At

the few town meetings that are well attended, it can be difficult for the

moderator to recognize all who wish to be heard and persons may feel

intimidated because they lack familiarity with parliamentary procedure.

Special interest groups can pack the meeting and determine the vote. The

League consensus found four alternate forms of government acceptable. These

are Council-Manager, Mayor-Council, Representative Town Meeting or Limited

Town Meeting.

The Board of Finance completed its work on the budget requests of the Board of

Selectmen and the Board of Education this week in preparation for the Annual

Town Meeting on Tuesday, May 7. In the Selectmen's budget, such major items as

the aerial ladder truck, a large portion of the request for funds for the new

town garage, and the personnel and capital requests of the highway department

felt the finance board's knife. Approximately $170,000 was sliced from the

general government budget, from the selectmen's request of $3,219,722.31,

which included $2,438,716.81 for government operations and $781,005.50 for the

town's debt service. The Board of Finance cut $119,982 from the Board of

Education's budget request of $6,126,830.

The auditorium in the Middle School seats 500, and nearly all of those seats

were taken by Newtown residents, teachers and school administrators who came

to a public forum called for by the Board of Education Monday, April 22, in

order to get citizen input and ideas regarding the solution of space problems

in the school system. The main part of the discussion centered around the

school with the worst overcrowding, the Middle School, and what to do about

it. Although opinions were varied as to a solution, the consensus of the

evening that most of those attending the meeting did not seem to feel double

sessions in the Middle School would solve any problems.

Before Christmas FISH volunteers planned one of their infrequent social

gatherings to wish one another happy holidays. A volunteer who is a caterer,

Greta Magnusson, baked a huge sheet cake for the occasion and decorated it

with a snow scene that made it look like a three-dimensional Christmas card.

The great ice storm struck and there was no party. The cake remained in a

volunteer's freezer until a party was scheduled for the patients at the

Danbury Pavilion. When the cake was brought for that party, it was discovered

someone had already donated an even larger cake. Back to the freezer. The cake

showed up at a steering committee meeting, but the committee could not cope

with all that cake, so it went home to another volunteer's freezer. Mr and Mrs

Fred Lingenfelser decided something had to be done. Mrs Lingenfelser is

president of FISH and doesn't like to leave any loose ends untied. So she

cooked a sumptuous buffet repast and invited all the FISH volunteers and

several special guests who are always helping FISH help others. More than 60

people gathered at the Lingenfelsers on Currituck Road. Special guests

included First Selectman and Mrs Frank DeLucia; Dr Donald T. Evans, Mr and Mrs

Raymond Marcus and Mrs Lisa Siebert. The cake turned out to be half chocolate

and half white and the Christmas card icing tasted great in April. The only

problems was everyone had such a plentiful dinner they couldn't finish the

cake!

The same day he learned from a press report that there was need for a

bulldozer in Dickinson Town Park, Richard Blumberg, a self-employed

contractor, got in touch with Park Superintendent Arthur Bennett and promised

he would come with his dozer and do all the leveling needed in the park, free

of charge.

A bill that will help Newtown with an election-day headache received approval

from the State House of Representatives last week. The House voted 115-19 to

allow towns that have no appropriate polling place in one voting district to

locate the polling location in a nearby district.

Newtown's Antique Auto Club Spring Dust-Off and Progressive Restoration Tour

started off from the Cyrenius H. Booth Library on Sunday, April 21. The tour

included visits to various members' homes to view automobile restorations in

progress. The first stop was at Chris MacKenzie's home where a 1931 Model A

Ford Victorias as well as a 1929 DeSoto Roadster find themselves in capable

hands for complete refurbishing. The next stop was to see Jack Hanna's 1936

Pierce-Arrow Limousine. The final stop was at the home of Richard Hipp where

an ever-popular 1931 Model A Ford Rumbleseat Coupe is being given a new lease

on life.

At a special meeting on Wednesday evening, April 24, the Planning and Zoning

Commission accepted the resignation of Zoning Enforcement Officer Richard

Howe.

APRIL 29, 1949

Final preparations for the fashion show to be given by the Trinity Church

Women's Auxiliary next Thursday indicate that it will be one of the

outstanding social events of the spring season. In charge of the affair are:

Mrs Felix Baridon, general chairman; door prizes, Mrs Warner W. Bayley;

tickets, Mrs W. Cranston Brewer; refreshments, Mrs Herbert Flansburgh assisted

by Mrs William Baxter and Mrs Harry Greenman; decorations, Mrs H. Gould Curtis

assisted by Mrs Walter Collet and Mrs William Green; ways and means chairman,

Mrs Nelson J. Curtis. Serving as models are: Mrs Edmumd Foster, Mrs Robert

Leahy, Mrs Archibald Mansfield, Mrs Charles Cavanaugh, Miss Judith Brewer, Mrs

Perry Roehm, Mrs Henry Bell, Jr, Mrs Platt Creed and Miss Judy Marin. Mrs Seth

Talcott will act as commentator.

The annual election in the Borough of Newtown will take place on Tuesday, May

3, at the Edmond Town Hall. Polls will be open from 9 am to 5 pm. The

following candidates were nominated for office at the recent Borough caucus:

Henry L. McCarthy, warden; Miss May E. Sullivan, clerk; William A. Honan, Sr.,

and John C. Beers, burgesses; Judge Walter A. Reynolds, treasurer; Judge Paul

Cavanaugh, John A. Carlson and Judge Reynolds, fire inspectors; John A.

Carlson, pound keeper; Gilbert Aiken and John A. Carlson, assessors; Frederic

H. Duncombe and Joseph Hellauer, board of tax review; William Hunter,

registrar of voters; Charles F. Cavanaugh, tax collector.

Shoppers at the store of H.G. Warner in Sandy Hook are finding the store

greatly improved with the recent alterations which have been made. A wide

stairway has been built to the second floor which has been decorated and

equipped for the dry goods department which now has room for expansion and

proper display.

James Nevins Hyde will be the speaker at an open meeting sponsored by the

Newtown League of Women Voters on Monday evening, May 16, in the Alexandria

Room of Edmond Town Hall. Mr Hyde, a resident of the Taunton district, is an

adviser on the Security Council and Interim Committee Affairs of the United

States Mission to the United Nations.

A meeting of the Newtown Chapter of United World Federalists will be held in

the Alexandria Room of the Edmond Town Hall on Monday, May 2, at 8 pm. At this

time reports on the local, state and national activities of the organization

will be presented. George Holt, president of the state branch, will speak on

world government developments in the state and nation. Another feature of the

evening will be the showing of two motion pictures. The first one "Where Will

You Hide?" is a 20-minute color film which explodes the myth that the United

States will long be the sole possessor of the atom bomb. The second film,

"Grass Roots," is a sequel to the above and points out each individual's

responsibility in helping to transform the United Nations into a world

government.

The tenth annual meeting of the Newtown Rotary Club was held at the Parker

House on Monday, April 25, at 6 o'clock. Forty-one members were present at the

dinner and took part in the election of officers and directors for the fiscal

year 1949-50. The following were elected as nominated: President, M. Frederic

Rees; vice president, Edmund E. Neary; treasurer, Fred A. Buermeyer; and

secretary, Alfred N. Jurgens, Sr. Additional directors will be Miles Harris,

Donald R. McCain, Jr, and Howell Wright.

APRIL 25, 1924

The Red Cross tubercular drive that was held in Newtown last year was a

success. The town came out fifth in the amount of cash for the population and

Mrs Charles A. Peale and her score of willing helpers can well feel proud of

the old town.

The whists at the Newtown Country Club were resumed last Monday evening after

holy week and there was a record attendance. Eight tables enjoyed the game.

Mrs I.S. Jones and Mrs Sarah B. Mitchell were high ladies for the evening and

Sanford Mead and Rodney P. Shepard for the gentlemen.