Out Town, Newtown
Out Town, Newtown
To the Editor:
I donât know the Llodras, though I share their grief at the loss of their daughter Sharon [âA Personal Sadness, A Community Kindness,â Letter Hive, 8/7/09]. It was their letter to the editor that triggered reminders of the beautiful community in which we live.
I grew up in suburban Washington, D.C.; Silver Spring, Md., was similarly idyllic to Newtown. My high school production of Thornton Wilderâs Our Town was my first insight into New England graciousness; in this play the Webbs and the Gibbs are neighbors that coalesce around their shared triumphs and tragedies â from the marriage of their children to the death of young Emily Webb in childbirth.
Our town â Newtown â is as picturesque and supportive. Like the Llodras, the community rallied around my boys and I two years ago, when my wife, Leslie, passed from breast cancer. Telling was the presence, at our shiva, of every teacher the boys had ever had, from Sandy Hook Elementary and Reed Intermediate schools. It did not stop there. Our principals and assistant principals and office staff came, as did the lunch ladies, the teacherâs aides, the after school staff, the nurses, and more parents and children than you might imagine.
One canât always articulate the warmth of their community, but these times provide the clarity we treasure in our town, Newtown!
Evan, Jason & Brandon Horowitz
Pearl Street, Sandy Hook                                             August 7, 2009