President’s Visit Sparks Memories Of Old Newtown Acquaintances

By Steve Bigham

President Bill Clinton stopped off in the Danbury area earlier this week, returning to the place he once called home… for at least a few months.

The President spent six hours in Danbury Monday in a show of support for the reelection of US Congressman Jim Maloney. The congressman seeks a third term in Connecticut’s Fifth District and is currently engaged in a heated campaign against Republican Mark Nielsen.

But this day belonged to Mr Clinton, who arrived at Western Connecticut State University’s westside campus by helicopter at around 11 am. Rev Steve Gordon of the Newtown Congregational Church was on hand with his family for the landing and he called it impressive. Several choppers circled the area prior to the President’s landing and continued to circle the Danbury area throughout the visit.

Upon arrival, the President was then transported by motorcade to the Amber Room in Danbury for lunch. About 15 Newtown residents were on hand for this event, which cost $250 per head.

Mr Clinton then stopped off at Pembroke School where he visited each classroom in the building. At 3:30 pm, he returned to the westside campus where a crowd of some 5,000 supporters at the Charles Ives Center’s concert area greeted him. There, he took the stage as the audience roared. His speech, which was made without notes, outlined the success of his administration and that of Mr Maloney. He urged voters to support the congressman – a man who voted against the impeachment of Mr Clinton, but who did vote in favor of an impeachment inquiry.

During his speech, the President urged voters to follow the old adage “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” this coming November. He believes the choice for the next President is simple: Al Gore. But he acknowledged that the country’s strong economic condition could make if difficult on the voter.

“I would argue that it may be harder for a free people to make the right decision in good times than in bad times. After all, back in 1992 when you took a chance on me, it wasn’t much of a chance because the country was in a ditch, and you knew we had to change,” he said. “Now things are going along so well and there seem to be options.”

The options he refers to are those currently being presented by Republican hopeful George W. Bush, who has suggested that the strong economy has come about in spite of the Clinton administration. He accuses the Democrats of failing to take advantage of  many opportunities over the past eight years.

This week, it was noted that Monday’s visit to Danbury by Mr Clinton was the first by a US President since Theodore Roosevelt made a five-minute speech back in 1905. In the 1940s, however, Franklin D. Roosevelt did stop off at a hot dog stand along Route 6 in Newtown on his way from Hyde Park, New York, to Hartford, according to Town Historian Dan Cruson.

During his speech Monday, Mr Clinton noted that he had been to Danbury back in 1970 when he first met Senator Joseph Lieberman. He actually spent a few months living in Bethel at the home of Warren and Marge Owen while attending Yale Law School.

He also spent some time in Newtown.

Clinton’s Trip To

Newtown – 30 Years Ago

Back in the early 1970s, many Newtown residents became involved in an emotional political campaign for the United States Senate. It was at the height of the Vietnam War era and Democrats Joe Duffy and Tom Dodd, Jr, were battling it out for the right to face Republican Lowell Weicker.

Newtown’s Dana Fradon was a Duffy campaign director for the Danbury area and once hosted a fund-raising picnic at his home on Brushy Hill Road. Bill Clinton, then a fledging law student at Yale University, was there at the party, probably eating hot dogs and discussing political strategy.

“Clinton was here on a number of occasions. He used to come over here from Yale to help us,” Mr Fradon recalled during an interview with The Bee two years ago. “He was an expert in political law and was a hired gun for the campaign. He was probably 27 or 28 years old at the time.”

During the campaign, Mr Fradon had Mr Clinton over for dinner on several occasions. Today, the former cartoonist for the New Yorker magazine has a sign in his kitchen which reads, “Bill Clinton ate here.”

At the time, of course, no one could have ever imagined Mr Clinton would eventually become the nation’s 42nd President.

“We didn’t know he’d become President, but there were great inklings that he had political ambitions. He was good at it,” said Mr Fradon, who attended Mr Clinton’s inaugural balls in ‘92 and ‘96 and still receives a Christmas card each year from the President and the First Lady.

Mr Clinton was a supporter of Joe Duffy, who opposed America’s involvement in Vietnam.

“He was a conscientious objector, but I never heard him bad-mouth the war,” said Mr Fradon, now a children’s storywriter and illustrator.

Mr Fradon does not remember Bill Clinton being much of a talker. One thing he was talkative about was his future wife, Hillary, whom he had just met at Yale law school.

“He was crazy about her,” Mr Fradon said.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal also worked with Mr Clinton during the Duffy/Dodd campaign in Hartford. Mr Rosenthal became active in the campaign soon after returning from a stint in the Navy where he served on a ship in the Gulf of Tonkin. On Monday, Mr Rosenthal was present at the Amber Room and shook hands with the President. The first selectman briefly mentioned that he worked with Mr Clinton on the Duffy/Dodd campaign.

“That was a lot of fun, wasn’t it?” Mr Rosenthal recalls Mr Clinton saying.

Following his speech at WestConn, Mr Clinton was driven to his helicopter parked on the university’s practice soccer fields. Moments later, he was in the air and out of town.

Newtown residents attending Monday’s luncheon were: Ann Crane, Ham Brosius, Lisa Schwartz, Joe Bojnowski, Herb Rosenthal, Jack Rosenthal, Earl J. Smith, Kevin Cragin, Steve Rosentel, Herbert and Anne Marie Hoover, Peggy Baiad, Steve Herman, and Joan Grant. Also attending were Dr Thomas and Pat Draper, the parents of Congressman Maloney’s wife, Mary.