UPDATE (Tuesday, October 5, 2021): An anonymous reader reached out to correctly identify the name of one of the men in this week's featured photo. That caption has been updated with the proper name.

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September 27, 1996

Two firms are proposing the construction of Newtown Village, a development consisting of 100 single-family houses on 32 acres in Sandy Hook, near Newtown High School. D&H Homes, LLC, and Fairfield 2000 Homes Corp have submitted basic plans for the project to the Conservation Commission for review. The town has never reviewed an affordable housing project of this scale.

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There are few rewards in life more satisfying than raising children who follow in your own footsteps. So when TWA Captain Wayland Johnson made the final flight of his career last week, it was what he called “an unbelievable stroke of luck” that his son, Mike, was in the cockpit as the flight engineer. Mike’s wife, also a TWA pilot, was in the cockpit too when TWA Flight 840 left Kennedy Airport for the eight-hour flight to Rome. Among the several hundred passengers on aboard the 747 were Wayland’s wife Diana, their daughter Sandra, and Mike’s high school classmate Sean Hanrahan, who drove up from Delaware to join them.

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An industrial firm has filed site plans with the Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission for a 60,000-square-foot factory on Peck’s Lane. The commission is scheduled to review the plans submitted by Neumade Products Corporation on October 3. Neumade wants to build a factory on a 10-acre parcel in an M-2 Zone on the west side of Peck’s Lane, across from the Sorvall factory.

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Town officials are awaiting the results of tests taken earlier this week to determine if any asbestos is floating through the library air. Tuesday morning, Hygenix of Stamford began collecting dust from the inside of Cyrenius Booth Library, which is being examined to see if it contains asbestos or lead. All work inside the existing structure has been stopped until test results are returned and when all dust and hazardous materials that may be found are removed.

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Governor John G. Rowland toured the municipal sewage treatment plant now under construction and the Fairfield Hills campus Wednesday, getting updates from local officials on both. The governor spoke next to towering mounds of soil, which were excavated at the site where the massive concrete sewerworks are being built. Joining him were local and state officials.

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Joe Benlak is a carpet installer, but he was the one who was floored Sunday night after he was zapped while using his telephone. Except for a headache and a slight ringing in his ears, the 50-year-old Zoar Road resident said he was feeling fine by earlier this week. His telephone remains in working order, but the answering machine and his television are not working.

October 1, 1971

The Rev Eugene Crabb, pastor of the United Methodist Church of Newtown, took the first shovel full of dirt in ground-breaking ceremonies held after the Sunday worship service for the new church site. The church, which was built in 1850, will be moved across Church Hill Road to a new location in Woods Park and will be expanded. G. Robertson Swentor is chairman of the building committee.

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Joseph Dauplaise, chief of the United Fire Company of Botsford, received serious leg fractures in an accident on Saturday. According to Newtown police reports, Chief Dauplaise had jumped from the passenger side of the company’s Ward LaFrance fire truck in front of the firehouse, intending to direct traffic, but stumbled and fell. The truck’s right front wheels ran over both of his legs. The chief was taken to Danbury Hospital in the Newtown Ambulance with serious fractures and large lacerations.

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At a short meeting Monday evening, the Board of Finance reconsidered and rescinded its approval of a plan to have vendor checks in payment of Board of Education expenses be written in the office of the superintendent of schools. Approval had been given by the finance board because the change had been proposed by the town’s auditors to eliminate the duplication of bookkeeping in the offices of the superintendent and the controller. But Town Counsel Robert Hall said the new procedure violates the Town Charter.

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The village of Sandy Hook has fallen serious victim to the construction in work in progress to provide separate eastbound and westbound traffic lanes on I-84. The volume of traffic and consequent long delays in the center of Sandy Hook, especially during rush hour, are “horrendous,” according to a Bee editorial, despite the changed timing pattern of the traffic light and a police officer to direct rush house traffic. Various proposals are being considered to help alleviate the problem, including construction of a new bypass road south of Sandy Hook Center from Washington Avenue to Church Hill Rod at the top of Sandy Hook Hill.

September 27, 1946

A large and appreciative audience greeted John Angel, internationally known sculptor, resident of Zoar district, who gave a talk on his art, illustrated with stereopticon and motion pictures at the meeting of the Newtown Rotary Club held at the Parker House Monday night. Because of the distinction of the guest speaker, the occasion had been declared ladies’ night and the number of Rotariannes and other feminine guests present equalled that of the club members.

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Mr and Mrs H.S. DeGroat attended Ray Fuller’s wedding in Wellesley, Mass., last Saturday and then spent the week-end with friends in Providence, R.I. “Bob” DeGroat was best man for his flying chum, Ray, who had to tear his parachute pack apart while falling, after escaping through his co-pilot’s window after being shot down over Germany.

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Saturday closings at The Bee office will be continued through Saturday, October 5.

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Members of the four volunteer companies, Newtown, Sandy Hook, Dodgingtown and Hawleyville, are completing plans for a clam bake to be held at the Hawleyville Fire House this Sunday. It is hoped that all members of the companies will attend. The committee in charge of the affair includes Rodney D. Popovitch, Dodgingtown; Robert Mayer, Newtown; Irving Beers, Sandy Hook; and Andrew Sedor, Hawleyville.

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The Executive Board of the Newtown Parent-Teacher Association entertained in honor of the faculty at a tea at the home of Dr and Mrs J. Benton Egee on Wednesday afternoon. Besides the teachers from all the schools, there were also present Superintendent and Mrs Carroll Johnson, Principal and Mrs Carl LeGrow, Miss Nona Reed, Miss Caroline Russell and Mrs John Boyle of the School Board. A social time was enjoyed visiting in groups in the living room and on the porch. Refreshments of tea, coffee, sandwiches and small cakes were served.

September 30, 1921

A Brooklyn, N.Y., automobile furnished excitement for a crowd, Sunday afternoon, when it skidded and turned over near the driveway of W.T Cole on Mt Pleasant hill. A boy, Hugh Lynch, was slightly bruised and crushed under the car. Dr E.L. Kingman took him to the Danbury hospital, where an examination developed his injuries were not serious. The other occupants of the car escaped injury. It was surprising how quickly a crowd got together. In a few minutes more than 20 cars gathered at the scene of the wreck. The car, a Paige, belonged to Hugh J. Lynch of Brooklyn, N.Y. Two wheels and the top of the car were badly wrecked. It was towed to the garage of Carson Brothers.

***

Henry A. Bourquenez has a new Special Six Studebaker car, bought of Clark S. Blackman.

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Collins & Knobloch, Bethel real estate dealers, report the sale of the William P. Neilson farm in Newtown to Frederick Lewis of Greenwich. The farm comprises some 60 acres of land as well as the house, three barns and other buildings. The new owner, who has taken possession, has also purchased 11 head of stock, a team of horses, farm machinery and the crops on the farm. The farm was formerly owned by Carl Anderson.

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Mr and Mrs J.H. Jackson attended the wedding of Mr Jackson’s sister in Hartford, last week.

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Mr and Mrs W.E. Sturges returned, Monday, from a visit to West Springfield, Mass. While there they attended the Eastern States Exposition at Springfield.

October 2, 1896

Henry Moore was quite badly scratched up in a bicycle race at Berlin, last week. He ran over two bicyclists who had collided.

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The democratic electors of Newtown meet in caucus at the Town Hall, on Saturday evening, October 3, to place in nomination a candidate for judge of probate, to nominate town officers, to place in nomination nine candidates for justice of the peace and do other proper business.

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D.G. Beers and daughter, Miss Helen, passed Sunday as the guest of Miss J.E. Shepard of Holyoke, Mass., recently.

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Rev Charles Judd, an assistant minister in St Andrew’s church at Stamford, preached at Trinity church on Sunday morning. F.F. Johnson assisted him in the evening service. The Congregational pulpit was again occupied on Sunday by Rev Mr Brown of Bridgeport. Next Sunday Rev Joseph James of Rockville will be the preacher.

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A.B. Fancher and family, who have been spending a month at the seashore, returned home, on Saturday last.

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.