The Way We Were

NOVEMBER 17, 1978

The effort of the Business Park Association to speed up the state’s schedule for installing traffic control signals on Church Hill Road began snowballing this week. The group announced widespread support from a petition drive, and picked up endorsements from the Board of Police Commissioners and the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce. In addition, the Chamber of Commerce has published a coupon in this issue of The Bee asking whether people support traffic control on Church Hill Road.

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It wasn’t any surprise, but the Town of Newtown received final word from the Department of Housing and Urban Development that it won’t receive grants for a variety of projects totaling over $1.3 million. Newtown and six other Connecticut communities under 50,000 population applied earlier this year for projects under the Small Cities Discretionary Grant program of HUD.

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It was a surprise, to say the least, on a quiet Friday, November 10, when Newtown Bee staff members received a series of harassing telephone calls from somebody demanding money to stop making the calls. But it was even more surprising when he was later apprehended trying to pick up the money — especially when we warned him we’d try to catch him. The incident started around 10:30 am when a series of phone calls from an unidentified, youthful-sounding man began coming rapidly through our lines, one after another. Female employees gathered he’s stop calling if we’d leave off some money at a prearranged drop-off point. Editor R. Scudder Smith then suggested that Dennis Phillips, the news editor, pick up the phone and announce he was from the Newtown Police Department. Anyway, after the caller stopped laughing, the reporter and harassing caller got down to business. The negotiations were carried out in a series of conversations as the caller would talk for less than a minute, hang up, and immediately called back. (Editor’s note: When the editor agreed to pay the $15 requested, the young man asked, “You’re not going to try to catch me, are you?” He was told, “Well, we’d sure like to catch you.” The money was paid at a designated drop off on Hall Lane, the would-be-extorter picked it up, and walked right toward Officer Richard Stook, who was hiding in bushes along the railroad tracks, who arrested him. He was charged with making harassing phone calls and disorderly conduct, and referred to the juvenile division of Superior Court in Danbury.)

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More than 50 Newtown residents turned out Tuesday, November 14, to take part in a PFFC hearing on the application of Housatonic Cable Vision to place a 40-foot microwave receiving tower on Reservoir Road.

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If the Newtown Legislative Council and the town’s taxpayers agree by June 30, 1979 to fund an expansion of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, $100,000 will be available from the State of Connecticut to offset the cost to the town.

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Although there is an educational specifications committee specifically charged with coming up with a plan for an addition to the high school, Board of Education members, after urging from some members of the public Tuesday night, have moved to study how to relieve the overcrowding immediately. There should be immediate relief ready when school opens in September of 1979 the board was told.

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The fourth proposal in the past two years for “conservation subdivision” in Newtown has been advanced to the Newtown Planning & Zoning Commission. The regulations would permit flexibility in subdivision development to increase the amount of open space reserved in developed land: reduce the extent of subdivision road development, and, in some cases, reduce dwelling lot size.

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Tuesday evening the Board of Education appointed a group of six townspeople to the newly-formed Title IX advisory committee which will study the school system’s steps being taken to comply with the act Title IX, which calls for equalization among sexes both in sports and academic programs.

NOVEMBER 20, 1953

Petitions have been prepared by the Town Development Committee and are now in the hands of the chairmen of the District Advisory Committees on Zoning, who are seeking signatures to the petitions. The purpose is to provide for an all-day referendum on the question of adopting Special Act No. 552, which if adopted, makes it possible for each historical school district of Newtown to zone itself according to regulations to be established by the residents of each district.

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The Rev Walter R. Conroy, pastor of St Rose Church, Newtown, is among clergymen who have been selected to assist in the installation ceremonies of the Most Rev Lawrence J. Shehan as the first Bishop of Bridgeport.

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The annual sale of TB Christmas Seals, sponsored by the Visiting Nurse Association, began early this week with the mailing of seals to town residents, and distribution of bangle pins for children to the schools.

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Nineteen prominent women appealed to the people of Fairfield County recently to “make the coming Christmas the happiest the patients of Fairfield State Hospital have ever enjoyed.”

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The resignation of Alvin B. Coger of South Center District of the chairmanship of the Republican Town Committee for reasons of health led to the resignations of all but one member of the committee at a meeting last Friday, November 13. Mrs Eleanor Hubbell, vice chairman, retained her post and subsequently reappointed Allen Northey Jones to his position of treasurer of the committee. The reason given by a spokesman for the mass resignation was the fact that the members had been appointed by Mr Coger, and his resignation made it mandatory that his appointees also resign. Mrs Hubbell remained as vice chairman to ensure a continuity in the committee, and will appoint a committee to serve only until a new town chairman is elected at the Republican caucus in March, 1954, it was said.

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Town Democrats, including office-holders, party workers, and friends will celebrate their victory in the October town election at a dinner Monday night, November 23, at the Yankee Drover Inn. A. Fenn Dickinson, first selectman, and Henry J. McCarthy are in charge of the sale of tickets for the dinner, which will begin at 7 o’clock.

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The Newtown Athletic Club men’s and women’s basketball teams will meet the Newtown High School teams on the new full-size court in the high school on Friday, November 27. Interest is shared in both games with fans counting on the high school girls under Miss Ann Anderson’s coaching to carry on the tradition of past teams which have swept over high school competition. The high school boys will return several veterans, including Kenny Berglund, high-scoring forward of last season, to give the AC team, which has double strength at all positions, a run for its money. The AC girls’ squad includes Shirley Cassidy, Joan Glover, Katherine Quinn, Mary Lou Bradley, Marian Paproski, Marie Cavanaugh, Katherine Cavanaugh, Evelyn Hrivnak, and Violet Luckner.

NOVEMBER 16, 1928

Work is now underway enlarging the Danbury Fair grounds, which, when completed, close to 1,000 cars more can easily be accommodated. The land in the new section of the grounds is being cleared for that purpose now. Several new tracts of land have been bought adjoining the grounds which will be levelled, gravelled and put in first class condition for next fall. The plans also call for two new entrance gates, one on the south and one on the east side of the grounds. Due to the enormous increase in patronage of the motoring public at the fair, it has been necessary to carry on this work.

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Shortly after 9 o’clock Wednesday morning, a cavalcade of 50 automobiles left Bridgeport for Washington to attend the National Grange Convention.

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The members of the Men’s Club enjoyed a rare treat on Saturday evening, November 3, in an address by Commander Bainbridge on “The 5th Point of the Compass,” or the art of seeing the other man’s point of view.

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The World War roll of honor has been removed from in front of the town hall, and is now on the green at the head of Newtown Street.

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“Dick” Botsford, president and chief pilot of the Botsford Flying Service, has flown 44,000 miles during the last year and carried 4,200 passengers, all without a single accident.

NOVEMBER 20, 1903

The improvements made in and around the high school building since Principal Ross Jewell assumed the reins will gratify all who have the best interests of the school at heart.

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Michael White has laid 95 feet of tiling from the cellar of the house he occupies to the street to remove the surplus water from the cellar, which sometimes accumulates in the winter season. Patrick McInerney did the work

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That palatial building, the West Street jail, has been newly shingled. The plans were drawn and work executed by Michael Sheehan.

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Michael Dugan has begun shipping milk to the factory of the Borden Condensed Milk Company.

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Charles Stevenson, who has been occupying the toll house at Bennett’s Bridge, moved to Ridgefield this week.

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Dogs got into Newton M. Curtis’ flock of sheep last week Thursday night, killing two sheep and biting ten more. Some of them were so badly bitten that they had to be killed.

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The road that leads east from Judge Bradley’s going to Walnut Tree Hill is in very bad condition between Judge Bradley’s corner and the railroad crossing, and should be looked after by those having the contract.

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Mr Keating purchased a horse in Derby last week. The horse is a pacer, can cover a mile in 2:30 attached to a wagon. What could he do on a sulky?