January 23, 1998

EDITORIAL INK DROPS — WONDERS OF WINTER: Now that all the people with winter homes down south have packed up and gone, and now that it’s just those of us who find the season’s salt and sand on the road, not on the beach, the truth about winter can be told. This is a beautiful season. At no other time of the year is the air cleaner or more transparent, like a window wiped clear. … Along the staves of tree limbs and branches appear those delicate die-hards, the winter birds, sitting like musical notes — half-note crows, quarter-note jays, innumerable eighths and sixteenths of titmice, chickadees, and finches, and on a good day, a whole-note hawk.

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Workmen are putting some finishing touches on the new Big Y supermarket at Newtown Shopping Center. Big Y, a 55,000-square-foot building, is almost six times the size of the former A&P supermarket that it replaces at the Queen Street facility. Claire D’Amour, vice president for corporate relations for Big Y Foods Inc, said this week the store’s opening could come in February. An excavator from J&M Construction of Stratford was used last Thursday to demolish the former Dunkin’ Donuts in the shopping center, creating a parking area for the new supermarket.

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Donna Safee, president of the Spay and Neuter Association of Newtown (SNAN), recently accepted a check for $165 on behalf of SNAN from Lisa Dijon Doyle of The Pet Connection in Sand Hill Plaza. The check represented the profits of a “Photo with Santa” project at the store last month. SNAN arranges low-cost spay and neuter services for dogs and cats in Newtown and surrounding communities.

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A unique new exhibition will open in the Lynn Tendler Bignell Gallery at Brookfield Craft Center on January 25. “Dwellings Of The Spirit: Earth, Fire, Wood, Fiber, Bone” features multi-media work by Sandy Hook artist Barbara Allen. On display will be ten multi-media sculpture pieces which emphasize the beauty and versatility of materials harvested from the natural world. BCC Gallery Manager Judith T. Russell describes the work as “a representation of Barbara’s innovative use of materials and imagery.” John Russell, the craft center’s executive director, called Allen “a skilled craftswoman and gifted instructor who moves easily between various arts and crafts disciplines.”

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Members of Den 14, Pack 170 from St Rose School visited Ashlar of Newtown recently to deliver handmade pins to the residents. The Scouts making the trip included Ryan Buchanan, Kevin Heithaus, Ryan Drummond, Justin Lemma, Conor McManus, and James O’Connor.

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St Rose School students listened with rapt attention to Akil E. Pinckney as he portrayed the life and values of Martin Luther King Jr during a visit to the school on Monday, the same day a federal holiday honored the late Dr King. Students responded warmly to messages of strength, faith, and standing up for what you believe, even when it means personal sacrifice.

January 19, 1973

A proud Jim Lewis of Sugar Street stopped in at The Bee on Tuesday to show off one king of the waters that didn’t get away. Jim hooked into the great northern pike while ice fishing on Lake Lillinonah through a four inch hole. Jim said he looked down and the hole was filled with fish, understandable since the pike weighed some ten pounds and was over 30 inches long. He’ll have the fish mounted by a taxidermist.

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In 1972, the Drivers Corps of the Newtown Ambulance Association fulfilled a goal set two years ago to have every corpsman certified in First Aid and it takes pride in its achievements in training, experience and knowledge of ambulance emergency care. As a result, Newtown can boast an Ambulance Driver Corps as good as can be found anywhere in the state. Seven new men were added to the Corps during 1972. Each of them took an extensive 33-hour Ambulance First Aid training course as part of their preparation. Other corpsmen took a refreshment course and some took the special EMT-Ambulance (81-hour) training course.

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Governor Thomas J. Meskill has announced the appointment of Timothy J. Loughlin of Newtown as chairman of the State Unemployment Commission. Mr Loughlin, who became Unemployment Commissioner for the Fifth District on January 1, will serve his term as chairman for a period of one year. His appointment as Commissioner is for five years. Prior to his appointment, Mr Loughlin had served as a temporary Commissioner for the Fourth District for eight months. In Newtown he was chairman of the Republican Town Committee, but resigned that position and also membership in the Committee when his state appointment was made in November.

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Two teenage girls, a 16-year-old of Budd Drive and a 17-year-old from Lyrical Lane, were arrested by Officer Robert Taylor of the Newtown Police Department on January 15 and charged with larceny in the second degree. The arrests were made on warrants issued by the Third Circuit Court. The girls were apprehended as a result of an investigation into the theft of two coats and a diamond ring from the high school on January 11. The accused are scheduled to appear in the Third Circuit Court in Danbury on February 12.

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Wednesday morning, January 10, a representative from the Chester Institute For Technical Education spoke to the industrial arts classes and other interested students about the Institute. Henry J. Kamerzel spoke to the Newtown High students about the selection of a career, the job outlook in Connecticut, and the fields of drafting and design. The Chester Institute For Technical Education is located in Stratford, and Mr Kamerzel invited interested students to visit the school or to send for more information.

January 16, 1948

The vital statistics for the town of Newtown for the year 1947, as recorded at the office of Town Clerk May E. Sullivan, show a great increase in the number of births during the past year as compared with recent years. There were 46 sons and 31 daughters, a total of 77 births in 1947, as compared with a total of 43 in 1946, 64 in 1945, 46 in 1944, 48 in 1943, and 52 in 1942. The 1946 list of youthful citizens included 21 boys and 22 girls, so that the masculine majority appears to have been an unusually heavy one in the year just ended.

In the number of marriages, 1947 was again a record year, there having been 68 trips to the altar, compared with 53 wedding ceremonies in 1946, 35 in 1945, 21 in 1944, 32 in 1943, and 56 in 1942.

The “grim reaper” took from our midst 49 residents during the past twelve months. The total number indicates a fairly steady death rate over the past few years, with 48 deaths recorded in 1946, 44 in 1945, 42 in 1944, 53 in 1943, and 51 in 1942. Deaths at the Fairfield State Hospital were 265, there having been 230 in 1946, 228 in 1945, and 248 in 1944.

Of the 47 town residents who died during the past year, one was 96 years of age, two were 90 years old, and there were 11 who had reached an age of between 80 and 90, and fourteen were between 70 and 80 years old. This, comparatively speaking, indicates Newtown as a town of healthy clime, contributing to a long as well as a happy life among its residents.

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Some fifty town officials and interested citizens braved the cold of Sunday afternoon to attend the ground breaking ceremonies, held at two o’clock at the rear of Hawley School on the site for the new addition. William A. Honan, chairman of the Newtown Board of Education, turned over the first spade full of dirt and conducted the brief exercises.

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The annual meeting of the Woman’s Auxiliary of Trinity Church took place in the Church rooms on Thursday afternoon, January 8th. The retiring president, Miss Caroline McCann, called the meeting to order and at the conclusion of the reading of the annual reports, the following officers for 1948 were elected: President, Mrs Frederick F. Johnson; vice president, Mrs Earl Summers; recording secretary, Mrs Sidney Haight; corresponding secretary, Mrs William M. Strong; treasurer, Mrs George H. Vello.

January 12, 1923

At the annual meeting of the First Ecclesiastical society, Monday night, the following officers were elected: Clerk, John J. Northrop. Society’s Committee, C.B. Taylor, Arthur T. Nettleton, Arthur W. Reynolds. Treasurer, Levi C. Morris. Auditor, Arthur J. Smith.

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In the passing from this life to the Life Eternal of Mrs Juliette Hawley Camp, many friends and neighbors will feel a due sense of loss. For she was a woman of keen, bright mind, with a heart overflowing in neighborly kindness and a very vital, real faith in the affairs of God’s kingdom of earth, being for many years a member of Trinity church and when able, a faithful attendant at its services. Mrs Camp came into the home of Benjamin and Emeline Hawley, December 9, 1836, being the sixth daughter and having two brothers. … Juliette Hawley taught successfully in the district schools of Newtown until February 11, 1863, when she became the bride of Hobart Blackman Camp. Of this union three children were born … As the years came to bow her physical form, still she maintained a love for and interest in the young, a spirit of helpfulness to all whom her life touched. … Since the death of her husband and because of increasing weakness in body and mind, special care was given in the home of Mr and Mrs George R. Wilson, where she quietly fell asleep, while faithful friends watched by her bedside. The funeral took place on Thursday at 1.30 p.m., from her late home, Rev J.L. Lasher, rector of Trinity church, officiating.

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WONDERFUL PORKER: Richard Brophy has a very valuable pig bought of George Robson. The price has not been made public. Mr Brophy is proud of his prize pig and has promised to exhibit it at the Danbury fair, Syracuse, N.Y., and the Eastern States show at Springfield, Mass.

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Harry Wilson of Zoar is ill with the grip.

January 21, 1898

H.D. Ward, who is now on the New York police force, called on Hawleyville friends last week.

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Arthur J. Wilson has had rather hard luck since he went to New Haven. Shortly after Christmas he fell from an express car to the platform, injuring himself so severely he was obliged to give up his position with the express company. Some time later while driving in New Haven with Oliver Northrop his horse became frightened at a trolley car and threw both of them out, bruising Mr Wilson quite severely.

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Taunton district has had an accession of three new families, two in the Drew place and one in the house with Mr Simons.

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Pootatuck Grange, Newtown, worked the third and fourth degrees on three candidates, Tuesday night. The installation of officers will occur at the next meeting.

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Monday, January 17, was a day of delightful surprise to Mr and Mrs C.H. Peck. It being the 50th anniversary of their marriage, they intended to celebrate it in a quiet manner, but in honor of the occasion, had an elaborate dinner prepared for their immediate family, which consists of Mr and Mrs Peck, their adopted son Arthur T. Nettleton, and their cousin Susan A. Fairchild. Mr and Mrs Peck were married January 17, 1848, by Rev Jason Atwater, then pastor of the Congregational church of Newtown. … There are still living in Newtown three guests who attended their wedding. Despite the efforts of Mr and Mrs Peck to have the date kept secret, many of their numerous friends had made a note of it, and sent congratulations accompanied with tokens of esteem and affection. The genuine surprise of the date was the arrival by the morning trains of friends from Stamford, Bridgeport, Danbury and New Milford. As usual Mrs Peck’s provident habit was equal to the emergency. The table was soon prepared for the unexpected guests and a merry company set down to enjoy a bountiful repast. At the conclusion of the dinner, three toasts were proposed. … The day closed delightfully and found Mr and Mrs Peck the possessors of many handsome and costly gifts.

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.