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THE WAY WE WERE

JUNE 7, 1974

Starting with the next school year Newtown's 5th grade students will be taught

at the elementary schools instead of the Middle School. Up to 200 Newtowners

attended to approve the Board of Education's decision to purchase 15 portable

classroom units to house the 5th grade classes at Middle Gate, Hawley and

Sandy Hook schools to ease the over-crowded Middle School situation and to

avoid implementation of a double session system. The voters approved

overwhelmingly the appropriation of $198,400 to fund the portable purchase.

A meeting of the Charter Revision Commission was scheduled for Thursday, June

6, since the June 5 town meeting took place on the regular date; however, one

Commissioner had requested a postponement and it was uncertain at press time

whether the meeting would take place. More than one member hoped it wouldn't.

Weekly meetings since January have culminated in a stalemate on the key issue

of establishing a fiscal officer and brought out divergent philosophies on the

form Newtown government should take.

Through the efforts of the Newtown High School Athletic Boosters Club, 200

high school athletes, boys and girls, team managers and cheerleaders were

honored at a banquet attended by coaches, Chairman of the Board of Education

Dr Russell Strasburger, high school administrators and members of the Boosters

Club on Tuesday evening, June 4, in the high school cafeteria. Following

dinner awards were presented to outstanding athletes from individual sports

teams. Awarded among the boys were Peter Siczewicz, basketball and track; Lou

DeAngelis, soccer; Day DaRosa, cross country; Jack McLaughlin, wrestling;

Michael Newman, football and baseball; Ernie Glickman, swimming; Dan Fant,

golf; Kurt Becker, tennis. Taking honors for girls sports were Patricia Berls,

track; Donna Trosan, softball; Patricia Burns, swimming; Betsy Freeman,

tennis; Sharon Farrell, basketball and field hockey. The Harold DeGroat award,

which is presented annually by the Rotary Club to "that junior boy, who, in

addition to his athletic ability best meets the standards of physical

conditioning, sportsmanship and service to his school," was presented by

Principal Alvah Cramer to Wallace Randall. Runners up for the award were

Warren Allen and Jeff Cramer.

"It's a real coup," said Mrs Alfred Parrella of the contract just signed

between Newtown Meals on Wheels Inc and Fairfield Hills Hospital to provide

hot noontime meals for convalescents, the disabled and elderly shut-ins at a

cost of $1 a day.

First Selectman Frank DeLucia said the Board of Selectmen was impressed by the

amount of material the Selectmen's Route 25 Impact Study Committee has

gathered on the advisability of the proposed Route 25 expansion. The Route 25

Committee met with the Board in closed session on Tuesday, June 4, to review

the Committee's findings and the form of its final report.

The date of the public hearing on the proposed inland-wetland regulations has

been changed to Monday, June 24, said Theodore Whippie, chairman of the

Conservation Commission, at its meeting on June 5. The former date, June 20,

was not a full 35 days after the proposed regulations and wetland designation

maps had been filed. Consequently, to avoid even technical objections, and

under the advice of Town Counsel Robert Hall, the date was changed.

The Striders came home with two trophies and eight medals. The trophies were

for first place musical unit in the Junior Division and a first place for the

Color Guard. Lorraine Jossick received a first place medal for majorette.

Medals went to Steve DiGiovanni for bugle solo, Brian Swanhall and Steve

DiGiovanni for bugle duet and to Lisa Markle and Donna Morris for fife duet.

For lack of a quorum, the Board of Police Commissioners were unable to have an

official meeting on Monday evening, June 3, but the two Commissioners present,

Chairman George McLachlan and Alfred Karcheski, heard out a group of residents

of Pootatuck Park who came to see what the Police could do about making

routine patrols through the area and also enforcing certain regulations.

JUNE 10, 1949

This year's closing meeting of the Newtown Parent Teacher Association, which

was held at Hawley School Tuesday evening, proved to be a lively,

entertaining, and worthwhile finish to the season. All those who have watched

with pleasure the energetic and growing activities of the Association this

year under President L.E. Pelletier will be glad to know that he was

unanimously re-elected. The others elected to work with Mr Pelletier next year

are: vice presidents, Mrs Alexander McQuillan, Mrs Ellis Walker, and Joseph

Marin; secretary, Frederick Parr; treasurer, Edwin Storrs. The main

entertainment of the evening was music provided by the Boys Glee Club of

Hawley school under the direction of the music supervisor, William Jones, and

the Hawley Hayshakers under Joseph Ozanne. The members of the Glee Club are:

Kenneth Pelletier, James Pelletier, Paul Allen, Jack Bresson, Franklin Miller,

Ronnie Wagner, John Lorenzo, Millard Goodsell and Howson Willmore. Their able

accompanist is Jean Taylor.

Newtown's Blue Birds and Camp Fire Girls held a very successful play program

in the Alexandria Room, Edmond Town Hall last Friday night, under the

direction of their leaders, Mrs Ellwood Watkins and Mrs Austin E. Dinkler.

Three plays in which the actors showed the results of thorough training were

presented to a keenly interested audience. Polly Put the Kettle On (And We'll

All Have Tea!) by Peggy Fernway was offered by one group of Camp Fire Girls.

Playing the part of Polly was Kathleen McMahon, whose sixth appearance in the

annual presentations is possibly one of her very best.

At the monthly meeting of the Dodgingtown Fire Company held at the firehouse

on Monday of this week, Harold Dunleavy was elected chief for the ensuing

year. Other officers elected that evening are as follows: Kenneth Gilbert, Sr,

first assistant; John Morgan, second assistant; George L. May, secretary and

chief engineer; Stephen Danuszar, treasurer and captain; and John Kocet,

lieutenant. Also, Robert Popovitch, fire commissioner; Henry Wachsmuth,

trustee; David Wood and John Cochran, delegates to convention; Horace Smith

and Michael Krause, grievance committee; Michael Keating, Howard Underwood and

Michael Kondratiw, membership committee; Stephen Danuszar and Henry Wachsmuth,

entertainment committee; and Duncan Popovitch and Henry Wachsmuth, board of

finance.

The Rosary Society of St Rose church will hold its meeting Wednesday, June 15,

at 8 o'clock, at the St Rose Hall. A committee has been appointed to bring in

a slate of officers. Those serving on the committee are Mrs John J. Carmody,

Mrs Paul V. Cavanaugh, Mrs Fred Reiner and Mrs Hilda Braun.

Flag Day will be observed by the Newtown Rotary Club at its regular meeting

Monday at 6:15 in the Parker House. There will be a musical program by the

Boys' Glee Club of the Hawley school under direction of music supervisor

William Jones, with Jean Taylor at the piano. Members of the Glee Club are

Paul Allen, Ronald Wagner, Kenneth Pelletier, James Pelletier, Millard

Goodsell, Frank Miller, Jack Bresson, Howson Willmore and John Lorenzo.

Rotarian William K. Daniells will give a short talk on "the Stars and

Stripes." Edward V. Walsh, formerly of the Rotary Club of Queensborough, Long

Island, N.Y., has been elected a member of the local club.

Householders in Newtown are being asked to save box tops of Ivory Flakes and

Duz, and wrappers of Camay soap for the V.F.W. Auxiliary during June and July.

During the contest period, the Auxiliary receives one cent each for the box

tops and one-half cent each for the wrappers.

JUNE 6, 1924

The Parent-Teacher Association wishes to acknowledge the following donations

to its piano fund: A.T. Nettleton, $10; Mrs Esther Mills, $5; Max Schimmelman,

$2; George Stuart, $2; Mrs Frank Mitchell, $1; anonymous, $1. There is still

about $75 to be raised and further contributions will be appreciated.

The old part of St Rose's cemetery in Sandy Hook, which has been allowed to

grow wild for the past quarter of a century, has at last been nearly all

cleaned up. This spot has long been an eye-sore to the parishioners of St

Rose's and all other visitors to the cemetery. The credit for this work is due

to the men who responded to Father Regan's request for help. They are Thomas

J. Keane, Roy Meyers, Edward P. Talty, Patrick F. McMahon, John P. Kilbride,

John H. Keane, Thomas Levy, Matthew Leavy, Matthew Daly, Thomas Bailey, Sr,

Thomas Bailey, Jr, Michael P. Keating, M.F. Crowe, Edward Cassidy, William J.

Brew, Thomas Brew and John P. Hough.