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THE WAY WE WERE

DECEMBER 28, 1973

George Mattegat Sr of Sandy Hook started work as assistant dog warden on

Monday, December 17, according to Sgt Michael Fekete of the Newtown Police

Department. Mr Mattegat will be working full-time 9-5 Monday through Friday

picking up strays in a fully equipped canine car and depositing them at the

Newtown Animal Clinic, the town's temporary dog pound. On weekends, he will be

available for emergency calls only.

Benson A. Snaider, attorney for the Boggs Hill Group, former owners of the

Boyle property on Boggs Hill Road, has sent a letter to town counsel Robert

Hall stating he does not agree with the opinion of three Newtown lawyers

saying the referendum on the Boyle property as the site for a new school was

illegal. The question of whether or not the opinions of attornies David

Chipman, William Lavery and Harold Schwartz is correct has not yet been

decided. A legal opinion must be given by the town counsel and he has not

rendered one yet.

More than 150 questionnaires have been returned so far by Newtown residents to

the Board of Selectmen. So far, the most popular issues have been town

purchase of open space, more extensive use of schools for recreational

programs, and establishment of a housing authority to obtain state funds for

elderly housing.

Last week was a lulu weatherwise in the state, and Newtown had some of the

worst the heavens had to offer. After the ice storm broke trees and branches

all over town, the thick ice finally was washed away but the rain which did

the job caused more problems by flooding roads, back yards, and basements.

Newtown's road crews spent the weekend repairing a number of dirt roads that

were washed out by the storm. These included Pootatuck Park Road, Bennetts

Bridge, Lakeview Terrace, Pond Bridge Road and Ox Hill Road.

On the day before Christmas, cars were lined up in both directions on Church

Hill Road, waiting to get to the pumps at Holcomb's gas station. Sales were

limited to eight gallons per customer which left a number of cars thirsting

for more. Most station owners expect relief in January, when they get their

monthly allotment of fuel. Some residents are talking about forming car pools

to get to and from work.

Steven Kellogg stopped by The Bee to drop off four new books that he has

illustrated including one, The Island of the Skog , that he wrote and

illustrated. The story is a delightful one about a migrating band of city mice

who flee the car-filled streets and cat-ridden alleys of the big town to find

a quieter life on a deserted island. The story is a delightful one but its

enchantment is accented by Mr Kellogg's wonderful illustration. As usual they

are full of subtle little funnies tucked away in odd corners of each page, and

this knack of his of producing the little funnies is what makes his books so

enjoyable to the kids.

Road Superintendent Ed Napier reports that a great deal of rubbish was left at

the town's landfill when it was closed on Christmas Day. Mr Napier said that

when people leave refuse at the landfill after hours or when it is closed, an

unsanitary and unhealthy situation arises. He said he is looking into the

feasibility of having the police check the landfill for illegal dumpers during

off hours.

Christmas day turned out to be an unhappy one for the David Halpern family of

Aunt Park Lane when their home was badly damaged by fire. The family was not

at home when the fire broke out; the call came into the switchboard at 1:30 pm

from a next door neighbor. Mr Halpern arrived home shortly after the call.

Volunteer firemen from three companies were at the scene until 5 pm that day.

Chief Jack Tremblay of Dodgingtown said the fire was well underway when the

volunteers first arrived on the scene. They made use of a next-door swimming

pool as a water source. According to Chief Trembly, it is believed the fire

started in the kitchen area. Heavy damage was reported to the kitchen, dining

area, laundry room and some bedrooms. The rest of the house received a good

deal of water and smoke damage.

DECEMBER 31, 1948

The winners in this year's Christmas Doorway Decoration Contest in Newtown

were selected on Tuesday afternoon and evening by members of the Pomperaug

Valley Garden Club who served as judges. In Class I decorated doorways judged

by daylight, Mr and Mrs George McLachlan on The Boulevard placed first, Mr and

Mrs Robert Stokes of Sandy Hook placed second and Mr and Mrs Fred Sorenson on

South Main Street were third. In the two evening divisions, Mr and Mrs J.M.

Wyatt of Dodgingtown placed first in the decorated doorway, while Mr and Mrs

Fred Sorenson were second and Mr and Mrs Mills Waggoner of Main Street were

third. In the category of general effect of the house and grounds, Mr and Mrs

Knibloe of Taunton placed first, Mr and Mrs Robert Stokes of Sandy Hook were

second, and Dr and Mrs Richmond Stephans of Taunton were third. Prizes of $5

and $3 were presented by The Bee for the first two places, while Third

Selectman James Brunot gave each third-place winners one of his Scrabble word

games.

Directors of the Regional Education Association representing Newtown,

Bethlehem, Woodbury and Southbury, voted at a meeting held on December 27 to

raise $2,000 to conduct a "Build the Regional School" campaign in all four

towns. The fund will be raised by membership fees and contributions from

people who are anxious to support the regional plan. David Steele Hart of

Bethlehem, chairman of the finance committee, will direct the fund-raising

campaign and will be aided by Mrs Gould Curtis of Sandy Hook, George Hatch of

Bethlehem, Ernest Lawton of Woodbury and Carleton Tyler of Southbury.

Immediate plans include a weekly newsletter that will be mailed to residents

in all four towns and the production of a documentary movie which will be

shown before local groups and will compare local schools with those in other

districts.

On January 4 an important meeting of the Newtown Parent Teacher Association

will be held at Hawley school to discuss the possibility of setting up a hot

lunch program at the school after completion of the new addition. At present

the Sandy Hook school is the only one at which it is practicable to have lunch

served to the children. The Visiting Nurse Association feels that it has been

most beneficial to the health of the children who have had the lunches. L.E.

Pelletier, president of the PTA, said committees will be formed at this

meeting to investigate the possibilities of having such a program at Hawley

school.

The more than 30 young people who took off for three days of skiing in New

Hampshire on Sunday returned to town about 8 o'clock Wednesday night, all

reporting to have had a fine time although there was no snow for skiing. They

did manage to get in some ice skating in and around Francestown, their

headquarters during the trip. The Rev Paul Cullens was the leader of the group

and transported some members of the party. The other drivers were Ted Hamlin,

William Waterhouse, Hoyt Johnson, James Bowen, and Roland Geiger.

Newtown friends were shocked to learn of the sudden death of Clinton A. Hyatt,

63, resident of the Hanover district and superintendent of the Fabric Fire

Hose Company. In his customary health early Wednesday, he had driven his car

to the center of Newtown to deliver his daughter, Miss Lillian Hyatt, to the

bus stop. After spending some time at Dickinson's Garage, Mr Hyatt went on to

the Sandy Hook post office and it was there, as he was about to re-enter his

car, that he suffered the fatal coronary attack. Employed by the Fabric Fire

Hose Company for many years, Mr Hyatt came to Newtown when the company moved

its plant here from Warwick, N.Y. He is survived by his wife and daughter. His

daughter is employed as private secretary to the president of the University

of Bridgeport.

Mrs Edith C. Parker, owner of the Parker House hotel, and the holders of an

option on the property, John D. Gerald and Charles R. Hamilton, have filed an

application to make alterations to the present property to provide for a

number of offices and shops. The outside of the building will likewise undergo

changes, if approved, for the petitioners desire to remove the present

two-story porch, redesign the doorway and restore the building to its original

Victorian type architecture.

John Hansen, proprietor of the Pines Inn on Route 25, will be the chairman of

the 1949 commitee for the infantile paralysis drive here. In announcing the

appointment of Mr Hansen, Judge Paul V. Cavanaugh, Fairfield County chairman

of the March of Dimes campaign, stressed the importance of making this

campaign a complete success. Mr Hansen is expected to name his complete local

committee in the near future. The drive is going to start on January 12 and

run through January 31.

Of particular interest to residents of Newtown is the story of life in France

by Rose C. Feld of Taunton district which appeared in last Sunday's issue of

This Week, the magazine supplement to the New York Herald Tribune. Miss Feld

reported on the post-war problems of food, shelter and clothing that are

causing bitterness, resentment and unrest throughout the whole country of

France. Although rents are frozen by law, clothing is now out of reach of the

average person and consequently they are worn to the last shred of decency. A

black market is flourishing because food proper food is so hard to come by.