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THE WAY WE WERE

NOVEMBER 2, 1973

The developers of the Fairfield County Shopping Mall, proposed for 32 acres on

Church Hill Road near Exit 10, are going to court to overturn the rejection of

their plans by the Planning & Zoning Commission. The developers, a group of

New York and New Jersey contractors, have filed an appeal of P&Z's decision in

the Fairfield County Court of Appeals in Bridgeport. At its September 28

meeting, P&Z unanimously rejected the application for a special exception to

allow the mall to be built in an M-5 zone. Speaking for P&Z, Attorney Robert

Hall said the mall and its parking lot would cover more than 70 percent of the

land, but Newtown's regulations limit this percentage to 50. He also said the

railroad bridge underpass would create an unsafe condition for the volume of

traffic entering and exiting the mall. The hearing date for the appeal has

been set for November 20.

One of the most beautiful views in Newtown, from the top of Castle Hill, will

be preserved because of a gift of 23 acres of land there to the Newtown Forest

Association (NFA) from Howard T. Nettleton. NFA Secretary Tom Cheney said the

land is the most important gift ever received by the association. William

Watts, president, invited association members to volunteer for a committee to

study the land and determine the best way to use it. Until a few years ago,

the slope was kept clear by pasturing Andrew Sedor's cows on it. But since his

herd was reduced, Mr Sedor has found it impractical to bring his cows there

and a lot of brush and young tree growth has developed. The land will revert

to forest if not cut back soon, Mr Cheney said.

Stephen Sauter, second assistant chief of Newtown Hook & Ladder Company No 1,

died of a heart attack while fighting a blaze that destroyed a small cottage

on Gray's Plain Road in Sandy Hook on Halloween night. The Sandy Hook

Volunteer Fire Company, assisted by Hook & Ladder, fought a blaze which is

believed to be of suspicious origin. No one was in the building when the fire

broke out. The cottage is owned by a Bridgeport resident.

The Bee learned this week of the death of Harold S. DeGroat, director of

physical education in the Newtown schools from 1944 to 1963 and the town's

recreation director. "Coach" DeGroat died on March 24 at the age of 80 in

Wilmington, Del., where he had been hospitalized for several years. Death came

as the result of a fall and broken hip. News of his death was passed on to The

Bee by Millard Goodsell, who read of it in a notice in the Springfield College

Bulletin. During his many years in Newtown, Coach DeGroat helped organize and

coach town teams and arranged "Sports Night" programs for the boys and girls

and recreational activities for young people. Every year since his retirement,

the Harold S. DeGroat Award has been given in his honor to an outstanding

athlete from the high school. He is survived by two sons, who also became

athletic directors, and their families.

Teachers from the Newtown school system demonstrated for more money and less

budget cuts on Thursday night before the annual parents' open house at the

high school. A spokesman for the teachers said the purpose of the rally was to

gather together the teachers and members of the community behind a united

effort to maintain quality education in Newtown. Parent reaction to the

demonstration was mixed, with some parents showing support for the teachers,

others not expressing an opinion, and others saying they considered the

demonstration to be in bad taste. In addition to displaying posters, the

teachers handed out papers which criticized the school board for failure to

support school programs, failure to address overcrowding, a teacher salary

scale which is at the bottom in Fairfield County, and other issues.

Seth O.L. Brody of 65 Main Street mailed more than 7,000 letters to Newtown

residents this week inviting them to attend a public meeting on the subject of

the planned new Route 25. The meeting on November 8 in the middle school is

sponsored by Newtown's newest civil action group, Environmental Study and

Protection Inc., of which Mr Brody is president. At a meeting at the Sandy

Hook firehouse on Sunday, some 25 residents volunteered to help prepare the

mailing and to make follow-up phone calls.

Sen Edmund Muskie, D-Maine, formulator and backer of a $24 million clean air

bill, was in Newtown this week where he decried President Nixon's impoundment

of $18 billion of the funds which the bill authorized to be spent on clean

air. Speaking to the Housatonic Valley Association in the Newtown High School,

Sen Muskie said the President's actions not only violated the law but also put

local towns and governments in the position of not complying with the law

because they don't have the necessary funds. The bill, the 1972 Clean Air and

Water Acts, has not enjoyed presidential support from the beginning, enacted,

as it was, over a presidential veto. The bill has a target date of 1985 for

the elimination of pollutant discharges into the nation's waters and calls for

area-wide waste treatment plants.

Leilani O'Neil, who resigned as assistant dog warden three weeks ago, said

this week that a meeting will be held in Edmond Town Hall on November 6 to

determine whether there are enough people interested in forming a Newtown

Animal Welfare Society. The purpose of the organization, she said, will be to

get animals their necessary shots, spay and neuter them, and put them up for

adoption.

NOVEMBER 5, 1948

Harry S. Truman, whom everyone except Harry S. Truman had dislodged from the

White House in pre-election polls and predictions, came out the victor in one

of the biggest political upsets in US history in this week's election. Not

only did Truman return to the presidency, the Democratic party gave him a

solid and comfortable majority in both Senate and House. Down to defeat went

Thomas E. Dewey, New York governor, who four years ago had a similar, if less

spectacular fate, when he was defeated for the presidency by four-term

President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In Connecticut, Chester Bowles, the

Democratic candidate for governor, won out over the Republican incumbent James

C. Shannon.

A record vote was cast in Tuesday's national and state election in Newtown,

when 2,417 of a total registration of 2,801 voters went to the polls. The

national and state candidates on the Republican ticket were supported 2-1 over

the Democrats. Incumbent Republican Congressman John Davis Lodge received the

high vote of 1,577 for re-election in the Fourth District. For the State House

of Representatives, both of Newtown's Republicans -- Newton M. Curtis and

George M. Stuart -- were elected, Mr Stuart defeating incumbent Democrat John

Holian, and Mr Curtis topping Democrat A. Fenn Dickinson. Probate Court Judge

Paul V. Cavanaugh, a Democrat, was nominated by both parties in his bid for

re-election.

The future of the Regional School District No 3 was in Superior Court,

Waterbury, this week when evidence was presented in the injunction proceedings

of 14 taxpayers who oppose construction of the proposed regional high school

for Newtown, Southbury, Woodbury and Bethlehem. No action was taken, however,

and the session adjourned until this Thursday morning. Three witnesses, Robert

B. O'Connor, architect from New York; Robert Clark of Newtown, former chairman

of the Region 3 school board, and current chairman William K. Daniells all

testified. No indication was given whether the court will ask for closing

arguments or whether it will send the case to a higher court.

A meeting of the Regional School District No 3 board was held on Wednesday

evening in Southbury and the following officers were elected: William K.

Daniells, chairman; Mrs Julia Schielke, secretary, and Ross, Newell,

treasurer. Robert Clark of Newtown, who had previously been chairman, declined

to serve in that position for another term. All board members were present

including Walter Glover, the new member from Newtown. Mr Glover replaced Mrs

Russell Strasburger who had been appointed to fill the unexpired term of Dr

Benton Egee.

The Newtown Board of Assessors and Board of Selectmen have signed a contract

with the New England Survey Service, Inc., and E.T. Wilkins & Associates of

Boston, Mass., low bidders, for the first professional tax evaluation to be

done in Newtown. The stipulated price is $22,068, and it is expected to be

completed by the middle of June 1949. Aerial maps will first be produced by

the Fairfield Aerial Surveys, Inc.

A seven-year-old Bridgeport child was killed instantly on Saturday when she

fell from the rear seat of her father's car into the path of an oncoming car

driven by a Newtown resident. The accident occurred a short distance south of

Dead Man's Curve on Route 25. At the time, the Bridgeport family was on its

way to Lake Mahopac, N.Y. The husband and wife were in the front seat of their

car; their four children and a family dog were in the back seat. Police said

the other driver was unable to avoid striking the child when she tumbled out

of the car onto the roadway.

No sooner had The Bee written an article about how vandalism has decreased on

Hallowe'en in recent years than the town experienced a considerable amount of

damage at the hands of pranksters. Mrs Edward Kodet of Taunton District

reported that her old farm lantern on the Dun Romin sign was stolen and a

wagon wheel dating from the Civil War was demolished. The rope on the flagpole

of the Huntington school was cut and the outhouse at the Dodgingtown school

was pushed over. The signs on Dr Henry Roger's place on Walnut Tree Hill were

mutilated and other signs on the road were carried off. It also was reported

that the Irvin, Hoppin, Labbate and Parmalee Hill Road signs had been left in

a pile on the front lawn of Paul Smith's house on Main Street.

Mrs Frank Wright, who used to live on The Boulevard, came to the Parker House

this week with her brother, Frank L. Wright of Stockertown, Penna., and her

son, Frank L. Wright. Josephine Wright now lives in Stamford. Frank said he

used to belong to the dancing class that met in the Parker House dining room

every Saturday afternoon.