October 31, 1986

It was the morning of Monday, October 27, and Randy Hora, a woodworking teacher at Newtown High School was sitting in his truck at the end of Exit 11 on I-84, waiting to start another day of school. Looking to his left, to see when he could pull out, he was shocked at what he saw at the on-ramp of the interchange. A gasoline tanker, going down Mile Hill Road, at a speed that Mr Hora did not consider excessive, turned onto the rain-slickened ramp. The rear wheels of the tanker lifted up and, as Mr Hora said, “The truck just very gracefully tipped over. It made a little soft plunk.” The driver, 25-year-old Donald J. Triolo of Waterbury, got out of the cab. He walked over onto the grassy area between the on-ramp and off-ramp. At 7:51 am the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Company was called out. Gasoline was running down Mile Hill Road. It later was estimated at 3,900 gallons by Mike Capuano, an inspector for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

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Under a beautiful autumn moon, the Newtown High School marching band joined nine other area school bands recently in a crowd-pleasing evening at Danbury High School. At the Band Jamboree, band members entertained each other with musical selections and marching maneuvers.

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Ann Terrill, the newly elected president of Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity (SHOP), said she is bringing a “totally optimistic outlook” to her new position. “I think there really is very little we can’t do if we set our minds to it,” she said.

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On October 24, a shiny fire truck from the United Fire Company of Botsford pulled into the parking lot of Middle Gate School, where members of the company talked to kindergartners and first graders about fire safety. Firefighter Walter Joy demonstrated the air pack breathing apparatus for Pam Fagan’s morning kindergarten class, and Lt Pat Reilly and Lt John Kepler reminded the children not to play with matches.

November 3, 1961

William Mannix retired last Thursday after nearly 15 years with the Newtown Post Office, most of the time as a rural carrier. This Wednesday, he was sworn in as a deputy sheriff in a ceremony conducted in the office of sheriff William Burlant, by Superior Court Clerk Leo Campana.

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With the planting of five vibernums and two white flowering crabapple trees at the south entrance of A-Wing of the Newtown High School, the Garden Club of Newtown has completed its project of the landscaping of the original high school building. The landscaping of the school grounds was undertaken several years ago by the club as one of its first civic projects.

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Next week has been officially declared Connecticut School Lunch Week by Governor John Dempsey. In observance of the week, the same menu, planned by a committee of the Connecticut School Food Service Association and approved by the School Lunch Section of the State Department of Education will be served to 130,000 Connecticut school children from Monday though Friday. Students at the Sandy Hook School and the Newtown Senior and Junior High Schools, along with all the other children, will enjoy menus which will include servings of beef barbeque, Italian spaghetti, hamburg, and baked fish sticks.

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It is announced by the trustees of the Otto W. Heise foundation that the funds of the foundation have been increased to yield an award of $1,000 each year in the future. This award, made among members of the graduation class of Newtown High School, is based on science achievement, particularly in physics. The foundation’s first award was made last June. It was in the amount of $500 and was won by Martin Kretsch, who is now a freshman at Cornell University.

October 30, 1936

With the recent passing of Mrs Anne Sullivan Macy at Forest Hills, LI, teacher of the famous Helen Keller, goes one of the great mysteries of the world. Mrs Macy, nearly blind herself, was able during her life to teach Miss Keller, who is deaf, dumb, and blind, to read, write, an speak. She was 70 years old at the time of her death and lived with Miss Keller and a secretary, Miss Polly Thomson. Miss Keller kept almost constant watch at her bedside. At her death, Miss turned from her bedside and said, “My teacher has gone from me a little while, but I shall feel her presence anew when my eyes are blessed with light, my ears saved unto harmony, and my imprisoned light set free.”

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At the request of Dr Clifford H. Moore, superintendent of the Fairfield State Hospital, the State Highway Commission has installed rotary traffic at the entrance from the hospital drive onto the Bridgeport road, directly opposite the country club. The danger existing at this junction and the amount of traffic made the installation of this safety measure very essential.

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Dr Russell Strasburger, who has been affiliated with Dr C.H. Atkins in Bridgeport for the past six months is now located in town and may be reached at any time by calling Newtown 209, pending the erection of his new veterinary hospital, which is to be located in the South Center district. Ground was broken for the new building on Tuesday.

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The temperature dropped to 16 above in the Berkshire section of Newtown and 18 above in the Borough on Tuesday morning. It was the coldest October 27 in many years.

 

November 3, 1911

Last Saturday, the Newtown High school football team journeyed to Shelton and after a hard fought game succeeded in bringing home the bacon. The Newtown team should be commended for the showing it made, and the playing of Captains Bailey, Canfield, and Keane deserves special praise. The boys are slowly developing the team work necessary to turn out a winning combination and should make it interesting for Danbury next Wednesday afternoon.

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WANTED TO EXCHANGE: Will exchange a new piano or player piano for horse and carriage, or auto runabout. Auto preferred. Address Dealer, Care of Newtown Bee, Newtown, Conn.

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The formal task of “cutting in” the new route over the Tunnel, on the Berkshire division was completed on Sunday. The first train to pass over the new route was can train No. 558, George Warner conductor in Charge. The first passenger to pass over was Train No. 1651, John B. Mills conductor. The last train to pass through the old Berkshire tunnel was Passenger train No. 1550, north bound conductor Mills in charge. It has been a stupendous piece of work and has cost the railroad a big sum of money. The Highland division uses the same tunnel as before, which has been coated with cement overhead and on the sides.

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Hallowe’en pranks in Sandy Hook took on a disgraceful form, Tuesday night. A covered wagon belonging to Corbett & Crowe was dragged over Dayton street, to a point north of the Dayton bridge, where it was backed off into the pond. The sign over John H. Blackman’s market was stolen. A street lamp in front of Corbett & Crowe was taken and the railing to the steps outside of the building leading to the second floor was broken down. A post in Edward Troy’s building was torn down. Stones were thrown through the glass in the house formerly occupied by Jacob Dutcher. An RFD mail box was thrown into the street at Sandy Hook. In the Borough affairs were more quiet. Some boys took a chair and table and drew it up the flagpole 50 or 60 feet. No one objects to harmless fun, but the destruction of property, as in Sandy Hook, cannot be too strongly condemned. It is not complimentary to the boys or to the neighborhood.