robert pg 5 11-17-22
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Robert “Bob” St. Onge
Robert “Bob” St. Onge served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean war. He was drafted and entered the Army on March 17, 1951, and was honorably discharged in March 1953.
Bob served 18 of his 24-month hitch as an infantryman in the 28th Division of the 109th Infantry, known as the “Bloody Bucket,” in Augsburg, Germany just outside of Munich. He served shortly after WWII, during the time when tensions with the Russians in Germany were at their peak.
He received his basic training at Camp Atterbury in Indiana and went on to advanced infantry training at Fort Bragg. While in Germany, Bob was an integral part of his unit’s “boxing team,” representing his unit in bouts throughout Germany.
Bob is the sixth of nine St. Onge children. He was married to his wife, Beryl, who passed away in 1999, following 47 years of marriage. He later met and was with Terri his significant other for 20 years until her death in 2020.
After returning from his military commitment in 1953, Bob returned to Putnam and worked for Rogers Corporation for five years, before moving on to a 31-year career with American Standard as a mold maker.
Bob has been a member of the Mayotte-Viens American Legion Post #13 for more than 60 years. He served two terms as Post Commander, from 1968 through 1970. He led the Post through its 50th Anniversary in 1969. He later went on to serve as the commander of District #4 in 1971-72. He is also a member of the Albert J. Breault VFW Post #1523 of Putnam. He’s a member of the Quinebaug Valley Senior Citizens Club in Brooklyn
from pg 1 11-23-22
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captions on page 4:
Clockwise from top:
Captain Joshua Jones and Debbie White of the Salvation Army, Interact Co-Advisor Roberta Rocchetti; Emily St. Martin, Caitlin Mercer and Eoin Mercer of the Interact Club; Missy Meyers, president of the Putnam Rotary Club.
Putnam Police loading TEEG truck
Putnam's finest are almost dwarfed by their successful food collection.
Salvation Army Band
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From every corner
of the Quiet Corner
--- generosity
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
The Quiet Corner? Maybe. But Debbie White of the Salvation Army wondered out loud, perhaps it should be “Philanthropic Corner.”
From every corner of the Quiet Corner, food, money, toys and more comes pouring out of residents to help those less fortunate.
Bell ringing -- 25 years later
Nov. 19 White helped kick off the Putnam Rotary Club’s Interact Club 25th anniversary of bell ringing for the Salvation Army. Interact Club co-advisor Roberta Rocchetti said in 25 years the Interact Club has raised $233,200.
Local high school students will be ringing the bells from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 25 and 26 and Dec. 3, 10, and 17 at Putnam Supermarket, Walmart, Price Chopper and Stop and Shop in Putnam.
Schools taking part include thus far are: Putnam High School, Killingly High School, Tourtellotte Memorial High School and the Woodstock Academy.
Also taking part is technology. The classic Red Kettle can now “tap” and handle credit cards and technologies like Google Pay.
At the kickoff, complete with the Salvation Army Band playing Christmas carols, Interact President Emily St. Martin thanked everyone for their help in “making a positive difference in our community.”
Putnam Mayor Barney Seney called the amount raised in 25 years a “big piece of change.” “People say youth does nothing. Just look around and see what the youth is doing. Today’s youth is not lost.”
White emphasized the importance of what the club members have done/will be doing. Saying that 90 percent of the money raised stays local, she said: “Lives are being changed. Families are being restored.”
Captain Joshua Jones, Divisional Youth secretary for the Salvation Army, said the Red Kettle began in San Francisco in 1891 as a way to feed 1,000 people. “Keep the pot boiling” was the mantra. By the end of the 1890s thousands were being helped across the country and now millions are being helped beyond that. “This is our chance to show love beyond,” he said.
Putnam Rotary Club President Missy Meyers presented the Interact Club a check for $500.
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'Amazed at the generosity'
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Food drives are one of the Quiet Corner’s specialties and each year the numbers climb.
From corner to corner food drives are very successful. And the toy drives are just gearing up.
The Putnam Business Association’s eighth Thanksgiving Dinner drive is likely to beat last year’s total collected of $8,500.
“Holiday drives” numbered in the dozens in the Quiet Corner.
The state police collected food and donations as well as local police departments.
One of many efforts, the Putnam Police Department’s annual Handcuff Hunger food and donation drive, “did pretty well considering the current economic times,” said Police Chief Christopher D. Ferace.
A good number of Putnam Police Department members collected all the fixings for Thanksgiving dinners and money over two days in front of the Price Chopper in Putnam. Ferace said they collected 164 turkeys, 18 chickens and 12 hams and “hundreds if not thousands of pounds of consumables to compliment the turkey dinners.”
In addition, he said, they collected $2,629 in cash and gift cards to be split between Daily Bread and TEEG.
He added: “I would consider our Handcuff Hunger Thanksgiving food drive very successful. I probably sound like a broken record, but again I am amazed at the generosity of Putnam and the surrounding northeast communities. I cannot thank people enough for their generosity. It is truly heartwarming!”
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holiday pg 1 11-23-22
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PUTNAM — The Holiday Dazzle Light Parade Committee says all systems are go for the 21st annual Holiday Dazzle Light Parade Nov. 27 in downtown Putnam.
The 21st annual Holiday Dazzle Light Parade will step off at 5 p.m. Nov. 27th, at the Grove Street monument and will follow Grove Street, merging right onto South Main Street, left onto Front Street (through the center of downtown Putnam), right onto Kennedy Drive (at Cargill Falls) and will travel past Rotary Park and Riverfront Commons on Kennedy Drive, taking a right onto Providence Street and will end at the Putnam Municipal Complex at the corner of Providence and School streets.
The rain date is Dec. 4.
This year, Rawson Materials and the Putnam Rotary Club will be honored as Grand Marshals. Rawson Materials is celebrating its 75th year and the Putnam Rotary Club will be celebrating its 100th anniversary.
The starting line is at the Grove Street monument and entries will start lining up at 2 p.m. on parade day. The staging area is from Grove Street to Killingly Avenue.
Once again this year, the parade committee will present a “litter-free parade.” Before the parade begins, an army of volunteers from Green Valley Church of Putnam will hand out trash bags donated by The Last Green Valley. At the conclusion of the parade, volunteers will walk the parade route, picking up trash bags from the crowd and depositing the bags into a Town of Putnam Public Works truck.
The parade is produced by the Town of Putnam, Green Valley Crossing and WINY Radio.
For more information, contact Gary Osbrey at 860-928-1350 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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thanksgiving pg 1 11-23-22
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Thanksgiving
Day football
beckons for
Centaurs
It’s one of those high school traditions unique to the Northeast. High school football games on Thanksgiving Day.
“It’s special to play on Thanksgiving Day,” said Woodstock Academy athletic director and football coach Sean Saucier. “There are inconveniences that come along with it, obviously, for a lot of people but when you stop and think of the tradition and that it’s for the kids. Hopefully, we are giving them an experience they will not forget. Certainly when you are a senior and play on Thanksgiving Day – you do not forget it.”
The Centaurs will finish up the regular season against ECC and local rival, Killingly, at home.
Sort of. Due to the parking issues if the game was played at the Bentley Athletic Complex, the game will instead be played at Nichols College in Dudley at 10:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving.
“It’s going to be great for the kids and it’s exciting for us, too. (Woodstock Academy Director of Alumni Relations) Brad Favreau has put a lot of time into organizing the whole thing and meeting with Nichols College and it has been gracious in its accommodations for us. It’s really neat and I think it will be a better experience for everyone than trying to cram in at Bentley. It’s something new and, hopefully, it will be memorable,” Saucier said.
Tickets must be purchased online at https://gofan.co/app/school/CT17520 .
The game will be broadcast live on woodstockacademy.org/live and the Woodstock Academy Athletics Facebook page.
The Centaurs come in with a 4-5 record while Killingly is 8-1.
“They’re one of the top 10 teams in the state but it’s nothing new for us. We know how to rally and prepare. We had a team meeting (Thursday) to put Enfield (a 42-19 loss last Wednesday in the completion of a suspended game) behind us and focus on Thanksgiving. We will be there, will compete and will try to win a football game,” Saucier said.
The problem with stopping Killingly is multi-faceted. Saucier remembers a time when if an opponent could contain the Killingly running game, it had a good chance of doing well.
Not so anymore. Killingly quarterback Thomas Dreibholz has completed 72 percent of his passes (1,346 yards) this season and thrown for 24 touchdowns.
Ben Jax has been his favorite target as the senior has reeled in 14 of those touchdown passes and has 25 catches in total for 811 yards this season.
That goes without mentioning running back Soren Reif who has rushed for 1,517 yards and 22 scores.
“It’s a lot to take into account but we’ve played a lot of good teams with a lot of good players so you just have to play sound defense, tackle, and probably take some calculated risks and let the chips fall where they may,” Saucier said.
Woodstock Academy counters with a strong passing game as junior Teddy Richardson has thrown for 1,442 yards this season and 13 touchdowns.
His favorite target has been senior Carter Saracina who has made 33 catches for 765 yards and eight scores.
Lucas Theriaque has 24 catches and a pair of scores while Brandon Nagle has reeled in 15 passes and scored three times.
The running game will have to be solid for Woodstock as it has been inconsistent this season.
Trevor Savoie leads the Centaurs with 351 yards rushing, Richardson is next at 343.
Centaurs fall to Enfield in completion of suspended game
Woodstock took care of some unfinished business last week as the suspended game with non-league opponent, Enfield, was completed.
The game began on Sept. 9 but was suspended when Woodstock quarterback Braiden Saucier suffered a medical emergency.
Fortunately, the senior was back on the sidelines Nov. 16, but the Eagles proved to be a bit too much for the Centaurs as the Class LL school posted the 42-19 victory.
For coach Sean Saucier, Braiden’s father, while it was a loss, it was important to finish up.
“From the team aspect, going to Enfield, seeing that team and being able to talk to their coaches, the same officials and some of the same medical crew- it was a very nice experience,” Saucier said. “It was good to go there and get some closure to the whole event. That’s what it did for our players, their players, my family, and a lot of the workers. A lot of people experienced what happened. The officials and medical staff were pretty affected by the whole thing so it was nice to see familiar faces again, see smiles and give hugs. It was a nice way to wrap up that whole experience.”
The game, because it was suspended, began in an unusual fashion.
The Centaurs, who slipped to 4-5 with the loss, trailed, 14-7, with seven seconds left in the first quarter.
Prior to the suspension of the game, Enfield quarterback Christian Benvenuto found receiver Nick D’Onofrio with an 11-yard touchdown pass in the first offensive series for the Eagles (2-7). Austin Amlaw tied the game for the Centaurs on a 5-yard run.
But the Eagles went up before the end of the quarter when Arthur D’Onofrio won a battle for the football on a pass and raced down the sidelines for a 20-yard pick-6.
Enfield ran one play last week and the first quarter was over.
“We blinked and it was halftime. It was a very quick second quarter on top of the odd start,” Saucier said. “They ran a bubble screen and the next thing you know, they were flipping the chains. It was a Wednesday night, a really odd night, there wasn’t a huge crowd. From a football perspective, the whole thing was a little bizarre.”
Enfield picked up where it left off when the game resumed.
Benvenuto led the Eagles downfield on their first offensive possession and scored on an 8-yard run .
Woodstock had to punt on its first two possessions following the resumption but had Enfield backed up on its own 7-yard line.
Unfortunately for the Centaurs, Nick D’Onofrio, operating out of the Wildcat, scrambled out of contain, found a lane down the right sideline and outran the defense for a 93-yard score which gave the Eagles a 28-7 lead at halftime.
“That was the backbreaker,” Saucier said. “It was 3rd-and-25 from (the 7-yard line) but the fastest kid on the field got the ball and gets a little space and you can’t catch him. You have to tackle him early and we didn’t. It was a smart play by them; put the ball in your best player’s hands and let him go.”
The Centaurs answered in their first possession of the second half with quarterback Teddy Richardson (10-for-15 passing, 185 yards) finding Seamus McDermott for a 32-yard strike to the Enfield 31. Three running plays later, the Centaurs faced a 4th-and-1 and converted when Richardson hit Lucas Theriaque (3 catches, 33 yards) with a 20-yard pass to the 2-yard line.
McDermott finished off the drive with a 2-yard score out of the Wildcat formation.
Enfield answered with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Benvenuto in the third quarter and he added a 5-yard scoring strike in the fourth.
The Centaurs finished up the scoring when Carter Saracina (7 catches, 137 yards) got open down the left sideline and Richardson hit him with a 25-yard pass with 7:02 left to play.
Enfield held on to the football for the remainder of the contest.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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