five pg 1 2-23-23
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Five to join
PHS Wall
of Honor
The Putnam High School Wall of Honor Committee has released the names of the five individuals who will make up the class of 2023.
Established in 2016, the “Wall” honors PHS graduates or those who provided service to the school through career achievements, leadership positions, high standards of citizenship and contributions to their community.
This sixth class of inductees includes: Abbie Keith, Class of 1903; William St.Onge Sr., Class of 1932; Peter Leasca, mid-1940s; Donald St.Onge, Class of 1971; and, Kevin Rice, Class of 1988. Keith, St. W. Onge and Leasca are posthumous recipients.
Keith, the valedictorian of her class, is probably best remembered for her 42 years of teaching at Putnam High and becoming the first Dean of Women. However, she was a recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa Key upon her graduation from Woman’s College of Brown, now known as Pembroke College. A driving force in the establishment of Putnam Public Library, she also chaired its recovery efforts after the Flood of 1955. Her overall service to the Putnam community brought town-wide recognition in 1964.
William St. Onge practiced law in Putnam for 22 years. He began his political career in 1941 when he was elected to represent Putnam in the State Legislature, returning to that position after serving in the Army Air Corp. In 1961 he was elected as Putnam’s 22nd. mayor, before becoming the first Putnam resident to serve as Congressman from the 2nd District of Connecticut from 1963 until 1970. He served as Director of Putnam Redevelopment following the Flood of 1955.
Leasca’s Putnam High years were disrupted by WWII when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Upon his return to Putnam, he finished high school and graduated from Bryant University in 1949, His career path started in Worcester as an engineer before he transitioned into a stockbroker in 1966 and eventually became president and founder of the Worcester Stockbrokers Association. Upon his death in 2017, the City of Worcester ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the man for his community contributions.
Donald St. Onge is being recognized as a health care provider along with his numerous contributions to organizations and committees in the Putnam community and surrounding area. A nursing career, which started in 1978, led to several administrative positions in numerous local hospitals culminating as vice president of Day Kimball Healthcare. His community involvement includes past president of QVCC Foundation and a two-year term as mayor of Putnam.
Rice refers to himself as a self-styled art therapist who provides breaks for children with a variety of illnesses and conditions. He is the Regional Manager of the Hospital Outreach Program in Boston where he leads a team of professionals and clinics throughout New England. Rice is also manager and artist in Residence for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. In 2011 he was presented the One Hundred Award from Mass General Hospital for outstanding service to the cancer community.
This class will bring the total number of honored individuals to 30. While annual choices have been difficult and tough decisions have had to be made, the Committee feels that those honored to date have all proven themselves in their respective fields and their communities. It also provides a reminder for present students that a quality education at Putnam High School can be a positive springboard to an outstanding career.
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Stopping pg 1 2-23-23
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caption, page 2:
Eroded
The banks of the Quinebaug River in Simonzi Park. The town is coming up with a nature-based design to fix the erosion problem. Linda Lemmon photo.
Stopping
erosion of
the river
bank
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — Having received comments from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently, the town feels it is on the right track with its proposed design to solve the long-standing erosion problem at Simonzi Park.
Town Administrator Elaine Sistare said the town hopes that by spring they might have 30 percent of the design phase completed — enough to start moving toward a formal permit application for the project. Currently the town is in a pre-application phase for the project.
Ten years ago the town proposed heavy rip rap as a solution to the extensive bank erosion along the Quinebaug River at the park. But, Sistare said, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is in charge of the river, did not approve the plan. They believed, she said, that that type of repair would just “push the problem downstream.”
The Board of Selectmen had approved using some of the town’s American Rescue Act Plan funding to start the design phase of a plan that would pass muster with the Corps.
The design being developed is “nature based,” Sistare said. It would involve a gentle sloping-back of the shore instead of trying to shore up the drop off there now. She added the plan being developed also calls for a “pollinator meadow” type buffer instead of the grass that’s near the shore now. That type of native vegetation will hold the soil near the shore better than grass would. In addition, she said the plan, as it stands now, calls for “designated fishing piers” instead of anyone fishing at any spot along the shore.
She hopes that by spring that “perhaps we can begin some part of it.”
It will likely be a multi-phase, expensive effort as the bank erosion actually runs all the way up toward the Kennedy Drive-Rt. 44 intersection.
The worst erosion is at Simonzi Park but there are several areas of the river bank up toward that intersection which also need attention.
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menus pg 2 2-23-23
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Monday and Tuesday - Winter Break - Woodstock, Putnam
Woodstock Elementary/Middle
Wednesday: Popcorn chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots, fruit. Thursday - half-day - elementary; Mini corn dogs, fruit.; Middle: No lunch. Friday: Pizza, zucchini, fruit.
Putnam Elementary/Middle
Wednesday: Grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, cheddar Goldfish crackers, fruit. Thursday - 2-hour delay: Popcorn chicken potato bowls, corn. Friday: Pizza, salad.
Putnam High
Cheesy Beef Tot-Chos or chicken Caesar wraps. Thursday - two-hour delay: Roasted herb chicken or calzone pizza boli. Friday: Stuffed-crust pizza or pepperoni stromboli.
Pomfret Community
Every day: Fresh fruit and vegetables. Alt. Hamburger. Monday: Cheese quesadilla. Tuesday: Teriyaki meatballs, brown rice, broccoli. Wednesday: Chicken patty waffle sandwiches. Thursday: Chicken pot pie. Friday: Pizza.
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lovett pg 3 2-23-23
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Lovett to head
bank branch
PUTNAM — Brett Lovett recently joined Jewett City Savings Bank as branch manager of the Putnam office.
Before joining Jewett City Savings Bank, Lovett served as branch manager of CorePlus Credit Union’s Plainfield branch for five years, and three years before that served as a branch employee.
Lovett and his family live in N. Grosvenordale where they enjoy spending time with family and friends. Lovett is a member of the Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce and continuously seeks opportunities for community involvement.
“We are delighted to welcome Brett to Jewett City Savings Bank. With his experience and strong dedication to the community, he will bring a wealth of knowledge and support to our customers,” said Michael Alberts, president and CEO.
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