fall pg 1 11-24-21
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Perfect Fall Snap Shot
Shadows and golden leaves on a crisp fall day in Pomfret. Linda Lemmon photo.
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foundation pg 1 11-24-21
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captions, page 6:
The new scoreboard for the swimmers at the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center that was funded with a grant from the Putnam Area Foundation.
Tom Borner of the Putnam Area Foundation holding the knit cap the swimmers gave him.
The Hale Y Riptides swim team also made a "handmade" thank you card for the Putnam Area Foundation.
Foundation
'scores' for
Y swimmers
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — When he saw the wire dangling on the wall at the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center, Thomas Borner knew he had to fix the problem.
The wire dangles no more. The Putnam Area Foundation donated $31,500 for a scoreboard and state-of-the-art timing system for the swim team.
At the dedication of the scoreboard and timing system Nov. 20, the Putnam Area Foundation’s Borner said swimming is near and dear to his heart. In fact, he’s often swimming at the Hale Y’s indoor pool.
The grant of $31,500 paid for the large electronic scoreboard and a computer timing system that includes buzzers, horns and precise touch pads at the start/finish wall in the pool.
Jeff Williams, director of Grants and Communication Strategies for the Greater Hartford YMCA, said Borner, the foundation and Putnam Bank before that “have been part of this dream for a long time.” He thanked Borner for “helping us put the finishing touches on.”
Amanda Kelly, executive director of the Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center, said the scoreboard and timing system have been many years in the making. “We’ve been in discussions for three, four, five years,” she said. In February 2020 the Y made a formal presentation to the foundation, describing the need for a scoreboard and timing system.
The “significant donation” for the scoreboard and timing system got the first meet since February 2020, when COVID hit, off to a great start.
The system helps the Y promote friendships and growth in people, she added.
Even swimmers were thrilled, saying they are so happy to have the Y and so happy to have the scoreboard and timing system. “This is a great addition,” said one swimmer. It did not go unnoticed by the swimmers that in addition to swimming, Borner can be spotted walking around town. As a thank you to Borner, one swimmer knitted a warm hat for him, since it’s getting cold.
The Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center swim team, the Riptides, put the board and timing system to use immediately in the meet against the Cranston Y Marlins. The Riptides are coached by Brian Reilly and the assistant coach is Irma Allegretti.
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Legion pg 5 11-24-21
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Legion Post #13
remembers
Veterans Day
PUTNAM — Three veterans were honored by the Mayotte-Viens American Legion Post 13 at the annual Veterans Day event.
This year’s three honorees bring the total of those honored in a 12-year span to 26.
The 2021 honorees were WWII veteran Carl Eisen, Vietnam veteran Peter M. LeClair and John W. Kirchner, a Vietnam veteran who was honored posthumously. Eisen served in the Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945 in the European Theater of Operations in Italy. He was a radio operator mechanic on the B-24 Liberator. Discharged with the rank of corporal, Eisen received the WWII Victory Medal, the European, African, and Middle Eastern Theater Medal with four Oak Leaf clusters, the Balkans Campaign Medal, the Army Air Corps Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. He’s a member of American Legion Post #13.
LeClair was called to serve his country in 1966 at the height of the Vietnam war. A military policeman who was part of the 1st Cavalry Division, he was shipped to An Khe in the Highlands of Vietnam. His unit was assigned to escorting convoys of food, ammunition and medical supplies to the troops fighting in the Pleiku region. He was discharged at the rank of Spec 4 and is a member of American Legion Post #13.
Kirchner, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, served two tours in Vietnam and received two Purple Heart awards. The 6-foot, 7-inch Kirchner, affectionately known to his fellow troops as “Tree,” was actively engaged in the Tet Offensive as a marksman sniper. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnamese Service Medal, Vietnamese Campaign Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and Good Conduct Medal. Discharged in 1973 at the rank of Sgt. – E5, Kirchner died in 2020 suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. His plaque was accepted by his daughter Candice Kirchner.
“Honoring veterans on this night is always the most memorable portion of our program. As American Legion veterans this program is very meaningful to us and the recipients and their families. It’s a very small way of extending our thanks to those who served defending our freedom,” said Michael Vassar, Post #13 commander.
The program included celebrity bartending and an auction and a drawing. More than $19,000 was raised and will be used for two scholarships, the high school Constitutional Oratorical contest, the TriTown American Legion Baseball Program, Boys State, veteran families during the holiday season, Americanism programs in the Putnam Middle School and other local charitable causes. Along with the Post golf tournament and the charity club, the Veterans Day event is the largest fund-raiser of Post #13.
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Unearth pg 1 11-24-21
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Unearthing the
rich history of
Pomfret’s
disenfranchised
By Donna Dufresne
It’s not easy digging into the understory of American history; those stories which have been buried deep between the lines of our national narratives, and sometimes deliberately omitted. However, it’s in the understory that we find the richness of our American soil (soul), the story of U.S.
Participants in the recent Waking the Dead series of workshops presented by Pomfret Historical Society, saw many facets to the lens of history. Experts in the fields of social history, archaeology and genealogy shared their research and techniques for interpreting the lives of disenfranchised communities such as poor, white laborers, Native Americans, enslaved Africans and free Blacks in the 18th and 19th centuries. The workshop series was funded by Connecticut Humanities.
Workshop participants learned how primary documents have informed the narrative of local history and how folklore inspired new research into the enslaved Africans who lived and worked in the region. They also learned from State Archaeologist Dr. Sarah Sportman that archaeology can inform the historical narrative through a more inclusive lens using scientific methods such as ground penetrating radar (GPR) and analysis of material culture. Archaeologist Dr. Nick Bellantoni reminded the audience that Native and African American cultures have been hidden in plain sight and sometimes deliberately excluded from written history, yet archaeological investigations throughout the state have revealed communities of color which thrived, and people who struggled for freedom and autonomy for centuries.
One of the goals of the workshop series was to repair and clean some of the headstones in the Randall/Higginbotham burial ground where the enslaved Randalls are buried in unmarked graves.
Oct. 23 and Oct. 31 Ruth Brown (New England Gravestone Network), Michael Carroll (Rediscovering History), and Keegan Day led workshops in cleaning, repairing, and identifying gravestone carvers. Participants learned that gravestones and burial grounds provide vital information as primary sources and material culture which help to widen the lens of history. They provide data ranging from spiritual beliefs and practices, geology, economy, social structure, and cultural evolution as well as individual genealogy.
The final workshop at Abington Congregational Church with genealogist William Fothergill was a perfect ending to the series. Nov. 6 the audience was reminded that researching Native and African Americans can be difficult, especially in the when documentation was sparse. However, like the archaeologists and social historians who spoke during the series, Fothergill reminded us that oral history provides an important starting point to search for grains of truth. Lois Boyd, who identifies as Native American, joined in the conversation reinforcing that oral history in disenfranchised groups who were sometimes omitted from written documents, can provide reliable sources along with DNA. Both genealogists, who are Native and African American, emphasized that THEIR story is OUR story, and that we share ONE history, regardless of our heritage.
Fothergill shared his research on Ebenezer Bassette, the first African American to graduate from the Connecticut Normal School (teacher’s college) which is now CCSU. Bassett, whose father and grandfather were both “Black Governors” in Derby in the 1840s, was the descendant of enslaved Africans and Native Americans. He was a friend and confidant of Frederick Douglas and was appointed as the first ambassador to Haiti by President Grant in 1869. But his story has only recently been brought to light, even though he was an accomplished educator, activist, and ambassador who spoke several languages.
Perhaps the greatest take-away from the Waking the Dead Workshops is that primary documents, artifacts, architecture, gravestones, and genealogy are the cornerstones of truth in our historical narratives. Historical research requires multiple perspectives, scientific analysis and collaboration with experts while investigating people who may have been hidden in the understory of American History. Yet the gems found in the more inclusive telling of history, reveal perseverance, hard work, resilience, and the forward motion of a people who want to better themselves, their family, tribal units, and their nation. Digging the understory reveals ONE history, OUR history in the story of US.
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