By Ron P. Coderre

The three local female prep school basketball teams experienced a disappointing week as they lost all the games they played.

Pomfret School dropped games to the Taft School and Loomis-Chaffee.  Marianapolis was beaten by Noble & Greenough prior to playing in the Blackburn Tournament at Worcester Academy.  Hyde School- Woodstock was simply woeful as it scored only five points in its only game of the week.

Pomfret Drops Two 

Despite Strong Effort

Pomfret School took a 31-22 halftime lead to the locker room against Taft School but couldn’t hold on as it lost a heartbreaker 67-59 to the hosts in a game played in Watertown, Mass.  The Lady Griffins were led by Abby Stone with 18 points, while the team’s 1000-point scorer Deja Ross had another strong showing, tossing in 17 points.  Freshman Ali Naracci chipped in a dozen for Pomfret.

In its home opener Pomfret lost to Class A Loomis-Chaffee 74-59.  The Griffs fell behind 41-26 at intermission, and despite 18 points from Ross, was never able to contend.  Naracci had another good performance, dropping in 14 points, while Liv Batastini-Pallister added a dozen.  Foul trouble to Ross, Batastini-Pallister and Corinne McPadden hampered the team’s offensive effort.

Marianapolis received a solid 16-point performance from Sophie Widmeyer but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Knights fell to Noble & Greenough at home.  Nicole Anderson added 12 points for coach Lauren Moore’s charges.

In the opening game of the Blackburn Tournament the Lady Knights were defeated by the Tilton School 70-61 despite a 24-point performance by Anderson.  Saoirse Power-Cassidy added 12 points in the loss.  Marianapolis was beaten in the consolation contest 59-41 by St. Andrew’s.  Olivia Sommiel posted a double-double in the loss with 16 points and 13 rebounds.  Power-Cassidy added 10 points for the 1-3 Lady Knights.  

Hyde School-Woodstock could only manage five points as it lost to Lincoln 53-5.

 

 

Robert J. Herlihy,

Korean war vet

PUTNAM — Robert J. Herlihy, 84, of Putnam died, Dec. 4, 2016, at Day Kimball Hospital, after a brief illness. He was the husband of Charlotte (Rovero) Herlihy for 61 years. He was born Nov. 6, 1932, in Putnam, son of the late Lester and Laura (Miour) Herlihy. 

He was a veteran of the Korean war serving with the U.S. Navy on the USS Tripoli. Robert was a life member of the Putnam Lodge of Elks 574. He worked in the Research and Development department at Rogers Corp, for many years before his retirement. He was a devoted Patriots and Red Sox fan. 

Besides his wife Charlotte, he leaves his children: Daniel Herlihy (Liz Medvetz) of Hoosick, N.Y., Michael Herlihy (Deb) of Plymouth, Mass., Joan Woodis of Putnam, Doreen Herlihy of Thompson, Dorothy Herlihy, Marla Allard (Jim) of Putnam;  grandchildren, Mike Woodis (Julie), Madori Armenio (Dan), Tamreh Herlihy, Kat Woodis, Abby Allard, Joshua Allard, a sister Anne Auger (Benny) of Glastonbury; nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by, parents Lester and Laura Herlihy, brother John Herlihy (June), and sister Jean Criscione (Ange).

A Memorial Service was Dec. 9 at Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, with burial following in St. Mary Cemetery with military honors. Donations: Westview Recreation Department, 150 Ware Road, Dayville, CT 06241. 

 

Madelaine Palardy

Madelaine A. (Benoit) Palardy died of natural causes Nov. 26, 2016.

Born Jan. 24, 1924, she was the daughter of Clement Benoit and Mary Louise Bernard Benoit. Raised in the N. Grosvenordale section of Thompson, she attended St. Joseph grammar school under the tutelage of the Sisters of Holy Cross. Regrettably she could not attend high school since in those days work was the next step in life.

Her first job was in the local Cluett Peabody Mill like so many in this French-Canadian mill town. In 1944, through a relative, she met a returning WWII army sergeant, Ephreme Joseph Palardy from Rogers. They were married in June 8, 1946, at St. Joseph Church in N. Grosvenordale.

Madelaine and Joe made their home in Grosvenordale and Quinebaug and had spent nearly 20 years on Cape Cod after Joe retired from the Prudential Insurance Company. With memory failing. Joe lived to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a home mass at the home of their granddaughter Becky West on the Cape presided by Fr. Ed Healey. He died Dec. 16, 1997, two weeks after they returned from their retirement home due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

Madelaine and Joe hosted many a summer picnic and nights at the drive-in from their porch in Quinebaug for the Sisters of Holy Cross and her aunt and cousins of the same order. Joe and Madelaine were both involved in fund-raising for all the parishes they had lived in. Madelaine worked in both the Grosvenordale and Quinebaug post offices, sold Avon for many years and volunteered at Day Kimball Hospital after Joe died. As a housewife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great grandmother Madelaine was a talented self-taught seamstress and pianist—but loved playing the organ most of all.

Her proudest accomplishments were the 25 years she devoted to being a CCD instructor at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Quinebaug and in Pius X Parish on Cape Cod.

Madelaine and Joe leave one daughter Susan (Patrick) Collins of Griswold where she lived her final years up to two months before she died at Matulaitis Nursing Home in Putnam; three grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Rebecca (Brian West) and their sons, Joshua and Benjamin and their wives Sheena and Kayla all of Cape Cod; David (Lynn) of Brooklyn; Daniel (Charleen) and their sons Joseph and Michael of Colchester; and three great-great-grandchildren, Jacob West (Ben); Evelyn and Levi West (Joshua) of Cape Cod; two step grandsons, Ryan and Nickolas Perreault.

The Mass of Christian Burial is at 11 a.m. Dec. 16 at St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale,  with burial to follow in St. Joseph Cemetery. Donations: Sisters of Holy Cross Development Office 377 Island Pond Road Manchester, NH 03109-4811. Gilman-Valade Funeral Homes & Crematory. 

 

Philip L. Parent,

Navy veteran

DANIELSON —  Philip L. Parent, 90, of Shawnee Dr., died Dec. 11, 2016, in his home.  He was the husband of the late Concorde C. (Nolet) Parent.  Born in 1926 in Fall River, Mass., he was the son of the late Oliver and Antoinette (Charest) Parent.

Mr. Parent was a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy (Chief Yoman.) He was present at the Normandy Invasion, presided as a court reporter for the sinking of the USS Thresher. 

He leaves his son, Richard A. Parent (Bonnie) of Danielson; his sisters Doris Souza of Fall River, and Rita Thibeault of Fall River.

All services are private and have been entrusted to the Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Janice Warrender

DANIELSON — Janice D. Warrender, 73, of Danielson, died unexpectedly Dec. 7, 2016, at home. She was born May 12, 1943, in Brunswick, Maine, daughter of Walter and Lois Duplisea of Solon, Maine. She was a 31-year resident of Danielson. 

Janice was well known for her award winning quilts which brought warmth and comfort to so many. She had a lifelong love for country music. 

She leaves her longtime companion D. Linda Fitzgerald; her two daughters Mrs. John (Laure) Boucher of Leicester, Mass., and Luann Morgan of Danielson; two sons Ross Morgan of Hebron and Scott Morgan of New Hampshire; 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Janice’s life will be from 6 to 10 p.m. Jan. 7 at the Danielson, Elks Lodge, 13 Center St., Danielson. Donations: Please bring a dish and happy memories. Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.

 

Jens Risom

NEW CANAAN — Jens Risom, of New Canaan and Block Island, died Dec. 9, 2016, at “The Inn” in New Canaan, where he had lived since early 2010.

He was born on May 8, 1916, to Sven and Inger (Henriques) Risom in Copenhagen, Denmark.  His father was the prominent and award-winning architect Sven Risom, a student of Nordic Classicism.

Risom was one of the first designers to bring traditional Scandinavian values of form, function and craftsmanship to the U.S., creating post-WWll “Danish-modern” furniture design.  He had graduated from the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design, and went on to pursue academic studies in business and contemporary design at the Business College of Niels Brock. Briefly working for the Danish architect Ernst Kuhn, he created several furniture pieces for Gustav Weinreich of ALS Normina, in Copenhagen.  Risom’s early designs for Normina were exhibited at the cabinetmakers Guild Exhibition of 1937. He went on to work for a small design shop in Sweden specializing in residential furniture, and Nordiska Kompaniet (NK) where he was exposed to other designers (e.g. Hans Wegner and Borge Mogensen).

Jens Risom immigrated to New York City in the U.S. in early 1939 to study contemporary American furniture; he found there was almost none. Undaunted, he freelanced with Dan Cooper in a small textiles firm and did a few pieces of furniture on the side for various architects. This led to being included in Collier’s “House of Ideas” designed by Edward Durell Stone and constructed at Rockefeller Center during the 1939 New York World’s Fair. 

In 1941, he teamed up with Hans Knoll to produce a high-quality, Contemporary line of furniture. In 1942, Risom designed 15 of the 20 pieces in KNOLL’s inaugural “600” line. Materials were hard to get during the war, so he designed simple, elegant, clean-lined birch furniture with surplus parachute webbing. This signature line is still sold through KNOLL.

He was drafted into the U.S. Army (1943-45), serving under General George Patton.  After the war, Risom returned to NYC to start his own company, JENS RISOM DESIGN, Inc., on May 1, 1946. 

In 1949 he moved his family to New Canaan, where he lived until his death.   In 1956, the family began vacationing on Block Island. He assisted in the design of his own house there in 1967, it was featured on the cover of LIFE magazine (and later in DWELL magazine).  

Risom (JRD) soon needed larger production space and more employees. In 1955, the Connecticut Development Commission approached Risom, then in NYC, about establishing a factory in N. Grosvenordale. The area had become depressed after the mills had closed, but the workers were skilled and hard-working and the factory (Risom Manufacturing Company) became a place of respect and success. Risom set up a program so that workers could earn their GEDs while at work.  In the 1960s, Risom’s designs became less residential as he worked with hospitals, libraries, offices and hotels around the world.

Risom furniture is permanently exhibited at many major institutions. Jens was a trustee at RISD for two five-year terms and during their 120th Commencement Ceremonies he received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree. In 1996, he was knighted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark, with the Danish Knight’s Cross. The Brooklyn Museum awarded him “Man of the Year” and in 2004 he was the honoree for the Russel Wright Design Center.  

JRD/RMC was sold in the early 1970s and Risom set up Design Control, Inc. in New Canaan, through which he could license his designs to : Ralph Pucci; Rocket (London); and Design Within Reach (DWR) among others, to continue the Risom name with quality furniture.  One of his latest designs (at age 93) was a rocking chair.

In 1939, he married Iben Haderup and they had four children. Helen Risom Belluschi, Peggy Risom Bull, both of New Canaan, Thomas C. Risom of Old Lyme, and Sven C. Risom of Block Island.  After Iben died in 1977, Jens married Dr. Henny Panduro Madsen. They were married 36 years until her death in late 2015.

Jens Risom was always involved in design. He was on the Board of Silvermine Guild and RISD, and was involved with local design projects in New Canaan and NYC. He helped with design decisions at Waveny, the First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan and the Historical Commission (among others) in New Canaan.   The New Canaan Historical Society named the Risom Room, at their Gores Pavilion in Irwin Park, to honor Jens.

He always said the worst part of getting older was losing so many friends. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Iben; his second wife Henny; his infant son Jens Edward; and in 2000, his brother Ole Risom.

He was father-in-law to Dr. Sherman Bull, Pam Austen, and Laura Pinkham Risom; and a step-parent to Helle Jacobsen and Dr. Michael Madsen. He was grandfather to Pietro, Catharine (Bryan), Sky (Bill), Thayer (Chris), Whitney (Becca), Thatcher, Tyler, KC, Ethan (Chirona), Tucker and Leah. He was great-grandfather to Josson, Axel, Sofi, Ellie, Natalie, Gabe, Nate, Lily, Abby, and Fiona.  He is also leaves his youngest brother Niels (Kay) in Denmark.

Donations: Block Island Conservancy, P.O. Box 84, Block Island RI 02807; or to The Inn (part of Waveny LifeCare) 73 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan CT 06840. Interment private to be followed by a Celebration of his life in May, 2017.  Hoyt Funeral Home.

 

Richard Benoit Sr.

PUTNAM — Richard G. Benoit Sr., 75, of Putnam, died Dec. 4, 2106, at UMass Memorial Healthcare - University Campus, Worcester.

He was born in Putnam, son of the late Leodore and Agnes (Lamiotte) Benoit, and lived in Putnam all his life.  He worked at Bates Shoe in N. Grosvenordale, Numa Tool in Thompson and Metal Selling in Putnam before opening his own business, Richard Benoit Painting Contractor, which he owned and operated for more than 45 years.  He loved painting and enjoyed going to the casino.

He leaves his wife of 57 years, Barbara A. (Perry) Benoit of Putnam; a son, Mark S. Benoit (Tammy) of Thompson; a daughter, Donna L. Benoit and her companion Matthew Morin of Thompson; two brothers, Edward Benoit (Alice) of Brooklyn, Normand Benoit (Beverly) of Florida; a sister, Carol Riggs (Gary) of Florida; eight grandchildren, Richard, Allan, Amanda, Danny, Kyle, Glenn, Dylan and Ben; 13 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a son, Richard G. Benoit Jr.; a  sister, Jeanne Bennett and by a brother, Ronald Benoit and his wife Joanne.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a date and time to be announced.  Donations: St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl., Memphis, TN 38105.  Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

Maryann Higgins

WEBSTER — Maryann (Spitz) Higgins, 79, died Dec. 11, 2016, at UMass Memorial Healthcare - University Campus, Worcester.

She was born in Webster, daughter of the late Michael and Mary (Ondrasek) Spitz and lived here all her life. She was a clerk for many years at the Bartlett Insurance Company in Webster. She enjoyed, music, playing the piano and oil painting.

She was the wife of the late Dean P. Higgins who died in 2001. She leaves two sons, Robert J. and John P. Higgins, both of Webster; two daughters, Karen C. Higgins of Webster, Kathleen Greene (Jeffrey); a granddaughter Megan Greene, all of N. Grosvenordale; a sister, Joanne Dudek of Chandler, Ariz.

The Funeral Mass was Dec. in St. Anthony of Padua Church, Dudley, with burial in Mount Zion Cemetery, Webster. Donations: VNA Hospice of Southern Worcester County. 14 Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

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By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC sporty shoutout is sent along to former Putnam High School athlete Marc Clemens.  The former furniture-moving mogul recently retired from the back-breaking industry.  He now spends his spare time on the links and playing in friendly card games with his former high school amigos.

In what was a surprising but not shocking announcement last week, word seeped out of Putnam that the Quinebaug Valley Pride and Killingly High School Thanksgiving Day football game is no longer.  The news in the eyes of many was long overdue.

The two disparate football programs are headed in different directions.  Killingly High School under coach Chad Neal has resurrected and revitalized the Redmen’s football fortunes.  That fact is evident by the 10-2 record posted the last two seasons and the consecutive trips to the CIAC Class M Postseason Football Tournament.

Meanwhile the Quinebaug Valley Pride, composed of players from Putnam High School, Tourtellotte Memorial High School and H.H. Ellis Technical School, has been having difficulty picking up wins of late.  The fact that Killingly has posted lopsided victories in six of the last seven games between the foes, dating back to 2011, has created a buzz among both Putnam and Killingly loyal fans.

Following Killingly’s 40-8 victory over the Pride in 2015, my telephone rang minutes after the game.  The voice on the other end of the phone was that of a former Putnam Clipper and very respected gentleman who had traveled a long distance to witness what he remembered as the Killingly – Putnam football rivalry.  He was distraught not only by the result of the game but also by what he witnessed on the field as “men against boys.”

As a truism, since Putnam disbanded its football program due to lack of numbers and the fact that the school has an enrollment of less than 300 students, there is no football rivalry between Killingly and Putnam on the gridiron.

Back to the voice on the phone.  Paraphrasing his words, “We need to do something about Putnam High School football.  I was embarrassed by that game this morning.  Why, the Putnam (QVP) team was out of the game right from the opening kick.  The score could have been 100-0.”

He was probably correct, witness what happened in the most recent game – Killingly 63-14.

Having been away from Putnam for a number of years, this gentleman just simply didn’t understand there was no longer a rivalry.  Putnam, let’s face it former Clipper football fans, unfortunately doesn’t have a football team any longer.

Putting together a football team called the Quinebaug Valley Pride seems like a near impossibility for coach Joe Asermelly.  How do you coordinate getting players together every day for practice on time when they’re coming from three different locations?  How do you prepare kids from three different schools for competition on Friday night or Saturday afternoon? 

How do you engender a spirit of enthusiasm when some of the players identify as Tigers, Golden Eagles or Clippers?  My hat is off to coach Asermelly for the job he does and the limited success he’s had with the program.

There was a time, not so long ago in the minds of many, that Thanksgiving morning football was a “friendly rivalry” between the Clippers and the Redmen.  Old grads from both schools would gather in Putnam or Killingly, reminisce and enjoy the game with some good-natured chiding.

There was a time, when either school would enter the contest with a losing record but the thousands lined sometimes five or six deep around the perimeter of the field, knew there was going to be a competitive game on the frozen turf.  Maybe even an upset.

Those days are gone folks.  And it appears that for the time being, it’s the correct decision.

Get accustomed to the QVP vs. Thames River or whomever Thanksgiving Day game.  The crowd won’t be five or six deep.  The tradition will be missing.  It’s no longer Killingly vs. Putnam.  Those days and the days of the huge crowds and the rivalry are long gone.

Boston Celtics in The House…

Who would have ever envisioned someone from the Boston Celtics appearing in Putnam to watch a basketball game?  Well it happened on Thursday, December 8 when Danny Ainge, who had contacted coach Tom Espinosa prior to the game, was on hand for the Putnam Science Academy – Navy Prep game.

According to all reports, Ainge didn’t ask for any special treatment.  He sat on the hard wooden benches that surround the tiny PSA bandbox gym, just like every other fans.  Although he was interested in the action on the court, he was cordial to those who wanted autographs or photo-ops or simply wanted to say hello.

He was on hand to see Putnam Science Academy’s highly heralded Hamidou Diallo, who of late has been in coach Espinosa’s doghouse.  Ainge was fortunate.  Diallo enjoyed considerable time on the court as opposed to the game against Commonwealth Academy.  In that game, with UConn coach Kevin Ollie on hand for the same reason as Ainge, Diallo played less than two minutes and was less than sterling on the court.

Congratulations…

Pomfret School honored one of its female players prior to its recent game against Loomis-Chaffee.  Deja Ross, who’s been a steady and talented player for the Lady Griffins, was honored for reaching the 1000-point plateau in her prep school basketball career.  Ross, who is from Providence, has accumulated her points while playing at Pomfret and the Lincoln School, where she started prior to transferring.

When the award was presented, it was also announced that Ross had accepted a scholarship to Xavier University in Ohio, where she’ll compete in the Big East Conference.  Playing in college for a Division I team and in the Big East has always been Ross’ dream.      

Bianchi Watch…

Former Killingly High School women’s basketball standout Meagan Bianchi continues to shine on the basketball court at University of Connecticut – Avery Point.  Bianchi, who is the point guard for the Pointers, is averaging in double figures and is the NJCAA Division III assists leader.

Bianchi is averaging an astounding 8.3 assists per contest for 8-3 Avery Point.  Her teammate Tatyana LaFrance-Boyce, who is the beneficiary of many of those assists, leads the NJCAA Division III point leader, averaging a phenomenal 32.5 points per game.

Woodstock Warrior Honored…

Eastern Connecticut State University junior Emily Becher, who played soccer at Woodstock Academy, continues to pile on the soccer honors.  Becher was recently named to the NSCAA Division III All-New England Region Team.  This is the third time Becher has been recognized with this honor.

RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: “Having the capacity to lead is not enough.  The leader must be willing to use it.” Vince Lombardi

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caption:

 

Donation

The Putnam Rotary Club collected games for kids for the holidays. Left to right: Marc Archambault, Rotary president; Rotarian Rachael Johnston; Patty Bryant Beausoleil of the Putnam Family Resource Center; Nicolle Hill and Jenn Strong of TEEG. Linda Lemmon photo.

 

 

Games & more

collected for kids

PUTNAM --- The Putnam Rotary Club recently donated games and books to two local nonprofit organizations and children will have a much nicer holiday because of it.

Rachael Johnston,  who headed the committee, said Rotarians brought in 62 games for kids. The committee already had 200 books. 

The Putnam Family Resource Center, based in Putnam schools, received some of the gifts. Patty Bryant Beausoleil from the center told Rotarians when she started 17 years ago there were families who didn't have coats, food or gifts. The need was great. She said last year the center served 170 families and 180 kids. 

TEEG was the second recipient of the club's collection efforts. Jenn Strong and Nicolle Hill of TEEG told Rotarians that  the group is trying to meet the needs of 250 families this year.