Martha Beckwith, president of the Roseland Park & Golf Course, announced the addition of four members to the organization’s Board of Trustees.  The Board of Trustees is charged in overseeing the operation and planning for the park and golf course, which was dedicated in 1876 by Henry Chandler Bowen.
It was Bowen’s desire to leave the park as an area that would be accessible to his family, friends, fellow townspeople and the general public.  In later years, the property was turned over by Bowen’s family, through the Bowen Trust where it eventually was assigned to the Roseland Park & Golf Course Board of Trustees as a private non-profit entity.
The Board is currently working on a strategic plan that will bring the park and golf course to 21st century standards, which will meet the needs of families of Woodstock and surrounding communities.  As part of the plan, these residents of Woodstock were named to the board: Marc Cotnoir, Dr. Jonathan Gradie, Patrick O’Brien and Michele Woz.
Cotnoir is a lifelong resident of northeastern Connecticut who retired from Rogers Corporation as the director of Sales for the Americas.  He’s a 1977 graduate of UConn, where he earned a degree in economics.  Cotnoir and his wife Laura have one adult daughter.  He’s the son of former Putnam Grammar School principal Gerard “Gerry” Cotnoir and the late Leona Cotnoir.
“I became a member of the Roseland Park & Golf Course Board because I believe it’s one of the area’s most prized possessions.  I’m interested in keeping it as a community resource and would like to see it available for generations to come,” said Cotnoir.
Gradie, who graduated from Putnam High School in 1969 and was inducted into the school’s Wall of Honor in 2023, is a graduate of the University of Arizona in Tucson where he received a bachelor’s and PhD in astronomy and planetary sciences.  In 1984 he joined the University of Hawaii as a research scientist and later was involved in starting small technology companies involved in medical technology imaging.  Among the honors Gradie has been accorded was the naming of Asteroid No. 3253, “Gradie,” by the International Astronomical Union.  Gradie has been married to his wife, the former Nancy Adams for 46 years.  He’s the son of the late Robert and Avis Gradie.
O’Brien is the principal in The O’Brien Group in Putnam, part of Ameriprise Financial Advisors, and holds CRPC and CFMA certifications. A 1997 graduate of The Woodstock Academy, O’Brien received a bachelor’s in economics and finance from Nichols College in 2001.  He’s been married for 21 years to the former Erica Neeley.  They have three boys Riley (17), Brady (16) and Cooper (12).  O’Brien is involved in the Woodstock Little League, coaches the AAU Connecticut Mustangs, is active in the Putnam Business Association and The Woodstock Academy Foundation.
Woz, who originally hailed from New Jersey, has been a resident of Woodstock with her husband Jason and son Brian for the past 16 years.  She’s a graduate of UConn (1991) and Western New England College School of Law (1994).  She’s practiced law as a Child Advocacy Attorney and a Tax Attorney.  Woz has served on the Woodstock Board of Education, Woodstock Education Foundation, Woodstock PTO and Woodstock Board of Finance.  She is the treasurer of Performing Arts of NECT and is a Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA).
“I joined the Board of Roseland Park & Golf Course because I hope to contribute in some way in making this wonderful historic treasure available to our communities for many years to come,” said Woz.
“Our Board of Trustees is fortunate to secure the services of these four individuals.  The qualities they bring to the table will serve as valuable resources as we move forward with a strategic plan for the park and golf course,” said Beckwith.

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