Eagle Scout
Boy Scout Cody Bennett, third from the right, of Troop 25 Putnam was presented his Eagle Scout Award at a Court of Honor Feb. 19. Approximately 75 family, friends and troop members attended. Bennett, a student at H. H. Ellis Technical School, undertook the clean-up and refurbishing of the fitness trail that winds behind the Putnam Middle and Elementary School as his Eagle Scout project. His parents, Monique and Les, are on the far right. Corina Torrey, third from the left, Troop 25 Scoutmaster, served as MC for the ceremony. Second from left: Torrey is Manuel “Manny” Rodrigues, commander of Post #52 in Coventry and Boy Scout chairman for The American Legion Department of Connecticut; and far left: Ronald P. Coderre, past commander Post #13 Putnam and District #4. Bennett received numerous letters of recognition and congratulations including citations from the State of Connecticut and the Town of Putnam. Putnam Mayor, Norman “Barney” Seney declared Feb. 19 Cody Bennett Day in Putnam. Courtesy photo.
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Photo courtesy of Wyndham Land Trust.
BROOKLYN — Former Brooklyn residents, Hadi and Cheryl Bozorgmanesh, recently donated 11.5 acres along Elliott Road to the Wyndham Land Trust. Surprisingly, the couple had purchased the land in 1968 while undergraduates at UConn.
”At the time, we just felt that that we had to own land,” remembered Cheryl, “so we took out a bank loan and bought two properties in Brooklyn. We weren’t typical students of the ‘60s!”
In 2006 Hadi retired from a successful career with SAIC as a senior executive in high-tech defense and energy systems. The couple moved to Brooklyn, and Hadi returned to UConn as a professor in the Engineering School. Although Hadi’s career with SAIC had taken them around the world, their house in Brooklyn was just a short distance from the land they had purchased almost 40 years earlier.
“It was an area we had fallen in love with,” said Cheryl, “and we knew we wanted to return. We had a strong connection with the land trust while we lived there - Dick Booth [former president] lived close by and we knew Andy Rzeznikiewicz [land manager] at Connecticut Audubon, where Hadi was chair of the board. It was important for us to donate the land. It’s a small parcel that is mostly wetlands, but we’re happy to see the ecosystem and the birds protected.”
“The land is adjacent to our Sherman Preserve along Blackwell’s Brook,” said Rzeznikiewicz. “The majority of it is wetlands, but the habitat is excellent for birds and other wildlife. Otter, beaver, mink, muskrats, and bobcats are known to inhabit this area. Wood ducks, black ducks, and mallards have often been sighted along this section of the Brook.”
The Wyndham Land Trust was formed in 1975, and the work of the all-volunteer group is possible only through the generosity and dedication of its members and donors.
wyndhamlandtrust.org or follow them on Facebook.
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Crystal Pond Park Waits ...
From the top: A photo from straight above the icy water's edge looks more like it was taken from space. The dock has a coating of snow. The dining hall waits for summer. A view of the pond framed by the rocks on the shore.
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PUTNAM — William Michael Juzwic, CFSP, a funeral director with Gilman & Valade Funeral Homes & Crematory in Putnam, recently qualified for recertification of the designation of Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP), by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice.
A number of professions grant special recognition to members upon completion of specified academic and professional programs and “CFSP” is funeral service’s national individual recognition.
The designation represents Juzwic electing to take part in quality educational and service opportunities that surpass what the funeral service licensing board in Connecticut requires. Initially the practitioner must complete a 180-hour program of continuing education activities and events. In addition, the practitioner is required to accumulate 20 hours per year to recertify.
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