PUTNAM — Amanda Miller has been named Chief Experience Officer (CXO) at Day Kimball Healthcare (DKH), a nonprofit community hospital and healthcare system serving northeastern Connecticut and nearby Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Miller has been serving as the director of Strategic Operations since October 2017. As Chief Experience Officer, Miller will serve as a catalyst for change by acting as an internal voice of the patient population, from a holistic perspective, and will lead the efforts in improving patient experience and engagement by aligning DKH’s mission and core values with the organization’s culture.
“I am delighted to be back in my hometown to make a positive impact on the patient experience,” Miller said. “A stellar patient experience is essential to the overall healing experience, and also improves care, patient safety and clinical and financial outcomes. DKH patients deserve the very best and we have developed a strategy to ensure our patients’ needs are consistently met. I am grateful to be given the opportunity to do that for the community that raised me,” Miller said.
Miller brings 12 years of healthcare experience to Day Kimball. Prior to this position she was an instructor at UConn School of Medicine where she taught first-year medical and dental students the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes needed to interact with patients and families through the Principles of Clinical Medicine and Delivery of Clinical Care programs.
“Amanda brings a wealth of experience in strategy, operations and process improvement to our organization,” said DKH President and CEO Anne Diamond. “She will play a crucial role in operationalizing the patient experience mission by orienting and coaching our employees and medical staff, and providing tools to identify and act on opportunities where improvements can be made.”
Miller is a graduate of Quinebaug Valley Community College (QVCC) with a degree in liberal arts, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from UConn with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Miller also holds a master’s degree in public administration from UConn. She’s a native of Putnam and was born at Day Kimball Hospital. Miller serves on the Board of Directors at QVCC, and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, as well as the UConn Department of Public Policy Alumni Committee. Miller lives in South Windsor with her fiancé, Nicholas.
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PSA Hall
of Fame
inductees
PUTNAM — The Putnam Science Academy administration team’s first PSA Athletic Hall of Fame includes:
Rundell Mauge (athlete)
Rundell Mauge was one of the pioneers of the Putnam Science Academy boys’ basketball program. Mauge stood at 7 foot, 1 inch hailing from Cedros, Trinidad, and played on the 2007-2008 PSA Team. He averaged 22.9 points, 18.5 rebounds and 8.5 blocks per game while helping lead the Mustangs to a 17-5 record. His 22.9 points per game is the 3rd best average in school history and Mauge also holds single season records in rebounds with 408, where he remains 4th all time, and a career record 187 blocks. Rundell, still a decade later, has three single game PSA records of 44 points, 26 rebounds and 15 blocks which he did twice. The 2008 PSA Grad, was 1st team all Coastal Prep League and went on to play Division 1 basketball at the University of Pacific.
Enes Ulukaya (athlete)
Enes Ulukaya found his way to Putnam Science Academy all the way from Miami, Fla.. Ulukaya was a 6-6 forward and a member of the Mustangs from 2007 through 2009. Enes, in his time at PSA, left his mark helping lead the Mustangs to 3 straight Coastal Prep League Championship games, along with PSA’s first Coastal Prep championship in 2009. Ulukaya was a 2 year captain and two- time First Team All Coastal Prep League all-star. Enes had a knack for scoring averaging double figures in all 3 seasons while at PSA which has landed him 8th all-time on the scoring list. He also was dominant on the glass ranking 2nd all-time in PSA history with 500 rebounds.
Taquan Zimmerman (athlete)
Taquan Zimmerman was a 6-1 guard who attended PSA in 2010 for his Post Grad Year. Zimmerman, who came up to the Quiet Corner from Waterbury, was a member of the 2010 team which went on to record a 17-5 record. Zimmerman was a “stat sheet stuffer” in his time at PSA averaging 26.6 points per game to go along with 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals per game. The 26.6 points per game is the best scoring average in Putnam Science Academy history while shooting an excellent 52 percent from the floor and 46 percent from 3-point range. Taquan still holds a record of nine 3 pointers made in a single game and is ranked #10 all time in assists and as well as 3 point FG’s made at PSA. He currently plays professionally in Canada.
Dayshon “Scoochie” Smith (athlete)
Dayshon “Scoochie” Smith was a major factor in helping put the Putnam Science Academy program on the national basketball map. The 6-2 guard from the Bronx, N.Y., was a member of the Mustangs 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 teams, later graduating in 2013. Smith led PSA to back to back 20+ win seasons in 2012 at 20-9 before a 22-8 run the following year and helping to win the 2013 Northeast Prep Championship. Scoochie was a dynamic play maker and holds multiple records at PSA including first all-time in steals with 205, a single season record 103 steals and a single game record seven steals in which he achieved five times. He also is second all-time in scoring with 1,010 points, second all-time in assists at 345 and 5th all-time with 18.8 points per game scoring average. After a fantastic run at PSA, Scoochie went on to an outstanding career at the University of Dayton where the Flyers won over 100 games. He currently is playing professionally in the Cleveland Cavaliers organization.
2013-2014 Basketball Team (team)
Where would the Putnam Science Academy basketball program be without the success of the 2013-2014 team? This team was special! The 2013-2014 Mustangs ran off a 16-game winning streak with wins over: Tilton, Northfield Mount Hermon, St. Thomas Moore and South Kent to name a few of the elite prep programs in the nation. The winning streak propelled the Mustangs to a 29-5 record and they were crowned the Northeast Prep Champions. The Mustangs finally received their well-deserved notoriety accepting a first ever invite to the National Prep School Championship Tournament and reached the Elite Eight in their 1st year. Six members of the 2013-2014 PSA team went on to play Division 1 College Basketball.
Ronald Coderre (contributor)
One of if not the biggest supporters ever for the Putnam Science Academy was Ronald Coderre. Ron, who is well known in the northeastern corner, began covering the Mustangs basketball team in 2006 through 2016 for the Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger and the Norwich Bulletin newspaper. Coderre shined a light on a promising program and his coverage of the team extended out into the community bringing in new faces to see what PSA had to offer. Ron Coderre, also commander of the American Legion Post 13, would continue to cover and support the Mustang Alumni even after they moved on to play athletics in college. Along with covering the athletics offerings at Putnam Science Academy, Coderre was an integral part in fund-raisers as he started the PSA “Mustang Club” which is still to this day is PSA’s #1 fund-raiser.
Tom Espinosa (coach)
The mastermind behind the much heralded Putnam Science Academy Basketball program is Tom Espinosa. Coach Espo is the dean of Athletics and Head Men’s Basketball Coach for the Mustangs. Espinosa also coached tennis, golf and baseball at the school before settling into his real passion of basketball. The doors at PSA first opened back in 2002 and Tom has been with the school and staff ever since. With a record of 282 wins and 73 losses as of the end of the 2017-2018 season, Espo boasts an incredible 79 percent winning percentage. Tom and his team have been invited to the National Prep School Championship Tournament 5 times reaching the Elite Eight once, and making a final four appearance 3 other times before winning the National Championship in 2018. Coach Espinosa has built quite the legacy at Putnam Science Academy accounting for 4 Northeast Prep Titles, 2 Power 5 Titles and 1 Coastal Prep League Title all while coaching over 40 Division 1 players during his time at PSA.
Bryan Sailor (super fan)
The definition of a “Super Fan” is a person who has an extreme admiration for a particular person or thing. Bryan Sailor absolutely fits that definition. Sailor, who lives in Windsor, has been with the PSA program for three years (2015-2018). He has been a regular attendee at practices, scrimmages and games where the team has traveled all over New England and even down to Florida. The courts and venues may have been different, but there was one constant, Bryan Sailor was there to support the Mustangs. His dedication and love for the program is truly genuine and he constantly maintained an outstanding relationship with not only the school and the administration but also the players and the Mustang Kids Club members. Putnam Science Academy, the last several years, has played 40+ games a season and Sailor has attended more than 90 percent of them. Bryan Sailor is what many schools wish they had and PSA is extremely fortunate to have him!
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Wolf Pack
takes crown
--- again
By Shawn Bates
PUTNAM — Thanks to some eighth graders, the Putnam Middle School Wolf Pack took the QVJC baseball championship for the second year in a row with a 6 -5 win over the second-seeded Pomfret Eagles . Their overall record was 12-2.
Avery Pedersen started on the bump for the Wolf Pack who fell behind with allowing a double to the first Pomfret batter. Dodds then would score with the help of the number 2 hitter Wolain. A base on balls and a stolen base would move the Pomfret Eagles to a 2 -0 lead with Putnam up to hit in the bottom of the first. Karson Bates would lead the Pack with 3-4 hits on the day and would be the first to cross the plate with a stolen base and a push in with a hit from Carter Morrissette to bring the Pack within 1 going into the top of the second.. . Pomfret and Putnam would leave stranded baserunners.
The bottom of the 3rd Putnam‘s Bates would again drive a hard hit single to get on base and then would proceed to wreak havoc on the base path by stealing second and third base and would walk in with a Jack Rindge base hit. Putnam would hold the Eagles to no runs in the third but would give up three runs in the fourth with a hits bats man to start the inning. Then there was a base hit by Zack Rothlein. Then Pomfret’s Flanagan would draw a walk to set up Johnson to clear the three base runners to give Pomfret a 5-2 lead.
Putnam would switch pitchers putting in Morrissette and would keep Pomfret bats quiet for the remainder of the game. And Putnam would go down in the fifth and sixth at the plate with one lone single from Nick Renshaw in the bottom of the sixth.
Again, as in the first and third innings, Bates would reach first on one rip down the third base line and would reach third on two more stolen bases. He crossed the plate on a Carter Morrissette single. Jack Rindge would move Morrissette over on another base hit and then Zach Belleville would load up the base‘s on another single.
A walk to Jacob Mailloux would score Morrissette and would advance Rindge and Belleville. Avery Pedersen would go down swinging at the plate for Putnam‘s first out of the bottom of the seventh. Renshaw would draw two strikes in the batter’s box and on the next pitch would line a double into right field to clear in Rindge and Belleville. That left Pomfret in the field with a 6-5 walk off victory for a back to back QVJC championship for coach Derek Coderre’s third championship in five years.
Ben Gagnon, head coach for Pomfret, said after the game: “ We had them on the ropes.” He added: “This is one of the best games I’ve ever been involved with in the last couple of years. It could have gone any way. There were two good teams out there today and they left it all out on the field.”
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Mary N. Seney
NICHOLSON, Ga. — Mary N. Seney, 76, died Dec. 9, 2017, at Hope Memorial Care Center in Georgia. She was born in 1941, daughter of the late Norman and Rita (Powers) Seney Sr.
She leaves two sisters, Marcia Palmer of California and Kathy Wilga of N. Grosvenordale; a brother, Norman “Barney” Seney Jr. of Putnam; nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a brother, Charlie Seney.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. June 30 in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery. Donations: MSPCA- Kindness for Animals, 350 S Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130. Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Amber D. Andrews
DANIELSON — Amber D. Andrews, 39, died June 16, 2018.
She was born in Houston and lived in Danielson for the past six years prior to that living in Putnam. She formerly worked at Walmart in Putnam as a cashier.
She leaves two sons, Jordan Rodriguez who serving in the U.S. Army in Ft. Hood, Texas and John DelGrasso III in Woodstock; parents, Richard L. Andrews and Sharon R. Martin of Putnam.
Services were private. Donations: Charity of donor’s choice. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
Dorothy C. Berube
N. GROSVENORDALE — Dorothy C. (Courtemanche) Berube, 64, died June 21, 2018, at Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam.
She was born in Putnam, daughter of Donald Courtemanche Sr. and Dorothy (Sabourin) Courtemanche of Killingly, and lived in N. Grosvenordale most of her life. She was an assistant tax collector in Woodstock. She was a licensed assessor and served on the board of appeals in Thompson. Some of her pleasures included arts and crafts, cooking shopping and the New England Patriots.
She leaves her husband of 43 years Norman C. Berube of N. Grosvenordale; two daughters, Amie Tworzydlo (Bryan) of Killingly, Heather Martinez of Putnam; two grandchildren, Joseph and Jacob Tworzydlo of Killingly; three brothers, Donald Jr., Dwayne and Dennis Courtemanche, all of Killingly; three sisters, Deborah Blanchard of Putnam, Doreen Linnell of Killingly and Dodie Mineau of Plainfield. She was predeceased by a brother and sister, Douglas and Darlene Courtemanche.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 30 at the Valley Springs Sportsmen Club, Valley Rd., N. Grosvenordale. Burial will be private in the Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery, N. Grosvenordale. Donations: Day Kimball Hospice, Putnam, CT. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
Charles R. Paquette
THOMPSON — Charles R. Paquette, 60 of Thompson, died unexpectedly June 18, 2018, at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford. He was the husband of Robin (Burke) Paquette.
He was born Sept. 25, 1957, in Norwich, son of Maurice and Rose (Bessette) Paquette. He was the owner of Commercial Roofing & Contracting, Inc in Putnam. Charles had made his home in Thompson for many years, was a member and served as chairman of the Planning and Zoning Board, the Ordinance Review Committee and the Building Committee. He was a long time member of the Putnam Elks Lodge, The Thompson Rod and Gun Club, and was an auxiliary member of the Thompson Hill Fire Department. He was a member of the Thursday Night Raceway Golf League. In the 1970s he originated the Connecticut Chess Federation Newsletter. He loved to travel and experience life with his family and friends. Visiting Key West, Fla., has been a beloved annual family tradition for more than 30 years. He will be remembered as someone who was willing to help anyone, loved life, and made sure to have a good time wherever he went.
He leaves his wife Robin, his children Eric Asikainen (Tracy) of Woodstock, Gavin Charles Paquette, and his significant other Julia Radlo, of Thompson, Kelley (Paquette) White (Steven) of Thompson; brothers and sisters John Paquette (Martha) of Pomfret, Michael Paquette (Patricia) of Plainfield, Celeste Bernard (Barry) of St George, Utah, Michelle Dunn (Scott) of St. George; grandchildren Rhys, Sydney, Lucey and Molley; nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brothers Daniel Paquette and Terrence Paquette.
A Memorial Mass was June 23 at St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale. Burial was private at Grove Street Cemetery, Putnam. Donations: Thompson Hill Fire Co., 406 Chase Road, Thompson, CT 06277. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
David C. Thompson
David C. Thompson, 63, died June 23, 2018, at Harrington Hospital in Webster.
David was one of the first 50 people to officially complete the Appalachian Trail and was an avid hunter and outdoorsman.
David was born on Dec. 22, 1954, in New Haven to the late George Thompson and late Lois (Bixby) Thompson. He was predeceased by his wife Anne Thompson and leaves his son Eric and extended family.
David was a graduate of UConn, Cornell and NC State with various degrees. Although retired, David most recently worked for the IR-4 Program affiliated with Rutgers University. He was a great recreational farmer and a lover of animals. He was also a professional at telling corny jokes.
There will be a potluck celebration of his life at 2 p.m. June 30 at his home, 961 Thompson Rd., Thompson. He will be buried in East Thompson Cemetery at a later date. Donations: East Thompson Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 271, Thompson, CT 06277-0271; or the East Thompson Cemetery, 15 East Thompson Road, Thompson, CT 06277. Smith & Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Richard L. Andrews
PUTNAM — Richard L. Andrews, 74, died June 18, 2018, at home.
He was born in Malon, N.Y., son of the late Delphis Andrews and Florence (Martin) Andrews and lived her most of his life. He was formerly employed by Bennette Security, Killingly as a security guard.
He leaves his companion Sharon R. Martin; two sons, William Andrews of Southbridge and Dick Andrews of Malon, N,Y,; daughters, Lizabelle Andrews of Malon and Melissa Andrews of Danielson; grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Richard lost his daughter Amber D. Andrews of Putnam, June 16, 2018. He was predeceased by four brothers and five sisters.
Services were private. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
Harriette Lindstrom
DUDLEY— Harriette (MacLeod) Lindstrom, 92, of Dudley, formerly of Weymouth and Cambridge, Mass died June 13, 2018 .
She was predeceased by her husband of 65 years Paul Leon Lindstrom.
Harriette was born in Cambridge daughter of Ferdinand and Matilda ( Dingwell) MacLeod. She was “COD” a child of deaf parents. She was an active member and past president of the New Comers Club in Weymouth .
The Funeral Mass was June 16 in Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Webster, with burial in Village Cemetery in Weymouth. Donations: Scleroderma Research Foundation www.srfcure.org. Bartel Funeral Home & Chapel, Dudley.
Richard A. Manyak,
Vietnam war vet
N. GROSVENORDALE — Richard A Manyak of N. Grosvenordale, 74, died June 14, 2018. He’s formerly from Douglas, Mass.
He was born Dec 2, 1943, son of Andrew and Evelyn Manyak. He was a graduate of Douglas High School, Class of 1962. W
He was an U.S. Air Force supply sergeant from 1962-1967. He served in support of the Vietnam war. He was a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans.
He worked as a tollbooth collector on Mass Turnpike for more than 30 years before retiring to Connecticut. Hobbies included watching sports on television.
He leaves his wife, Kaye Manyak (Morton); children, Angie Mungham-Milestone (Walter) of Thompson; his son Iainn Morton (Sheila) of Pittsburgh; youngest daughter Sarah Lombard of Worcester; grandchildren: Marissa Mungham, and Victoria Trudeau-Mungham of Thompson, and Jordan Coleman of Oklahoma City; great-grandchildren: Avery Daly of Thompson; brothers William Manyak, Robert Manyak and Michael Zayman.
Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
Barbara Murray
BROOKLYN — Barbara H. (Whipple) Murray, 83, died June 15, 2018, at home. She was the wife of 60 years of George James Murray Jr. She was born in Putnam, daughter of the late William Whipple and Olga (Drescher) Whipple and lived in Brooklyn since 1977 prior to that living in Pomfret. Barbara enjoyed crocheting, reading, and her church. Through the years she was a volunteer at Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam. Besides her husband she leaves a son George James Murray III (Beth) of Sanbornton, N.H.; a daughter Cynthia L. Murray-Mallory of W.Va.; four grandchildren, Michael and Garrett Murray, Benjamin Hutchins and Amanda Martel (Scott); one great-grandson Jonah Martel. Donations: South Killingly Fire Dept., Danielson. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
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