Legal Notice

Town of Pomfret

Planning and Zoning Commission

The Pomfret Planning & Zoning Commission will hold the following Public Hearing on Monday, August 24, 2015, starting at 7:00 PM at the Pomfret Senior Center:

1. A special permit application from Rectory School, 528 Pomfret Street, for the construction of a new Learning Center connected to the existing J. B. Bigelow Academic Building.  The work will include clearing and grading around the proposed building as well as the installation of a new entrance drive and drop-off area.

A copy of this application is on file in the office of the Planning and Zoning Commission, 5 Haven Road Pomfret, Connecticut. The file is available for review during normal business hours.

 

Dated this 5th day 

of August 2015

Town of Pomfret

Planning & Zoning Commission

Lynn L. Krajewski, 

Clerk

 

Aug. 12, 2015

Aug. 19, 2015

 

 

By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC column is dedicated to former Putnam resident and close friend Bernard P. “Benny” Auger.  Never a great athlete, Auger was always a good friend to everyone.  It was 56 years ago on Aug. 10, 1959, that Auger left for a four-year hitch in the United States Air Force.  He celebrates another candle on the cake on Aug. 19.

On Sunday, August 2 the Norwich Bulletin published an interesting insert titled, “The Best We’ve Ever Seen” High School Baseball.  Selected by a panel of “experts” the piece was very interesting and accurate, though open for discussion.  An interesting, but not surprising, fact was that there wasn’t a Putnam High School baseball player in the 15 players selected.

The “experts” who comprised the panel included two with northeastern Connecticut ties, former Tourtellotte Memorial High School baseball coach Tom Auclair and former Plainfield High School baseball coach John Schiffner.  The remaining members included college coaches Bill Holowaty and Roger Bidwell and former Norwich Free Academy baseball coach John Iovino and Marty Gomez, longtime Lyman baseball coach.

Of the 15 players selected only two came out of northeastern Connecticut, Bill Carpenter of Plainfield and Al LeBoeuf of Tourtellotte.  Carpenter was a pitcher and shortstop in high school.  He went on to a great career at Brandeis University and was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and played two seasons in the minor leagues.  LeBoeuf, who was probably the best pure hitter to grace the local high school diamond ever, went on to Eastern Connecticut State University before being drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies.  He enjoyed a long and productive minor league career.  A knee injury curtailed his opportunity to play in the Major Leagues.  He’s currently working with hitters in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system.

In order not to slight the many other great high school players, the “experts” created a category titled Superlatives, as a way of recognizing many other tremendous players.  John Krot of Killingly was recognized as one of the top three best base runners.  Steve St. Jean of Plainfield was in the top two best glove outfielders and another Panther, John Suprenant was noted in the top two outfield arms.  Bobby Cyrus, also of Plainfield was recognized in the top four best power hitters.

Tourtellotte’s Jim Lebeau was among the best defensive catchers and another Tiger, Brian Murphy was noted in the top four best breaking pitch category.  Woodstock’s Chris Mayhew was in the top three best slider.  In the best umpires, three of the five selections Sean Brennan, Stan Lesniewski and Walt Zadora, were from northeastern Connecticut.

The piece certainly is fodder for discussion during the “Hot Stove” season, although that doesn’t really exist in this day and age.  Although none of the “expert” panelists ever saw him play, it certainly would have been nice to have one exception to the rules.  Walt Dropo of Plainfield most definitely deserved recognition even if he were a parenthetical insertion.  His name was never mentioned once in the publication.  Think about it.  And in this columnist’s modest opinion, Roger Lafrance Sr. was the best ever umpire to work games throughout Eastern Connecticut.  How soon we forget.

Look Alike

At first glance the person on the cover of the Aug. 3 issue of Sports Illustrated looked very familiar.  The individual on the cover was Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.  It’s been mentioned more than once in the past couple years but a quick look at the cover could have been Mike Deary of Mike’s Deary Bros. Stand in Putnam.

Deary has been asked about the similarity in looks with Carroll and he laughs it off.  Drop in to the Stand with SI and ask Deary for his autograph.  A former standout athlete at Putnam High School, Deary went on to a career as a defensive back at Springfield College.  For many years he was the athletic director at East Longmeadow High School and an NCAA Division I basketball official.

Visit to The Hall

John Wilbur, sports director at WINY Radio, does a great job in reporting sports on the local level.  During his morning “sports report” he also gives more than adequate coverage to college and professional sports.

Recently Wilbur enjoyed two events that may well rank in his top stories since he’s been in the business.  The first significant event was a trip to Cooperstown, N.Y., where he attended the Hall of Fame induction of former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez.  Martinez was inducted along with Craig Biggio, Randy “The Big Unit” Johnson and John Smoltz.

The following Tuesday Wilbur was among the media throng on hand for ceremonies at Fenway Park when the Red Sox retired Martinez’ Number 45.  Wilbur is proud of the fact that he had the opportunity to ask Pedro a question during the interview session.  “Pedro’s a great guy,” was Wilbur’s comment.

On the Links Circuit

The summer golf circuit for local golf professional hopefuls is heating up with tournaments.  Two events were held in Connecticut last week with a local golfer in the midst of the action.

Cody Semmelrock, the former Woodstock Academy links standout, is working on his dream of making the PGA Tour.  Following his high school days, Semmelrock went to Williams College where he enjoyed four years of golf while earning his academic degree.  Right now Semmelrock is giving his dream its best shot before deciding if or when to switch gears to another profession.

Semmelrock was in the field for the 81st Connecticut Open at the par 71, 6,713-yard The Patterson Club in Fairfield.  He fired a one over par 72 in the opening round but his score wasn’t quite good enough to make the 42-player cut in the tourney where the winner earned $12,500.

His next stop was the Manchester Open at Manchester Country Club.  The steady Semmelrock fired an even par 71, which put him in a tie for sixth place, six strokes off the winning pace of James Hazen who recorded a 65.

Sunday At Fenway

Over the past nine years Everett Shepard, Joe Lindley and yours truly have worked behind the scenes to ensure the success of the TriTown American Legion Baseball program.  On Sunday, Aug. 1 thanks to Shepard, the trio enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at Fenway Park for the game between the Sox and Tampa Rays.

Seated behind home plate we enjoyed a perfect view of the entire field.  The biggest disappointment was the final score.  The Sox blew a 3-2 lead and lost to the Rays 4-3.  Fenway Park is always a great rip despite the results.

RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: “Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” Peter Marshall

(If you have news worthy sports information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

 

 

Peter D. Maguire,

Vietnam vet

WOODSTOCK — Peter Dennis Maguire, 67, (formerly of Plympton, Mass.) died Aug. 3, 2015. He was born on May 21, 1948, in Washington D.C. to Peter Patrick Maguire and Mary Ellen Boyce of Framingham, Mass.

Peter lived in Massachusetts for most of his life, attending Framingham schools and graduating from the Architectural Engineering Technology program at Wentworth Institute. 

Peter served in the Navy from 1966-1968 during the Vietnam War and was active in Chu Lai and DaNang as part of the N. Kingstown R.I., Seabees U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Seven. Peter was a longtime employee of the Perini Corporation where he worked on projects nationwide including Rowes Wharf in Boston, the Sands Casino in New Jersey, U.S. government buildings in Washington D.C., and buildings at the College of the Holy Cross. He also provided engineering expertise building the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela.  

Peter was an accomplished craftsman and enjoyed farming, gardening, woodworking, and tinkering. 

He leaves his wife, Denise of Woodstock; son, Peter Maguire of Watertown, Mass.; his mother Carolyn Maguire Gordon of Fitchburg, Mass.; and step-son John Entwistle of Woodstock; four brothers, Paul Maguire (Leila) of Holliston, Mass., James Maguire (Patricia) of Winston-Salem, N.C., Daniel Maguire (Barbara) of Upton, Mass., and Joseph Maguire (Dianne) of Wilmington, Mass.; and his sister Catherine (Maguire) Baris (Charles) of Whitinsville, Mass.

The Funeral was Aug. 10 in Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. Donations: Alzheimer’s Association, 200 Executive Blvd., Southington, CT .

 

Gertrude M. Lamb,

WWII vet

DANIELSON — Gertrude M. Lamb, 92, a longtime resident of Pomfret, died Aug. 6, 2015, at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. 

Known throughout her life as Trudy, she was born in April 26, 1923, in Somerville, Mass., the daughter of Benjamin and Gertrude (Andrew) MacArthur. She was married for 51 years to Frank Gilbert Lamb who died on Aug. 27, 1997. 

Trudy lived a long and productive life and was an inspiration to many. A native of Sudbury, Mass., Trudy was a physical therapist and served as a clinician, researcher, teacher, and mentor in a career that spanned six decades. She received a diploma from the Bouvé-Boston School of Physical Education and her bachelor’s from Tufts University. 

She served in the U.S Navy during WWII as a WAVE officer in the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps, and was a supervisor of physical therapy at the Great Lakes Naval Hospital and an instructor for Corpsmen and Corpswaves. It was at Great Lakes where she fell in love with Frank, a Marine officer, who was healing from wounds sustained in the South Pacific. They were married on Oct. 12, 1945.

Trudy continued her career after the war, developing techniques for passive resistance exercise and adapting these techniques to treat various orthopedic conditions. She also served as a physical therapy supervisor for the Massachusetts Department of Health crippled children’s services.  She took time to raise her family but quickly returned to the work force as the director of physical therapy at Silver Hill Foundation in New Canaan. She then followed her life-long love of teaching and education by serving as clinical coordinator of physical therapy at both Quinnipiac University in Hamden and then Springfield College in Springfield, Mass. 

Following the example of her grandfather, Trudy gave many years of service to the YMCA. She served the Westport, CT YMCA at the board level, becoming the first woman in the country to be president of a YMCA.

Trudy was a resident of Pomfret for 32 years and loved her town and friends. She was active in many volunteer efforts and community organizations. She was a member of the First Congregational Church of Woodstock and found great comfort in her church family. Previous to her life in Pomfret, she was a longtime resident of Westport and Wayland, Mass.

She leaves two children, Brenda (Lamb) Champagne (Clement) of Kansas City, KS, and Chip Lamb (Susan) of Brooklyn; four grandchildren, Melissa (Champagne) McClure and Timotheé Champagne, Scrivener and Avery Lamb and two great-grandchildren, Benjamin and Logan McClure. 

A celebration of Trudy’s life will be held at 4 p.m. Aug. 29 at The First Congregational Church of Woodstock, on Rt. 169, Woodstock. Interment will be held 11 a.m. Aug. 31 at The Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne, Mass. Donations: The First Congregational Church of Woodstock. Tillinghast Funeral Home, Danielson. 

 

Rhys Michael Couture

THOMPSON —  Rhys M. Couture, infant son of Shawn and Mia (George) Couture of Thompson Rd., passed from this Earth Aug. 2, 2015 at the Day Kimball Hospital.

He leaves his parents; his brother Giovanni Compton Couture of Thompson; paternal grandmother Charlotte Couture of Putnam; maternal grandparents Robert and Carolyn Ware of Groton; maternal great grandmother Annie O’Neil of Newport, R.I.; and an uncle Michael George of Groton. 

Private funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Gilman-Valade Funeral Homes, 104 Church St., Putnam. Donations: March of Dimes, March of Dimes National Office, Attn. March for Babies, 1275 Mamaroneck, Ave., White Plains, NY .

 

M. ‘Marge’ Morin

N. GROSVENORDALE — Margaret “Marge” E. Morin, 92, of Murollo Rd., died Aug. 6, 2015, in Westview Rehabilitation and Care Center.  She was the wife of Edward “Taxi” Morin.  

Born in 1923 in Wilsonville, she was the daughter of the late Antoni and Giana (Slanga) DiCarli.

Mrs. Morin worked for many years as an admitting supervisor at Hubbard Hospital retiring in 1988. She enjoyed sewing and having long conversations with family and friends and was a communicant of St. Joseph Church in N. Grosvenordale. 

She leaves her husband; a daughter Patricia Cregar (Edward) of Winter Springs, Fla.; a son Thomas M. Dungel of Winter Springs, Fla.; two sisters Mary Morrison of Norwich and Theresa Hostack of Auburn, Mass.; a granddaughter Christine Lemieux and two great-grandchildren Lauren and Jacob Lemieux; a step daughter Diane Dudek of N. Grosvenordale; a stepson Ronald Morin of Grosvenordale; five step grandchildren Jennifer Dudek, Sarah Boss, Ron Morin, Jr, Kyra Morin, and Randyn Morin and four step great grandchildren. She was predeceased by three sisters Amelia DiCarli, Edith Roteth, and Clara DeCarli. 

Visitation is from 10 to 11 a.m. Sept. 4 in St. Joseph Church, 18 Main St., N. Grosvenordale, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 in St. Joseph Church. Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery. Donations: American Cancer Society, 825 Brook St., Rocky Hill, CT 06067. Gilman-Valade Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam. 

 

Mary Bibek

PUTNAM — Mary (Pershula) Bibek, 85, died Aug. 9, 2015, in Day Kimball Hospital. She was the wife of the late Edward Bibek Sr. who died in 2014. 

She was born in N. Grosvenordale, daughter of the late Max and Sophie (Lukasek) Pershula and lived in Thompson all her life. She was a telephone operator and worked for SNET. She was a member of the Telephone Pioneers Club and she loved eating out and shopping.

She leaves a son Edward Bibek Jr. of Putnam and his companion Joan MacDonald of Easton, Mass.; a daughter Nancy Mason (William) of Putnam; grandson, Alex MacDonald of Easton. She was predeceased by brother Joseph Pershula.

Services were private. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.

 

June Paradise

WEBSTER — June A. (Bowen) Paradise, 81, of Webster died Aug. 9, 2015. 

She was born in Readsboro, Vt., daughter of the late Walter and Bertha (Ross) Bowen. She worked for many years doing private home care. She also lived in N. Grosvenordale previously.

She leaves her husband David J. Paradise of Webster; five sons; Paul Williams, Roger Williams, Dan Williams of Colrain, Mass., Lee Williams of Charlemont, Mass., and Mark Williams of Heath, Mass.; three daughters; Arleen Simpson of Hartford, Julie (Shan) MacDonald of Shelbourne Falls, Mass., and Nanci Giard also of Shelbourne Falls; stepdaughter and stepson, Susan and Mike Paradise of Webster; grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Services will be private. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.