By Ron P. Coderre

This week’s RPC sporty shoutout is sent along to Putnam Middle School teach Curt Prochowski.  One of the most respected and adored teachers in Putnam, Prochowski enjoys his off time with family and assisting with veteran programs.

The annual Turkey Trot 5K Trail Race and 3K Walk, which started in 2008, is gearing up for an ambitious event this year.  The goal of the two-part program is $12,000, which will go to support the TEEG Food Bank and Thompson Trails, Parks and Playgrounds.  The event is off to a good start with the announcement that CNB a division of Bank ESB has returned as its major sponsor.  In addition, Gerardi Insurance is a Platinum Sponsor and Putnam Bank is the Fun Run/Wobble Walk Sponsor.

According to primary organizer Michael Lajeunesse of Thompson, the activities will once again take place at West Thompson Lake on Sunday, November 13.  The 3K Turkey Trot Walk, which welcomes participants with dogs on a leash, will go off promptly at 9 a.m.  The 5K Turkey Trot Trail Race is scheduled for 10:05 a.m.

The cost for individuals registering prior to October 30 is $20 and includes a T-shirt with the entry fee.  After October 30 and on race day the entry fee is $25.  Preregistration entries will be accepted until noon on Friday, November 11.  To register for the race online go to www.racewire.com. Registrations for the walk will be accepted at www.thompsonrec.org.   Registrations are also being accepted by mail at Turkey Trot, P.O. Box 899, North Grosvenordale, CT 06255-0899.  Checks should be made payable to Town of Thompson.

Lajeunesse notes that runners and walkers are urged to solicit pledges from friends and family.  Participants collecting $50 or more will have their registration fee waived.  Awards will be presented to walkers, runners and walking groups with the largest amount of pledges.

The 5K Trail Race will feature seven divisions with awards in each division.  The categories are Under 12; 13-18; 19-29; 30-39; 40-49; 50-59; and 60+.  The goal is to register 300 runners and walkers.  

“The Turkey Trot has taken off after its early start a few years ago.  We’re hoping to have the largest group of participants this year.  During this time of year, assisting those in need is an important cause.  It’s rewarding to see the generosity of the people from our area,” said Lajeunesse.

Members of the organizing committee include Angela Hachey, Thompson Recreation director; Rob Paton, Turkey Trot Chairman; Beth Ten Eyck and John Ywarsky, members at large. 

Former Putnam Athlete Dies…

The obituary for William A. “Bill” Perry Jr. who died at age 80 on October 14, indicated his love of the outdoors.  Perry was an avid hiker, outdoorsman, motocross enthusiast, skier, scuba diver and enjoyed racing motorcycles.  Nowhere in the obituary was there any mention of Perry’s prowess as a football player at Putnam High School in the early 1950s.

Perry was a rugged individual who had a natural athletic physique, which he developed as a young man on the family’s small farm on Upper Walnut Street in Putnam in the days prior to the development of that area of town.  Perry possessed legs that suited him perfectly for football.  It didn’t take coach Jim Greenhalgh long to recognize Perry’s strength and drive derived from his rugged legs.  

In high school for the Clippers, Perry became a go to guy from his fullback slot on short yardage situations.  His hard charging style made him very difficult to tackle and bring down.  Each spring Perry would transfer his strength to the field events for the Clippers, where he threw the shotput.

Even as he aged Perry remained physically active hiking the Appalachian Trail.  He also enjoyed hiking Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire with his daughter Melissa.  In addition to Melissa, Perry leaves behind his wife Susan Wayman Perry and his granddaughters Sofia and Olivia Jendrewski.

Although Perry never was a big headline grabber as a Putnam Clipper his hard work on the football field will be remembered by those who played with him or watched him play on the gridiron.  They’ll also remember a man who was loyal to family and friends.  Rest in peace, Bill.

Marathon Man…

Some guys will do anything or travel anywhere to find a good race.  Jay Long, the former Killingly High School standout athlete, is just one of those people.  In early October, Long traveled to Portland, Ore., for the Sunday, October 9 Portland Marathon.

Long, who works at Gerardi Insurance in Putnam, began running 10 years ago with his friend and co-worker Matt Desaulnier.  The pair initially ran in the Deary Memorial Road Race before Long got serious about long-distance running.

The Portland Marathon was the fourth time the 1997 Killingly High School graduate has gone the 26-mile, 365-yard distance.  He ran in the Boston Marathon in April and has two New York City Marathons under his belt.  Long is a graduate of Western New England College.

Putnam Science Academy Happenings…

As the prep school basketball season approaches coach Tom Espinosa and his Mustangs are swinging into action.  On Monday, October 17 the members of the basketball team began their season with the traditional 6:30 a.m. ‘One Mile Run’ at the St. Marie-Greenhalgh sports complex. 

The official results indicate that this year’s competition was a three-man race.  Newcomer Malik Ondigo broke the tape one second ahead of second-place finisher Hamidou Diallo, who was followed by Plainfield’s Liam Jacobs in third place.  Ondigo’s time was 5:48, Diallo 5:49 and Jacobs 5:50.  Manny Warren and Steph Jean tied for fourth place at 5:52.  The Mustang Mile record of 5:19 is held by current Quinnipiac University forward Aaron Robinson, who set the record in 2014.

On Friday, October 14, Diallo and his teammates were the guests of UConn coach Kevin Ollie at the Huskies First Night event at the Gampel Pavilion.  UConn is very interested in Diallo as a 2017 recruit.  Diallo also had an invitation to Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness but decided to stick close to home.

According to the Hartford Courant, the Huskies are also interested in 6-foot, 7-inch forward Akok Akok as a Class of 2019 target.  Guard Eric Ayala is also being sought after by UConn in the Class of 2018.  Ayala did not make the trip to Storrs as he opted to visit the University of Miami Hurricanes.  Ayala recently had visitors from Providence College, including head coach Ed Cooley.

A reminder that Mustang Madness is scheduled for Saturday, November 5 at 6 p.m. at the PSA gymnasium on Maple Street.  The doors open at 5 p.m. for the free program that will be filled with fun activities, contests and giveaways.

High School Football News…

Killingly High School has moved up two notches into the 8th spot in the latest CIAC Football Playoff Points Standing.  Coach Chad Neal’s Redmen moved up by virtue of their 42-20 win over Montville.  They are 4-1 on the season and have 92.00 CIAC points in Class M.

Wolcott with a 5-1 record is in 1st place in Class M with 103.33 points.  Waterford, which was in first place the previous week dropped down to 7th place when they were beaten last week.

Woodstock’s Kameron Janice with 1155 yards for the 3- 3 Centaurs is the area’s top ground gainer.  He’s followed by Spencer Lockwood of Killingly with 1,025 yards in five games. Janice’s teammate, quarterback Jared Bouten is the area’s top passer with 833 yards through the air.  Kyle Derosier of Killingly has 476 aerial yards.  Woodstock receivers Eric Preston (270 yards) and Mason Defocy (162 yards) are the area’s top receivers.

Reunion Golf Match…

Assumption Prep School grads Jack Avis, Dave Grenon and Bob Jacques met with RPC for our annual golf match at Quinnatisset Country Club on Tuesday, October 18.  In a match separated by one stroke over 18 holes the duo of Grenon and RPC emerged victorious in the good natured matchup.  Until next year the bragging rights will be remembered each time the foursome gets together.

RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: Always borrow money from a pessimist.  He won’t expect it back.

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Stasia M. Ziobrowski,

WWII vet

DAYVILLE — Stasia M. Ziobrowski, 95, of Ware Rd. formerly of Coalpit Hill Rd., Danbury, died Oct. 12, 2016, in Westview Health Care Center. She was born in 1921, the daughter of the late parents Frank and Eva (Jankot) Ziobrowski. She was a graduate of Willimantic State Teacher’s College (now known as Eastern Connecticut State University) and went on to receive her doctorate degree from Columbia University in New York City.  She was a veteran of WWII serving with the U.S. Navy during which time she was a flight simulator instructor.

During a long career in higher education Ms. Ziobrowski was a professor at City College of New York, Queens College and the University of Montana, where she taught summer classes early in her career, all prior to retiring from an extended tenure at New York University where she had specialized in International Education and at one time served as Dean of Students.

She enjoyed photography, playing bridge with her friends and traveling abroad including being one of a group American Educators that were invited to be among the first visitors to tour Communist China after President Richard Nixon’s famous 1972 visit that led to the normalization of U.S. relations with that country.

She leaves her sister Blanche Mayo (Bernard) of Putnam; as well as three generations of nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brothers Edwin and Edward Ziobrowski. 

Visitation is from 10 to 11 a.m. Nov. 12 in Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam, followed by a service in the funeral home at 11. Burial will follow in St. Mary Cemetery. 

 

Lucille A. Byrne

BROOKLYN — Lucille A. (Asselin) Byrne, 70, of Brickyard Rd., died Oct. 17, 2016, at home. 

She was the wife of the late Kenneth F. Byrne.  Born in 1946 in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Louis and Marguerite (Poudrette) Asselin.

Mrs. Byrne worked as a press operator for Delta Rubber Corporation for 26 years retiring in 2012.  She loved all types of music and was an avid reader.  She was an avid lover of all her pets, and enjoyed cooking, traveling.

She leaves her son, Sean P. Byrne of Brooklyn; her daughters, Cindy Texeira (Michael) of Brooklyn, Kimberly Byrne of Brooklyn; her stepson, Christopher Byrne (Holly) of Niantic; her stepdaughter, Jillmary Zane (Kenneth) of Cheshire; her brother, Gary Asselin of Maine; her sister, Bernadette Hill of Pomfret; her grandchildren, Kyle, Alicia, Chelsea, Jeremy, Jayden, and Halle; and her great-grandchildren, Jayce, Alexander, Alexis, and Tobias.  

A Graveside Service is at 11 a.m. Nov. 5 at Holy Cross Cemetery, Maple Street, Danielson. Donations: St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Tribute Program, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105; or to The America Cancer Society, 825 Brook St., Rocky Hill, CT 06067. Gilman-Valade Funeral Homes and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Melissa Leigh Peabody

EASTFORD — Melissa Leigh Peabody, 36, of Eastford died unexpectedly Oct. 20, 2016. She was born Dec. 15, 1979, in Putnam, daughter of Ed and Lori (LeClaire) Peabody. 

She attended Putnam High School and Woodstock Academy. Melissa loved cooking, crafting, singing in her father’s band, the outdoors and gardening. She loved to smile and laugh. She was going to school to be a hairstylist and she loved cutting hair.  

Besides her parents, Ed and Lori of Eastford, she leaves her two daughters Mackenzie Rae Livingston, 18, Ella Bluebird Brytowski, 7, both of Putnam; maternal grandparents Raymond and Lorraine (Poulin) LeClaire of Dayville; brother Jonathan Peabody of Eastford; her fiancé Eric Brown of Thompson. She was predeceased by paternal grandparents Albert and Margaret (Wilcox) Peabody. 

A Funeral Service will be at 11 a.m. Oct. 28 at Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, with burial in Grove Street Cemetery, Putnam. Visitation is from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 27 at the funeral home. Donations: Melissa Peabody’s Daughters Education Fund In lieu of # 0411, Putnam Bank, 40 Main St. Putnam, CT 06260.

 

Dawn M. Chesbrough

DANIELSON — Dawn M. Chesbrough, 59, of Westcott Road, Danielson, died Oct. 16, 2016, at Davis Place in Danielson, after a brief illness. 

She was born May 24, 1957, in Woburn, Mass., daughter of Theodore Oscar and Jeanne Marie (Leblanc) Chesbrough. She was formerly of Woburn, and Salem, N.H., making her home in Danielson for the last two years. 

She enjoyed fishing and boating. 

She leaves her children Jason (Brenda) Slosek of Plainfield, Kristy Slosek of Rochester, N.H., Leeann Roy (Mario) Salem, N.H.; 10 grandchildren Deven, Emily, Kaylee, Karissa, Logan, Preston; Riley; Elizabeth; Annabelle; Charlette; her siblings Kathy, Teddy, Glenn, Geno. She was predeceased by her father and her brother Billy. 

The Funeral was private.  

Donations: Davis Place, 111 Westcott Road, Danielson, CT 06239.

Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.

 

William LeRoy III

PUTNAM — William J. LeRoy III, 37, of Putnam, died Oct. 5, 2016, in Hartford Hospital.  Born in 1979 in Putnam, he was the son of William J. LeRoy Jr. of Florida and Rhonda (Noe) Markowitz of Putnam.

Mr. LeRoy worked as a self-employed carpenter and was a self-taught computer programing “wiz.” 

In addition to his parents, he leaves his son, William J. LeRoy IV of Florida; his brother, Guillaume J. LeRoy of Putnam; and his sister, April R. Hudson of Florida.

Services were private. 

Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

 

Douglas C. Jennings

BROOKLYN — Douglas C. Jennings, 68, died Oct. 21, 2016, at home.

He was born in Wilcoe, W.Va., son of the late Frank and Opal (Bailey) Jennings and lived in Brooklyn for the past four years, prior to that living in Dayville.  He was retired from the Anchor Glass in Dayville.  He enjoyed old cars. 

He leaves three brothers William Jennings and Garnet Jennings of West Virginia and Richard of Brooklyn; three sisters, Elizabeth Clark of W. Virginia, Emma Guevremont of Putnam, and Vicky Revet of Thompson. 

Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster. Donations: Charity of donor’s choice.

 

Donald W. Wilmot

LANDER, Wyo. — Don Wilmot, 77, of Lander, Wyoming, died on Oct. 15, 2016, at Westward Heights Care Center in Lander after a lengthy illness. 

Don was born in 1939 in Hartford and grew up in Putnam where he completed his secondary schooling. He married his high school sweetheart, Carol Hopkins, in 1960. Carol and Don laughingly described the early years of their marriage as destitute but fun. Carol put Don through school working at Montgomery Ward and Don also took late night shifts at a local diner to make ends meet. They joked about the 2nd floor porch falling off their rental apartment in the poorer section of Worcester. Despite these challenges, Don graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1961 with a bachelor’s in electrical engineering with Distinction.

In 1961 they moved to Long Island, where Don worked at Hazeltine and continued to study fiber optics, receiving his master’s in electrical engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1966. Their son Bruce was born in 1961, and son Gary followed in 1966. Don’s working career took them first to New Hampshire, where he worked for Sanders Associates and began his lifelong research on laser weapons and weapon detection systems. They moved their family to Virginia in 1972 where Don continued his laser weapons work with QuesTech and consulted with US Army and Navy intelligence to monitor Soviet weaponry and development. In 1988, Don and Carol moved to Georgia, where Don managed and led a 270-person laser and electro-optic lab for Georgia Tech. Don’s final job relocated them to Silver Springs, Md., where Don was the head of the Army Research Laboratory, managing a 120-person laser, infrared and electro-optic laboratory. Throughout his career, Don continued to do research, filed three patents, served as a government liaison with numerous foreign countries, educated other scientists at conferences and seminars, wrote a textbook and published extensively.

After retiring in 1999, Don and Carol moved West to Flagstaff, Ariz., to be nearer to their son, Gary and his wife, Aileen. They explored the Southwest and enjoyed discovering the Grand Canyon, southwest Utah and the southern deserts of Arizona. Don continued indulging his life-long love of computers and technology, and also began an in-depth study of Christianity. This led him to teach theology in adult Sunday School for the Flagstaff Federated Church.

In 2005, Don and Carol followed their family to Lander. They were active members of the Lander United Methodist Church.

He leaves his wife, Carol, of Lander; his sons, Bruce, of Atlanta, Gary (Aileen) of Lander; grandchildren; Taylor, Brendon, Kane, Kate and Annika.

Memorial services were Oct. 25 at Mountain Vista Retirement Residence in the community dining room. Donations: Organization of the donor’s choice.

 

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Resting on the Summit

Scouts and adult leaders from Troop 21 in Putnam (foreground) took time to rest once they reached the summit of Mt. Monadnock, in Jaffrey, N.H., Oct. 15. The troop hiked to the top of the mountain, 3,165 feet above sea level, in about two-and-a-half hours. Photo courtesy of Peter A. Lombardo.

 

JAFFREY, N.H. — The Boy Scouts from Putnam’s Troop 21 were up to the challenge earlier this month when they reached the top of Mt. Monadnock, in New Hampshire, 62 miles northwest of Boston.

“Physical fitness is an important part of Scouting,” said Troop 21 Scoutmaster Peter A. Lombardo, of Putnam. “But Scouting also builds character through healthy outdoor challenges like this hike. Boys get to test their limits and go beyond what they think they can do. Besides, the view from the top was spectacular.

Bruce Burr, of Woodstock, adult guardian for one of the Scouts, accompanied Lombardo and the Scouts as the second adult on the trip.

“Monadnock was definitely the biggest thing I ever hiked up,” Burr said. “The fall colors were just great – a little hazy, but just great. We were told that on a clear day we could see downtown Boston, but we couldn’t make it out when we were at the top.”

At 3,165 feet above sea level, Monadnock has been a popular destination for hikers since the early 19th century. The trails are well marked and no ropes or other climbing gear are needed during the fall to get to the summit, so it’s the kind of outdoor program that even younger Scouts can take on without special training in climbing. With boys ranging in age from 11 to 16, Troop 21 made the round trip up and down in a little less than six hours.

“It’s just under two miles up and just over two miles down,” said New Hampshire State Park Ranger Taylor Spaulding, “but you do climb over 1,700 vertical feet from the base to the summit.

Spaulding said the summit’s usually colder, with topside temperatures averaging 15 degrees less than at the bottom of the trail. Lombardo said that wasn’t a problem, because the boys came prepared for whatever was likely to happen.

The trip to New Hampshire was a successful continuation of the Scouting year for Troop 21. For more information call (860) 963-0171 and leave a message.