Longtime Westporter, active community volunteer and former Board of Education member Faith Hutchinson Taylor died peacefully at home on Sunday, surrounded by her family. She was 70 years old, and had lived with ALS since early 2025.
Faith moved to Westport from Rowayton in 1989, and wasted no time getting involved in the community. She joined the board of the Westport Library, and began forging relationships with a number of community members.
Earlier in her career Faith was director of development at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. She held the same position at Norwalk Hospital.
She began her career in Washington, working to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Later, as her children began to leave the nest, Faith went back to work, first as administrator at the Unitarian Church in Westport, then in a similar role at Earthplace.
Faith also served 4 years on the Board of Education, after holding various PTA leadership roles. She retired in 2020.
Faith Taylor
Faith grew up in Old Greenwich, the youngest of 5 children. She met her future husband, Teddy Sullivan, at nursery school in Riverside. They celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in May.
Faith was an intrepid traveler, and imbued her children with that same passion. There were family trips to Europe, and summer vacations on the coast of Maine. She loved walking trips in France, Italy and Japan.
But her passion was being near the water, whether Penobscot Bay in Maine, Squam Lake in New Hampshire or Compo Beach in Westport. Even as her illness took its toll Faith strolled with her walker at Compo, while her dog Olive cavorted at water’s edge.
Faith felt blessed to have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. They were her greatest joy, always eager to come to Westport to be with their beloved “Birdie.”
Faith is survived by her husband Ted Sullivan; sister Holly Taylor Young; children Theo Sullivan, Annie Sullivan (Devlin) and Jane Sullivan (Culhane), and 4 grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport on November 7 (2 p.m.) In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Compassionate Care ALS and/or Aspetuck Land Trust.
Like many Staples Players productions, the 2014 fall musical — “Hello, Dolly!” — featured many roles. Several were double cast, by directors David Roth and Kerry Long.
Today’s “nutshell” — the highlight reel, taped and edited by former media teacher Jim Honeycutt — includes only one cast. The DVD of the other was damaged.
We’re sorry we can’t show all the talent on stage a dozen years ago. But we assure you, both were lookin’ swell.
Everett Sussman(Horace Vandergelder) is an applied mathematics/computer science graduate of Harvard University. He is now a digital creator. He has acted in regional theater productions, including “Sweeney Todd.”
Jack Baylis(Cornelius Hackl) graduated from Point Park University’s musical theater program. He has performed in “Legally Blonde,” “Jersey Boys,” “Children of Eden,” “Peter and the Starcatcher.”
Jack Bowman (Barnaby Tucker) earned a BFA in musical theatre from Pennsylvania State University. He worked on stage and screen in New York. Because of COVID, his focus shifted to digital art. Jack is now an animator with a focus in 2D and 3D design, illustration and animation.
Emma Ruchefsky (Irene Malloy) performs professionally under the stage name Emma Charles (and occasionally EMMMA).She has toured nationally and released acclaimed singles and EPs. Billboard recognized her as a Best Emerging Artist. She continues to write, record and tour.
Jacob Leaf (Rudolf Weisenweber) is a professional actor. He has appeared in “Mamma Mia!,” “Gypsy,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Eurydice” and more.
Christian Melhuish (Joe the barber) is a singer, actor and dancer in New York. After graduating from Temple University with a BFA in musical theater, Christian has performed regionally around the country. Credits include Jesus (“Godspell”), Romeo (“Romeo & Juliet”) and Bob Gaudio (“Jersey Boys”). He has also performed Off-Broadway and in cabarets and staged readings.
Mackenzie Lavoie (Mrs Rose) earned a bachelor of science in arts administration, combined arts and a minor in film and media studies at Wagner College. She is a communications and PR professional specializing in strategic storytelling, media relations and brand positioning.
Julia Mandelbaum (Mrs Price, court stenographer) graduated from Rider University. She performed professionally in “Evita,” “Singing in the Rain,” and more
Keanan Pucci (Laurence Croft) graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, contributing to virtual production pipelines and visual development for projects like Netflix’s “Escape from Hat.” His film credits include “An Inconsistent Story in Stealing. Click here for a showcase of his interactive and 3D work.
Noa Wind(Mrs Wilkes) is a vocalist and performer who has appeared as a supporting chorus member and soloist in high-profile concert events with The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall.
Zoe Samuels (Lucy Price, Rider on the streetcar) is an associate strategy director at Edelman. She graduated with a degree in theater and Chinese from Middlebury College.
Daniel Pauker (Danny) is a technical animator. He has a passion for 3D software and systems.
On the last Sunday morning in September, Compo Beach will look the way it has on that date for over 2 decades: bikes racked along the sand, wetsuits half-zipped, and a line of swimmers walking down to the jetty.
For many years it was the Kiwanis Westport Triathlon (“The Minuteman”). Money raised went back to the community.
Two years ago, Kiwanis handed the race to myTeam Triumph Connecticut. Entries still fund a local cause: mTT-CT puts athletes with disabilities into endurance events across the state, at no cost to the athlete or their family.
The course is the same. And it’s still a hometown race, run by neighbors, for anyone willing to show up.
The 2026 edition is Sunday, September 27. Registration is 7 a.m. The competition begins at 8:30.
The course is short: a 1/2-mile jetty-to-jetty swim, 5.5 miles on bikes through the flat Compo neighborhood, and a 2.2-mile run.
There are 3 ways to take part
Race it. Go solo, or split with 2 friends as a swim-bike-run relay. The field already runs from age 12 to 80. For many, this is their first triathlon. Register at active.com.
Race with myTeam Triumph. The organization pairs athletes with disabilities (“captains”) with volunteer athletes )”angels”) who push, pull and pace them through the course. Angels can cover 1, 2 or 3 legs. Sign up at runsignup.
Volunteer. A race this size needs people holding clipboards, pointing at corners, registering, marking bodies, at the transition area, course marshals, and at the finish line and cleanup. No athletic ability is required. Sign up at runsignup.
myTeam Triumph, at last year’s Triathlon.
==============================================
Harvest Fest is one of Westport’s best parties ever.
Wakeman Town Farm’s biggest fundraiser (and food & wine) event of the year includes tons of seasonal fare from local farmers and chefs, wine and signature cocktails, live music, an auction with culinary and travel experiences, and much more.
It’s the closest thing our town has to an old-fashioned barn-raising party. And proceeds help WTF provide education to folks of all ages, incomes and abilities.
Also cooking at Wakeman Town Farm: a Tuscan harvest cooking class with chef Laura Weinman (September 17, 6 p.m.).
WTF says, “Tuscan foods are simple, sun-drenched, and feature fresh herbs and extra virgin olive oil instead of heavy sauces. Delicious natural flavors shine through in a cuisine that is healthful, economical and celebrates its raw ingredients.”
It’s a “John” fest on Sunday September 6 (12:30 p.m., Saugatuck Rowing Club).
First Folk Sunday features the music of John Denver and John Prine. Two singer/songwriters — Westport’s Suzanne Sheridan and Northampton’s Dave Dersham — provide their interpretations of the iconic musicians. Both straddled the line between folk and traditional country music, relying heavily on acoustic guitar and narrative storytelling.
Tickets are $20, and are available online. For more information call Rozanne Gates: 203-984-7562.
================================================
It was registration day yesterday, at Greens Farms Elementary School.
Judging by the line of cars on Center Street, everyone had the same idea, at the same time.
Speaking of driving: It’s been a while since we’ve run an Entitled Parking photo.
The bar is usually quite high: something breathtakingly batshit crazy, or one that prevents a minimum of 2 other drivers from pulling in.
This is neither. But it makes the cut, because to pull this I-can’t-be-bothered-to-fix-this stunt, the driver had to already have come the wrong way down this 1-way section of Parker Harding Plaza.
And finally … in honor of the first day of school in Westport:
(Another school year. Another “06880” Roundup. Another chance for us to remind you: This hyper-local blog relies on the support of readers. Please click here — it’s as easy as ABC Thank you!)
Tanya Kaur Guleria has a 1-year-old son. In a few years, he’ll enter Long Lots Elementary School.
The new Long Lots.
Tanya — a strategic and operations professional who moved here in 2023, and has already gotten involved in town activities as a Westport Library trustee and member of the Fair Rent Commission — wanted to learn more about the project.
What are the plans? What will it look like? What’s the timeline?
She reached out to the Long Lots School Building Committee, and offered to help.
They quickly accepted her offer.
This week, her contribution — a new, clear, informative and very user-friendly website — launched.
Handsome typeface and easy navigation are 2 key features.
Though not part of the official westportct.gov website — its URL is https://llsbc.org/ — it may be the best “town site” of all.
If you’re looking for any information, of any kind, on the Long Lots (and Stepping Stones Pre-School) project, it’s here.
Animated and 3D views of plans
Timeline: recently completed work (site preparation and grading); in progress (footings and foundation); what’s next (structural framing) — plus many more “dig deep” details
News (for example, $1 million in energy incentives from Eversource)
Background information (project history; why it’s needed; construction manager, architect, engineers and more)
Photos of current construction
Frequently asked questions
Link to official documents, organized by topic.
“Ask a question” button.
Timelapse videos will allow users to see the actual progress being made.
Photos, and clear captions, show progress as it’s made.
Tanya worked closely with the Long Lots School Building Committee on the site’s design. She approached it as a parent interested in learning more about the project.
“It’s a good way to orient yourself to the job site. It’s not too technical,” she explains.
But users with a technical bent find plenty of links to satisfy their inner engineer, too.
Tanya will continue to update the LLSBC website over the next couple of years. (Move-in date for students, it notes, is expected to be January of 2028.)
Meanwhile, let’s hope she has time for a new project.
Starting, perhaps, with the serviceable — but clunky, inconsistent, and very-much-in-need-of-an-upgrade — town website itself.
This video is part of the LLSBC website.
“06880” regularly covers town government, in all its shapes and forms. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
A new school year begins, with excitement sky-high.
And not just for students.
Hundreds of teachers, administrators and support staff packed the newly renovated Staples High School auditorium this morning, for the Westport Public Schools’ annual opening convocation.
There were several highlights, like the announcement of the district Teacher of the Year (Saugatuck Elementary School literacy coach Jessica Carey), and superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice’s keynote address (including a video appearance by comedian Colin Mochrie).
But the most rousing applause — and a prolonged standing ovation — came near the beginning, when Scarice invited the facilities team and security officers to the front of the room.
Scarice offered anecdotes of the work the often-unheralded work performed every day by custodians, maintenance staff, and security officers. Their value to the district was recognized long and loudly, by the men and women they work with.
A standing ovation for custodians and maintenance staff …
Scarice also hailed the educators, administrators, nurses, counselors, paraprofessionals and others who make the district successful. He said that in his 30 years in education, “this is the most incredible faculty, from pre-K through high school.”
He thanked the 3 Board of Education members — Jill Dillon, Lee Goldstein and Stephen Shackelford — in attendance too, along with all staff members with 20 or more years of service.
There are 31 new teachers this year, plus another 31 support staff and 15 interns.
Superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice congratulates Westport Teacher of the year Jessica Carey.
Introducing Carey as Teacher of the Year, Saugatuck principal Beth Messler cited her work helping students become “readers, writers, communicators and kind human beings.”
Carey — a Westport teacher since 2005, and No Place for Hate co-leader — also “influences colleagues and administrators,” Messler said. “And she makes sure that real, authentic books stay in kids’ hands.”
(Click here for an “06880” story on Carey’s annual project that encourages SES adults to write about their lives, passions, accomplishments, joys, challenges and more.)
This year, there were 23 other nominees for Teacher of the Year: Philip Abraham, Louise D’Amore, Caroline Davis, Sandra Decembre, Kelly Falcone, Deirdre Flores, Ben Frimmer, Kristen Gerner, Erin Hines, Amy Howland, Alyssa Improglou, Matty Jacowleff, Gretchen Jankura, Eric Lawrence, Carla Magnano, Ursula Malizia, Ashley Namnum, Suzanne Propp, Kelly Shamus, Meghan Stewart, Liuba Ulianova, Lisa Weand and Sarah White.
Teacher of the Year nominees, on stage.
Nominations come from the staff. The final selection is made by former Teachers of the Year, with assistant superintendent of schools John Bayers.
Superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice
Scarice’s keynote included 3 pieces of advice he has offered his 3 children — Where is your focus? What does it mean? What are you going to do? — and 4 premises he hopes all Westport Public Schools employees will think about:
The world has changed.
We have a moral imperative to prepare students for that world.
AI is a force multiplier.
Technology must serve humanity — not the other way around.
The convocation began with performances by the Staples High Jazz Band and cheerleaders, and the national anthem sung by choral students.
Lauren Pine (right) leads choral students in the national anthem.
Jazz band director Kevin Mazzarella (right) and his musicians, in the foyer outside the auditorium.
Staples cheerleaders perform in the courtyard, during the pre-convocation breakfast.
(“06880” often reports on Westport’s schools. If you enjoy our coverage — or anything else on this hyper-local blog — please click here to support our work.)
Westway is a street off Greens Farms Road. (It’s also where former FBI director James Comey and his family lived, from 2010 to 2017.)
Though part of the oldest neighborhood in Westport, it’s not immune to the wrecking ball.
This week, “Then & Now” curator and pre-demolition archivist Dave Matlow offers 3 examples from Westway Road. The fourth is from nearby Woodhill Road. They’re part of the project he worked on from 2004 to 2020.
A reminder: This is a community blog. Our neighbors live here. Some built those new structures; others are the second (or beyond) owners.
If you comment, please be kind. Taste is subjective. Wherever we live, everyone has loves their home.
Less than 2 weeks remain before “A Day in the Life of Westport.”
On Sunday, September 6, every Westporter is invited to help create a one-of-a-kind portrait of the town. We’ll do it by taking a photograph that captures one real moment from our day.
Whether it’s a sunrise at Compo Beach, breakfast with family, volunteering at a community event, opening a business downtown, walking the dog, cheering from the sidelines or enjoying a quiet moment at home, every image will become part of a collective portrait of Westport.
“A Day in the Life of Westport” is a collaboration between the Artists Collective of Westport, the League of Women Voters Westport, the David T. Langrock Foundation, and “06880.”
As part of Westport’s America 250 celebration, the project will document the town in its everyday rhythms, creating a lasting record of who we are as a community in this semiquincentennial year.
Inspired by the classic Life magazine photo essays documenting “A Day in the Life of America,” the project invites residents of every age to photograph one moment on Sunday, September 6, then submit it online with a brief caption describing what the image means to them.
Photos must be taken on Sunday, September 6, and submitted by midnight that evening at dayinthelife2026.artcall.org. The submission website will accept photographs only on the day of the event.
Each participant may submit up to 3 shots, each accompanied by a brief caption describing the moment.
The “Meet the Parents” star was in Norwalk for a well-publicized promo of his recently launched Stiller’s Soda. Entry into the meet-and-greet line required the purchase of a 12-can case ($15, plus tax).
The event drew an enormous crowd. There were reports of fans (presumably of Stiller, not the soda) flying in from Texas.
Gabe Escobar was there too. I didn’t know who he is, but plenty of other people do. AI described him as a “musical theater graduate, and digital content creator with millions of followers across TikTok and Instagram. He is well-known for his solo travel vlogs, comedy sketches, Broadway content, and for sparking the viral ‘girlfriend effect’ fashion trend.”
I also didn’t know what “the viral ‘girlfriend effect’ fashion trend” is, but whatever. (Click here, if you must know.)
Back to Stew’s. Gabe’s encounter with “the worlds [sic] largest grocery store” — (he “didn’t know it was a superlative,” he notes) offers an intriguing perspective on it, as well as on Ben Stiller, suburbia, and the world of influencers in general.
Lyman — Westport’s sister city, in an especially besieged area of Ukraine — was featured in Friday’s New York Times.
The story begins:
Stay, or try to escape? Nina Ivanova, 77, felt the odds of survival were 50/50 either way, and she had nothing left to lose.
Russian forces were just over a mile away, battering her city, Lyman, in eastern Ukraine, with glide bombs and drones. Her husband was dead after a long illness, and her home was destroyed. She was hiding in a basement with her two daughters.
Lyman was burning, but civilian and military evacuation teams no longer entered the city, given the danger. The only way out was on foot — nine miles under drone-filled skies.
When Ms. Ivanova saw a body eaten by dogs in Lyman, it helped push her to her limit, she said. She and her daughters would take their chances on the road, as countless Ukrainians have done before them all along the front line.
“We got up and left,” she said.
Click here for the full story. To donate to Lyman through Ukraine Aid International, click here. Click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo.) (Hat tip: Howard Matson)
Damage after a Russian attack on Lyman in 2024. (Photo/Tyler Hicks for the New York Times)
=================================================
Yacht Rock — a live tribute to classic ’70s and ’80s music like Steely Dan and Christopher Cross — returns to VFW Post 399 this Saturday (August 29; doors open at 6 p.m.; show at 7:30).
Tickets are $15 in advance (click here), $20 (cash) at the door.
Also at the VFW: The next Veterans Benefits Luncheon (Thursday, August 27, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), VFW Post 399).
It’s open to all veterans as part of an ongoing effort to check in on all veterans’ welfare, and connect them with the benefits and support they earned.
Representatives will answer questions, and provide information on services and assistance available to veterans.
RSVPs are encouraged (but not required). Email vfw399ct@gmail.com, and include the number of attendees, or call (203) 227-6796.
PS: If you’re not a veteran, but know one: Please pass the word!
VFW veterans’ benefits luncheon.
=================================================
Last night’s Levitt Pavilion Andy Frasco/Kitchen Dwellers/Magoo show — a finale to the three band tour — included Frasco doing a crowd-surfing hora hybrid.
Tonight (Monday, 7 p.m.), the outdoor amphitheater becomes a jazz club. Greens Farms Academy graduate Charlie Hall celebrates Miles Davis’ centennial with his “Get Up With It” ensemble project. Tickets are available here, and at the box office.
================================================
We’ve featured lots of creatures in our “Westport … Naturally” series.
This may be the first sting ray, though.
Michael Friedland spotted it last week at Old Mill Beach.
And finally … Janie Bradford Hobbs died in Los Angeles, following an extended illness. She was 87.
Though nowhere near as well known as fellow Motown songwriters like Holland-Dozier-Holland, Smokey Robinson and others — perhaps because she was a woman? — she wrote several important hits for the label. Among them:
(Hat tip: Michael Taylor)
(Just like Barrett Strong, money is what we want. We’re not as direct as he is — okay, maybe we are — but we remind you again that “06880” is reader-supported. Please click here. And thank you!)
This story ran 2 years ago, as the new school year began. Several readers asked to see it again. It’s just as timely — and timeless — today. Have a great year!
Forget January 1. Pshaw, Rosh Hashanah. Tomorrow — at least for Westport parents and students — is the real start of the new year.
It’s the first day of school.
Whether you’re a kindergartner heading off on your own, a Staples senior already counting the days to graduation, or a mom or dad feeling pride, trepidation and the warp-speed passage of time — or anyone else, who has ever gone to school — this story is for you.
Summer vacation ends with a thud tomorrow. Each year it’s the same: One day a kid’s free as a bird; the next he’s trapped, chained to the rhythm of the school calendar for 10 long months.
Greens Farms Elementary School
Some youngsters love this time of year; they’re eager to greet old friends, and meet new ones. Or they can’t wait for the smell of newly waxed floors, the security of assigned seats, the praise they know will be lavished on them day after day.
Others abhor it. The thought of entering a strange building filled with strange faces, or trying to be part of a group of peers who won’t accept them, or sitting for hours at a time, doing work they can’t stand, is excruciating — even physically sickening.
Around this time each year, I think about the entire school experience. I wonder which kindergartner will hate school for the rest of the year because his teacher makes a face the morning he throws up in front of everyone, and which will love school because an aide congratulates her the afternoon she almost puts on her coat all by herself.
Which 1st grader will invent any excuse not to go to gym because he can’t throw a ball, and which will get through the school day only because he knows gym is coming soon?
Saugatuck Elementary School
Which 4th grader will walk meekly into class each morning with just one ambition — to get through the day without anyone noticing how ugly, or stupid, or poorly dressed she is — and which will look back on 4th grade as a turning point in her life because a guidance counselor took the time to talk to her, to show her how to comb her hair better, to make her feel good about herself?
Which 5th grader will have a teacher who does nothing when she catches him cheating on a test — too much effort to raise such a touchy issue — and which will have a teacher who scares him so much when he’s caught that he vows to never cheat in school again?
Which 6th grader will enter middle school intent on making a name for himself as the best fighter in his class, and which with the aim of never getting a grade lower than an A? Which 6th grader’s ambition will change, and which will remain the same?
Bedford Middle School
Which 9th grader will temper his fledgling interest in current events with the feeling “it’s not cool; no one else in class cares,” and which will visit the New York Times website every day because her class is working on “this really neat project”?
Which 10th grader will hate English because all she does is read stupid books assigned by the stupid teacher from some stupid list, and which will go to Barnes & Noble on his own for the first time because his teacher suggests there are more books by the same author he might enjoy?
Which 12th grader will have the brains to apply to 3 Ivy League schools, but lack the common courtesy to thank a teacher who wrote glowing recommendation to all of them? And which will slip a note in a teacher’s box the morning of graduation that says, “Thanks. I’m really glad I had you this year”?
Staples High School
It’s easy to wrap our school years in nostalgic gauze, or try to stuff the bad memories down our mental garbage disposals.
We also tend not to think in concrete terms about what goes on inside school walls every day. Learning, we assume, happens. Kids read, write, use laptops, draw, eat and see their friends.
We seldom realize how much of an impact this institution we call “school” has on our kids.
Or how much it has had on us.
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. We cover Westport schools — students, teachers, activities, you name it — 24/7/365. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thanks!)
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
