Keith Stein sent an email the other day. He wanted me to promote a special event.
Because it honors Bill Meyer, I said “sure!”
Bill Meyer
The event is a reception and staged reading of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.” It’s a fundraiser for the Westport Community Theatre’s Bill Meyer Scholarship.
Bill — who died last June, at 85 — was an avid WCT supporter, and served as a director.
But he did much, much more. He:
- was elected 9 times to the RTM
- founded the Westport Little League softball program
- served as Y’s Men president and membership chairman
- was a director of Sunrise Rotary, Senior Center, First Night, Westport’s AARP chapter, and 2 intercity Bridgeport agencies
- served on the Saugatuck Congregational Church council
- helped with Meals on Wheels
- was a board member of Isaiah House in Bridgeport, which helps parolees transition from prison to life outside
All those are great reasons to support the Bill Meyer Scholarship. But here’s the really intriguing thing about Keith Stein’s email, asking me to publicize the event:
Bill was also a staunch Republican. Keith is the chair of Westport’s Democratic Town Committee.
The staged reading includes a cast of veteran WCT actors — and a bipartisan cast of local politicians, including Martha Aasen, Toni Boucher, Gail Lavielle, Dewey Loselle, Jim Marpe and Jonathan Steinberg.
“Bill was an enthusiastic cheerleader for Westport,” Keith says. “I’m involved in the Democratic Town Committee because I want to promote Westport. Sure, he was a Republican. But he transcended politics.”
So did Keith’s email.
Washington: Are you listening?
(The Westport Community Theatre’s fundraiser for the Bill Meyer Scholarship is set for Saturday, October 24 [6-9:30 p.m.] at the Westport Historical Society. It starts with a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception, followed by a staged reading of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.” Tickets are $50 per person. Click here or call 203-226-1983.)