This is a photo of 2 longtime, now-retired, Westport teachers:
The photo has an interesting back story.
It comes courtesy of alert “06880” reader — and Staples High School Class of 1950 member — Karl Taylor. Out of his graduating class of 123, almost half — 60 — are still alive.
Karl writes:
This was taken recently on Cape Cod. It shows Jeannette Atkins Louth, age 94, former Spanish teacher at Staples and the last remaining teacher of our class.
With her is Darrell MacFarland, member of the Staples Class of 1950. He became a teacher himself, and spent his career at Bedford and Coleytown Junior High and Middle Schools.
He traveled to Cape Cod with Ethel Keene Ritch MacFarland, also a 1950 graduate. Ethel and Darrell were married last fall, after their spouses passed away. Darrell introduced me on a blind date to Lois Jane Mead of Wilton in 1954. We married in 1955.
As for Ms. Atkins: After retiring, she became friends with her Guilford neighbors Bill and Ellen Louth, Ellen died in 1989. A strong friendship turned into love. Jeannette and Bill married in 1992, and moved to West Harwich on Cape Cod. Bill passed away in 2006.
The Class of ’50’s 50th reunion in 2002 — yep, 2 years late — included Ms. Atkins, art teacher Vivien Testa and English instructor V. Louise Higgins. Ms. Testa died in 2014, age 102. Ms. Higgins died in 2016, at 94.
Thanks to Karl Taylor, their memories — and the Class of 1950 — still live.
What do the Connecticut Ballet, Westport Weston Family Y and Maccabi Games have in common?
All had hugely successful parties — thanks in large part to DJ Henry Fisher.
It’s not easy to create a playlist that satisfies gala-goers, little kids and their parents, and teenage athletes at the “Jewish Olympics.”
It’s especially tough if you’re only a high school junior. But Henry — who has lived in Westport most of his life — keeps every party going.
Music is a big part of his life. At Hopkins — where he transferred after Kings Highway Elementary and Coleytown Middle Schools — he plays piano in the jazz rock ensemble, heads up the Jam Club, runs cross country and participates in the Science Olympiad.
Outside of school he coaches in the Westport Y’s Special Olympics track and swim programs, and tutors computer science and music with Zaniac.
Four years ago, he began his DJ business. At first he used playlists from Spotify. But he was fascinated by the Ableton Live music production software. He bought a mixer board, learned how to add special effects and transitions between songs, and plugged his piano into his computer to add synth lines.
Henry’s big break came when he entertained 10,000 Maccabi Games attendees and friends at Bridgeport’s Webster Bank Arena. Bar mitzvahs, birthday parties and fundraisers followed.
Henry is a pro. He does not simply show up at a gig and start spinning records. Before any event he consults with the host. He spends a ton of time planning a playlist.
Henry Fisher: hard at work.
For last month’s Westport Y Special Olympics fundraiser thrown by the Kiev family, for example, he had to balance pop music for hundreds of kids with ’80s hits, for the adults.
It’s easy to know what elementary school children like for the Kings Highway Pumpkinpalooza. It’s another entirely to entertain at the Westport Senior Center. (Henry — who listens to “a ton of different genres” — has extensive oldies knowledge. Still, for the Senior Center, he consulted his parents.)
Henry is not complacent. Between songs, he checks out the crowd. He’ll switch tunes on the fly, adjusting to the constantly changing vibe.
The whole idea, he says, is to get people “dancing and happy.”
Henry loves the energy of a good party. He feeds off of crowd responses. He also enjoys sharing music with people, and introducing them to new sounds.
A good DJ, he says, should be flexible. He can’t stand professionals who stick to a pre-set playlist.
As befits a jazz pianist, he thinks “the whole night should be improvisational. I’ll ditch what I’ve prepared if it’s not going well, or if I’ve got better options.”
Henry also likes taking requests. Otherwise, he says, “I’d just be like Spotify.”
He’s not sure where DJing will take him. He’s still learning, he says. But he’s also expanding his business skills.
In the meantime, if you see Henry Fisher: Party on!
(For more information on Henry Fisher’s DJ business, click here.)
From the 1950s through ’80s, Westport junior highs fielded interscholastic athletic teams.
Bedford and Long Lots — and, after it opened in 1965, Coleytown — competed against junior highs from Darien, New Canaan and Greenwich in football, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, wrestling, baseball, softball and track.
Competition was intense — both within the league, and to win the mythical Westport “town championship.”
Interscholastic competition ended in 1983, when Westport schools moved from a junior high model, to middle schools. Ninth graders went to Staples High, and competed on their own freshman teams.
But in the 1950s — and perhaps earlier — local elementary schools had their own intra-town sports teams. I have no idea when they began. By the 1960s, they were gone.
I don’t know what sports they involved either — except for boys basketball, as shown by this Saugatuck Elementary School photo provided by alert “06880” reader Fred Cantor.
Fred adds that a scrapbook from Coleytown Elementary School’s first year — 1953 — describes a girls kickball competition between that school and Bedford El.
If you’ve got stories about elementary or junior high sports teams, click “Comments” below.
With a fading generation of Holocaust survivors — and a rise in anti-Semitism, both here and abroad — the need to educate the next generation about that horrific chapter in history is crucial.
Chabad of Westport is doing its part. The Jewish outreach and social service organization sponsors “Holocaust Studies” for teenagers. Alexander Troy — a Holocaust studies teacher at Bi-Cultural Day School in Stamford — is the teacher.
Eva Schloss after Auschwitz.
Part of the 4-session curriculum — which examines Jewish life in Europe; what happened in Germany; the world’s reaction, and lessons learned — is a meeting with Eva Schloss. She’s a Holocaust survivor, world-renowned Holocaust education advocate — and Anne Frank’s step-sister.
But teenagers are not the only ones privileged to hear Eva Schloss. This Sunday (October 28, 5 p.m., Klein Memorial Auditorium, Bridgeport), she’ll speak at a public event.
It’s a rare opportunity for area residents. And it could not come at a more important time.
(Tickets for Eva Schloss’ talk are $25 for adults, $10 for students. Premium seating and VIP tickets — which include a private reception — are also available. For details, click here.)
But both men — longtime Staples High School coaches, physical education instructors and friends — are back in the news again.
Lane — one of Staples’ legendary football coaches — was honored at last week’s game against Norwalk.
Between 1962 and 1987, Lane led the Wreckers to 4 FCIAC Eastern Division championships, 2 FCIAC crowns, and 122 victories. His 11-0 1975 squad was the last single state champion — determined by sportswriters — before the current playoff system began.
In the 1967 FCIAC title game, Staples snapped Stamford Catholic’s 30-game win streak, 8-0. The Crusaders — ranked #1 in Connecticut – had outscored their opponents 333-66. The Wreckers stopped them twice on the goal line, in the last quarter.
Paul Lane (center) at last week’s Staples High School football game. He’s flanked by his sons Peter (left) and Skip. Both played for him.
Lane started coaching football in the Army in 1950. He then served as an assistant to Frank Dornfeld for 8 years, before taking over the top job.
At Staples, Lane also won state championships coaching indoor and outdoor track — and girls golf.
He grew up in Bethel, but his family has long ties to Westport. He’s been a Compo Beach resident nearly all his adult life. Former players — and of course his sons Skip and Peter, both of whom played for him — often drop by to chat with their former coach.
Last week on the football field, Lane was introduced with a video produced by Justin Nadal and Staples’ media lab. Then he shook hands with coaches and players, stood beside the team for the national anthem, and headed to the 50-yard line for the coin toss.
This week also saw the announcement that Loeffler — who, with Lane, co-owned a summer sports camp for Westport youngsters in the 1950s and ’60s — has been selected for the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame. He’ll be inducted at the organization’s annual convention in Chicago this January.
Loeffler joins 62 other major contributors to the game. The Hall of Fame already includes legends like former men’s national team and University of Virginia coach Bruce Arena, women’s national team and University of North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance, and University of Connecticut coach Joe Morrone (with whom Loeffler co-founded the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association).
Albie Loeffler
Loeffler — who died the day before his 94th birthday in 2009 — was a goalkeeper at the University of Connecticut. He began his coaching career in South Windsor (1942-52), where he won 2 state championships.
He came to Staples in 1952, teaching phys. ed. and coaching basketball, baseball and track. In 1957 he formed a club soccer team. The next year it earned varsity status.
His Staples record includes 12 FCIAC titles and 7 state championships — 5 of them in a row. His teams recorded 25 consecutive shutouts (including post-season tournament games), won or tied 43 straight matches, and lost just 2 home games between 1966 and 1974. When he retired in 1978, his 314 career wins was a national record.
Loeffler was a 2-time National Coach of the Year. More than 175 athletes went on to play college soccer; 11 became All-Americans.
Albie Loeffler (left), coaching a Staples High School soccer team in the early 1960s.
In 1998, the soccer field at Staples was named in his honor. Earlier this month, it was the site of the program’s 60th anniversary celebration.
Loeffler’s daughter and grandson will accept his posthumous award in Chicago.
I’ll be there too. Albie Loeffler was my mentor. I played for him. He got me involved in coaching — and in the United Soccer Coaches organization. He was an original member when it was formed (as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America) in 1941.
I am honored to have known Albie Loeffler. I’m glad I’ve continued my long friendship with Paul Lane.
And I’m proud that both men are back in the headlines, in the town where they influenced countless lives.
Before beginning radiation, a cancer patient receives a small tattoo. The dot helps doctors target the treatment.
But when radiation ends, the tattoo serves as a constant reminder of what that person has been through.
Some cancer survivors appreciate seeing the symbol of what they’ve overcome. Many, however, don’t want to relive that terrible time.
Dr. Rhonda Klein
Rhonda Klein is a Westport dermatologist. Some of her practice involves rashes, infections, dermatologic surgery and Botox.
But she also removes radiation tattoos. Because it’s so important and meaningful, she does it for free.
The procedure is part of an American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery project called New Beginnings. It’s also part of why Klein loves her specialty.
The daughter of Westport native Cheryl Flom — and granddaughter of Westport ophthalmologist Dr. Leonard Flom — Klein earned her undergraduate degree in bioengineering and biomedical science from the University of Pennsylvania.
She added a master’s in public health from Columbia University. After earning her medical degree from Penn she worked in epidemiology with the New York City Department of Health, including a stint after 9/11 on the bioterrorism task force.
But Klein always enjoyed clinic care, surgery and medical procedures. In dermatology, she says, “you never now what will walk into the office. It’s a field that combines all my interests.”
Many people, she notes, don’t realize how broad dermatology is. “There’s a lot of real medicine,” she explains. “It’s not just cosmetics.”
Klein did her residency at Yale. Her husband works at a Greenwich hedge fund. Westport was in between. In 2008, she and her family moved here.
After 3 years of residency — and 3 more on the Yale faculty — Klein had her 4th child. Four years ago, to be closer to them, she joined a practice here.
In July, she and Dr. Deanne Robinson partnered in a new practice: Modern Dermatology. It’s on Post Road East, next to the Maserati dealership.
That’s where Klein does what she loves — including free radiation tattoo removals.
Dr. Rhonda Klein and Dr. Deanna Robinson remove a radiation tattoo.
October — Breast Cancer Awareness Month — is a great time to let people know about this important initiative.
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