If it’s March, the Oscars are coming soon. (They’re March 10 — a week from tomorrow).
This year, there’s a 20% chance the winner for Best Picture will have a Westport connection. And those 2 contenders have their own close connection.
“Oppenheimer” was released by Universal Pictures. Its president, Peter Cramer, is a Staples High School Class of 1985 graduate, where he starred in soccer and track. He graduated 4 years later from Harvard University.
During his 17 years at Universal, Cramer helped the studio to record-breaking results globally, including overseeing the highest-grossing film in Universal’s history: “Jurassic World.”
“Killers of the Flower Moon” — another Oscar contender — was written by David Grann. He is a friend and former classmate of Cramer’s since childhood, and would have graduated from Staples with him had he not gone to private school.
Grann graduated from Connecticut College, and is a longtime New Yorker writer. His most recent book, “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder” debuted at #1 on the New York Times best-seller list.
David Grann (left) and Peter Cramer
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And speaking of movie honors: 1981 Staples grad Jeanie Bacharach won her 2nd Emmy this year.
A casting director and producer, she was honored for Outstanding Casting in “The Bear.” Congratulations, Jeanie — sorry to be late with this! (Hat tip: Suzanne Propp)
Jeanie Bacharach, with her award.
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Kudos too to the Staples girls ice hockey team.
The co-op squad (with Westhill and Stamford Highs) won their state tournament quarterfinal match Wednesday night against Mercy Northwest Catholic — 3-2, in double overtime.
That vaults them into the state semis, for the first time in their history. They face archrival Darien tonight (Saturday) at 5:30 p.m. at the Shelton Rinks.
The girls lost only 4 games during the regular season — and were the only team in the state to beat Darien. The Blue Wave got revenge in the FCIAC (league) semifinal, eliminating SWS in overtime.
Coach John Fay’s squad is led by senior defenseman and captain Maya Sherman.
Darien is seeded 1st in the state tournament. The Wreckers are 4th. Go get ’em!
The Staples-Westhill-Stamford team celebrates their state tournament quarterfinal victory.
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Several big capital spending projects loom in Westport.
What are the rationales, goals and processes?
Town Hall and Westport Public Schools leaders share insights on March 26 (7 p.m., Westport Library) in a community conversation.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice will present their capital spending strategies and rationales. A panel of experts will discuss possible funding strategies, capital planning best practices, and the approval process for achieving capital spending goals. An audience Q-and-A session will follow.
The event is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Westport, and the Westport Library’s Common Ground initiative.
Longshore is one of several large capital projects planned for the future.
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Get in the swim at the Westport Library!
“Below Surface” — the award-winning short documentary that explores the extraordinary power of community through the Westport Weston Family YMCA’s Aqua-fit program — will be screened this Monday (March 4, 6:30 p.m.).
The film is inspiring, powerful, and filled with our Westport friends and neighbors. It follows gifted, compassionate instructor Patty Kondub as she molds her multi-cultural, multi-generational exercise class into a true community.
She — and they — use exercise and friendship as an antidote for grief, stress and physical illness.
The screening will be followed by a panel moderated by Robert Altbaum, recently retired internal medicine physician. Panelists include Dr. Linda P. Fried, dean of Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health; Maria Allen, president of the Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging; Moishi Moses, vice president of volunteerisms for the AARP Foundation, and Patty Kondub herself.
Area organizations that support healthy longevity will have information available, including the Senior Center, AARP, YMCA and Westport Department of Human Services.
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300,000 American servicemembers have died since the US left Vietnam in 1973, due to exposure to deadly chemicals.
“Agent Orange: A Short Sickening Saga of War” — Carl Addison Swanson’s startling and true tale of the devastating effects of that herbicide — has passed the 500,000 sale mark.
The book is free to veterans through the Veterans Administration, and on sale at Amazon.
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As work continues on 44 Compo Cove — the often-photographed-and-painted 1917 house that’s the first one on the right over the Sherwood Mill Pond walkway — its interior has been gutted.
You can see right through now, to Long Island Sound.
But much of the exterior remains. Its bones are still strong.
(Photo/Matt Murray)
It’s withstood over 100 years of hurricanes and nor’easters.
Fingers crossed, the new/old home will be there for at least the next century.
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Aspetuck Land Trust’s next “Lunch & Learn” seminar is “Native Trees, Shrubs and Perennials: Choosing Layers for Biodiversity.”
Anna Fialkoff. a Connecticut College arboretum horticulturist, will show how to
group trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants together for maximum impact and beauty, in a variety of situations and growing conditions.
Click here to register, and for more information.
Biodiversity on display.
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Samuel Bell — who built over 200 “Bell Colonial” homes in Westport and Weston — died February 21 at his Boca Raton, Florida home. He was 94.
The Norwalk native spent his career as a residential and commercial builder/developer and entrepreneur in Fairfield County and Florida. He was active in his many business interests until shortly before his death.
He enjoyed boating, fishing, hunting and gardening. Sam and his fishing yacht “VII Bells” were fixtures at Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club for almost half a century.
He was proud of his Italian-American heritage and enjoyed family get-togethers and reunions with his large extended family, along with the authentic Italian foods of his childhood memories. Sam was a devout parishioner at Assumption Church for many decades.
Sam is survived by his children Nicholas (Laurie Bloom) of Weston, Pamela of Villa Park, California, Melinda Bell Dietrich of Delray Beach, Florida, and Samuel F. Bell, Jr. (Melanie) of Weston; 10 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Sylvia and son Jeffrey.
The family will receive friends on April 5 (4 to 8 p.m., Harding Funeral Home). A funeral is set for April 6 (10 a.m., Assumption Church), with a Mass of Christian burial.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or a favorite charity.
Samuel Bell
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Eagles are always impressive subjects for our “Westport … Naturally” feature.
But this one is even cooler.
Photographer Johanna Keyser Rossi writes: “It’s amazing how the eagle can rotate his head and look behind himself.
“He was not facing my direction. This is the back of him. Then he turned his head.”
(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)
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And finally … on this day in 1498, Vasco da Gama’s fleet visited the island of Mozambique.
(“06880” is where Westport meets the world. Even Mozambique. Please click here to support our hyper-local, yet globe-trotting, work. Thank you!)
My condolences to the family of Sam Bell, Sr. Westport has lost a very good man. I first met Sam 20 years ago and discovered he had built our house – a “Bell Colonial.” He called it the “IBMer” because that’s what IBM executives living in Westport wanted. Sam was an honest and decent man. He told wonderful stories about Westport, town politics, and the characters who made this town what it is.
He will be missed. Rest in peace, my friend.
Great to see the post of the Westport winners, including wonderful Jeanie Bacharach, whose mother, wonderful Dolores (Do Do) Bacharch, still resides in Southport. Congrats to Jeanie on her second Emmy!
Sam was a true gentleman. an aspiration for all who knew him. He truly loved Westport and was always willing to engage in spirited and knowledgeable discussion about its past and future. I will miss him as a true friend. My condolences to his family