Category Archives: People

Remembering “Tennis”

Posted on November 9, 2011 | 17 comments

Carl Swanson — a Staples grad and Steve Ogilvy fan — sent along this remembrance of one of Westport’s most legendary sportsmen.

Those tired of seeing the endless array of clones dressed in ball caps, sunglasses and driving in convertibles around town may take a brief moment to remember Steve Ogilvy on this, his 95nd birthday.

Steve Ogilvy

Steve — nicknamed “Tennis” — is no longer with us.  He died in a traffic accident in 2005, returning home from a tennis match.  Many remember the tennis star, Hall of Fame inductee and father of 9 children.  He was a Westport fixture for over 50 years.  Many generations recall at least one of his talented offspring.

The man himself was as unique as the town he loved.  A Princeton graduate, he followed the path of entrepreneurship with a hearing aid business in Bridgeport.

Before it was fashionably healthy, “Tennis” did not smoke or drink. He offered each of his children $1,000 if they didn’t abide until they reached the age of 21.

He taught Sunday school and confirmation class at Saugatuck Congregational Church with the infamous lesson that “Jesus is love” would be a correct response to any question ever asked.  His boisterous voice could be heard among all others when he sang hymns in church.

When the nest on Valley Road was empty of all 9 children, he wrote each of them a post card every Monday for 30 years.

His non-conformity and stark individuality seemed a perfect fit for Westport.  During Ogilvy’s heyday the town was full of unusual stores, celebrities, artisans and many who paralleled his uncanny ability to be different.  Certainly he was accomplished, but the true brilliance of the man was his graciousness and love of life.

Such traits rubbed off on most people around him.  He could make you feel good about yourself with a few choice words.  At my father’s funeral, my former wife mentioned that it was extraordinary that he had 9 kids. He pointed his finger at me: “And he was our 10th.”

When the new pastor at Saugatuck Congregational gave his first sermon, there was an abrupt silence upon its completion.  Soon the bellowing voice of “Tennis” announced to the attendees: “A+. A+”.

I guess more than anything I miss about Steve Ogilvy is his happiness.  Save his athletic abilities, loving family, business success and innate intelligence, “Tennis” was a happy Westporter.  We could use a little more of that these days.  As he once told me when he saw me play tennis: “Less pizzazz and more snap.”  Amen.

Happy Birthday, “Tennis.”

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Posted in Looking back, People, Sports

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“Anything Goes” For John Weidman

Posted on November 6, 2011 | 10 comments

In the 1950s, John Weidman was a very good Westport Little League shortstop (the Jaguars, if it still matters).  He memorized “zillions” of TV commercials, a former teammate says, and recited them on the field during lulls in action.

Then he realized:  “There are no major league players from Westport.”

John Weidman

But there was more than baseball in his future.  As the son of Jerome Weidman — author of I Can Get It for You Wholesale — he gravitated toward writing.  At Harvard he befriended 1968 classmate Timothy Crouse.  They co-wrote a Hasty Pudding show.

Despite earning a law degree from Yale (where one of his classmates was Clarence Thomas), he circled back to writing.  On a whim he wrote Hal Prince with an idea.  The producer gave him $500; Weidman wrote “Pacific Overtures,” which Prince then handed over to Stephen Sondheim to turn into a musical.

Weidman kept writing:  for National Lampoon, “Sesame Street,” then a revision — with Timothy Crouse — of Crouse’s father’s “Anything Goes.”

The Weidman-Sondheim collaboration continued with “Assassins” in 1990, and “Road Show” in 2008.  Weidman was nominated for 3 Tony Awards (and won for “Contact”); he also won a dozen Emmys for “Sesame Street.”  He’s served 10 years as president of the Dramatists Guild.

Most recently he’s worked on the re-re-revision of “Anything Goes,” which the New York Times called “zesty.”  It’s currently playing at the Stephen Sondheim Theater.

That’s a nice little story — local boy makes good — but there’s another town connection even many long-time residents may not know:

Back in his teenage days, Stephen Sondheim was an apprentice at the Westport Country Playhouse.

The Weidman-Sondheim connection goes further than even they may realize.

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Posted in Arts, Looking back, People, Westport Country Playhouse

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Robert Levine’s 3rd Party

Posted on November 4, 2011 | 41 comments

What are the odds of a 3rd party in America?

Not bad, according to one Westporter — a man who should know.

According to alert “06880” reader Tish Fried — who wrote the following report — over 40 people attended a book launch on that subject last Friday at Write Yourself Free in Colonial Green.

Robert A. Levine (Photo/Dave Matlow)

They discussed Robert A. Levine‘s latest work, Resurrecting Democracy: A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party.  Levine — a Westporter for 40 years — is fed up with the extreme partisan bickering that’s paralyzed the federal government.

A Vietnam vet who became a medical doctor, Levine has watched the evolution of American politics with increasing alarm.  Energized by his faith in democratic processes, he wrote this book.

“Is democracy dead if it needs resurrecting?” asked Patrick McCord, the event moderator.

“The current form of democracy serves to reinforce sitting Congress and the established parties’ self-interest,” Levine replied.

He proposed “a 3rd party, not bound by a single personality and structured on the principals of transparency, integrity, competency; a party with a commitment to finding pragmatic solutions to our most urgent problems.”

An energetic discussion of the viability of creating a 3rd party ensued.

Levine believes the moment is now.  “This is a great time for this discussion. Congressional approval is at an all time low of 9%, the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street Movements are gaining numbers.  Why not now?”

Audience members shouted out names of possible leaders:  Chuck Hagel.  Michael Bloomberg.  Russ Feingold.  Even Republican presidential nominee Jon Huntsman.

“The talent is out there,” Levine said.  “We need men and women who will become a part of this movement.”

Levine said that he has been a political junkie since his days as a history major at Columbia University.  But many Westporters know him as their doctor.  A neurologist in private practice, he’s been on staff at Norwalk Hospital for over 4 decades.

A 3rd party.  Just what the doctor ordered?

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Posted in Local business, People, Politics

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Power To The “06880” People

Posted on November 3, 2011 | 86 comments

Alert, loyal and very generous “06880” reader Terry Brannigan writes:

I can’t believe I’m just thinking of this now, but if any of your readers are without power and need a place to go, we have plenty of room.

How’s that for a spectacular offer?  First come, first served: terence.brannigan@gartner.com.

86 Comments

Posted in People, Weather, Westport life

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Remembering Lili

Posted on November 3, 2011 | 5 comments

Liliane Bonora died quietly of heart failure on October 20.

That’s what the obituary said, anyway.  Some people might have read the name, not recognized it, and moved on.

But if the story said simply “Lili died,” nearly everyone in town would have noticed.

Lili, of course, owned Lili’s Fine Food and Catering, the railroad station coffee shop that for 28 years served coffee, croissants, conversation — and much, much more.

Her obituary noted that she was born in Monte Carlo, moved to Canada in the 1960s and the US in the early ’70s, then became an American citizen just in time to cast her first vote for Bill Clinton.

She was “an accomplished cloisonné artist and designer.”  She was a concert pianist, and also played violin, flute and guitar.  For a while, she gave piano lessons.

Lili worked at Soup’s On before opening her railroad station spot.  There, she met countless customers who were enchanted by her “generosity of spirit, and her gifts as a chef.”

The obituary continued:

Her devotion to beauty and perfection translated into everything she did.  Her culinary and floral creations were breathtaking.  She is held lovingly in the hearts of all the lives she touched.

Among those lives was Ellie Solovay’s.

“I was probably one of Lili’s first customers,” the longtime Westporter recalls.

For many years she cooked Friday night dinner for me and my family.  In the past few years my husband and I would walk over the railroad bridge to her cafe on Saturday mornings.  She made us the best omelets this side of the Atlantic.

When Ann Sheffer — who lives on Stony Point, just across the parking lot from the train station — heard Lili had died, she remembered so many parties Lili had catered.

Ann contacted friends, and learned that a group of parishioners at St. Luke Church had taken care of Lili.

They and others started planning a tribute.  A memorial service is set for 10 a.m. this Saturday (November 5), at St. Luke’s.

A reception will follow.  At Lili’s Place, of course.

(Lili’s obituary noted that contributions in her honor can be made to the Connecticut Food Bank and Homes With Hope.  The story concluded:  “An act of kindness each day dedicated to Lili would please her.)

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Posted in Local business, People, religion

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Tooting Josh Frank’s Trumpet

Posted on November 2, 2011 | 2 comments

When Josh Frank received a Westport Arts “Horizons” Award in 2009 — as a “rising young artist” — he was surprised and honored.

He also felt guilty.  “I thought, ‘they recognized me, but what have I done for Westport?'” the trumpeter, composer and movie producer asked recently.

Though he lives in New York, he vowed to do more.

Josh enjoys working with kids.  He’s doing that now, teaching pro bono “master classes” for trumpeters at Staples and Coleytown Middle School.

Josh Frank

He talks with the students about trumpet fundamentals — but ties the instrument in with the real world.  “Music doesn’t exist by itself, or in a box,” he says.  “The lessons that come out of it — practice regimens, connecting with people — they’re so important in life.”

His students like to hear about his own post-Staples career.  He’s recorded a film score for a Francis Ford Coppola movie; performed at Central Park’s SummerStage with Yo-Yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin; been featured on camera in “Royal Pains”; recorded a commercial for IBM; toured as a soloist with the New York Symphonic Ensemble; helped found a chamber orchestra that’s been featured on Channel 13; and performed with his “Batteries Duo” group at various sites in Minneapolis — including the Apple Store.

The Staples (Class of 2000), Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music grad has recorded with David Byrne, and toured Japan with Boyz II Men.

Who says you can’t make a living doing what you love?

Josh Frank in action.

As if that’s enough, Josh has started teaching privately in Westport.  He’s got a few trumpet students already, but has room for one or two more.

He can relate to plenty of kids in town.

“When I first started playing, in 5th grade at King’s Highway, I was like every other kid in band,” he recalls.  “I loved it, but I had no idea where it would lead.”

But his teachers and parents encouraged and supported him.  Gregg Winters, Nick Mariconda, Adele Valovich — all those Westport instructors and more have helped make him who he is.

And now Josh Frank is paying it — and playing it — back.

And forward.

(To contact Josh, email josh@joshfrankmusic.com, or call 917-742-6040.  Click here for his website.)

2 Comments

Posted in Arts, Education, People, Staples HS

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Dennis Jackson Occupies Wall Street

Posted on November 1, 2011 | 41 comments

Dennis Jackson’s family rented an Old Mill home in the summer of 1950.  They moved here that fall, and in 1956 moved to “the middle of nowhere”:  North Avenue.

Dennis’s brothers and friends camped out in the large woods across the street, until it was cleared to build “a fancy new high school.”

Dennis was in the first graduating class — 1958 — at nearby Burr Farms Elementary.  Three years later he joined a young Gordon Joseloff and others in forming an AM radio station called WWPT.

Mentored in radio by a friendly Staples High physics teacher named Nick Georgis, Dennis designed and built a small AM/FM transmitter.  He still has it.

He graduated from Staples in 1964, and went to RPI.  In 1967 “the allure of Westport life and Westport girls proved irresistible,” so Dennis came back.

He worked at Norden; helped start the new WWPT-FM at Staples; got an MBA at UConn; did a morning show on WMMM/WDJF, and from 1974-76 rented a beach house with his girlfriend Maureen (Staples ’67).

They moved to Wilton, Vermont, the Berkshires, then back to Wilton in 1982.

The other day, Dennis visited the Occupy Wall Street site in lower Manhattan.  He reports:

Dennis Jackson (right), with friends (from left) George Levinson and Ed Hoffman, at Occupy Wall Street.

There has been much criticism from conservatives that the occupiers have no proposed solutions.  However, in the tradition of American patriots who have assembled peacefully throughout our history, this is a protest against injustices for which Wall Street has become the focal point.

Much dialogue takes place among the occupiers and day visitors like us, and a regular schedule of “think tanks” in which anyone may participate.  Especially when compared to the relatively unfocused anger and deconstructionism of the tea partiers, these dialogues seem to offer very constructive ways to resolve feelings of frustration into refined thinking. and move toward consensus.

An older occupier. His sign protests the influence of corporate financing on political campaigns. (Photo by Dennis Jackson)

In addition to high unemployment, record levels of home foreclosures, and the expense and difficulty of obtaining health coverage, it seemed clear that a number of prominent financial absurdities that are highly unfair to the average American underly the protest.

One example is the ever-increasing income and wealth disparity between Americans in the top brackets relative to what we used to refer to as the “middle class,” and the disadvantaged, as exacerbated by the Reagan revolution and Bush tax cuts.

Another is the bailout of banks when people had to default on mortgage payments, when far less bailout money could have been applied to the write-down of mortgages so those homeowners wouldn’t have had to default in the first place.  Perhaps then, banks might not have been in the position they were to hand out bonuses that many homeowners and ordinary Americans consider obscene.

As in the ’60s, there was a current of peace and anti-war sentiment at the expense of more humanistic applications of the trillions of dollars invested in our military adventurism and warmaking, particularly in Iraq.  A good number of veterans were represented while we were there.

A woman with a Ph.D., who can't find a job, asks for work. (Photo by Dennis Jackson)

From the tone of many conversations, it’s probably fair to say that the occupiers, although not universally “liberal,” are progressive thinkers.  They seem mostly opposed to the Republican national agenda, which they perceive as favoring the already rich and powerful, seeking to increase corporate influence, hegemony and control, and to undermine and blockade programs intended to help the average American.

Comments overheard suggest that Fox News, the only network not in evidence, and Channel 5, the only local TV absent, were generally held in low regard.

Liberty Square was populated by everyone from college students to octogenarians.  All races were well represented.

A code of conduct was posted in several places.  There was no violence, discourtesy, scatology, drug use, “free love,” or unsanitariness in evidence.  Directions were posted to several nearby rest room facilities.  Volunteers circulated constantly, sweeping and cleaning up.

Bags of coats and bedding were free to anyone who got cold or wanted to “occupy” overnight.  A “free kitchen,” manned by what we understood to be 5-star chefs prepared food, and would not accept a donation for the delicious piece of chocolate cake I had.  I offered, but the reply was, “No thank you.  We’d like to contribute the cake to you.”

In spite of all the vitriol directed at the OWS movement by the right-wing media, it would be hard to imagine a more thoughtful, courteous, productive gathering of like-minded people opposed to financial injustice.

Many Occupy Wall Street protesters are young. (Photo by Dennis Jackson)

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Posted in Economy, Looking back, People, Politics

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Ghosts And Goblins And Concorde Pilots, Oh My!

Posted on October 31, 2011 | 3 comments

Nearly 20 years ago, Gwen Campbell and Brie Garrison were Westport moms and friends.  Each had a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old.

Their kids were too little to trick-or-treat.  But Halloween was coming, so the women approached First Selectman Joe Arcudi with an idea:  have a costume parade up Main Street.

Gwen and Brie printed flyers.  Stew’s donated cider and cookies.  The Bedford Middle School band played.

The Westport News was there.

Writer Harold Hornstein described “the panorama of precious little people.”

He described 3-year-old Michael Friedman, dressed up as Mets star Bobby Bonilla.

Ryan Fazio — also 3 — was an airline pilot.  He said he wanted to take Concorde to California.

Johnny Fable, 2, was a kitty cat.

A scene from last year's Halloween parade. (Photo courtesy Matthew Vinci/The Hour)

“I can’t believe this many kids showed up,” said Gwen (dressed as a witch).

Police Department inspector Steve Smith — “I came as a cop” — estimated 150 children paraded from the YMCA to The Limited (now Vineyard Vines).

“This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” added spectator Nina Morse.

Writer Harold Hornstein predicted, “From the amount of tots, it might well become an annual fixture.”

It has.

The organizers’ kids grew older.  They moved on to actual trick-or-treating (and, perhaps, Mischief Nighting, then high school — and now college — partying).

The Garrisons moved to London.  The Downtown Merchants Association, PAL and Parks and Recreation Department took over the event.

This year’s event got rained out.  (It was not the 1st time.)  Still, tons of kids — and camera-wielding parents — gathered at Town Hall, for the traditional cider and cookies.

No one was dressed as a Concorde pilot.

Then again, in 1993 no one came in a Kim Kardashian costume.

There’s no telling what the cool outfit will be 18 years from now, in 2029.

Hopefully though, kids will still parade up Main Street a few days before Halloween.

And today’s participants will look back at photos of their then-3-year-old selves, and look forward to the day their own children will dress up for their own Halloween parade.

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Posted in Children, Downtown, Looking back, Organizations, People

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Advocates For Kids

Posted on October 30, 2011 | Comments Off on Advocates For Kids

There are child advocates in Connecticut.

And then there are Child Advocates of Connecticut.

That — capitalized — is a group of volunteers.  They collaborate with the  state Department of Children and Families, child protective attorneys, schools and local community providers, to advocate for a child’s best interests.

No, we’re not talking about if a kid should have a TV in his room, or a girl should be allowed to have a tattoo.

Child Advocates of Connecticut are involved in custody battles.  Decisions on whether to remove someone from an alcoholic, drug-filled or abusive home.  These are life-and-death situations — sometimes literally.

Advocates are “guardians ad litem” — looking out for the best interests of a child.  They’re appointed by the court in cases of abuse or neglect.  Developing a unique relationship with the child — and working with parents, foster parents, doctors, teachers and others — they make recommendations to the court.

“DCF workers and attorneys are good.  But they’re overworked,” says program director Jackie Grundei, a Westport resident.  “We work with one kid and one family.”

Child Advocates may, for example, monitor whether a parent is actually involved in court-mandated substance abuse rehabilitation.  That helps determine whether it’s in a child’s best interest to live with those parents, or not.

“Our goal is to find children a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible,” Grundei says.  “We have no preconceived notion of what that is.”

Advocates undergo extensive training — but they don’t need specific legal knowledge.

“We have attorneys, but also nurses and social workers,” Grundei says.

“The best qualifications are 2 eyes to see things, 2 ears to hear, a mouth to advocate with, and a heart.”

Feedback is fantastic.  The courts appreciate the help, and advocates cherish the chance to help.

“Things don’t always go right,” Grundei notes.  “Every ending is not happy.  But the opportunity to make a difference in a child’s life is great.”

Every child needs help growing up. (Image/Jeff Smallwood)

The judge who swears in Child Advocates concurs.  Her message is the same each time:  “You’ll never make as big an impact on a child’s life in anything you do as this.  You’re there at a very vulnerable time in his or her life.  Thank  you for all you do.”

“None of this would be possible without the energy, talent and commitment of an extraordinary group of people who know firsthand that volunteers make a significant contribution to Connecticut’s overwhelmed juvenile protection system,” says executive director Jill Bicks — another Westporter.

If it seems as if Westporters have embraced Child Advocates of Connecticut with special zeal — they have.

The newest crop of volunteers to be sworn in include 8 local women:  Senta Cassell, Gail Cohen, Catherine Davis, Theanne Feldman, Jennifer Ferrante, Francene Jarvis, Deb Koenig and Linda Smith.

“Some people go around the world to do volunteer work.  But Bridgeport is right next door,” says Koenig.

“It’s important to put time into things that have meaning to me.”

(The next training sessions for Child Advocates of Connecticut are February 7, 8, 9, 14 and 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Westport area.  Click here for details.)

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Posted in Children, Organizations, People

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One Firefighters’ Story — Among Many

Posted on October 29, 2011 | 1 comment

Westport’s emergency personnel — firefighters, police, EMTs, road crews and many others — earned their keep today.

Despite damage to her own home —

— “06880” reader Elaine Clayton sent this along:

Maybe 4 minutes after a tree broke through a front window of my house, Westport firefighters came to help.

They really do risk their lives.  As they were managing power lines and the enormous branch, another huge branch fell so close to one of the firefighters, it knocked his helmet off.

I feel very grateful to the firefighters, and proud of them.  They were kind, and even helped me tape the window.

As I’m posting this, it’s not yet 8 p.m.  Code Red says this storm will continue for a few hours.

Our emergency crews are still earning their keep.  Remember their service the next time someone squawks about what they’re earning in terms of dollars, too.

Westport firefighters check out Elaine Clayton's home.

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Posted in Organizations, People, Weather

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