Whether you missed Saturday’s “LL” (extra large schools) championship football game, or were in the stands at Central Connecticut State University and want to relive the highlights: Here’s your chance.
GametimeCT created this highlight reel, including interviews. Click below. And even though you know the result — Staples High School won, 21-20 — it’s worth watching.
And re-watching.
On a related note, Staples super-fan Dan Orlovsky — the former NFL quarterback and current ESPN football analyst, as well as a Westport resident — tweeted a clip of Max Maurillo’s game-saving tackle on West Haven’s 2-point conversion attempt with 1:15 left, along with an approving comment.
It has received 2.2 million views — undoubtedly another landmark for Staples football.
As usual with Twitter X, comments were all over the place. (Hat tip: Jeff Mitchell)
This is the HS in the town we live in
Shared a play from last week and stated “if you have a young athlete show them this—season saved off effort”
Same message applies. State title game. Dreams and goals on the line. Watch kid on left of screen and his effort. Wins a state… pic.twitter.com/BZ7WKAWjKq
“I’m looking for a service or person in Westport or Weston who can check on a house as needed — perhaps deal with an alarm, make sure there is no water leak, or pick up a package. Even when we try to stop packages, they slip through. I’m in Lower Weston.
“This might be an ideal role for a senior who is still driving. This person wouldn’t need handyman skills — just come over, bring a flashlight if the power is out, and check on the house.
“We don’t have an ideal neighbor for this, and the neighborhood children are either too young or off at college.
“I could pay someone a small fee every month ($50? — so that’s $600 a year, even if they have to do nothing), plus a fee every time they had to come over to the house ($50?).”
If you’re interested, and around all the time, email 06880blog@gmail.com. I’ll connect you with the homeowner.
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The weather turned nasty yesterday.
But before the rain, Santa Claus forsook his sleigh for a different mode of transportation, on the not-yet-frosty streets of Westport:
The Westport Woman’s Club recently awarded a $6,000 Ruegg Grant to Positive Directions, the Westport non-profit behavioral health organization.
Ruegg Grants — established in 1995 by an endowment from former member Lea Ruegg — are awarded to projects that enhance social services, health, safety, the arts or education.
From left: Robin Clark, Westport Woman’s Club president; Vanessa Wilson, Positive Directions executive director; Hallie Preskill, WWC community services chair; Susan Loselle and Donna Richardson, WWC committee members.
The list of famous Westporters is vast and well-known. Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Shonda Rhimes, Rodney Dangerfield, Bette Davis, Michael Douglas, Rod Serling, Martha Stewart, Harvey Weinstein, Michael Bolton, Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor, Robert Ludlum, Jim Nantz, Harry Reasoner, Meat Loaf, Nile Rodgers, Neil Sedaka, Frank Deford, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charles Lindbergh, Fiorello La Guardia, James Comey — and those are only a few.
So why do we never mention Johnny Marks?
This Christmas, it’s appropriate to remember the man who for many years had a home on Green Acre Lane, off South Compo.
He died in 1985 from complications of diabetes. His son continued to live there.
Johnny Marks
Marks wrote “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” — the classic tune that, since its first release by Gene Autry in 1949, has sold nearly 200 million records.
That was just the start. Marks formed his own publishing company — St. Nicholas Music — and churned out a slew of other Christmas classics: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Run, Rudolph, Run” and “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” among them.
Not bad for a Jewish kid from Mount Vernon, New York.
A few years ago, I wrote about Johnny Marks. I said I didn’t know much about his life in Westport. I asked readers to chime in.
Jim Rodebush wrote: “Johnny Marks was a daily Compo Beach guy. He sat in the same spot with the same group of people. I worked at Compo from 1972 until 1977 and got to know him just to say hello.
“Fast forward a couple of years and I was working in New York. Having lunch one day in Washington Square; Johnny was playing speed chess.
“He saw me, but my hair was short and I was in a suit and tie. He came over and asked how he knew me. I replied, ‘Compo Beach.’ He laughed, and we had a nice conversation about Westport and Compo.”
Sherri Daley noted, “Decades ago. I was drinking at a local bar with the man I loved. We chatted with a handsome older gentleman about everything from Schopenhauer to antique cars. When the bartender announced he was closing up, the old gent invited us over to his house.
“We followed him. It was December and the roads were icy and black, but we managed to get to his house and struggle up the icy stone walk. He told us to get some champagne out of the fridge. That was all there was in it: 6 bottles of Dom Perignon. I got one and we followed him into the living room.
“The room was huge, with very little furniture and a grand piano. The parquet floors were polished to a high gloss; the moon and the piano reflected in the wood. We could see snow falling out the large windows
“Of course I asked the old gent if he played, and of course he said he did. He played us everything from Beethoven to old show tunes. Then, around dawn, with a wink at me, he said, ‘Let me play you a little something I wrote.’
And he played ‘Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer.’
“Three years later, I read the old gent’s obituary in the Wall Street Journal. It was the first time I knew his name.”
Jon Nicholson added, “In the late ’70s, Andy Rothman and I played 9 holes of golf with a much older man that we were teamed up with by the starter. The gentleman was very patient with us, as Andy and I hacked our way around Longshore.
“He continued on when we stopped at the halfway house. The woman running the snack shack informed us who he was, which was of course exciting to a couple of teenagers. Oh, the inane questions we could have asked!”
Ann Chernow said, “We met Mr. Marks at several Westport parties. He and his son were always charming, and fun to be with. I think of him every Christmas when his songs play often.”
Let’s not forget Johnny Marks. He’ll go down in history!
ENCORE! The character of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created 10 years before Marks wrote the song by his brother-in-law, Robert L. May, as an assignment for Montgomery Ward.
May’s granddaughter Margie lived in Westport. She attended Saugatuck Elementary School, Bedford Junior High, and Staples High (Class of 1966).
It’s a small world. But Rudolph made sure Santa covered it all!
(“06880” is truly “Where Westport meets the world. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
There were 5 custodial arrests of adults, between October 18 and 25.
Three were charged in connection with Monday’s chase on I-95 and the Greens Farms area, ending at the Sherwood Island Connector.
Two 20-year-olds from Ansonia, and a 19-year-old from Seymour, were all charged with the same crimes: reckless driving, engaging police in a pursuit, larceny of a motor vehicle, interfering with police officers/resisting arrest, assault on a public safety officer, and reckless endangerment.
The day before (Sunday, October 22), an attempted motor vehicle theft at 4:20 a.m. led to police pursuit onto I-95, where the vehicle’s tires were deflated after stop sticks were deployed.
Two juveniles were caught at the scene. A Westport K-9 officer found an 18-yar-old from Meriden in nearby bushes. He was charged with reckless driving, improper use of marker plates, operating a motor vehicle without a valid license, larceny of a motor vehicle, larceny 6th degree, conspiracy to commit larceny 6th degree, and interfering with an officer. He was turned then over to New Haven police, where he had outstanding warrants.
In addition, a 20-year-old Waterbury man was arrested in connection with last month’s carjacking inside a Bayberry Lane garage. He was charged with home invasion, burglary 1st degree, larceny 1st degree, conspiracy to commit larceny, robbery 1st degree, robbery by carjacking, assault 3rd degree, and reckless endangerment.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 9 citations
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 9
Failure to comply with state traffic control signals: 5
Disorderly conduct: 1
Larceny 5th degree: 1
Passing a standing school bus: 1
Speeding: 1
Traveling too fast for conditions: 1
Following too closely: 1
Failure to drive in the proper lane: 1
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 1
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 1
Failure to insure a motor vehice: 1
Improper use of markers: 1
The aftermath of Monday’s pursuit of stolen vehicles. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
The “pop” in PopUp Bagels first referred to its peripatetic appearance — an underused location in Westport, then a few nearby towns, eventually New York.
It could also mean “popular.” The Westport-based bagels (and schmears) always sell out. Block-long lines waited in the city. They won 2 straight “Best Bagel” awards at the very prestigious Brooklyn Bagelfest.
Now, Adam Goldberg’s 3-year-old business has closed on an $8 million capital raise. The funding will enable future growth, and an expansion of the executive team.
The round was led by New York equity firm Stripes. Click here for the delicious details.
The private garages at Sherwood Mill Pond — behind the Old Mill homes, on the way to the pedestrian walkways to Compo Cove — are an object of fascination.
They’re old — a throwback to perhaps the 1920s.
One owner has decorated hers with seashells and baubles.
Then there is this one:
(Photo/Karen Como)
There must be a back story. Perhaps a wife said to her husband, “Honey, that is not going in the house. It belongs in the garage!”
Click “Comments,” to share your own bathroom humor.
Amy Schneider spotted these pumpkins yesterday, at the Compo brick pavilion.
(Photo/Amy Schneider)
Perhaps someone heard that the beach was a favorite spot for trick-or-treaters.
Let’s clarify: It’s the homes in the very walkable Compo neighborhood, not the beach itself.
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Longtime Westporter Paul Hammond, more recently of Fairfield, died peacefully at home earlier this month, with his family and rector at his side. He was 82.
Paul grew up in Darien, where he was an acolyte at St Luke Church, acting in theater, and played baseball and football. His summers were spent in Chatham, Massachusetts, where his family had 300 years of history.
.After graduating from Darien High School in 1959, Paul took a gap year to work as head doorman at Hawaii’s Waikiki Hilton. He graduated from Brown University in 1965, then earned his masters degree at New York University in international development.
In 1966 he joined the Army. Paul served for 3 years as a 1st Lieutenant and executive officer of his training battalion, receiving a Commendation Medal.
He began his business career at International Paper, then worked at Emery Air Freight and All Transport. Paul started his own company, US Trade and Transport, and traveled the world selling heavy construction equipment.
He later entered market research, working for Teeton Group, Yankelovich and TRC, where he was an executive vice president and principal shareholder.
Paul met the love of his life, Paige, in 1979. They were married the next year. They settled on Saugatuck Shores, where they lived for 35 years. Paul enjoyed lobstering, fishing, waterskiing, and spending time with Paige’s children.
The couple traveled extensively. Treasure Cay, Abaco Bahamas became their home away from home.
In retirement, Paul wrote novels and researched. He published 4 books aboutthe American Revolution.
Paul was active at Christ & Holy Church on the vestry, Fundraising Committee, and as building project manager for the renovation project. He served as a president and board member of the Saugatuck Island Owners Association. He was also chair of the Treasure Cay Golf Club, commodore of the Yacht Club, and a board member of the Treasure Cay Medical Clinic. Recently, he served as Grounds chair and a board member at the Meadows in Fairfield.
Paul fully encouraged all his grandchildren, and rarely missed an event.
He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Paige Hammond; stepchildren Connie (Jamie) Widmann of Newtown, and David (Andrea) Moore of Westport; grandchildren Jimmy and Sarah Widmann, and Tessa, Janna and Ella Moore; sister-in-law Suzanne Hammond. and many cousins, nieces and nephew.
A celebration of Paul’s life will be held November 17 (noon, Christ & Holy Trinity Church).
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Paul’s name to Regional Hospice, 30 Milestone Road, Danbury, CT 06810.
Paul Hammond
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Many “Westport … Naturally” photos feature an animal, plant or flower.
This one shows a much bigger scene, at Sherwood Mill Pond. It’s one of the reasons we love this part of New England so much.
Enjoy it now. It won’t last forever — or even a couple of weeks.
And finally … (and speaking of Sherwood Mill Pond): today’s song honors a certain garage on the way to Compo Cove:
(Where else but “06880” do you get real estate, police, business and beach news — and much more — every day? We rely on reader support to do it all. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
Drivers weaving carefully (and not so carefully) through the Post Road East construction zone just west of McDonald’s have mourned the loss of a dozen or so old trees by the Linxweiler house.
They wonder too what will become of the many large rocks that made up a now-dismantled stone wall, near the trees.
Former stone wall in front of the Linxweiler house.
For once, the news is good.
A Planning & Zoning Commission site plan shows that the original stone wall will be replaced with a new one, continuing around the radius into Crescent Road.
The original was drywall. Hopefully, the next will be the same traditional type.
Congratulations are due town officials, who secured the replacement of the wall. (Hat tip: Michael Calise)
Site plans for Linxweiler house stone wall.
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One of the coolest opportunities anywhere is the Westport Police Department’s 8-week Citizens’ Police Academy.
Participants gain a first-hand understanding of what our officers do, how they do it, and how the WPD fits into our community.
At the same time, residents and officers get to know each other much better.
25 community members participate in classes on law enforcement, and get hands-on experience with equipment. They also join a “ride-along” with an officer — and receive CPR/AED certification.
The program runs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursdays from October 5 through November 30 (except before Veterans Day and on Thanksgiving), and Wednesday, December 6.
The academy is open to Westport residents age 21 and older. Applications can also be picked up at police headquarters, and are due by September 18.
Westport’s Citizens Police Academy offers an inside look into every aspect of the department.
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Seen on social media yesterday:
“If you’re like me and all of your mail was stolen from your mailbox on Cross Highway, North Compo or Weston Rd (Friday) night, apparently some of it is floating around near the Willowbrook cemetery.
“With crime the way it’s been around here lately, I guess we should feel lucky our cars weren’t stolen or smashed. It’s just our personal information compromised.”
What a shame — and a hassle. (And for those whose checks are stolen and “whitewashed,” even worse.)
But among the responses was this, which is news to me: “Sign up for ‘USPS Informed Delivery’ free service. You get a daily email, with pictures of every piece of correspondence arriving in your mailbox.”
Not a good idea. It’s an invitation to thieves that there is mail — often a check — inside.
Yesterday’s Saugatuck Congregational Church service honoring the late Rev. Ted Hoskins was a chance for old friends to remember the longtime senior and youth minister.
It was a chance too for people who never knew him to learn more about one of the founders of Westport’s homeless shelter and food pantry. Today the Gillespie Center for men — and Hoskins Center for women, named for him — and other supportive housing and food projects are run by Homes with Hope.
Rev. Hoskins — who died last month — spent the last couple of decades of his life in Maine. But — as the turnout at his remembrance proved — his mark on Westport is profound, and indelible.
Homes with Hope representatives at Saugatuck Church yesterday (from left): Pete Powell, first president; Rev. Willie Salmond, who initiated the service for Rev. Hoskins; John Walsh, board chair; Helen McAlinden, president; Jeff Wieser, past president.
Dermatologists Dr. Nina Antonov and Dr. Marc Beuttler of Modern Dermatology will provide free full body skin cancer screenings, and/or spot checks, at the Aspetuck Health District (180 Bayberry Lane) on September 26.
Appointments are available between 9 a.m. and noon, and 1-4 p.m. Call 203-227-9571, ext. 235, and ask for Judy. Limited to residents of Westport, Weston and Easton only.
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Speaking of health: Overdose awareness and Narcan training will be held September 26 (7 to 8 p.m., Town Hall Room C201).
It’s sponsored by members of the Westport Prevention Coalition and Westport RTM.
To register and for more information, call 203-227-7644.
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It’s never too early to think about beer.
Wakeman Town Farm’s annual family Beer Garden event is Sunday October 15 (noon to 4 p.m.).
The afternoon features live music by Hitch and the Giddy-Up + Rob Morton, lawn games, bubbles, face painting, photos with mini ponies, and pumpkin crafts for the littles — and a surprise craft by LaurelRock.
Also for adults: Eco Evolution, and a massage therapist for the adults.
Lunch options include pizza by Tony Pizza Napolitano, Food Truck Refinery and Oronoque Farms.
Local beer is sponsored by Greens Farms Spirits, with ice cream from Saugatuck Sweets and Landtech. Ccider donuts and refreshments are courtesy of KMS Team at Compass.
Tickets are $10 for adults; kids are free. Click here to purchase, and for more information. Food and beverage purchases are a la carte. Proceeds benefit Wakeman Town Farm educational programs.
On Sylvan Road North, motorcycle officer/PAL president/all-around good guy Craig Bergamo rode by.
He was doing a check of bus routes. But he took the time to stop, chat, and wish Dylan Rosen a great start to the year, as he begins 6th grade at Coleytown Middle School.
Dylan Rosen, his mom Barrie and Officer Craig Bergamo. (Photo/Frank Rosen)
And, in what has become one of our favorite “06880” traditions, Pam Long sends this photo of the first day, waiting for the bus at Juniper Road and Caccamo Lane.
(Photo/Pam Long)
Each year the faces change. Kids get older. They move on to a new school; younger ones take their place. But always, there are lots of them.
Meanwhile, this was the scene at Grouse Path and Woodcock Lane, off Newtown Turnpike:
(Photo/Elizabeth DeVoll)
All over town, kids are eager, excited, energetic — and perhaps a bit nervous too.
It’s all natural. For decades in Westport — and across the country — those emotions have not changed.
Good luck to all. Here’s to the best school year ever!
The package had a false return address. The letter inside was signed “Sam Elliott (not really, but you’ll get the 1976 movie reference).” The only clue to the sender is slim: It was mailed from Zip code 06376 (Old Lyme, Connecticut).
The note said: “A few years back you wrote about a lifeguard reunion, and that a former lifeguard brought along a vintage red jacket.” (Click here for that story.)
He was a lifeguard “50-plus years ago,” he said. And he too “forgot” to turn in his jacket.
He worked 6 days a week, 8 hours a day, for $1.25 an hour. (Shifts ran from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and noon to 8 p.m.)
It was a great job — especially uncrowded early mornings and late evenings. The sun rising or setting, with the waves lapping quietly, were “idyllic.”
Even today, the former guard wrote, hearing certain songs — “Black is Black,” “Summer in the City,” “See You in September” — brought him back to those days.
He’d kept his guard jacket for over 5 decades. Now, he said: “I entrust it to you for appropriate disposition — to the Recreation Department, the guard shack, a lifeguard groupie, etc.”
There — folded neatly underneath the note — was his vintage jacket.
The note ended:
“I just couldn’t put it in the textile recycling bin without giving it the possibility of one last trip to Compo Beach before summer’s end.”
Thank you, whoever you are. This weekend — the last of the season for the guards — I’ll bring it down to the shack you remember so well.
PS: That “Sam Elliott 1976 movie” comment? He starred in “Lifeguard.”
This Thursday (August 31, 6:30 p.m.), the Fairfield Museum hosts a free concert. Pianist (and Fairfield native) Jamie Saft headlines the show, with Steve LaSpina and Tim Horner.
And finally … in honor of the songs that — nearly 60 years later — still remind a former lifeguard of his idyllic days at Compo Beach (story above):
(Today the kids are back in class! Celebrate with a donation to “06880” — a great source for local education news. And, of course, lots else. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Long-time Westporters Jeff Mayer and Nancy Diamond are downsizing.
Like many residents, they see a smaller home as an opportunity to “Marie Kondo”-ize their lives.
It’s one thing to get rid of the tchotchkes.
But move the voting machine? That’s a different story.
And one they’re sharing with “06880.”
It begins to 2011, when Westport changed from traditional voting booths to electronic cards.
For 50 years voters had stepped into a private booth, pulled a giant lever to close the curtain, slid down tiny levers for candidates or penciled in write-ins, then pulled the big lever again to hide the votes and open the curtain.
Jeffrey Mayer and Nancy Diamond’s voting booth.
The voting machines were made by Sequoia. They were bought by now-famous Dominion Voting Systems in 2010.
In 2011, most of Westport’s voting machines were hauled to the dump.
Except one.
Jeff had been snoozing a few years earlier, when the Westport Library tossed its card catalogues.
He was not about to miss out on another piece of local history.
Kids! Ask your parents how to use this.
Jeff had served on the Board of Finance for 12 years, the last 4 as chairman. For him, voting was personal.
He called the Town Clerk. With the help of Jim Ezzes, chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals, and Jim’s brother Steve, also a former BOF member, one machine found a new home.
A dozen years later, Jeff and Nancy’s new Westport home is not big enough for the voting machine.
They contacted the Connecticut Museum of Culture & History in Hartford. They don’t have enough space.
A Westport friend has offered to store the machine while it awaits a new owner. Jeff and Nancy hope a passionate history buff will step forward.
“At a time when our country is focused on voting rights,” Jeff says, “we can’t bear the thought of the booth ending up in a dump.”
“It would be too ironic,” Nancy adds.
(Interested in Jeff and Nancy’s voting booth? Email jamayer01@gmail.com)
(Here’s a bipartisan cause: supporting “06880.” Please click here to donate. Thank you!)
Vinny Penna — the longtime Westport police officer and deputy chief whose death in 2021, at 51 from a heart attack, stunned the town — was honored yesterday.
A statue in his honor was dedicated at Assumption Church. Members of the Penna family were joined by law enforcement members from across the Northeast, as well as Westport Police officials, the Westport Police Athletic League, and other residents whose lives he touched.
Funds came from the PAL, Assumption Church, and Vinny’s many friends.
Vinny Penna statue at Assumption Church. (Photo and hat tip/ Andrew Colabella)
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The Levitt Pavilion has added a new ticketed event.
Billy Prine & the Prine Time Band play “Songs of John Prine” on Saturday, September 30. Scarlett Egan is the opening act.
Meanwhile, this week is filled with free shows. They include:
Tuesday, 7 p.m.: Sona Jobarteh, Africa’s first female griot kora virtuoso.
Westport’s 12U Little League team continues its winning ways. They captured the sectional championship, beating Wilton 5-0.
Next up: the state championship, beginning Wednesday (6 p.m. vs Shelton, at Unity Park, Trumbull).
Westport has not won the 12U state title since 2013. That year, they went all the way to the Little League World Series final in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Staples High School has a new — and official — MLB prospect.
Hiro Wyatt — the superbly named Staples High School baseball hero who graduated last month, after helping the Wreckers comethisclose to the state championship — was drafted this afternoon by the Kansas City Royals.
The right-handed pitcher was chosen in the 3rd round. He was the 75th pick overall.
According to CT Insider’s GameTimeCT, Wyatt will join a Kansas City affiliate once he signs his contract. He had been committed to the University of Southern California.
This past spring, Wyatt went 8-0. He struck out 107 batters and walked only 11, in 54.2 innings pitched.
He allowed 4 earned runs all season, with a 0.51 ERA and a 0.677 WHIP. He also hit .367 with 6 doubles, 3 home runs and 17 RBIs.
He was named GameTimeCT MVP, Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year and CHSCA Player of the Year. He holds Staples records for strikeouts per 9 innings (17.64), most strikeouts in a game (18), scoreless innings streak (42.1) and single-season strikeouts (107).
Wyatt is the 4th Staples baseball player drafted in the past decade. He follows Chad Knight (2019, 31st round, New York Yankees), Ben Casparius (2017, 5th round, Los Angeles Dodgers) and David Speer (2014, 27th round, Cleveland Indians).
In 1976, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Mike Calise in the 24th round. (Hat tip: Jeff Mitchell)
Roe Halper has been a professional artist in Westport for 63 years.
Her work has evolved from social commentary (her woodcuts hung in Martin Luther King’s home) to dance, then nature, and finally abstraction in many forms.
She has worked in woodcarving, pen and ink, and clay. Now she concentrates on acrylic painting.
Roe’s current exhibition, “Circles and Rectangles,” is on view at One River Gallery (next to Shearwater Coffee) through July 30.
On Saturday, July 22 (1 to 2:30 p.m.), she’ll give a class for “older students,” using circles and rectangles.
It’s not her first time as an instructor. For the past 25 years, Roe has taught art to talented high school students, in her studio.
What’s the connection between the Volkswagen emissions cheating settlement, and Weston?
Plenty.
In this week’s “What’s Next in Weston” podcast, 1st Selectwoman Sam Nestor describes how money from that case will help her town build new infrastructure.
Spoiler alert: It will support the use of electric vehicles, and reduce harmful emissions.
The podcast is produced by the Y’s Men of Westport & Weston. Click below to see:
Last night at the Westport Library, the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston presented a talk on “Humanity Through Technology.”
Sam Gustman — associate dean and chief technology officer at the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation and USC Libraries — discussed the ground-breaking ways in which Holocaust victims have been recorded for posterity.
Long after they are gone, people will be able to “interview” them, learning their stories.
The Shoah Foundation’s technology, on view at the Westport Library. (Photo/Bruce Borner)
Speaking of technology: What’s the future of astrophotography?
Richard S. Wright Jr. — contributing editor for Sky & Telescope magazine — shines a light on the subject July 18 (8 p.m., virtual; click here for the Zoom link; click here for the YouTube link).
He’s the next guest lecturer at the Westport Astronomical Society’s free online science series.
Viewers will have a chance to ask questions at the end. Click here for (much more) information.
Richard S. Wright Jr.
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Westport has many notable advertising, marketing and PR people.
Yesterday, one of them became an official “notable leader.”
Michael Gordon was one of 75 men and women in the tri-state area, cited by Crain’s.
His writeup says:
As chief executive of the public relations firm Group Gordon, Michael Gordon oversees client work spanning the corporate, social impact, and crisis practices. He also participates in media engagements and webinars regarding industry trends, such as the influence of artificial intelligence on public relations.
Gordon has led key social impact launches, such as the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s restroom finder app. He serves on councils to support undergraduate financial aid and first-generation college students at the University of Pennsylvania, and has been honored by Connecticut’s Anti-Defamation League for his leadership. Gordon has served on the board of the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition.
Westporters know him for him as a former Board of Education chair. Congratulations, Michael!
Michael Gordon
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“Dial M for Murder” opens tonight at the Westport Country Playhouse.
Audience members will enjoy the show — and the garden outside. It’s in full bloom, as today’s “Westport … Naturally” image by Molly Alger shows.
And finally … Peter Nero died Thursday in Florida. He was 89.
The New York Times said the pianist “soared to popularity in the 1960s with a swinging hybrid of classics and jazz and kept the beat for nearly six decades with albums, club and television dates, and segues into conducting pops orchestras.”
(If you read about Hiro Wyatt — or any other interesting Westporter — on “06880,” you too can be a “hero.” Just click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Most of us mourn our losses in private. Sometimes there’s a little burial ceremony, or a poem or story written by a grieving child dealing for the first time ever with death.
Leave it to David Pogue to turn his cat’s demise into a celebration that is warm, witty and wonderful.
But why not? That’s the Westport writer/television correspondent/podcaster/ musician’s brand.
“I’m sad to report that Wilbur the Wackjob Cat has gone to the great laptop keyboard in the sky, just shy of his 23rd birthday,” Pogue emailed friends last weekend.
Wilbur
“He was known to many as the hilarious, inexplicable cat who inserted himself into every TV story and Zoom call.”
Wilbur lived his life on his own terms, for sure. And for nearly a quarter century Pogue documented it all, with a seemingly infinite number of photos and videos.
Then he stitched them all together, in a commemoration of his “fuzzy little screwball.”
Well, it looks like Police Chief Foti Koskinas and I are wrong.
If you looked at this morning’s “06880 On the Go” video, you saw intern Colin Morgeson asking random folks random questions about Westport.
One of them was about the towns that border ours. “Norwalk, Fairfield, Weston, Wilton,” they asserted. Colin nodded, and congratulated them.
At the Farmers’ Market, he happened upon our top cop. Foti added “Easton.”
I was standing nearby. I was surprised, but thought about it. Of course: that stretch of Easton Road just past Catamount led into the corner of Easton where Helen Keller once lived.
So when my turn came, I confidently added “Easton.”
Nope!
As Evan Stein clearly points out, that stretch of Route 136 actually runs through Weston.
Before posting, I did a quick map search. Too quick, as it turns out.
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