Ecclesiastes (and Pete Seeger) weare right: To everything there is a season.
A time to be born. A time to die. A time to plant. A time to reap.
A time to move to Westport. A time to move away.
And a time to move back again.
David Loffredo lived here as a child. He went to the Nature Center pre-school, Riverview kindergarten and 3 elementary schools.
He was a Westport YMCA Water Rat, and caught the final out in the 1976 Little League Cap League championship game. He rode the Minnybus everywhere, and saw “Star Wars” at the Fine Arts Theater.
A remnant of David Loffredo’s Westport youth.
He returned as an adult, with a wife and toddler. Over 2 stints totaling 27 years, the family grew and thrived. He works in private equity. His wife — an obstetrician/gynecologist — is at Columbia University.
A couple of years ago, the Loffredos relocated New York’s Upper West Side. But David remains connected to Westport, through “06880.”
His journey is not unique. In fact it mirrors the arcs of many lives. I’ve often thought about families’ movements in and out of town — what brings them here, and what pushes (or pulls) them away.
But the other day, David articulated it far better than I could. He describes the various seasons of Westport life this way:
A family moves here. (“It’s the rare childless couple who moves before kids,” he notes. “We came with a 3 year old, then added 2 more.”)
The family “spends 20+ years doing all the 06880 stuff. The kids grow up, go to college, hopefully don’t move home, and ideally move to New York so you can still see them.” All 3 of theirs did.
The parents “suddenly feel old, disconnected from long time friends who either retire somewhere or fade away because the kids as glue are gone.” With their children not planning to return for at least a decade — if at all — the parents sell. David says, “I exchanged my property tax bill for an entertainment budget.”
With kids gone, empty nesters often look for a smaller place. There are many in New York City. (Photo/Dave Matlow)
With everyone in New York — David’s family is scattered across 4 apartments — there is time and space for “family dinners, concerts, plays, movies, etc. This makes all that parenting worth it.”
As time passes, “kids become adults.” They exchange roommates for “partners.” That’s where David and his wife are now, with 1 child.
As the young couple matures, “they get a French bulldog. Eventually they create a human (one of the only free activities in New York). As that human grows, they realize how intimidating it is to raise a kid in the city.”
The new family moves back to Westport “to recreate their upbringing, because how do you top it?” Hopefully, David adds, “they don’t have to commute full-time like their parent(s) most likely did.”
Meanwhile, their parents — former Westporters — “realize how much fun it is to be around their new grandchild.” So they ditch Manhattan and retake Westport — either in “a fancy condo” or less expensive rental apartment.
Residences like The Mill attract former residents back to Westport.
David and his wife are partway through the process. But they’ve seen friends go all the way through it. He’s sure they’ll eventually do the same.
Of course, this is just one scenario. It’s not for everyone. Everyone’s life, lifestyle and life circumstances vary.
But to everything there is a season.
A time to kill. A time to heal.
A time to laugh. A time to weep.
A time to cash out, and a time to buy or rent again — keeping the Westport real estate market turning.
(“06880” regularly covers Westport real estate, Westport life — and the lives of people who live here. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
That’s the result of a (highly unscientific) survey, conducted by “06880.”
The poll — spurred by readers’ emails about a noticeable increase in dogs being brought into public places — was posted Sunday.
As of yesterday afternoon, there were nearly 200 responses.
The first question was simple: “Should leashed dogs be allowed in indoor public places?”
Almost exactly 2/3 of respondents — 67.6% said no. Only 32.4% answered yes.
An increasingly common Westport scene. (Photo/Charles Rosoff)
The second question was only for those who said “yes” to the first one. It offered 9 specific choices, about where leashed dogs should be welcomed.
Proponents hardly gave carte blanche to pets, however.
More than 9 in 10 — 90.5% — thought outdoor restaurants should allow dogs.
But the only other spots garnering more than 50% approval were retail stores (63.5%), the post office (also 63.5%) and luxury stores (54%).
Lagging behind were business offices (47.6%), small markets/convenience stores (39.7%), supermarkets (20.6%) and indoor restaurants (also 20.6%).
Dogs would be least welcome in doctors’ offices (19%).
Some of the more than 2 dozen commenters noted that in Connecticut, dogs are prohibited from indoor restaurants and grocery stores. However, employees are sometimes hesitant to enforce the law with customers. One reader pointed out that dogs are not allowed in the Westport Farmers’ Market.
Dogs are not allowed at the Farmers’ Market. (Photo/Sam Levenson)
There were comments about the difference between service dogs (trained, allowed everywhere) and emotional support dogs (often untrained, not allowed everywhere).
In one additional discussion, a reader noted that some people bring dogs into indoor spaces because it is too hot to leave them in a car.
Another countered, “If it’s hot, leave your dog home.”
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. If you appreciate stories like this — or any other one about this town we all share — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
It’s an increasingly common scene in Westport: a dog on a leash.
But not in Winslow Park, on a sidewalk, or Soundview Drive (skirting by centimeters the no-dogs-on-the-beach rule).
These pooches are in indoor spaces: the post office. Downtown stores. Markets.
Westporters are noticing. A few readers contacted “06880,” asking about the trend.
Shopping at Trader Joe’s.
They raise interesting questions.
Why are more people bringing dogs into spaces they’d never take them before?
Where and how do owners’ rights intersect with the rights of others to be in a dog-free zone? (A related issue: What about people who for whatever reason don’t like — or are scared of — dogs? Including children?)
Do any laws — either actual or social — regulate when, where and why a dog can or should be in a public space?
Dog stories are catnip for “06880” readers. We know there will be many comments. Please keep them civil. Dogs can’t read, but their owners — and non-owners — can. We’re all neighbors.
We’ll fetch all the replies, and report back soon.
(If it’s happening in Westport — or people here are talking about it — you’ll find it on “06880.” But we can’t do this without readers’ help. support. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Tom Karrel grew up in Westport, and is a 2012 graduate of Staples High School. His new book, “The Lost Art of Random Conversations,” has just been published. Tom writes:
“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” — Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
The other day, my partner Taylor and I stopped by the Organic Market. After a month full of eating all the sugar and bread we could find, we decided it was time to reset with a juice cleanse.
Tom Karrel
While waiting, a woman overheard us chatting and introduced herself. Within minutes, we discovered she is living in my hometown of Westport, but had grown up in the same neighborhood in Santa Barbara, California, where Taylor and I are moving this fall.
What started as a spontaneous moment turned into a genuinely meaningful conversation. We skipped the standard “What do you do?” scripts, and talked instead about how each of us has learned (or struggled) to make friends in new places.
We talked too about what makes a community feel welcoming enough to lower your guard, offer a compliment, or check in on a deeper level with a stranger.
Returning to Westport this summer, I’ve spent time driving around the Staples campus to see what looks different and what has stayed exactly the same. I’ve taken slow drives through the neighborhoods of old friends, grabbed a greasy sandwich at Fortuna’s and a toasted bagel at Village Bagels, and walked the familiar shores of Compo, Burying Hill and Sherwood Island.
While marveling at everything that looks fancy and new in town, what stands out most are those childhood memory spots that have not aged at all, in the absolute best way.
However, alongside that beautiful nostalgia is a louder realization: We’re all glued to our phones. Walking along the Saugatuck River, sitting on the wall at Compo or waiting for a table near the Black Duck or Kawa Ni, I notice heads constantly tilted down toward glowing rectangles.
We live in one of the most beautiful, idyllic towns in America. Yet so often we stare at our phone screens instead of actually looking up, or stopping to take in all the beauty and diverse people around us.
Sitting on the Compo Beach cannons — with cell phones. (Photo/Fred Cantor)
We all know it. But if nothing changes, nothing changes.
Whenever I come back to town, I get caught in this too. So this time, I’ve made a point to reach out to fellow Staples grads now spread across the globe.
As we catch up on where life has taken us, the conversation inevitably drifts toward the same realization: No matter how impressive our careers or titles may look on paper, everyone is hungry for a genuine sense of community and belonging, wherever they are.
Few have truly found it — myself included.
At Staples we were taught to strive, lead, and make our mark on the world. Westport excels at raising high achievers. But in a world where artificial intelligence automates routine tasks and screens consume our attention, shouldn’t our definition of success evolve?
Are we teaching our young people to be leaders who know how to build real human connection, or are we just training them to chase status and wealth?
True leadership is not just about financial success; it’s about having the courage and capacity to bring people together, lower social barriers, and make the places we live feel like tight-knit communities again.
In my new book, “The Lost Art of Random Conversations,” I advocate for LARC: the daily practice of starting spontaneous, face-to-face interactions in an increasingly lonely, anxious and phone-addicted world.
“Random” doesn’t mean aimless, though. It means being open to unscripted moments of human connection with anyone, from complete strangers to neighbors, colleagues, and our closest friends and family.
Prolonged loneliness carries health risks comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. One in 4 adults worldwide report feeling profoundly isolated. We are the most digitally connected generation in history, yet statistically we feel the most alone.
The true measure of a strong community isn’t found in real estate values or pristine beach passes. It comes down to one question: If you disappeared for a month, how many people in town would notice?
Maintaining Westport’s strong, welcoming community doesn’t require a complex Town Hall initiative or new non-profit. It starts with simple micro-choices made by each of us individual Westporters every day. For example:
Unplug in local lines. Put your phone in your pocket while waiting at Gold’s, CVS or the Farmers’ Market. Look up, make eye contact, and ask about something interesting you notice about the place and the person behind the counter.
The other, while printing labels at the UPS Store opposite Fresh Market, Tom Karrel (right) and Taylor had a great conversation with 2014 Staples grad Gene Tsai.
Go beyond the usual script. The next time you’re chatting with a shop owner or parent at a baseball game, ask one question beyond “How’s your week going?” Try: “What’s been a standout part of your summer so far?” Genuinely listen to what they say. Follow up, and show you’re actually curious to hear more.
Acknowledge familiar strangers.If you pass the same person walking their dog along the road every morning, smile and say hello. Say the thing you’re both thinking: “Hey, we walk by each other all the time but I’ve never said hello. I’m [your name]!”
Westport’s community sustains and grows when we decide to look up, take a breath, and risk having an honest, spontaneous conversation with the person standing right in front of us. Making one another feel truly welcome and at home in this place, rather than just another busy adult running around from place to place.
The next time you feel a small nudge to reach out to someone in town, go for it. You never know when a simple conversation might remind both of you what it really means to belong to this beautiful place.
(For more information about Tom Karrel’s new book, “The Lost Art of Random Conversations,” click here.)
(“06880” Opinion pages are open to all. Send submissions to 06880blog@gmail. com. To support this hyper-local blog with a tax-deductible donation, please click here. Thank you!)
“06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung writes:
From 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday, Katie Andrews’ living room bustles with 16 women, and the click of mahjong tiles.
Mahjong is the cornerstone of a gaming craze — the kind with boards and playing pieces — that’s hitting Westport as hard as last week’s rainstorm.
Andrews bills the 6-month old series — “The Concealed Hand — as “Fairfield County’s First Mahjong Parlor.” She’s one of many instructors and entrepreneurs making sure you can’t throw a rock in Westport without hitting a player.
Katie Andrews, with her tiles.
Smacking of gin rummy, mahjong is a game of skill, tactility and, according to instructor Michelle Sperry, “a fascinating game filled with endless strategy.”
The game is also an adventure in orthography – there are at least four ways of spelling it. (Mahjong, mah jong, mahjongg and mah jongg. It’s the Chinese word for “sparrow” — máquè, 麻雀 — and refers to the clicking sound of the tiles when they are shuffled, similar to the chattering of birds.)
Why the current craze?
A mahjong query on Facebook elicited responses as swiftly and relentlessly as Compo seagulls on French fries. In fact, as I tapped my post into the online ether, another popped up: “A newbie Mah Jong player would love a card table if anyone has one to give away?”
Local instructors and players note a surge in popularity since 2024. Wait lists for wanna-be players can top off at 40 or more.
Learning the game, with Michelle Sperry (left).
Starting with the opening ritual (the Charleston), the game is refreshing in its formality, and an antidote to the etiquette rot created by social media. It involves 152 tiles, 4 players, 2 dice, and 1 table.
You can stroll into Tiffany and slap down $18K for these ingredients (sans table). But most players are snapping up decorative mahjong sets at The Post for around $650. Or, like me, a cheap set from Amazon in an ugly case.
Sperry notes there’s fun to be found in the tiles, evoking such themes as New York City, rodeos, beaches, Staffordshire dogs, and the Grateful Dead. She adds, “There is even an adult-themed set. I’ll go on record and say I don’t own that one.”
But the greatest appeal? People.
An intergenerational game, mahjong is played by 4 people (or 3, but…) who want to unplug and enjoy the serenade of clicking tiles with like-minded humans.
Jessica Erlich and Dana Bernstein of “Haus of Mahj” write, “Mahjong is one of the rare hobbies that challenges you intellectually while creating human connection.” Every instructor I spoke to had a story about friendships that started with the game, then extended beyond the table.
Jessica Erlich and Dana Bernstein, of Haus of Mahj.
Some say you can learn the game in 3 lessons. I needed 4. It’s not so hard to learn as it is to master. Fortunately, most players are gracious and happy to help beginners strategize.
Games and instructors are literally everywhere. Haus of Mahj is a “mobile social club and mahjong lifestyle brand” that brings its game and instruction almost anywhere.
The Concealed Hand hosts regular 2-hour games throughout the week. Many other instructors host community evenings, offer private lessons, and partner with charities.
Justine Trudeau of the style salon Justine Alexandra Studio included Haus of Mahj at a summer event.
Each instructor has her own price tag and class options. Most classes are 2 hours at $30 to $50, with a recommendation of 3 or 4 classes before wobbling out on your own.
Yes, I wrote “her” because I haven’t yet found a male instructor here. And I’ve heard of exactly one guy who plays.
Maria Luga, and her table. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Girdan-Barkan)
NOTE: Try to avoid classes with more than 8 students. They may spread the instructor’s attention too thin.
(“06880” covers mah jong, other games and activities, sports and hobbies, the Senior Center, Library — and everything else in town. If you enjoy this blog, please click here to support our work. Thanks!)
Every day in Westport is special. Every day is unique.
But when each is over, we move on to the next.
September 6 will be a day we’ll never forget.
On that Sunday, every Westporter is invited to help create a one-of-a-kind portrait of the town. We’ll do it by taking a photograph that captures one real moment from our day.
Whether it’s a sunrise at Compo Beach, breakfast with family, volunteering at a community event, opening a business downtown, walking the dog, cheering from the sidelines or enjoying a quiet moment at home, every image will become part of a collective portrait of Westport.
“A Day in the Life of Westport” is a collaboration between the Artists Collective of Westport, the League of Women Voters Westport, the David T. Langrock Foundation, and “06880.”
As part of Westport’s America 250 celebration, the project will document the town in its everyday rhythms, creating a lasting record of who we are as a community in this semiquincentennial year.
Inspired by the classic Life magazine photo essays documenting “A Day in the Life of America,” the project invites residents of every age to photograph one moment on Sunday, September 6, then submit it online with a brief caption describing what the image means to them.
Collectively, the photographs will become a real-time portrait of Westport, preserving both extraordinary moments and ordinary ones that define daily life.
Miggs Burroughs, a founding member of the Artists Collective, says, “Every individual photograph tells a story. Together, hundreds — perhaps thousands — of photographs become something entirely different: a portrait of Westport itself. The finished mosaic will reveal not only the beauty of our town, but the connections that make us a community.”
Early September will still be warm enough for a sunrise swim … (Photo/Jimmy Izzo)
LWV secretary James Delorey notes, “Westport has always been a community that shows up. Whether it’s volunteering, voting, supporting neighbors or celebrating together, people here take part. ‘A Day in the Life of Westport’ is another opportunity for everyone to help tell the story of this remarkable town.”
League member Andrea Moore adds, “Westport’s story is written by our whole community. ‘A Day in the Life’ invites everyone to share a special moment or a favorite scene from their day. Each photograph captures a part of who we are today, and creates a record that future generations will be able to look back on.”
Participants are encouraged to photograph every aspect of community life, including all generations, neighborhoods, occupations, traditions, celebrations, acts of service, family life, recreation, arts, faith, work, and the countless moments that make Westport unique.
,,, and photographers can also capture random kids having moments of fun. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Organizers hope the final collection reflects the full diversity of the community, and the many different ways people experience the same day.
Photos must be taken on Sunday, September 6, and submitted by midnight that evening at dayinthelife2026.artcall.org. The submission website will accept photographs only on the day of the event.
Each participant may submit up to 3 shots, each accompanied by a brief caption describing the moment.
Submitted photographs will become part of an online community archive and digital image library (and featured on “06880”).
Organizers also plan to create a large photographic mosaic incorporating every submission, with selected images potentially featured in a public exhibition, commemorative book, and other America 250 legacy projects celebrating Westport’s history and community spirit.
(“06880” is proud to partner with Westport organizations on this project — and to be your hyper-local blog. We rely on reader support. Please click here to help. Thanks for all you do for us!)
Over 3,000 men, women and — especially — children took advantage of spectacular weather to enjoy the 3rd annual Soundview Summer Stroll, on the Compo Beach exit road.
Walking, jogging, bicycling, Rollerblading, and — especially — pushing strollers, they danced to 4 great musical acts. There was face painting, street chalking and water balloon tossing.
Old Mill Grocery by Romanacci and Oggi gelato served up treats. Nearly 20 non-profits handed out swag and signed up volunteers.
Old friends met up. Strangers chatted. Several families who moved to Westport within the past month got a great introduction to town.
And everywhere — up and down Soundview Drive — there were smiles.
The Soundview Stroll is a gift to the town from “06880,” the Compo Beach Improvement Association and the Hirani family. The Parks & Recreation Department provides invaluable help.
“06880” photographer Ryan Allen captured all the action. You can relive it — or, if you weren’t there, see what you missed — here. A second set of photos, from other Stroll-goers, will be posted tomorrow. Away we go!
Ethan Walmark wowed the crowd. Other musical acts were Owen Daniel, DNR and Drew Angus’ band.
Rick Benson promotes the Westport Rotary Club’s Lobster Fest.
(“06880” is all about community-building — online, at the Stroll, and everywhere else in town. Reader support keeps us going. If you’d like to contribute, please click here. Thank you!)
One final reminder: The 3rd annual Soundview Summer Stroll is today.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Compo Beach exit road is closed to traffic. In place of cars, it comes alive with music, food, face painting, other kids’ activities, and more.
Four musical acts — Westport favorites Drew Angus and Ethan Walmark, Weston’s Owen Daniel and the legendary DNR band — will set up halfway down Soundview.
On one side, Earthplace will run the kids’ zone. On the other, Old Mill Grocery by Romanacci offers food.
All around, nearly 2 dozen non-profit groups will have tables. They’ll run games and contests, and offer giveaways.
The Soundview Summer Stroll is a gift to the town from “06880” and the Compo Beach Improvement Association, with great help from the Parks & Recreation Department.
See you today from 10 to 2, on the beach exit road!
See you at the Soundview Summer Stroll! (Photo/Benji Porosoff)
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Surfing for Daisy rocked the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce Night at the Levitt Pavilion last week.
The annual event is both a social gather for Chamber members, and an incubator for rising local bands. Notable prior acts include Goose, Eggy and Moonrise Cartel.
Surfing for Daisy is an Asbury Park, New Jersey-based indie folk-rock act. Up next this week for them: Lollapalooza.
Surfing for Daisy: From the Levitt to Lollapalooza. (Photo/Matthew Mandell)
Then last night Desert Highway — an Eagles tribute band — brought that peaceful easy feeling to the banks of the river.
In addition to their parties, kayaking and Staples tour, several 50th reunion-goers enjoyed an early morning private tour of the Westport Country Playhouse.
Along with the usual history and “how we put on a show” details, they had a special chance to check out the set and backstage of the current show, “Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.”
Tour leader and Playhouse archivist Bruce Miller took them down memory lane. Highlights from ’76 included movies (“Rocky,” “Taxi Driver”), Broadway shows (“Godspell,” “Oh! Calcutta!”) — and who was at the Playhouse that summer (Richard Kiley, Eva Marie Saint, Theodore Bikel).
The grads agreed: Arts a crucial part of a community. And they were thankful that those efforts were so evident in Westport, as they grew up a half century ago.
Class of 1976, on the Westport Country Playhouse stage.
As the sign says, dogs are not allowed at the Westport Farmers’ Market.
We’re not sure whether this guy is obeying the sign, trolling it — or preparing to pee on it.
(Photo/Sam Levenson)
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Staples High School Class of 1957 graduate Anna Frances “Fran” Pollak died Tuesday. She was 87.
The Brooklyn native moved to Westport at a very young age. After Berkeley Secretarial School in New York, she worked at Perkin Elmer Corporation in Norwalk, holding top secret security clearance with NASA’s space program.
Later, as an executive secretary at AMF in Stamford, she met her husband of 52 years, Philip.
While raising 3 children, Fran served as the Bridgeport Post arts calendar editor.
Fran loved books, and spent 37 years working for Mews International Literary Agency with Sidney Kramer, owner of the Remarkable Book Shop. She screened and circulated manuscripts, earning a spot in the Literary Marketplace Directory.
Fran and Phil traveled the world. But she was happiest gardening in her backyard, visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art or reading at Old Mill Beach.
Fran is survived by her children Philip Pollak, John Pollak and Linda (Louie) Wins; granddaughters Holly (Evan) Arsineau and Chelsea (Brandon) Lorah; great-grandson Leighton Lorah; sisters Palma (Bruno) Manes and Antoinette (Paul) Wrubel, and many nieces and nephews.
The Staples High School Class of 1976 reunion is in the books.
The weather last weekend was not great. But that was about the only bummer, for the 150 men and women who attended at least one of many events.
Each reunion is special. But the 50th deserves a shout-out. And — because organizers planned and documented it so well — it might serve as an inspiration for other classes.
And inspire any alum — of any class at any school, anywhere — who is on the fence about his or her own reunion, to put aside preconceptions and concerns, and go!
At least a dozen grads had never been to a previous Staples reunion. Many had not come to one for decades. This time, they traveled from as far as London.
In addition to the usual reunion activities like gatherings at the Black Duck and Compo Beach, they enjoyed a tour of the “new” Staples High School (they graduated just before the first “modernization,” and remember 9 separate buildings), as well as kayaking on the Saugatuck River.
Feedback was great. One alum said they felt like an outcast in high school, and never attended a reunion. But they came this year. After 50 years, they said, they felt totally welcome, and part of the class.
The money quote came from Chris Frey. He said:
Back then we were jocks, freaks, greasers and nerds. Today we are senior citizens, grandparents and (mostly) solid citizens….
Last night [at Compo Beach] we all identified as classmates who lived through our turbulent youths, sharing adventures, heartbreaks, learnings and successes together….
Old wounds were forgiven, or in most cases, forgotten. Silly, fun, uplifting stories were shared, and the chasm of 50 years seemed to almost be erased…
The rain didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for the moment, and I think I can speak for everyone present that a good time was shared by all.
PS: The class is donating to 3 local organizations, to “keep a small bit of the Class of ’76 alive in Westport”: Staples Tuition Grants, the Westport Country Playhouse, and (thank you!) “06880.”
Hanging out at the Duck …
… and Compo Beach.
BONUS REUNION NEWS: Staples Class of 1981 is celebrating their 45th reunion this weekend.
Among the festivities; a celebration last night at VFW Post 399.
From left: Class of 1981 alums Andre Lambros, Dave Arnow, Tony Eason, Patty Kondub, Sue Champagne. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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A reminder: The annual Soundview Summer Stroll takes place tomorrow!
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, the Compo Beach exit road comes alive with music, food, face painting, other kids’ activities, and much more.
Four musical acts — Westport favorites Drew Angus and Ethan Walmark, Weston’s Owen Daniel and the legendary DNR band — will set up halfway down Soundview.
On one side, Earthplace will run the kids’ zone. On the other, Old Mill Grocery by Romanacci offers food.
All around, nearly 2 dozen non-profit groups will have tables. They’ll run games and contests, and offer giveaways.
The Soundview Summer Stroll is a gift to the town from “06880” and the Compo Beach Improvement Association, with great help from the Parks & Recreation Department.
See you tomorrow, on the beach exit road!
One way to stroll, on Soundview Drive. (Photo/Benji Porosoff)
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What’s ahead for the Levitt Pavilion?
Plenty of free shows.
Tonight (Saturday): Desert Highway: A Tribute to the Eagles (7:30 p.m.)
Sunday, July 26: Lulada Club: New York City’s All-women Salsa Orchestra (7 p.m.).
Tuesday, July 28: Amelia Day (7 p.m.)
Wednesday, July 29: Hopalong Andrew: Children’s Series (7 p.m.)
the other day, Rozanne Gates interviewed State Senator Ceci Maher, for The Legacy Project USA.
Afterward, the retiring legislator received a Distinguished Service proclamation from the town of Weston.
It was part of the “This Is Your Life” Legacy Project USA series at the Westport Center for Senior Activities.
State Senator Ceci Maher, with her proclamation. She is flanked by Weston 1st Selectwoman Sam Nestor (left) and State Representative Dominique Johnson.
Westport resident Robert Aldrich died peacefully at home on July 19. He was 91, and had been diagnosed with cancer.
The New Rochelle, New York native earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering at Princeton University, while starring in football and playing goalie for the varsity hockey team.
He, his wife Sandra and young son Bobby moved to San Rafael where he began his career at Standard Oil of California. Their daughter Nancy was born shortly before Bob joinedUnion Carbide in New York, where he spent nine years in project development.
The family moved to Rowayton, where they lived for the next 50 years. Sons Ted and John were soon born.
In 1970, Chase Manhattan Bank CEO David Rockefeller recruited Bob to lead the first environmental banking initiative undertaken by a major financial institution. As a pioneering executive, he helped integrate environmental stewardship into banking practices decades before sustainability became part of the financial mainstream. He spent the remainder of his Wall Street career working for Chase and other financial institutions, helping finance companies and projects that delivered environmental benefits.
At 66, Bob embarked on a second career doing something he always loved: teaching. Through Teach for America, he taught science for 5 years in the South Bronx, which he called his most rewarding role.
After moving to Westport in 2005, he became a substitute in the Westport Public Schools. He often surprised his grandchildren and their friends as their teacher for the day. He did this into his late 80s. He also worked as an adjunct professor of chemistry at Norwalk Community College.
Bob and Sandra’s 70-year marriage was celebrated in June of 2026, surrounded by their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Bob served as Chairman of the Norwalk Board of Education during the turbulent, teacher-strike-filled 1970s. and was twice elected to the Norwalk Common Council.
After moving to Westport he served on the Flood and Erosion Control Board. He participate in meetings just days before he died.
Bob loved tennis and pond hockey. He was happiest when he was outdoors and in motion.
He is survived by his wife Sandra; children Robert, Nancy (Brien), Edward (Susan) and John (Margee); grandchildren Farley, Jack (Astrid), Ben (Greer), Tommy, Seixas, and Farrell Aldrich, Will Haskell (Katie) and Annie Kenworthy (Tristram); and great-grandchildren Gaël and Mathieu Aldrich-Parenty.
A service will be held on August 8 (11 a.m., United Church of Rowayton). Memorial donations may be made to the Norwalk Education Fund, 125 East Avenue, Norwalk CT 06851.
The Staples Classes of 1976 and ’81 graduated a couple of decades after the Class of ’57. (The second to last, interestingly, to go through all 3 years at the Riverside Avenue high school.)
There were no songs written about those 2 “recent” classes. And though the Statler Brothers’ tune is about a generic class — not Staples’ — it’s still the best reunion song ever.
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