After graduating from Staples High School in 1973, he earned a full scholarship to Juilliard’s drama division. He studied under John Houseman, and shared classes with Christopher Reeve.
Conroy toured nationally with “Deathtrap,” appeared on the soap opera “Another World,” played Laertes in the New York Shakespeare Festival, acted on Broadway, and was a regular on “Ohara” and “Tour of Duty.”
For over 20 years, Conroy has lent his “deeply charming, yet virile voice” to 9 TV series, 12 animated movies and 7 video games. No other actor has played Batman for so long, or been as closely identified with him.
Naturally, he takes the side of the superhero many fans call “ordinary.”
Holy non-surprise, Batman!
In fact, Conroy calls Batman “extraordinary.” He explains:
He’s always had to rely on his wits. He’s always had to think his way out of things. He’s had to create devices, create machines, and he thinks on so many different levels….He can create his way out of things. And that’s power.
But don’t just read about it. Listen to Kevin Conroy talk about Batman — using (for once) his own voice.
I’ve honored plenty of Westporters since “06880” began in 2009. I have an especially soft spot in my heart for those who — in their own unique way — made Westport what it was, and is.
My mother was one of those.
Jo Woog (Photo/Susan Woog Wagner)
Jo Woog — who died yesterday, at 89 — was a Westporter for 60 years. In those 6 decades, she did so much. She was a PTA mom, a volunteer for countless causes, and a strong supporter of arts programs — particularly music. She played piano whenever she could, and taught it for a decade. She also played a mean game of tennis — and stopped only a few years ago.
She was a member of the Y (aerobics!), Y’s Women, the Democratic Women of Westport, and several book clubs. She went to Long Wharf, the Quick Center and Westport Country Playhouse — and kept going, until a month or two ago.
In her later years, she enjoyed the Senior Center. She took Zumba classes, played ping pong, saw movies, attended lectures and more.
There are many women like her in Westport. During the baby boom, they supported their babies. As we grew up, so did they. As empty nesters, they supported their town. As widows, they formed their own, tight-knit community.
My mother grew up in New Rochelle, and loved it. (She attended her last high school reunion 2 years ago.) But Westport was her town.
And of all the lively, fun and important things she did, I’m eternally grateful that she made it mine too.
(A service is set for Thursday, April 21, 11 a.m. at Abraham L. Green Funeral Home in Fairfield. Contributions in Jo Woog’s memory can be made to the Westport Center for Senior Activities, 21 Imperial Ave., Westport, CT 06880, or an organization of one’s choice.)
“On the internet, no one knows you’re a dog” — that’s the classic New Yorker cartoon, showing 2 canines at a computer.
No one knows you’re a high school junior, either.
Not that anyone should care. Staples’ Dylan Diamond designs user-friendly apps that fill folks’ needs.
Dylan Diamond, at San Francisco’s Fort Mason earlier this month.
His myHAC allows students and parents nationwide easy access to school schedules and grades. It’s been downloaded 85,000 times.
Ski With Friends helps skiers find buddies on the slope.
His current project, Saround — with fellow Westporter Adam Goldberg — lets users book anything from babysitters and yardwork to concert tickets, by priority.
Next up: an app to expedite food purchases in school cafeterias.
So it’s no surprise that Dylan snagged a coveted invitation to Facebook’s F8 conference this month.
Or that Facebook covered the entire $800 registration fee too.
Dylan Diamond, with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.
The hands-on, collaborative event — held at San Francisco’s Fort Mason — is huge. It draws developers and entrepreneurs from around the globe. Facebook engineers interact with attendees. They share ideas, teach each other, and return to their offices (or schools) ready for the Next Big Thing.
Dylan made the most of his time. He saw Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, standing on the conference floor. Dylan walked up, introduced himself, and told her about his apps.
Dylan also hung with Mike Schroepfer, the CTO. He sat next to the CEO of Oculus Rift, the biggest name in virtual reality.
Dylan and those heavy hitters talked about Facebook’s new Messenger bot — unveiled at F8 — as well as analytics.
He got advice on startups. Attendees examined his code, and answered his questions about how to do more, be more efficient, and design better tools.
Dylan Diamond was up close for Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote address.
Mark Zuckerberg was there too, of course. His keynote address was one highlight. Even better: His announcement that everyone at F8 would received a free Oculus headset.
(Dylan used it on the plane ride home. His fellow travelers were quite impressed.)
There were a couple dozen high school students at F8, like Dylan. They become good friends. After the conference, he and 2 others drove to Cupertino, to check out Uber and Apple headquarters.
“Everyone there was super-passionate,” Dylan says. “They really opened my eyes to new ideas.”
Dylan does more than develop apps, of course. He handles the school paper Inklings’ website. He’s also on the ski and cross country team.
That last activity came in handy at F8. A long line of attendees waited to get into the building to hear Zuckerberg.
Dylan outraced the others, and had one of the best seats in the house.
Nearly 40 years ago, a group of women gathered at Selma Miriam’s 29 Hiawatha Lane home. Their idea of a vegetarian restaurant — and feminist collective — became Bloodroot. Today, it’s still around. Miriam’s still involved.
Hiawatha Lane is still around too, and Miriam still lives there — for now, anyway. But the neighborhood is in the crosshairs of a proposed housing development. Miriam sends these thoughts:
Developer Felix Charney is back trying to foist 155 multiple housing units onto a little dead-end street: Hiawatha Lane Extension.
This flawed project was rejected at least 3 times already by the Planning & Zoning Commission, as well as other town agencies.
A rendering of the proposed Hiawatha Lane development.
While the practicality and cost of putting in sewer lines and fixing pump station #2 remains unresolved, and no one has yet evaluated the assault on inland wetlands in this area of swamp land between I-95 and the railroad tracks, the biggest impact is that the warren of streets comprising Old Saugatuck (the only naturally formed working-class neighborhood of homeowners in Westport) would be destroyed by the increased traffic from 155 new units.
But besides the misery to us locals, imagine the effect at the intersection of Route 136 (Saugatuck Avenue), Exit 17 off I-95, Route 33 (Riverside Avenue) and other roads leading to the railroad station. A nightmare for anyone needing to travel these roads.
So how come this developer, turned down 3 times before, now has the support — worse, the encouragement — of the 1st and 2nd selectmen? Even more questionable is the support of the Westport Housing Authority, which is apparently eager to help finance Felix Charney’s previous financial mistakes by using public funds (taxpayer money) as a bailout. Is this greed or stupidity, or both?
Of course they may say they want to ward off the threat of the state’s infamous 8-30g law, which lets developers build any size housing development they want in defiance of local zoning ordinances, if the local board has rejected applications that include 30% of “affordable” units in the development proposal. However, any prior existing affordable housing is not counted. So it becomes okay to destroy an historic, working-class neighborhood in order to build 155 units and call 70 units “affordable.”
Hiawatha Lane is a narrow street, filled with homes that are modest by Westport standards. It’s accessible only via West Ferry Lane off Saugatuck Avenue, next to the I-95 eastbound entrance/exit ramp.
This is a numbers game that we — that is, Westport — can never win as long as developers continue building higher and ever higher-end housing. We can never catch up!
But it is incomprehensible that the Westport Housing Authority does not get it, and is willing to sacrifice a well-established, historic working class community and waste tax dollars to support this developer’s project.
And so, as a remedy, I offer a fantasy, a sort of (tongue-in-cheek) “modest proposal”.*
Let’s pretend the wetlands will not be disturbed while the area is over-built. Let’s pretend sewers can be provided (from where? paid for by whom?). Let’s pretend that the beginning of Hiawatha Lane Extension could be “walled off,”protecting Hiawatha Lane, Davenport Avenue, Dr. Gillette Circle, and most importantly, Saugatuck Avenue, Exit 17 and the train station access.
Hiawatha Lane extension is shown by an arrow, on this Google Map image. It’s below I-95. The entrance is via West Ferry Lane, which is off Saugatuck Avenue (diagonal road on the right side of the image).
Let’s pretend we could get Norwalk to change its mind and allow Charney’s development to exit through to Norwalk from Hiawatha Lane Extension through the old Norden property. Alternatively, the development could have its own exit onto I-95, since an access road already exists. Finally, let’s pretend that taxpayers would not be expected to reward Charney’s fiscal irresponsibilities.
Ridiculous? Yes! The best decision would be to turn down this project application again. Keep this kind of building on main roads that already have sewers, traffic controls, and no wetlands.
A big question remains: Why have Selectmen Marpe and Kaner invested their efforts in this project? And why is the Westport Housing Authority blind to the problems intrinsic to helping this particular developer?
One of the joys of publishing “06880” is the chance tell stories of Westporters who quietly — but very effectively — do wonderful things for others. Many folks volunteer their time with organizations that — while very important — many of us never hear of.
Were you aware of AWARE?
Founded over 20 years ago in New York by Amy Saperstein and friends, the goal is to make a difference in the lives of women and girls. (AWARE stands for Assisting Women through Action, Resources and Education.)
When Amy moved to Westport, she launched a local chapter.
AWARE women, at a fundraiser for Mercy Learning Center. From left: Deb Parnes, Kim Perlen, Amy Saperstein, Erica Davis, Johanna Kiev and Jennifer Seymour.
Each year the group selects a women’s cause, then partners with a charity to benefit it. Through a fundraiser, hands-on activity and educational event, AWARE shines a light on a different meaningful women’s issue. Previous partnerships have included Mercy Learning Center, and an organization to aid victims of sex trafficking.
This year, AWARE supports female veterans. The Westport chapter has partnered with Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes, a Bridgeport transitional home.
Once a month, AWARE volunteers serve dinner to homeless female vets there. They work with “AWARE kids” to assemble diaper bags filled with newborn supplies, for pregnant veterans in need. And they organized a panel discussion in Westport, with female veterans from 4 military branches.
“AWARE Kids” filled diaper bags for pregnant female veterans.
Westport Michelle Hogue says it is “refreshing to volunteer with a diverse group of women. We learn and listen first, then engage and assist.”
Hogue hosts this year’s cocktail party fundraiser (Saturday, April 30, 7 p.m.).
But that’s not the only big event to be “aware” of.
In June — at the National Organization for Women’s 50th anniversary gala — they’ll receive NOW’s Intrepid Award.
That’s pretty cool.
But nowhere near as cool as the work these Westporters do — under the radar, but way over and above — for women beyond our town borders.
(For tickets and more information on AWARE’s April 30 fundraiser, click here. To learn about upcoming meetings and events, email AwareCt@gmail.com.)
Fewer than 10% of all drummers are girls or women. Social and cultural barriers lead many aspiring female musicians to instruments like piano, violin and flute.
“Hit Like a Girl” is an annual contest to counter that trend. Organized by big drum manufacturers and magazines, this year’s event drew entrants from ages 6 to 60, and nearly 50 countries. Their videos were judged by top drummers — including those with Beyonce and Red Hot Chili Peppers — on technique, chops, originality, creativity, groove and feel.
Last year’s Under-18 winner was from Indonesia. The year before that: Japan.
Drum roll, please! The 2016 “Hit Like a Girl” best drummer in the world is … a Westporter.
Becca Webster — a Staples High School freshman — beat out every contestant, from around the world. Her runnerup came from Poland.
Becca Webster, in action.
Last year, Becca finished 2nd. She’s won other prizes — including as a soloist with the Staples High School jazz band, and on tour with the School of Rock All-Stars — but this was her biggest stage ever.
The call came — of course — while Becca was practicing with a jazz band.
In addition to tons of industry exposure, Becca gets a new drum kit and cymbals. Plus endorsement opportunities, and the chance to appear in ads and at clinics.
Becca began drumming when she was 3 years old. Her grandmother tapped out a rhythm, and urged the toddler to repeat it back.
“Nana” grew up in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, at a time when girls did not drum. But she started taking lessons in her 50s, and discovered a natural sense of timing and rhythm. When Becca turned 8, her grandmother gave her a drum kit.
She worked for 2 years on fundamentals, speed, technique and timekeeping with Tom Geisler, before learning to play songs. The teacher also sparked her interest in jazz.
At 10, Becca joined School of Rock. Director Frank Perrouna helped her learn responsibilities, like creating and keeping the groove going.
In a band setting, playing music from prog to Motown, she realized that a drummer’s job is “not to squeeze as many notes as possible into a measure, but to play musically, tastefully and in the pocket.”
As house band captain for School of Rock’s Fairfield house band, she’s learned to arrange songs, and pick apart every instrument.
Becca’s got the beat!
She’s watched with satisfaction the growth of girl drummers in the area. Some call her their inspiration.
Becca’s contest video songs are different from her usual groove playing. But she loves the polyrhythms and layering of parts with each limb. The songs forced her to work on 4-way independence.
Lately, studying with Adrian Tramontono of the band Kung Fu, Becca has gotten into jazz/fusion music. Working around his touring schedule, he pushes her on soloing and improvisation.
Her goal is to make music her career. Becca would love to become a session drummer, or play in a band.
She is just 15 years old. That means Becca has a chance to 3-peat as the Under-18 “Hit it Like a Girl” champ.
Unless, of course, she’s too busy playing around the world to bother entering.
Most journalists dream of winning a Pulitzer Prize.
Tyler Hicks needs a new dream.
The Westport native and Staples High School graduate earned his 3rd Pulitzer in 7 years today. He shared the award for Breaking News in Photography with 2 fellow New York Times photojournalists. The trio were honored for their images that “captured the resolve of refugees, the perils of their journeys and the struggle of host countries to take them in.”
This photo by Tyler Hicks appears on the Pulitzer Prize website. The caption reads: “After battling rough seas and high winds from Turkey, migrants arrive by rubber raft on a jagged shoreline of the Greek island of Lesbos. Fearing capsize or puncture, some panicked and jumped into the cold water in desperation to reach land. This young boy made it, unlike hundreds of others.” (Photo/Tyler Hicks, The New York Times – October 1, 2015). Click image to enlarge.
Hicks’ previous Pulitzers came in 2009 (as a member of a team, for International Reporting coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan), and 2014 (for Breaking News Photography, for his stunning shots of the deadly attack by terrorists on a Nairobi shopping center.)
Hicks began working for the Times in 1999, photographing stories throughout Africa. After 9/11, he traveled to Kabul, documenting the city’s liberation from the Taliban. He has returned to Afghanistan often.
Hicks has done award-winning work around the globe, from Haiti to Albania and Kosovo.
Tyler Hicks
On March 16, 2011 Hicks and 3 other reporters — including fellow Times photojournalist and Westporter Lynsey Addario were abducted in Libya. After 6 harrowing days in captivity, they were released. (Click here for more details.)
On Feb. 16, 2012 in Syria, Hicks was with Times Beirut bureau chief Anthony Shadid, when Shadid died of an asthma attack. Hicks helped carry the journalist’s body across the border to Turkey.
When he gets a chance, Hicks visits Westport, where his mother and sister still live. He now calls Kenya home.
But — as his important, eye-opening Pulitzer Prize-winning photos attest — the world’s hot spots are truly his home.
PS: Congrats too to Matt Davies. The 1985 Staples grad was one of 2 finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Cartooning. Davies — who now draws for Newsday — won the Pulitzer in 2004, and was also a finalist in 2011.
(For full details of the Pulitzer Prize in Breaking Photography, click here.)
By keeping doors closed when using air conditioning on hot days. (And heat on cold ones.)
Blue Mercury always keeps doors open, on hot days and cold.
Sounds like a no-brainer. New York City — which has a lot more doors than Westport — actually has a law to that effect.
The letter — addressed “Dear Business Owner/Manager” — says Westport prefers “more of a ‘team’ approach. We believe shoppers will be happy to know that fossil fuels and electricity are not being wasted, and that the air is not being polluted as a result of unnecessary production of heat or electricity.”
Marpe and co-signers David Mann (Task Force chair), Matthew Mandell (Chamber executive director) and Steve Desloge (DMA president) note that Westport is known as “a forward-thinking, environmentally focused community.” It was the 1st state east of the Mississippi River to ban plastic bags, and has set a goal of achieving net-zero energy, water and waste management self-sufficiency by 2050.
The letter invites businesses to be the town’s “partners on this journey.” It invites them to contribute their own sustainability initiatives and ideas.
The heavy (and open) door at Esthetique.
“06880” has been out in front on this issue. Several times — beginning in 2010 — we’ve posted about this selfish practice. (Blue Mercury pops up in every story.)
McDonald’s and Starbucks are open in Ho Chi Minh City — the name that replaced Saigon, and which Americans now say without a second thought.
Trade between the US and Vietnam is worth $30 billion a year. Relations are strong, and tourism to the land where war once cost more than 2.5 million lives has boomed.
But until recently, some people with much in common had no reason to meet: Americans whose fathers were killed in action, and children of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong who died in the same war.
The emotional reunion between 6 Americans and 20 Vietnamese was captured by a film crew. Now, 150 hours of footage is being edited down to feature film length.
Nora Kubach
That task has fallen to Nora Kubach. The 2003 Staples High School graduate says it’s the most challenging and rewarding work she’s ever done.
Like many of her generation, the Vietnam War was ancient history. She had no reason to wonder about the children — now in their 40s and 50s, much older than she — whose lives changed forever with enemy fire. Most Americans of any age, in fact, give little thought to the sons and daughters of veterans. And even less so to those from the other side.
Kubach’s route to the editing room was circuitous. A Staples field hockey, volleyball and softball player until sidelined by injury, she spent her junior year of high school in a study-abroad program. She discovered acting in Switzerland, then as a senior traveled to New York every weekend for Stella Adler classes.
Kubach majored in theater at NYU’s Tisch School. But acting is a cutthroat profession, so she looked for ways other than performing to pursue her passion for telling stories, being creative and helping people.
She found work with a video communications team in Washington, DC. That led to a job with Anthony Istrico, who hired her for his studio.
Client Margot Carlson Delogne was organizing the first formal meeting between American and Vietnamese children who’d lost parents in the war. (There are an estimated 20,000 in the US, and more than 70,000 in Vietnam.) Istrico offered to help with a film — pro bono.
A photo of Ron Reyes’ father in Vietnam, with memorabilia from the war.
The trip was remarkable. (Click here for a New York Times story about it.)
Now Kubach is racing against a self-imposed Memorial Day deadline to turn raw footage into a compelling film. She’s editing, writing, finding themes and threads, and crafting the story into a narrative documentary.
“I learned a lot,” she admits. “At first I thought this would be pretty straightforward — 2 sides meeting each other.
Ron Reyes, on the site where his father died in Vietnam.
“But there’s so much more. All of them grew up not being able to talk about the war. Their stories were left behind. Now they’re sharing them with each other, finding common ground. This was an emotional and learning process for everyone.
“For me too,” Kubach adds. “I’ve learned a lot.”
Her education continues. She just received 9 audio tapes Delogne’s father recorded. Until recently, the daughter had never heard them.
“People are literally opening boxes and sending the contents to us,” Kubach says. The trip to Vietnam opened doors that the children of servicemembers had kept shut for decades.
The filmmakers hope their work will end up on a network like PBS. They’re looking into film festivals and online distribution too.
Vu Ngoc Xiem was part of the 2 Sides meeting. (All photos/Istrico Productions)
Kubach believes it will resonate with many audiences. There’s the Vietnam era, of course, but also her own generation.
It is also, she says, a film for “anyone who has lost a dad. Or who has prejudices about another side, and goes out to confront them.”
There are at least 2 sides to every story. And Nora Kubach is working hard to tell them all.
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
For over 20 years, Conroy has lent his “deeply charming, yet virile voice” to 9 TV series, 12 animated movies and 7 video games. No other actor has played Batman for so long, or been as closely identified with him.
