On Thursday, Americans will sit down to Thanksgiving feasts.
There will be turkey, football and naps. There should also be thanks. That’s kind of the whole idea.
Next week, “06880” will share some of the things our readers are thankful for.
Individually, they’re important. Taken together, they can provide a broad picture of “06880” — both our community here Westport, and our extended online one around the globe.
Please email 06880blog@gmail.com. Let us know what you’re thankful for this year. (NOTE: Do not post your thanks in the Comments section; just email them to us.)
Big or small; concrete or abstract; individually or as a family; here in town or anywhere else — we want to hear from you. And please let us know whether we can use your name, or if you prefer anonymity.
We’ll post your “06880” thanks next week.
Thank you!
This guy is thankful he’s roaming the streets of Westport, not stuck in a supermarket case. (Photo/William Webster)
Maria White Keogh is a 1979 Staples High School graduate.
She read the recent “06880” story on “Man Rising” — a mammoth sculpture by Westport artist Matthias Alfen — and the reference to noted Westport sculptor James Earle Fraser, who among other works designed the buffalo nickel, the “End of the Trail” sculpture of a Native American slumped over a tired horse, and the Theodore Roosevelt statue at the Museum of Natural History.
She checked in, to make sure her grandfather, Berthold Nebel, is not forgotten.
Born in Switzerland in 1889, he came to the US with his parents when he was 1.
He was hired as Fraser’s studio assistant in Gramercy Park, New York City. Nebel moved to Westport in 1930, on the advice of Fraser, and bought a 9-acre piece of land with a farmhouse on it.
Nebel soon built an artist studio much like Fraser’s. Nebel lived and worked there with his family, until his death in 1964.
Berthold Nebel’s Westport studio.
Here, he worked on commissions that included 2 sets of bronze doors for the Museum of the Americna Indian, and the Museum of the National Geographic Society.
Among Nebel’s other works: a statue of Confederate General Joseph Wheeler for the rotunda of the US Captiol, and another of General John Sedgwick for the front of the Connecticut Capitol in Hartford.
Berthold Nebel, with his sculptures in his studio.
Six months before atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, Nebel designed a metal called “World Unity or Oblivion.”
It shows a US soldier aiding a wounded companion. The reverse side says:
An explosion intended to destroy enemy forces … also obliterates whole communities.
Modern warfare has developed to such a degree that civilization may vanished from the earth unless there is to be better understanding among nations. This metal was designed to help impressed that thought, which I believe is uppermost in our minds.
One of Nebel’s last works was called “Adventure.” It showed a man and woman on a farm horse, riding toward a new life. The renewal of the human spirit was one of his favorite themes.
“The Adventure” (Berthold Nebel)
His studio is still in the family, and much of his artwork remains. Maria’s mother Lucia — a noted artist herself — lived there until she died in 2017.
(Friday Flashback is one of “06880”‘s many regular features. If you enjoy this — or anything else on our website — please consider a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here. Thank you!)
Right now, 3 athletic fields in Westport have lights: Staples’ Paul Lane Field, Greens Farms Elementary School, and PJ Romano Field behind Saugatuck Elementary School
Will there be more?
The Planning & Zoning Commission’s Recreation Sub-committee meets December 4 (12 noon, Zoom), to review and discuss a draft text covering lighted athletic fields on town-owned public school property.
The public may comment during the meeting. To comment before the session, email PandZ@westportct.gov.
The nighttime crowd at this fall’s Staples Homecoming football game. (Photo/Luca Caniato)
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Amng the items on the agenda of a joint meeting of the Representative Town Meeting Finance, Parks & Recreation, Transit and Public Works Committees (November 26, 7:30 p.m., Zoom):
A request by the director of Public Works to approve a $110,000 appropriation for the analysis, design and preparation of construction documents for traffic signal and pedestrian improvements in Saugatuck, between Bridge Street and Charles Street.
The proposal includes replacement of the Saugatuck fire station traffic light, and bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
Neighbors and Newcomers of Westport has partnered with Wreathing for Community.
Volunteers created over a dozen handsome winter wreaths. They’ll be donated to local organizations, charitable events and individuals in town, as recognition for for their kindness and good deeds.
Who gets them?
“06880” readers can nominate an organization or community member to receive a wreath. Email Faith Sargent: whimsicalredheadcrafts@gmail.com.
You can also email her to donate materials for future projects, or arrange an event for your organization or group.
Neighbors and Newcomers take a break from wreath-making.
Club203 was “on strike” last night. Members of Westport’s social group for adults with disabilities made pre-Thanksgiving “turkeys,” with a party at Nutmeg Bowling in Fairfield.
Friends, volunteers, fun and food had everyone ”rolling” in new friendships.
Next up: Club203’s holiday bash, December 11 at VFW Post 399. For more information, click here.
Ukraine Aid International — the non-profit founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer, which has spent nearly 3 years delivering supplies and services to residents and officials in besieged cities in that war-torn nation — has planned a holiday celebration.
It’s both an action-packed evening, and a fundraiser. Proceeds will be earmarked for Ukrainian children, as another harsh winter begins.
The December 8 event (1 to 5 p.m., Redline Restorations, Black Rock) includes food and drinks, holiday activities, kids’ crafts, antique cars, and updates from Marshall Mayer’s recent trip to the front. Click here for details.
Ukraine Aid International
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Westport Police made 5 custodial arrests between November 13 and 20.
A 58-year-old Waterbury man was arrested for larceny and criminal mischief. he allegedly entered Kai Yoga, stole money, then removed the security camera. He was arraigned on a $175,000 bond.
A 36-year-old Bridgeport man was charged with identity theft and violation of probation, following an investigation into a fraudulent check for $6,613.32, drawn in December 2020. He was held in lieu of an $80,000 bond.
A 34-year-old Stamford man was charged with larceny, criminal mischief and simple trespass, on a complaint by Bank of America of theft of parts of the exterior irrigation system.
A 53-year-old Bridgeport man was arrested on an active re-arrest warrant, after being stopped for a motor vehicle violation.
A 28-year-old Bridgeport woman was charged with failure to appear, after an active re-arrest warrant was discovered following a stop for a motor vehicle violation.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 13 citations
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 6
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 4
Traveling unreasonably fast: 3
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 2
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 2
Failure to halt possession of alcohol by a minor: 1
Speeding: 1
Failure to renew registration: 1
Failure to obey stop sign: 1
Failure to drive in the proper lane: 1
Failure to display lights: 1
Improper stop: 1
Improper use of markers: 1
One arrest this week was for an adult who failed to halt possession of alcohol by a minor.
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Barbara Young, a former Westporter and noted athlete, died last week in Massachusetts. She was 91.
She achieved tremendous success in a variety of sports, including tennis, field hockey, baseball, basketball, platform tennis and golf.
Barbara played for the Chicago Colleens and Kenosha Comets in the All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League, later made famous in “A League of Their Own.”
She is a member of 3 Halls of Fame: at Dean Junior College (for tennis), the Connecticut Golf Association HOF, and in a “Women in Baseball” exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Barbara also won the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance Gold Key Award.
Barbara was a New England girls champion tennis player, and went on play #1 on the Dean Junior College men’s team. She was also a Westport women’s champ.
At Dean, she also played field hockey. In the 1960s, she played semi-pro basketball.
She was ranked among the Top 10 platform tennis players in the nation.
After receiving a set of golf clubs from her husband for Mother’s Day, she took up the game. She was a 6-time Connecticut women’s champion, and an 8-time state senior champ, along with New England senior crowns. Barbara continues her success in North Carolina.
At the Highland Country Club in Attleboro, Massachusetts, well into her 80s, she was the second-ranked female member by handicap.
Barbara is survived by her children, Janet Young See of Mansfield, Massachusetts and Lawrence of Baltimore, and grandchildren Christopher and Andrew Young, and Jason and Brian See. She was predeceased byher children Donna and Scott.
A celebration of life will be held in January, in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Click here to send online condolences.
Barbara Parks Young
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A great blue heron showed up recently at Burying Hill Beach.
And Johanna Keyser Rossi was there, to snap this image for “Westport … Naturally.”
If you were alive on Friday, November 22, 1963 — and were over, say, 5 years old — you understand how dramatically, and traumatically, America shifted that day.
If you weren’t, there is no way you can comprehend it.
The murder of President Kennedy was a horrific, galvanizing moment in time. It happened 61 years ago today, but I remember it like it was yesterday.
I was in 5th grade. Since September my friends and I had walked to and from school. We gathered on High Point Road, cut through the Staples High School athletic fields and parking lot, sauntered down North Avenue, walked across open farmland, and arrived at Burr Farms Elementary.
We were like the “Stand By Me” boys: talking about kid stuff, reveling in our independence, figuring out each other and the world, in a world that would soon mightily change.
Minutes before school ended that beautiful Friday, the teacher from next door burst into our room. “Kennedy got killed!” she yelled. A girl broke into spontaneous applause. Her father was a leading Republican in town.
Our teacher slapped her face.
Usually, our teacher wished us a happy weekend. That day the bell rang, and we just left. No one knew how to interpret her reaction. We’d never seen a teacher hit a student before.
Then again, we’d never heard of our president being murdered.
As my friends and I gathered for our ritual walk home, we suddenly had Something Big to talk about. For the first time in our lives, we discussed news. We had no details, but already we sensed that the world we knew would never be the same.
That vague feeling was confirmed the moment we walked down the exit road, into the Staples parking lot. School had been out for an hour, but clots of students huddled around cars, listening to radios. Girls sobbed — boys, too. Their arms were wrapped around each other, literally clinging together for support. I’d never seen one teenager cry. Now there were dozens.
At home, I turned on the television. Black-and-white images mirrored the scene at Staples a few minutes earlier. Newscasters struggled to contain their emotions; men and women interviewed in the street could not.
The president was dead. Now it was true. I saw it on TV.
Walter Cronkite on CBS, announcing the death of President Kennedy.
My best friend, Glenn, slept over that night. The television was on constantly. The longer I watched, the more devastated I became.
John F. Kennedy was the first president I knew. My father had taken me to a campaign rally in Bridgeport 3 years earlier. I could not articulate it then, but I admired JFK’s energy, was inspired by his youthfulness, and vowed to grow up and (like him) make a difference.
Now he was dead.
Bill Mauldin captured the grief of a nation.
Saturday was rainy and blustery. I watched more TV. Like most Americans, I was obsessed by this unfolding tragedy. Like them too I had no idea that the impact of that weekend would remain, seared in my brain and heart, 6 decades later.
Sunday was the first day I cried. The raw emotions of all the adults around — in the streets of Westport, and on the television screen — finally overwhelmed me. I cried for the dead president, my fallen hero; for his widow and children; for everyone else who looked so sad and vulnerable.
Then — right after noon — Jack Ruby killed Lee Harvey Oswald. Once again I sat transfixed by the TV. I was stunned, and scared.
Monday was a brilliant fall day. President Kennedy was laid to rest under a crisp, cloudless sky. The unforgettably moving ceremony was watched by virtually everyone in the world with access to a television.
To my everlasting regret, I did not see it live. Glenn said we could not sit inside on a day off from school. Rather than risk being called a nerd (or whatever word we used in 1963), I chose playing touch football at Staples over watching history. I was in 5th grade. What did I know?
The coffin, at Arlington National Cemetery.
The next day we went back to school. The Staples parking lot looked exactly as it had before that fateful Friday. Our teacher never said a word about slapping the girl who cheered President Kennedy’s assassination.
Thanksgiving arrived on schedule 2 days later. At our dinner — like every other table in America — the adults tried to steer the conversation away from the awful events that had consumed us for nearly a week.
In the days and months to come — as the country slowly, painfully, pulled itself out of its collective, overwhelming grief — I devoured everything about President Kennedy I could find. I saved Life, Look,Saturday Evening Post. I ordered the Warren Commission report. Like so many others I still have it all, somewhere.
In the years that followed, my admiration for the young, slain president grew, then ebbed. But it never died. He remained my political hero: the first president I ever knew, cared about, was mesmerized by, and mourned.
When President Kennedy was killed, journalist Mary McGrory said, “We’ll never laugh again.” Daniel Patrick Moynihan — who worked for JFK — replied, “Mary, we will laugh again. But we will never be young again.”
Sixty-one years ago this morning, I was a young 5th grader without a care in the world.
Walking home that afternoon, I could never not care again.
The smoky odor that pervaded much of Westport was due to a wildfire.
In Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Smoke from the Berkshires drifted southward, then hung around.
Fire Marshal Terry Dunn says, “Smoke in the air is a stark reminder of how quickly fires can spread under the right conditions. We urge all residents to remain diligent, and respect the outdoor burning ban to keep our community safe.”
As seen from Sherwood Island State Park, smoke from Massachusetts lingers over Cockenoe Island. (Photo/Chris Swan)
They were named Counry Music Association Vocal Group of the Year for the 7th time. That beats Little Big Town’s 6 awards.
Old Dominion’s lead guitarist, Brad Tursi, is a 1997 Staples High School graduate (and former soccer star). Last month, he wowed a sell-out Levitt Pavilion crowd last month, as a solo artist with a different backup band.
Old Dominion, at last night’s Country Music Association awards. Westport native Brad Tursi is at far left. (Hat tip and photo/Tricia Summers)
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The other day, “06880” reported on harsh, homemade and very un-neighborly sign posted by a Fillow Street resident.
She was (rightly) upset by very-unneighborly neighbors who neglected to pick up the dog poop deposited on her lawn.
I think she reads “06880.” It’s been replaced by this much smaller, more reasonable, and decidedly neighborly one:
The largest crowd ever turned out for last night’s Artists Collective of Westport show opening, at the Westport Country Playhouse’s Sheffer Barn.
All works — over 100, in a wide variety of styles, genres and materials — are available for purchase. And all are 12″ x 12″, making them easy to ship.
The show runs through Sunday, November 24 (noon to 4 p.m., Sheffer Barn at Westport Country Playhouse).
Nina Bentley is one of the many artists whose 12×12 work is on display at the Westport Country Playhouse’s Sheffer Barn. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
Alisan Porter (Staples High School Class of 1999) and Drew McKeon (SHS ’00) are hitting the road in New England this week, support Alisan’s new record, “The Ride.”
The longtime friends co-wrote the single “Nothing’s Broken,” which Drew produced in his “tiny Manhattan apartment bedroom,” his parents’ Westport basement, and his friend Tim Walsh’s home studio in Black Rock.
Drew finished with vocal tracking at Charlie Chaplin’s old Hollywood lot.
Drew and Alison perform a set of Alisan’s original music spanning her career — including selections from her winning season on NBC’s “The Voice” — this Saturday (November 23) at the intimate Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Other performances include The Cut in Gloucester, Massachusetts (November 30), the Music Hall Lounge in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (December 2), and Boston’s City Winery (December 4).
Alisan Porter and Drew McKeon.
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Speaking of Staples alumni entertainers: “The Good Whale” — a new 6-episode New York Times podcast about “Free Willy” orca star Keiko, once the cameras stopped rolling — includes an original song by Staples High School graduate Justin Paul, and his writing partner Benj Pasek.
They’ve already won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. Can whatever award is given for podcast music far behind? (Hat tip: Ann Humphrey)
Speaking of music: Weston High School junior Owen Daniel has just released his debut single.
“Fear of Losing You — the first song he ever wrote — was produced at Norwalk’s Factory Underground Studio. It is available on all streaming outlets. Click here to listen and download.
More entertainment news: This Sunday (November 24, 7 p.m., Fairfield Theatre Company), Westporter Hannah Levin (Greens Farms Academy Class of 2015) screens her short film, “Golden Child,” as part of the FTC Short Film Festival.
The plot: a young woman is reunited with her childhood friend at a pool party, and reckons with the fact that he used to pee on her when they were kids.
Former Staples High School football star Willard “Buz” Leavitt — part of the 1964 backfield that included Bill During, John Bolger and Jack Forehand — died on November 13. He was 77, and lived in Blythewood, South Carolina.
Buz moved from Burnt Hills, New York to Westport as a junior. After his stellar Staples seasons, he headed to Wake Forest University. He earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week mention, and graduated in 1970.
He met his wife Anne there. They married in 1969, and were together for 55 years.
Buz spent 32 years with Procter & Gamble in Charlotte, as sales manager and special events director.
For spent decades coaching youth sports, and was admired by players and parents alike.
Buz is survived by his wife Anne; sons Chris (Darla) of Greenville, South Carolina, Charley (Heather) of Charlotte, and Courtney (Shelley) of Blythewood; brother Scott (Bridget), of Charlotte; sister Susan Pittman, of Roswell, Georgia, and grandchildren Riley, Zoe, Lila, Ian, Banks, Ella Chase, Eliza and Olivia.
A service to celebrate his life will be on November 22 (1 p.m.), at the Clubhouse at Cobblestone Park in Blythewood.
In Lieu of flowers, a gift in Buz’s memory can be made to Baby Bundles, a Charlotte nonprofit that provides essential baby items to families in need.
Longtime Westport realtor Margherita (Marj) Basili died last Friday. She was 94, and also lived in Palatka, Florida.
The New Haven native worked her way through New York University, and graduated with a degree in business.
She worked as a management consultant, then worked for the Australian Consolidated Press in New York.
In 1957 Marj moved to Naples, Italy, where she supported the 6th Fleet as a buyer and merchandising manager in the Naval Postal Exchange (PX).
She married in Italy, then and returned to the US in 1960 to start a family. She taugh in Milford and Westport elementary schools.
By 1969, a single mother of 3 young boys, she shifted into commercial and residential real estate
Her family says, “Marj curated a large group of friends, knitted together by her interests in life and her empathetic approach to others. She reveled in helping others. No problem was insurmountable to her.”
She survived by her sons, Giuseppe (Dean) of Norman, Oklahoma, Gianfranco (Allison) of St. Augustine, Florida, and Roberto (Sara) of Bergen, Norway, granddaughters Alexandra Basili Gunther (Ben) and Johanne, and grandsons Benjamin and Filip.
At Marj’s request, no funeral or memorial service will be held.
And finally … in honor (or at least recognition) of yesterday’s visit from Great Barrington:
(Many “06880” readers contacted us yesterday, wondering about the smoky smell. We’re glad the town turns to us. But we rely on your support to keep us going. Please click here to help. Thanks!)
When the Board of Education meets tonight (Thursday, November 21, 7 p.m., Staples cafeteria), they’ll receive 2 reports.
One describes what happens in the classroom: standardized testing, college acceptances and more, for Staples High School’s Class of 2024.
The other tells what happens outside of school: the most recent youth survey of students in grades 7-12.
Let’s begin with the seniors, who graduated in June.
The 426 graduates are attending 176 different post-secondary institutions. The overwhelming majority — 93.1% — are in 4-year colleges.
Another 2.1% are in 2-year colleges. Just 0.5% are at post-grad, vocational or other higher education institutions.
1.7% of the Class of ’24 are taking a gap year. 0.9% entered the military. 1.6% went directly into the workforce, or are classified as “other.”
The Top 5 college in terms of attendance are Syracuse University (14 current Staples freshmen), the University of Connecticut (including regional campuses — 12); the University of Colorado (11), and Indiana University and Northeastern University (10 each).
The top 5 college in terms of applicants from last year’s seniors: UConn (152 applications), Indiana (85), Pennsylvania State University (81), the University of Colorado (76) and Elon University (64).
28% of students applied for local or community scholarships. 13% said they intended to play an intercollegiate sport. 7% said they applied to a visual or performing arts program.
40% of students submitted test scores to all colleges. 26% submitted some. 34% did not submit test scores to any college.
The 3 most important factors in the college search and selection process were academic programs, location, and activities/campus life, students said.
In terms of standardized testing, the composite mean ACT score was 29.3. The total mean SAT score was 1229.
Last spring, a total of 577 students (including non-seniors) took a total of 1,338 Advanced Placement exams. The mean score was 4.3.
So what happens outside beyond the school day?
Last February, Westport’s Departmentn of Human Services and Positive Directions sruveyed a random sample of students in grades 7-12. Among the findings:
Use of alcohol, cannabis and vaping has decreased since the 2021 survey. Other substance use (tobacco, misues of prescription drugs) remains minimal, at 1%.
Substance use rates are “particularly low at the middle schoo level, and remain low through 10th grade.”
The “large majority” of high school students do not report any substance use. According to the survey, 75% of Staples students do not drink; 91% do not use cannabis, and 92% do not vape.
Most Westport teenagers 16 and older do not drive under the influence of alcohol or cannabis, the report found. However, 8% report that they have ridden with a driver under the influence. And 12% have texted while driving.
Fewer than 10 Staples students reported using hallucinogens, meth, heroin, fentanyl, MOMA, cocaine, crack or inhalants.
Students with Individualized Education Programs use cannabis at three time the rate of students without IEPs, and vape at twice the non-IEP rate. In 12th grade, 53% of students with IEPs reported using cannabis.
Alcohol use among Westport seniors is 1.6 times the national rate (38% here, versus 24% nationally).
The report says the local rate “may reflect a common parenting misperception that youth should ‘learn’ to drink before college.”
In 2021, 60% of seniors said that they drank.
Though cigarette smoking in 12th grade is low (4%), it is double the 2% reported in 2021. 5% of students use nicotine pouches.
22% of 7th graders do not believe it is harmful to binge drink 5+ drinks once or twice a week.
15% of 7th gaders do not see vaping nicotine or marijuana as risky.
In 12th grade, 51% of students believe that using cannabis once or twice a week is not harmful.
The report also notes that fewer than 2/3 of teenagers say that their parents “takek steps to prevent youth from accessing or using substances at home.”
54% of youth who drink get their alcohol from an adult family member, with permission.
More than half of students who use alcohol or cannabis do so at their own home, or a friend’s home.
39% of youth who drink do so at home, with a parent or guardian present.
Finally, the report says, “gambling is emerging as a popular risky behavior.” 23% of students have gambled on fantasy or real sports, scratch tickets, online, or poker.
(“06880” regularly covers education, youth issues, and Westport life. If you appreciate our work, please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Sure, our fall weather has been more North Carolina than New England.
But a sure sign of winter is this: The Westport Police Athletic League skating rink at Longshore opens on Friday, November 29 (unless we have a really warm week).
For the 27th year (!), skaters of all ages will swarm to the very cool Sound-side rink, all winter long.
One view of the Longshore PAL skating rink …
But that’s not all.
This year, the rink will sparkle even brighter. Holiday lights are bringing extra cheer to the experience.
Their generous sponsor is Donny Macaluso. His Don’s TEL company specializes in tree services, excavation, landscaping — and holiday light installations.
… and another. (Photo/Teona Pipiya Johnson)
This is no random idea. Donny grew up playing PAL sports, and worked at the Longshore rink during his Staples High School years.
Now — as a coach for Staples lacrosse — he continues to give back to the community. The lights are just one more way.
(NOTE: For a free estimate of holiday light installation, call 203-644-6167.)
PAL also thanks Tony Lantier — rink manager and owner of Thin Ice Management — plus his great team. They keep the rink well maintained, and ready for large, enthusiastic crowds.
Longshore pavilion, ready to welcome another year of skaters. (Photo/John Videler for Videler Photography)
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