Living here every day, it’s easy to complain about what does not work.
There’s too much traffic! There’s nowhere to park! The town has changed!
That’s human nature.
But there is another side of human nature: gratitude.
The other day, Adam Schwartz read an “06880” story about the small cemetery on Kings Highway North. Today he reminds us — from many miles away — what’s good and right about Westport.
My family moved to Westport in 1963, when I was 6 years old. We purchased a brand-new ranch-style house off Newtown Turnpike, not far from the Country Store and Three Bears Inn.
We had a few famous neighbors. When I was 10 years old, I started delivering the Town Crier. One day my mother said I should try to get Bette Davis to subscribe. She lived on the corner of Newtown Turnpike and Crooked Mile Road.
The next day I rode my bike to her house. Three older boys stood nearby. They said she always kicked people off her property.
But Mrs. Davis was one of the nicest people I ever met. She asked me into her house. We sat down in her living room. She even offered me something to eat and drink. I gave her my Town Crier spiel. Two minutes later I was out the door with a check from Bette Davis and her autograph — I mean, signature — for a subscription.
There were some very generous customers during the holidays. Bette Davis was the top tipper, at $100. She was something else!
This Westport woman was a great tipper.
I attended Coleytown Elementary and Coleytown Junior High, then one year at Staples. In the spring of 1973 we packed up and moved to Tucson.
That was one of the worst days of my life. I was only 15, but I knew then how special Westport was. I couldn’t believe we were leaving.
After high school I did 2 years of college, then did 4 years in the Air Force (in microwave radio).
I was lucky. I traveled all over the world, and saw things I will never see again.
After 4 years I had had enough of traveling, so I decided to get out and try the “real world.” Again, I was very lucky. MCI made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. The Air Force offered me $25,000 to re-enlist. My salary with MCI was 4 times that — not bad in 1981.
My first job was in Southern California, and I’ve stayed here ever since. I got married in 1990, purchased a house and raised 2 amazing children.
I retired a few years ago. My wife and I enjoy traveling and visiting our children, in Sacramento and New York.
Shortly before moving from Westport in 1974, my family leased a house just north of this site on Wilton Road, for almost 2 years.
I can’t remember why, but we used to walk through the small cemetery that Dan recently wrote about on “06880,” maybe while walking to a friend’s house. It was the first and only cemetery I ever saw of this kind.
A few headstones, scattered around with no symmetry. I can’t remember exactly, but the dates we could still read at the time on the headstones were at least 1750s. And if my memory hasn’t completely failed, I think there were some 1600s scattered around. I haven’t thought of this cemetery in over 50 years, until I saw this.
Kings Highway cemetery (Photo/Josh Berkowsky)
With all that said, I was taken aback by the comment about “bad neighbors.” I haven’t lived in Westport in over 50 years. We moved in 1974 because we had to, not because we wanted to.
We stayed in touch with Westport the best we could all these years. First, by making sure our subscription to the Westport Town Crier was current.
And of course, since the internet has taken over our lives the past 30 years, thank G-d for “06880,” allowing us expats to keep abreast of the inner happenings of the town we grew up in and love so much.
If I could do it all over again, I not only would have lived in Westport the past 50 years, but I’d be living out my days there.
It boggles my mind to no end when I see comments like this, knowing what Westport is and what is has to offer. Anyone who makes a comment so negative about a town such as Westport with everything it has to offer, either doesn’t live there or has some real issues.
If this is truly how you feel, I highly suggest you move away for a few years and see how wrong you were to make such a naive comment. Go live somewhere else for a few years.
Just do me one huge favor. Let me know when you come crawling back to Westport. I want to witness you kissing the ground as you get off Exit 17.
Some people have absolutely no clue how good they have it!
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