Tag Archives: Rob Eichler

Roundup: Early Voting, Compo Dogs, Leaf Pickups …

Posted on October 22, 2024 | 13 comments

Early voting began yesterday, for the first time in a Connecticut presidential election.

A number of Westporters headed to Town Hall, to take part in history (and make their voices heard).

(Photo/Deborah Greenberg)

 Early voting runs through Sunday, November 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium. On October 29 and 31, the hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voting on Election Day (Tuesday, November 5), is from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., at regular polling places. Click here to view a district map. (Hat tip: Ifesheyi Gayle)

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I was not at Compo Beach last weekend.

But several residents emailed “06880,” noting that on 2 beautiful days, which should have brought out the best in everyone, there were “conflicts” involving dogs.

Or, more specifically, dog owners.

Apparently some off-leash dogs did not stay in the proper area (near the cannons). Apparently too, this was not the first time.

Linda Mezzullo has a solution. She writes: “Would it make more sense to designate the off-leash area as the stretch of beach beyond the playground and pavilion?

“It could start at the walkway from the Soundview parking lot across the street, and run along Soundview Drive to the jetty. That section tends to be less crowded. Dogs could still be walked along the entire beach, but the off-leash area would be limited to that stretch.”

Knowing Westporters, and their love for both the beach and their dogs, this suggestion might get readers yipping and/or growling. Click “Comments” below to share your thoughts. But please: Keep it civil!

Should the beach behind the seawall on Soundview Drive be the new “off-leash” area? (Photo/Cathy Malkin)

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Most leaves are still (beautifully) on trees.

But they won’t be for long.

Curbside leaf collection begins November 4. The Department of Public Works says that all leaves must be placed in biodegradable paper bags safely near the curb of a town street by December 2.

Residents living on private streets must place their leaves behind the curb of an intersecting town roadway. Leaves placed in plastic bags will not be picked up, as plastic contaminates the composting process.

There is no need to call and schedule a pick-up. Crews will complete pick-ups as schedules allow. For further information, call 203-341-1120.

This is the way to bag your leaves. (Photo/Scott Smith)

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As planning continues for a new Long Lots Elementary School, the Building Committee has scheduled 2 special meetings.

Tonight (Tuesday, October 22, 7 p.m., Long Lots auditorium), they’ll meet with neighbors to “answer questions and listen to comments, suggestions and concerns that the neighborhood may have regarding the new Long Lots School Project.’

This Thursday (October 24, 2:30 p.m., Town Hall Room 201/201A), they’ll meet with members of the Westport Community Gardens to hear input regarding “the relocated, rebuilt community garden.”

Immediately following the session, at 4:15 p.m., 1st Selectwomen Jen Tooker has invited Community Gardens members to a walk-through of the Baron’s South property on Compo Road South, a proposed site for the new gardens.

Baron’s South is a possibility for a new Westport Community Gardens. (Photo/Morley Boyd)

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Would you like “7 ways to support your student’s studying and executive functions without losing your mind?”

That’s the provocative title of a free Westport Together webinar, set for this Thursday (October 24, 7 p.m.).

Topics include:

  • What are the study skills all students need to be successful in school?
  • How can your child eliminate distractions when they study?
  • How your child can avoid feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious?

Click here to register. Questions? Call 203-307-5455.

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A celebration of the life of Lis Comm — the longtime Staples High School English teacher and town-wide director of language arts, who died in August — will be held November 14 (3 p.m., Westport Woman’s Club).

Her husband and fellow Staples educator, Frank Corbo, invites Lis’ many former colleagues, students and parents to the ceremony.

Lis Comm

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Last month, “06880” chronicled the story of Rob Eichler. The 1971 Staples High School graduate is battling ALS (and using a communication devise that traces its origins to his father, an engineer).

After the story ran, over 40 readers donated more than $4,000 to ALS research, in Rob’s name.

Earlier this month, there was an ALS walk in New Hampshire, where Rob now lives. Click here for a video. It offers a look into the cause “06880” readers supported.

And into the grace, humor and courage with which Rob Eichler continues to live his very fulfilling life.

Rob Eichler, ready for the ALS walk.

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Westport’s latest teardown: the longtime Evergreen Parkway home of Judith Marks-White.

(Photo/Mark Mathias)

The noted newspaper columnist and writing teacher died in June.

Oh, the stories that house — and she — could tell.

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Jewish and African American musicians merge their roots and melodies in “The Afro-Semitic Experience.”

On November 10 (2 p.m., Westport Library), they offer a concert that “puts the ‘unity’ in ‘community.'” The event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County and Jazz Society of Fairfield Count.

The Afro-Semitic Experience is “a whoopin’, hollerin’, testifyin’ celebration of multicultural soul music. Imagine Charles Mingus sitting in with a Klezmer band, playing gospel music set to the polyrhythmic pace of congas and bongos.”

Their “powerful and poetic musical experience … celebrates diversity, promotes social justice, and inspires hope and joy. Their music embodies the radical notion that people of different faiths, races, and beliefs can come together through music to celebrate and build community.”

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Speaking of music: Drums take center stage this Thursday, at the weekly Jazz at the Post series.

Sylvia Cuenca is a hard-swinging post-bop/hard bop drummer, best known for her long associations with trumpeter Clark Terry and saxophonist Joe Henderson.

She has played at VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 before.

This time, she’s joined by Rico Jones (sas), Manuel Valera (piano) and Essiet Okun Essiet (bass).

Show times are 7:30 and 8:45 p.m. Dinner service begins at 7. Tickets are $20 for the music, $15 for veterans and students. Click here to reserve.

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Tony Ventrella died Saturday, after a battle with cancer. He was 80.

Described by the Seattle Times as “a fixture of the Seattle sports media landscape, known for his endearing optimism and friendliness, and a quirky sense of humor that brought the combo of information and entertainment to his broadcasts” — as a sports anchor on 4 TV stations, he got his start at WDJF, an FM station in Westport. 

Click here for a full obituary. (Hat tip: Jim Simpkins)

Tony Ventrella

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Lou Weinberg is one of our town’s best nature photographers.

His “Westport … Naturally” image today is even more spectacular than most.

Lou explains: “This beauty is hard to photograph. It does not stay in one place for long.

“Black swallowtails love nectar-rich flowers such as zinnias (pictured above), milkweed, Joe-Pye weed, butterfly bush, phlox and ironweed. All grow in the Westport Community Gardens, where this photo was taken.

“Host plants for the larvae include carrot tops, parsley, dill, fennel, turnips and Queen Anne’s lace.

“They overwinter in a chrysalis and emerge around April. Green open space is critical to their survival.”

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And finally … following up on the Compo Beach leash/off-leash story above:

(Election Day is November 5. Early voting has already begun, as noted in this Roundup. But any day is a good one to contribute to “06880.” Please click here to “register” your support. Thank you!)

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Posted in Beach, Education, Entertainment, Environment, Local politics, Politics, Real estate

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Rob Eichler: ALS Story Comes Full Circle

Posted on September 3, 2024 | 2 comments

Rob Eichler — a 1971 Staples High School graduate, who was involved in Players, the music program and more — now lives in Peterborough, New Hampshire, with his wife Martha. His sister Lissie lives nearby; so does John Zurich, a longtime Westport friend.

Rob Eichler, in the Staples 1971 yearbook.

A year ago, Rob was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). It has progressed rapidly.

John suggested an article on ALS research. There’s a hook: a story Martha wrote about Rob’s dad, Jack Eichler — a longtime Westport resident. 

Here it is. It shines an important light on the disease, and on its impact on several former Westporters.

Martha wrote:

Jack Eichler, Rob’s dad, was a quiet, kind, methodical man whose pocket protector and slide rule were ever-present in his shirt pocket.

He was an Eagle Scout as a teen, then later a Boy Scout leader and beekeeper.

Jack was also a pilot in World War II, carrying parachute troops, towing gliders, and transporting soldiers between the US, Central America and Africa, with 182 ocean crossings.

Later he flew recreationally with a flying club out of Bridgeport, and taught flying and instrument flight aviation.

He became a mechanical engineer, and invented a machine to insert fruit filling into strudel at Pepperidge Farm. Another invention was circular windshield wipers for airplanes.

Like Rob, Jack was a man of many talents. Until Rob was diagnosed with ALS, I had completely forgotten about another of Jack’s significant accomplishments.

One of Jack’s best friends, nuclear physicist Hugh Neale, suffered from ALS. Though Hugh became paralyzed, he could still use his eyes to communicate because eyes are not incapacitated by ALS.

With Hugh, Jack designed a device called the ETRAN Communicator: a rectangular plexiglass window, with a smaller rectangular hole cut out of the middle.

Clusters of letters and numbers were embedded at certain spots around the perimeter of the ETRAN window. Hugh could communicate by indicating certain letters or numbers with a glance of the eyes.

With Hugh on one side of the ETRAN and an observer on the other side, the observer could register which letters Hugh’s eyes selected, and string the letters together into words and sentences.

Using the ETRAN Communicator.

Jack donated the ETRAN Communicator to humanity. He never expected or received any remuneration.

Rob recalls Jack telling him that he called this device “ETRAN” because those ar 5 of the 8 most-used letters in the English language.

In 1982, the ETRAN Communicator was underwritten by the Fran and Warren Rupp Foundation for production and distribution. Jack and Warren Rupp were fraternity brothers at Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western Reserve University).

More than 1,000 requests for the device from all 50 states were fulfilled that year. Additional orders came from Australia, Canada, England, and non-English speaking countries.

One ETRAN board was issued to British mathematician and nuclear physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking.

A monumental shift for patients and their families occurred, enabling communication for formerly silent individuals.

Jack Eichler, with his invention.

This sea change was noted in an article published by the Dorr-Oliver Corporation, the company founded in Westport where Jack worked as a senior design engineer in the early 1980s.

It noted: “Even small children afflicted by cerebral palsy can use ETRAN II, with symbols instead of letters. Jack’s file is 5 to 6 inches thick, with letters of thanks from parents and relatives so grateful for the chance to communicate with paralyzed loved ones.”

Although more advanced, high-tech options are available now to help non-verbal individuals communicate, ETRAN is still used today.

During an appointment, Rob’s communications augmentation specialist pulled out an ETRAN to confirm its present use.

But at the time of Jack and Hugh’s collaboration, the ETRAN Communicator was a brand new and indispensable tool. It was a selfless and generous contribution to humanity, designed to improve the quality of life for those with ALS and other debilitating, speech-robbing diseases.

We have two ETRAN Communicators in our basement. One is the original prototype board that Jack created to communicate with Hugh Neale. The other was produced by the Fran and Warren Rupp Foundation for public use.

Perhaps one of these will come into use for Rob someday.

How strange a coincidence that Jack would invent a device for those suffering from ALS, never knowing that his son would someday be afflicted with this diagnosis.

But also, how poignant it is that Jack made such an effort to help a friend, and in so doing, improved the lives of countless others also suffering with severe physical limitations.

Clearly, the spirit of helping is a quality that Jack passed down to Rob.

Anyone who knows Rob knows he goes above and beyond to help others, always with kindness, concern and love for humanity. For both father and son, I am eternally grateful.

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Westporters — and everyone else — can help raise funds for ALS research, in Rob’s name.

There is a walk October 5 in New Hampshire. Contributins are welcome, even if you can’t be there. Click here to donate.

Rob writes:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe.

I was diagnosed with ALS in August of 2023.

Rob Eichler

But I first learned about it when I was 13. My dad had a colleague with the disease. I visited a few times with my dad. I was somewhat daunted by the hospital bed in the dining room, the immobile father surround by his wife and several sons around my age.

Years later a college professor of mine was afflicted, forcing his early retirement.

In 2012 a work colleague of mine had a brother with ALS. I volunteered to join an ALS 50-mile bike ride to raise money for research and direct patient care support.

I read somewhere that medical students, when they come across ALS, say, “boy, this is the one you don’t want.”  I thought about ALS occasionally, and felt the same way.

Now that I have ALS, I’m discovering it is much more prevalent than I had thought: about one in 300 men, one in 450 women. Many people I meet acknowledge they had a parent, a cousin, an in-law who struggles with ALS or who has succumbed to it.

Now, in addition to raising funds for research, direct patient care support, and advocacy through the ALS Association, I am volunteering to participate in a clinical trial, and several studies to determine bio-markers for ALS.

Thank you for helping me reach my Walk to Defeat ALS fundraising goal. The Walk to Defeat ALS raises funds to support those affected by ALS and to spread awareness of the urgency to find treatments and a cure.

The life expectancy of a person with ALS averages 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis. ALS can strike anyone, and presently there is no known cause or cure.

I’m walking to change the statistics. To bring help and hope to those living with the disease. To ensure that no one ever hears the words: “You Have ALS” again.

The past 2 years have brought incredible advancements in ALS research, expanded access to care for people living with ALS, and enabled legislation that impacts the quality of life of people with ALS and their families.

But we can’t stop now. The key to a cure begins with you.

Please consider walking with me or sponsoring me (click here). With your help, we will be able to make a difference in the lives of people affected by this disease.

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Posted in Staples HS

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