Tuesday’s “06880” was devoted to gratitude from our readers. You gave thanks for family, friends, health, the beauty and community of Westport, and the opportunity to live in the United States of America.
Today it’s my turn.
I am truly grateful for each and every reader. You make our community — online and off — one of the liveliest, most robust, most fulfilling and fun on earth.
We may not always agree. We may have different views on everything from trees to Trump.
But whatever we talk about — the downtown of yesterday, the homes of today, the Saugatuck of tomorrow — we do so with the common bond of community.
We are all Westporters, of some type. Something brought us here: to this town, and this corner of cyberspace. Both are places that mean something to us. Something keeps us tied to this town, and this site.
As we look around the planet — the only one we’ve got — we realize we’ve got it pretty damn good.
Thank you for being part of “06880.” Enjoy the day, wherever in town or the world you happen to be.
As the west side of the Saugatuck River is redeveloped — with new office building, and the recently opened Bankside House — and plans for a redesign of Parker Harding Plaza behind Main Street muddle along, I found this illustration from the 1960s.
I don’t know the artist, though it sure looks like Stevan Dohanos’ style.
It shows the Famous Artists School — of which he was a founding member — and the adjacent Famous Writers School.
Across the river are the backs of Main Street stores. Parker Harding — built on landfill a decade earlier — is barely visible.
To the left is the Victorian house that stood on Gorham Island. It has since been replaced by a large green and gold office building.
In the distance is Bedford Elementary School (now Town Hall) and the spire of Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.
What stands out to you? Click “Comments” below.
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50 Years Ago This Week:
A Westport News editorial urged the town of Westport to buy a 9.1-acre parcel at the corner of Greens Farms Road and the Sherwood Island Connector.
Among the reasons: “…by purchasing the property, Westport will then have ample time to change the zoning so as to accommodate a new and smaller corporate headquarters…”
It is unclear whether that land is now the town’s transfer station (with part of the property belonging to private Sherwood Farms Lane), or the parcel across the Connector that is the I-95 Exit 18 commuter park-and-ride lot.
The “smaller headquarters” refers to Westport’s first corporate headquarters: Stauffer Chemical (now Bridgewater Associates) at Nyala Farm, a few yards south on the Connector.
The transfer station and park-and-ride, on both sides of the Sherwood Island Connector.
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Today — Mothers Day — 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker mourns the loss of her mother, who died last week. Jen writes:
“Today we celebrated the life of Kathleen (Grandmom) Salmon.
“She was fiercely independent, but never wanted to be without the love of her life, Bob, who passed away 16 months ago.
“She was a trailblazer, balancing family and a full-time career when few were doing so.
“She retired at 70, having spent the previous 2 1/2 years in Qatar doing ground-breaking work for women in education.
“Mom loved and supported her daughters beyond words, ensuring they knew the world was their oyster and there was nothing they couldn’t accomplish.
“Grandmom was in awe of her 5 beautiful grandchildren, and loved them unconditionally. At the drop of a hat, she would arrive to run the household and spoil her grandkids.
“Kathy was a woman of deep faith. We know we have a guardian angel, who is singing “You are My Sunshine” for us every day. We miss her terribly, but feel so lucky she spent her last years here in Westport.”
Happy Mothers Day to all! Huge hugs.
From left: Jen Tooker, her mother Kathleen Salmon and sister Shawna Saussus.
Longtime “06880” reader Fred Cantor offers this tribute his mother — and all the others out there:
“My mom should perhaps be recognized as one of the first soccer moms. And I say that in a very positive way.
“About to turn 96, she is — and always has been — a big sports fan, despite growing up in an era when girls had far fewer opportunities to participate in sports.
“So when Marc started playing soccer at Staples, she and my dad (also a huge sports fan) came to watch virtually all of the games, and naturally brought me along. That sparked my interest in soccer and led me, as a 6th grader, to aspire to play Staples varsity soccer down the road.
“This happened at a time when very few parents watched those Staples soccer games on the Hill.
“My mom and dad were always very supportive of our athletic endeavors, but not in a way that pushed Marc and me in any particular direction. We both had the good fortune of playing soccer at the college level. My mom’s encouragement (and my dad’s) played a role in that.
“So as we celebrate Mothers Day (and also my mom’s 96th birthday), here’s a big thank you to her — and to all the soccer moms who have been supportive over the years.”
From left: Marc, Pearl and Fred Cantor. The “boys” are wearing their University of Massachusetts and Yale soccer hats, respectively.
Mothers Day, Part 2. Hunter Jones Hampton posted a 1948 Saturday Evening Post cover on Facebook:
He explained that the illustrator, noted Westporter Stevan Dohanos, sketched it using a US Camera magazine cover shot of Hunter’s mother, for his model.
The 2 sign painter models were also Westporters: Joshua Sidebottom and his son.
The Saturday Evening Post noted: “Dohanos is spending the winter in Connecticut, while luckier wights vacation in the palm-tree and bathing-beauty latitudes.”
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Friday night’s choral concert — filled with contemporary music selected by Staples High School students — ended on an emotional note.
The 22 graduating seniors honored director and mentor Luke Rosenberg with a special song: “Underneath the Stars.” Sophia Betit organized her classmates, and conducted the piece. She and James Dobin-Smith soloed — and also received the National Choral School Award for their contributions to the Staples music program.
Westport salutes Pride Month in June with a celebration on Jesup Green rally, a drag show at MoCA, the presentation of a scholarship, and the newest initiative: an oral history project.
Westport Pride — the town-wide LGBTQ+ and allies group — has partnered with the Westport Museum for History & Culture. The museum’s mission is to “make history whole,” including a focus on marginalized groups.
Area residents can book a time slot for a video interview at the Westport Museum. Officials hope for a diverse range of ages and experiences.
Interviews will be housed in the museum’s digital archive. Each one will be accompanied by a transcript.
For more information or to sign up, email cmenard@westporthistory.org.
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At last! Westport’s long wait for another nail salon will soon be over.
The oddly named Nail Factory is set to move into the vacant space next to CVS.
“Lux Freer” — Triple Threat Academy’s indie film shot last summer in Westport, directed by Staples High School graduate Cynthia Gibb, and featuring 20 Westporters in main roles and more as extras — will screen at the Ridgefield Independent Film Festival on Saturday (May 20). The “Provocative Shorts” program begins at 2:30 p.m. Click here for more information, and tickets.
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There’s a new addition to the Westport Community Gardens.
Lou Weinberg sends this photo of a killdeer nesting in a raised bed.
“The largest of the ringed plovers, it performs the broken-wing display to distract intruders away from nests and chicks,” he explains. “So far, so good!”
And finally … Fred Cantor wrote a great tribute to his mother (story above). BJ Thomas did it musically — and included, as Fred did, a mention of her support from the sports sidelines.
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog — today and every day. We’re a non-profit, so contributions are tax-deductible. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
It’s a tradition for “06880” to run Westport artist Stevan Dohanos’ Saturday Evening Post 2 famous Thanksgiving illustrations. Both used Westport models (including the former “gingerbread house” on Long Lots Road):
Today, we’re adding a third from Dohanos. (Though the turkey was probably for Christmas.)
This was not a cover. As the caption (“Here they come, Mom! And Jim won need the wishbone — they’ve got their Plymouth!”) suggests, it was an advertisement.
Still, it’s an evocative illustration. You can almost smell the turkey.
And the seats in the brand-new Plymouth. (Hat tip: Anthony Dohanos)
Meanwhile, Fire Marshal Terrence Dunn notes that many offices and businesses will soon have Christmas trees and holiday decorations. These can pose a serious safety risk.
Natural trees with a root ball attached pose a less significant fire hazard than a cut tree, which dries out faster. Artificial trees and decorations should be flame retardant or flame resistive. Decorations should not block exits.
Dunn says, “All lighting should be turned off, or better yet disconnected, when the area is unattended. This is especially important in residential occupancies when the occupants are asleep. Make sure the tree is not situated near open flames, and that it does obstruct any fire doors.”
Yesterday, “06880” reported on Ryan “Shoeless” Smith. The Bates College men’s cross country captain lost a shoe in the first mile of the 8K NCAA East Division Regional Championship. He still finished 11th — out of more than 200 runners — and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships.
That race was last weekend, at Michigan State University. Ryan kept his shoes on — fortunate, considering the snowy, 25-degree weather — and finished 59th out of 294 competitors. His 25:49.5 time over 8K was the best on his team.
He was not the only former Staples cross country runner there. Nick Taubenheim (SHS ’20) finished 146th for Claremont-Mudd Scripps (26:18.9), while Luke Lorenz (SHS ’19) took 179th for Middlebury College (26:29.9).
Ryan Smith
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Sure, it’s Thanksgiving. But pumpkins are still hanging around.
And — as Pam Kesselman points out, with today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo: “Someone was hungry.”
A new school year has begun. Middle school students have plenty of opportunities to learn and grow.
But shop class is not one of them.
For many years, Westport boys took wood shop, metal shop and mechanical drawing. Girls studied home economics (cooking and sewing).
Classes went coed in the 1970s. Ninth graders moved to Staples High School in 1983; middle schools replaced junior highs, and shop and home ec fell out of favor.
This Saturday Evening Post cover — drawn by Stevan Dohanos — is one reminder of those days.
The Westport artist used local boys — and Bedford Junior High (now Saugatuck Elementary School) — as models.
Connecticut’s Department of Transportation begins work next year on several local crosswalks — including the notorious “worst intersection in the state” (Routes 1 and 33, aka Post Road West, Riverside Avenue and Wilton Road).
The DOT will also work on:
Route 33 (Wilton Road) at Merritt Parkway Connector and Spring Hill Road
Route 57 (Weston Road) at Broad Street and Good Hill Road (Weston)
Route 33 (Saugatuck Avenue) at I-95 southbound ramps
Route 1 (Post Road East) at Playhouse Square Shopping Center
Route 1 (Post Road West) at Sylvan Road
Route 1 (Post Road East) at Turkey Hill Roads North and South
Sherwood Island Connector at Greens Farms Road and Post Road East.
The good news: Upgrades include countdown pedestrian indicators, accessible pedestrian push buttons, and “concurrent pedestrian phasing.”
The bad news: There are no actual traffic, sightline or other improvements.
The timetable: Design plans are expected to be completed in February, with advertising for construction in April.
Last week, when Y’s Men acting gardening chair Chuck Greenlee learned that a spotted lanternfly was spotted at the Westport Community Gardens, he did 2 things.
They quickly replied: “Thank you for your inquiry concerning spotted lanternfly. The insect you have photographed is indeed a SLF. Your town is already known to be infested. For tips on dealing with SLF, please click here. Should you find any more insects, please kill them immediately with any means at your disposal. Thank you again for your interest.”
Speaking of the environment: Tickets are on sale now for Earthplace’s famed Woodside Bash fundraiser. It’s October 1 (7 p.m.), under the stars and beside a firepit.
Though it’s adults-only, kids are welcome the following day (October 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), for the also-annual Fall Festival. Earthplace buzzes with a corn pool, obstacle course, climbing wall, food trucks and more. Click here for tickets.
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Last week’s story on Ed Capasse’s star turn as a Staples High School marching band member/Saturday Evening Post cover model cast a new light on Stevan Dohanos’ famous 1946 painting.
Ed Capasse is in the upper left.
It used to be sold at the Westport Historical Society. Now it’s available only online.
But — as former Westporter/longtime Oregonian/avid “06880” reader Robert Gerrity discovered — there are plenty of places to purchase it. Among them:
Speaking of posters: Yesterday’s music memories from Woodstock — the “lotta freaks!” festival that ended 53 years ago (!) today — brought an email from longtime Westporter Matt Murray.
Plus this photo:
Matt explains:
“This is an original. I worked for the guys who started and funded the concert (Joel Roseman and the late John Roberts). They were partners in the NYC recording studio, Mediasound.
“I was an assistant engineer and gopher (go for this, go for that). Another guy and I saw a stack of these in their office. We asked if we could have a few. Sure!
“Still have ’em, 47 years later.”
Matt adds: “For the studio’s Christmas party, leftover Woodstock tickets were used as bar chits. Being youthful, I used mine for drinks. The bartender tore them in half. A fellow worker thought better of that idea, and hung on to his tickets. Smart person.”
And the weekly Sunday morning Compo Beach service — sponsored by several local churches — welcomed back the Pivot Ministries.
Their special brand of song and testimony got the day off to a glorious start, for a large group of worshipers. Today’s service was hosted by the United Methodist Church. (Hat tip: Gloria Smithson)
Pivot Ministries, at Compo Beach this morning. (Photo/Karen Como)
Yesterday’s story about Ed Capasse, and his appearance as a Staples High School marching band trumpeter on a 1946 Saturday Evening Post cover drawn by Stevan Dohanos, drew several great comments.
It also drew a fascinating note from Dave Matlow.
The longtime Westport photographer says that once, in Capasse’s law office, they discussed a replica of the painting, which hung on the wall.
Capasse told Matlow that he did not actually play the trumpet. He was a clarinetist. But Dohanos thought a clarinet was too hard or time-consuming to draw — so Capasse ended up with the brass instrument.
Now, can anyone answer this question: How did Capasse play in the marching band and on the football team, simultaneously?
Ed Capasse, in the 1948 Staples High School yearbook.
The other 3 finalists — selected through a worldwide audition — earned $2,500 each.
Directed by noted Westport native Alexander Platt, the competition is in its 50th year. It includes master classes, lectures, and performances. The jury chair was internationally famed — and Westport resident Frederic Chiu.
A celebration of the Heida, featuring alumni finalists, is set for November 19 at MoCA Westport. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Alexander Platt (far left) with 2022 Heida Hermanns finalists (from left): Nathan Cheung, Katharine Bensen, Aaron Kurz and winner Artem Kuznetsov.
Meanwhile, when the competition was over, a young pianist — perhaps a future Heida Hermanns Competition winner — tried out MoCA’s magnificent Steinway.
“Friday’s knife attack on author Salmon Rushdie brought some thoughts to mind.
“One is that, while violence has become an unfortunate norm in our country, it seems so incomprehensible and despicable that physical violence is inflicted on a writer. The ‘fatwa’ or death decree issued by the Ayatollah Khomeini was in 1989 — long before the perpetrator was born. That books and cartoons and art should inflame self-appointed religious zealots to violence is beyond disturbing.
“I recall hearing Rushdie speak at Staples High School in 2015. It was memorable for the intense security surrounding the event. One passed through a checkpoint like at an airport. Purses were inspected. Backpacks were not allowed at all into the building, presumably to stop a makeshift bomb. Some parents objected, but in the end, it was great exercise in free speech and example to students.
“The Westport speech was riveting. Rushdie was well-spoken and erudite, and had a surprisingly sharp and witty sense of humor. He is a product of upper echelon British schools, and his language reflected that.
“In retrospect, I am thankful that so much security was in place in Westport. Sadly, protection must be provided, not only for politicians but for artists and writers who speak bravely.
For more on Rushdie’s Westport appearance, click here.
Yes, it’s capitalized. Food Rescue US is an app that actually makes you want to look at your phone.
The idea is spectacularly simple. Food services — grocery stores, restaurants, caterers, companies — register. When they have extra food — at the end of the day, after an event, whatever — they post it online.
Individuals register too. They check the app when it’s convenient. If they see someplace nearby, they agree to pick it up.
Then they deliver it to social service agencies — soup kitchens, shelters, veterans facilities, etc. — that have also registered with Food Rescue US.
Magnus reminds “06880” readers: “There are lots of people less fortunate, and also lots of food waste. Yesterday, Lavinia and I brought generous donations from Whole Foods (thanks, Siobhan!) to an agency in Bridgeport. They’ll distribute it in the community.”
Most of the Paul Newman news this year has been about “The Last Movie Stars”: the HBO 6-part series on the longtime Westport actor and his wife, Joanne Woodward.
This one is about his cars.
When he got into auto racing, Newman was as successful as with acting (and, later, philanthropy). He and Carl Haas formed a team with drivers like Mario and Michael Andretti. They racked up 108 Indycar wins,
In October, those cars — and other Newman/Haas items — will be auctioned off in 78 lots, by RM Sotheby’s. Click here for details.
During the 1960s and ’70s though — when hitchhiking around town was a thing — countless Westporters knew Paul Newman as the driver who would always pick them up.
His car back then was a Volvo or VW. “Hop in, son!” he’d say.
And off we went.
(Hat tip: Chris Grimm)
Pual Newman (left) with his friend, the late Westporter Michael Brockman.
Homes with Hope’s 15th annual Stand Up event — a comedy fundraiser for the multi-service housing and food provider — is set for Fairfield University’s Quick Center. It’s the first time live since COVID struck.
The headliner is Pat McGann. He’s a veteran of Madison Square Garden, David Letterman and Stephen Colbert.
Longtime Westport dentist Dr. Victor Oliver died earlier this year. He was 83.
He graduated from Providence College, then studied dentistry at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He served as a dentist in the Air Force in Albany, Georgia for two years.
Following his service, Victor and his wife Pauline settled in Westport. He opened a home dental office in 1968, and practiced there for 50 years.
Victor was an avid tennis player. He and Polly loved vacationing in Florida, and weekend trips to Nantucket. His family says, “He will be remembered for his gentle dental care and his dedication to his patients. He was a kind and generous man who always made time to help anyone in need. He was known for being a quiet reserved man — unless you were sitting in his dental chair, where he was the most talkative, trying to make you at ease.”
Victor is survived by his wife of 59 years Pauline; daughters Kimberly (Jim) Vallieres of West Hartford, and Robin (Sean) Ross of Holly Springs, North Carolina, and grandchildren Sean Heintz, Emma Heintz, Olivia Heintz and her fiancé Jonathan Davis, Audrey Ross and Jack Ross.
Donations in Victor’s name came be made to the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra, PO Box 370036, West Hartford, CT 06137, where for many years he enjoyed watching his daughter Kim play violin.
Dr. Victor Oliver
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Many “Westport … Naturally” photos show living things that fly, buzz, bite, crawl, bark, meow or do similar things.
Some show blooms and buds.
This one just sits there. It’s majestic — and often overlooked. But it’s an anchor of downtown, and as much a part of our natural world as any other creature or plant.
And finally … Bill Pitman died earlier this week, in California. He was 102.
You don’t know his name. But you know his music.
For decades, he was a session musician. As part of the Wrecking Crew — a “loosely organized corps of peerless Los Angeles freelancers who were in constant demand by record producers to back up headline performers … (an ensemble that )turned routine recording sessions and live performances into extraordinary musical moments” — he backed up the Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher, Monkees, Mamas and the Papas, Simon and Garfunkel, Ricky Nelson, Jan and Dean, Johnny Rivers, the Byrds, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, the Everly Brothers, Peggy Lee and “nearly every prominent performer of the era.”
Pitman’s work ranged from “Strangers in the Night” and “The Way We Were” to “Be My Baby,” “Good Vibrations” and “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.”
He also worked on TV and film scores, cartoon soundtracks — you name it.
Click here for Bill Pitman’s very intriguing obituary.
News of Ed Capasse’s death this week brought tributes from many quarters.
In his 91 years, the lifelong Westporter touched many lives. He was a Board of Finance chair, an active volunteer with the Westport Weston Family Y and Assumption Church, and a scrupulously fair, generous attorney.
He made his mark locally, for sure. But for one week in 1946, Ed’s face was seen in nearly every American home.
A few weeks earlier, Westport artist Stevan Dohanos invited 5 students from the 40-member Staples High School band to model for a Saturday Evening Post cover. He wanted to show a marching band.
The 5 musicians posed individually in Dohanos’ home studio. Each one earned $30 — $400, in today’s money — to sit still for a half hour, while pretending to play brass instruments.
What made the cover special was that every band member looked not straight ahead, at the director, but off to the side — where the football game was taking place. That action was reflected in the tuba.
Ed Capasse was on the top left, playing his trumpet.
The Saturday Evening Post — for which Dohanos drew 125 covers — was one of the most popular magazines in America. That October 19, 1946 issue, smack in the middle of football season, ended up in millions of homes.
Years later, Donahos donated the oil painting to what is now the Westport Schools Permanent Art Collections. For decades, it hung in the Staples band room. Then it moved to the principal’s office.
Former 1st Selectman Jim Marpe — a big Stevan Dohanos fan — commandeered it for his office. Later, it hung elsewhere in Town Hall.
Today it awaits a new location.
The work — called “The Band Played On” — gained new attention in 2001, when Staples Players staged “Music Man.” The poster showed 5 current actors, mimicking the painting.
Staples Players’ 2001 poster …
Fifteen years later, Players reprised the musical. Directors David Roth and Kerry Long redid the poster too.
… and the 2016 version.
Two years earlier, WestPAC had raised funds to restore the painting to its full brilliance. It was displayed proudly in the Staples auditorium, throughout the play’s run.
In 2016, theater-goers admired Stevan Dohanos’ painting in the Staples High School lobby.
For over three-quarters of a century, Dohanos’ work has been a part of Westport history.
Trumpet player Ed Capasse is gone now. But his — and Dohanos’ — band plays on.
Ed Capasse, in the 1948 Staples High School yearbook.
(Hat tip: Kathleen Motes Bennewitz)
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There was no better illustrator of Westport life than Stevan Dohanos.
And there’s no better time to look back at one of his many Saturday Evening Post works — one that showed our town off to a national audience — than today, a week before Christmas.
The piece is “Christmas in Westport.”
Using a mundane scene — postal carriers (“postmen,” we called them then) heading out to deliver cards and packages, in the snow — he showed both the hard work and joy of the holidays.
If the setting looks familiar: It is. From the 1930s through ’90s, the building that is now Design Within Reach served as our real (non-rinky-dink) post office. The loading dock was on the east side, facing Bay Street — where the patio is today south side, facing the building across the Post Road.
Dohanos — a longtime Westporter who designed not only magazine covers but postage stamps, World War II patriotic posters and more — used artistic license to move the Saugatuck Congregational Church across the street.
No problem. Our postmen knew exactly where to find it — and every other customer on their route.
Newcomers may have heard that Westport was once an “artists’ colony.”
Oldtimers remember the Famous Artists School on Wilton Road (just north of Bartaco — click here).
For a while, magazine ads and matchbook covers all over the world invited aspiring artists to learn from Famous Artists School masters.
They did not exactly “teach.” They lent their names to the enterprise. But they were quite an accomplished (and very male) bunch.
Anthony Dohanos sent along a great photo. His father — Stevan Dohanos, the famed Saturday Evening Post and US postage stamp illustrator — sits prominently on a rock at the front left, wearing plaid pants.
Norman Rockwell puffs his trademark pipe in the row behind, near the right.
Sitting in the front row on the right is Rod Serling. He was, I guess, part of the auxiliary Famous Writers’ School. (There was also a Famous Photographers’ School).
How many of these men (and 2 women) can you identify? Click “Comments” below — and add any memories you have of the years when the Famous Schools made Westport famous.
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