r Property of the Watertown Historical Society_ i Times 1.139 CR-SRT** WS C008 watertownhistoricalsociety.orgCURRENT rtKSIDENT N 3O 27 DEKtRfrSI ST I nes N HT 86795-21 PAT nes Tow LU nes £ Tow < nes Uin R Vol. 54 No. 27 July 2,1998 52 Pages Two Sections PUBLISHED BY PRIME PUBLISHERS, INC. Price 75 cents Tow RU nes Serving Watertown and Oakville Since 1947 Town Times Griffin School tree brings back memories Generations of children attending Griffin Elementary School (for- merly South School) on Davis Street have played lag orkick ball under the large tree near the sidewalk in front of the school. Waterbury resident Mary (Stanco) Gugliotti, 86, attended South School and remembers being chosen to throw a shovelful of earth around the small sapling when it was first planted on Arbor Day during her fourth grade year. South School was just 3-years-old when Mrs. Gugliotti was born in 1912, and the facility will celebrate its 90th birthday next year. She has clear memories of her school days that were cut short when, in the beginning of eighth grade, she left to work in local factories to support her family, which included 11 siblings. Mrs. Gugliotti's teacher at South School was Miss Casey, she recalled, and all teachers in those days were single women who left their teaching careers when they married. The teachers used to walk their students part- way home and gave them extra help on their studies during recess. Subjects taught were science, geography, reading, history, literature, English, sewing and cooking. The original South School consisted of the portion of the building closest to Main Street; the central portion and (Continued on page 6) REFRESHMENT TIME: This group of festival goers took a break for some liquid enjoyment Sunday afternoon at the annual Feast of La Madonna Delia Libera at the Cercemaggiore Community Club in Oakville. On a weekend close to July 2, the Cercemaggiore community celebrates the patron saint of the small Italian town in Benevento, Italy, where legend has it the saint appeared before a farmer there many years ago. The three-dayfeast is marked by ethnic foods, music, gameftand a special Sunday morning Mass in the club chapel. — Times Photo, Valuckas Town continues fight against blight by Susan Faber The overall cleanup effort was with old stovesjunk cars and metal Town officials and residents met spearheaded by Joanna Abraham drums. A compost heap near the Monday to begin an organized at- and her Mango Circle neighbors garden is mixed with human excre- tempt to deal with a blight-ridden who have been plagued for the past ment, neighbors said. Oakville residence and revise ex- several years by an unsightly prop- isting anti-blight ordinances. erty owned by Chip and Marge (Continued on page 6) The evening meeting held at the Conlcy. Following residents' re- Town Hall Annex was attended by cent complaints and media pub- New scheduling department heads, enforcement licly, cleanup activities were under- authorities, members of the Town taken by the Conley's insurance plan sparks Council Ordinance Subcommittee, adjusters. the town manager, and residents Debris was removed from the heated debate troubled by blight in their neigh- property, which was overgrown by Susan Faber borhoods. with high grass and weeds, littered A presentation on proposed block scheduling at Watertown High School turned into a testy State, local officials respond debate among Board of Education members and Superintendent of to school violence issues Schools Dinoo Dastur at Monday's special school board meeting. by Susan Faber all of us as parents, educators and The board separated into quar- The effort to curb the nation- leaders, and as a society," Gov. reling factions with some members wide violence in schools has Rowland wrote. "I hope we can showing impatience with Dr. Das- brought about responses from offi- recognize from these episodes that tur, who pushed hard for immedi- cials including Connecticut Gov. we all have a responsibility to be ate approval of the new scheduling John G. Rowland, who drafted a more sensitive to the needs and Juncl2mcmo to local school boards behaviors of our youth. We need to (Continued on page 10) and superintendents spelling out his talk about how teenagers could stance on youth violence and school bring themselves to perform such Former Oakville resident Mary (Stanco) Gugliotti, 86, stood benealh the safety. heinous acts and what might have oak tree she helped plant as a child in front of Griffin School on Davis "With the recent tragic events been done to prevent them from '98 Grad Special Street. Although the tree is not in the best of shape, there are no immediate involving students shooting stu- happening." plans to lake it down, said Superintendent of Schools Dinoo Dastur. — dents at school, I feel it is important Three youth-related incidents Section II to comment on what this means to Times Photo, Faber (Continued on page 9) 2 — Town TimesProperty, July 2,1998 of the Watertown Historical Society watertownhistoricalsociety.orgHave A Safe »^WatertownVX "»liJ«vA OPEN SATURDAY, JULY 4* 8-11 Meat Center BARBEQUE SPECIALS srvice . BONELESS r C««ds • Food Snaps MovrM.jo. C«idiTC««Js ™ HEMINWAY CENTER SIRLOIN $ 485 Main Street, Watertown, Ct. • 274-2714 PRICES EFFECTIVE JULY 1 -JULY 7 STEAK 2.4 WED THURS FRI SAT SUNMON TUES 8:00 am to 8:00 am to PORTERHOUSE or „ 6:00 pm 7:00 pm 7:00 pm 2:00 pm 6:00 pm 6:00 pin m $ OUR VERY OWN STORE-MADE PATTIES T-BONE STEAK. 3.99.., Our 1/4 Ib. HAMBURGER PATTIES are made with only the finest quality I 100% fresh ground beef. Our 1/4 Ib. 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P6* ml • Baby California DelMonte EXTRA LARGE SPARE RIBS CANTALOUPE •1.87 CLASSIC SALAD MIX t(6. €*?$-99 Grade A • Split • All Natural Idaho Russet CHICKEN BREAST POTATOES— Grade A Yellow or Green $ •9A SQUASH •# 9ib DRUMSTICKS, $ Hot House LEGS OR THIGHS_ .67 TOMATOES Property of the Watertown Historical SocietyTown Times, July 2,199 8 — 3 Friendlywatertownhistoricalsociety.org Neighbors Index Name: Nicole Salomone Residence: Walertown Births page 14 St. John School Occupation: Student Cable 5 Shows 24 Nicole originally is from Water- class awards Calendar 26 page 7 buiy, but moved to Watertown Classifieds 27-31 many years ago with her family. A Crossword Puzzle 18 Reception held for 19% graduate of Holy Cross High In The Military 25 School, she is entering her junior remarkable students Legal Notices 27 page 8 year at Central Connecticut State Letters 4-5 University in New Britain, where Musical Notes 15 4th quarter Honor Roll she is studying international busi- Obituaries 12-13 ness. The area of study has"opened at St. Mary Magdalen Op/Perspectives 4 page 16 a lot of doors for me," she said, and Perfect Date 29 she is now contemplating possibly Police Blotter. 26 Legion team off to going to law school as well. Nicole Real Estate 24-25 did much volunteer work at Holy good start Religious 13-14 Cross, and is in the honors program page 19 Restaurants 23 at CCSU, where she also works Safety Logs 25 part time in the admissions office. Holiday parties for Scholastics 4 She is involved in a non-denomina- ConTacts' singles tional "student organization at the Sports 19-22 page 23 university. Nicole enjoys hiking and music, plays the piano and dabbles •HE. in tennis, and hopes to do more traveling in the future. "I love going to school, but Outdoor Portraits there's always this great feeling when I come home, like I'm going back," Nicole said. "I know when- ever I come home on the highway, I get this really good feeling." Excessive sun exposure and risk by Bill Hosking will be presented of contracting Lyme disease rise Saturday, July 11, at 10:30 a.m. at New parks significantly during the summer HoskingNursery, 114 Porter Street.