Tourtellotte Memorial High School Alumni Association Newsletter
hilltopper
Tourtellotte Memorial High School Alumni Association Newsletter
Volume 4, Issue 6 Remembering 9/11 - Ten Years September, 2011 Hurricane Irene Delays 2012 WWII RAF Officer
TMHS School Year Andrew
Left: One of the trees Mamedoff that fell during Hurricane FIRST AMERICAN RAF Irene. Thompson saw FLIGHT LEADER
sustained winds of more Left: Royal Air Force pilot than 50 MPH with gusts Andrew Mamedoff circa 1940. over 75 MPH. This tree At the risk of heavy fines, is located in the front of imprisonment, and his U.S. the 1909 building. There citizenship, Mamedoff joined was no significant the RAF to fight the Nazis. damage to any school Photo compliments of Alex buildings. (TMHSAA Kershaw’s The Few. photo)
BY: Joseph Lindley „74 The last week of August 2011 will be Over the past several years, the Hilltopper has remembered by many as the only school year in featured many stories about the brave men and women Thompson history that started with a one week from Tourtellotte Memorial who fought in WWII. The extended vacation. Hurricane Irene devastated many reason for this is twofold. First, as a former U.S. Army communities as she made her way slowly up the east officer, WWII has always been a fascinating subject for coast. There were, according to many Connecticut me. I am always amazed at how every part of our country news agencies, as many as 600,000 people in came together for a common cause. Second, we are Connecticut left without power. Some of the outages losing our WWII veterans, including those who were once lasted more than a week. Tigers, at an exponential rate. A major goal of the According to Bill Birch, Thompson Public TMHSAA and the Hilltopper staff is to capture as many of Schools Maintenance Director, the schools, to include their stories as possible. the 1909 Tourtellotte building, sustained very little Years ago former TMHS alumni and Thompson damage. School did not however, open as scheduled citizens captured the names of the 161 Tigers who fought due to the number of closed town roads and Thompson for American forces during WWII. In recent discussions residents without power. with Joe Iamartino, Thompson Historical Society (THS) According to Birch school maintenance crews President, and Ron Tillen, THS WWII aviator researcher, had to deal with downed trees and a few water leaks. A the TMHSAA found that the actual number of those who quick check of the TMHSAA alumni office made by continued on page 2 fought against the Japanese and Nazis was actually 162. To further complicate the story there is legitimate reason nd I N S I D E T H I S I SSUE for the error. The 162 TMHS Tiger did not fight for the Americans – he fought for the British. That former Tiger Page 1 – Hurricane Irene was Andrew Mamedoff. Page 1 – Andrew Mamedoff Mamedoff, the son of a White Russian, was forced to flee Russia in the 1920‟s with his family during the Page 3 – Oakley Raglund Continued Russian Revolution. His uncle, Count Anastase Page 4 – Gen. Tourtellotte – Battle of Vonsiatsky met and married the daughter of Norman Allatoona Pass Reams, one of America‟s, and Thompson‟s, wealthiest men. (Note: The Ream‟s estate once sat on the grounds of Page 5 - More from Luva (Mead) Hoar ‘38 Marianapolis Preparatory School and was one of the finest Page 6 – Silver Donors Identified estates in the country). Vonsiatsky quickly became the Page 7 – Remembering 9/11 center of controversy in Thompson because of his support of the Nazis and Adolph Hitler. He, and many other White Page 8 – Class of 1961 continued on page 2
Hilltopper 1 continued from page 1 Mamedoff Cont. MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Russians, hoped Hitler would invade Russia and replace the communist regime with the aristocracy that Initial membership due at time of application, yearly renewals due January 1st of each year once ruled Russia. His views eventually earned him a visit by the FBI and later a short incarceration. Regular Membership………. $15.00 After settling in Thompson with his new wife, Senior Citizens (65 and older)………. $5.00 Vonsiatsky invited his sister, her husband Lev Graduating Class………. Free Mamedoff, and their 13-year-old son Andrew to America where they would eventually settle and establish the
Russian Bear restaurant located on what is now Connecticut Route 21 (Old County Road). WE WANT YOUR OLD PICTURES We do not have much information about AND STORIES! Andrew‟s time at TMHS, but according to Joe Iamartino Mamedoff “liked fast cars and was quite a daredevil. He We are looking for pictures and stories from also had a pension for getting into trouble and was your time at TMHS. They can be about anything expelled from TMHS several times.” Tourtellotte and can include athletics, classmates, According to Alex Kershaw‟s book The Few, plays, special events, etc. Each month we would like to Mamedoff, after leaving Tourtellotte became a pilot and feature pictures from the past. Send them to: settled in California where he applied his craft with [email protected] or mail them to Tourtellotte extreme skill. He and other American pilots, in spite of Memorial High School Alumni Office, PO Box 437, America‟s neutrality laws, were anxious to fight against North Grosvenordale, CT 06255. We‟ll scan them and the Nazis. In 1940, more than a year before America send them back.
entered the war he was recruited by a mercenary recruiter and eventually made his way to England where he trained as a RAF fighter pilot. His training ended just Irene (Continued from Page 1) as the Battle of Britain (10 July to 31 October 1940) began. It was Britain‟s last line of defense. alumni staff showed all records, archived items, and Mamedoff and other American pilots quickly computers in good order. proved their salt and were assigned to fight side-by-side School finally opened on September 6, 2011, with Britain‟s best. They sought excitement and quickly for Class of 2015 with a full day of orientation activities found it in Britain‟s fight for its life. Many historians which included a “Tradition” presentation provided by suggest that the Battle of Britain was the war‟s most the TMHSAA. The presentation included a history of critical point. The RAF, with no fighter reserves, held the the Tourtellotte‟s, the school, and several significant line against the very powerful and sizable Nazi TMHS figures. The Class of 2015 was challenged by Luftwaffe. Had they lost the battle an invasion of the TMHSAA “to continue the tradition of success England was inevitable. established by Dr. and Mrs. Tourtellotte and former Mamedoff‟s exploits during the Battle of Britain TMHS graduates.” earned him the distinction of becoming Britain‟s first With regards to Hurricane Irene and the 1909 American RAF Flight Leader. His dare-devil spirit, once Tourtellotte building, one TMHSAA member remarked, displayed on the streets of Thompson, Connecticut and “If the ‟38 Long Island Express couldn‟t take her down, in the halls of Tourtellotte, had served him well as a Irene had no shot.” We suspect that the Tourtellotte‟s fighter pilot. He became one of the RAF‟s very best. gift to Thompson will weather a few more storms. The details of Mamedoff‟s WWII adventure is detailed in Kershaw‟s The Few. It is a book I highly recommend. When America hesitated, a few very brave Americans, including one from Tourtellotte, marched off to war and held the line. At the end of the battle, Winston Churchill remarked, “Never was so much owed by so many to so few.” RAF Pilot Officer Andrew Mamedoff, 609 Squadron, once a Tourtellotte Tiger, was killed on October 8, 1941, during a crash in bad weather. According to Kershaw, “He is buried in Brookwood Military in Woking, England, in a special plot reserved for American volunteers in the RAF.” The TMHSAA will add Mamedoff‟s name to the Tourtellotte WWII Role of Honor located in the main foyer of the 1909 building. He will be name number 162. If you have any further information of Andrew Mamedoff or any other WWII warrior, please contact us at [email protected] or call Joe Lindley @ 860- 928-5527. Above: 1939 TMHS Washington class trip. Photo compliments of Charlie Seney ’39.
Hilltopper 2 Oakley Raglund ’40 - A Swedish Hero
Visit the TMHS Website at: During WWII (Continued)
SWEDISH AUTHOR SEEKING INFORMATION www.thompsonpublicschools.org The TMHSAA was recently contacted by Anette NOT 5 things you may know Samas of Malmo, Sweden. Anette is writing a book about an about TMHS
American flown B-17 that
1. According to Annals of American Families, Dr. crashed in the Malmo area in Tourtellotte was a teacher in Ohio before attending October, 1944. Among the flyers med school in New York City. who died was our own Oakley
2. According to Kershaw‟s The Few, Andrew Raglund ‟40. Oakley was part of Mamedoff‟s journey to the R.A.F. started in a crew flying a secret mission out of Sweden when his
France. He arrived as the Nazis defeated French plane was shot down. The citizens of Malmo, Sweden
forces and occupied Paris. have erected a monument commemorating the
3. After the Civil War, Dr. Tourtellotte was stationed deceased flyers and the price they paid for their
Valparaiso, Chile for three years while freedom. in aboard the
Anette is also in contact with Joe Iamartino “USS Nyack.”
and Ron Tillen of the Thompson Historical Society.
4. It wasn‟t until after WWII that students at TMHS
Ron has put together an outstanding presentation on
used ball point pens on a regular basis. When first
Thompson WWII aviators that comes highly
introduced in the U.S. Gimbels Department Store
recommended.
of NYC sold 10,000 on one day in October 1945 at
If anyone has any further information or first-
$12.50 each!
th hand knowledge about Oakley please Email Anette at:
5. On the 10 dedication anniversary of TMHS, the
[email protected] - or mail her at:
U.S. Army conducted the first motorized
Anette Sarnas
transcontinental expedition. They drove from
Midgardsgatan 3
Washington D.C. to San Francisco, CA.
SE-216 19 Malmo
Sweden
JOIN THE TEAM! WE ARE LOOKING FOR
For further information about Oakley, see the
Webmaster
December, 2008 edition of the Hilltopper.
Art and history researchers
This will not be the first book that includes
Part time Memorial Room curators
Thompson WWII flyers. Another highly recommended
History and art enthusiasts book is The Few by Alex Kershaw. Among the many
Newsletter writers and editors colorful characters described in the book is
Tourtellotte‟s own Andrew “The Mad Russian”
Mamedoff (See page 1).
NOTES:
1. We are compiling a list of Tigers who served
during the Afghan and Iraq war. We would like to
capture their stories for posterity. If you or a loved
one served please send the story to
2. Correction: Last month‟s story on Jack Hoar listed
his graduation date as ‟35. Jack actually
graduated in 1936. 3. We were unable to determine Andrew Mamedoff‟s class. It is reported that he was expelled and left TMHS early to pursue a career in flying. If you have any information on Andrew please contact us at [email protected]. 4. We would like to feature a column called “Who was our first?” Articles will feature the first from TMHS to have accomplished something unique. In Above: A memorial celebration held at the Flygmonumentet a past Hilltopper we feature Francis Sherriff who vid Anten by the Swedish people on 20 October 2009. They was our first West Point graduate. Do you know of gathered to remember the B-17 bomber crew who paid the any other firsts? Stories can include topics such as ultimate sacrifice. The propeller is reported to be a cast of an our first doctor, teacher, college graduate, pro original off Oakley’s B-17. Photo compliments of Jonna Freidlitz and Katarina Knutsson. This photo and others can athlete, car owner, etc. If you have a “first” story be found at: send it to [email protected] http://www.langared.se/reportage/091020/091020.htm
Hilltopper 3 1995 TMHS Girls’ Track Team Set State Record Lt. Colonel Tourtellotte wrote the following order praising his men‟s actions.
Special Order No. 11. The Lieutenant Colonel commanding desires to express his thanks to the individual officers and men of his command for the promptness and earnestness with which they laid aside feelings of selfishness and devoted themselves to the public service, October 5, 1864, at this place. Among the ancients you would be termed gods; with us, living or dead, will be heroes. Deport yourselves thus and you will ever be successful. I am proud to be in command of such troops; you may be proud of yourselves. Your services in the campaign have been important. Commanding officers will communicate this order to their respective commands in such way as they may deem most convenient.
Above: The 1995 TMHS Class S state-record-setting By order of JOHN E. TOURTELLOTTE, champions in the 4 X 400M. The time they set – 4:06:76. Top Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding Post. row L-R: Erin Rafferty, Jennifer Blumie, Angela Girardin and Melissa Marcucci. Bottom row L-R: Alternates, Jamie The night after the battle, Sergeant Major Flint, of Jezierski, Tiffany Lafontaine. Photo compliments of Paul Dery ’70. the 7th Illinois, wrote a poem, which was published in the history of that regiment, and is deemed worthy of a John E. Tourtellotte Mentioned in place here, as follows:
General Sherman Letter Winds that sweep the Southern mountain BATTLE OF ALATOONA, GA And the leafy river's shore! Bear ye not a prouder burden We found the following letter while Than ye ever learned before? researching the Tourtellotte family. It speaks to the And the hot blood fills professionalism and heroism of General (then The heart until it thrills, Colonel) Tourtellotte for his “determined and gallant At the story of the terror and the glory of the battle Of the Allatoona hills. defense.” The Battle of Alatoona Pass was fought on October 5, 1864. More than 5,000 soldiers fought and Echoes from the purple mountains both sides suffered more than 1,500 total casualties. To the dull surrounding shore-- 'Tis as sad and proud a burden General Sherman issued the following order As ye ever learned before! shortly after the battle: How they fell like grass When the mowers pass, The General commanding avails himself of the And the dying, when the foe was flying, swelled the cheering opportunity, in the handsome defense made of Of the heroes of the Pass. Allatoona, to illustrate the most important principles in war, that fortified posts should be Sweep it o'er the hills of Georgia defended to the last, regardless of the relative To the mountains of the North; numbers of the party attacking and attacked. Teach the coward and the doubter The thanks of this army are due and are hereby What the blood of man is worth. Hail the flag you pass! accorded to General Corse, Colonel Let its stained and tattered mass Tourtellotte, Colonel Rowett, officers and men, Tell the story of the terror and the glory of the battle for the determined and gallant defense of Of the Allatoona Pass. Allatoona, and it is made an example to th illustrate the importance of preparing in time, Colonel Tourtellotte‟s command, the 4 and meeting the danger, when present, boldly, Minnesota, lost 44 men in the Battle of Allatoona Pass. th manfully and well. The 4 Minnesota would march with Sherman through the South destroying resources in what many historians Commanders and garrisons of the posts along describe as a deciding blow for the South. our railroad are hereby instructed that they must hold their posts to the last minute, sure that the Source: 7th Illinois Infantry Regiment History site found at: time gained is valuable and necessary to their http://civilwar.ilgenweb.net/history/007.html and Illinois in The comrades at the front. Civil War site at: http://www.illinoiscivilwar.org/cw93-hist-ch7e.html
Hilltopper 4 From Luva Mead Hoar ‘38 Connecticut held on June 18, 1988. The biographies In our last issue of the Hilltopper we ran an article are a remarkable snapshot of the class of 1938 fifty about Luva Mead Hoar ‟38 and her husband General years after they graduated. The pictures and letters are Jack Hoar ‟36. Luva provided a treasure trove of now on file in the TMHSAA archive office. The TMHSAA information to include the pictures shown below. Luva also plans on meeting with Paul Hoar, Jack‟s son to get also provided correspondence she received from her more information about his time during WWII. We will classmates when she organized their 50th class reunion report on that at a later date. Note: Notice Mary nd held at the Stables restaurant located in Putnam, (Donnelly) Fisher, 2 picture down on the left)
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Donors of Tourtellotte Silver Identified Lis Burton, TMHSAA member and Danielle Pederson, Thompson Public Schools administrative assistant, recently uncovered a letter dated October 8, 1980 from Robert Lincoln of Los Angeles, California. The letter helps us identify the origin of the silver service now on display in the Tourtellotte Memorial Room. The service appears to have been the property of Robert Lincoln‟s mother, a niece of Mrs. Tourtellotte. We do not know if the service ever belonged to, or was a gift from Mrs. Tourtellotte. A quick check of the Lincoln family in the Los Angeles area provided few answers. If you know anything about the silver service, contact us at: [email protected].
Left: The silver service during the 2009 Memorial Room inventory. Right: A copy of the Robert Lincoln letter. Photos compliments of the TMHSAA
Stephanie Vogel ’11 Gets Petit MS Scholarship
2011 TMHS graduate, Stephanie Vogel is a recipient of the Petit Scholarship. According to a September 2, 2011 Thompson Villager article, seen right, Vogel is one of more than 6,000 Connecticut recipients. Stephanie was a straight A student while at Tourtellotte Memorial. The scholarship is provided in honor of Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, and daughters, 11-year-old Michaela and 17- year-old Hayley who were murdered in their Cheshire, Conn. home in July 2007. Steven Hayes, 47, faces the death sentence, his accomplice; 30-year-old Joshua Komisarjevsky‟s is now being tried. Article reprinted with the permission of Adam Minor, Managing Editor, of the Villager Above: A copy of the September 2, 2011 Thompson Villager article. The article can be found at: http://www.southbridgeeveningnews.com/ Newspapers.
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Remembering 9/11
Left: The Twin President Bush‟s War on Terror had begun. Several Towers in New years later, in March of 2003, the war with Iraq York City, NY on began. The estimates of total enemy and civilian war September 11, casualties are elusive, some estimate that over 2001 shortly after 200,000 have died. al-Qaeda terrorists Since 9/11, many Tigers, like their flew a plane into predecessors from the hill, responded to the call of the second tower. duty and volunteered to serve in Iraq and Not long after the attacks both towers Afghanistan, with many being deployed to combat fell changing the areas. The Hilltopper has reported on several of world forever. them in previous issues. Many of our dedicated TMHS students servicemen and women have paid the ultimate price. were notified while According to the HartfordCourant.com, 58 at school. Like the Connecticut soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines attacks on Pearl have lost their lives since 2001 fighting in the war, Harbor, 70 years several coming from the Thompson area (There are earlier, everyone no reported deaths from Thompson). According to remembers where the Washington Post (found at: they were. http://projects.washingtonpost.com/fallen/) there are 6,026 total U.S. deaths as of June 5, 2011.
In just two short months after graduating, the Five days before the tenth anniversary of 9/11, 70 class of 2001, many as they started college, found themselves in a very changed world. The Patriot Act, new freshmen filed into the Thompson Public School‟s Auditorium for their TMHS school orientation. Most of the high airport security, armed military personnel with students were only four years old when the Twin Towers automatic weapons guarding airports, and a higher were attacked by terrorists. It is doubtful that any of them sense of suspicion and vulnerability is now part of understood the ramifications of the attacks or their daily life in America. eventual long-lasting effects. This new class of 14-year- Most Americans remained confused as to olds has never known a world without war. the terrorists‟ final goal; extremism is difficult concept On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists to grasp. This combined with our current economic captured four American passenger planes and use them problems leaves many with much anxiety over our to attack the United States in New York City and future. To get us through these dark moments we Washington D.C. One plane, reportedly en route to the only need to look at our past. Americans are a White House, was overtaken by passengers and crashed resilient breed. We have entered the storm so many in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Overall, there were nearly times and have always emerged better and stronger. 3,000 casualties from all four crashes. We wish the class of 2015 all the luck in the The United States responded quickly with air and world and we hope by the time they graduate the ground attacks on al-Qaeda bases in Afghanistan, storm will have cleared and a new hope fills the air.
Above: Pages from the 2001 TMHS Yearbook. The 2001 class had graduated three months prior to the attack. Many of our graduates had started college or new careers. All their lives were changed.
Hilltopper 7 Class of 1961
The 50th 1961 class reunion, held during the 2011 alumni banquet, proved to be a memorable event for all who attended. During the dinner the TMHSAA presented a slide show presentation of pictures from the 1961 yearbook, part of that presentation was several pages of the superlatives seen at the right. The class of ’49 and ’61 found that having their reunions at the Alumni Banquet was an easy way of getting people together. If you would like to plan an event for your class Email us at [email protected]
Check out the Tourtellotte Memorial High School Web Site for this year’s Football, Cross Country and Soccer schedules at:
www.thompsonpublicschools. org
Notice to all members! We are missing 1928-1931 graduation Many thanks to Henrietta (Groh) Panu ’61(Seen above) and brochures. If you have a copy please contact Don Garvais ’49 for their work during our last event. It was us. We can copy them and return them to greatly appreciated by all who attended. you. We are seeking nominations for 2012 Tourtellotte Memorial Athletic Hall of Fame. Class Officers from 1951, 1962, Nomination forms can be found at: 1972, 1987, and 2002 www.thompsonpublicschools.org. Mail We Are Looking for You!
completed forms to TMHSAA, PO Box 437, We are searching for class contacts for the North Grosvenordale, CT 06255. The above years to help organize class reunions for our nomination process starts on September 19, next TMHS Alumni Banquet. The banquet will be 2011. held in June of 2012 at the Thompson Speedway. We are also seeking additional members for Class reunions at the alumni banquet have the HOF committee. If you would like to worked well the last few years! It allows classes to become part of the process call Joe Lindley have their reunions without having to organize a at 860-928-5527 or Deb Spinelli at TMHS. banquet or finding and securing a facility. It also TMHSAA dues help cover the Hilltopper allows us to continue this great event. If your class is interested in a reunion contact us at production. Please make certain you are [email protected]. current.
Hilltopper 8
Tourtellotte Memorial High School Alumni Office PO Box 437 North Grosvenordale, CT 06255
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED PLEASE SEND US YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO: [email protected]
Hilltopper 9