Andover, Connecticut

Hislorical - Democratic Town Committee, WWII Newsletters

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Andover Newsletter, Vol. 3, #10 Sponsored by the Democratic Town Committee Andover, Connecticut April, 1946 To the Servicemen and Women of Andover, Greeting! The tractors sputter and snort in the small garden plots and big fields, and spring work is really under way.  There are the usual annoying delays of breaking machinery, or the  cattle strolling off through a winter-made gap in the fence, but the weather is promising, the work seems good, and the plans for a good summer are tremendous. Walt and Margaret Krozel are happy to announce the birth of a daughter, their second one, Amy Claudia, on March 22, 1946. Another blessed event occurred in Hartford Hospital on April 5, when Lt. and Mrs. James Gatch of Greenwich (the former Eleanor Russ) became the parents of a baby girl. The Andover Fire Department has had its springtime rush season, with five grass and brush fires since the last Newsletter went out.  There was one on the Hebron Road, one on the Lake Road, one down near the Tedfords, and two over in Columbia.  The wail of the siren brought the usual speedy results, and no great damage was done by any of the fires. The citizens of Andover may now gratefully report that Mr. Harry Payne Bingham of New York has given the land known as Bingham Hill to the town for use as a school site.  There will be a special town meeting on April 29, to accept the gift, hear the report on the Building Committee, and vote on the plans for the proposed building.  To those of you who are new in town, Bingham Hill is the pasture west of the present school building and northwest of the Phelps' home. The accident rate in Andover has shot up rapidly in the past month.  First, Joe Gasper and Joe Carter met quite suddenly at the corner near Ray Parrish's house, and did a very thorough job of smashing each other's cars.  Fortunately, neither of them was injured. Then Helen McCarroll was on her way to get 2-year-old Spike a haircut, and lost an argument with the abutment to the underpass just down below the center of town.  Spike rolled around on the floor of the car while Helen broke the steering wheel with her chin.  She had a few bruises, but you should have seen the car!  'Twill never be the same!  One thing was certified:  That the abutment can take it, and the railroad is still safe. Cuyler Hutchinson, riding a motorcycle, collided with a car in Willimantic, and he received serious injuries that will be a long time in healing.  Among them are three compound fractures of the leg.  Cuyler and his family have our sympathy in this trouble, and we hope that Cuyler's recovery will be as fast as possible. Betty Ann VanDeusen, Eleanor Carlson, and Irma SanGiacomo, seniors at Windham High School are spending their spring vacation in Washington, D.C., with the rest of the class from Windham. Andover is welcoming a pair of newly-weds, Mr. and Mrs. William Kowalski, who are making their home in Joe Krozel's little house. The Sportsmen's Club held its annual meeting recently, and there are hints that it was a very special meeting.  The sober facts, as I have been able to gather them, seem to be that John Gasper was reelected president; Ed Whitcomb is vice-president; Earl Galipo, treasurer, and Bob Grenon, secretary. Stanley Gasper is doing radio work in the Navy Communications Center, Brooklyn, and he is expected home for a few days soon. Andover Grange has just received 17 new members, and much of the credit goes to the Master, Margaret Yeomans. With all the homecomings, it seems strange to report on anyone's leaving Andover for Army service.  Yet Dale Smith went off for training, since the last Newsletter was sent out.  We wish him well, and hope that he will let us know how he is getting along. Lieutenant-Commander Alex Fox has re-enlisted in the Navy, and we shall look forward to hearing more about him. Fuzzy Tedford was last reported on his way up the eastern coast on an LST. Jimmy Grey  has been going to school at Little Creek, Va., and his rating was advanced when he had been there only three weeks.  They are keeping him hard at work, and we expect to hear more from him later. Willard Grenon arrived home in Andover on April 24, "glad to get back to the woods", after 2 years, 7 months, and 22 days in the Navy.  His rating, which we have managed to have wrong during all of that time, was AFC 2/c.  He spent his overseas time in England, North Africa, and The Azores. Lt. Charles Johnson, of the Marines, is now regimental athletic and recreation officer at Camp Pendleton, Ocean Side, California.  He is very happy in the new job, and he is enjoying the climate and the sea. Easter Sunday was a beautiful day in Andover.  Sunrise found 78 people assembled for services at the top of Bear Swamp Road.  After the service, the young people served a delicious breakfast at Town Hall.  Later in the morning, the Andover Church was filled to the very doors with the largest congregation assembled in a long time.  Among the visitors in Andover that day were the Libbys (Florence Gasper) of Butler, Pa. Bud Brown (Lewis, Jr.) has received his honorable discharge, and is working at Arrow, Hart, and Hegeman. A committee, composed of members of every organization in town, is working on plans for a gala welcome home party for the servicemen and women.  As yet, no date has been set, and the plans are indefinite, but we'll have more to tell you next time. Another committee, also composed of members of all the organizations, is preparing for Memorial Day exercises. A check with the honor roll shows that just about sixty of you have returned to your homes, and about 20 still remain in the various services.  It would be a pleasant surprise if we could receive word from all of you who are still away, before the May issue goes to press, so that we could have accurate and up-to-the-minute news of you to send to your friends all over the world. Years ago the American Legion presented the listening post (remodeled chicken coop with heater) with a flag.  As long as the listening post was in use, the flag flew there, and now, George Nelson, chief of the sky-watchers, has delivered the flag to the honor roll committee, and it flys on the pole behind honor roll on the Library lawn. It will be apple-blossom time in Andover before the next Newsletter goes out to you, and we hope that more of you will be home to see them.  Let us hear from you! Safe home! Vera Cross Taylor, Editor.