Harbor News Person of the Week

Harbor News

In addition to rehabilitating birds of prey and crows, A Place Called Hope also conducts educational outreach program with birds that cannot be returned to the wild. Here, Christine Cummings introduces a class to one of the facility’s bald eagles. Photo courtesy of Christine Cummings

Christine Cummings: Rescue, Rehabilitate, Return

Published Jan. 12, 2022 08:30 a.m.

With A Place Called Hope serving for more than a decade as the region’s primary raptor rehabilitator, most people know that when they find an injured owl or hawk, Christine Cummings and her husband Todd Secki are the people to call.

Valley Courier

Delcie McGrath has coordinated local efforts to furnish a home for a family from Afghanistan seeking refuge in the U.S. Photo by Rita Christopher/The Courier

Delcie McGrath: Furnishing the Future

Published Jan. 05, 2022 08:30 a.m.

International news can seem remote but the connections to a far more local world are very real. Just ask Delcie McGrath. Delcie has been part of a team working on refugee resettlement this area.

Harbor News

Mark Richards was proud to serve on the inaugural Town Council in Clinton.

Photo courtesy of Mark Richards

Mark Richards Sees Town Council Term as Time Well Spent

Published Dec. 22, 2021 08:30 a.m.

In November 2019, in a historic election for Clinton, the town’s first ever Town Council was elected. As part of that council, voters elected Mark Richards.

Harbor News

Clinton’s Jim Beloff used some of the time freed up by the pandemic to pen UKEtopia!: Adventures in the Ukulele World. Photo courtesy of Jim Beloff

Jim Beloff: A Look Inside a Life with Ukuleles

Published Dec. 15, 2021 08:30 a.m.

UKEtopia!: Adventures in the Ukulele World is a new book released this week by Jim Beloff. From finding a calling in the ukulele world to jamming with George Harrison, Jim has quite a story to tell.

Harbor News

After moving to Old Saybrook in his first retirement, Ernie Dorling put his career in law enforcement to work teaching a criminology course at the University of New Haven. He has now put his experience to more creative use, penning the crime novel The Truth is Always Negotiable.

Photo courtesy of Ernie Dorling

Ernie Dorling: Bringing Career Experience to his Latest Novel

Published Dec. 08, 2021 08:30 a.m.

The Connecticut shoreline with its scenic coastline and quintessential New England charm has inspired generations of visitors and lifetime residents. For Ernie Dorling, a longtime Old Saybrook resident, the area was the perfect setting for his new novel, The Truth is Always Negotiable.

Harbor News

Peter Nye has made his mark on the Clinton community in many ways, most recently in being elected to the Board of Education. Photo courtesy of Peter Nye

Peter Nye: Teaching, Learning, and Leading

Published Dec. 01, 2021 08:30 a.m.

Not many teachers can say their start actually began at training camp for the New York Giants, but Peter Nye can. It’s a path that’s led him to become a very recognizable face around Clinton.

Harbor News

When Joyce DiLauro first produced The Magic Toyshop almost three decades ago, she didn’t realize she’d start a shoreline holiday tradition as beloved for many at The Nutcracker. The show returns Friday to Sunday, Dec. 17 to 19 at Andrews Memorial Town Hall. Photo courtesy of Joyce DiLauro

Joyce DiLauro: Passing the Torch on a Holiday Tradition

Published Nov. 24, 2021 08:30 a.m.

For almost 30 years, Joyce DiLauro of Starship Dance Studio and Starship Dance Theatre has attracted audiences far and wide with her annual winter production of the ballet The Magic Toyshop. Now, the show is coming to the auditorium in Clinton’s Town Hall from Friday to Sunday, Dec. 17 to 19.

Harbor News

Calling April Godwin Shuman a fan of Clinton history is a serious understatement. Now in retirement, she’s working hard to ensure others get a chance to learn the local stories.

Photo courtesy of April Godwin Shuman

April Godwin Shuman: Holding History to Heart

Published Nov. 17, 2021 08:30 a.m.

“Clinton history and Morgan history is a passion of mine,” says April Godwin Shuman. “It’s vital to who I am.”

Harbor News

Making Westbrook Trails More Traveled

Published Nov. 10, 2021 08:30 a.m.

If you’ve enjoyed time in Westbrook’s town forest over the last three years, the man you have to thank is Gene Van Blaricom.

Harbor News

After a career in health service advocacy, Garith Fulham jumped at the chance to work with local seniors as the new program director at Estuary Council of Seniors, Inc.

Photo courtesy of Garith Fulham

Fulham Brings National Experience to his Own Backyard

Published Oct. 27, 2021 08:30 a.m.

It’s no secret that many seniors in the area enjoy regular visits to the Estuary Council of Seniors, Inc. (ECSI) for the many services offered there. The person now in charge of making sure all the programs run smoothly is Garith Fulham.

Harbor News

Christa Maynard is the new member services manager for the Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce. Photo courtesy of the Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce

Christa Maynard: At the Center of Chamber Action

Published Oct. 20, 2021 08:30 a.m.

Promoting the places to be and things to do in Old Saybrook is nothing new for Christa Maynard.

Harbor News

It’s not too soon to decorate the tree when you’re designing 12 trees to be auctioned off for charity. Tess Taft Cowan Edge of Clinton has joined with Roxanne Seifert Eurto, Sue Melchior, Sue Engel, and Becky Eliot Keating to form the the Semper Humanitas 12 Trees of Kindness effort. Photo courtesy of Tess Taft Cowan Edge

Tess Taft Cowan Edge Hopes to Spread Holiday Cheer

Published Oct. 13, 2021 08:30 a.m.

Serving others has something that has long been important to Clinton native Tess Taft Cowan Edge. Now, Tess is hoping to spread some holiday cheer and kindness with her 12 Trees of Kindness auction.

Harbor News

Terry Hathaway and her husband Doug have created a Halloween tradition at their extensively decorated Alden Drive home in Clinton. Photo courtesy of Terry Hathaway

Terry Hathaway: A Tradition of Raising Spirits

Published Oct. 06, 2021 08:30 a.m.

What’s Halloween in Clinton without a drive by the Halloween house? You know the house—the one at 9 Alden Drive with enough decorations outside that you can see it a mile away.

Harbor News

Tricia Carlin is the new children’s librarian for the Westbrook Public Library, a place she’s already found very welcoming. Photo courtesy of Tricia Carlin

Barks Yes, Shushes No: Westbrook Welcomes New Children’s Librarian

Published Sep. 29, 2021 08:30 a.m.

Earlier this year Mary Nyman, the longtime children’s librarian at Westbrook Public Library (WPL), retired, leaving a hole in the library community. Tricia Carlin has stepped in to fill the void as the new children’s librarian.

Harbor News

Clinton resident Lourdes Rojas has dedicated time to her senior neighbors through the Clinton Community Assistance Team, among many other volunteer roles.

Photo courtesy of Lourdes Rojas

Lourdes Rojas: Changing the Mood Through Helping Others

Published Sep. 22, 2021 08:30 a.m.

Earlier this summer Clinton started a new program aimed at helping seniors’ citizens with easy tasks around the house by utilizing volunteers. One of the first volunteers to sign up was Lourdes Rojas.

Harbor News

David Bautz has served several roles for the Clinton Historical Society, including time as president when the society acquired a historic smokehouse that now rests behind the group’s headquarters, Old Brick. Photo by Eric O’Connell/Harbor News

David Bautz: Taking an Active Role in Preserving History

Published Sep. 15, 2021 08:30 a.m.

Much as an engineer is always trying to learn processes to better understand why things happen, so too does a historian try to study the past to understand the present. As an engineer and a member of Clinton’s Historic Society (CHS), David Bautz understands both urges.

Harbor News

While everyone has had their personal and professional lives changed by the COVID pandemic, school social workers are in a unique spot to witness the affects—and to help. At The Morgan School, social worker Maureen Tranquilli has made such an impact she was selected as Clinton Public School’s 2021 Teacher of Year. Photo by Eric O’Connell/Harbor News

‘No Typical Day’ for Tranquilli

Published Sep. 08, 2021 08:30 a.m.

Everyone knows the last year and a half have been a trying time, especially for children in school. Luckily for kids in The Morgan School, social worker Maureen Tranquilli, Clinton Public School’s 2021 Teacher of Year, is there to help.

Harbor News

Dental surgeon by day and firefighter at night (and sometimes day), Andy Kressley was recently elected the chief of the Essex Fire Department. Photo by Rita Christopher/Harbor News

Andrew Kressley: Where’s the Fire?

Published Sep. 02, 2021 08:30 a.m.

One of the persistent dreams of childhood is of someday being a firefighter. Far fewer children dream of someday being a dentist. Andrew Kressley is both.

Harbor News

Evan Kamoen, along with fishing buddies Luke Voegeli and Ryan Kelly, were in the right place at the right time—and most important, with the right safety training—to help rescue five boaters off Clinton this summer. Photo courtesy of Evan Kamoen

Evan Kamoen: From a Life on the Water to Lifesaving

Published Aug. 25, 2021 08:30 a.m.

“It’s a ‘We’re just a couple of teenagers’ kind of deal,” is how Evan Kamoen nonchalantly describes himself along with his friends Luke Voegeli of Guilford and Ryan Kelly of Stonington. What these couple of average teenagers did was save the lives of five boaters off the coast of Clinton in June.

Harbor News

When the annual Clinton Insurance Center Summerfest and Fireworks kick off on Saturday, Aug. 28, it’ll be thanks in part to volunteers like Adam Riso who stepped up to keep the Chamber of Commerce event moving forward. Photo courtesy of Adam Riso

Volunteers Like Adam Riso Drive Clinton SummerFest

Published Aug. 12, 2021 12:16 p.m.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, downtown Clinton will be the site of a major celebration as the town holds its annual Clinton Insurance Center Summerfest and Fireworks event.

Harbor News

Ed Wilhelms decided the best way to ensure the works he wanted to directed were staged was to start his own theater. The Drama Works Theatre Company in Old Saybrook is the result. Photo courtesy of Ed Wilhelms

Ed Wilhelms: Making a Home for Serious Theater

Published Aug. 05, 2021 03:20 p.m.

Who says you need to go all the way to Broadway for a great theater experience? Drama Works Theatre Company (DWTC) opened its doors in Old Saybrook last year to fulfill director Ed Wilhelms’s goal of providing interesting theater productions in intimate settings.

Harbor News

Through her willingness to take on new roles and genuine interest in people, Sharon Slaton has become an essential part of the Estuary Council of Seniors. Photo courtesy of Sharon Slaton

Sharon Slaton: Keeping Things—and People—Together at ECSI

Published Aug. 04, 2021 08:30 a.m.

This is how it started: Sharon Slaton’s mother-in-law was on the board of the Estuary Council of Seniors, Inc. (ECSI) and mentioned that the council could use some part-time help if Sharon was free.

Harbor News

With a career in the building trades since age 16, Richard Pleines is bringing his experience to Clinton as the town’s new building inspector. Photo by Eric O’Connell/Harbor News

Building Resources in Clinton and Beyond

Published July 28, 2021 08:30 a.m.

With skills earned as a local contractor and an appreciation for working with people, Richard Pleines has signed on as the new building official in Clinton.

Harbor News

Sharon Tiezzi: The Pride of Local Lions

Published July 21, 2021 08:30 a.m.

Whether it’s from food service, to volunteering, to court, over the last 30 years if you’ve lived in Old Saybrook you’ve probably run into Sharon Tiezzi.

Harbor News

Clinton native John O’Connell has devoted the last three decades to keeping Andrews Memorial Town Hall in top shape. Photo courtesy of John O’Connell

John O’Connell: In the Center of It All

Published July 14, 2021 08:30 a.m.

Go to any meeting, event, or referendum at Andrews Memorial Town Hall in Clinton and you may notice one person hanging out in the background every time.

Harbor News

In an effort to better showcase the life of Katharine Hepburn, the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (The Kate) is working on a major expansion project. One of the people helping to facilitate that work is Kimberly Keinz. Photo courtesy of Kimberly Keinz

Kimberly Keinz: Making The Museum of the Kate Even Better

Published July 07, 2021 08:30 a.m.

“A Real Tribute to Katharine Hepburn” Due to Reopen Fall 2022

Harbor News

Old Saybrook native Judy Sullivan has been leading the Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce for more than a decade.

Photo courtesy of Judy Sullivan

Judy Sullivan: Leading the Chamber Through Challenging Times

Published June 30, 2021 08:30 a.m.

“My youngest started kindergarten and I realized I wanted to get back into the workforce, so I took a part time job,” Judy Sullivan recalls.

Harbor News

Old Saybrook native Elijah Manning has helped his hometown and other communities across the state to grapple with anti-racism education. Photo courtesy of Elijah Manning

Elijah Manning: Helping to Close Gaps in Education

Published June 23, 2021 08:30 a.m.

Over the last year, many people across the nation have engaged in difficult conversations related to race and unconscious bias. Elijah Manning, a familiar face along the shoreline, has helped facilitate those conversations.

Harbor News

After more than a decade of serving as president of the Clinton Land Conservation Trust, Mike Houde’s appreciation for Clinton’s open spaces remains strong.

Photo by Eric O’Connell/Harbor News

Mike Houde: A Natural Affinity for Clinton

Published June 17, 2021 12:01 a.m.

Talk long enough to any Clinton resident about their favorite aspects of Clinton and just about all of them will eventually mention the natural beauty found around the town.

Harbor News

Peg Patierno: Dedicated to the Cause

Published June 09, 2021 08:30 a.m.

Margaret Patierno moved to Westbrook in 1995. With her children grown, Margaret—or Peg, as she’s known to her friends—decided to acclimate to her new community by volunteering. Ever since then Peg has become known to so many for her dedication to a variety of causes.

Harbor News Person of the Week

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