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02/15/2017 07:30 AMGrowing up in Rhode Island, spending time in the Navy, and then being transferred many times for work, Al James Chapman, Jr., has lived many places over his nine decades, but when he thinks of his hometown, he thinks of North Haven. Al and his wife Cecile raised their six children in the town, spending nearly half of their lives there.
“I grew up in Rhode Island, but I moved from there long ago,” says Al. “That was my youth. North Haven is the town I think of as being my home.”
Al grew up in Oakland Beach, Rhode Island, with his younger brother Russell, working summer at the boardwalk. After graduating high school, Al joined the Navy Seabees, serving from 1944 to 1946 during World War II.
“I just turned 18 and we hit the beaches of Okinawa,” says Al. “I didn’t realize at the time, but after the war, our battalion got a letter from commander saying we were the first battalion to land on the east side of the island.”
When Al returned stateside, he became the first in his family to earn an associate’s degree. Though his degree was in accounting, the only job he could find was in the claims department of an insurance agency, a field he stayed in for most of his career.
Al worked in Rhode Island before being transferred to Connecticut, working in New London before eventually being transferred to the Hamden office. In 1961 he and Cecile bought a home in North Haven. They have now been married for more than 60 years.
“It’s been quite a lot of years—I’m not sure there’s a secret to it,” says Al. “You don’t always come together, you have arguments and disagreements, but somehow we made it through and are still here together.”
Al and Cecile now live at Brookdale Senior Living in Woodbridge and on Feb. 15, Al turned 90. Al’s family has grown immensely over the years. He now has 11 grandchildren and his fifth great grandchild is due in March.
Al has always had close bonds with his family. He remembers sharing several hobbies with his father growing up, including photography and magic. In addition to being an engineer, his father was a magician.
“When I became old enough, my brother and I became his assistants,” says Al. “He’d go out and do shows for different community things. I picked up a few magical things from my father.”
Another thing that was a big influence on Al from his childhood was living within five miles of the airport. He always enjoyed biking to the airfield and riding on the planes. Several years after moving to North Haven, he remembered his love of flying.
“I had always enjoyed flying and decided to get my pilot’s license,” says Al, who enjoyed flying with each of his children. “I flew until my eyes got too bad in the early 2000s. It felt good that I was able to do that.”
After working with what was eventually Nationwide Insurance Company for several years, Al decided to open his own business, Chapman and Company, which was an independent insurance adjusting and investigation company. In addition to work, Al was active in town politics and organizations.
He worked part-time as a special deputy sheriff for New Haven County and has been a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church since moving to town. All six of his children were confirmed there and the younger children were also baptized there.
“I still go there every Sunday,” says Al, who also enjoyed golf for many years. “Most people my age aren’t with us anymore, but now I’m seeing the children and grandchildren of friends I had and that’s nice.”
Al became an active volunteer when he lived in Niantic where he was a member of the New London Jaycees. When Al moved to North Haven, he received a call from the state president of the organization.
“He wanted me to help reactivate the North Haven Jaycees,” says Al, who served as the organization’s director for a time. “As young men—they now have young women, too—we did things for the community. It helped the young fellows learn how to handle things and it helped the community.”
Al was also a mason, changing his affiliation to the Corinthian Lodge in North Haven when he moved. He held several board positions with the group over the years and was also active in the Shriners, for which he was a drum major when the group marched in parades.
While Al retired from his company, he still works full-time. Due to his eyesight, he takes the MyRide bus to work each day. Al works for a telephone research company.
“Working keeps my mind active,” says Al. “I haven’t decided when it will be time to stop yet.”
With his 90th birthday falling on a weekday, Al will be at work, but he is looking forward to seeing his family who will celebrate with a party on Feb. 18. In addition to his six children, Gail Chapman, Craig Chapman, Doreen Orme, Keith Chapman, Brenda Fornal, and Adrienne Chapman; he also has 13 grandchildren Jane Lodge, Nicole Cowan, R.J. Carbone, Louise Levin, James Fornal, Kevin Fornal, Alyssa D’Eugenio, Cassidy Chapman, Ann D’Eugenio, Kellie D’Eugenio, Celina Chapman, Matthew Orme, and Laura Orme; and five great-grandchildren Cordelia Cowan, Sophie Lodge, Clayton Cowan, Brixton Brant, and baby boy Carbone due in March.
“I’m a very fortunate person to have such wonderful children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and that they are all healthy,” says Al. “When they take a picture of the whole family, it’s quite a group. It’ll be nice to get together. The whole family gets together at Christmas and this will be another time the family gets together, which I’ll enjoy.”