Month: December 2020

Site Maintenance Information

December 31, 2020 /

sma.darien.org site maintenance tasks.

  1. Periodically (at least once a week) log on to sma.darien.org/wp-admin/ and look to see whether there are any updates to:
    1. The WordPress platform itself.
    2. Any of the Themes, especially “Twenty Ten”, which is the Theme in use as of this writing
  2. Update any items found in step one.
  3. Adding and Modifying Posts:
    1. Note that — for the most part —WordPress sorts Posts for display in the reverse order of their dates, i.e., newer first. So if Posts are not appearing in the order that you want them, you can usually fix that by rearranging their dates.
    2. Note that if a Post is given a date in the future, it will not appear on the website until that date arrives. This is an excellent way to pre-publish future events without having the show up on the website prematurely. For example, this Post, which should never show up on the website, is dated far into the future.
    3. When adding a new Post, be sure to tick off the appropriate Category for the Post.
    4. In particular, if you want the new Post to appear on the All Posts page, be sure to tick off the “All Posts” category in addition to any other category that it is in. You’re going to want to do this for most posts.
    5. Make sure the “Uncategorized” category is un-ticked.
    6. When adding a new “Speakers” category post, if the date for the event is more than three weeks into the future, be sure to change the “Date” under “Quick Edit” to be a future date that is about three weeks before the actual date of the event, that way, the speaker won’t show up on the “Upcoming Wednesday Meeting” sidebar (or the “Speakers” page) until the event is actually nearing.
    7. When adding a new “Events” category post, if the date for the event is fairly far into the future, change the “Date” under “Quick Edit” to be a future date that will make it show up on the “Upcoming Events” sidebar (or the “Events” page) early enough for people to plan, but not so early that it will get  pushed off by other stuff before it happens.
    8. Remember, you can always change the date on a Post to rearrange where it shows up on the sidebars, or on the Home Page.
    9. Posts automatically default to “Standard” format. Be sure to change the format to “Gallery” for any Photo Galleries that you add.
    10. Try to maintain consistency in the titles of Posts. For example, I have used the form:
      1. “Speaker — Month Day, Year<BR />Speaker Name” for Speaker Posts. That “<BR />” inserts a new line character into the title so that you get a nice two-line title.
  4. When the dates for Events and Speakers have passed, you don’t want them showing up on the “Upcoming Wednesday Meeting programs” or “Upcoming Events” sidebars any more. Fix that by doing a Quick Edit of the Post and ticking off the “Past Speakers” or “Past Events” category for the Post.

To turn off wordwrap.  <div style=”clear: both;”></div>

Tom Glover

December 23, 2020 /

Tom Glover, 90, who for years did a caricature of each DMA president for this newsletter, died peacefully on December 17 in Exeter, New Hampshire. Tom was a caricaturist with a unique ability to capture the essence of those he drew, and he touched thousands of people with his cheerful perception.
He was born in New York and raised in Great Neck, Long Island. The course of Tom’s life took a decisive turn when he headed north to St. Lawrence University, where he honed his drawing skills at a local watering hole called the Tick Tock, where his caricatures hung. He graduated in 1952, and after serving in the Army, Tom returned each year to draw new SLU students. A blind date was arranged with one of the new coeds, and Tom’s fate was sealed.

Tom and his wife Diane went on to make a wonderful life based in Rowayton and were married for 62 years. From an ever-busy home studio Tom built a thriving business. A private service will be conducted at Christ Church in Exeter on December 27, with a Committal service to follow during warmer weather in Rowayton.

Book Club: Agent Sonya by Ben MacIntyre, February 10, 2021, 2:00

December 17, 2020 /

The New York Times bestselling author of The Spy and the Traitor tells the thrilling true story of the most important female spy in history: an agent code-named “Sonya,” who set the stage for the Cold War. In 1942, in a quiet village in the leafy English Cotswolds, a thin, elegant woman lived in a small cottage with her three children and her husband, who worked as a machinist nearby. Ursula Burton was friendly but reserved, and spoke English with a slight foreign accent. By all accounts, she seemed to be living a simple, unassuming life. Her neighbors in the village knew little about her. They didn’t know that she was a high-ranking Soviet intelligence officer. They didn’t know that her husband was also a spy, or that she was running powerful agents across Europe. Behind the facade of her picturesque life, Burton was a dedicated Communist, a Soviet colonel, and a veteran agent, gathering the scientific secrets that would enable the Soviet Union to build the bomb. This true-life spy story is a masterpiece about the woman code-named “Sonya.” Over the course of her career, she was hunted by the Chinese, the Japanese, the Nazis, MI5, MI6, and the FBI-and she evaded them all. Her story reflects the great ideological clash of the twentieth century-between Communism, Fascism, and Western democracy-and casts new light on the spy battles and shifting allegiances of our own times. With unparalleled access to Sonya’s diaries and correspondence and never-before-seen information on her clandestine activities, Ben Macintyre has conjured a page-turning history of a legendary secret agent, a woman who influenced the course of the Cold War and helped plunge the world into a decades-long standoff between nuclear superpowers

David Hurwitt

December 1, 2020 /
David Frank Hurwitt
David Frank Hurwitt of New Canaan, CT passed away November 19, 2020. David was born on April 8, 1938 in Kansas City, MO, the son of Irwin and Nancy Hurwitt. He is survived by his wife of fifty-seven years, Susan, their four children – Douglas, Laura Towle, David, and Sarah Clark, their spouses, 11 grandchildren, his sister, Joann Kinney, and many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.
David graduated from Harvard University in 1960 and received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1964, following a stint in the Air Force. He spent twenty-six years with General Foods Corp, including six years in Europe running the company’s English and French subsidiaries before returning to the US as General Manager of the Breakfast Foods Division, and then Corporate VP of Marketing. David subsequently worked as VP of Marketing for Flagstar, owner of Denny’s, and Hardee’s largest franchisee.
David then began nearly 20 years as a dedicated mentor and coach to a variety of small businesses, first through Renaissance Executive Forums and then through his own practice, Hurwitt Coaching. A wonderful communicator with the ability to ask deeply insightful questions which he sprinkled with his own wisdom, David loved working 1-on-1 with others, helping them to achieve their dreams. His years of working in, and then leading large organizations and teams, combined with his own management style – supportive, and conveying the importance of responsibility and accountability – provided a template that many of his small business clients continue to use with great success and gratitude.
Alongside his work, David volunteered regularly for many organizations, including The Rotary Club of New Canaan, served on the boards of The Institute for Global Ethics, Shakespeare on the Sound – Rowayton and ABC (A Better Chance) – Darien, and spent 10 years as Board Chair for Creative Connections of Norwalk. He was a lifelong learner, athlete, and artist who loved to connect with people. When you spoke to him, he was endlessly curious and thoroughly engaged. An avid photographer and traveler, his favorite subjects were always people. Wherever he went, he would seek out crowded markets or bustling fishing villages where he would meet people through his camera. Often separated by language and culture, his subjects were invariably suspicious until he peeked up from behind his viewfinder with his infectious grin and that special twinkle in his eye that brought out their smiles and created so many poignant images of connection and trust.
An avid golfer and tennis player, David more recently turned his enthusiasm for sport to the pickleball court where he was well-known for his wicked slice shot, something he often claimed came from “a misspent youth playing ping-pong.” David made many new friends playing pickleball, enjoying time with them the very morning of his passing, winning his last four games.
Ever the student, David was particularly interested in history and government and was always reading biographies – everything from Genghis Khan to Abraham Lincoln – although Winston Churchill and fellow Missourian Harry Truman were particular favorites. It was no surprise that a man from the “Show Me State” would look to examples from the past as he too always sought to lead by example. Gracious and polite, curious and compassionate, he was an inspiring role model for his children and grandchildren and a steady and trusted friend to people of all ages and backgrounds.
Perhaps his favorite role, however, was as husband to his beloved wife Susie. Always solicitous, he was known to often show up with flowers “just because”. Together, they raised their children, traveled the world, created beautiful homes, made treasured friends, supported their church, and became the world’s best grandparents together as Susu and Poppy. Always highly engaged with family, officiating at the wedding of their oldest granddaughter, Hannah, to Luke Barthelmess was something David considered to be one of the greatest honors of his life.
David, Dad, Poppy will be greatly missed because he was greatly loved, but the pure and consistent example of his life will remain an unwavering beacon for all who knew him. Be kind, be interested, connect with people, listen to understand others and always bring home flowers… just because.
A celebration of David’s life will be held when his family and friends can all safely gather, presumably this summer. To enjoy a sampling of David’s favorite photographs, please visit https://dhurwitt.smugmug.com.
If you would like to give a memorial contribution in David’s name, the following suggestions were among those endeavors very meaningful to him:
The Rotary Club of New Canaan Charitable Foundation
PO Box 62, New Canaan, CT 06840
Creative Connections’ David Hurwitt Scholarship Fund
Enabling underserved youth in the US and around the world to engage in arts-based exchanges that foster global understanding and empathy. https://creativeconnections.org/hurwitt_fund/
The Principia School’s Morgan Fund
Established by the Hurwitt/Towle family to support and encourage new families to attend the Principia School. Please specify The Morgan Fund when donating.
The Advancement Office
Principia
13201 Clayton Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63131
or online: https://www.principiagiving.org/donate

 

To Plant Memorial Trees in memory, please visit our Sympathy Store.

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope you will save the date and join us for a virtual celebration of David’s life on Sunday, April 18 at 4:00 pm EDT.

Please register for the event by clicking on the link below today. Once registered, Zoom will send you all the details needed to attend.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJArce6gqz0tHdQDcC5Rrs-am5eM-6YIveWM

 You are welcome to forward this information to others you know who would appreciate being included.

We are so looking forward to gathering together to celebrate our precious dad and husband with you.

With love,

Susie, Doug, Laura, Dave and Sarah

© 2026 Darien Mens Association

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑