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Tony Kwedar

Anthony Martin Kwedar, age 86, passed away Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Tony was born at home in Baltimore, MD, on February 21, 1937, to the late John J. Kwedar and Albina O. Kwedar of Severna Park, MD.

Tony briefly served in the Air Force and graduated from Iona College.

Working as a Purchasing Agent for Lever Bros., he moved from Maryland to New York, where he settled in Darien, CT, with his beloved first wife, Miriam C. Walas (predeceased 2005). He later worked for Unilever and Lipton Tea.

He was dedicated to St. Johns Parish in Darien, where he was a member of the Joyful Praise, one of St. John’s choirs, under the direction of Frank Porretta, and many church activities, including their Community Garden, always helping those in need. He was an active member of the Darien Men’s Association and various Bridge Clubs and was a proud recorder of the scorebook in the PONS Bridge Club. He will be fondly remembered by family and friends as a caring and compassionate gentleman, with a delightful sense of humor.

He leaves behind a loving wife, Sandra S. Kwedar (married in 2008).

“Pa Tony” graciously embraced Sandy’s daughters Lori Pipicello (Armando), Kim Davenport (Jeff), and Jill Muller (Allen) and adoring grandchildren Jessica Schmidt (David), Amy Mazza (Sam), and Andrew Speziale.

He was a loving brother of John Kwedar, Alby Halsey, and Anna Marie Vitkauskas, and a dear Uncle to 16 nieces and nephews.

A Mass was held at St. Johns Church of Darien on December 12, 2023, with an Internment at Spring Grove Cemetery.

Tony was a past of the Darien Men’s Association.  He remained an active member leading the Bridge Club.  He is fondly remembered as a wonderful person and contributor to the DMA.  He will be missed.  Here is his bio in his own words.

I was born (1937) in Baltimore, 3 blocks from the house (Bar) that Babe Ruth was reared in. I became an honest person by attending Catholic schools for my formal education. The night school route was used to complete (BSBA) my schooling at Iona College in New Rochelle (1973).

My business career began with the Lever Brothers plant in Baltimore (1958) in the Purchasing field. A solid knowledge that began there was the foundation for entering the Packaging Material Field. I was transferred to NYC in 1996.

Along the journey, my time was spent with other companies (Beech-Nut, Tetley). I eventually returned to the Unilever clan of Thomas J. Lipton as Purchasing Manager- Packaging Materials (1992).

My first wife (Miriam) of 45 years ended with her death in 2005. I remarried my current wife (Sandy) in 2008 and am fortunate to have experienced two happy marriages. Having conceived no children with my first wife, I inherited 3 children and 3 grandchildren with Sandy. I have lived in Darien since 1968.

My favorite pastimes involve golf, chess, bridge, and gardening – all of which my prowess is to be admired, but not imitated!

Edit

Donations may be made to: Person-to-Person, Darien, CT or the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation 

Harrison, Scott

Scott grew up in Westport, CT and Winnetka, IL

He graduated from Cornell in 1980 with a BA in Economics and graduated from Northwestern in 1987 with an MBA.

Scott worked in Banking and on Wallstreet for 43 years, first as a lending officer and then in sales and trading of Convertible and High Yield bonds.  He retired August 31st of this year and now every day is a Saturday!

Scott has 3 children, Kelsey, Jay and Leigh, who have all graduated college and are launched. Karen, his wife, is a Pastor who disciples women.  

Scott loves to sail and race one-design sailboats. He is a flag officer at the Noroton Yacht Club and is working to grow adult sailing.  His second passion is skiing. He looks forward to swiping his IKON pass often this winter.

Scott often says, “my finest days are spent wearing gloves.”  This means time on the water sailing, at the mountain skiing, or in the yard working.

Scott looks forward to being active and exploring.

 

Jessup, Wim

Wim is a recently retired general manager of private yacht clubs, President of Rascal-Sailing LLC based in Darien CT which provides training for recreational boaters and he is the former Director of Training and Education for Landfall Navigation in Stamford, CT.   He holds a USCG Captains License, and is a US Sailing certified instructor at Sound Sailing Center in Norwalk, CT.

Wim is a Commissioner on the Five Mile River Commission appointed by CT Governor Lamont to represent Darien. He is also the former Chairman of Save The Sound which actively advocates for and works to preserve, protect and restore Long Island Sound. Wim has raced and cruised all his life on the Sound and off shore to Bermuda and other distant ports. Most of all he just loves sailing with friends and family and just messing around in boats.

Mullaney, Tom

Tom Mullaney was born in Sedalia, MO in 1955 and grew up in Darien from 1962 to 1969. During his time in Darien, he was not caught once by the Darien Police Department for his various delinquent activities, a record of true accomplishment.

After graduating from New Trier High School in Chicago, Tom went to Princeton, where he was President of his class and Chairman of the University Honor Committee. After a one-year stint in brand management for Procter and Gamble, Tom got his MBA from Harvard and joined McKinsey and Company upon graduation.

Tom left McKinsey for the first of a series of entrepreneurial ventures: the creation of one of the first Urgent Care chains in the United States in 1984. Despite treating nearly 1000 patients a day, the concept was way ahead of its time and was sold to several hospitals around the United States, making Tom wiser but not richer.

Today Tom leads the Restructuring Practice for Jones Lang LaSalle, an NYSE company that acquired Tom’s last entrepreneurial venture in 2016 after a spirited bidding war with CBRE: a fitting conclusion to an otherwise modestly profitable history of start-ups on Tom’s part.

Tom and his wife Amelia live in Darien and Santa Barbara, CA, where they try to keep up with six children, two horses and two dogs. After a long career of auto racing in SCCA and VARA (including wins at every major track in the Western United States with his beloved Lotus Elan), Tom now is working assiduously on his pickleball, paddle tennis and tennis games, including regular losses at major courts such as Cherry Lawn, Ox Ridge and Tokeneke Club.

Tom has had a long history of charitable involvement, including serving as a Board Member of The Urban League of Sacramento, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Laguna Blanca School, and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Music Academy of The West. He looks forward to helping DMA continue to build on its impressive record of community involvement.

Hike Sherwood Island, Jan 18, 2024 – cancelled

“HIKING” SHERWOOD ISLAND STATE PARK

SHERWOOD ISLAND CONNECTOR

              WESTPORT, CT

      JANUARY 18, 2024

 

We will be walking about 3 miles through Sherwood Island State Park on mostly hard and gravel paths. Very little up and down. We will meet in the Pavilion parking lot at 10:30 AM. The Park hugs the Sound shoreline and is often quite windy. Dogs are permitted on a leash and, as always, bring anyone with you who would enjoy a one hour plus walk in a beautiful setting. We will have an optional lunch after at the Little Barn in Westport.

 

HISTORY

Sherwood Island State Park is the oldest state park in Connecticut dating to 1914. The island itself was first settled by Daniel Sherwood in1787 where he built a grist mill. Over the next 70 years the land was farmed by many others but around 1860 the property became known as “Sherwood’s Island”

After the Connecticut State Park Commission was formed in 1911 the search for suitable shorefront property to buy was on. The first piece of the existing park was purchased in 1914 making this the oldest state park. The park officially opened in 1932 but not until 1950 did the Army Corps of Engineers build the jetties and extend the beaches. The Pavilion opened in 1959 and a 911 Memorial was added in 2002.

 

DIRECTIONS

This one is easy! Take Exit 18 off I-95 (Sherwood Island connector) and turn right towards the Sound. The road goes directly into the Park. Keep straight onto the wide roundabout and take the exit marked “Pavilion Parking”. We’ll meet at the front of that lot up towards the Pavilion.

Lewis, Ned

Ned Lewis was born and raised in Philadelphia and Chester County PA. He graduated from Great Valley High School and went on to receive a BA in International Affairs and Russian language at Lafayette College. He graduated from Temple Law School and was commissioned in the U.S. Army Military Intelligence branch, and rose to the rank of Captain. He began his legal career at a law firm in Pennsylvania and was then VP and General Counsel for Arco Chemical Co., Borg Warner Companies in Chicago and now is Corporation Counsel and Ethics officer at Spellman High Voltage Electronics in Long Island. He was an associate professor in the Pace-Lubin MBA program in NYC. He is an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church.

 

He is married to Liz Bacon, his wife of 30+ years and proud father of their two daughters Kate and Caroline Lewis. Ned and Liz are active members of St. Luke’s Parish in Darien and members of the Noroton Yacht Club. One of Ned’s most prized possessions is a 1951 Farmall Cub tractor that currently occupies a bay in his garage and is used to plow his driveway on snowy Darien days. 

12/12/23

 

Flowers, Rob

My wife of 41 years, Avery, and I split our time between Rowayton and Park City, UT.  Avery and I raised our children (Dan – 35 and Kelsey – 33) in Darien, having become “Darien expats” when we sold our house on Nickerson Lane in 2019.  I grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, earned my BA in 1980 at UC Santa Barbara and, after a couple years each of living in Vail Colorado then working in commercial banking in CT, I earned my MBA in Finance in 1987 at Columbia Graduate School of Business.  

After business school I spent my career in investment management, initially at Alliance Capital Management and then at PPM America, focusing on corporate and structured finance private investments.  In 2004 I transitioned to special opportunities investment management to focus on transactions backed by distressed assets, loan pools, finance receivables, aircraft and ships.  After working at two predecessor firms, I was a partner at Atalaya Capital Management from 2011 until retiring in 2018.  I subsequently served as a senior advisor to Atalaya until 2022 and remain close to the firm. 

 

Outside of investing, I serve on the board of an HOA in Park City, UT and am president of an HOA in Santa Monica, CA.  Given the locale of our second home, it may come as no surprise that I love to downhill ski, but also just getting outdoors to exercise – nordic skiing, long distance running and cycling.  I struggle at golf as I have no inherent talent, and I am enthusiastic but mediocre at racquet sports.

Igoe, Jr., Thomas

Tom Igoe was born in St. Louis, Mo., in 1947 and grew up in the suburb of Webster Groves. He graduated from St. Louis Priory School in 1965, where he was editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and was active in intramural sports. He graduated from Yale University in 1969 with a B.A. in history and was a member of the Yale Whiffenpoofs, a storied acapella singing group dating back to 1909. He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1972. He joined Reid & Priest in New York as an associate and rose to chairman in 1994. In 1997, Reid & Priest merged with Thelen Marrin (a San Francisco-based law firm), and Tom became vice chairman and later chairman of the combined firm. He then became president and CEO of MPC Insurance, a captive insurer providing large national law firms with professional liability insurance coverage and related services. He served with MPC until retiring in 2017. Tom and his wife Susan have lived in Darien since 1979 and have a son who lives in New Haven. Tom is currently board chairman of Benhaven, Inc., a nonprofit serving the needs of autistic children and adults in south central Connecticut and also serves on the boards of several other nonprofit organizations. His interests include the arts, photography, reading, writing, traveling, hiking, cross-country skiing, major league baseball and UConn Huskies basketball.

Rowland, Duncan

Duncan Rowland was raised in Rowayton in the 40’s and 50’s. Swimming and sailing were his major sports activities and he also played the cello in various venues around the area including The Connecticut State Orchestra his junior and senior years in High School.  He was graduated from Bethany College where he started the college swim team and was Co-Captain all 4 years.  His business career began at the Hanover Bank, NYC at which time he also earned an MBA from NYU at night.  After a few years in commercial banking, Duncan moved to the Investment side of the business as an institutional Equity salesman.  He worked for Loeb Rhoades, Lehman Brothers, Prudential Bache, Brown Brothers and Alex. Brown & Sons until 2007.  He was posted for various periods in NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, and finally Greenwich. Currently he owns and manages Rowayton Investment Advisors which focuses on covered-call stock investing.

After college he married his college sweetheart and they had 2 children.  She passed away suddenly at age 41 of a brain aneurism; this happened shortly after the family moved to San Francisco because Duncan was hired to run the West Coast Institutional Equity operation of Lehman Brothers. The firm was absorbed by Shearson and Duncan moved back East to Darien. Here he met and married Kathie Gordon Ackerman.  They have been married for 36 years and together have 5 children , 10 Grandchildren and a Great Granddaughter due next February.  They have lived in Darien and Rowayton.   Duncan is a member of Wee Burn where he played golf for many years

Daniska, Mike

Mike has lived his entire life in Fairfield County, initially in Redding and  the last over 30 years in Bethel. He received his bachelor’s degree in  Mechanical Engineering, magna cum laude, from the University of  Bridgeport in 1988 and an MBA in Finance from the Leonard N. Stern  School of Business at NYU in 1999. Mike worked about 10 years for the  Sikorsky Aircraft subsidiary of United Technologies Corp where he  designed and developed helicopter rotor systems. His last 25 years have  been spent in various financial and business oversight capacities  including investment banking and private equity acquisitions across a  variety of industries, in Corporate Ventures at Union Carbide, and more  recently in asset management developed a proprietary algorithmic high  frequency trading program. He currently manages a full spectrum of  family investment activities along with other financial and various responsibilities through his family office.

Mike’s late father-in-law,  Howard “Tom” Thompson was a long-time member of the DMA (then  SMA), including a former President. Mike and his wife Cynthia, who grew  up in Darien, have two children in the Boston area, their son, a biologist,  and daughter, who is currently in grad school and a New England  Patriots cheerleader since the team’s last Super Bowl win with Tom  Brady in 2018. Mike has been a member of the CT Hedge Fund  Association for a number of years and enjoys vintage and newer sports  cars, boating, and jogging with his three dogs.

Walker, Steve

Steven grew up and attended school in Manchester, England. His siblings and mother still reside in the U.K. (London area) and he tries to visit as often as practical. After a brief stint with Nat West bank in the U.K. he moved to Denmark in his mid 20’s where he began a career in banking, specifically within Foreign Exchange, trading and sales. After close to five years in the Copenhagen area an opportunity arose to take an ex-pat position in the New York office of one of the largest banks in Denmark, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The initially limited ex-pat stint led to a permanent stay in the U.S. and Steven became a proud citizen in 2010. Having moved to Darien with his wife in 1996 they raised two daughters, both of whom went through the public school system in town and are now young adults making their way in New York City.

Steven is a keen golfer playing mostly at the public courses in our area. Sailing is another interest that he has picked up later in life and the family are members of Stamford Yacht Club. Paddle tennis, Pickleball and a daily three mile brisk walk round out the regular activities, though skiing (downhill and cross-country) feature from time to time. Travel, especially to the U.K. and Scandinavia to catch up with friends and family, is always a treat.

Hike Greenwich Point Park, Dec 7, 2023. 10:30

“HIKING” GREENWICH POINT PARK

  7 TOD’S DRIFTWAY, GREENWICH

  THURSDAY DECEMBER 7, 2023

10:30

We will be walking around Greenwich Point starting at 10:30 am.  

NOTE THAT THIS START TIME IS LATER THAN OTHER HIKES. We will be walking about 3 miles over flat, mostly paved or packed gravel paths, which should take us about an hour and a half.

 

Greenwich Point is a 147 acre property owned by the Town of Greenwich which bought the property in 1945. The peninsula, surrounded on three sides by water, was the private estate of J. Kennedy Tod who purchased the property in the 1880s. Greenwich Point offers spectacular views of Manhattan and the Greenwich shoreline. It is a beautiful place to walk and only available to non-Greenwich residents (without a substantial fee) during the months of December-April. 

We will assemble in the first parking lot on the right after you pass the gatehouse. Greenwich Point can be windy and cold so layer up! Dogs on a leash are permitted and, as always, bring guests.

We will have an optional lunch at Lugano in Old Greenwich.

Contacts: 

Dave McCollum dgmccollum63@gmail.com and 203-858-5688 

Robert Plunkett rgplunkett1@gmail.com and 203-246-2898

HIKING GREENWICH POINT

DECEMBER 7, 2023

 

The scenery at Greenwich Point never disappoints. Even on a cold and cloudy day, there is so much to look at along the shore and inside the park itself. A hearty group of 23 DMAers and guests (plus two dogs) walked about 3 miles in an hour and a half. Some of the group were first timers to the site and were impressed with its size and beauty, not to mention the history of the Tod family’s ownership and the remains of the original mansion. Marilyn Parker’s superb photographs capture the day perfectly!

The ingenuity of DMA members was on display again at lunch after the hike. Out of the original 23, 16 opted to join the lunch at Lugano restaurant in Old Greenwich. An addition 3 skipped the hike and just came to lunch! Apparently the post hike lunches have become an attraction in themselves! 

Dave McCollum

Robert Plunkett

 

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