Author: Webmaster (Page 5 of 90)
Your host, Doug Bora and Jan Selkowitz
The golf committee is happy to announce our third golf event which will be held on Sep 24, 2024 at the Country Club of Darien.
Tee times will begin at 8:30 (TO BE CONFIRMED), followed by an optional lunch.
Thanks to Tom Lom, who has sponsored the event, we have the opportunity to play on one of the most beautiful courses in Fairfield County.
The format will be three non CCD members playing with a CCD member.
As always the committee will take entrees on a first come basis.
The fees will be $115 Greens fee for non-CCD members, $47 Cart fee.
If you want to play on this special course on August 20, please e-mail Cliff van Voorhees: civanv@gmail.com.
PLEASE TELL HIM IF YOU ARE A CCD MEMBER OR NOT.
Your golf committee again thanks Tom Lom for making this great outing possible!
Bob McGroarty, Jerry Crowley, Cliff van Voothee
Robert (Bob) Johnson
1938-2024
Robert (Bob) Johnson passed away peacefully at home, on July 6th, from consequences related to leukemia. He was born March 1, 1938 in Rochester, NY to Grace and Jasper Johnson, and grew up with his three brothers and two sisters.
The family moved to Needham, MA when he was twelve years old, where he attended the public schools and was Captain of the high school football and basketball teams, and President of his class. He attended Williams College, playing football, and later transferred to the University of Michigan, where he graduated with a degree in Economics.
Growing up, Bob’s family summered on Lake Winnipesaukee, NH, where he met the love of his life, Barbie Grad, daughter of Gladys and Linden Grad of Meredith, NH. It was there that Bob captured Barbie’s attention as a member of the water ski team. They were married for 60 years, and have resided in Darien, CT, for 45 of those years, raising their two children and participating in the community in myriad ways.
After college, Bob enrolled in Officer’s Candidate School, joining the US Marine Corps in 1961. Upon being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, he entered the flight training program and became a Naval Aviator, stationed in Southern California. He served in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot and accomplished over 300 missions there. After completion of his active military duties, he joined The Reserves, where he continued to fly helicopters and relished the camaraderie of his fellow officers. At this time, he was hired by TWA, with whom he flew 727’s to 747’s for over thirty years. As an airline Captain, he flew all over the world, mostly international flights out of JFK. Sharing travel with his family was among his greatest joys, and Bob loved more than anything to take his family to see the many beautiful and cultural sites throughout Europe.
After retiring from TWA, Bob found great happiness in his two passions of boating and oil painting. From Captain in the air to Captain at sea, he excelled at navigating the waters of Long Island Sound in his boat, Bellwether, where many happy memories with family were created. It was his rekindled love of painting, however, that really animated his later years. He joined the Silvermine Guild, where he honed his skills, and participated in many local art exhibitions. His home studio produced numerous landscape paintings that are treasured by friends and family.
A true gentleman, Bob will be remembered for his unflagging integrity, his kind smile, and devotion to family.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his siblings, Christel, Peter and Don, daughter, Amy and her husband Devin, and his two beloved granddaughters, Avery and Ingrid. He was preceded in death by his son, Eric Robert Johnson.
There will be no service, and burial will be in New Hampshire at a later date.
Darien Community Association
Located on nearly eight acres in the heart of town, the Darien Community Association is a privately-funded nonprofit organization. Since its founding in 1923, the association has made a positive impact on our community through offering educational and cultural opportunities, connection, sustainability and public green spaces. The DCA is an award-winning event venue for corporate events and weddings. Its members, partners, neighbors and over 100 volunteers give back to our community, participate in special programs and make a lasting impact through volunteer opportunities and scholarships to Darien High School students.
Erin Noonan
In announcing Erin’s appointment last August as executive director of the DCA, the board described Erin as a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience in the development of business and brand strategies, digital and communication plans, and integrated campaigns for some of the world’s most recognized and most well-loved brands. Those brands included Nike, ESPN, American Express and Pepsi. She has brought her vision and experience to bear on revitalizing the DCA for a new era.A long-time resident of Darien, Erin has been a tireless community volunteer, serving with local organizations including k Person to Person, OPUS, the Ox Ridge PTO, the RTM, and her local church preschool.
Jim Himes represents Connecticut’s 4th District in the United States House of Representatives where he is serving his eighth term. He serves as Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and on the House Financial Services Committee.
Jim grew up as the child of a single working mom in a small town. As a member of Congress, Jim works hard to provide all American children the same opportunities he had to succeed: access to a first-rate public school, affordable and effective health care, a decent and safe home, and a supportive community.
Born in Lima, Peru in 1966 to American parents, he spent the early years of his childhood in Peru and Colombia while his father worked for the Ford Foundation and UNICEF. As an American abroad, Jim grew up fluent in both Spanish and English and was raised with an awareness of the unique position of the United States in the world. At the age of ten, Jim moved with his mother and sisters to the United States.
Jim graduated from Hopewell Valley Central High School and then attended Harvard University. After completing his undergraduate work, Jim earned a Rhodes Scholarship, which enabled him to attend Oxford University in England where he continued his studies of Latin America, including research in El Salvador.
Prior to his service in Congress, Jim ran the New York City branch of The Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing the unique challenges of urban poverty. Jim’s team led the way in financing the construction of thousands of affordable housing units in the greater New York metropolitan region, often using new green technologies to achieve energy efficiency and reduce utility costs.
Jim’s experience at Enterprise spurred his involvement in politics. Putting his expertise in affordable housing to work, Jim served as a Commissioner of the Greenwich Housing Authority, ultimately chairing the board and leading it through a much-needed program of reforms. Jim went on to become an elected member of his town’s finance board, setting tax and budget policy for Greenwich. Jim has also served as Chair of his local Democratic Town Committee, organizing others in the community to become more active in the political process.
Jim began his professional career at Goldman Sachs & Co. where he worked his way up to Vice President over the course of a 12-year career. He worked extensively in Latin America and headed the bank’s telecommunications technology group there. Jim and his wife Mary live in Greenwich (with not frequent enough visits from their daughters Emma and Linley).
Bruce Putterman is CT Mirror’s publisher and CEO, responsible for the strategic direction of the organization, revenue generation, product innovation, reader engagement, and all business operations.
Before joining CT Mirror in 2017 Bruce owned and operated a West Hartford-based consulting practice for 16 years, providing strategic planning and marketing services to more than 50 nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, public agencies, private equity firms, and other for-profit clients. His interest in journalism dates back to his college years when he worked in commercial radio and TV news. Bruce served as an elected member of the West Hartford Board of Education from 2003 through 2015, including three years as chair of the board.
He has a Bachelor of Arts in History and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Cornell University.
Arranged by Charles Salmans
Local author Tim Manners will give a special talk about his book, Schoolboy: The Untold Journey of a Yankees Hero (University of Nebraska Press). Manners, who was a recent guest speaker at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., co-authored the book with Waite “Schoolboy” Hoyt, using a trove of records and writings from Hoyt, who passed away in 1984. Hoyt’s improbable baseball journey began when the 1915 New York Giants signed him as a high school junior, for no pay and a five-dollar bonus. After nearly having both his hands amputated and cavorting with men twice his age in the hardscrabble Minor Leagues, he somehow ended up as the best pitcher for the New York Yankees and teammate with such legends as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. You don’t have to be a fan of baseball to be fascinated by Hoyt’s astonishing life story!
Tim Manners is a writer, communications consultant and baseball fan. A magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University with a BA in history, he is a former FM-radio disc jockey, publicist and magazine publisher. Currently an essay specialist with The Manners Group, he is co-author of “Schoolboy: The Untold Journey of a Yankees Hero” (2024) with baseball great Waite Hoyt (University of Nebraska Press) and “Relevance: Making Stuff That Matters” (2008), published by Penguin/Portfolio.
Arranged by Frank DeLeo
One of the basic premises of the Bystander Initiative is that there is an entire systemic framework around sexual and other abuse, which Guiora has labelled the ecosystem. Guiora’s work focuses on bystanders – individuals who witness the crime – and enablers – individuals and institutions who are in positions to prevent the crime but do not do so. He has previously written books about bystander and enabler complicity in the Holocaust and in sexual abuse in USA Gymnastics and other athletic programs.
Amos N. Guiora is Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, the University of Utah. He is a Distinguished Fellow at The Consortium for the Research and Study of Holocaust and the Law at Chicago-Kent College of Law, and a Distinguished Fellow and Counselor at the International Center for Conflict Resolution, Katz School of Business, University of Pittsburgh. Professor Guiora is on the Board of the Lauren McClusky Foundation.
For the past 10 years Guiora has been researching-writing-lecturing on the question of bystanders (originally in the Holocaust) resulting in his books, The Crime of Complicity: The Bystander in the Holocaust and Armies of Enablers:Survivor Stories of Complicity and Betrayal in Sexual Assaults.
Professor Guiora’s most recent article, Holding Enablers of Child Sexual Abuse Accountable: The Case of Jeremy Bell, addresses the role of enablers in sexual assault of children.
Professor Guiora Directs the SJ Quinney College of Law Bystander Initiative, a publicly funded student-staffed initiative.
Professor Guiora has an A.B. in history from Kenyon College, a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and a Ph.D. from Leiden University.
Learn more about contributing to the Bystander Initiative’s work.
Additional information on the Bystander Initiative:
Person to Person
Person to Person (P2P) supports families and individuals as they move toward stability with healthy food, clothing, housing assistance, and a path to economic opportunity.
Each person P2P has the opportunity to serve has a unique story. Whether it’s a single mother struggling to work enough hours to provide for herself and her children, an elderly man living alone on disability, or a young family looking for guidance to navigate housing expenses in Fairfield County, each person has a unique reason for calling on P2P and P2P is there to serve them all, no questions asked.
Nancy Coughlin, CEO, Person to Person
Nancy joined Person to Person in June of 2019, bringing expertise and experience in food insecurity, anti-poverty, and women’s and children’s issues. Prior to joining P2P, Nancy served for seven years as the Executive Director at Neighbor to Neighbor, a Greenwich-based organization dedicated to providing food and clothing to low-income families and children, and prior to that, practiced employment litigation with Baker McKenzie in NYC.
Nancy received a BA in psychology from the University of New Hampshire, and a J.D. from the Suffolk University Law School.
Arranged by Alex Garnett
Connecticut, as we all know, is actually a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Yet only half of Connecticut residents said they were proud of the state in a recent survey, even though 73% felt it was a good place to live. Part of the challenge is that Connecticut has not defined itself around its resources and attributes; there are few who can describe what’s wonderful about our state and those in Fairfield County might see it merely as a suburb of New York. Governor Lamont is determined to change that so that people know better what makes Connecticut special.
Anthony M. Anthony is an executive marketing and communications professional currently serving as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for the State of Connecticut. As the first CMO, he oversees the newly created Office of Statewide Marketing and Tourism, working tirelessly to shape and promote a compelling narrative about Connecticut as an exceptional place to live, work, and play.
Previously, Anthony served as the Special Advisor and Communications Director to Governor Ned Lamont, where his storytelling skills and strategic guidance contributed to Governor Lamont’s high approval ratings.
Anthony’s expertise was built over the years in the private sector as a creative director and strategist at boutique brand communications agencies in New York City guiding Fortune 500 brands across the tech, media, consumer packaged goods, hospitality, and healthcare sectors.
Summary
Reimagining Connecticut: How the State’s First Chief Marketing Officer is Telling a New Story
What do you think of when someone says “Connecticut”? For many, the answer is fuzzy—maybe a reference to its historic nickname “The Constitution State,” or perhaps just a quiet nod to its proximity to New York or Boston. But as Anthony Anthony—yes, that’s his real name—sees it, that’s exactly the problem.
Appointed in 2023 as Connecticut’s first Chief Marketing Officer, Anthony is on a mission to give the state something it has long lacked: a clearly defined identity. He made a compelling case for why marketing isn’t just about tourism or PR—it’s about state pride, economic growth, and shaping the future.
From Middle Child to Main Character
Anthony quickly realized that Connecticut suffers from what he calls a “middle child syndrome.” It’s wedged between cultural giants—New York and Massachusetts—and has struggled to carve out its own distinctive brand.
“It’s a great place to live,” he said, “but a lot of people here can’t explain why.”
Defining the Brand
Anthony merged the previously siloed offices of tourism and workforce marketing into a single, unified Office of Statewide Marketing and Tourism.
The result? A cohesive message built around the phrase: “Connecticut: Make It Here.”
The slogan, he explained, reflects more than just a manufacturing legacy. It’s a call to action for dreamers, builders, innovators, and families. Whether you’re starting a business, writing a novel, or raising a family, Connecticut can be your launchpad.
A New Kind of Marketing Machine
In his first year on the job, Anthony’s team helped drive over 15.4 billion media impressions, up from just over 4 billion the year before. Creative, low-cost campaigns like the Connecticut Christmas Movie Trail, the Oyster Trail, and a push to establish the state as the Pizza Capital of America (trademark pending) brought national attention—and a sense of fun—to the brand.
There’s also a strong business case for investing in marketing. According to industry benchmarks, every dollar Connecticut spends on tourism marketing returns about $8 in economic activity. Anthony’s team is also developing a statewide rewards program—“Made”—to incentivize residents to share their experiences and stories online, turning word-of-mouth into a measurable force.
Data-Driven Optimism
Anthony backed up the storytelling with stats that surprised even the most seasoned locals:
- Connecticut has seen four consecutive years of population growth, outperforming national and regional trends.
- The state’s GDP and job growth in key metros like Hartford, New Haven, and Fairfield County have exceeded expectations.
- Net promoter scores—a measure of how likely residents are to recommend the state—have jumped by over 100% in categories like work, live, and visit.
He acknowledged challenges, of course—cost of living, traffic congestion, and estate taxes chief among them—but stressed that these aren’t insurmountable. In fact, he said, they’re already being addressed through fiscal stability, infrastructure investment, and targeted tax relief.
Not Just a Campaign—A Community
Anthony emphasized that branding isn’t about spin—it’s about storytelling, culture, and shared values. “We’re not just marketing a state,” he said. “We’re building a sense of belonging.” That’s why the campaign is increasingly tapping into local stories: from shellfish farmers in Stonington to chefs in New Haven, to students and CEOs sharing what makes Connecticut work for them.
And the efforts aren’t limited to tourism. The marketing office is collaborating with business development agencies to attract investment from other states and even abroad. As he pointed out, European firms are increasingly eyeing U.S. locations to avoid tariffs—Connecticut, with its skilled workforce and robust infrastructure, is ready to make its case.
Looking Ahead
Upcoming initiatives include:
- The launch of a Connecticut Pizza Trail (voting is open now).
- Support for America 250 celebrations via the state’s popular tourism site.
- A quarterly thought leadership series to connect business, education, and government leaders.
- Expansion of regional flight access, particularly at New Haven’s Tweed Airport.
Anthony closed with a reminder: marketing Connecticut isn’t just his job—it’s everyone’s. Whether you’re a business owner, a town official, or a lifelong resident, he urged people to share their stories, promote their communities, and proudly say what makes the state worth calling home.
“We all have a stake in how this place is perceived,” he said. “If we want people to make it here, we’ve got to show them how.”