Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Greg Palmer, co-owner of his family’s business called Palmer’s Market, will talk about “Noroton Heights: Past, Present and Future.” He is president of the Noroton Heights Shopping Center, where he and his brother Jim are spearheading the redevelopment of the center. Greg is a true philanthropist who gives freely and generously of his time and resources. Personally and through his business, he supports local organizations, schools, sports teams and fundraisers. Greg’s commitment to serve others is evident in the many organizations to which he has dedicated his time. He is a past board member of the Darien Chamber of Commerce and served as sidewalk sales chair. He received its Volunteer of the Year award in 2002. He also served on the board of the Community Fund of Darien as Business Committee chairman. Greg has been a part of the Allocations Committee and the CARE campaign and received the Volunteer of the Year award in 2009. He represented Darien on the Coastal Fairfield County Tourism board in the early ‘90s. He has been a First County
Bank Incorporator since 2008 and a member on the Spring Grove Cemetery board since 2009. He is a member of the Kiwanis and the Darien Old Timers Athletic Association, where he was president. He also is a member of the Country Club of Darien and the Campfire Club of America. Greg graduated from Darien High School in 1979. He graduated cum laude from Southern New Hampshire University in 1983 and was a member of the National Honor Society. He is a father of three, a dedicated family man and a lifelong Darien resident. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys fly fishing, boating, hiking, skiing, golf, and trap and skeet shooting.
Arranged by Tom Lom
Video: https://youtu.be/vAqdMuaQIY4
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Lennie Grimaldi is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in hundreds of newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, TV Guide, Yankee Magazine and Connecticut Magazine.
At our last meeting of the year on May 31, 2017 the DMA Songsters will send us off into the summer with a medley of familiar songs that will, get your toes tapping.
Rear Admiral John Weigold IV, Reserve Deputy Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, will talk about Pacific Operations that include the South China Sea and North Korea. Important issues there are freedom of navigation and bilateral and multilateral relations with our allies in the region.
Sean Connolly, commissioner of the State of Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, is responsible for overseeing the Veterans’ Home in Rocky Hill, Conn., and other services for 270,000 veterans residing in the state.
Philip Vitiello, well-known Connecticut Civil War historian and re-enactor, will talk about the H.L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat. The night of February 17, 1864, the H.L. Hunley, a vessel of the Confederate States of America, sank the USS Housatonic off the coast of Charleston, S.C. The Hunley then mysteriously vanished with its crew of eight. Questions arose. Why had the underwater craft suddenly disappeared? More than a century later, it was discovered in 1995 by Clive Cussler and raised on August 8, 2000. Today, the Hunley resides at a conservation center where scientists are piecing together clues to solve the mystery of its disappearance. Philip’s presentation will tell the story of the men who designed the Hunley, how and where the submarine was built and how it worked. He will provide a history of the crew and surmise whether a Connecticut soldier was part of the Hunley’s crew. He also will discuss the recent burial of the remains of some of the crew at Arlington National Cemetery. Philip has spent 40 years studying, reading and visiting Civil War eastern theater battlefields. He is a vice president of the Civil War Round Table of South Central Connecticut and a charter member of The Friends of Hunley. As well, Philip is a charter member of The International Group for Historical Aircraft Recovery and the Titanic Historical Society. He teaches a history course at Norwalk Community College Lifetime Learners Institute. A lifelong resident of New Haven, he is a graduate of the University of New Haven and director of marketing for Northeast Food Marketing in Stamford. Philip last spoke to the DMA about the Civil War hero General Joshua Chamberlain.
David Polk, executive director, The First Tee of Connecticut, will talk about “It’s More than Just a Game.” His presentation has something for golfers and non-golfers. The First Tee believes its programs help improve the lives of those who embrace the game’s traditions and values. Last year, The First Tee enrolled more than 2,300 young people in certifying programs at golf facilities across the state. It exposes underprivileged youth to golf who otherwise might not have access to the game. The First Tee curriculum includes in-school and national school programs, group lessons, on-course team programs and summer camps. In addition to golf, it teaches nine core values: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, courtesy, judgment, confidence, responsibility and perseverance. The curriculum also teaches nine healthy habits – energy, play, safety, vision, mind, family, friends, school and community – that are part of the game of golf. In addition to his work at First Tee, David volunteers as trustee of the New Britain Museum of American Art and is past chair of the Hartford Marathon Foundation, past chair of the Connecticut Sports Management Group and current chair of Church Homes, Inc. He lives in West Hartford with his wife Rennie and enjoys playing golf at the Hartford Golf Club. 
Michael Parry, M.D., is director of infectious disease and microbiology at Stamford Hospital and is professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University. He will talk