Cheshire Jaycees Community Activities (1970–1980)
- Richard Smith
- Feb 3
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 11
(Ron Gagliardi plans to write a self published book on the Cheshire Jaycees therefore I will only give you some of the highlights of the 1970's and finish up with highlights of the 1980's in my next article.)
Miss Cynthia Ann Fowler, Miss Cheshire, has been crowned the new Miss Connecticut 1970.
Cynthia won the talent competition singing a Strauss opera selection, The Laughing Clown. She is a student at Western State College and was sponsored by the Cheshire Jaycees.
The Southington Jaycees have chosen James V. Lauber as one of their judges for the Miss Southington Pageant. Mr. Lauber is a past president and recipient of the Cheshire Jaycees Distinguished Service Award in 1964 and Jaycee of the Year in 1963. He has worked with area pageants since 1957, serving as executive director of the Miss Connecticut Pageant in 1963 and as president of the Connecticut Association of Business Managers in 1970.
The Cheshire Jaycees are forming an associate chapter at the Cheshire Reformatory. The chapter will be set up under the direction of Cheshire Jaycee members, and Richard Stallings, former president of the Osborn Prison Farm Chapter in Enfield, will head the unit. Mr. Stallings is presently an inmate teacher at the Cheshire institution. Superintendent Carl Robinson stated that this is probably the best thing that could happen at the institution in a long time.
Carroll Hughes, recently named Outstanding Young Man by the Cheshire Jaycees, had the opportunity to meet Governor Thomas Meskill at a dinner held at the Waverly Inn in Cheshire.
James Nankin, publicity chairman of the Cheshire Jaycees, is calling all skiing enthusiasts to help clear a ski slope at the recently renovated Mixville Park. The Jaycees have already cleared the area for a rope tow which will accommodate approximately 500 people per hour. For more information or to sign up, residents were asked to contact Richard Glover, Jaycee project chairman.
On January 17, 1972, Richard Glover, Jaycee project manager, turned over the first ski tow ever built in Cheshire at Mixville Park. The Jaycees spent 742 volunteer hours and donated $2,300 to complete the project. Glover turned the keys over to Mayor Edwin Kania in a ceremony attended by town officials Ernest Rumburg, Mario Fazio, Richard Bartlem and Fred Bens. Jaycee members attending included William Lacourciere, president; James Nankin, publicity chairman; and the Jaycee workforce of Ben Aitkins, Bob McDonald, Howie Peters, Richard Ackerman and Jim Alexander.
Richard Glover stated that the local chapter is conducting fundraising events to continue work on the ski area and rope tow. Tickets may be purchased from James Nankin, Jerrold Koret or any Jaycee member. Prizes include a 1972 automobile and seven other prizes. Opening day at the Mixville Ski Area will also include ski competitions. Jaycees chairman Dr. Barry Feldman announced that there will be a series of slalom-style downhill races for adults and younger age groups.
The Cheshire Jaycees sponsored a fishing derby for youngsters at the Mixville Park and Recreation Area, with prizes awarded in age categories for the largest fish caught. The Jaycees also co-sponsored a 7.5-mile bicycle race with the Cheshire High School junior class.
The Cheshire Jaycees announced plans for distribution of an ecology book. Joseph Woods, Frank Preston, and Kippy Sands, wife of a Cheshire Jaycee, researched and published the Cheshire Environmental Handbook, which will be distributed throughout the town. The publication was eight months in preparation and written with the assistance of the Cheshire Junior Women’s Club and the Cheshire Ecology Club. Stephen J. Potash, Jaycee public relations chairman, stated that the handbook is a contribution to the community and is being sent to Governor Meskill and Daniel Lufkin, commissioner of the EPA. For additional information, residents were asked to contact James Alexander.
Rain postponed the punt, pass and kick football skills contest, with first-place winners advancing to the state championship to be held at Pat Kidney Field in Middletown. Sponsored by Dowling Ford and the Cheshire Jaycees, the Cheshire boys competing include Jim Conroy, 8; Robert Berardi, 9; Peter Mrwowka, 10; Eddie Gilhuly, 11; Frank Connelly, 12; and Ricky Drescher, 13.
The Cheshire Jaycees received state recognition when William Lacourciere, past president, was awarded the Giessenbier Memorial Award by the Connecticut Jaycees for work done by his chapter during his term as president. Local accomplishments included the donation of a ski tow to Mixville Recreation Park, volunteer work at the Cheshire Correctional Institution and an environmental program designed to increase public awareness of ecology.
The Cheshire Jaycees will conduct their annual attitude survey, asking residents for their opinions on drug education, the council-manager form of government, bus service frequency, Route 10 traffic problems, adult education courses, trash collection and bicycle riding facilities.
James Nankin, Special Olympics chairman, is seeking volunteers to help prepare athletes for the Connecticut State Special Olympics scheduled for June in Milford. Events will be geared to participants’ abilities and will include swimming and track and field, with accommodations for children in wheelchairs or who must wear braces. The first Cheshire Jaycees Special Olympics will be held at the Cheshire Academy athletic field, with more than 70 volunteers from local organizations assisting.
Ron Gagliardi, youth services chairman, announced that more than 1,000 “Have You Hugged Your Kids Today?” stickers will be distributed to Cheshire residents. The project is funded through donations from the Education Association of Cheshire, the Cheshire Jaycees and the Youth Committee.
The Cheshire Committee on Aging and the Cheshire Jaycees will sponsor a conference on aging at La Salette Seminary in Cheshire. The theme of the conference is “Quality of Life” for senior citizens and will include workshops on leisure activities, senior volunteer programs, nutrition and legislative input, along with displays covering housing, transportation, physical fitness and other concerns related to senior living.
Craig Carson, Paul Young and Peter Sossong were winners in the recent Cheshire Jaycee Junior Golf Tournament. The three placed first in the open division, second in the open division and first in the novice division, respectively. Carson and Young will represent the Cheshire Jaycees at the state tournament.
The Cheshire Jaycees will sponsor a book drive for the Cheshire Correctional Institution library. Attorney Thomas M. Jackson and Dr. Robert Zatkowski, co-chairmen of the drive, announced that the goal is to expand the library, which currently contains about 2,000 volumes. Committee members include Dr. Richard Lau, Bruce Humiston, Steven Fenton, Jerrold Koret and James Nankin. Residents are asked to donate high school and college textbooks as well as paperbacks.
The Cheshire Jaycees were granted a special permit to hold their annual fair behind the Cheshire
Youth Center. The fair will feature rides, booths and assorted entertainment.
Cheshire Jaycees, along with other Jaycee units throughout the state, will report local vote counts on election day to WTIC-TV, as they have done in previous years. Donald Damiani is in charge of the local poll count committee.
The Cheshire Jaycees will sponsor their first annual Monte Carlo Night at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Proceeds from the fundraiser will support community projects. Tickets are available through any Jaycee member or by contacting Howard Peters. The public is invited.
Antony J. Fazzone has been named recipient of the Distinguished Service Award by the Cheshire Jaycees for 1972. The award is presented to a man between the ages of 25 and 35 who has made outstanding contributions to community affairs, demonstrated leadership ability and achieved personal progress.
Dave Roberts, Jaycees chairman, announced that the Jaycees will sponsor a drug education program at Cheshire High School. Several featured speakers will attend, and a film titled Drug Use in Middle-Class America will be shown.
The Cheshire Jaycee wives will sell jars of honey outside the IGA and Stop & Shop to raise funds to help people with special needs.
The Jaycees will sponsor a program on venereal disease at 7:30 p.m. at the Cheshire High School auditorium. James Nankin, vice president, stated that the program is directed toward young people to increase awareness of the disease and its effects. The program will be led by Dr. James McElroy, chief of epidemiology at the State Health Department, and will include films and a question-and-answer period.
The Jaycees will sponsor a bus trip to Fenway Park to see a Red Sox–Yankees contest. Residents interested are asked to contact Barry Wallach. John Morrow, membership chairman, gave a talk and presented slides at the annual orientation dinner held at the Waverly Inn.
James Nankin, a 30-year-old insurance salesman, has been named recipient of the Cheshire Jaycees Distinguished Service Award. He was recognized for his leadership in many town activities, including the Cheshire Special Olympics. A former junior football league coach, he now serves on the board of directors and is a director of the Cheshire YMCA. Richard A. Reynolds was named Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, and Patricia A. Chaco was selected as Outstanding Young Educator.
The Cheshire Jaycees will sponsor a Walk-A-Thon to benefit the March of Dimes, with a goal of raising $9,000. Walkers will secure pledges for each mile of the 20-mile course, with checkpoints providing snacks and medical assistance. The walk will conclude at Mixville Park, where participants will enjoy refreshments and live music.
Ronald Gagliardi, publicity chairman for the Cheshire Jaycees, and Paul Peterson, former child star
of The Donna Reed Show, are promoting a new game known as Flingbee. The game combines elements of soccer, football, hockey and Frisbee play. Organizers hope the local Jaycees will adopt the game as a future project, with the long-term goal of introducing it as a recognized team sport.
Final preparations are underway for the annual Jaycee Haunted House, which will be held at a residence on the corner of Academy Road and Elm Street, across from Cheshire Academy. Dan Shantz noted that several new rooms and ideas have been added this year. The Jaycee Women will operate a hot chocolate booth for waiting crowds. Proceeds from the event will support future Jaycee projects, including the Special Olympics. Co-chairmen are Armando Sardonapoli and Barry Wallach, assisted by Bob MacDonald, Bill Maturo, Larry Holderman, Toni Lissi and Dan Shantz.
John Greenbacker was one of 14 finalists in the Jaycees Outstanding Young Farmers of Connecticut program. Another finalist was John Lassen of Boulder Road, Cheshire. The state winner was Peter Jacquier of East Canaan, who will represent Connecticut at the national competition in Topeka, Kansas.
Santa Claus will visit Cheshire children at the annual holiday party sponsored by the Cheshire Jaycees at the Youth Center. All Cheshire children are invited to greet Santa and visit Toyland. Santa’s animal friends will also be on hand for children to see and pet.
The Cheshire Jaycees will present five awards at their annual Distinguished Service Award Dinner. The keynote speaker will be U.S. Representative William Ratchford. Among those to be honored is Henry Carson, recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for his extensive community involvement, including planning the town’s Memorial Day parade. Other honorees include Gary Walberg as Outstanding Young Policeman, Michael Chapman as Outstanding Young Fireman, Nicholas Carparelli as Outstanding Young Educator and Hugh Kurtz as Outstanding Young Farmer.
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