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A2 Friday, February 11, 2022VILLAGER NEWSPAPERSOur history with Old Man WinterKILLINGLYAT 300MARGARETWEAVERInclement weather: If the KillinglyHistorical & Genealogical Center isclosed due to inclement weather, anannouncement will be made on WINY.If you are not sure, call the Center at 860779-7250 after 10:15 a.m. on a regularlyscheduled day. If you get the answeringmachine, the Center is probably closed.Yikes! Winter is certainly makingitself known lately. Last week, a blizzard; this, a nasty ice storm. I am thankful that I did not lose power. I mustadmit, it was gorgeous this afternoon(Feb. 5), with the sun sparkling andthrowing striking shadows, the treesglistening as the ice melted, and thebirds flocking to the birdseed and suet.But it wasn’t easy clearing the car ormy ramp.Old Man Winter provided a chillingblast one hundred years ago too. “Aheavy snow squall during Friday afternoon had all the marks incidental to ablizzard.” (Norwich Bulletin, Saturday,Feb. 4, 1922, p. 10; newspapers. com).Cold weather might have been mostwelcome in 1922 for those who relied oniceboxes to keep their foods cold. Goneare the days of iceboxes, ice men, andice ponds. “Recording the thickness ofice no longer carries the interest thatattends the time when there is awaitingthe harvesting of the crop, but it sohappens that ice on some ponds hereabouts now measures nearly two feetthrough.” It must have been a coldJanuary. (Norwich Bulletin, Thursday,Feb. 9, 1922, p. 9; newspapers.com).It is so easy to make a telephone callnow that I tend to forget such was notthe case at early in the 20th century.“Subscribers have noted a new rule nowbeing enforced by the telephone company---obtaining the name of a personentertaining a toll line call as well as thenumber of the station from which it isgiven.” (Norwich Bulletin, Friday, Feb.3, 1922, p. 8; newspapers. com).The Feb. 15, 1922 issue of the NorwichBulletin printed the following that Ithought you would find interesting.Many of you might not even think ofCommerce Avenue and the parking lotin Danielson near the railroad tracksin connection with the town’s railroadhistory. “It was recalled Tuesday thatwhat is known as Railroad square, westof the tracks of the New Haven road,was at one time a fuel supply yard forthe wood-burning locomotives once inuse, many years, on the old Norwichand Worcester railroad. Hundreds ofcords of wood were hauled into theyard from the surrounding territoryand there made ready for use by locomotive crews. This railroad wood yard wasa source of revenue for farmers and others who owned woodland, but it was lostwith the coming of the coal-burninglocomotives.” (Norwich Bulletin; newspapers.com. p.6). By the 1860’s and 1870’ssoft coal, which was considered best forlocomotives, was coming into use. (glcp.uvm.edu ).“Attention has been called to the factthat Byron M. Lewis of East Killinglyis daily shipping from that place toProvidence 125 cans of milk each cancontaining ten quarts, over 300 gallons. This is regarded as a record notmatched by any other producers of milkhereabouts.” That was a benefit of thetrolley to Providence that we might noteven think about! (Norwich Bulletin,Wed. Feb. 1, 1922, p. 6; newspapers .com).Have you ever heard of the AuburnBeauty Six automobile or the AuburnAutomobile Company of Auburn, Ind.?A Feb. 15, 1922 Norwich Bulletin hadan ad that they were being sold at the”lowest price in History of BeautySix Models” at Union Motor SupplyCompany, 18 Hawkins St., Danielson,Eastern Connecticut distributors. Asix-passenger touring car was 1,575, aswas a roadster; a Sedan was 2395. (p.6; newspapers.com). I had never heardof that automobile so headed to theKillingly Business Encyclopedia andSkate & Snackwith Girl ScoutsPOMFRET CENTER — Girl Scout Troop 65500 is hosting a Skate & Snack event on Sunday, Feb. 27 from 4-6p.m. at Jahn Ice Arena, Pomfret School, Pomfret Center.Tickets available for purchase at www.givebutter.com/gs-skate-&-snack.VILLAGER ALMANACAT CT AUDUBONBird sightings at the Connecticut Audubon SocietyCenter at Pomfret and Wyndham Land Trust propertiesfor the week of Feb. 1: Flicker, Saw-whet Owl, Bald, Eagle,Junco, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Song Sparrow, AmericanTree Sparrow, Robin, Bluebird, Wood Duck, AmericanKestrel, Carolina Wren, Mockingbird. Visit ctaudubon.org/pomfret.THE SIDING STORE INC.Siding Roofing Windows Decks SunroomsWinter PricingNow in EffectAFFORDABLE!Financing available to qualified customers!thesidingstoreinc.comWe take pridein our customer 860.423.7771 860.963.9035service!860.886.1718 860.564.7088References Galore Fully Licensed Senior Discounts Lead Safethe internet.A search of the Killingly BusinessEncyclopedia by Natalie L. Coolidgerevealed two entries for the UnionMotor Supply Company (Mrs. CamilleK. Scott, proprietor). The 1923-24Danielson Directory listed it as alsobeing located at 21 Mechanics St.; the1927-28 Danielson Directory listed onlythe Hawkins Street address.A Web site giving the history of theAuburn automobiles had the following: “Frank and Morris Eckhart (whosefamily had had a carriage company)established the Auburn AutomobileCompany in 1900. Their initial offering was a single cylinder chain driverunabout. It was priced at 800. The cardid not sell well. It was too expensiveto produce and ended up being pricedwell above the offerings from othermanufacturers. In 1903, the Eckhartsreintroduced their car with manyneeded changes. Still a one-cylindercar, they would later offer a two and afour-cylinder model and in 1912 offereda six-cylinder model. The Auburn carcompany was selling cars, but it wasnot the success it needed to be. Thecompany was heading towards receivership, soon to be purchased by a groupof Chicago businessmen. The groupincluded William Wrigley of ChewingGum and Baseball fame. Wrigley andhis investors wanted to get into the newand growing automobile business. In1919, the Chicago group purchased theAuburn Automobile Company from theEckhart’s. Their first new model wasthe Auburn Beauty Six. It offered manyimprovements and a streamlined, fender-less body that received a lot of praise.The company made progress, but continued to battle for a position in thegrowing automobile market. The 19211922 Recession had a negative impacton the Auburn car company, as it didwith many American industries. By1924, Auburn was building only six carsa day. The cars were not selling; therewere hundreds of new unsold cars sitting behind the factory. The company needed help again. “(www.auburnspeedsters.com/auburn history.htm.)“The company’s situation wasimproved in 1924 when Auburn wasbought by Erret Lobban Cord. At theage of 29, this ambitious entrepreneurbecame president of an enterprisewhich incorporated the Auburn, Cord,and the Duesenberg trademarks TheBeauty-Six used the same chassis as theprevious Auburn models, but its morechiseled body styling and integratedradiator shell gave it a more sportinglook.” Eventually, the company wastaken over by Errett Lobban Cord. “Butstyling and engineering failed to overcome the fact that Cord’s vehicles weretoo expensive for the Depression-eramarket and Cord’s stock manipulationswould force him to give up control ofhis car companies. Under injunctionfrom the U.S. Securities and ExchangeCommission to refrain from furtherviolations, Cord sold his shares in hisautomobile holding company. In 1937,production of Auburns, along with thatof Cords and Duesenbergs, 900-36).If you enjoy looking at old automobiles, do an internet search for theAuburn Beauty Six. There are a number of photos of the old cars but, apparently only a few survive today.My curiosity made me check theprice of gasoline in 1922. It was 25 centsper gallon, which adjusted for inflationwas 3.84 in 2020. (inflationdata.com ).That was much more than I expected.I guess I shouldn’t complain at what Ipay now.Margaret M. Weaver KillinglyMunicipal Historian February 2022. Foradditional information email me at margaretmweaver@gmail.com or contactthe Killingly Historical Society at www.killinglyhistorical.org. Leave messagesfor the Killingly Historical Center at 860779-7250. Visit the Killingly Historical& Genealogical Center Wednesday orSaturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Like us onFacebook at www.facebook.com/killinglyhistoricalsociety. Mail for the KillinglyHistorical & Genealogical Society, Inc. orthe Killingly Historical & GenealogicalCenter should be sent to P.O. Box 265,Danielson, CT 06239.Local students enroll atEastern in spring 2022WILLIMANTIC — EasternConnecticut State Universitywelcomed 148 new students tocampus this spring 2022 semester. The new students includefirst-time and transfer studentswho are enrolled in full-time andpart-time undergraduate andgraduate programs.Among the new students are:SamanthaBarylskiofDanielson, a full-time first-yearstudent who is majoring inCommunication.Nikki Flynn of Danielson,a full-time sophomore who ismajoring in Communication.Dylan Martin of Woodstock,a full-time first-year studentwho is majoring in BusinessAdministration.WilliamMinkemaofWoodstock, a full-time juniorwho is majoring in ComputerScience.Robert Baldino of Woodstock,a part-time senior who is majoring in Business Administration.Joseph Schley of Brooklyn, afull-time junior who is majoringin Exploratory - Undecided.Elise Bulmer of Brookyln, afull-time junior who is majoringin Finance.Liliana Baraybar of Dayville,a part-time sophomore who ismajoring in Pre-ElementaryEducation and Liberal Studies.Ashley Burke of Putnam, afull-time senior who is majoringin Sport & Leisure Management.Selena Cordero of Putnam, afull-time junior who is majoringin Pre-Social Work.The new enrollees join a student body of more than 4,000 stu-dents from 163 of Connecticut’s169 towns, 31 states and 10 foreign countries. Students benefitfrom an average class size of 20with a 14:1 student/faculty ratio.Eighty-five percent of first-yearstudents live on campus, as do51 percent of undergraduatesoverall.A residential campus offering41 majors and 65 minors, Easternoffers a strong liberal-arts foundation grounded in an arrayof applied learning opportunities. Ranked as the #1 public regional university in NewEngland by U.S. News and WorldReport in its 2022 Best Collegesratings, Eastern has also beenawarded “Green Campus” statusby the Princeton Review 12 yearsin a row. For more information,visit www.easternct.edu.Bryant University studentsnamed to Dean’s ListSMITHFIELD, R.I. — BryantUniversity is pleased to recognize the students who havedemonstrated an unwaveringcommitment to academic excellence andachievement.The following students havebeen named to the Deans’ Listfor the fall 2021 semester.Corrine Khamphoukeo, Classof 2022, from PutnamLucie Castagne, Class of 2024,from PutnamMatthew Roethlein, class of2024, from Pomfret CenterCongratulations on this outstanding achievement!About Bryant UniversityFor nearly 160 years, BryantUniversity has been at the forefront of delivering an exceptional education that anticipatesthe future and prepares students tobe innovative leaders of character ina changing world.Bryantdeliversan innovative anduniquely integratVILLAGER NEWSPAPERSTO PLACE A BUSINESS AD:ed business andPUBLISHED BY STONEBRIDGE PRESSM IKAELA V ICTORliberal arts educaRETAIL ADVERTISINGPRESIDENT AND PUBLISHERtion that inspires860-928-1818 EXT. 313FRANK G. CHILINSKIstudents to excel.mikaela@villagernewspapers.com860-928-1818 EXT. 103frank@villagernewspapers.comSUBSCRIPTION SERVICES:With approximateK ERRI P ETERSONly 3,700 graduateBUSINESS MANAGER860-928-1818, EXT. 303RYAN CORNEAUand 18 EXT. 102students from 38ryan@salmonpress.newsTO PRINT AN OBITUARY:states and 49 counE-MAILOPERATIONS DIRECTORtries, Bryant is recobits@stonebridgepress.newsJIM DINICOLAognized as a leaderCALL: 860-928-4215508-764-6102in internationalOR send to Villager, P.O. Box 90,jdinicola@stonebridgepress.comeducation and regSouthbridge, MA 01550EDITORTO SUBMIT A LETTERularly receives topBRENDAN BERUBETO THE EDITOR: OR PRESSrankings from U.S.860-928-1818 X 323RELEASEbrendan@villagernewspapers.comNews and WorldE-MAIL:Report, BloombergPRODUCTION MANAGERbrendan@villagernewspapers.comJULIE CLARKEBusinessweek,OR send to Villager, P.O. Box 90,860-928-1818, EXT. 305Forbes,andSouthbridge, MA 01550julie@villagernewspapers.comB a r r o n ’ s .Visit www.Bryant.The Putnam Villager (025-154), The Thompson Villager (024-998) The KillinglyVillager (025-004) and The Woodstock Villager (024-999) are published weekly byedu.Villager Newspapers, P.O. Box 90, Southbridge, MA 01550. Periodical postage paid atWoodstock, CT and additional mailing office(s). POSTMASTER: send address changesto the Villager Newspapers, P.O. Box 90, Southbridge, MA 01550.

Friday, February 11, 2022 A3VILLAGER NEWSPAPERSKHS Class of 1969 raisesmore than 30,000 for Friends of Learning inKillingly endowment, creates annual grantKILLINGLY — March 16, 2020 markeda watershed moment for many individuals. Most of us were becoming laserfocused on the recent and very troubling news about the global pandemicnow arriving in our communities; andwe learned of an attendant historicclosing of thousands of public schoolsacross the country including throughout Connecticut. But Ted Haveles, president of the Killingly High School Classof 1969, was preoccupied with anotherissue. That day Ted was determinedto press ahead with his plan to contactevery member of his high school class.His letter to them marked the officiallaunch of a very ambitious, once in alifetime, Class of ’69 fundraising project: The establishment of an endowedannual KHS Class of 1969 FOLK Grantwithin the Friends of Learning inKillingly (FOLK) initiative.The FOLK endowment Fund is acollective educational legacy initiative founded in 1998 by members andfriends of the Killingly High SchoolClass of 1966. Many founding membersfrom across the country continue tosupport and stay active in the initiative.The mission of the FOLK Fund hasbeen to inspire the love of learning inKillingly children and youth throughthe awarding of annual mini-grantsto the district’s schools. For the last21 years, the yearly grants have beensupporting innovative enrichment projects proposed by Killingly educatorsfrom across the school district. To date,FOLK has awarded 173 mini-grantsexceeding 58,000. Each year approximately four percent of the value of theFOLK endowment Fund is deployed asFOLK grants, which ensures that theFund will thrive and continue to awardannual grants in perpetuity.The Greater Worcester CommunityFoundation manages the FOLK endowment, which has grown to over 200,000;so it is now possible for FOLK to giveofficial recognition of a new donationof 10,000 or more by an individual,family or group, if the donor so chooses.This recognition would take the form ofa named grant.Ted Haveles had been overseeingthe Class of 1969 treasury for 50 years,and he was keen to have his Class dosomething meaningful and lasting withthe accrued funds. In advance of theClass’s 50th reunion, he spent countless hours discussing FOLK detailsthrough numerous exchanges withJanice Ahola-Sidaway, Chair of theFOLK Advisory Committee and FOLK’sCo-chair, Bob Beauregard. Ted tookup their offer to participate in the 2020FOLK grant-making cycle to see firsthand how the process works.As pandemic worries began grippingthe country, Janice was worried thathis March 16 timing of the launch ofhis Class legacy project might provedisappointing.“Ted had worked tirelessly on thisproject. I crossed my fingers for himthat this increasingly worrisome healthcrisis would not derail his plan,” shelater admitted. “But time would showthat I needn’t have worried one whit.Forty-two members of the Class – twothirds of whom reside in Connecticutwith the remainder scattered acrossthe country - and several Class friendsstepped up bigtime. The Class treasuryas well as several matching corporategifts added to their donations. TheClass’s final fundraising tally came inat an amazing 30,540! Therefore, theAnnual Class of 1969 FOLK Grant of 1,220 will be awarded in perpetuity – awonderful Class of ’69 legacy gift to theKillingly schools.”As they say, the rest is history. TheKHS Class of 1969 will be awardingits first annual FOLK grant in March,2022. Their grant also marks the beginning of a new chapter for FOLK; it isthe FOLK Fund’s first named grant.Ted, Janice, Bob, and the entire FOLKAdvisory Committee hope that otherKHS Alumni classes will be inspired bythe Class of 1969 and decide to becomepart of the FOLK legacy initiative.For more information about FOLKcontact Janice Ahola-Sidaway (asidaway@uottawa.ca) or Kelly Stimson(kstimson@greaterworcester.org),Director of Donor Services at GreaterWorcester Community Foundation(GWCF), FOLK’s partner. GWCF manages the FOLK Fund and coordinates itsgrant cycle. All gifts to the FOLK Fundare tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.Pomfret author releasesfirst children’s bookBY JASON BLEAUCONTRIBUTING WRITERPOMFRET — Julia Kneeland is nostranger to the art of writing. Afterall, she used to make a living teachingthe younger generations how to perfect the craft. As a former elementaryschool educator, Kneeland, a Pomfretresident, taught many students to follow their dreams and now she can smileat accomplishing one of her own, tobecome a published author.Kneeland recently released her firstbook, “Jig Gets Lost,” which focused ona city dog who explores the smells ofthe city only to find it hard to make hisway back home. Kneeland said the bookteaches kids the value of perseveranceeven in unsure times and to cherish thePhoto Courtesy experience of getting home.“I wanted to write something for myJulia Kneeland and her first published book,grandchildren who at the time were“Jig Gets Lost.”emerging readers,” said Kneeland.“I wanted something they could readthemselves that was fun and interesting. I kept the language simple becausemy goal was really for them to be able toread it on their own independently. Mytarget audience is about six- to eightyear-olds for this book.”Kneeland said she is excited to see“Jig Gets Lost” finally come to life andhad plenty of help making it happenworking with a local illustrator to addsome color and visual flair to her words.“I have a wonderful illustrator,Rachael Budd, who teaches at theWoodstock Academy she is a wonderfulartist. I was so fortunate to work withher,” Kneeland said.She also revealed that the bookreceived recognition from some notable organizations which has made theexperience of publishing her work evenmore rewarding.“I’ve been fortunate enough to get anhonorable mention from the 2021 RoyalDragonfly Book Awards in two categories: ‘animals and pets’ and ‘six-yearolds or older’. I’m really excited aboutthat,” she said.Kneeland said Jig will have moreadventures in the future as she has beenworking on the sequel book, “Jig Goesto the Zoo,” with Budd returning andillustrator. She also revealed that hergrandchildren have written their ownextensions to Jig’s adventures that shehopes to share with the public as well.When asked what her advice foraspiring writers would be, Kneelandgave some simple words she liked toshare with her students: “Pursue thedream. It’s well worth it.”“Jig Goes to Jail” is currently available on Amazon. Kneeland can also bereached for orders at jfknee@yahoo.com.Local students named to WorcesterPolytechnic Institute Dean’s ListWORCESTER, Mass. — WorcesterPolytechnic Institute (WPI) hasannounced that Tom Nurse, ofBrooklyn, a member of the class of2022 majoring in Robotics Engineering;Benjamin Brodeur of Putnam, a member of the class of 2023 majoring inMathematical Sciences; and ConnorQuinn of Woodstock, a member of theclass of 2025 majoring in Electrical andComputer Engineering, were named tothe university’s Dean’s List for academic excellence for the fall 2021 semester.A total of 2,054 undergraduate students achieved the criteria required forWPI’s fall 2021 Dean’s List. The criteriafor the WPI Dean’s List differs fromthat of most other universities as WPIdoes not compute a grade point average(GPA). Instead, WPI defines the Dean’sList by the amount of work completedat the A level in courses and projects.“WPI’s academic programs are rig-orous and require a level of independence beyond what is required in traditional courses. WPI students work onopen-ended problems for communitiesaround the world. The problems areimportant and the impact is real” saiddean of undergraduate studies ArthurC. Heinricher. “Some of this nation’sbest and brightest students come toWPI to study engineering and scienceand business and the humanities. Thosenamed to the Dean’s List have excelledin all of their work, and we are exceptionally proud of these outstanding students.”About Worcester Polytechnic InstituteWPI, a global leader in project-basedlearning, is a distinctive, top-tier technological university founded in 1865 on theprinciple that students learn most effectively by applying the theory learnedin the classroom to the practice of solving real-world problems. Recognized bythe National Academy of Engineeringwith the 2016 Bernard M. Gordon Prizefor Innovation in Engineering andTechnology Education, WPI’s pioneering project-based curriculum engagesundergraduates in solving importantscientific, technological, and societalproblems throughout their educationand at more than 50 project centersaround the world. WPI offers more than70 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoraldegree programs across 17 academicdepartments in science, engineering,technology

Friday, February 11, 2022 Serving Thompson since 2005 Complimentary to homes by request THOMPSON VILLAGER f . WOODSTOCK — The Town of Woodstock and The Arc Eastern Connecticut have teamed up to provide an addi-tional way for residents to eas-ily recycle their glass, plastic, and aluminum beverage con-tainers, which include a 5-cent deposit.