Darienites

Darienite Carol Wilder-Tamme Will Be on Mayflower Float in Rose Parade

Marc Thorne Passes Away, Weeks After Ending His Term as a Selectman

The Late Navy Veteran Richard Costello to be Honored With Street Sign at 12 Noon, Sunday

This Year’s Darien Old Timer’s Athletic Association Dinner Honors Several on Nov 11

The Late Richard Costello, a Navy Veteran, to be Honored With Street Sign

New Drug Treatment Building in Bridgeport Named After Sallyan and Steve Pelletier of Darien

Eagle Scout Project Creates ‘Insect Hotel’ at DCA Bird Sanctuary

Know a Darien Girl Whose Acts of Kindness Should Be Celebrated? Tell the Kirby Girl Store

Former Darien Selectman Charles Burwell’s Role in the D-Day Invasion

YWCA of Darien/Norwalk Announces Six Local ‘Women of Distinction’ for 2019

Meghan Halloran of Darien Named Regional College Association’s Women’s Ice Hockey Player of the Year

Darien High School Senior John Lochtefeld Wins DAR Good Citizen Award

Rachel Dewy of Darien Named Director of Youth Services Organization in Stamford

Jim Cameron Appointed to Merritt Parkway Conservancy Governing Board

Attorney George Reilly, Former Darien Elected Official, Joins Rucci Law Group

Events Calendar

By DARIENITE.COM | December 24, 2019

Darienites

By David Gurliacci | December 17, 2019

Darienites

By DARIENITE.COM | November 2, 2019

Community Organizations

By DARIENITE.COM | October 14, 2019

Darienites

By DARIENITE.COM | September 26, 2019

Darienites

By DARIENITE.COM | September 18, 2019

Darien Community Association

By DARIENITE.COM | September 13, 2019

Business

By DARIENITE.COM | June 7, 2019

Beyond Darien

By David Gurliacci | June 5, 2019

Community Organizations

By DARIENITE.COM | March 19, 2019

Darienites

By DARIENITE.COM | March 8, 2019

Community Organizations

By DARIENITE.COM | December 2, 2018

Community Organizations

By DARIENITE.COM | November 5, 2018

Darienites

By David Gurliacci | October 14, 2018

Business

By DARIENITE.COM | September 1, 2018

Rose Parade Float mayflower descendants Carol Wilder-Tamme

If you watch the Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1, you’ll see a replica of the Mayflower, a float from the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, and Carol Wilder-Tamme of Darien will be on it. The “The Voyage of Hope~1620” float in the Pasadena, California parade will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower. “I’ve been selected to be a 17th century attired Mayflower passenger on the float,” Wilder-Tamme said. She sent in an eight-page application, which was accepted by the organizers.

Marc Thorne, who just ended his term as a member of the Board of Selectmen, passed away Monday morning, a day after suffering a severe stroke. His obituary: Marc Thorne, 81, Selectman, Volunteer, Brought ‘Enthusiasm, Kindness and a Gentle Spirit’ (Dec. 17)
“We are all still shocked at the news of Marc’s passing,” First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said. “There are certain people whose warm presence you can always count on and Marc and Barbara Thorne are two of those people. “They care so deeply for our community and each other and have been an inspiration and role model for so many.

The Monuments and Ceremonies Commission of Darien invites the public to a street sign unveiling to honor World War II and Korean War veteran Richard F. Costello at 12 noon on Sunday Nov. 3, 2019 at the corner of West Avenue and Moore Street. “People of all ages are welcome to celebrate our hometown wartime veteran and the Costello Family,” the commission said in a news release. “Consider a carpool, walk or ride to help with parking space.” “Darien is proud to honor the Costello family for their involvement in the town of Darien and for their service to country,” the Monuments and Ceremonies Commission said in an announcement.

Honorees at this year’s Darien Old Timers Athletic Association dinner on Monday, Nov. 11 are Jay Chandler, Bryan Lindner, John Miceli, Matthew Criscuolo, Lisa Lindsey, and David Ott. The dinner, which celebrates “excellence and character, not just for a day — but always,” the group’s announcement said, will take place Monday, Nov. 11 at 6:15 p.m. at The Water’s Edge at Giovanni’s, 2748 Post Road, Darien. From the announcement:

“The purpose of this very popular dinner is to recognize the accomplishments of Darien athletes, coaches, and other individuals who support the opportunity for athletics to be part of the educational and community experience in Darien.

The Darien Monuments and Ceremonies Commission is happy to announce that the late Richard F. Costello, longtime resident of Darien, has been recognized as the next recipient of Darien’s Wartime Veteran Street Sign honor. — an announcement from the Darien Monuments and Ceremonies Commission

Costello’s name will be added to an existing street sign in time for Veteran’s Day, 2019. A ceremony and street sign unveiling will be held starting at 12 noon on Sunday Nov. 3 on Moore Street at its the intersection with West Avenue. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

A new, state-of-the-art outpatient treatment center for people recovering from substance abuse and mental health problems will be named after a Darien couple who volunteered and contributed to get it built.

Liberation Programs, in recognition of their contributions to the recovery community, is naming the new Pelletier Wellness Center in Bridgeport for Darienites Sallyan and Steve Pelletier at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 19. “The 11,000-square-foot center will increase access to treatment and support at a time when it is urgently needed, providing expanded and enhanced services and treatment for substance use and mental health disorders under one roof,” the drug-treatment organization said in a news release. “The Pelletier Wellness Center is a state-of-the art outpatient treatment center providing medication-assisted recovery, individual and family therapeutic counseling and support services to people seeking treatment for substance use and mental health disorders in Fairfield County,” the news release said. Nearly all — 98 percent — of Liberation Programs’ 750 clients in Bridgeport participate in medication-assisted recovery related to opioids, according to the organization.

A Darien Troop 53 Scout, Maximus Racanelli, completed his Eagle Scout service project in August at the Darien Community Association Bird Sanctuary. Racanelli led his team to construct two insect hotels which provide a home for various insects such as bees, beetles, fireflies, ladybugs, dragonflies, and butterflies. — an announcement from the Darien Community Association

These various bugs help to pollinate the flowers, plants, and trees in the sanctuary. Insect hotels are natural structures that are helpful to the environment because not only do they provide homes for insects, but they provide food for species higher up the food chain including birds and small rodents, creating a stable base in the ecosystem. Each insect hotel was assembled using seven wooden pallets to create the frame and filling in each layer with various materials such as bamboo filled with hollow plant stems, straw, pieces of terra cotta pots, and seed pods for different insect species to live in.

Kirby Girl, a Darien based teen gift boutique, is starting a campaign called, “Kirby Girl of the Week,” celebrating girls of the Darien community for their acts of kindness. — an announcement from Kirby Girl. Darienite.com covers Darien businesses with significant new offerings, significant personnel changes or other big changes in their organizations. Businesses can email announcements to Dave@Darienite.com. People in the local community can now nominate candidates each week.

Charles Burwell, a former Darien resident, teacher and selectman who passed away on Feb. 26, 2016 was a 26-year-old naval intelligence officer on June 4, 1944. His assignment: briefing Generals Dwight Eisenhower and Bernard L. Montgomery on exactly which day the weather would be calm enough for D-Day while the moon was still bright. Editor’s note: On the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy in World War II, Darienite.com is putting the link to this article, originally published on March 1, 2016 back on the Home page and in the June 6 newsletter. In addition to being on the Darien Board of Selectmen, Burwell was a social studies teacher at Darien High School until his retirement in 1978.

The YWCA Darien/Norwalk is pleased to announce the honorees for the 2019 Women of Distinction Awards. The honorees who will be recognized at an inspiring luncheon on Thursday, May 9 at Woodway Country Club in Darien. — an announcement from the YWCA Darien/Norwalk

Our inspiring nominees are: Tracy Fox, Debra Hertz, Heather Raker, Shiva Sarram and Katherine Price Snedaker, while Morgan Riley will be honored as our Young Woman of Distinction, recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of a woman under 21 years of age. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the YWCA Darien/Norwalk Women of Distinction Awards. The award is bestowed in recognition of the outstanding achievements of a select group of women.

Meghan Halloran of Darien, a sophomore at Williams College, has been named the New England Small College Athletic Conference Women’s Ice Hockey Player of the Year for 2018-19. She is a graduate of New Canaan Country School, which made this announcement congratulating Halloran on her success:

New Canaan Country School is pleased to congratulate alumna and Williams College sophomore, Meghan Halloran, who was named the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Women’s Ice Hockey Player of the Year for the 2018-19 season —only the third sophomore to receive the distinction in the history of the award. It was also announced that Halloran has been named to the 2019 NESCAC Winter All-Academic Team, having earned above a 3.50 cumulative grade point average. Halloran helped the Ephs claim the 2019 NESCAC Championship (notably scoring the game-winning goal in Sunday’s final) and earn a record-tying 20 wins for the season, the most since 2001. Also an All-NESCAC Women’s Ice Hockey First Team selection, she leads the league in points (36), goals (18), and assists (18).

John Lochtefeld, son of Nancy and Tom Lochtefeld, is the recipient of the 2018-2019 Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award. An annual presentation of Darien’s Good Wife’s River DAR Chapter, this award is given to a Darien High School senior who best exemplifies the qualities of patriotism, citizenship, dependability and service to community. — an announcement from the Good Wife’s River DAR Chapter

John was selected to receive this award by the faculty and senior class at Darien High School. He will receive his award, pin and certificate from DAR Good Citizen Chairman, Kim Kiner, and Regent, Katherine Love, during the group’s holiday celebration hosted by Winifred and Tom Lom. A leader among his peers at Darien High School, John is a member of the Community Council where he serves as Vice President of the student body and is also a member of the Best Buddies Program which fosters relationships between students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the student body.

Facebook thumbnail Rachel Dewy executive director of Future 5

Longtime Darien resident Rachel Dewey is the new executive director at Future 5, a Stamford-based organization that helps connect highly motivated low-income high school students to their full potential. — an announcement from Future 5

Rachel was most recently executive director at Horizons at Norwalk Community College, a summer academic and enrichment program for low-income students in Norwalk. In addition to her development and financial responsibilities at Horizons, Rachel also managed the staff of 30, developed and implemented expanded programming and transitioned the program to an independent 501(c)(3) organization. A graduate of Georgetown University, Rachel received her MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. She is a former board member and Board of Governors member of Horizons at New Canaan Country School and current board member and events chair of the Georgetown University Fairfield County Alumni Association.

The Merritt Parkway Conservancy has named Jim Cameron of Darien as one of two new members of its governing board. The organization has also appointed a new executive director. Cameron, a Darien resident and longtime commuter advocate, authors a weekly column on transportation issues for Darienite and Hearst CT Media newspapers and websites. — an announcement from the Merritt Parkway Conservancy

“I’m grateful to First Selectman Jayme Stevenson for my nomination to the Merritt Parkway Conservancy’s Board,” Cameron said in an announcement on Saturday. “Though my passion to date has been for rail commuters I’m anxious to contribute what I can to the MPC’s efforts to preserve this amazing parkway from encroaching development. “Connecticut was so prescient in this road’s design and we must do what we can to keep it as the beautiful roadway that it is,” he said.

George A. Reilly, an attorney who has been active in town government and in local organizations for decades, has joined Rucci Law Group in Darien. ____________

— This article is based on an announcement from Rucci Law Group. ____________

Reilly, who has more than 30 years of legal experience in Fairfield County, will serve as a general practitioner, working in family law, real estate, estate planning and administration, and corporate development. He has been a long-time volunteer in local government, spending two years (1999-2001) on the Darien Board of Selectmen, 11 years as a member of Darien’s Board of Education, chairing the Police Headquarters Building Committee and serving on the Darien Charter Revision Commission. “We are delighted to welcome George to the practice,” said Joe Rucci, founding member of the firm.

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