June-July - Tourtellotte Memorial High School Alumni Association

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Tourtellotte Memorial High School Alumni Association Newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 4
June /July 2012
Memorial Room Inventory to be
Appraised by Skinners
Banquet and Hall of Fame Set for
June 16, 2012
The Tourtellotte Memorial High School Banquet is set for June 16th at the Thompson Speedway.
The day will begin with the 2012 Hall of Fame inductions to be held at TMHS Auditorium at 2:00 p.m.
TMHSAA will be accepting requests for tickets until
June 7th. If you need a ticket, contact us at [email protected]
Memorial Room Inventory Available
On-Line
Skinners Auctioneers and Appraisers of Marlboro,
MA, will conduct a formal appraisal of the Memorial Room
art work, statues and artifacts. “This will be the first time in
20 years that we will have experts looking at the Memorial
Room contents,” states Joe Lindley, Memorial Room Curator. Over the past year, TMHSAA associate member, Lis
Burton has spent countless hours researching the artwork,
making a detailed appraisal possible. Burton was also instrumental in installing the archival program, Past Perfect.
This program allows the TMHSAA to upload the Memorial
Room contents to a server, allowing researchers and
members to view the inventory on-line. “We are excited
about the Skinners appraisal. It’ll help us to finally understand the value of the collection and what we have in the
museum. Over the past four years we have had a dozen
experts come to advise us on the collection and most
agreed that having it appraised would be a great first step,”
states Lindley. Proceeds from the Tourtellotte Trust will be
used for the appraisal.
A complete inventory of the contents was developed in 2009 and then refined, mostly by Lis Burton, over
the past three years. The Appraisal is scheduled for this
summer. Anyone wishing to see the Memorial Room may
contact us at [email protected] to set up a time and
date.
TMHSAA Summer Schedule Set
Above: The Memorial Room Collection screen found at
the Thompson Historical Society web site. The Past
Perfect project is being conducted in conjunction with
the Thompson Historical Society. The project will be
ongoing as we refine the inventory and increase our
understanding of the collection. Found at:
http://www.thompsonhistorical.org/Collections.htm
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The TMHSAA will be taking a break during the
summer months… well sort of. While we will not be conducting monthly meetings in July and August, the TMHSAA
will be hard at work with several projects. They include, the
Skinner’s appraisal (see above), continued work on the
Past Perfect program, updating the TMHSAA archives,
cycling out paintings for restoration and cleaning the art
work in the Tourtellotte Memorial Room. Anyone interested
in these or other projects, please contact us at [email protected].
1- Summer Schedule Set
2 - Earl Tourtellotte ‘74
2 - Integrity Plus hits 10 Years
3 - Henry Beaulac
4 - Pictures from the Past
5 - Bill Mayo
6 - Hall of Fame Pictures
Left: The 1927
TMHS graduates
including 2012 Hall
of Fame inductee
Dan Chubbuck
(middle row second
from left), and town
historian Alice
Ramsdell (we think
Alice is far right,
front row).
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continued on page 2
Ashley Gendreau 2012 Named ECC
All-Star
RAF Pilot’s Name Added to Wall of
Honor
Above: The 2012 Eastern Connecticut Conference Softball Allstars. Tourtellotte’s Ashley Gendreau is third from the left in the
back row. Ashley was selected mainly because of her performance on the mound.
TMHS’ Ashley Gendreau, shown above in the
back row, third from the left, was recently named Eastern
Connecticut Conference Softball All-Star. Ashley, one of
the school’s most avid softball players, had a .377 batting
average, .465 on-base percentage, .705 slugging percentage and a .932 fielding percentage.
Ashley pitched 69 innings this year and had 92
K’s. Besides pitching, she also plays first base, short stop
and third base. She also plays basketball and soccer for
the Tigers. She will continue to play softball for the Central Mass Invaders 16U softball team coached by William
Rahall.
Ashley’s classmates Ed Kopacz and Devin Marquis also made news this year on the baseball diamond;
Kopacz hitting a homerun and Marquis hitting a triple at
Dodd Stadium. Kopacz is an All-State basketball player.
He scored more than 1,400 points during his time as a
Tiger.
TMHS Integrity Plus Hits 10 Year Mark
TMHS awarded several very special students during the tenth annual Integrity Plus ceremony. Started by
Vice Principal Dan Pisaturo, the Integrity Plus Award is
awarded to students selected by high school teachers as
showing exceptional integrity during their time at TMHS.
This year ten students received the award. They include:
Ty Anderson nominated by Cindy Ouilette, Nicole Dion
nominated by Wendy Fusco, Kathleen Errichetti nominated by Marsha Sokoloski, Natalia Gil nominated by Donna
Shaw, Julie Kopacz nominated by Deb Spinelli, Cory
Newcomb nominated by Amber Daigle, Colyn Petre nominated by Trish Tupaj, Miranda Skaradowski nominated by
Kate Anderson, Ryan Strange nominated by Dan Teneyck, and Briana Wrubleski nominated by Guy Daigle.
A plaque with the names of the receipients will be
placed in the foyer of the Tourtellotte Memorial High
School. Congratulations to all the new Integrity Plus
Award winners!
Over the past year we have run a number of
stories about the exploits of Andy Mamedoff, who attended TMHS in the late 1930’s. Recently, Alex Kershaw, author of The Few, gave the students of TMHS a
presentation on Mamedoff’s life as a fighter pilot in the
Royal Air Force. Andy was the first American Flight
Leader in the RAF and was one of “the few” Americans
who fought in
the Battle of
Britain.
One
of our members asked us
if
Andy’s
name
was
ever added to
the
WWII
Wall of Honor
located in the
foyer of the
1909 TMHS
building, and
we were happy to report that in fact, it was. There are
178 names on the Wall of Honor listing all the TMHS
men and women who joined the service during WWII. If
you have a story about one of these Tigers, send it to
[email protected]
Tourtellotte Visits Memorial Room
Over the past several years we have had a
number of Tourtellotte family members visit Tourtellotte
Memorial High School and the Tourtellotte Memorial
Room. Francine Tourtellotte Blair, daughter of Earl
Tourtellotte, class of 1974, was our most recent guest.
Francine and her husband were given a tour of
the 1909 Tourtellotte building and Memorial Room and
were able to visit Earl’s old classrooms. Francine also
heard a number of stories about her dad’s high school
days from classmate Joe Lindley ‘74. “Earl was a great
guy. I was saddened to hear that Earl passed away, but
was very happy to meet
his daughter and tell her
a little about her family,”
states Lindley. Francine’s
family are distant cousins
to Dr. Jacob Francis
Tourtellotte.
Over the years
there were a number of
Tourtellotte’s who attended TMHS; all were related to Dr. Tourtellotte.
Anyone wishing
to visit the Memorial
Room can do so by contacting us at [email protected].
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Henry Beaulac to Receive Honorary Diploma
Henry Beaulac, originally from the class of 1944, will receive his long-overdue TMHS diploma
during the 2012 commencement exercises to be held on June 14th at 6:00 p.m. Beaulac joined the
service in 1944 and servied during WWII in the U.S. Army Air Corp. After the war he became a radar
controller at Otis Air Force Base, located on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Henry is credited with saving the lives of two Massachusetts men who crashed their plane into the Atlantic off the coast of
Martha’s Vineyard, by quickly directing rescue personnel to their downed aircraft. The U.S. Coast
Guard immediately sent helicopters and were able to save the two men who would not have survived long in the cold Atlantic waters. Henry was awarded a civilian award for his quick thinking and
efforts.
The honorary degree program is one of the several important projects started by the TMHSAA. The mission of the project is to award all TMHS WWII veterans who left school or were drafted
to fight in WWII. One hundred and seventy eight TMHS students, men and women, enlisted during
the war. Many made the ultimate sacrifice. Their names are listed in the front foyer of the 1909
TMHS building.
Once all the WWII veterans have their diplomas, the TMHSAA plans on continuing the program with the Korean War veterans. If anyone has friends or relatives that were unable to graduate
due to enlisting or being drafted, please contact us at [email protected].
Above-left: The newspaper article describing
the 1981 Martha’s Vineyard plane crash.
Henry Beaulac, while a radar controller at
Otis Air Force Base, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, quickly guided civilian and Coast
Guard aircraft to the area resulting in the
rescue of the pilot and his passenger. Aboveright: Beaulac in his USAA uniform circa
1944. Beaulac, like many TMHS students, left
school early to join the armed forces during
WWII. Left: Beaulac receiving an award for
his role in the Martha’s Vineyard rescue.
Photos compliments of Jayne (Beaulac) Sullivan - Henry’s daughter.
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Photos From The Past
Above-left: The 1931-1932 girls’ basketball team. Compliments of Sally White. Does anyone know the name of the players and
coach? Above-right: The1944 boys’ basketball team. Henry Beaulac is standing in the first row right. Compliments of Jayne Beaulac
Sullivan.
Above: The 1951 TMHS cheerleading squad. Back row: Patricia Lachapelle ‘53, Millicent Bates ‘51, Norma O’Leary ‘51, Barbara
Godzik ‘52. Front row: Gladys Krigsman ‘52, Mary Tequis ‘52, Millie Hrabos ‘51. Gladys Tucker’s mom made the uniforms. Aboveright: A picture of the Tourtellotte mansion in Minneapolis, MN. We found this picture in the book Once There Were Castles: Lost
Mansions and Estates of the Twin Cities by Larry Millett, and were drawn to the book because it noted that one of the Tourtellotte girls
died by ingesting a hot dog. We thought we finally had confirmation to this long-standing story only to find that the author of the book
used a story we ran in the Hilltopper in 2009 as his source… so the search continues.
Left: Gladys Krigsman Tucker ‘52, recently completed a
major project reorganizing
Mrs. Tourtellotte’s postcard
collection. All the cards are
now in acid-free sleeves that
will protect them for another
100 years. The project was
necessary because the original book’s pages were rapidly disintegrating, jeopardizing the cards. The books are
stored in the TMHSAA archive’s room. Great job
Gladys!
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Bill Mayo - WWII Tank Commander
D-Day + 1 Omaha Beach
Submitted by Lou and Mary Alongi
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA—William E. Mayo, 94 died
Wednesday April 4, 2012 at home following a brief illness.
Bill and his wife Sophie celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in January 2012 near Yosemite NP with family. Bill
celebrated his 94th birthday at home with family on February
26, 2012.
Born February 26, 1918 in Worcester, MA, Bill was
the 3rd of 10 children of the late Adelard and Marguerite
(Senior) Mayo. His family moved to Grosvenordale when Bill
was 6 months old. His father became a master mechanic in
the textile mill. Bill was a 6’ athlete who played football and
continued to play golf until he was 92. He was a member of
the class of 1936, Tourtellotte Memorial High School, North
Grosvenordale, CT. He dropped out of school in his sophomore year during the depression years to go to work to help
his large family of 8 boys and 2 girls. With the assistance of
Joe Lindley, President of TMHS Alumni Association, he was
awarded his TMHS diploma dated 1936 at age 92 in graduation ceremonies. His sister Mary (Mayo) Alongi accepted
the diploma for him.
In September 1940, Congress passed the BurkeWadsworth Act to initiate a military draft, the first peacetime
draft in American history. Bill was the first man drafted in the
Town of Thompson. He was ordered to report for induction
in early 1941. He was sent to train in Georgia. Sophie went
to Ft. Benning to marry Bill. On January 26, 1942, Bill married his Webster, MA girlfriend, Sophie Joanne Dziurgot in a
simple Catholic Service at the base chapel, Ft. Benning, GA.
When he shipped out, Sophie returned home.
Bill was assigned to the US 2nd Armored Division.
His tank group shipped to Africa, then England and on June
7, 1944, the Normandy invasion. Finally, his tank corps battled in France, Belgium and Germany. When the war in Europe was over, Bill was a Tech Sergeant, looking forward to
going home.
Bill worked for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft and studied
metallurgy at Trinity College in Hartford. Bill and Sophie
possessed an adventurous and entrepreneurial spirit. Bill
made his way to CA after the war and started a business.
Their son David was born in Hartford, CT on October 21,
1949. Bill drove from Long Beach, CA to Manchester, CT to
pick up his wife and newborn son and they returned together
to CA. His second son Bruce was born in CA in 1952.
Harold went in the US Navy, Ken joined the Army
Air Force, and Bernie went in the US Navy. Four Mayo
brothers served in WWII at the same time. During the Korean Conflict, John was in the US Army and Mary joined the
USAF. Six Mayo children served their country. The desire
to be a business owner was strong; Bill started Hondo Specialties in CA with a partner. The business became quite
successful. He also was the longtime entertainment chairman for the Tool and Die Association. He delighted in arranging all the golf outings and tournaments for the group.
Bill became a very good golfer with an 8 handicap. Bill continued playing golf until he was 92. Bill and Sophie travelled
extensively with family and friends.
He is survived by Sophie, his wife of 70 years, his two
sons David Mayo, Dana Pointe, CA and Bruce Mayo,
Mission Viejo, CA; 9 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, his brother Ken Mayo in Sarasota, FL, Bernie
Mayo in Putnam, CT, his sisters Claire (Mayo) Cicillini
in Dayville, CT and Mary (Mayo) Alongi in Southbury,
CT.
Private memorial services were held Saturday
September 21, 2012 for Bill Mayo in the Mission Viejo
Country Club, CA.
Right: Bill Mayo
TMHS Class of
1936. Bill was
awarded an honorary degree at
the age of 92. Bill,
a WWII combat
veteran, was a
successful business owner and
was an avid golfer. Below: Bill
Mayo (left) with
brother Ken
(right) during
WWII. Bill served
in the U.S. Army
and brother Ken
in the U.S. Army
Air Corp. Ken was
missing in action.
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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Initial membership due at time of application, yearly renewals
due January 1st of each year
Regular Membership………. $15.00
Senior Citizens (65 and older)………. $5.00
Graduating Class………. Free
2012 Hall of Famers
Pictures for the 2012 HOF induction ceremony. To be held on June
16th at 2:00 p.m. at the TMHS
Auditorium
in
North
Grosvenordale, CT. The event is
open to the public and is free of
charge. Top row (L-R):
Miss
Gahagen, ‘87 boys basketball,
Dan Chubbuck ‘27. Second row
‘65 cross-country, ‘74 boys’ soccer. Third row down: Marie Spinelli, Dan Chubbuck, Glen Senecal ‘75. Bottom row Alan Chandler
‘65, 1927 undefeated boys basketball season.
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2012 Hall of Famers (Continued)
Clockwise: Walter
Modliszewski with Ted
Fatsi circa 1943,
Coach Tom Auclair
circa 1975, Marie Spinelli (UCONN Soccer),
1987 boys’ basketball,
Miss Gahagan’s field
hockey team circa
1938, 1987 boys’ basketball, Ray Bates with
his new wife in Paris
France circa 1945,
1987 boys’ basketball
(middle).
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Tourtellotte Memorial High School Alumni Office
PO Box 437
North Grosvenordale, CT 06255
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
PLEASE SEND US YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO:
[email protected]
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