The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, presented its Laurel Award to New Canaan residents Rose-Scott Long and her husband Carl Rothbart at the annual meeting of the PSNC at “Rosecliff,” a PSNC property in Newport, R.I.

The award was “In recognition of your superb efforts in architectural planning and project management for numerous Preservation Society properties.”

Both are preservation architects and work for WASA/Studio A of in New York and New Canaan and have been working for the PSNC on a number of their mansions including “The Breakers” for over 13 years. Rothbart also recently received an award from the New York State Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for the restoration of Sheldon Hall at SUNY Oswego. Ms. Long is the President of the New Canaan Preservation Alliance.

Curt Genga, PSNC Director of Properties, left, Rose-Scott Long, WASA/Studio A and President NCPA, Carl Rothbart, WASA/Studio A, Bill Wilson, PSNC Board of Trustees.

The New Canaan High School Class of 1949 had their 65th reunion luncheon at Oak Hills Restaurant on the Green at the Oak Hills Golf Club in Norwalk back in September.

The class had its 10th, 20th and 25th reunions and continued having them every five years. Since their 40th, the Class of ’49 has had a “mini reunions.” They have been held every year with full gatherings on the years ending in 4 and 9.

There were 74 students who graduated in 1949. There are now 35 recorded on the mailing list. Ten of whom were unable to be there responded with updated information. Those who attended were: From Florida: Class president George Batterson, Nancy Specht DeForest and Ron Petronella. From Wilton: David Borglum, Tony Boccarossa, Dorothy Dixon Sullivan and June Fitch Henczel. Jane Gregory Kelley from Southbury, Walton (Doc) Schlechweg from Middletown, Cicely Shellhase Christian from Stamford and Fiz Malizia Tomaselli from New Canaan. Also attending was Tom Thompson of Darien who was a classmate and transferred before his senior year. Spouses and friends of a few of the classmates attended.

Some of those attending also attended the Old Timers gathering at Waveny House in September and some were able to be at the New Canaan High School Hall of Fame Dinner at the Italian Center in Stamford. Among the 10 honorees was Hal Kenney, the headmaster who started at New Canaan High School when this Class of ’49 entered high school.

The members of the Reunion Committee are: Tony Boccarossa, David Borglum, Dorothy Dixon Sullivan, June Fitch Henczel, Fiz Malizia Tomaselli and Eileen Nagot Apy.

The New Canaan High School Class of 1949 gathered for a group photo at its 65-year reunion, held in September 2014.

Leathernecks of Connecticut celebrated the U.S. Marine Corps’ 239th birthday on Monday, Nov. 10, at Giovanni’s Restaurant in Darien. In keeping with Marine Corps tradition, Col. Mike Di Scipio used his Mameluke sword to cut and serve the first pieces of birthday cake to John Geas and Sgt. Jonathan Edmunds, the oldest and youngest Marines at the luncheon.

Taking part in the ceremony are Jim Newton of Wilton, left, Tom Kealy of Darien, Ben Benson of Greenwich, Sgt. Jonathan Edmunds, a recruiter based in Stamford, Colonel Mike Di Scipio of New Canaan, John Geas of Stamford, Jim Grabinski of Trumbull and Michael McDonagh of New Canaan. Proceeds of the event go to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, a non-profit organization that grants education tuition to Marines and dependents of Marines on the basis of merit and need.

Jim Newton of Wilton, left, Tom Kealy of Darien, Ben Benson of Greenwich, Sgt. Jonathan Edmunds, a recruiter based in Stamford, Colonel Mike Di Scipio of New Canaan, John Geas of Stamford, Jim Grabinski of Trumbull and Michael McDonagh of New Canaan at the 239th birthday celebration of the U.S. Marine Corps at Giovanni’s in Darien on Monday, Nov. 10.

Steve Ackley’s award-winning pork butt shown as it would be presented to judges for ‘appearance’ scoring.

When Steve Ackley fires up the grill for some barbecue, he doesn’t mess around, as any night owl neighbors are likely well aware.

If the wind blows just right, they may catch a whiff of Ackley’s succulent ribs or chicken … at 1 a.m. The sweet scent of pulled pork might waft by at 3 a.m. His mouth-watering brisket? Open the window anytime.

“My brisket takes 11 hours to cook,” said Ackley matter-of-factly. “Low and slow, that’s the key.”

At this point, you should know something—‘Ack’ is no ordinary backyard BBQ Joe. He’s the Connecticut barbecue champion, and recently returned from competing at the Jack Daniel’s 2014 World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, Tenn., where he finished 33rd out of 92 national and international teams. The event is considered the Super Bowl of BBQ competitions.

Steve Ackley’s barbecue trailer contains everything needed, including smoking cookers in back, for when he travels overnight.

Ackley­—who with his award-winning artist wife, Pam, has lived in New Canaan for 22 years­—won the Grand Champion title at the Hudson Valley Ribfest last August, topping a field of 60 professionals and qualifying his Ack-Que ‘team,’ which is really him doing all the prep work and cooking, and whoever might be along to help, for the ‘Jack.’ He also received an invitation to the American Royal World Series Invitational Competition in Kansas City in 2015.

Pretty heady stuff for a guy who 10 years ago took a barbecue course just for fun.

“It turned out to be about competition BBQ,” he said. “I started cooking just for my own enjoyment. Then someone said to give competition a shot. I did, and in my first contest won 8th place for pork. That started the addiction.”

And it’s an expensive one at that.

“It’s a bottomless pit,” Ackley, 60, an oil broker by trade, admitted. “Cookers are $2,000 apiece, the meat is $350 for each competition and the entry fee is usually $250.”

Not to mention the two refrigerators and two freezers he bought, filled with meat and keeps in his garage. “And I need a bigger freezer,” he said, chuckling.

Of course, cooking well when it counts helps. Winning Hudson Valley meant a $2,200 payday, and his ribs taking fourth place in an Atlantic City competition earned him $650.

Practice for a pro BBQ’er means, no surprise, barbecuing, and that equates to hours and hours of cooking, monitoring and testing.

Ackley’s BBQ laboratory is a green trailer parked in his driveway. Step inside and you first see two Murphy beds, one above the other, against a wall, the undersides of which serve as boards to write on, as Ackley keeps notes as cooks progress.

New Canaan barbecue professional Steve Ackley preparing meats at the Jack Daniel’s 2014 World Championship, in Lynchburg, Tenn.

On the other side, drawers and cabinets for supplies anchor a long, flat surface used to prepare meats. The end of the trailer has room for several cookers to operate simultaneously, whether practicing or at a competition.

“First the meat is all prepared,” he said. “Everything but brisket has to be sweet. I would never sauce ribs for myself, but if you don’t sauce ribs in competition, you’ll lose.

“At 9:30 p.m. I’ll start the smokers. Pork butt goes in at 11. I’ll be up at 5 a.m. to check it. Other meats will go in the other smokers too. When the pork’s ready I’ll cut the ‘money muscle,’ which is the most tender and sweetest part. That’s what the judges would get.”

In competition, taste and tenderness each account for about 40% of the overall score, with appearance accounting for the rest. Each competitor provides six pieces each of chicken (always dark meat, because it’s the moistest), ribs, pork butt and brisket to the judges, who through double blinds and overlapping labels have no idea who cooked what.

In the judging tent, the CBJs (Certified Barbecue Judges), who have completed courses in the art of judging barbecue, first look at and grade the presentation. They then will take one bite each of 24 samples in all, scoring from a low of two to a high of nine.

“There’s an element of luck that you can’t get around,” said Ackley. “Each judge is basically a table, and there are what we competitors consider ‘tables of death’ for tough scorers and ‘tables of angels’ for easier scorers.

“You usually have an idea how good your stuff is. When I won Hudson Valley, I knew it was the best I ever cooked.”

What happens to all that great leftover barbecue at a competition?

“Judges get to take it home,” noted Ackley. “It’s one of the perks. We can’t give food to spectators. The health departments don’t allow it.”

Competition barbecue is different than restaurant barbecue, according to Ackley. “Meat should never come off the bone when you cook ribs for competition. If it does, they’re overcooked. You’re supposed to be able to leave teeth marks in ribs. Anybody can overcook ribs. Cooking them right is what you get rewarded for.”

The Ackleys have a son, Peter, 33, who sometimes helps his dad cook, but lives elsewhere. That leaves all the great BBQ for Steve and Pam to enjoy, right?

Not quite.

“Pam doesn’t eat red meat,” laments Steve. “So most of what I cook goes to people at the art guilds she frequents. For Christmas last year my son and his wife gave me half a hog. Pam was livid. It was cut right down the middle. I put it on a table and cut loins and hams. A farmer helped me do it.

“I was very happy with it. But it caused some problems here. I have tons of pork left. What am I gonna do, cook a pork roast just for me?”

The Ackleys love living in New Canaan. They moved here from New York City, not knowing anything about the area.

“We knew people in Darien so we looked there, but couldn’t find anything we liked,” Ackley said. “We were driving the realtor mad. Then she said, ‘Let’s look in New Canaan,’ and that’s worked out great.”

While Ackley is now an elite barbecue chef, he’s always enjoyed cooking.

“My mom was a real good cook,” he said. “She taught me everything. I was baking at eight or nine years old. When Pam and me got married, she couldn’t even boil water, but she wanted to cook. There were some contentious early days. But now she’s a much better cook than I am.”

Well, inside maybe.

Ballet Etudes Company announced the return of their time honored production of The Nutcracker to the Westport Country Playhouse. Tickets are on sale now for BEC’s full-length performance on Saturdays, December 6 & 13, and Sunday, December 7, with show times of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. There will be an accompanying Nutcracker boutique in the lobby, offering a range of related memorabilia for fans of all ages.

This year’s performance of The Nutcracker includes a cast of over 90 dancers — all of whom are members of the Ballet Etudes Company or students at The Studio Ballet School, with the exception of special artists. Visiting guests dancing the principal roles include Georgina Pazcoguin, Adrian Danchig-Waring and Charles Askegard of New York City Ballet and Sterling Baca of American Ballet Theatre. Mr. Baca returns to the Ballet Etudes production as the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cavalier, after having danced the role of the young Prince as a 15-year old student from New York’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onansis School.

“We aspire for our Nutcracker to be exceptional — to truly capture the beauty of both ballet and the season. Ballet Etudes Company is proud to bring local students and professionals back to the Westport Country Playhouse to celebrate this holiday tradition,” said Nanette Vallas, Director, Ballet Etudes Company & The Studio Ballet School.

Tickets for The Nutcracker ($40 for adults/$20 for children 15 & under) can be purchased through the Westport Country Playhouse’s box office at 203-227-4177 or ordered online at WestportPlayhouse.org.

New Canaan dancers in Westport’s ‘Nutcracker’ include Claire Batchelor, left, and Taylor DeVito. (Beth Shepherd Peter photo)

The Congregational Church of New Canaan has had a long emphasis on outreach. The yearly budget designates a percentage to helping those beyond their walls and their member volunteers take very seriously the call to service. This call to serve is embodied in church member Linda Twombly.

The church is extremely grateful to have had her at the helm of a partnership with Pacific House Shelter for the Homeless in Stamford for close to 20 years. When she steps down from her role in December, Linda and a ministry team of about 60 volunteers will have cooked and served a warm homemade meal to nearly 6,500 homeless men of Pacific House.

The church will continue its important work at Pacific House, with Linda in an advisory role, and anyone wishing to participate is welcome. In its efforts to feed the hungry in our midst, the church also partners with The Norwalk Emergency Shelter, Meals on Wheels, and The New Canaan Food Pantry. The pantry, which serves our literal neighbors, has continued to expand the numbers served and will require more donations to fill that need. Items urgently requested now are canned fruit, oatmeal, canned veggies, pasta sauce, powdered milk, kids’ snacks, crackers, shampoo, and deodorant.

Donations may be brought to Smith Hall at The Congregational Church of New Canaan, 23 Park Street, for delivery or directly to the pantry. For more information contact Marianna Kilbride, director of missions and outreach at 203-966-2651 or marianna@godsacre.org.

Longtime New Canaan Planning & Zoning Chairman Laszlo Papp is stepping down as chairman of the commission he has led for 12 years and served on for 24.

Papp, an architect, sent a letter to his fellow members announcing his decision this week. Born in Hungary in 1929, he immigrated to the United States after being involved in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

Papp purchased a cottage in New Canaan in the late 1950s, which he expanded and renovated.

“As an architect, having been both applicant and regulator, I learned that the only way to achieve good result if the individuals and the community work together in harmony,” Papp wrote. “I am sure this will continue to be the guiding principle for the Commission in the future.”

He ran Laszlo Papp & Associates in White Plains, which did designs for residential, commercial and other buildings.

Papp served as president of the New York State Association of Architects, regional director of the American Institute of Architects, and has been active in several other organizations. In 1981, Papp was awarded membership in the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects.

Planning & Zoning Commission Chairman Laszlo Papp, left, presides over a September 2014 P&Z meeting, with commission member Elizabeth DeLuca to the right. (Aaron Marsh photo)

Here is Papp’s complete letter to the Commission, which he shared with the Advertiser on Thursday night, Nov. 20:

MEMO TO: Members of P&Z Commission, My Friends:

Thank you for the confidence trusting me to lead the Commission during the last 12 years. When Judy Neville asked me to take up this job I did not expect it to last this long. But it was a very rewarding experience with many important issues being tackled and resolved. Now it is time for a change.

You all know, that I had another 12 years on this Commission before, also served on the Inland Wetland Commission as a charter member, on the Town Council, and now also on the Historical Review Committee.  It was a privilege to serve our beloved town and its citizens.

As an architect, having been both applicant and regulator, I learned that the only way to achieve good result if the individuals and the community work together in harmony. I am sure this will continue to be the guiding principle for the Commission in the future.

You will agree, that this town is a beautiful oasis in a very turbulent world. To a large extent it rests on this Commission’s shoulders to keep it that way. This Commission is not a bureaucratic authority, but a group of neighbors who assure preservation all that is worthy, and who guide orderly development.

Thank you all for your help and support. I also thank Steve for his continued good work. Please support and help my successor to maintain the best public Commission for the benefit of the entire community.

Laszlo

New Canaan native Allison Williams. (Jason McDonald photo)

There will be something sweetly poetic about Allison Williams playing her beloved Peter Pan live before millions of adoring American eyes. As the kids of a nation watch enraptured, they won’t know that the beautiful actress flying across the stage considers herself blessed to have enjoyed a fairy-tale-like childhood growing up in New Canaan.

“It was the definition of a happy place,” said the willowy Williams, 26, who now splits her time between Los Angeles and New York City. “I still feel very connected to New Canaan. I was always comfortable there no matter what age I was. It never felt dangerous in any way. Everyone in New Canaan looks after each other.”

Best known for playing Marnie in the HBO television series “Girls,” Williams has spent the last few months training for Peter Pan, a live-action event being broadcast Thursday, Dec. 4, on NBC at 8 p.m. Co-starring Christopher Walken as Captain Hook, the one-night-only affair is both exciting and a bit nerve-wracking for Williams.

Shortly after NBC announced that Allison Williams would play Peter Pan this fall, the New Canaan native posted this photo of herself as Peter Pan when she was a kid.

“I have wanted to play Peter Pan since I was about three years old, so it’s a dream come true,” she told the Advertiser. “It’s such an honor to be a part of this adventure, and I’m very excited to work with an extraordinarily talented team. And besides, what could go wrong in a live televised production with simultaneous flying, sword fighting and singing?”

Last year’s NBC one-off December show, “The Sound of Music,” was seen live by close to 20 million viewers, a huge number in these DVR-everything days. Williams has been training, practicing and rehearsing practically non-stop. Of course the flying was new to her, and took some adjusting to.

“We’ve been rehearsing all day and through the night as well,” she said. “The people in charge have it down to a science. Do this, do that. Three times a week I practice flying. It’s hard. To compensate for the wires you have to arch your back. And it’s important to build up your core muscles.

“After awhile you get good in practice. It’s really fun. The minute you go up you experience the glee you would if you were really flying.”

Williams will begin shooting the fifth season of “Girls” soon. She won’t miss the grinding schedule of preparing for Peter Pan.

Allison Williams will star as Peter Pan opposite Christopher Walken as Captain Hook in NBC’s live-action performance of the tale about a boy who doesn’t want to grow up. (Nino Muñoz/NBC photo)

“For months each day it’s been get up, do an interview, then rehearse from 10 to 6,” she said. “Sword fighting, singing, choreography. Then physical therapy, then dinner and a shower and do it all over again the next day.”

The daughter of long-time New Canaanites Jane and Brian Williams, she the host and producer of Bloomberg EDU and he the managing editor and anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” Allison is as excited to sing as Peter Pan as she is to fly. The Yale graduate’s mellifluous voice can be heard in a legendary YouTube video she did a few years ago.

“I wanted to be able to send people in the industry something different, not just my resume,” she recalled. A big “Mad Men” fan, she cleverly sang the lyrics of a Nat King Cole song, “Nature Boy,” over the “Mad Men” theme.

The video would go viral on the Internet, and was seen by “Girls” producer and writer Judd Apatow, who subsequently cast Williams to play Marnie in the show.

“I love to sing,” she said. “For a couple of years I focused mostly on acting, and when I began getting my voice back in shape for Peter Pan it reminded me how much I enjoyed it. I had started a couple of albums, but life and work intervened.

Brian Williams kisses daughter Allison Williams on stage at the 2013 New Canaan concert for first responders that benefited Staying Put in New Canaan. The two emceed the concert that featured performances by New Canaan residents Paul Simon and Harry Connick Jr. (Kristen Jensen photo)

“And I’ve never told anyone this before, but I did two other videos. At the end of one of them I’m sitting alone at the piano, playing the song ‘Neverland’ from Peter Pan.”

No other role could blend Allison’s love of performing, family and New Canaan roots as Peter Pan has, which is why it’s so special to her.

“My family knows how much Peter Pan means to me,” she said softly. “It feels like fate. The person I’m most excited about is my grandmother. She made my Peter Pan costume when I was in the play as a child.”

Even with her whirlwind schedule, Williams manages to get to New Canaan to see family and friends as much as possible. The purity of her memories would read well on a Hallmark card.

“I went to the New Canaan Nature Center for preschool,” she said. “I was so into that world, and still think about it all the time. It established my love for nature and animals.”

New Canaan Country School and Greenwich Academy followed.

“I was in all the singing groups and plays,” she said. “When I run into people in New Canaan they’re happy and amazed at where I am. They can’t believe it. Neither can I, by the way. But being an actress was all I ever talked about.”

The lissome star said she’s delighted with her career, and not just because she’s achieved so much success.

“Yes, I’m having the most fulfilling, wonderful experience with Peter Pan, because as an actor all we want is to be firing on all cylinders,” she said. “On a TV show there can be a lot of down time, days off. Not with this. Theater, television, singing … there are so many blurred lines between genres. It’s a really good time to be a performer.”

The girl about to play the boy who wouldn’t grow up expressed one more fond memory of New Canaan, and made an appeal.

“I remember as kids we used to leave our backpacks on the sidewalk when we went to MacKenzies to buy candy. When I tell people that, they don’t believe it. I felt so loved there, so special.

“I would like to ask the parents of New Canaan to film their kids when they’re clapping for Tinker Bell. Children should know that the world can be make believe and fun. It can be a scary place for adults. But you don’t have to grow up too fast. Peter Pan is a return to innocence.”

New Canaan native Allison Williams stars as Peter Pan in NBC’s live-action event on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Nino Muñoz/NBC photo)

Leo Karl III shakes Dante Chicatell’s hand at Dante’s 101-year birthday party at the New Canaan YMCA.

When November 24th came around last year for Dante Chicatell, so too did a local TV news crew. It’s not often a person celebrates their 100th birthday, much less someone still working, driving and in remarkably robust physical and mental health. So being the star of a segment broadcast to the tri-state area was an honor earned. He also got a feature in the Advertiser.

This year? When he turned 101, still employed at the front desk of the New Canaan YMCA and no worse for wear? He’s had to settle for just another newspaper feature.

Not that Dante much cares. A happy-go-lucky sort, he’s fully aware of his longevity accomplishment, and is as surprised as anyone that he’s lived so long.

“When I wake up every morning I ask myself, ‘What  am I still doing here?’ ” he said. “I feel good. I have no pain, except for my damn knees. I’ve stayed pretty well.”

Born Nov. 24, 1913, in Stamford, Chicatell’s life has been fairly uneventful, all things considered. He enjoyed a 50-plus-year marriage to Madeline Frate Chicatell, who passed away. He has two daughters, Patricia, 76, and Sandra, 72. Until taking the job at the YMCA at age 87, his employment history consisted of working at Pitney Bowes for 10 years and for his brother’s gasoline and fuel oil business in Darien. He’s lived in Darien since getting married and moving there in 1941.

Chicatell is as baffled by his longevity as anyone. “My mother died at 58, and my father at 72,” he said. “I don’t know of anyone in my family who lived this long.”

To look at him, one would guess Chicatell to be 75, maybe 80. He says he’s never been overweight, but ask if he has longevity diet or lifestyle tips to share and he laughs.

“I spent my life drinking scotch, smoking cigars and goofing around,” he said. “I did finally give up the cigars.”

The century-plus-one man still drives, lives alone and does all his own chores, cooking and shopping. And are there many grandchildren and great-grandchildren?

“Too many,” he said, only half kidding. “Six of each. They live all over. They send me pictures on the email, or whatever you call it.”

So he uses a computer at 101?

“I got a computer,” he said. “It’s in the closet. I’m too old for that thing.”

Chicatell has only one gripe in life — his balky knees. He uses a cane, and reported that his doctor wants to operate.

“I just saw him,” noted Dante. “He said when I turned 101 he’d fix me up. I told him he could go to hell.”

After officially retiring in 1985, Chicatell soon became bored. “I wanted something to do, not just be a fly on the wall,” he said. “I knew staying active would do me good. I had a friend who worked at the New Canaan YMCA. He would tell me, ‘C’mon! c’mon! Take a job here.’ So I did. He passed on.”

So what does a 101-year-old do with his paychecks?

“Once a month my daughter and son-in-law go to the casino in Atlantic City, and I jump in the car to go gamble,” Dante said. “Whatever I make here, I give to Atlantic City.”

101-year-old Dante Chicatell celebrated his birthday with New Canaan YMCA staff members. From bottom left, Craig Panzano, Davie Cedela, Dante, Kristina Barrett, Carol Matousek, Diane Riolo, Lauren Secko, and Brendan Carney.

Jamie Beck

New Canaan residents and authors are well represented this holiday season, with three distinctly different books just published. A romance novel, a historical houses hardcover and a self-help book for moms showcase the talents of local writers.

Jamie Beck, a lawyer, 15-year New Canaanite and mom to two middle school kids, is now an author as well. She’s written a romance novel, In the Cards, about a sexy but cynical card shark who considers love a fool’s bet until fate deals him a selfless woman rebounding from a betrayal, and forces him to gamble with his heart. It’s been published by Montlake Romance, and is available in print or electronic book through Amazon and B&N on-line.

Beck had a book launch and New Canaan Cares fundraiser party on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, 21 South Ave.

“I’m donating 25% of my first two weeks earnings to New Canaan Cares, and at my book launch party I’m also holding a raffle, the proceeds of which will also be donated to Cares,” said Beck.

“I want to give back to Cares because of my prior affiliation and because of all the benefits that organization gives to children and families in our community.”

Beck’s next book, Worth the Wait, an emotionally intense love story about redemption, will be available on March 17.

More info: JamieBeck.com.

Midcentury Houses Today, by architects Jeffrey Matz and Cristina A. Ross, photographer Michael Biondo and graphic designer Lorenzo Ottaviani, explores 16 important midcentury modern houses in town.

Midcentury Houses Today, by architects Jeffrey Matz and Cristina A. Ross, photographer Michael Biondo and graphic designer Lorenzo Ottaviani, explores 16 important midcentury modern houses in town.

A hardcover, coffee table book of 240 pages with 200 color illustrations, it showcases 16 historic, simple, elegant New Canaan homes that were designed and built between 1951 and 1976 — the legacy of the “Harvard Five,” all design student protégés of Walter Gropius. And there are other legendary modernist masters, as well. The architects include Eliot Noyes, Marcel Breuer, John Johansen, Landis Gores, Philip Johnson, Edward Durrell Stone and Hugh Smallen.

The homes have been cared for with tremendous thought and appreciation for the original design and the important design-era they represent, while also adapting to new families and contemporary lifestyles. They have adjusted gracefully and beautifully to the passage of time. Now, some 60 years on, here’s a look at how these homes have evolved and thrived into the twenty-first century.

In each chapter one house is closely examined, revealing key details in the original construction, then tracing subsequent additions by some of the most significant architects of our time, and concluding with the way in which the house is lived in today. Voices of the architects and builders, original owners and current occupants combine to describe how the modernist residence is more than just a philosophy of design and construction, but also a philosophy of living.

New Canaan has long been known to be at the epicenter of residential modernism in the United States. This is where, in the 1940s and 1950s, Johnson, Breuer, Gores, Noyes, Stone and others promoted their core principles: simplicity, openness, and sensitivity to site and nature. There, they built houses that established architectural modernism as the ideal of domesticity in the twentieth century.

Midcentury Houses Today takes on this unparalleled concentration of residential modernism and follows its history into the twenty-first century, examining how this evolving legacy adapts to contemporary life.

On Sunday, Dec. 14, Ross will talk about the book at New Canaan Library’s Adrian Lamb Room at 1 p.m.

Midcentury Houses Today is available at the New Canaan Historical Society and in bookstores.

Dr. Leonaura A. Rhodes

Beyond Soccer Mom: Strategies for a Fabulous, Balanced Life, by Dr. Leonaura A. Rhodes, teaches moms to stop being martyrs and start nurturing themselves. Beyond Soccer Mom, a softcover, 250-page self-help book, was written by Rhodes, a U.K.-trained physician turned health and happiness coach and a mom on a mission: to help moms and their families thrive. Her own experience with self-neglect helped her discover ways and means to find happiness.

“I was a developmental pediatrician in England,” she said. “My husband and I have two sons who were both critically ill when very young. I made the decision to leave work and care for them 24/7. Their being so sick led to my neglecting myself. I lived in a fog of stress for many years. I got no exercise, didn’t sleep and had a bad diet.

“From my personal struggles I have found a way to help women, so they don’t have to suffer like I did.”

Thankfully the boys, Charley, now 16, and Sam, 14, both at New Canaan High School, recovered and today are fully healthy. “Looking at them now, no one could ever know how sick they were,” said Rhodes. “It still gives me chills.”

The family has been in New Canaan for five years. Rhodes transitioned into helping other moms find themselves after going through the same thing herself.

“I realized I had lost myself,” she admits of her years spent at home. “I was in a thrift store and came upon the book The Art of Happiness. I cried. It was an a-ha moment for me. I decided I was not going to neglect myself anymore.”

Rhodes went about reading and studying what makes people happy. She trained for two years as a life counselor, and would eventually open an office on Pine Street. Her work permit was running out in 2012.

“It was explained to me that it would take three months to renew,” she said. “Eighty nine days later I was told the picture of myself on the permit was streaky and unacceptable.”

She decided to close the office and concentrate on writing a book.

“I’d always been an essay writer,” she said. “I thought a book would be a great way to help a lot of people with what I knew. If I’d been working, I probably wouldn’t have written it.”

Beyond Soccer Mom took eight weeks to write and a year to edit. The title came from a friend.

“In England there’s no phrase for ‘soccer mom.’ Here it usually means a woman who focuses too much on the family. A lot of them are unfulfilled. Bright, but unfulfilled.”

Planning to self-publish, Rhodes went to a seminar in 2013 on how to monetize expertise in anything. There was a publisher there. Before the seminar even started, Rhodes approached him and pitched her book. A few days later she got an e-mail­—she wouldn’t have to self-publish.

“I wrote the book for mothers, because that’s who I know best,” said Rhodes. “So many women follow a script for who they think they are. Having kids changes a woman’s life dramatically. The book takes you through the process of rediscovering who you really are, and what really matters. If I can reach one person and change their life, it’s worth it.”

Some of the topics in the book are how to gain clarity on what you really want from life, how to create a plan for change, how to manage stress, how to get organized, why nurturing relationships is essential, and more.

Rhodes said her family returns to England to visit about once a year. The last time, when she told friends and family there about her new book, they didn’t get the title. “So,” she said, “it was, ‘Let me explain…’ ”

Beyond Soccer Mom is available at BeyondSoccerMom.com, in bookstores and on Kindle and Nook.

More info: 203-807-3641; DrLeonauraRhodes.com.

In her recent work now on display at Silvermine Art Guild in New Canaan, town resident June Ahrens has explored the issues of fragility, vulnerability, danger and healing. “What’s Left” is a site-dependent environment made up of a video surrounded by blue walls that are created with a hand-applied combination of dried pigment mixed with salt.

The video expresses imagery and music to mine the events of mass culture and create an alternative world. The materials transcend boundaries, and become a map of awareness, bringing the past into the present.

The show ends December 23.

Ahrens’s work has been exhibited at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, at the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland, in “Strong Women Artists,” a group exhibit in Matera, Italy, and in many other exhibitions throughout the U.S.

She was nominated for a 2012 Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant and was a recipient of a grant from the N.E.A. She was honored by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism as a Distinguished Advocate for the Arts and as      an Individual Artist. Her work is in the collection of numerous museums and universities through the United States.

What’s Left, by June Ahrens, at Silvermine Art Guild, on display now until Dec. 23.

Steve Bury

Steve Bury, who has served as the town’s senior engineer for the past four years, was named the official town engineer on Tuesday, Dec. 16, by the Board of Selectmen.

“It’s been four years so it’s time for Steve to graduate,” Mike Pastore, the director of Public Works, told the selectmen.

Bury, who lives in New Jersey, has worked for the town since July 2009. In July 2010, he was promoted to senior town engineer, replacing Tiger Mann, who was promoted to assistant director of Public Works.

The town engineer, which is a Town Charter position, reviews subdivision applications and building permits along with other work that includes driveway permitting, sewer connections and road openings.

Bury has been an engineer for more than 15 years.

First Selectman Rob Mallozzi III told Pastore during the meeting that the Department of Public Works “has the best customer service in town. I get no complaints. And, Steve, you have fit in really well … it all starts from the top.”

Selectman Beth Jones, after learning Bury commutes from New Jersey to New Canaan every day, said: “Wow. We have to move you closer.”

“I don’t have the longest commute in town,” Bury said. “It’s a little over an hour. The town has great resources and I am very happy to work here.”

The selectmen voted 3-0 to approve the appointment, which according to the Town Charter, is an indefinite term.

The new location of New Canaan Auto Parts, at 26 Cross St. (Michael Catarevas photo)

Like father, like son.

The career paths have been strikingly similar for Rich Marra Sr. and son, R.J., who own and operate what is formally New Canaan Auto Parts, but has been known for over three decades as the NAPA (National Automotive Parts Assn.) store in town.

The Marras are exhaling for the first time in several weeks, having recently executed a complicated, tiring store location move from 23 Vitti St. to 26 Cross St. The Vitti locale was larger but had drawbacks. Including a very old building that was hard to heat in winter. The lease was expiring as well.

“R.J. happened to know the landlord here at Cross Street, and he asked my son if we knew anyone who might be interested in renting this space,” said his dad. “R.J. said, ‘Yeah, us.’ “ A five-year lease was quickly agreed upon.

The Marras then had to properly prepare 26 Cross St., which meant measuring every inch of the smaller space, putting up shelves and deciding precisely how to stock everything in back. NAPA stores must have thousands of items on hand, available on a moment’s notice.

The old location of New Canaan Auto Parts, at 23 Vitti St. (Michael Catarevas photo)

“We service most of the police cars and other town vehicles in New Canaan,” said R.J. “When they need a part, they get it fast. An ambulance, for instance, can’t be down for more than half an hour.”

Neither Marra had any idea they would end up running a business. Rich, 57, worked at the Ridgefield NAPA starting in 1976. The Marra family family still lives there.

“I was hired to be a delivery driver my freshman year in college,” he recalled. “Then I started working as a counterman, and managing a store. Once I started moving up, I thought that might be the end of college for me, and it was.”

Rich explained that he wasn’t much into cars at the time, but was fascinated by the business aspect of a store. Of course he knew he had to learn about the myriad products sold at NAPA.

“When I was a driver in Ridgefield, I would work the counter if I wasn’t busy,” he said. “Someone came in one day and said they needed a ‘pushrod.’ I said, ‘we might have it … what is it?’ Back then there were no computers. You had to find it in the right catalogue.”

A pushrod is an internal engine part.

Inventory in a tight aisle at the new Napa in New Canaan. (Michael Catarevas photo)

How Rich came to own the store was also rather whimsical.

“The previous owner here had four branches,” said Rich. “He got into financial trouble and sold two of them back to NAPA. At that time (1982) NAPA didn’t particularly want to run stores.”

Unaware the owner had sold the New Canaan location where he was working, Rich suddenly found that the corporation was his new boss. Within a short time NAPA offered to sell it to Marra, who was happy to accept. He and a partner at the time took over the New Canaan and Norwalk stores, then split, with each taking sole ownership of one branch.

“It’s different now with NAPA,” said Rich. “These days they have a whole lot of stores. They realized that by doing that they could dip from both ends.”

R.J., 22, first started working at the shop for an official high school internship. He loved and learned the business quickly, but that wasn’t the case at the beginning.

“I didn’t even know what an oil filter was before I started here,” he admitted. “Now I can tell you how they work, as well as everything else about cars.”

The Marras explained that NAPA is a complete automotive repair parts store.

“Everything but tires and glass,” said R.J. “If you bring your car to a gas station to get serviced, whatever you need, they call us. Anything that can go in a car is back there,” he said, pointing behind him.

‘Back there’ is the storage area behind the brightly lit front room where customers enter and approach the counter. It is where yeoman hours were spent moving and shelving stock from the old store to the new.

R.J. Marra, left, with dad, Rich, of New Canaan Auto Parts. (Michael Catarevas photo)

“This past Sunday was the first day I wasn’t in New Canaan working since we started moving five weeks ago,” said Rich, who pointed out that NAPA provided great help.

“The Monday before the move five NAPA employees came from Middletown at 7:45 a.m. and helped us all day, then the next day too,” he said. “NAPA wants to see us succeed.”

The store is not a franchise per se. “But they provide lots of services for which we get billed,” said Rich. “They have contracts for everything we sell, then there’s computer software and advertising.”

Every item sold at New Canaan Auto Parts is an official NAPA product — except one.

“ ‘Windshield wonder’ isn’t theirs,” said R.J. “It’s used to clean the inside of your windshield. NAPA doesn’t carry it.”

Both Rich and R.J. are friendly, laid back and personable. “But we can get on each other’s nerves once in a while,” said R.J.

“Not really,” countered his dad. “I just get tired sometimes.”

So what’s the biggest seller at New Canaan Auto Parts?

“Car brakes, no question,” said Rich.

“Everybody’s gotta stop!” chirped R.J.

Brenda McKenna

The national certification organization, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), has recently certified BCM Media a private media-consulting firm in Darien that was founded by a New Canaan woman.

“Women Presidents’ Educational Organization is proud to welcome BCM Media as one of 12,000 certified Women’s Business Enterprises (WBEs) in the U.S.,” said Marsha Firestone, Ph.D., founder and president of the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization. “These companies go through an extensive evaluation process in order to meet the requirements of Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) certification. High standards are necessary in order to serve our impressive Corporate Members which represents over 270 major U.S. Corporations and government agencies that have established Supplier Diversity programs.

Two-year old BCM Media has made great strides in building a solid media planning and buying company that provides national and local clients with high quality service and smart media solutions.

A media consultancy headed by a woman is rare in the industry. Managing director and founder Brenda McKenna, a New Canaanite, has worked with many high profile clients such as Crowley Maritime Corporation, Copper Development Association, and FUJIFILM Medical Systems and many other traditional business-to-business clients.

McKenna says, “we are thrilled with this recognition and proud to have achieved it in such a short period of time. WBENC certification will help us expand our company’s visibility among corporate supplier diversity programs. Our knowledge and expertise in a multitude of B2B target markets positions us for substantial growth in the upcoming year.”

More info: bcmmedia.biz

Theresa Petrucci

For years and years, while growing up in New Canaan, Theresa Petrucci knew where she’d be and what she’d be doing weekdays at 7:30 p.m. — watching “Wheel of Fortune” with her beloved grandfather.

“He used to tell me, ‘You’re gonna get on the show someday,’ “ said Petrucci. That would be her maternal grandfather, Ken Pinder, who she called “Poppy,” a lifetime New Canaanite and 50-year volunteer fireman in town, who died in 2013.

Well, he was right, and his granddaughter did him proud.

Theresa Petrucci and her mother, Charlene Petrucci, outside the Los Angeles studios where “Wheel of Fortune” is taped.

“Wheel of Fortune” rules prohibit Petrucci from revealing what she won before the episode airs this Monday, Jan. 5, at 7:30 p.m., on ABC (Channels 7 and 8 in New Canaan), but truth be told, it’s the lead-up to the filming, and her backstory, that is as fascinating and heartwarming as her performance.

Petrucci, 30, now a hedge fund recruiter living in New York City, described herself as a lifetime “Wheel of Fortune” fanatic. When she finally got a chance to audition for the show, she made it count. Bright-eyed, vibrant and quick to smile, she aced the physical elements all game shows seek for contestants—energy, a strong voice and enthusiasm. But it was her keen mind that made her a natural.

Kenneth A. Pinder

“I would watch “Wheel” with Poppy every night, starting when I was six,” Petrucci fondly recalled. “I loved Vanna White. She always wore beautiful shoes and a beautiful dress. Poppy would give me advice about what to do when I got on. He was certain I would. He told me to gamble, to take chances, that I had nothing to lose.

“I was really good at the game. When I got older and wasn’t living at home anymore my friends wouldn’t watch with me because I would solve the puzzles too fast.”

After attending East School, Saxe Middle School and New Canaan High School, Petrucci went on to graduate from Pennsylvania’s Widener University in 2006, with a degree in English. An only child of divorced parents, she moved to Manhattan to start her career, but her love for “Wheel” never ebbed, and neither did her desire to play it for real.

As a longtime member of the show’s ‘Wheel Watchers’ fan club, she hoped to one day be contacted about trying out for the show. “Finally, last July, after 10 years they sent me an e-mail about auditions in Brooklyn,” she said. First she had to send a video of herself saying why she should be on the show.

“I took an eight-second cell phone video,” she recalled. “On it I said, ‘I’m Theresa! I love “Wheel of Fortune” more than anything! None of my friends will play with me because I’m too good! I’m your girl!’ ”

Two weeks later she got an e-mail saying the producers loved her video and wanted her to audition. She was thrilled, correct?

“Of course I wanted more than anything to actually play “Wheel of Fortune” on television, but I was calm because I truly felt it was my destiny to get on the show.”

The audition at the Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel included 200 hopefuls. Each had 10 seconds to showcase voice projection and enthusiasm.

“We called for three letters, though there wasn’t an actual “Wheel of Fortune” set,” said Petrucci. “That took about an hour. I was the last one.”

The cut was made to 50 people, but Petrucci wasn’t worried. “I knew I wasn’t going home,” she said. She was right.

Next was a written quiz. “Wheel of Fortune” is really the word game of ‘hangman’ and that’s what the test was — 16 hangman word or words on one page, with a few letters filled in for each. The 50 survivors had five minutes to fill in the letters and complete the words.

Finally getting to show her brilliance at the game, Petrucci filled in all 16 — with time to spare. “Everybody was struggling, and I was like, ‘la-di-da,’ ” she said. “Being an English major finally paid off. I knew my words.”

Petrucci also felt her grandfather’s presence. “One of the hangman puzzles was two words. The first started with an ‘h’ then had a ‘d’ for the fourth letter and an ‘r’ at the end. The second word had a ‘u’ as the second letter, a ‘t’ as the fourth and ended with an ‘e.’ Handlebar mustache! Poppy had one that he used to twirl all the time. I knew he was with me there.”

Her quiz performance landed Petrucci in the final round with eight others, where they played actual games, albeit without spinning a wheel.

For her turn, with a two-word puzzle under the ‘Same first letter’ category, Petrucci chose an ‘s’ a ‘t’ and bought an ‘o’, then swiftly and correctly guessed ‘strawberry smoothie.’

Her audition over, an ecstatic Petrucci called her mom, Charlene, in New Canaan. She’d been told that if chosen to appear as a contestant, she’d hear from the show within two weeks.

“I would rush home to my apartment after work to check the mail, but nothing came for 13 days,” she said. “I couldn’t understand it. On the 14th day the letter was there that I made the show. I started screaming in the lobby, and the doorman came running over to see if I was okay.”

“Wheel of Fortune” is taped in Los Angeles, and the show does not cover expenses for contestants. Petrucci would have to fly there and stay in a hotel for a few days, on her own dime. But she knew that a contestant who doesn’t win anything does get $1,000 cash as a consolation prize.

Petrucci and her mother flew to L.A. for the Nov. 14 taping. “Wheel of Fortune” tapes seven shows each day, a month’s worth in a week. Dress rules for women include no silk shirts, and pockets are needed on pants because the microphone could slip off a silk shirt and must be fastened to a pocket.

So what did Petrucci wear? “A blue silk blouse and pink skirt. I had no fear. I kept telling myself, ‘I was made for this. I was made for this.’ ”

The producers didn’t balk at her clothes. At the studio the 21 contestants started having their hair and make-up done as they filled out official forms. “That was when you knew it was really happening,” said Petrucci. “I was just so excited to play the game on television, and to actually meet Vanna White and Pat Sajak.

“Vanna came in wearing leggings with her hair in a ponytail, and wished us all good luck. She was beautiful. She and Pat look just like they do on TV.”

The 21 contestants were split into seven groups of three for the games. They picked golf balls marked with game numbers out of a bucket. Unlike the others, Petrucci wanted to play in the first game. Her ball number? One.

Then they had to choose who stood on the color spots on the set—red, yellow and blue.

“Red was next to Pat, and I wanted that spot, but not just for that reason,” said Petrucci. “Poppy had a red truck his whole life. He was known all over New Canaan by it, and I wanted very much to be on red for that.”

This time blindly choosing colored dice, Petrucci’s was … red.

Finally, it was showtime. On came the music, with the audience members clapping. Charlene Petrucci, sitting in the first row, had no idea which game her daughter would play, and was shocked to see Theresa step on stage as the first contestant in the first game.

“I couldn’t believe she was first. Everything just fell into place,” said Charlene. “My dad was just so there. They had watched the show together every night, and I remembered him saying that someday she would be on.”

Overcome with emotion, Charlene started crying even before the game began. “And I couldn’t stop,” she said. “A lady behind me asked me if I was okay. It was overwhelming. My daughter’s dream was coming true.”

Theresa said she wasn’t the least bit concerned about whether or not she would win money or prizes.

“It was competition, but everybody who gets on is a winner,” she said. “I was just so excited to play.”

When it was her turn to spin the wheel, Petrucci said she paused for a moment to take it all in, then got down to business.

“The wheel weighs 2,400 pounds,” she said. “They say to lean over as far as possible, to hold the spike at the top and to push. It’s really heavy.”

The puzzles come and go, Pat runs the show, Vanna preens, and then … it’s over.

“It was the quickest 20 minutes of my life,” said Petrucci.

Exhaling, Theresa and Charlene spent the next day at Venice Beach, did some shopping and took in a Lakers game, courtside. Now both back in New Canaan for the holidays, they’re busy setting up viewing parties for the big event. Hundreds of friends and relatives will be watching.

For Theresa, she can relive her achievement forever via DVR, but knows she’ll never again get to spin the wheel for real. “Wheel of Fortune” doesn’t allow repeat contestants.

“Too bad,” she said with a laugh. “I wish I could be on 100 more times.”

See New Canaan native Theresa Petrucci on “Wheel of Fortune” Monday, Jan. 5, at 7:30 on ABC (Channels 7 and 8).

Winning money and prizes was, of course, the goal for New Canaan native Theresa Petrucci when she appeared as a contestant on “Wheel of Fortune” last Monday, Jan. 5. And she accomplished that beautifully, as her haul totaled $23,340.

But she also did something seldom seen on the show. She flustered host Pat Sajak with her brainpower, causing him to lose focus momentarily before catching himself and recovering like a pro.

The show was taped Nov. 14, 2014, in Los Angeles, so Petrucci had to wait weeks before she could reveal how she’d done, due to strict show rules and regulations.

Her mom, Charlene, made the trip to California with her. As Theresa detailed in last week’s Advertiser, she’d watched the show for years and years with her grandfather, Kenneth Pinder, who she called “Poppy.” He died in 2013, but Theresa always remembered what he’d told her: If she ever got on the show, gamble. Go for it!

New Canaan native Theresa Petrucci watches herself on “Wheel of Fortune” on Monday, Jan. 5.

Before the game began inside Sony Studios, Theresa admitted to being a bit jittery.

“I don’t like speaking in front of crowds,” she said. “I was a little nervous. And I didn’t have my glasses so I was squinting to read the board.”

With Theresa next to Sajak, Brianna in the middle and Yasin at the end, the game began with a $1,000 toss-up puzzle, where letters are revealed and any contestant can buzz in and guess. With the category ‘a thing,’ just a few letters were revealed before Theresa buzzed in and correctly. guessed GREEN TRAFFIC LIGHT.

“Winning that first toss-up built my confidence, and I relaxed,” said Theresa. “After that I was really ready to go.”

The show stopped and Sajak, consulting index cards, introduced each contestant. Theresa was first.

Pat: “Theresa Petrucci. You’re from New York, but not originally?”

Theresa: “I’m from New Canaan, Connecticut.”

Pat: “You’ve been in New York five years. What do you do in New York?”

Theresa: “I work for a hedge fund and private equity recruiting firm.”

Pat: “And animal rescue is your passion?”

Theresa (giggling): “Animal rescue is my passion. I have four four-legged fur babies at home!”

Pat: “Everybody just starts to get giggly when they talk about their fur babies at home! Thanks for being here.”

After talking to Brianna and Yasin, the game continued with a $2,000 toss-up, with “proper name” the category. Again Theresa was first in, correctly guessing DUSTIN HOFFMAN. She now had $3,000 cash winnings.

She got to spin the wheel first for a new puzzle, with ‘television’ the category, but it stopped on Bankrupt so she lost her turn. Brianna was next, and after spinning a few times and choosing letters, correctly guessed SATURDAY NIGHT LVE, winning cash and a trip worth $7,000.

As with every show on television, commercials came often. Theresa explained that there was a flurry of action even then.

“At each break, make-up people rush over to re-powder you, then you’re given water, and then repositioned on your spot,” she said. “Not just the contestants. Vanna and Pat too.”

The game continued with a “before and after” puzzle. Brianna started, and her luck continued as she accumulated two halves of a car, meaning if she solved the puzzle she would win one. She chose a wrong letter, Yasin hit Bankrupt and it was Theresa’s turn. She spun a few times and guessed a few letters right, but then hit Lose Turn. Brianna seized the moment, guessed HE WHO HESITATES IS LOST IN SPACE and won the car, giving her a huge lead, with cash and prizes worth $25,991.

Undeterred, Theresa then startled even Sajak with her performance in the prize puzzle. She spun the wheel and it settled on Expressway, meaning Theresa could stop spinning and just guess letters, collecting $1,000 for each correct one. If she missed on one, however, she would lose whatever she’d accumulated.

Sajak asked if she’d like to enter the Expressway, and Theresa, remembering Poppy’s advice, yelled, “I’m on it!” Very methodically she guessed ‘e’, ‘r’ and ‘s’, then bought an ‘i’, guessed ‘n’, bought an ‘o’ and a ’u’.

“When the answer dawned on me my mother said my whole face lit up,” said Theresa. She called for the final letters and simply read the puzzle, NESTLED ON A PRIVATE PENINSULA.

Ecstatic and hugging Sajak, Theresa waited to hear what she’d won. Sajak said, “Look at you! $13,000 cash that round. Nice job. We’ll take a break and be right back.”

Signaled by the producer that there was more to award, Sajak smoothly said, ”Oh really? There’s more? There’s more?”

Knowing she’d won a trip, and unable to contain herself, Theresa squealed, “Where am I going?” as the audience laughed.

Sajak quipped, “We’ll it’s just going to be you … and someone else … to St. Maarten!”

The week-long luxury vacation, worth $6,340, brought Theresa’s winnings up to $23,340.

“Because I’d won so much money on the prize puzzle, Pat forgot that I won a trip too,” said Theresa.

Alas, that would be it for Petrucci, as Brianna held her off to play the final puzzle solo, which she didn’t solve. Sajak, amused and impressed by Theresa’s comeback, put his arm around her and said, “Unfortunately this poor young girl has to settle for a trip to the Caribbean, and only $23,340 in cash and prizes.” Theresa, ever smiling, thanked him.

As much fun as the show was, Theresa said the response from family and friends has been overwhelming.

“After the story came out in the Advertiser last week that I was going to be on “Wheel of Fortune,” people I haven’t spoken to in more than 10 years sent me text messages, and contacted me on Facebook,” she said. “It’s been absolutely amazing. Then when the show was on Monday, I had friends all over the country watching.”

Theresa watched the show in New York at Ainsworth Park bar. “It was so cool to see myself on the show,” she said.

Proud parent Charlene also reveled in the attention. “We had a watching party and I felt like I was the mayor,” she said. “Everyone was calling and congratulating me. We were all hooting and hollering.

“After everyone left I was exhausted. I sat down and watched it by myself. Then I watched it six more times.”

New Canaan Police Department’s command staff of Capt. John DiFederico, left, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski and Capt. Vincent DeMaio.

“It should be the department of the year,” Police Chief Leon Krolikowski first said when told the Advertiser staff named him the 2014 New Canaan Person of the Year. “We can’t do anything without the men and women behind me. It’s been a group effort.”

That group effort has helped turn the New Canaan Police Department into a proactive agency that can’t go unnoticed.

“He’s exceeded my expectations,” said Jim Cole, who was chairman the Police Commission that hired Krolikowski. “I am very pleased with what I see him doing. He learned very well what it takes to be an effective police chief in the public eye.”

Since he was first named interim police chief in June 2013, and then the official chief that September, Krolikowski has led a change in the department that has included a major crackdown on distracted driving, the use of technology to communicate with the town, a student resource officer at the middle school, a program that rewards the good people in town, regular appearances at community events, and much more.

Grayson Cordes, left, shakes hands with police Chief Leon Krolikowski as he receives the Civilian Service Award Wednesday evening, Sept. 17. (Aaron Marsh photo)

A New Canaan resident for more than two decades, Krolikowski and his wife, Anna, who owns the Baskin-Robbins on Main Street, have three children: daughter Morgan, 18, attends Boston College, daughter Kelsey, 16, is at the high school, and son Ryan, 13, is at Saxe Middle School.

The chief called his family members and the families of all officers “the unsung heroes of our department… that endure the many challenges that policing presents. My family is no exception to this in that my wife knows how critical it is to serve our community. She started her service as an EMT with NCVAC — which is how we met — continued her service as a town business owner and now serves the town, albeit indirectly, by giving me unwavering support each and every day.”

New Canaan Police Officer Rex Sprosta, left, shakes the hand of police Chief Leon Krolikowski as he receives the unit citation award on Monday, July 21. (Aaron Marsh photo)

Krolikowski has now been on the New Canaan Police force for more than a quarter century, moving up through the ranks. And his time in town could be what’s helped him make so many changes so quickly.

“Leon is doing a fantastic job,” First Selectman Rob Mallozzi III said. “He came in with so many good ideas. He was on the bench for so long, he really observed what we could do differently. I give him credit — he really wanted that position, and when he got it he was ready to run on Day 1.”

Dr. Eric Collins, left, physician-in-chief at Silver Hill Hospital, demonstrates the administration of naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose for New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski. (Aaron Marsh photo)

Krolikowski said that he has had career goals to move up through the ranks. “I like to be challenged,” he said. “And I’ve seen some things occur that I didn’t like and I wanted to change… I think sometimes you get a person in the inside and they are a little insular and protect things that they shouldn’t.”

But he said he’s not like that, and has wanted to modernize the department for some time. For example the department’s scheduling and overtime system is now computerized.

“That doesn’t seem like much — but that is easily accessible data that we haven’t had before.”

Speaking of scheduling, the NCPD is now working in squads — which just started Jan. 1. “Now everyone works with the same lieutenant and sergeant,” he said. “We’re hoping that promotes more consistency, more accountability and more teamwork. That was an idea from some of our supervisors.”

Like Krolikowski himself, Mallozzi noted the leadership team the chief has backing him up. “There’s another factor there too,” said the first selectman. “He’s got two wonderful captains. I think the jobs John DiFederico and Vincent DeMaio are doing are really important. I know you can’t be successful unless you have good lieutenants. They work as a team. I see that more now than I have seen in our police department in many, many years. I think it’s important to give Leon credit and give those guys credit. That has to help. It can’t hurt.”

Officers Brian Micena, left, and Michael O’Sullivan receive Medical Service Awards from Capts. John DiFederico and Vincent DeMaio and Chief Leon Krolikowski. (Aaron Marsh photo)

Stats

The NCPD wants to apply business concepts to how it functions, Krolikowski said. Officers have started using statistics to produce results. “We have discovered hot spot locations where accidents have happened in town more than others, and the conditions that caused those accidents.”

For example, one of the trouble spots in town is Cherry Street, where the primary contributor to accidents are “following too close” and “failure to obey traffic signals.” On Ponus Ridge, accidents’ primary cause are people crossing the middle of the road and running stop signs. The other major roads for accidents in town are: Bank Street, Carter Street, New Norwalk Road, Oenoke Ridge, Old Norwalk Road, Old Stamford Road, Park Street, Smith Ridge, South Avenue and Weed Street.

Police will use this data to hopefully reduce accidents in town in 2015.

Another focus for 2015 is drugs.

“We are seeing a pretty big increase in the use and possession of marijuana, which is pretty concerning when you see it in vehicles and with it while operating vehicles,” Krolikowski said, noting that pot now just gets you a ticket if you have a small amount. “Another big one is alcohol — which most people don’t think of as a drug, but is. It’s especially concerning when we see younger people using alcohol and drugs.”

He said that a lot of underage parties the police break up includes teens using alcohol and pot. “Younger people are not able to absorb those substances and make the right decisions,” he said.

This past year, the police have also made some crack-cocaine and heroin arrests, and people selling marijuana in large quantities.

“We want to make it harder for people to get drugs in our town,” he said. “Right now it’s not that hard.”

NCPD Chief Leon Krolikowski, right, and Capt. John DiFederico hand Walgreens employee Terry Darden the Civilian Service Award. (Aaron Marsh photo)

Big case

The first big case after Krolikowski took over the department was the brazen afternoon smash-and-grab jewelry robbery on Elm Street. The police were able to gather evidence at the scene that helped lead to a big arrest — with the help of the FBI — of a major gang that was committing crimes throughout the region.

That crime also helped prompt the police to increase their presence in the village shopping area. Officer Roy Adams was named the Community Impact Officer and be regularly seen in town talking with merchants and residents. In the past year, the complaints about crime among merchants has gone down, the chief said.

“We got a lot of positive feedback on that,” Krolikowski said. “A few weeks after the jewelry story robbery, we held an information session for merchants; we held it again this year around the same time. It was more sparsely attended this year — because I think they feel safer again. Officer Adams has been a huge success.”

His biggest challenge since taking over the NCPD has been making changes. “I have a pretty solid outline of what changes I want to make,” he said. “It has been interesting to see how people react to change. Some people, no matter how long they have been in an organization, get used to things a certain way — but then you change them… That has been a challenge.”

Police Chief Leon Krolikowki, middle, and Capt. John DiFederico, second from right, speak with residents like George McEvoy, left, Bill Walbert and Tucker Murphy at the “Pizza with the Chief” event Tuesday, Oct. 14. (Aaron Marsh photo)

A positive change has been public recognition ceremonies for officers who went above and beyond, and for residents and merchants who helped the police stop crimes. “I want the positive to be publicized more than the negative,” he said.

At 46, Krolikowski has accomplished a lot. “Police chiefs don’t last forever,” Cole, the former police commissioner said. “Leon is still a young man — he has a great career ahead of him. He’ll be a really great police chief as long as he wants to stay. There is a half life to these things. I just hope we can keep him as long as we can. He’ll be absolutely great.”

When asked where he sees himself in 10 years, Krolikowski — after some thought — said: “Continuing to lead an exceptional police department whose members are our greatest assets. A department that has accomplished many objectives towards the goal of creating a largely crime-free community but continues to evolve and take calculated risks to enable great outcomes.”

New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski stands in front of the department’s new Humvee, parked on a stump in Waveny Park. (Aaron Marsh photo)

When “Beau Jest” opened on Friday, Jan. 9, in Stamford’s Curtain Call’s Dressing Room Theatre, theater-goers were treated to a comic look at what happens when a new boyfriend or girlfriend is introduced to parents and the newbie is not of the same religious background.

Fresh from his role as womanizing, ego-maniacal opera tenor Tito Merelli in “Lend Me A Tenor,” New Canaanite Christopher Beaurline plays the very non-Jewish boyfriend, Chris Cringle, in this romantic comedy.

“I just saw Chris this past summer in ‘Tenor’ and loved what he did with the character so I was very glad to have him audition with us for Beau Jest,” said Lou Ursone, Curtain Call executive director and producer for this show. “Chris has found a very different take on his character, Mr. Cringle, and it’s great fun.”

The show continues Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 15-18; and Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 22-25. For tickets and more information, visit CurtainCallInc.com/tickets.asp/.

Lynette Victoria and New Canaan’s Christopher Beaurline, appearing in “Beau Jest” in Stamford.

If there’s a runner-up (by a hair’s breadth) for 2014 Advertiser Person of the Year, it’s got to be Town Council Chairman Bill Walbert. When an avowed Republican can maintain balance and a respectable level of decorum with that body, the arguably most dramatic town governance forum and the one where Republican-Democrat dynamics are most easily observed, we notice.

It was William Warren Walbert Jr.’s first year as council chairman and as a councilman at all, actually, having been newly elected and sworn-in late in 2013. Those who’ve spent late nights with the council this past year may have noticed as he managed not only to comport himself with the role and its expectations quickly, but did so while guiding the council and those who spoke before it through a gamut of contentious issues.

To be effective as council chairman in any year, especially as a freshman, one has to. The council’s primary task as the year wraps up and rounds the corner to January — right about this time now — is its role weeding through New Canaan’s annual budget, most recently clocking in at $138.4 million for 2014-15 total expenditures.

Town Council Secretary Kathleen Corbet, Chairman Bill Walbert and Vice-Chairman Steve Karl at a council meeting in 2014. (Aaron Marsh photo)

Last year, though, also included this trifling detail: the town’s first property revaluation for tax purposes since one completed just before the ground-shifting of the Great Recession had set in. Walbert demonstrated a knack for maintaining civility and constructiveness in matters often surrounded by discord, helping guide the council in a balanced, considered approach to proposals such as, very recently, listing Waveny House on historic registries, which took from July through December to reach a vote.

When the members of the council unanimously voted him chairman Nov. 19, 2013, Walbert said his goal was “to provide an environment where the best ideas can percolate to the top . . . where we can do our best work.” It can be fairly said he did just that, and not simply by agreeing or nodding assent.

In one particular example, Walbert warned against too much expansion of New Canaan’s much-acclaimed Tele-Health Wellness Program for seniors. Eventually, it might be suggested to get residents of all ages involved in that program, Walbert said — and the result would be “government in the business of health care,” he quibbled, à la criticisms of Obamacare. Despite those misgivings, that tele-health program is now nearly doubling in size to more than 100 participants in its latest iteration.

You might think it was Walbert and the council’s interactions with colleagues and town officials in 2014 that sparked an Advertiser nomination for Person of the Year. Maybe it was those cordial, professional New Canaan relationships you’d expect a businessman like the owner of Walbert Capital Management, a financial advisory firm with an office over on Main Street, would be able to foster.

But that’s not it, at least not entirely. What tipped the scales was the tone — respectful and sometimes humorously disarming — that Walbert has helped set consistently in reaching out to the people of New Canaan, those who put him on the council in the first place.

“We absolutely welcome and enjoy having the public come and speak to us,” Walbert said at the council’s meeting Wednesday evening, Dec. 17. “We are your representatives with government and absolutely encourage all to step forward and speak. We ask that you try to limit it to 2-3 minutes because of time, and also remember that the things you’re saying are televised.

“So try to keep your comments to something your grandchildren would want to see repeated,” he said.

In that last comment is further insight into what makes Walbert tick, and it goes beyond business to something more meaningful: family and the connection to community. No surprise — along with that office on Main Street, Walbert has lived in town for decades with wife Laura, also no stranger to community service and leadership, and children Joan, Carolyn and David, all three of whom attended New Canaan Public Schools.

Many are aware, and perhaps many are not, of New Canaan’s vibrant history of volunteerism and community participation. According to Walbert’s fellow council member Tucker Murphy, Walbert’s service — as is true for many who’ve given of their time to the town — is another case of such a volunteer who was encouraged by peers involved in New Canaan governance and leadership. To Walbert and the many who’ve thus stepped up and led by example and from whose efforts the town has benefitted, we at the Advertiser say, “Well done.”

Lizzie Pettee, an aspiring New Canaan pop artist, just released her debut EP with two songs: “Other Side of the World” and “Path in the Stars.”

“Lizzie’s catchy songs have a fast beat and fun chorus,” according to a news release announcing her debut release. The songs are available on iTunes, Spotify, Shazam, Amazon Music and other online retailers.

Pettee creates her synth pop songs on her computer, adds her own lyrics and records at Threshold Recording Studios in New York City. She trains at the Studio of Performing Arts in New Canaan and the Pop Music Academy in Stamford. She began writing songs as a 7 year old and the tunes inside her head have never stopped, she said.

Pettee is performing on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 7, at the Pop Music Academy’s Annual Showcase at the Rippowam Middle School in Stamford. She performs with her loop pedal with individual tracks from her song, in addition to her harmonies, and she sings the lead vocal live.

Lizzie Pettee of New Canaan