Prozzo brothers open Veterans Cleaners; Willis is Homecoming Queen

1975

CLAREMONT

Ann Arnold, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Arnold, Clay Hill Road, will represent the Colonel Samuel Ashley Chapter DAR at the statewide Good Citizens Conference in Concord. Miss Arnold is a senior at Stevens High School. When asked what she felt the greatest need of youth in Claremont is today, she replied, “a place to take the place of the corner drug store where young people can just sit and talk.”

White Mountain Chess Club lost a match to a team representing the Dartmouth Chess Club by a score of 3-2 at Goodwin Community Center. Martin Robinson and Louis Haas won on the first and second boards over Lester Lowery and Nicholas Schneider, Dartmouth. Richard Goode defeated Ron Whittemore on the third board. Then Schneider and Goode doubling on boards four and five beat Kelly Woods and Robert Foster. The Top 10 active players of the White Mountain club are Robinson, Whittemore, and Haas, followed by Richard Shaffner, Harold Campbell, Robert Foster, Jeffrey Walsh, Kelly Woods, Roger Paquette and Chester Hansen.

The first Cavalcade of Bands was held at Barnes Park. Each band presented an individual performance of about 10 minutes with a massed band finale under the direction of Richard Gader, Stevens’ band director. The event was organized “to bring together seven bands in an atmosphere of friendship to share the results of many hours of work preparing halftime shows.” Bands from Brattleboro, Concord, Fall Mountain (director Robert Cunniff), Keene, Lebanon and Springfield participated along with the Stevens High School Band.

Seventy-six trombones were nothing. Claremont will play host to 140 strings this weekend when the Third Annual String Thing gets underway. Sponsored by the New Hampshire Chapter of American String Teachers Association, previous concerts were held in Concord and Hanover. Claremont participants are Marie Formichelli, Ronald LaRoche, Christine Howard, John Laushance, Kathleen McCarthy, James Warren, Walter Ziske, Jill Belon, Jesse Bowles, Leslie Donahue, Mark Gedney, Tracy Mercier, Coula Nestor and Janet Wilterdink. Geraldine Elmer, string teacher of the Claremont School District is in charge of arrangements. There is no admission charge to the concert.

NEWPORT

Cathy Willis was crowned Homecoming Queen at a pep rally at Newport High School. Frank McConnell Jr., president of the Booster Club, conducted the ceremonies and presented a bouquet of flowers to the senior class candidate, Patty Sullivan, Student Council president, gave a gift from the council. Proceeds of $58 from the queen contest were turned over to William Cossaboon, special education teacher, for the Special Olympics.

CHARLESTOWN

Debbie Lumbra and Cindy Mortenson are two ambitious college students who have set up the “Cuddle Corner” in one corner of Rick’s Electric to earn money to cover their college expenses. Thanks to the cooperation of Miss Lumbra’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Lumbra, the girls can market their crafts locally while they are at school. Miss Lumbra is at UNH and Miss Mortenson is at Smith College.

1960

CLAREMONT

“Agriculture is run more on a free enterprise than any other productive activity in the country,” Sullivan County Agricultural Agent Stanley Colby said to 25 Chamber of Commerce members at a lively Legislative Action Committee breakfast in the Colonial Hotel. Colby and Rodney Webster, local poultry farmer, parried suggestions from the group that the federal government should get out of the farm business. The discussion was led by Committee Chairman Jack Cassle.

Joyce Bennett, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Bennett of River Road, flew last Saturday from West Lebanon Airport to Washington, D.C. where she will be employed by the CIA.

Four Claremont firefighters used pump cans to put out a brush fire of undetermined origin at the Clay Hill Road home of Ronald Smith. Firefighters say an area of between one quarter and one half acres was burned.

NEWPORT

Guest speaker at the Newport Business and Professional Women’s meeting was Mrs. Priscilla Couture, Claremont, co-chairman of the state membership committee. Dinner was served by the Women’s Guild and table decorations were arranged by Mrs. Lucy Newton. Doris Reney and Zella LaForge were in charge of the meeting. Mrs. Lucille Moore, club president, and Mrs. Amelia Whipple, chairman of the health and safety committee, also spoke.

NEW LONDON

Mrs. Herbert Williams is opening a nursery school in her home. The ages range from four to six years, and classes fun from 9-11:30 a.m.

The New London Women’s Club will open the year with a public card party at Odd Fellows Hall. Anyone wishing to set up a table should call Mrs. Drud Crackett. Supper will be served at the next meeting and Herwood Curtiss will show pictures taken on his trip to Alaska.

1945

CLAREMONT

Mrs. Phoebe Obrey of 15 Chestnut St., quietly observed her 97th birthday at her hoe Sunday. She received numerous callers, including friends from Philadelphia, Hartford, Conn., Springfield, Mass., and Windsor, Vt.

The Rev. and Mrs. William P. Neal were given a formal reception at Trinity parish church with a large gathering of parishioners present to welcome the new pastor. Those participating in the program included Junior Warden Mrs. Ernest Elliott, Calvin Oakes, Mrs. Charles Dunn, Mr. and Mrs. George Minard, Mrs. Frank Holden, Mrs. M.M. Freeman, and the Rev. Harold Hansen, D.D., representing the clergymen of the community.

Two local veterans of World War II, Mike and Louis Prozzo, are starting a dry cleaning business known as Veterans Cleaners, located at 166 North St. The brothers spent a total of nearly seven years in the service during this war.

Life in a Japanese interment camp was graphically described here Tuesday to an audience of members of Claremont Lodge 879, B.P.O.E. by Truman SD. Holt, who recently returned from the Philippines. Mr. Holt is staying with his family at 97 Hanover St. while he is resting, trying to regain his strength and health. He was interned for three years by the Japanese.

Employees of the War Price Administration board gave a farewell party to Mrs. Blanche Stoughton and Mrs. Lumina Pastore who concluded their duties at the local board. Those attending the lobster dinner at the Hotel Moody were Mrs. Evangeline Wood, Mrs. Norma Freeman, Mrs. Margaret Wilson, Miss Thelma Boudette, Mrs. Mary Boudette, Mrs. Lucille Laskey and Mrs. Hattie Leavitte.

An interesting talk, illustrated by X-Ray photographs in the form of negatives placed before an amplifier on posture was delivered before the Lions Club by Dr. S.A. Montgomery of Newport. Dr. Montgomery told the audience, “high heeled shoes, a bed that sags in the middle, overstuffed chairs, can cause curvature of the spine. It is a known and proven fact that 88 percent of female diseases are caused by high heeled shoes, as they throw the spine out of alignment, thereby affecting nerves that lead directly to female organs.”

CHARLESTOWN

A Massachusetts firm has bought the brick garage of Charles A. Smith and will soon start business there. Mr. Smith recently bought the garage of A.C. Blaine of Claremont.

Fred H. Perry has sold the Post Office block to Charles A. Smith.

Mrs. John Freeze has resigned as switchboard operator at the Connecticut River Mills Inc. and joined her husband in Falmouth, Mass. Her successor is Miss Thelma Spaulding.

1930

CLAREMONT

Norman F. Whippen, country club leader, announced that the county agricultural fair would open today and tomorrow at the town hall under the auspices of the Sullivan County Farm Bureau. This fair, a successor to the former Country Round-Ups in Odd Fellows Hall in former years, is bigger and better in every way with enlarged exhibits of canned goods, clothing, vegetables, fruits, poultry and livestock, for the most part, project exhibits of members of county 4-H clubs.

Sagging of a short section of the new trackage at West Claremont placed in use temporarily to permit work on the former roadbed, resulted in rerouting of north and south-bound trains for a few hours last night. Trains are again running today on regular schedules over the old track.

Mrs. Sarah Cossitt McCommons of Kingston, N.Y., has presented to Union Church a picture of the Rev. Ranna Cossitt, the first rector. He was born in Granby, Conn., and studied in England before being ordained and becoming rector of Union Church in 1773. He was married to Thankful Brooks while here in Claremont and they resided on what was afterwards known as the Hayden farm on the River Road from Claremont to Windsor.