By Bob Montgomery
Bill Sarno was always a favorite of mine
Marc Romanow’s Facebook page popped up on my computer the other day, and I enjoyed the photos of friends initially seen on it. First of all, Mark is a former publisher of the Herald/Press, the combined former Bristol Press and New Britain Herald, if I stated this correctly.
The photos I enjoyed were those of Bill Sarno, former BP editor; Mike Orazzi, a favorite as the former photographer; and Laura Schlesinger and her husband, Craig Minor. Craig is a former city councilor and real nice fellow, and his wife has been a positive contributor to the betterment of Bristol.
(Note: Bill, if you see this posting give me a call please!)
Ron Skelskey
Those who know me well, realize that I love writing about Bristol even though I am not a master of the computer. I just know how to write things and where to put them on my column. Anyways, just as I was about to jot down an item for “Bob’s bits,” I received an incoming Facebook on my screen from Ron Skelskey, who I went to Bristol Eastern with as a member of the same class. We had an enjoyable conversation. Ron and his wife, Rena, reside on the West Coast and enjoy traveling.
They have gone to over 70 countries now and are looking forward to their next excursion. Ron, who has a sharp mind and sense of humor, talked about he and his wife always being on the move.
“It’s funny, she always finds her way home,” he quipped. Seriously, though, they are one of the closest couples I know.
Miscellaneous
Donovan Clingan of UConn basketball had a birthday on Feb. 23. Can you believe he’s only 20 years old?
Shoutout to former Bristol Eastern distance runner Larry Nelson. I got a kick out of what Larry posted on Facebook about car enthusiast George Cowles of Bristol in “Looking Back”: “George has long been a classy guy and (is) still with Lady Bird, the love of his life. Both are alumni from the Bristol Plaza (hanging out) in the ‘60s.”
(Note — June is George’s wife and I’m not sure if “Lady Bird” is her nickname or that of one of his cars during the President Lyndon B. Johnson era.)
Former St. Paul athlete Byron Jones, a New Britain resident back then, went on to an NFL career. Just prior to this, he set an NFL Combine record in the standing broad jump, a mark that stands today (12′-3″), a measurement just over the world’s record.
I parked my car on the side of a busy street this past week and counted the number of SUVs that passed by out of a total of 100 vehicles. There were 47.
While driving down Memorial Boulevard to King Street on Tuesday afternoon, my partner riding shotgun, Lorette Caouette, spotted an eagle twice in that area. She couldn’t remember seeing one for decades, a rare sight.
Marilyn Egan, Lorette’s sister, asked me last week if I ever heard of the red snow that appeared in Bristol some 100-plus years ago. Can anyone answer this question?
Contact Bob Montgomery at BobMontgomeryNews@BristolEdition.org or by calling (860)583-5132.
All TBE readers, supporters and donors
The Bristol Edition will be limiting the number of stories non-members and free readers may access each week. This decision is based on our financial projections and, most certainly, to remind people that TBE is serious about providing accurate, timely and thorough reporting for Bristol. To do this we have devised a financial support structure that makes unlimited access extremely affordable, beginning with a $6 monthly donation.
- Non-members will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Free readers and people who have subscribed by email will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Donors and financial supporters will have unlimited access as long as they log in.
Note: Donors may have to contact TBE if they find they are being limited, since we will need to set up a membership account for you. Email editor@bristoledition.org for instructions. Sorry for any inconvenience. People with financial difficulties may write editor@bristoledition.org to be considered for free access.