Arthur St. John, Commander American Legion Post 15 Jewett City in 1950 and 1956 inducted into Connecticut American Legion Hall of Fame

Post Commander Arthur St. John joined the American Legion Post 15 in Jewett City upon discharge from his active duty in the Army Air Force during World War II. While serving at American Legion Post 15, Mr. St. John was Chairman of the John C. Garand Bridge Dedication. Upon returning to his hometown of Jewett City, Mr. St. John founded a weekly newspaper called The Star. "Our philosophy was, if things didn't look right in the community, we'd talk about it," said Mr. St. John. [excerpts from article written by Rob Barry and published in the Litchfield County Times on February 15, 2007]


Litchfield's Legionnaire
by Rob Barry - published by The Litchfield County Times
February 15, 2007
Link to article: click here


Arthur St. John of Bantam was inducted Jan. 13 into the newly-established Connecticut American Legion Hall of Fame. Having been a Legionnaire for 61 years since his period of active duty in the Army Air Force during World War II, there is no one accomplishment that made him deserve this honor. Rather, it has been his lifetime of service.

"I was kind of brought up in the legion," said Mr. St. John, who is 80. He said his father was also a member and served in the military during World War I. "When I got discharged in '46, my father signed me up right away," he recalled. At that time he became a member of American Legion Post 15 in Jewett City in eastern Connecticut, where he had grown up and met his wife, Annette.

The induction ceremony was held at the Courtyard by Marriott in Cromwell and was attended by more than 200 people. There, Mr. St. John was among the first 10 people-only five of whom are still alive-inducted into the Hall of Fame. Art was nominated by a committee for his 61 years of service to the Legion, during which time he created the Veteran of the Month program, started the Post 44 Newsletter, "Veterans Voice," and designed the All Wars Memorial.

The idea for a state hall of fame for Legionnaires came about at the state convention in 2005. A number of those who attended felt there should be a way to reward the efforts of some of the more ambitious members for their efforts.
"They brought up that a lot of people had done a lot of work with the Legion and not gotten thanked for it," said Mr. St. John. Each year five veterans will be inducted into the Hall of Fame-three living and two deceased.

Locally, Mr. St. John is best known for the Veteran of the Month program he spearheaded for American Legion Post 44 in Bantam. The program, which began in 1989, was originally the idea of post commanders Arthur Shaw and Francis Fabbri. In 1990, they asked Mr. St. John if he would coordinate the program, which honors one deceased veteran each month-and in the process sustains an ongoing level of remembrance and devotion that, in society in general, is only witnessed around Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

"We honor them both for what they did for the military and what they contributed to the community," said Mr. St. John, who developed the format for the honoring ceremony and published a manual of procedures for the program. The program was quite successful. Feb. 3 marked the 208th consecutive month in which a veteran was honored.

In 1993 the brochure Mr. St. John designed even got adopted into American Legion procedures at the national level. The legion's Americanism Commission presented it before the national delegates and it was approved and duplicated.
"That's the first time since the organization started in 1919 that a program started at the local level was adopted at the national level," said Mr. St. John. But this was not the first time he won widespread recognition.

While involved with Post 15 in Jewett City, Mr. St. John was the chairman of the John C. Garand Bridge Dedication. His committee dedicated a bridge over the Quinnebaug River between Griswold and Lisbon to John Garand, who invented the M-1 Assault Rifle. "There wasn't anyone in the infantry that didn't have an M-1," said Mr. St. John.

Mr. Garand, a Canadian by birth, spent a number of years living in Jewett City. The dedication ceremony for him that Mr. St. John put together managed to draw more than 15,000 spectators, according to the Norwich Bulletin. He served as post commander twice in Jewett City, in 1950 and 1956.

Also credited to Mr. St. John is the All Wars Memorial in Bantam, which he designed. The committee he chaired raised more than $30,000 to build and more than $50,000 to perpetually maintain the memorial, which lies along Route 202 in Bantam. The memorial contains a stanchion and a flag for each major war since the Revolution and one for peace (totaling 13).

"There was a flagpole on that site since 1958," said Mr. St. John. "People used to use it for memorial services. But it got overgrown through the years." Now, the All Wars Memorial has become a popular local spot for ceremonies that honor veterans.

In the Army Air Force, Mr. St. John was an aircraft and aviation mechanic. He worked to train pilots to use different aircraft and helped maintain aircraft. His service was carried out within the United States. After his discharge in 1944, Mr. St. John became a junior designer at General Dynamics' electric boat division in Groton. "A junior designer, I always feel, is just a glorified draftsman," he joked.

Before long, Mr. St. John was back in his hometown, Jewett City, starting a weekly newspaper called The Star. The tabloid formatted community paper used its own format and illustrations. "Our philosophy was, if things didn't look right in the community, we'd talk about it," said Mr. St. John. He said the paper died after eight years because there was not enough interest in the community for a slightly controversial publication.

Finally, Mr. St. John found a career in sales and marketing in the Aerotherm Division of Aerotec Industries in Bantam. Between 1961, when he moved to Bantam, and 1989, when he retired, Mr. St. John rose from writing parts manuals to become the director of sales and marketing.

Mr. St. John and Annette, have been married to for 59 years. He is very proud of the contributions he and his fellow legionnaires have made. "Everyone is given a God-given talent," he said, his, of course, being writing and publicity. "And if you don't put it to use, you're not doing yourself justice." He paused a moment. "So if you have a talent, use it."

Incumbent Democratic candidate for Jewett City Warden considers selling Borough owned Fire House

Griswold Ambulance proposes relocation

by Julie A. Varughese - published by Norwich Bulletin on February 14, 2007

JEWETT CITY -- American Legion Ambulance Inc., also known as Griswold Ambulance, is interested in buying the A.A. Young Jr. Hose & Ladder Co. No. 1 building on Hill Street.

Borough Warden Cynthia Kata said she had been thinking about transferring the building to the town of Griswold. That way, the borough wouldn't be responsible for maintaining a building the town uses to store its fire equipment.

"Right now, it's not saving or costing (taxpayers), but if they (the fire department) come in next year and say, 'We need a new floor or a new roof,' that could be $20,000 or $50,000," Kata said.

Right now, however, the building is not for sale, she said.

Griswold Ambulance operates out of the building next to the Town Hall and Senior Center on Soule Street.

But Ambulance President William Czmyr said that building is getting too small for its operations.

"We wouldn't have to add on or look for a new site. (The fire station) would fit our needs just as it stands," he said.

Czmyr said the fire station location is just as convenient for emergency responses as the ambulance's existing building.

Griswold Ambulance has two full-time workers, 18 per-diem workers and two ambulances. The round-the-clock ambulance also serves Lisbon, Plainfield and Voluntown.

The fire department has 53 personnel and four bays for fire trucks.

Czmyr said the possibility of having fire personnel and Griswold Ambulance work out of the same building will have to be worked out if the borough entered into negotiations with the ambulance company.

Because the building belongs to the borough, Czmyr's request to the town could not be discussed by selectmen Tuesday night.

Fire Chief Bob Hanson could not be reached for comment.

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Third parties fill void
by Julie A. Varughese - published by Norwich Bulletin - February 11, 2007

When the traditional Democrat and Republican parties don't satisfy them, some people start independent parties.

The Jewett City Party, for instance, wants to tackle some issues in the borough its members believe have been ignored or need fixing, said party founder and borough warden candidate Ron Ward.

Experts say although independent parties are begun with the right intentions, once they accomplish their goals, they tend to fade away. They also are heavily personality-driven, as in the case of former Gov. Lowell Weicker Jr.'s A Connecticut Party, which dismantled after he left office in 1995.

Two basic types

Christopher Barnes, director of project development at the University of Connecticut's Department of Public Policy, said independent parties fall into two categories: Those that are on the ballot every year and sometimes have a national presence and an ideology, such as the Green Party, and others created because a group is frustrated at the local level.

The latter type, if successful, tends to win seats only a few times before the party fades out of existence.

Barnes said, within towns, independent parties spring up from a few residents who attend meetings regularly to complain or are created by a person who has been elected to a town office in the past.

"They can really change the dynamics," he said, explaining third parties can take votes from the traditional parties, making it harder for either party to win.

Laurie Soulor, owner of Second Chance Consignments in Jewett City, said she plans to support Ward in the May 7 election against incumbent Democrat Cynthia Kata and Republican Melinda Brooks. But she also believes the party would fall apart without Ward's leadership.

"If he stops doing what he's doing, everything's going to stop," she said.

No 'one-man show'

Ward, who moved to Jewett City last year, said he wasn't interested in being a "one-man show" and hoped the party, even if it eventually fades away, would invigorate residents to be more proactive.

Democrat Kata has run unopposed for warden in the past several borough elections. Voter turnout in recent elections has been low, possibly reflecting the lack of choice on the ballot. This year she has two opponents and the Jewett City Party has a slate of other candidates as well, including burgesses and baliff.

Canterbury First

The Canterbury First political party was started by Canterbury residents who said they wanted to hold officials' feet to the fire on a number of issues, including government openness and accountability.

Party Chairman Robert Noiseux said the party is made up of people who felt disenfranchised by the town's Democratic and Republican parties.

"We represent a centrist group where Republicans and Democrats come together and work together," he said.

Ray Sulich, chairman of the Canterbury Republican Town Committee, described Canterbury First as "nothing more than an arm of the Democratic Party," however.

"Canterbury First is a bad representative for third parties. I think that a third party has the potential for doing things, for bringing new issues to a town and getting additional residents for input," he said. "But they're all about being disruptive and negative."

Sulich said the state needs to address the "hole" in the state statutes that allows members of local third parties to register with national parties. He said that allows third-party members to sabotage local Republican and Democratic campaigns, by electing the "weakest" candidate at a town's party primary to run against the third party candidate.

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz could not be reached for comment.

Barnes said third parties also tend to fall apart because they lack an infrastructure, or a solid base of supporters.

"It's a reminder that all politics is a pyramid structure," Barnes said.