Connecticut Postings » Michael Daly

Michael Daly — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 22:01:34 +0000

The compelling tale of a boy’s flight from Nazi Germany, his arrival in Bridgeport and his ultimate return to – and reconciliation with – his childhood home will be at the heart of a Holocaust Remembrance Day Sunday at Congregation Rodeph Sholom in Bridgeport.
Harry Weichsel, of Bridgeport, fled Nazi Germany and the little town of Wetter with his mother in the 30′s as the Nazis were ascendant.
Decades later, he returned and found a community not only willing to remember, but to put its past to rest. The result was the conversion of a former synagogue in Wetter into a cultural center.
Weichsel is hosting in his Bridgeport home Mayor Kai-Uwe Spanka, of Wetter, who will participate in a panel discussion on the post-Holocaust world.
Also on the panel will be Dr. Samson Munn, of Tufts University.
The panel discussion will follow a service of remembrance scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
The title of the program is Generations Rising: From Memory to Responsibility.
Congregation Rodeph Sholom is at 2385 Park Avenue in Bridgeport.
The program is sponsored by Congregations Rodeph Sholom, Ahavat Achim, B’nai Israel, B’nai Torah, Beth El and the UJA/Federation of Eastern Fairfield County.

Biographer of Michael Daly, Medal of Honor winner, in Fairfield March 23

Michael Daly — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:24:19 +0000

Steven J. Ochs, author of “A Cause Greater Than Self: The Journey of Captain Michael J. Daly, World War II Medal of Honor winner,” will be at the Fairfield University Bookstore, 1499 Post Road in downtown Fairfield, on March 23 from 3 to 5 p.m. Daly lived and raised a family in Fairfield after the war. Among other things, he became very active with St. Vincent’s Medical Center. The hospital’s trauma center is named after him. Daly was a self-effacing man who avoided the spotlight, unless he was able to redirect that light on to some other person or cause. He died in 2008.

Fairfield’s Stratfield Village will stage vigil

Michael Daly — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 18:47:11 +0000

A candlelight vigil will take place Sunday, Dec. 16, at the intersection of Fairfield Woods Road and Stratfield Road from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in memory of, and in support of, the victims of the Newtown shooting. Candles will be provided but the organizers ask that you bring a teddy bear. The bears will be collected and made available as needed to the children of Newtown. More info is available at this Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/569523423063212/?context=create

The event’s organizers are Joe D’Costa, owner of JoJo’s News Stop; state Rep. Kim Fawcett and 6th district RTM member Jay Wolk.

A healthy James Blake training for Australian Open tennis

Michael Daly — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 18:42:59 +0000

American tennis player James Blake, once the fourth ranked player in the world, looked crisp and chipper during a workout Wednesday at the Tennis Club of Trumbull and said he’ll be training in Los Angeles next month in preparation for the season-opening Australian Open.
Blake, who turns 33 next month, is recently married and the father of a five-month old daughter.
“This is the first time I’m feeling totally healthy at the start of the year in some time,” he said. “I’m really excited about it.”
Blake said he’s headed to the West Coast after Thanksgiving to train with, among others, Americans Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish, who is back on court after dealing with health issues of his own last summer.
Blake, ranked No. 129 today, spent six consecutive weeks at #4, from November 2006 to January 2007, behind, generally, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Russian Nikolay Davydenko.
Yonkers-born and Fairfield-raised, Blake now lives with his wife, Emily, and daughter, Riley, in Westport.

United Congregational Interfaith Celebration Sunday

Michael Daly — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:44:56 +0000

Bridgeport’s United Congregational Church will conduct its annual interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the church, 877 Park Ave.
The only price of admission is a donation for the Norma F. Pfriem Food Pantry. And this year the even flyer suggests either peanut butter and jelly, or pasta and sauce.
The Rev. Sara D. Smith, the church’s senior minister, said she expects the event to draw as many as 800 residents from around the region.
The event begns at 4 p.m. and will include observance of a variety of religious and spiritual traditions related to giving thanks, including interfaith prayers, singing and dancing.
After the celebration, there will be a sampling of food from different religious and spiritual groups.

Shehan Center director to assume Bridgeport’s McGivney Center leadership

Michael Daly — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:25:23 +0000

Terry O’Connor, director of Bridgeport’s Cardinal Shehan Center the last 20 years, has also been named executive director of the McGivney Community Center on Bridgeport’s East Side.
Both youth centers are sponsored by the Diocese of Bridgeport and serve children of all faiths in the inner city.
O’Connor’s appointment was unanimously approved by the McGivney Center board, and by Msgr. Jerald Doyle, diocesan administrator.
The McGivney Community Center was founded to provide children with an educational “safe haven” from the dangers of the streets. Its after-school programs include computer literacy, learning center, tutoring, art and crafts, and health and recreation opportunities.
Anne McCrory, chancellor of the Diocese of Bridgeport, said the appointment was made because McGivney Center is facing financial challenges, and its services are vital to Bridgeport youth. “At a time when many not-for-profit agencies are challenged to find greater efficiencies and new fund raising sources, we welcome Terry O’Connor’s leadership. His fund-raising experience and overall management abilities will help to secure the future of McGivney Center and bring additional resources to the children it serves,” she said.
McCrory said there is an affinity between both youth centers with their mix of recreation, social and educational and child development programs. Nearly 300 youth between the ages of 6 and 18 are enrolled in McGivney’s after-school, evening and summer programs, while the Cardinal Shehan Center serves more than 4,000 youth from its downtown site.
The McGivney Center is celebrating 20 years of service, while the Cardinal Shehan Center turned 50 this year. Both centers are funded by a mix of grants, special events, program fees, foundation and Diocesan support.
“The last few years have been difficult ones for non-profits, and the McGivney Center has struggled, but this is a great organization that is a unique resource for youth and families on the East Side of the city,” said O’Connor. He’ll be working the McGivney board to secure new funding sources, build additional support and make building improvements.
O’Connor said Alexis Bevins, a nine-year employee who has served as McGivney interim director since October 2011, was named site director and will oversee day-to-day operations for McGivney.
The McGivney Center, at 338 Stillman Street on the grounds of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, is named for Fr. Michael McGivney, 1852-1890, founder of the Knights of Columbus, an Irish immigrant who was committed to helping working families.

Ratz and Geno line up for Bridgeport’s Shehan Center

Michael Daly — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 20:38:01 +0000

Bridgeport’s Cardinal Shehan Center has lined up a couple of stars to help with the observation of the center’s 50th year in operation. Bridgeport-born actor John Ratzenberger will speak at the center’s annual Celebrity Breakfast on Oct. 3 at the Bridgeport Holiday Inn, 1070 Main Street, and Geno Auriemma, UConn and U.S. Women’s National Basketball coach, will provide “An Evening with Geno Auriemma” on Oct. 30 at Fairfield University’s Quick Center. The Auriemma event has tickets at $75, for general admission, and a VIP ticket for $125 that includes a private reception anda photo with the coach.
Information on both events can be had by calling the Shehan Center at 203-336-4468.
The center serves roughly 4,000 youngsters a year from the Greater Bridgeport area with an array of programs, ranging from its widely touted basketball leagues, through after-school programs that include tutoring, computer training, arts, swimming and a host of other activities.

Carson delivers stinger to Finch

Michael Daly — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:10:13 +0000

David E.A. Carson, former head of People’s Savings Bank, now Peoples United, was one of four long-time supporters of public education honored Tuesday morning by The Bridgeport Public Education Fund, an organization he helped get off the ground in 1983. Carson, in brief remarks, spoke forcefully about the nature of public education. He emphasized that “public” means exactly that, and that all constituencies, most partidularly the students, have to be included in the process. “No one constituency should own public education,” he said. “And the public owns it when – sorry, Mayor – people elect their school board members.” The remark drew substantial applause in the ballroom of the Bridgeport Holiday Inn. The audience included Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, an advocate of a mayorally-appointed school board. Just minutes earlier, in fact, the mayor had once again extolled the virtues of an appointed board to the roughly 300 people in attendance.
The other honorees were Geraldine Johnson, the city’s first female and African-American schools superintendent; Phyllis G. Marsilius, a BPEF founder and Elizabeth M. Pfriem, a philanthropist who has long supported education initiatives in the city.

Blake out at Wimbledon

Michael Daly — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 14:50:38 +0000

German Benjamin Becker dispatches James Blake at Wimbledon Monday in first round: 6-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-4.

Blake, now a father, back at Wimbledon

Michael Daly — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 19:00:48 +0000

U.S. Tennis player and long-time Fairfield resident James Riley Blake became a father on June 10 with the birth of daughter Riley Elizabeth. Blake’s fiancee, Emily Snider, and baby are doing well and the tennis player, once ranked number four in the world, is off to Wimbledon, where he’s entered in the main draw.
“It has been amazing. I couldn’t possibly be happier to be a father. Mother and daughter are doing great,” Blake said via email from England on Thursday.
“As for wimby (Wimbledon), I’m excited to be playing here again because I know how much it means to my mom back in her home country.”
Blake’s mother, Betty, who lives in Fairfield, is British.
A tour veteran at age 32, it’s not clear how many years Blake may have left, but he still has passion for the game. It takes more, though, than passion to survive on the pro tour.
“I’ve still got a few little, nagging injuries and I will have to play through those. I’m hoping I’ve still got some good results left, especially at the slams. That’s the time to really appreciate the tour. I’ve been out here a while and these slams really are enjoyable.
Blake has also entered a new promotional partnership with Travis Matthew apparel, a line until now primarily associated with golf, Bubba Watson at the moment their premiere player.