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Editorial: Wonder Year & Letters
PUBLISHER Beth@GreenwichSentinel.com Elizabeth Barhydt EDITORS & COPY EDITORS Editor@GreenwichSentinel.com Peter Barhydt, Daniel FitzPatrick, Stapley Russell, Anne W. Semmes
Wonder Years
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These are very difficult times for our community, our nation, and our world. While we may be tempted to think they may be the worst of times, the truth is they are not. Our parents and grandparents lived through events such as the Spanish Flu, famine, world wars and much more. Yes, we have managed to get through a lot of very challenging situations over the past nearly two years, and we will in all likelihood have to do so again.
We are reminded of the quote by Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
Each one of the lines rings true. However, we are no longer in a “winter of despair.” There have been bright spots in the “season of darkness,” and they remind us of happier times and the simple pleasures of just being together and enjoying time-honored traditions.
One of these bright spots, and summer favorite, was
the annual St. Roch Feast hosted by St. Roch Church in the Greenwich neighborhood of Chickahominy. It was four consecutive summer nights full of food, music, carnival rides and games of skill and chance. Adults and children of all ages, generations and backgrounds were able to mingle and enjoy the moment, all free of charge and open to everyone, and to dance together to the music of local performers. It was a joyous, happy, uplifting and community-reinforcing occasion; a “just what the doctor ordered” remedy for the lingering effects of pandemicdriven isolation. Even St. Roch, the patron saint of protection against infectious diseases, would have been very pleased.
A second was the Greenwich Police Department Scholarship Fund (GPDSF) car show held last Sunday at Town Hall. Another event open to all free of charge and bringing people of all ages together, it featured some of the most interesting, colorful, elegant, impressive, iconic, classic, and exotic cars ever made. Walking among them was like touring an art museum; crafted in the days before strict adherence to the inflexible laws of aerodynamics, many of these vehicles were like mobile works of art, with angles and curves meant to please the eye rather than contribute to fuel efficiency.
It was a treat to see the faces of the young children as they encountered these metal masterpieces, and to listen to their owners happily explain the features and histories of their prized possessions. We sincerely hope that the GPDSF will consider making the car show an annual event as well.
There will be others over the next few months, including this weekend’s Greenwich Town Party. Organizations will take advantage of our town’s beauty to hold outdoor events in what we hope will be a beautiful fall. We should take advantage of these opportunities to gather safely and enjoy being out after living so long with COVID restrictions.
We have spent so long living with COVID that we may have forgotten how nice it is to gather with friends and neighbors. We may have forgotten how we feel when we attend one of our houses of worship. We may have forgotten how to empathize with those that are doing less well than ourselves. This fall, before winter sets in, is a time when take that first step to remembering.
In his play, “The Tempest,” Shakespeare writes “Whereof what’s past is prologue; what to come, in yours and my discharge.” Let’s see in these difficult times a chance to draw upon the happy experiences of our past to craft more positive outcomes for our future.
LETTERS Personal Memories on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11
By Peter J DaPuzzo
As former President of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. Institutional Equities Division from 1995 to 2003, I have many personal memories of some of the Greenwich residents that were lost on 9/11 that I’d like to share on the 20th Anniversary of the most tragic event most of us have ever endured.
Of the 2977 people who perished on 9/11, 658 worked for Cantor Fitzgerald of which 134 were part of the Institutional Equities Division. My sadness and sense of loss will never fade, but a few glad remembrances have often made me think more clearly about the colleagues, friends and neighbors I lost. Hopefully they can help others.
Brian Cummins (38) was a fraternity brother of my son Doug’s at the University of Colorado,Boulder. Brian went on to earn his Masters from Rutgers University, my alma mater. He was always teased about being “The Scholar” and the smartest guy in the room.We are still close with Brian’s family in Greenwich.
Chuck Zion (54) known as “ The Bear “ probably his size and growl were two of the reasons. But his tenacity once he received an order from a client made him one of the best salesmen I had ever met. He would growl over the speaker phone to salesmen around the country who should be calling their clients looking for the other side of the trade. I’d often see Chuck in the basement parking garage of the WTC at around 7:30 am.
He always drove a shiny black Mercedes S550. One day I saw there was some damage to the front of the car and when I asked he just shrugged. The next morning I saw Chuck in a new Mercedes S550 and when I asked he said time was money and he could not waste time waiting for a car to be repaired.
Steve Cherry (41) was not only a husband and proud father and top salesman, he was also a very good entertainer. He lead his own band and sang on weekends all around Fairfield County at various events. When he asked to perform at Cantor’s Annual Party on the USS Intrepid docked on Manhattan’s West Side I was delighted to let him do his thing. He was very good and all his co workers were very proud of his success as were his wife and children.
Mike Rothberg (39) trained 12 people to form one of the industry’s most productive and efficient Program Trading Teams. He was extremely hard working yet easy to work with. Mike was at all times a gentleman and one of the most intelligent men I met in business. He had a lovely cottage on the L I Sound in Old Greenwich.
My wife, Mary Jane & I lived in Glen Ridge, NJ before we moved to NYC and then Connecticut. Our eldest son Jeff was and is a lifelong friend of the Candela Family.
He’d spend time at their home and learn some Italian recipes he’d share with us. When John Candela (42) applied for a job and had a strong resume I was pleased to extend an offer to him. Everyone loved his work ethic. He was a fun loving and caring man.
Tom Bowden (36) also of Glen Ridge, NJ and our son Doug met in the 5th grade They were inseparable from that day forward. Tom and Doug always played at each other’s homes. It was as if MJ and I had gained a fourth son, he was family to us.
Tom was in Doug’s wedding party and Doug and another great friend Ken Swain were Tom’s Best Men! None of us in our family will ever forget the impression these men made on our lives.
In closing I would like to remember the other Cantor’ s Greenwich fallen heroes.
Also their families and all the victims of the 9/11 attack will forever be in our memories.
Bryan Bennett, Geoffrey Cloud, Erik Isbrandtsen, Stephen LaManta, Kevin MacCarthy, Eamon McEneany, Edward Maloney, Michael Pelletier, Fred Varacchi.
From my Heart, Peter J DaPuzzo
The Vatican Comes to Greenwich
