PRESIDENT’S LETTER

DECEMBER 2022 / JONATHAN MOFFLY

75 YEARS AND COUNTING

Seventy-five years is a proud milestone. After all, how many media companies are still around, let alone those that celebrate what’s good in their communities? You find this in abundance in Greenwich—all the things that enrich our lives here. We have much to celebrate.

Never did I imagine that my mother Donna’s fun side gig in the mid-1960s writing for the Greenwich Review would become her passion. Nor did she! But the seeds were being planted. She always had an entrepreneurial spirit— from cofounding the Din-Don hostess apron company, producing the Grace Notes children’s shows and applying her keen business sense to personal investing. At the same time Jack had been selling advertising for the publishing giant Time Inc. for thirty years, and my sister and I grew through Greenwich Country Day, high school and college. More seeds planted.

The tipping point came when the aging owner of the Review wanted to move on and turned to my parents. They said, “Why not?” Jack took early retirement, and in they went— Donna taking over editorial and Jack, sales. Later Jack recalled: “We never worked harder in our lives, and we loved it!” They transformed the modest black-and-white journal into a publication bursting with color, beautiful photography and great editorial. Then they bought the younger competitor in town and merged them to become simply greenwich.

Never did I imagine joining them. As an electrical engineer with an MBA from the University of Sydney and working in Tokyo, I was pursuing business overseas. Local media was not on my radar. My only contribution to local industry was after college, working for the late great Hank Huth who was building his first franchises, and computerizing greenwich magazine’s accounting, retiring Jack’s paper ledger pads.

But twenty-five years ago, I decided to join the business—bringing in my talented Russian bride, Elena, as business manager. It was cemented at our fiftieth anniversary party at the Bruce Museum in 1997. I saw the love and appreciation from people for what Jack, Donna and their team had done for our town. I saw how enriching a great magazine could be and wondered why there weren’t others for Fairfield County communities.

So, starting with Westport, we brought that commitment to towns up and down the Gold Coast. We added websites, social channels, photography services and custom magazine publishing, including Ocean House and Welcome to Greenwich. We added events. The Best of the Gold Coast party launched at the Hyatt. Best of Greenwich and Greenwich Restaurant Week followed—with memories of Dick Blumenthal cutting the cake for Jack’s birthday at one and seeing my dad in his late ’80s cutting the rug at another. That man could dance.

What makes Greenwich special? The stories of the people who have called it home. From the movers and shakers to the regular citizen who proudly helps shape the character of our town. From legends like Deep Purple’s Roger Glover, President George H. W. Bush and football star Steve Young to Mike the Barber, the teachers who inspire our children and the lobstermen who tend pots at dawn. Newer residents like RP Eddy, an expert on national security, are welcome additions. Greenwich is a tapestry.

Greenwich is changing, but it fiercely protects its character. Due to Covid, a flood of new residents has arrived from the city, bringing new blood and energy. New facilities bloom, like the Byram Pool and the new Bruce. We have a lot of teardowns and rebuilds, and old businesses making way for new, but we also have preservation of open space, Tod’s Point and our rich history—Greenwich Land Trust, Greenwich Point Conservancy and Greenwich Historical Society among the leaders.

Greenwich moves into the future along with greenwich magazine. We toast all those dedicated volunteers and visionaries for doing what’s best for our very special town.