cheshirecitizen.com
Volume 11, Number 41
Local veterans reflect on final days of World War II By Barry Tomlinson
We all know how World War II ended 75 years ago, but we may not realize it could have ended very differently. I will take readers behind the scenes using the stories of two Cheshire veterans, now residing at Elim Park, who survived the final days of the war. Their stories reveal why it ended differently than anyone expected, and why that matters today.
Life-changing events It was July 1945. Dick Shank was a naval officer serving on a destroyer in the Pacific. Sailor Louis Forsell was working a signal tower in the Philippines. A chain reaction of lifechanging events was on the horizon for both men as the war entered its final days. They were preparing for Operation Downfall, the code name for the invasion of mainland Japan. American forces knew how difficult it had been to gut
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Radio personality is right at home in Cheshire By Joy VanderLek The Cheshire Citizen
Landing his dream job in radio broadcasting, KC101 air personality Kerry Collins counts himself lucky. Finding his perfect home here in Cheshire a few years back makes him feel doubly so. Dick Shank, left, and Louis Forsell served in the Navy in the Pacific during World War II. Now residents at Elim Park, the men recently spoke about their service experience.
their way through the Pacific theater. Finally, by the summer of 1945, after the bloody battle of Okinawa, they were less than 350 miles from Japanese soil.
and 10 million Japanese deaths were also projected.
Primed and ready
Shank had left Yale in 1944 where he’d been part of the But the enemy showed no Naval ROTC and headed to signs of giving up. The war the Pacific. His ship, the USS had to be won, and that meant invading the Japanese Strong (DD-758), served as convoy escort and antisubhome islands. Plans called for two large amphibious in- marine screen in the Ryukyu Islands near Okinawa in July vasions with a combined 39 and August, 1945 during an U.S. divisions. With stiff reactive typhoon season in the sistance expected, U.S. estiPacific. mates of casualties ranged from 1.7 to 4 million with up to 800,000 dead. Between 5 See Veterans, A17
Around the time Collins took on hosting duties for the July 16 online gala event “An Evening in White,” with Ball & Socket Arts, The Cheshire Citizen sat down with him to talk about radio and life here in Cheshire. Collins works as production director for iHeart Radio in Hartford where he makes sure the commercials get on the air and he collaborates with multiple teams within the radio group to “create the best radio commercials for our clients.” He is also, though, an on-air personality at
Collins
KC101. It is the same station in Hamden where he used to “hang out” as a teen. “I wasn’t an official intern … I was just a kid who just wanted to be around the radio station and learn everything I could,” Collins said. Collins grew up listening to KC101 and became fascinated with the prospect of being behind the microphone after watching the Christian Slater movie “Pump Up the Volume.” Collins stayed with the station, and had his own show, See Radio, A21
Organizations adjust summer programs amid pandemic By Jessica Simms Special to the Record-Journal
here are a few area options to check out.
Several local dance studios, art galleries, YMCAs and children’s learning centers are open this summer to give kids the opportunity to have fun with each other,
Day care Doodlebugz Child Care Learning Center in Cheshire is offering its summer program for young children.
“We have a theme and something special going on once a day,” said owner Nicole Belmonte. “Unfortunately right now we can’t have anybody come in like magicians or clowns or anything like that. So we’ve been doing a lot of it our-
selves, which is very different for us.”
masked, toys are cleaned on a rotation and only staff and children are allowed in the building.
Five staff members were chosen to work at the center, “We’ve spent 12 years of our limiting the amount of people. Tables have been spaced lives trying to teach (kids) far apart and kids are social- how to share and now we’re ly distanced. Adults are
See Summer, A9