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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“Well done is quickly done.” — Caesar Augustus
www.thewestfieldnews.com TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2014
VOL. 83 NO.193
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Longtime announcer Don Pardo dies at 96 By FRAZIER MOORE AP Television Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Few would recognize his face, but most would know his voice: that booming baritone that for nearly four decades would introduce the lineups on “Saturday Night Live.” Don Pardo, the durable television and radio announcer whose resonant voice-over style was widely imitated and became the standard in the field, died Monday in Arizona at the age of 96. Pardo, with a strong chin and confident smile that were overshadowed by his majestic delivery, graced newscasts, game shows and TV programs Don Pardo for more than 60 years. During the original version of “Jeopardy!,” his answers to the statement, “Tell ‘em what they’ve won, Don Pardo,” became a memorable part of the program. And he was an integral part of “Saturday Night Live” for heralding the cast’s names to kick off each show, which led former cast member Jimmy Fallon to comment later, “Nothing is like the moment when Don Pardo says your name.” Pardo continued at “SNL” through the end of last season, when he performed the introductions on the finale in May. His was no ordinary voice and he guarded it closely, with cough drops always at the ready. “My voice is my Achilles’ heel,” Pardo said in a 1985 interview with The Associated Press. “When I get sick, it’s always my voice.” Dominick George Pardo was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, on Feb. 22, 1918, and grew up in Norwich, Connecticut. One of his first jobs was that of ticket-taker at a local movie theater; even then, his voice was commanding. “I’d go out there with a cape and say: ‘Standing room only in the mezzanine. Immediate seating in the balcony.’” His father, Dominick, owned a small bakery and had wanted his son to join the business. Pardo followed his own dream and, after graduating from Boston’s Emerson College in 1942, began his vocal career at radio station WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island. Two years later, he met a supervisor at NBC who hired the young Pardo immediately upon hearing his voice. He moved to NBC’s New York affiliate, and never left the network. Pardo made his mark right away, reading news dispatches on the radio filed from the front lines during World War II. After the war, he became an announcer for such shows as the “Arthur Murray Party,” ”Colgate Comedy Hour” and “Your Show of Shows.” In 1954, he was brought in to announce “Winner Takes All,” beginning a long run in game shows. His voice was heard on the “The Price is Right” in its early years, and he was the announcer on the original “Jeopardy!” (196475), hosted by Art Fleming. Then in 1975, NBC launched “Saturday Night Live” with Pardo as its announcer, introducing him to a new generation of viewers with a voice as magnificent as ever — although, on opening night, he botched one of the credits. Instead of saying “The Not Ready for Prime Time Players,” Pardo introduced the show’s new comedy troupe as “The Not for Ready Prime Time Players.” But with a voice like his, any name sounded impressive. Aside from Season 7, when he was displaced, Pardo remained the “SNL” announcer for decades. He also introduced sportscaster Len Berman’s “Spanning the World” compilations of funny sports moments, a regular feature on the “Today” show. (“Tune in next time … if there IS a next time.”) In between working on all these shows, Pardo often spent several hours a day in an NBC sound studio, letting viewers know before each break
Westfield Senior Center groundbreaking Westfield Mayor Daniel Knapik, center, is flanked by John D. Leary, left, chairman of the Westfield Council on Aging Board of Directors, and Christine ‘Tina’ Gorman, right, as the three toss a shovel of dirt at the Council on Aging Senior Center Groundbreaking Ceremony at 45 Noble Street this morning. Also in attendance were state and local officials. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
City man wary of ‘IRS’ calls By Peter Francis Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Bob Poth is a retiree from an energy plant in Hartford and a longtime area resident. So it came as a great surprise to him when he came home recently to find a message on his answering machine from the last government agency anyone wants to hear from: the Internal Revenue Service. Or so he thought. “I forgot their terminology, but basically they said it was important that I call back, and the gal gave her name and a telephone number,” he said, adding that the number was a Washington D.C. area code. “She said I had to take action before they took me to court.” In April, the IRS itself issued a warning against a similar scam that they had caught wind of, writing in a statement to be wary of “sophisticated and aggressive phone scams targeting taxpayers.” In the statement, the IRS added that the scams “won’t likely end with the filing season” and urged people to keep their guard up. The IRS added that the rash of scams being perpetrated at the end of the 2014 filing season were
An employee from the Southwick Highway Department uses a roller to flatten out a new adhesive strip of reflective material that is presently being used to mark crosswalks. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
New crosswalk tape tested By Hope E. Tremblay Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – Pedestrians crossing Feeding Hills And Powder Mill roads will notice a new kind of crosswalk. Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Randy Brown said they are testing a reflective tape crosswalk versus the traditional painted version. “It is applied directly to the asphalt,” said Brown. “The hope is that it will last much longer than paint. Right now we paint crosswalks at least once a year – sometimes twice in high traffic areas.” The three crosswalks are located near the school campus and will be more easily seen in the dark because of the reflective quality of the tape, which is about 12-inches wide. See Tape, Page 3
targeting recent immigrants, and threatened them with deportation arrest, and other hostilities, if they didn’t cooperate. Other characteristics of these calls include the use of fake names and IRS badge numbers, as the scammer would generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves. The statement said that the scammers may be able to recite the last four digits of a victim’s Social Security number, and spoof the IRS toll-free number on caller ID to make it appear that its the IRS calling. Regarding other types of scams, the IRS said it does not initiate contact with taxpayers via email to request personal or financial information, and encourages taxpayers to be vigilant against phone and email scams that use the agency as a lure, such as through text messages of social media. The IRS does not ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential access information for credit card, bank or other financial accounts, and that recipients of an email requesting this information should not open any attachments or click See IRS Calls, Page 3
Historic cemetery restoration project begins By Dan Moriarty Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Historical Commission is set to initiate restoration of headstones at the Old Burying Grounds off Mechanic Street, work that is slated to begin tomorrow. Commissioner Cindy Gaylord said last night that the money raised last year at the inaugural ‘ghost tours,’ as well as donations of about $5,000, is sufficient to preserve a damaged stone which is in dire need of restoration and which could harm people near the stone. Gaylord said that a conservator has been hired to make the repairs to the Matthers Stone because an Eagle Scout candidate will be working with other scouts straightening stones on Sept. 20. Scouts, scout leaders and parents will attend a training session on Sept. 17 to learn the proper method of straightening headstones. The real restoration effort will begin later this year when the
See Pardo, Page 3
Troop 821 Boy Scout Brian Mitchell and a small army of volunteers repaired historic headstones at The Old Burying Ground on Mechanic Street in 2012. (Photo submitted)
See Restoration, Page 3 57 Union Street, Westfield, MA 01085 | (413) 572-6050 | noblehospital.org/primarycare
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