Old Home Days Weekend! Volume 18, Issue 9
Serving Durham, Middlefield and Rockfall
Friday, June 10, 2011
Middlefield walking path named in honor of beloved Nancy Boynton
Nancy Boynton’s family and dear friend pose by the new sign. From left, Barbara Rogers, granddaughter Kailey Boynton, daughter Polly Boynton, grandsons Jeremy and Josh Weizel, son Tom Boynton, husband Dick Boynton and daughter Anne Weizel. Photo by Cheri Kelley
The end is near for graduates We’re excited to kick off our graduation series this week with an article on the evolution of the Class of 2011, from little tykes to grads (see page 20), the senior awards ceremony (see page 23) and the first seven of this year’s whopping 25 students who are graduating with honor and distinction (see page 21). Every year we share a a little bit about these outstanding individuals who have achieved a cumulative GPA average of at least 10.0 (on a 12-point scale) over four years. They’ve told Town Times about lessons learned from school and advice for incoming freshmen. In the following two issues, you’ll hear from the remaining honors and distinction grads. Look for graduation photos in three weeks to wrap up the school year. But first, we’re excited to share with you a little bit about this
year’s exchange student at Coginchaug who was honored at the school’s undergraduate awards ceremony. Katharina joined the school this year through the AFS exchange program. She is from Austria where she lives with her two parents and two older brothers. She decided to join the exchange program because she wanted to learn more about the American culture as well as improve her English. She loves to live an active lifestyle, playing an assortment of sports, and she has been an active member of the Coginchaug tennis team this year. Kathy is an extremely outgoing and kind individual, which will certainly help with her future ambition of becoming a kindergarten psychologist. Kathy will be sad to leave Coginchaug and has truly enjoyed her stay.
Katharina Mosonyi, right, is being presented a gift by Jennifer Beaudoin, CRHS school counseling intern. Submitted by Melissa Ronan
In this issue ... Calendar............................4 Town Briefs ................10-11 Sports ..........................26-27 Obituary..........................17
Karrie Herrington, of Durham, has held a community picnic for years, helping to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
Community supports one resident’s charity event By Diana Carr Special to the Town Times When she turned 40, Karrie Herrington decided she wanted to give something back to society. With her fiveyear-old daughter surviving a benign brain tumor, she felt the incentive to help the children at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, a facility for the research and treatment of children’s catastrophic diseases, located in Memphis, Tennessee. “That could have been me with a kid in St. Jude,” she says. In 2002 she had a fundraiser that has since become an annual event. Held at her Durham home on the first Saturday after Memorial Day, it is usually attended by about 150 people and is a joyous occasion for all, as camaraderie and laughter rule the day. People in yellow tshirts, with the word “crew” written on them, circulate about, making sure things run smoothly. There’s food galore. Kenny Hall does a pig
roast every year. This year someone brought three slabs of beef. There’s a band, and a fire pit in the evening for those who want to linger. Last year there was an Elvis impersonator.
“More and more people want to step up and help,” says Herrington. “People bring food to share, and gifts for the giveaway and donations.” The Elks of Middletown donated the tables and chairs. And everyone comes with a generous heart. The first year they raised $2,100. Last year they raised $10,800 and this year they raised over $13,000. Since 2002, they have sent $58,000 to St. Jude. Says Lyn Curtis, Herrington’s mother, “All the money coming in goes to them. Family and friends pay for the food and the decorations.”
“We raise money before, during and after the event,” says Herrington. “If you donate $35, you get a St. Jude tshirt, $75 gets you the t-
See St. Jude, page 14