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Tourtellotte Memorial High School Alumni Association Newsletter
Volume 2 , Issue 5 Happy Mother’s Day! May 2009
The Feisty Forty-Niners! –
Class of 1949
Above: The class of 1949 during a 2007 class reunion. The
Class of 1949 has done an excellent job over the years
staying connected.
Each month we are surprised to find out how
many of our past classes have stayed connected over
the years. Joe Lindley, President of the Alumni
Association, had the privilege of meeting with Art
Vogel, Class of 1949 this past month. Art is a wealth of
information and was able to pass on a number of
stories and photos about the Class of 1949. Over the
I N S I D E T HIS I S S U E
1 Charlie Seney Class of 1939: Alum – Veteran - Teacher
3 5 Things You May Not Know About TMHS
4 Meaning of the Lewis Iron
5 Clock Signatures Archived
7 Thompson Masons Donate Seats
continued on page 2
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Charlie Seney – Class of 1939
Above: Charlie Seney (left) with
fellow Tourtellotte grad, George
Pompeo (right), June 25, 1945
in Tacloban Leyte, Philippines
during WWII.
WWII VETERAN –
TEACHER
Many people
from the northeast
corner of Connecticut
know Charlie Seney,
not from his time as
a student at TMHS,
but from his time at
one of the Tiger‟s
biggest rivals –
Putnam High School.
Charlie, a
graduate of the
Class of 1939,
attended Boston
University upon
graduating from
TMHS.
While attending B.U., Charlie became a
stenographer for the University‟s Doctoral Committee.
With a recommendation from Jerry Ryscavage, Charlie
secured a position at the Shaw Business School
located in Stanford, Connecticut. He fondly remembers
his first teaching job paying a whopping $2,600/year.
Charlie worked for 3 months at the University
of Connecticut in the Army-Navy Program living in the
“E” building, built during WWII for ROTC Cadets.
Charlie served in the United States Coast
Guard during World War II, spending time during the
war in the Pacific Theater of Operations, more
specifically, the Philippines. In a chance meeting,
Charlie ran into a fellow American serviceman, and
fellow Thompsonite, George Pompeo on June 25, 1945
in Tacloban Leyte, Philippines. Tacloban was made the
country‟s temporary capital by General Douglas
MacArthur and Philippine President Sergio Osmena in
1944. “When I enlisted I thought I signed up for the
Navy. The uniforms looked the same to me,” reported
Charlie. Taken all in stride Charlie served in the USCG
for three years and like many TMHS grads, did his duty
continued on page 3

continued from page 1
years the Forty-Niners have met periodically, and from
what we can see, have all remained great friends.
2009 marks their 60 th reunion and we hope all the
remaining class members will honor us with their
presence at the alumni banquet.
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Initial membership due at time of application, yearly renewals due
January 1 st of each year
Regular Membership………. $15.00
Senior Citizens (65 and older)………. $5.00
Graduating Class………. Free
hilltopper Staff
Editor: Joe Lindley „74‟
Staff Members: Jim Sali „51‟ - Gladys Tucker „52‟ - Jane Ellison
„61‟- Eileen Deary ‟77‟ – Sandy Becker „79‟ – Rachael Johnston
„75‟ Alex Kirkland „08‟
Archives: Gladys Tucker „52‟ and Rita Rohr „56
If you would like to contribute short stories to the hilltopper
please contact Joe Lindley at joelindley119@hotmail.com
Above - Class of 1949. Members of the class were: Janice Bates, John Beno, Viola Borse, Carole Boutillette, Evelyn Carpenter,
Sophie Constantine, Mary Cunha, Beverly Donnelly, Constance Donovan, Jean French, Donald Garvais, Fannie Gesualdi,
Donald Hoenig, Harry Ides, Joyce Johnson, Eleanor Joslin, Blenda Lehtinen, Physllis Mead, Arlene Piltzecker, Rose Pompeo,
Charles Pratt, Elinor Prince, Carolyn Soderberg, Robert Therrien, Robert Turenne, Arther Vogel, Victoria Wiggin, Harold Davis.
Compliments of Art Vogel ‟49.
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BRING YOUR TMHS MEMORABILIA TO THE
BANQUET!
Bring anything Tourtellotte to the June 20 th
banquet. The Alumni Association will have several
tables set up to display memorabilia.
Above: Nick Angelo‟s „51 TMHS Basketball
Championship jacket, sneakers, and gym bag. What do
you have hiding in your closet? Bring it to the banquet
and share it with us. We hear Tom Hession also has a
jacket. Tom?

Visit the TMHS Website at:
http://www.thompson.ctschool.net/TMHS/index.html
5 things you may NOT know
about TMHS
1. The 1949 student council included Don Garvais,
Rich Hagstrom, Eleanor Joslin, Carole Boutillette,
and Mary Tourtellotte.
2. The 1949 TMHS faculty Muriel Trull, Bella Cotnoir,
Bernice Borse, Gladys Mowry, Marcella Blaine,
Antoinette Noiseux, Daisy Stewart, Agnes
Gahagan, Warren Himmelberger, Mary Donnelly,
Henry Dunleavy, John Cuhna, and James Canty.
3. Mary Donnelly, later Mary Fisher, was the 1949
class advisor.
4. Donald Hoenig, of the Thompson Speedway, was
a member of the class of 1949. Many agree that
Don was by far one of the finest athletes ever to
come from TMHS. As many know Don went on to
play professional golf.
5. The editor of the 1949 Hilltopper was Class
President, Donald Garvais.
JOIN THE TEAM! WE ARE LOOKING FOR
Webmaster
Art and history researchers
Part time curators
History and art enthusiasts
Writers and newsletter editors
Right: Another picture
of Charlie Seney and
George Pompeo in
the Philippines in
1945. The U.S. Coast
Guard, one of the
armed services,
played a vital role
during WW1, WWII,
Korea, Vietnam and
now, the Persian
Gulf. Photo
compliments of
Charlie Seney.
Left: Charlie
Seney in 1973
doing what he
did best –
teach. Charlie,
like many
TMHS grads
went on to a
long career in
teaching. Photo
compliments of
the Putnam
High School
1973 Yearbook.
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for his country.
Charlie eventually found his way to Putnam
High School, located in Putnam, Connecticut and
joined fellow Tourtellotte graduate George St. Marie as
a teacher in that school.
When talking about his days at TMHS Charlie
fondly remembers playing soccer for Coach William
Frank. Come share you stories with Charlie during our
Alumni Banquet on June 20 th continued from page 1
!
WE WANT YOUR OLD
PICTURES AND STORIES!
We are looking for pictures and stories from
your time at TMHS. They can be about anything
Tourtellotte and can include athletics, classmates,
plays, special events, etc. Each month we would like to
feature pictures from the past. Send them to:
AlumniAssociation@thompson.ctschool.net or mail
them to Tourtellotte Memorial High School Alumni
Office, 785 Riverside Drive, North Grosvenordale, CT
06255. We‟ll scan them and send them back.
Above: Members of the class of 1949 during their 1989
class reunion. Photo compliments of Art Vogel.
Above: The 1949 cast of the play Buttons and Bows.
Photo compliments of Art Vogel.

WHAT ARE THESE?
We are trying to identify the objects on the top
of the front façade of the 1909 Tourtellotte building.
Over the years the significance of these three objects,
added during the construction of the 1909 building, has
been lost. If anyone has any idea what they are,
please notify the Alumni Association office at:
AlumniAssociation@thompson.ctschool.net.
Photo Compliments of Justine (Bodreau) Gendreau „81
1949 PLAY “The Arrival of Kitty”
In keeping with the long-standing tradition, the
Class of 1949 did their part in keeping the arts alive.
Here‟s an article compliments of Art Vogel ‟49.
Right: Newspaper article from February 3 rd (1949?)
announcing “The Arrival of Kitty,” the annual senior play.
Listed above are Bob Therrien, Carol Boutillette, Bob
Turenne, Blenda Letinen and John Beno. Article compliments
of Art Vogel „49.
Annual Alumni Banquet Update
Tickets are going fast!!
Reserve your tickets by contacting:
Rachael (LaFleur) Johnston ‘75: 860-923-3377,
or Email Rachael at: johnstonre@sbcglobal.net or
stop by Rachael‟s office:
Johnston and Associates Real Estate
447 Riverside Drive,
Thompson, CT 06277
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MEANING OF THE LEWIS IRON FOUND!
Alum Joyce (Jewell) Cormier „63 came
through! She found the meaning of the Lewis Iron.
First a little history- Several months ago we
found the Lewis Iron in the recesses of the old
display cases in the 1909 TMHS building. We
discovered it was awarded to the student council
president on an annual basis until 1975. The last
graduate to receive this award was Holger Krohn
‟75. For months we assumed the Iron was named
after a prominent person in the TMHS history, but,
with the help of Joyce, we found a completely
different and more interesting story.
According to Don Falconer of the United
Grand Lodge of New South Wales, Australia:
The lewis is a device that has been used by
stonemasons and erectors for many centuries. It
provides an anchorage in a stone, which enables
lifting tackle to be attached to assist in the raising
and lowering of stones that are too heavy or too
awkward to man-handle into position during
transportation and erection. The first time that a
speculative craft freemason learns about the lewis is
usually as an entered apprentice, during the lecture
on the tracing board, when he is told that the lewis
denotes strength and signifies the son of a mason.
The use of the word in speculative craft freemasonry
seems to have arisen as a result of the old
friendship between France and Scotland, which
came to be known as the “Auld Alliance.”
Falconer goes
on to explain that the
name lewis is from the
early Latin word leuis,
meaning to levitate,
which of course would
make sense.
So while we
were looking for a Mr.
or Mrs. Lewis in our
town‟s history the true
meaning of the word
was much more
interesting. Thanks
Lewis Iron at TMHS Joyce!
Eileen (Boutin) Deary ‘79: 860-928-2154 or Email
Eileen at: isee.u@charter.net
Deb Spinelli: 860-923-2350 or Email Deb at:
AlumniAssociation@thompson.ctschool.net
Joe Lindley ‘74: 860-928-5527, 860-428-4154 or
Email Joe at: joelindley119@hotmail.com
June Duclos ’72: 860-923-9772
Jane (Jewell) Ellison ’61: 860-928-7125 or Email
Jane at: Jljewell11@wmconnect.com
Andy Morrison at WINY RADIO: Stop by the station
or call Andy at 860-928-1350

Tourtellotte Committee –
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SEARCHING FOR
CANDIDATES
In an unprecedented move this past
February, the Thompson Board of Education
appointed the Tourtellotte Alumni Association as the
Cultural and Historic Curators of the 1909 Tourtellotte
Building and the Memorial Room and Tourtellotte
Collection.
Part of the future plan is the formation of the
Tourtellotte Committee. This five-person committee
will be tasked with the development of a 1909
Building Usage Charter. This charter will help guide
future administrations when using and modifying the
1909 building. It will also help establish how and
when the Memorial Room and Tourtellotte Collection
will be used and made available to the community.
The Executive committee will be
recommending members over the next few months in
hopes of announcing the committee during the June
20 th Banquet.
We are seeking candidates who have a
special interest and connection to the 1909
Tourtellotte building and might either have a
background in art and architectural history or have a
special interest in these areas. If you are interested
contact the Alumni Association at:
AlumniAssociation@thompson.ctschool.net
Above: One of the many projects being pursued by the
TMHSAA. The above proposal is the second floor of the
TMHS 1909 Building and includes new display cases in the
1909 auditorium and outside the Memorial Room. It also
includes an alumni office which will be used as the TMHSAA
headquarters and archive room. The project also shows the
theater seats replacing those removed years ago. If you are
interested in helping, contact Deb Spinelli at 860-923-2350.
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ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ARCHIVES THE
TMHS CLOCK SIGNATURES
This past month Justine Gendreau, member of
the class of 1981, a dispatcher with the Connecticut
State Police, a Quinebaug volunteer fireman, a mother
of three Thompson students and amateur
photographer, somehow found the time to digitally
archive the signatures behind the 1909 clock.
For 100 years students have made their way
up to the area to add their signatures to those of their
predecessors as a rite of passage. Justine said that it
was an “awesome experience.”
We hope to add the signatures to our eventual
site to allow members to seek their own signature. The
oldest obvious signature was 1912 by Cab Calloway,
which requires further investigation as the famous
singer Cab Calloway wasn‟t born until 1907 making
him only five years old when this signature might have
been added. Anyone having any further information
about the TMHS Cab Calloway can contact the
TMHSAA office.
continued on page7
Right: A poem found on one of
the old doors in the clock area.
It reads:
A Moment’s Thought
I realize that all too soon,
Today will be a memory, too
Like a fragment of time
When you and I
Were together in a dream
I find it always seems
That a moment has barely
arrived when it‟s gone
And you‟re left standing there
Like refrain in a song.
The memory lives on
Florence M. Waldron
TMHS Class of 91
Dated /9/89
Above: Left to right: Carolyn Soderberg and Charlie Pratt,
both members of the Class of 1949. Photos compliments of
Art Vogel.

Fu
Above: One of two Crazy Quilts located in the Tourtellotte
Memorial Room. This quilt is dated to the late 1800‟s to the
early 1900‟s and was one of two Mrs. Tourtellotte left with
the Tourtellotte Collection. Having two quilts in the room
may indicate there was one for each daughter. Photo
compliments of the TMHSAA.
LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO STAY
DON’T DURING FORGET THE ALUMNI TO CHECK BANQUET??
OUT
The Holiday Inn Express in Dayville, Connecticut is
only a short few miles away from Tourtellotte
Memorial High School
Phone: 860-779-3200
Address: 16 Tracy Rd. Dayville, CT 06241
DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT
Want to play a round of golf while you are here for the
banquet? Call Dave at the Raceway Golf Club at: 860-923-
9591 or check the Raceway Website at:
www.racewaygolf.com
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Thompson Masons Offer 75 Theater Seats
to the TMHSAA.
Recently the Thompson Masons have
generously offered 75 circa 1920 theater seats for the
1909 TMHS auditorium. The TMHSAA, working in
conjunction with the Thompson Public School‟s
Facilities Director, is reviewing different options to
reupholster the old seats and have them installed in
the old auditorium.
The original 1909 TMHS auditorium seats
were removed approximately 30 years ago to make
room for additional temporary classroom space. Some
of the original seats still exist in the original 1909
balcony.
RECORDING SECRETARY ANNOUNCEMENT
Alex Kirkland ‟08 has been appointed as
recording secretary of the TMHSAA. We are
extremely happy that our younger alum are stepping
up and helping with this great endeavor. Thanks
Alex!!
SO WHO’S COMING???
As part of the overall
mission to restore the
1909 building the
TMHSAA feel these seats
are a step in the right
direction.
Left: One of the 75 seats
offered by the Thompson
Masons. The Thompson
BOE will hopefully provide
final approval during their
monthly meeting on Monday
May 11, 2009.
HERE’S A PARTIAL LIST OF WHO WE HEAR
IS COMING TO THE JUNE 20 TH BANQUET.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! SEE PAGE 4.
Donna (Lindley) Brown „82 Mabel Green „58
Pat (Lindley)Chadbourne „76 Beverly(Valade) Negip „59
Karen Lindley „80
Ed Negip „59
Eileen (Boutin) Deary „77 Jane (Jewell) Ellison „61
Paul Deary „77
Joyce (Jewell) Cormier „63
Romeo “Mush” Blaine „72 Joe Lindley „74
June Duclos „72
Sally Matteau „94
Alex Kirkland „08
Luva (Mead) Hoar „38
Paul Ryscavage „58 Jim Sali „51
Jerry Ryscavage
Mrs. Carol Delage
Gladys Tucker „52 (Teacher)
Rita Groh Rohr „56 Mr. Ed. Devlin (Teacher)
Louise and Larry Guillot „59 Rachael (LaFleur)
Charlie Seney „40
Johnston „77
Karen (Seastrand ) Brian Murphy „75
Ryscavage „58
Phil Levielle „56
Al Smat
Susan Levielle (Teacher)
Jean DeCastro
Joe and Val Iamartino
Catehrine Hair „61 MANY OTHERS!!

continued from page 5
Clock Signatures (Cont.)
The area is now secured and is only
accessible with the permission of the Facilities
Director, so sorry future grads you‟ll have to establish
another tradition.
The following are more of Justine‟s pictures.
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Above and left: Pictures of the Tourtellotte Clock. The
Picture above shows the inside of the clock to the right.
Many of the signatures were signed in chalk and are now
faded, but can still be seen to this day. The clock has
been replaced some time ago, but still has the circa 1909
look. For 100 years the clock has been giving us the right
time

Tourtellotte Memorial High School Alumni Office
785 Riverside Drive
North Grosvenordale, CT 06255
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
PLEASE SEND US YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO:
AlumniAssociation@thompson.ctschool.net
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