By Bob Montgomery
Today I’m going to start with a segment on names
Names
How do we honor Donovan Clingan? How about having this written on the back, westside of Bristol Central on the brick wall: Donovan Clingan 2022. Maybe name the upper parking lot adjacent to Peck Lane?: Or, …….? Plenty of time to think about this; Korytko Cove — Kory Drive could easily be referred to as Korytko Cove. Tony Korytko owned the area when it was Kory’s Beach, and I’ve mentioned this before; Munchausen Avenue — Why? It has nothing to do with Bristol!
Jim Kelley, age 83
He was officially James Kelley and was from a large Bristol family. You may recall that he worked at the front desk at the Bristol Post Office downtown after retiring as a captain in the U.S. Army. Jim was a clever fellow, and entertained customers with his wit. I could go on and on about him, but for now I will tell one Jim Kelley story.
When I was working for the library, I often went to the post office to deliver and get mail. Every so often, Jim would say, “Always keep change in your pocket (to break a $1 bill.” Then he’d go on to tell you that it would be made up of four pennies, a nickel, dime and two quarters. He often had me dig into my pockets in catching me unprepared.
June 4th
I was leaving the doctor’s office when the young lady at the scheduling desk asked for my birthday to look up my chart. When I told her it was June 4, she replied, “That’s my birthday, too.” I then smiled at her and said, “You weren’t born in 1945, though!” She said, “No, but the woman before you was born on June 4, too.” Now, that was a coincidence.
In closing, please don’t overextend yourself by sending me a card. Cash will do!
Stuff
John Larson is our congressman for Bristol. The late Bernard Grabowski was our only congressman from Bristol, and that was during the Kennedy Administration.
Robert Kelly, is a cousin to Jim Kelley mentioned previously today. Jim had two ee’s in his last name, while Bob has one; This could also fall into my “Names” segment. Bob, is a retired Bristol Eastern teacher.
Another Eastern teacher. My condolences to the family of Joe Lanosa, who recently died. He was the head of the math department at Bristol Eastern.
Shoutouts
To Bernie O’Keefe, someone I shout out to often; longtime friend Don Provost of Burlington; Brian and Richie Marino, now in Florida; and retired Bristol firefighter Mark Redman. Wait! A shout out, also, to former Bristol Central teacher Mark Redman. His father, Richard, was an all-time great Bristol High athlete, sandwich shop owner and Pequabuck Golf Club enthusiast.
Famous people from Bristol
I go to this site from time-to-time to check on folks and their biographies. Not all were born here. With this, I submit the name of the lady who is the widow of our late Wallace Barnes, Barbara Franklin, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce. This outstanding lady has divided her time between Washington, D.C., and Bristol, and I’m proud to know her.
Contact Bob Montgomery at BobMontgomeryNews@BristolEdition.org, or by calling 860-583-5132.
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