From the 'Turnback Tuesday' archives: Cooke Boathouse

This week's "Turnback Tuesday" features an image of Yale's Robert Cooke Boathouse. It was located at 280 Roosevelt Drive in Derby, where the Yale Gilder Boathouse now resides. 

The Cooke Boathouse was designed by architect James Gamble Rogers and was dedicated in 1918. However, the boathouse was deemed too small to house the number of rowers that were using it, hence the need for its demolition and replacement by the Gilder Boathouse, opened in 2000.

This image was taken from the Shelton side of the Housatonic River near Riverview Park.

[First posted on this date in 2016.]

Thanks goes to the Derby Public Library staff for always sharing interesting local history each week.

'Turnback Tuesday' highlights Housatonic River

Turnback Tuesday looks at the Housatonic River (or Ousatonic in its original spelling.) Named by the Paugussett Tribe as Potatuck which means “River with Falls” or “great river," the Housatonic starts near Pittsfield, Mass. and runs for 148 miles to the Long Island Sound.

In the early 1800s, factories were built along the river in Birmingham that harnessed the water to power their turbines and water wheels. 

A covered bridge was built in 1839 to connect Shelton to Derby, and the Ousatonic Dam was dedicated in 1870. Dikes were installed along parts of the river after the flood of 1955.

Not all use of the river was for commercial purposes. Recreational boating and fishing were very common. The Yale University boat crews used the river to practice and race. 

This postcard is a recent donation to the Library.

Thanks goes to the Derby Public Library staff for sharing interesting local history each week.

UMH, Yale partner to study relationship-centered living at Wesley Village in Shelton

SHELTON - United Methodist Homes, Inc. has recently initiated a partnership with Yale University to study the impact of relationship-centered living. 

The partnership, coordinated through the Yale School of Public Health, Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, was arranged with support and interest from Associate Professor of Public Health, Joan K. Monin, PhD. Monin’s research examines how emotional processes affect health in older adult relationships and focuses on understanding the supportive relationship between caregivers and care recipients. 

Her team, who will be observing and collecting data through written surveys and on-site focus groups, will be analyzing the unique dynamic of relationships at United Methodist Homes’ Wesley Village senior living campus on Long Hill Avenue. The study will take place at the campus’s assisted living communities, Crosby Commons and Wesley Heights.

“At UMH we have long believed that relationships are the cornerstone of building harmonious communities, where residents and staff alike build healthy and happy lives,” said David Lawlor, President and CEO of UMH. “We serve our mission by developing programs that target healthy relationships.  As we enter our 150^th year of service, we are thrilled to partner with Joan and her team at Yale University to study the efficacy of our programs, as we continually seek new methods of engagement.”

“If we want residents and care workers to thrive in senior living communities, we need to focus on the small moments of connection that people look forward to each day,” said Monin. “Whether it is sharing a story with the dining staff or laughing with other residents, it is these moments we need to capitalize on.” 

Over the coming weeks, Yale intern and Masters of Public Health student Rebecca Lopez, will begin examining the impact of the campus’s relationship-centered philosophy of living by conducting surveys and focus groups, and facilitating a variety of programs with small groups at the campus. 

The study will include a primary focus on relationships between dining services team members and residents and will look to highlight the unique bonds and connections formed throughout interactions during or surrounding the community dining experience. Lopez will seek to identify successful and effective ways of fostering deeper connections between care staff and senior living residents while noting positive outcomes from current relationship-centered practices and exploring next steps for continued relationship cultivation.

More than 40 resident and team member volunteers are working with Lopez to provide baseline data through surveys, in-person focus groups, and individual and group meetings. A post-project survey is set for December. 

Longtime UMH team member Kathy Vayda, who has worked as a server at Crosby Commons for 29 years is participating in the study. 

What is most important to Vayda when serving the residents at Crosby Commons is the daily connections she makes. “We get to know the residents and their families; we talk with each other and exchange stories about our lives. When residents sit down at the table, some days they don’t even have to place an order; staff know each individual so well they can anticipate, offer, or deliver exactly what a resident may need or prefer. Every interaction is personal.”

Wesley Heights resident Peggy-Ann Rose, is participating in the study and looking forward to the many ways her contributions can impact future relationship-centered training for new staff. Rose, a former Wesley Village employee who retired this year after 15 years of service, feels she has a unique perspective to bring to the study, especially considering the many relationships she has with residents and staff across the campus. 

Rose has come to know and respect many of the chefs and dining teams at Wesley Village and even worked alongside the current Wesley Heights chef manager, Richard Scaife, when she first began working at the campus. 

Utilizing her experience as both a staff member and a resident, Rose hopes to play a vital role in helping to cultivate a relationship-centered atmosphere in the dining room. 

“As residents, we are all bringing something with us to the table and the complexities of growing older are part of that,” said Rose. “I’ve observed that empathy, respect and understanding is key when it comes to strengthening relationships and the entire dining room experience. The more we can do to help each other, the better.” 

“I think the staff is fantastic,” Rose said. “I am so thankful for them and I am excited to see how the information gathered through this study can positively impact our community.”

This is a press release from United Methodist Homes.

Seymour Girls Swim Team congratulated on finishing 7th place at State Open

SEYMOUR - Seymour High School Girls Swim finished 7th at the State Open Sunday at Yale University. 

The 7th place finish was Seymour's highest finish ever and the best finish for an NVL team at the State Open in over 25 years.

Sophia Velleco finished 5th in the 200 Freestyle and 4th in the 500 Freestyle.

Katrine O'Leary finished 7th in both the 50 Freestyle and the 100 Freestyle.

Kylie McKirryher finished 6th in the 100 Butterfly and 10th in the 100 Backstroke

Karolina Morrell (represents Ansonia, but trains with Seymour) finished 19th in the 50 Free and 22nd in the 100 Freestyle.

The 200 Medley Relay of Sophia Velleco, Alyssa Toman, Kylie McKirryher and Katrine O'Leary finished 5th.

The 200 Freestyle Relay of Katrine O'Leary, Kylie McKirryher, Sophia Velleco, and Alyssa Toman finished 8th.

This is shared from the Seymour High School Athletics' Facebook page.

Derby Public Library participates in Hindsight 2020 Postcard Project

DERBY - We are living through challenging, historic times. What would you want people of the future to know about what it was like? 

The Hindsight 2020 Postcard Project is an opportunity to share and preserve your thoughts. 

So please stop by the postcard station in the front lobby of Derby Public Library, write down your response and place it in the box. 

The Library is at 313 Elizabeth St.

The postcards will be collected, posted online, and preserved for future generations in the Yale University Library’s archival collections.

Postcards will be available at the Library until Sept. 15, and you can also share reflections through the project website at  2020newhaven.com.

This is shared from the Derby Public Library Facebook page.

Derby Public Library board announces recipient of annual $500 scholarship award

Natalia Wyszkowski

DERBY- The Board of Directors of the Derby Public Library announces the 2020 recipient of its $500 Scholarship Award, given annually to a resident of Derby graduating from a public, private, or parochial high school and accepted to an accredited college or technical school as a full-time student. 
This year’s winner is Natalia Wyszkowski who will be attending Yale University majoring in Anthropology. 
In addition to the monetary prize, her name will be added to the Scholarship Prize Plaque located in the Teen Zone. 
Congratulations Natalia! 

Recuperation journey: Relaxing ride on river

A dear friend invited me and daughter Allegra and two other friends on a lovely boat ride Wednesday evening on Lake Housatonic. 
The weather was perfect! 

Reflections courtesy of Yale's Gilder Boathouse in Derby. 

Seymour Historical Society to present program on gargoyles of Yale

SEYMOUR - The buildings on Yale’s campus are decorated with dozens of unusual sculptures – animals, human figures and other wildly imaginative creatures. 

These gargoyles will be the focus of a program at the Seymour Historical Society at 2 p.m. May 22.

Gargoyles were originally designed to be fancy water spouts, funneling rain off of stone buildings to prevent decay. 
Later, they adorned medieval churches, serving as illustrations of evil. 

One of the largest collections in the U.S. is at Yale, where many buildings are decorated with gargoyles and “grotesques” (similar sculptures with no water-carrying function). 

In this program, photographer Matthew Dumanwill display images from his book, “An Education in the Grotesque: Gargoyles of Yale University,” and explore the artistic, historic, architectural and even humorous significance of these sculptures.

The Seymour Historical Society is located at 59 West St., near the Trinity Episcopal Church. 

The program is free to Seymour Historical Society members; $5 for non-members. 

Seating is limited and no reservations are accepted. Doors open at 1 p.m. 

For more information, contact psussman@snet.net, call 203-881-2156 or visit www.seymourhistoricalsociety.org.



This is a press release from Seymour Historical Society.