Former Mayor Stretch Norton died today

Former Mayor J. Harwood "Stretch" Norton, one of the nicest people I've known in politics, died today after a long illness.
Norton has been a key part of the community for so long that it's hard to imagine it without him.
A former owner of Lake Compounce, former mayor, longtime city councilor, Navy veteran of the Okinawa campaign, carousel fan, music lover and so much more, Norton sought to make Bristol better in countless ways over many years.
He'll be missed by many, including me.
I'll have much more to say in the days ahead, of course. Stretch was never a man of few words and, well, it doesn't seem fitting to limit ours now.
The wake is Tuesday evening and the funeral service is at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

If anyone would like to contribute memories of Norton for a story, please send them to me at scollins@bristolpress.com. Be sure to include your name and phone number.

Timeline
1922 – Born in Willimantic
1944 – Earned B.S. in engineering, Yale University
1945 – As a U.S. Navy sailor, fought in the Battle of Okinawa
1949 - Became plant engineer for Wallace Barnes Steel
1951 - Married his wife, Carolyn
1952 – Took over organization of Crocodile Club dinner
1959 – Won City Council seat
1969 – Won election as mayor
1974 – Served as manager of Lake Compounce
1985 – Lake Compounce sold by Norton family
1986 - Served as director, state Transportation Accountability Board
1997 – Lost his final City Council race
2002 – Last Crocodile Club dinner at Lake Compounce
2009 – Died April 3rd

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Former Mayor Walter Murphy dead

Obituary:

Walter J. Murphy, 89, mayor of Bristol from 1959-1963,died on Friday at Ingraham Manor.
the widower of Cecile (Duquette) Murphy, Murphy was born in Hartford on Sept. 30, 1918, and was a son of the late Lillian (Casey) Murphy and Walter J. Murphy Sr.
He was a graduate of St. Joseph School and Bristol High School, and took special courses at Hillyer College. He entered military service in 1940 and graduated from the Air Force Cadets as a pilot in June 1943.
He and Cecile Duquette of Bristol were married in a military ceremony on his graduation day.
Murphy served throughout Europe as an unarmed reconnaissance pilot and was the recipient of several medals and awards including the Air Medal plus a triple award of the Bronze Service Star for European campaigns. His flying duties abroad included numerous towing and test pilot flights and the flying of various V.I.P. Army officers.
Upon his return to the United States he worked in the real estate appraisal field. He was appointed chief assessor for the city of Bristol by former mayor Daniel Donovan. This was followed by appointment to the Federal Housing Administration where he served as appraiser and sub-division valuator forConnecticut as well as special assignments for the state of California. Later, he formed his own private professional appraisal and revaluation firm.
He was elected mayor of Bristol in 1959 and served two full terms to 1963. He declined to run for a third term as mayor and returned to redevelopment as director in Portsmouth, N.H. for the ensuing 10 years. His work in Portsmouth included the historic Strawbery Banke area.
He then started and completed Portsmouth's downtown renewal project. Following its completion, he was selected to head up the Northampton, Mass., redevelopment and financing authority. This carried through the ensuing seven years.
Murphy returned to Bristol in 1983 to oversee the construction and marketing of 229 Technology Park where he remained until his retirement in 1991.
Murphy is survived by a daughter and son in law, Denise and Robert Marcella of Watertown; a grandson, Matthew Marcella and his wife, Jamie, and a great grandson, Jonathan Marcella. He was predeceased by a sister, Teresa Facey.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday at 9 a.m. from Funk Funeral Home, 35 Bellevue Ave., Bristol, to St. Gregory Church for a Mass of Christian burial at 10 a.m. Burial, with military honors, will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, Bristol. Visiting hours at the funeral home are 6 and 8 p.m. on Monday.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Mayor Ward has vanished

There's a mystery at City Hall.
Along the back wall of the City Council chambers are a couple rows of framed photographs of Bristol's mayors reaching back nearly a century. Last month, the last picture in the line was a spanking new one: Art Ward.
But this month, the picture is gone.
"Too many dart holes," joked Ward. "They had to putty them in."
While that's a possible explanation, I have to note that the pictures are under glass, which is tough to throw a dart through.
So where did the photo go? Was it stolen? Did somebody take a dislike to it?
Is it getting moved to wall behind the mayor's chair, where Nicastro's photo hung during his final years in office?
What do y'all think?

PS: Former Mayor Stretch Norton came up with the idea to put the mayors on the wall there. It's turned out nice.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com