Warde Students Took Advantage of Snow Day to Build Snow Bunny 59 Years Ago Today

One of the snowiest March days on record in Fairfield happened 59 years ago today, Wednesday, March 22, 1967, when 11.1" of snow fell. Two students at Andrew Warde High School took advantage of the unusual March Winter weather by making a snow bunny.

This photograph graced the second page of The Bridgeport Post, Friday, March 24, 1967. Click the photo for a larger view.

According to the caption, "The Easter bunny, usually soft and cuddly, gets a new twist here from two Andrew Warde High School students who took advantage of the abundant snow to make a sculpture which is expected to slide, not hop, down the bunny trail Sunday.

"Gail and Robert Contolini, a senior and junior at the Fairfield school, designed the snowy mass, which is on display on the Warde grounds. The artists and their sister, Nancy, who helped in the project, live at 114 Rosedale Street, Fairfield."

Although I'm not certain, the Nancy Contolini mentioned in the article may have been my homeroom teacher in WS-11 in the 1970s. Here is the front page of The Bridgeport Post from Wednesday, March 22, 1967:

Paul

Warde Boys Dropped Heartbeaker to SCHS in CIAC Class L Tourney 59 Years Ago Today

Andrew Warde High School's boys' basketball team dropped a 59-57 decision to Stamford Catholic in the CIAC Class L basketball tournament at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk 59 years ago today.

Mark Kluytenaar, with ice water in his veins, converted all six of his free throws in the last three minutes to give the Crusaders the spine-tingling two-point victory over the Crimson Eagles. It was the third straight win for SCHS over its fellow FCIAC rivals.

Warde trailed, 47-40, early in the fourth quarter before Jim Howard canned nine of his team's next 11 points during an 11-4 run to pull the Eagles into a 51-51 tie before Kluytenaar's heroics on Wednesday evening, March 8, 1967.

Faced with a pressure-packed one-and-one situation at the foul line, the calm Kluytenaar, who averaged only 5.8 points per game during the regular season, sank both charity tosses to give the winners a 53-51 advantage.

Dick Redmond added a subsequent basket for the Crusaders to increase the lead to 55-51. Rich Fekete answered with a hoop for Warde to cut the deficit to two points. However, Kluytenaar, the six-foot junior, canned another pair of free throws to make it 57-53 before Fekete answered with another bucket for the Eagles.

Warde's Tom DeLuca picked up his fifth foul with 42 seconds left in the game. Kluytenarr buried two more shots from the foul line to increase the SCHS lead to 59-55. Warde's final basket came on a Howard layup as the final buzzer sounded.

Coach Wes Aldrich's Crimson Eagles finished with a 14-6 overall record, while Stamford Catholic improved to 13-8.

Kluytenaar led all scorers with 25 markers. Larry Jost (14 points) was the only other Crusader to finish in double figures for Coach Lenny Rivers. Fekete (21), Howard (18), and Danny Haines (11) paced the Crimson Eagles' attack.

Paul

Computer Dating First Introduced at Warde 59 Years Ago This Month

Today's high school students are computer savvy. They routinely use computers to connect with one another, meet new classmates, or even arrange dates. Teenagers communicate instantly through texting, social networking Web sites, or by cell phone. Obviously, things were much different for those of us who grew up a more than a half-century ago.

Believe it or not, computer technology was first introduced 59 years ago to match boys and girls who attended a fun-filled dance jointly organized by Andrew Warde and Roger Ludlowe highs schools. The "computer dating" service was a big hit with the students, according to a newspaper story which appeared Sunday, February 19, 1967.

The teens from both high schools filled out cards stating whether they thought they were beautiful or handsome, whether they most admired an all-American football player or a prize-winning novelist, or whether they preferred quiet or talkative dates.

The cards were processed by a computer in Boston, and teenagers were matched at the dance. According to the article, "The computer dance is the latest craze which is sweeping the country. American teenagers are using the computer to pick their ideal dates for a high school dance."


In addition to providing a high school dating service, Betty Tyler, author of the article in the Bridgeport Sunday Post, wrote, "Computers in the area are doing everything from preparing payrolls to printing report cards. Within a year, a bank teller will insert a card at her window and record the customer's acquired interest instantly. A computer in a hospital will schedule medication for a patient and ring a bell if it is not given at the proper time."

In fact, the author wrote that "within the very near future, every housewife and every office in the Bridgeport area will have access to a computer. The day is close at hand when the housewife will be able to insert a card in her telephone to order an item from a department store and the charge will be taken directly from her bank account."

Fast-forward 59 years. Betty Tyler's words were, indeed, prophetic. Now, we use computers for everything, including dating. In fact, you're reading this on the computer. But it must have been exciting for the Andrew Warde and Roger Ludlowe high school students who first used the computer to get matched with their dates in 1967. I'm sure they haven't forgotten about it, either.

Paul

Crimson Eagles' Boys Cagers Clinched FCIAC East Crown 61 Years Ago Today

The Andrew Warde High School boys basketball team clinched the FCIAC East Division championship 61 years ago today, February 22, 1965. Please click the story below from The Bridgeport Post the following day.

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Paul

Warde Cagers Defeated Bassick in State Tournament 62 Years Ago Today

The Andrew Warde High School boys' basketball team defeated neighboring Bassick High School in the state playoffs on this date in 1964. Please click the image below and enlarge to read the story as it appeared in The Bridgeport Telegram the following day.

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Paul

Lady Eagles' Captured FCIAC Girls' Basketball Championship 50 Years Ago Today

The Andrew Warde High School girls' basketball team captured the FCIAC championship 50 years ago today by defeating Westhill High School, 62-49, in Norwalk. Kathy Anderson, tournament MVP, led the Crimson Eagles to their 15th victory in 17 games by scoring 20 points, while Diane Dionis and Debbie Mendell had 12 points apiece to aid the Warde attack.

The Crimson Eagles led the entire way against the Western Division champions, marching to a 32-25 halftime lead. The Lady Vikings lost for only the third time in 17 outings. Warde advanced to the title game by defeating Western Division runner-up Stamford, courtesy of Anderson's 19 markers. Westhill moved into the finals by defeating Eastern Division runner-up Ludlowe.

The champions bolted out to a 12-9 lead after the first quarter before taking the seven point cushion into the intermission break. Warde outscored Westhill, 14-10, in the third quarter to increase its lead to 46-35 heading into the final frame. Warde won the final quarter, 16-14, to post the comfortable 13-point margin of victory.

With a new head coach, Miss Mary Beth McGirr, the girls got off to a slow start early in the season, but they staged a remarkable comeback to end up winning the league title. One of the reasons for the team's mid-season surge was the play of Anderson, a sophomore sensation. Her phenomenal improvement from the beginning of the season paralleled the improved play of the team as a whole.

By the end of the campaign, Anderson was habitually leading the team in points and rebounds every game. She earned All-FCIAC first-team honors, and she was named the MVP of the league tournament. But, Anderson wasn't the only reason the team won the coveted FCIAC championship.

The many other players who contributed much to the team's achievements included seniors Dionis, Mendell, who earned All-FCIAC second-team recognition, Gayle Johnson, and Marti Causey. The juniors included Kris Ness and Betsy Niesyn. The FCIAC championship game was played Friday evening, February 13, 1976, at Norwalk High School.

Paul