Saturday, January 28, 2023
North Haven Courier Person of the Week
North Haven Courier
Randall Mena: Portraits of First Responders
Published July 13, 2022 08:30 a.m.In Randall Mena’s desire to support the local community around New Haven he volunteers his professional photographic talents to create portraits of police officers and firefighters who risk their lives each day to save the lives of others.
North Haven Courier
Chris Roush: Business and Journalism 101
Published July 06, 2022 08:30 a.m.When Chris Roush accepted the position of dean at Quinnipiac University’s School of Communications in 2019, he chose North Haven as his home so he could be close to the university’s Hamden campus.
Harbor News
Brian Boyd: Hail and Farewell
Published June 29, 2022 08:30 a.m.I am going to break some time-honored rules about how to write a news story. In fact, I did it with the first word, I. In a news story, as opposed to a column, you never use I. If you have to refer to yourself, you do it in the third person: a reporter asked, not I asked.
North Haven Courier
Peter Balisciano: It’s Never Too Late
Published June 22, 2022 08:30 a.m.Some people embrace the idea of always seeking knowledge and growing as a person, no matter their age. One such person, Peter Balisciano, lives in North Haven and earlier this year he earned his GED at the age of 90. His love of life, people, and learning are infectious.
North Haven Courier
Pat Brown: The Importance of Science and Volunteerism
Published June 15, 2022 08:30 a.m.Behind Pat Brown’s pleasant personality and cheerful smile is the razor-sharp mind of a scientist and researcher. The Napa, Calif. native first came to Connecticut in 1988 with her then-husband, Thomas, when he was recruited to join the faculty at Yale University.
North Haven Courier
Hannah Auddino: Valedictorian of the NHHS Class of 2022
Published June 08, 2022 08:30 a.m.Each year the graduating high school senior with the highest academic record is named the school’s valedictorian. For the North Haven High School class of 2022, the person to earn this honor is Hannah Auddino.
North Haven Courier
Nadia Gonzalez: English Learner Teacher Connects People
Published June 01, 2022 08:30 a.m.As the English Language (EL) district coordinator for grades K-12 in the North Haven Public School System, Nadia Gonzalez helps children new to the English language adjust to their new lives in town and strengthens bonds between families and the community in the process.
North Haven Courier
Christine Midolo: The Person Before the First Responders
Published May 25, 2022 08:30 a.m.“911, what’s your emergency?” That’s the phrase Christine “Chris” Midolo has spoken as a civilian dispatcher at the North Haven Police Department for the past three decades.
North Haven Courier
Helen Pappas: Living Big Through Still Life
Published May 18, 2022 08:30 a.m.Objects, landscapes, animals, and people have a state of existence mostly invisible to the non-artist. For the artistic mind, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. For Helen Pappas, the lens through which she witnesses and celebrates life is two-fold enhanced, one through the lens of her camera, the other, through the lens of autism.
North Haven Courier
Rob Deko, Jr: Heroes Helping Heroes
Published May 11, 2022 08:30 a.m.Rob Deko, Jr., comes from a family of helpers, in the form of public service providers via firefighting through his father and nursing via his mother. Born and raised in East Haven, Rob spent his early years serving his local community but now helps in North Haven, North Branford, and beyond.
East Haven Courier
Lynn LaFogg: A Two-Wheeler Supports Four-Leggers
Published May 04, 2022 08:30 a.m.East Haven native Lynn LaFogg grew up loving animals. Today, when not caring for and enjoying her own dogs—Diva, a blue heeler-Chow mix, and Gunner, a Labrador retriever mixed with three other breeds—she volunteers to help both abandoned pets and feral animals through the organizations she supports.
North Haven Courier
Kimberly Carew: For the Love of History
Published April 27, 2022 08:30 a.m.Where history, community, and children converge you will find Kimberly Carew. She has a long history of service to North Haven children as a teacher and in her efforts to help preserve the town’s history through her work with the Mayflower Society of North Haven.
North Haven Courier
Rudy Vener: The Art of Perseverance
Published April 20, 2022 08:30 a.m.The famed science fiction writer Ray Bradbury wrote in his advice to writers, “To fail is to give up. There is no failure unless one stops. Not to work is to cease, tighten up, become nervous and therefore destructive of the creative process.”
East Haven Courier
Kalie Peccerillo: Gathering Donations for Ukraine
Published April 13, 2022 08:30 a.m.When tragedies occur and people step in to help the victims a snowball effect can form. The outpouring of aid in times of emergency is encouraging and heartwarming.
East Haven Courier
Claudia Giulietti: The Joy of Life-Long Volunteering
Published April 06, 2022 08:30 a.m.Claudia Guilietti may prefer to avoid the spotlight and remain behind the scenes with all the volunteerism she does, but it is precisely her devotion to helping others that makes the world a better place.
East Haven Courier
Aaron Marcel: Hockey Haven Founder Helps Underserved Youth
Published March 30, 2022 08:30 a.m.Aaron Marcel, a native of the South Shore region of Massachusetts, arrived in North Haven last fall to begin his medical studies at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University on his way to becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
East Haven Courier
Eileen O’Keefe-Roxbee: Celebrating Irish-American Traditions
Published March 23, 2022 08:30 a.m.Eileen O’Keefe-Roxbee’s family history drives her love of the Irish American Community Center (IACC), which makes its home on Venice Street in East Haven but serves the entire Greater New Haven area.
North Haven Courier
George Ambel: Helping Disabled Veterans
Published March 16, 2022 08:30 a.m.George Ambel, 83 years young, likes to remember only the good things related to his career in the U.S. Air Force and his time serving his country during the Vietnam War. Today, with boundless positive energy, George helps other military veterans obtain all the federal help they deserve, but often don’t know they are entitled to receive.
North Haven Courier
Kathy Rocklin Feels Fortunate to Volunteer for North Haven Schools
Published March 09, 2022 08:30 a.m.Kathy Rocklin has lived in North Haven for more than four decades and has been volunteering in some capacity for North Haven Public Schools nearly the entire time she has lived here.
North Haven Courier
Julie Mountcastle’s Passion for Collaboration Fuels Success at Slate School
Published March 02, 2022 08:30 a.m.North Haven’s Julie Mountcastle is now 20 years into the second career in her life. Julie taught at Ridge Road Elementary School for more than a decade and is now the head of school and a teacher at Slate School.
North Haven Courier
Gabriella Brand Brings Years of Experience as Town’s First-Ever Poet Laureate
Published Feb. 23, 2022 08:30 a.m.While Gabriella Brand has been a poet since she could talk and her fiction and poetry have now appeared in more than 50 literary magazines, she has not always been comfortable sharing her work.
North Haven Courier
Kathryn Speeg Brings NYC Fashion Experience to NHHS Stage as Costume Designer
Published Feb. 16, 2022 08:30 a.m.Growing up in Wallingford, Kathryn Speeg always was intrigued by fashion and design. After graduating from Marist College’s fashion program, Kathryn spent more than 10 years working as a women’s sportswear designer in New York City.
North Haven Courier
David Quijano and Family Helping Foster Dogs Find Forever Homes
Published Feb. 09, 2022 08:30 a.m.Growing up in Colombia, David Quijano always loved animals and had different pets. After going to college, David moved to America when he was 18. A few years later, he met his wife, Christen, and the couple married in 2007.
North Haven Courier
Lori Mansur ‘Born to Be a Nurse’
Published Feb. 02, 2022 08:30 a.m.After graduating high school in 1996, Lori Mansur tried a few different jobs, but it wasn’t until 2004 that she found her calling.
North Haven Courier
Elijah Amendola Thankful for Community’s Support During His Deployment
Published Jan. 26, 2022 08:30 a.m.North Haven resident Elijah Amendola left his home in March 2021 to serve with the Connecticut National Guard 1-102 Infantry on a deployment to Africa.
North Haven Courier
Curt Andrews Celebrates More than Three Decades of Volunteering with Northeast Co. 4
Published Jan. 19, 2022 08:30 a.m.Even though Curt Andrews had joined the West Ridge Volunteer Fire Association when he was 16 years old because “it was a cool thing to do,” it wasn’t until years later that he became fully involved as a volunteer.
The Sound
Susan Mulqueen Honors Late Mother with Nonnie’s Toy Closet
Published Jan. 12, 2022 08:30 a.m.When Carol Mulqueen passed away in March 2016, her daughter Susan Mulqueen wanted to find a way to channel her grief to keep memories of her mother close.
North Haven Courier
PJ Morgan Shares Love of Christmas through Lights
Published Jan. 05, 2022 08:30 a.m.What started with a few lights at PJ Morgan’s parents’ house has since grown into a glowing display at the home he shares with his fiancée, Margo Faherty. Their home at 92 Kings Highway has drawn visitors throughout the holiday season.
North Haven Courier
Steve Paik: Meet a New Dean at the Frank Netter School MD of Medicine
Published Dec. 22, 2021 08:30 a.m.As the new dean of student affairs at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine on the North Haven campus of Quinnipiac University, Dr. Steve Paik, MD, EdM, is excited to bring his experience and passion for medicine and teaching to the institution.
North Haven Courier
Annetta DePino Honors Daughter Through Blood Drive
Published Dec. 15, 2021 08:30 a.m.On Sunday, Dec. 19, a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wakely Community & Rec Center will honor Amelia DePino, a 2017 North Haven High School graduate who passed away on April 15, 2019 after a two-plus year battle with leukemia. Her parents, Annetta and Todd, saw the need for blood and platelets firsthand during Amelia’s treatments.