Darien boys golf has come out swinging this fall, so to speak, with an FCIAC best 6-0-1 record.
Under longtime head coach Tom O’Donnell, Darien Boys Golf Team practices five days a week, in addition to incorporating workouts to keep up strength and endurance. The golfers alternate from local courses around town such as the Country Club of Darien, Woodway, and Wee Burn, playing about nine holes per day. For a golfer, “it doesn’t get much better than that,” says the team captain.
The FCIAC includes a handful of extremely strong and competitive teams, including Greenwich and New Canaan, perennial powerhouses in the league.
Coach O’Donnell has been coaching golf for the better part of 28 years and in addition to being named CIAC and FCIAC Coach of the Year, was a finalist as National High School Coach of the Year.
The DoubleTree Hotel in Norwalk, a go-to resting spot for many a DHS class reunion, has closed its doors. Costco, the hotel’s next-door neighbor, has purchased the property. The hotel had been experiencing financial difficulties. In 2018 the DoubleTree was declared in foreclosure after defaulting on a roughly $20 million loan. An attempt to sell the hotel in 2019 for $19 million pushed up against the COVID pandemic before a sale was completed. The 8 story, 265 room Hilton Hotel on 3.2 acres of land had an appraised value of 12.5 million with a replacement cost of over $18 million.
Costco plans to use the property to improve customer's parking experience in its busy store.
Darien capped off a perfect 2023 season (22-0) by defeating rival New Canaan in the state lacrosse finals 14-13. Darien now has 20 state championships and are 37-2 in state playoff games since 2013.
This season is the first time the team has gone undefeated, but they had one-loss seasons in 1998, 2007, and 2013.
Despite beating the Rams three times this season, Darien scored the game-winner with only 1:13 remaining, this after New Canaan had tied the score three times in the final 10 minutes. The 14-13 score was identical to last years Class L final, only it was New Canaan that had won that contest. Darien ends the season as the No. 1 ranked HS team in the US along with the top-ranked player in HS lacrosse, Chloe Humphrey.
Mardie Porter (in the red jacket) sends winter greetings from snowy Maine. Here Mardie and husband Mark are on their annual XC ski trip, this year to West Branch Pond Camp in Greenville.
Mardie made it home just in time before snow began falling again. Glad someone is having a snowy winter!
50th Group
Great shot of classmates Kenny Peliksza, Mike 'Lope' Lopriore, Dick Costello, and Ben Bruno in Jacksonville. Nobody mentioned any golf scores but all were sad to see former Jax resident Paul Hepp leave for Texas.
| Pete White | Dave Terry |
| Claudia Smith Davenport | Kathy DelleFontane Goossen |
| Dennis Gavin | Pete Johnson |
| Rick Poccia | Janet Martin Fisher |
| Mark Beckwith | Anita Conway |
| Bruce Frail | Paul Dominis |
| Patty Mazza Sturges | Sue Dickman Klein |
| Sally Armus | Christy Rodgers |
| Mardi Porter | Ed Tyler |
| Bill Guptill | Mark Blackman |
| Georgiana Smith Bloom | Kate Mason Gredinger |
| Pete Franklin | Gary Gibbs |
| Tom Lane | Billy Harper |
| Anahid Kavoojian Vrana | Dave Lynch |
| Lauren Fair | Jimmy Valente |
| Tim Potts | Casey Nickerson |
| Suzanne Nikola Baldino | John van den Heuvel |
| Jim Morrison | Chris Bischof |
| Josie Mullen | Paul Buckley |
| Johnny Maul | Skip Kennedy |
| Bev Bonfoey | Barb Thorne |
| Marni Kent Hansell | Bob Mercer |
| Bob Ierardi | Eric Joosten |
| Dennis Sullivan | Tom Milek |
| Gary Swartz | Dave Miller |
| Steve Verses | Jay Baker |
| Cliff Powell | Ann Back Price |
| Steve and Patti Craig | Anne Marie McGarry |
| Vandy Van Wagener | Bill Schade |
| George Farrington | Todd and Martha Robbins |
| Rick Weber | Jane Seyferth |
| Sue Venarde Mahoney | Mark Tinker |
| Joan Dobson Glazebrook | Paul Hendrickson |
| Sandy McGill | Ted Vanech |
| Jim Tully | Stu Traver |
| Dick Costello | Mike Lopriore |
| Charlie Smith | Chris Eng Leventhal |
| Jane Genster | John Wuerthner |
| Carol Ann Augustus Summers | Anne Irvine |
| Ken Broska | Paul Hepp |
| Dave Jefferson | Sue Geiger |
| Allison Poccia | Joanne Schoepf Reisser |
| Benny Bruno | Kyle Hepp |
| Kathy Strachan | Pam Burkhardt Mele |
| Peter Scholtz |
Castle
Eaton
Freeman
Morrison
Choir
Steve and Patti Craig did well in their apple orchard this fall. They report harvesting over 20 bushels of apples. (Note: 1 bushel = 48 pounds). The Craigbo Cider Co. made 16 gallons of unadulterated apple cider, while also donating apples to a local farmer and food pantry.
Terry Cummings, Tim Maul, Cliff Powell
Shot of trip out west during summer of '69 when we hitchhiked to California. Mark Tinker's dad bought us the car to roam around California and back to CT. Thought I lost this. Great memories from that trip. Those were the days! -George Wehmann
