Woodbridge Lore Baseball - Morris Powell - and Work Ethic

AMITY & WOODBRIDGE

HISTORICAL SOCIETY

JOURNAL

Spring Newsletter March 2016

1953 5th, 6th, grade Center School Baseball Team Photo Front row (L-R) C Lockyer, L. Testa Row two - C Caldwell, J. DeRosa, P Arnold, E. Sandora Row three - G Clough, K Luciani, R Jeynes, unknown, Coach T Leary Between rows - R. Bergmann Jr Row four - unknown, J Casner, K Kellner, F Carleglio, J Nickerson

WOODBRIDGE LORE BASEBALL - MORRIS POWELL - AND WORK ETHIC

By Richard Jeynes

For most, as spring approaches, we think of warm weather, leaves budding, green grass, the smell of spring, and, for young boys and old men, the crack of a bat hitting a ball. Years ago this was very true in Woodbridge and the focus of the boys. Following WWII almost every family in Woodbridge bought a daily newspaper. Everyone had a radio but few had television and, of course, digital was unheard of by most of the world. Most, in Woodbridge read “The New Haven Register” an afternoon publication which came to the homes via a paperboy. (Some also got the “New Haven Journal Courier” a morning paper.) These facts are not to inform readers that the community was well read. Rather, to show that almost all families always had stacks of paper in garages, basements, and sheds. Papers were used to start fires, burn trash, or burn fields (up to 1972 burning was legal in Woodbridge). But this barely put a dent in most paper stacks.

Another bit of information to set the scene for this account is that Center School, up to 1950, had exactly eight rooms: one for each grade 1-8. There was no cafeteria or gym. In fact, there was no program for any team recreation such as football, or basketball, or baseball; let alone soccer, hockey, Lacrosse or any other of the modern-day school sport.

Enter, in 1946, Maurice Warner Powell. It was in this year that the Powell family moved to Woodbridge: to a flat roofed, Bauhaus School style house on Brook Road. Mr. Powell, as all the boys called him, was an executive at Wyatt Oil Company in New Haven. He had graduated from Harvard University. And, in the 1930s, while attending there, he was a middle infielder (shortstop/second base) on the Harvard Baseball team. Mr. Powell was very knowledgeable and also was an excellent teacher. He wanted to do something to help the children of that era to grow up with a good work ethic. In short, he wanted to teach seventh and eighth grade boys that work was important to becoming successful: that, accomplishing purposeful activity came from toil. And, what better way than to form a baseball team dependent on no one but the boys themselves.

While most fathers knew a few rudiments of baseball, Mr. Powell was able to teach the real fundamentals (cut-offs, relays, double relays, hit and runs, how to catch a ground ball, etc.) So the first Woodbridge baseball team was born. In order to pay for all of the team’s necessities, each February every 7th and 8th grade boy on the team was assigned by Mr. Powell, designated roads or areas of town and asked to collect papers from the homes with in that area. This was called “the paper drive”. Donny Ford (a member of the 1948-49 team) has stated “the papers were tied with rope and taken to the New Haven Register in box trucks or pick-up trucks. The team was paid by the weight of the papers they turned in.” In addition, cast iron and other unwanted metals such as chains or old plows were collected from barns, sheds and basements. The metal paid well then as it was used for the Korean War (1950-53) effort.

It is interesting to note that neither the Woodbridge Board of Education nor any other Town entity paid one penny to support this team. All of the money earned from the above work by the boys literally paid for all the necessary equipment: uniforms, bats balls, catcher equipment etc., plus the umpires. (In 1948 umpires received $10 for every high school game they worked. Today they receive $70.) When a high school umpire was not assigned to a game, he would work at a Woodbridge Center School game for $6. Thus, Woodbridge Center School became the only public school in the State of Connecticut in the years 1947-53 to have a baseball team. It was unique, a new outlet for the 7th and 8th graders who were starving to learn the sport. And, they each had to work hard to be able to participate. If truth be told, Woodbridge had no organized recreational programs for the children at Center School. Up to 1947 “free play” at recess was all the school offered.

The new team formed by Powell, played 20 games in the spring. All opponents were private schools including, Hopkins, Foote, Choate, Taft, Forman, McTieran, and Rumsey Hall. Home games were played on Center Field. Tryouts took place for three days. As one can imagine, this was not just recreation, it was very competitive. About 14 or 15 boys made the team. DonnyFord (now over 80 and living on Seymour Road) has said “Mr. Powell was a good coach. We were fortunate. He taught us everything. And, we practiced after school every day; just like high school” He estimated that the team won 15 of 20 games.

Remembering the 1948/49 teams reminds us of some old Woodbridge names: AlanMiner-catcher, Peter Jennette-1st base, John Sorensen-2nd base, Alan (Tubby) Powell(coach’s son)-shortstop, Gary Perham (Yale’s athletic Dr.’s son)-3rd base, DonBeardmore-left field (also pitched), Peter Sorensen-center field, Billy Creger-right field. And, Donny Ford, the prime pitcher. The writer here of was the batboy, being only in 1st and 2nd grades at that time. Some of the players on the 1950/51 teams were Charlie Griffith,Eddie Hill, and Charles Betts. The 1952 team which I know best was the best team that Mr. Powell ever had. They won 17 of their 20 games. Members of this team included: Michael Sirowich-catcher, Charlie (Pete) Marvin- pitcher/shortstop, Terry Vidal-1st base, Peter Smith-2nd base, Joseph (Corky) Sills-3rd base, Robert Beardmore-shortstop, Steve Marselis-left field, David Jeynes-center field, Robbie Hubbell-right field. Walter York, Alan Baldwin, and Mike Rosen were substitutes.

Mr. Powell’s program was so successful that in 1950 Thomas Leary, the physical education teacher at Center School, started a 5th and 6th grade team modeled after Mr. Powell’s 7th and 8th graders. They had the same paper drives etc.to earn the funds they needed. The only difference was that some of the uniforms were hand-me-downs from the older teams. Unfortunately though, even the private schools didn’t have 5th/6th grade baseball teams so they only played about eight games each year. The 1951 teamwas undefeated. A picture of the 1953 team is included here with the names and positions of the players.

Of all the boys on the teams, probably three-fourths continued to play at their respective high-schools. Many then went on to play in college. Among them: C.Marvin at Amherst, M Sirowich at Bridgeport, D Jeynes at University ofRochester, J. DeRosa and K Luciani at University of Conn, C Griffith at Arizona University, R Jeynes at West Virginia Wesleyan.

Acknowledging that some readers might not have a common interest in the theme, all must applaud the hard work of the boys resulting from their commitment to earn the money to establish and maintain the team. Their preseason labor translated to a long-term course of action which improved both skill and sportsmanship. And Mr. Powell, what had he accomplished? Over the course of seven years (1947-1953 when Amity was starting) he had subtly and expertly taught, through the medium of sports, that hard work can result in success: that hard work can be filled with fun and camaraderie: that hard work can shape future positive involvement. He, along with Mr. Leary, imbued most of the boys of nearly eleven different Woodbridge grammar school classes (perhaps 175 children) with a work ethic that would help them for the rest of their lives.

Morris Powell, it is said, had more reason than just the love of the game to exert this extra special effort on behalf of the children of Woodbridge. He and his family had suffered the tragedy of losing a young child and he wanted to turn this negative into something beneficial. Sadly Mr. Powell himself died in1967 at the very young age of 56.

Darling House Hosts Local Historical Societies

On a recent cold Saturday afternoon in January the members of the board of the Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society hosted a meeting with other local Connecticut Historical Societies. Don Menzies, past president of AWHS, presented the history of Thomas Darling and provided a tour of the house, while Alexia Belperron, current president, provided a demonstration of hearth cooking which included root vegetable soup, gingerbread, assorted breads and pounded cheese. There were almost 30 attendees from the Stratford, Milford, Cheshire, New Haven, Monroe, Orange and Woodbridge Historical Societies and the William Perry and Ward-Heitmann House, as well as representatives from the CT State Library and CT League of History Organizations. These events are a great opportunity for historical organizations to network and share information about events, challenges, resources and accomplishments and to get a chance to experience the historic houses in the state. Woodbridge has a remarkable house and history to share and we received many positive comments. The CT League has been very supportive of organizations preserving history in CT by providing resources, assistance and chances to network. The AWHS certainly benefits from these learning opportunities and there are always ideas for us to incorporate into future events and preservation activities at the Darling House.

“The Life of Pye”: Food in New England in the 18th Century

By Alexia Belperron

Most of us are familiar with the saying “As American as Apple Pie”, however history tells us that the saying is not particularly accurate. First, unlike plums and persimmons, apples are not native to America. However they were among the first items brought over and planted by the colonists, with the Roxbury Russet thought to be the first type of apple tree planted in Massachusetts in the 1630’s. New England farmers established orchards, often before other crops were planted, and Thomas Darling was no exception. Our archives confirm that once upon a time there was a small orchard on the property (most likely where the parking lot behind the Darling House is today). Pye (the original spelling of pie) is also not native to the Americas. Pyes were invented in ancient times, but certainly the English perfected the art. Pyes were a staple in their diets and thus also of the colonists here. However, their pyes were not the pies we know today.

The original purpose of a pye was a way to facilitate cooking. Often people didn’t have iron vessels for cooking so they created a “coffin”, what today we would call a crust in which to cook their food. Their coffins bear no resemblance to our modern day crusts. Originally they were made of flour and water and were very thick and hard, even a few inches thick. The crust was the pot! The pilgrims, for instance, who had very little cast iron with them in the first few years, cooked much of their foods in pyes. The “coffins” were not meant to be eaten and in fact were considered inedible, although they were sometimes fed to farm animals or even poor servants. As fat sources became available, they were added to the flour and water to take us a step closer to the piecrusts we know today. When Thomas Darling built his house, crusts, which they called “pastes” were still considered a utilitarian item and the idea of making a flaky crust was just starting to take shape.

Even as the “coffins” became edible, that wasn’t their main function. Their job was to hold the food together, protect it from bugs and spoiling, and make it easier to eat and transport. Without refrigeration, preservation of food was a constant struggle. A pye with a thick coffin protected the contents not only from bugs but also from air and thus from spoiling rapidly. When even the likes of John and Abigail Adams were expected to BYOSW (Bring Your Own Silverware) to dinner parties, the pye facilitated eating without the benefit of any cutlery (akin to a sandwich). In the Darling House we do have 2 fork and knife sets demonstrating the wealth of the Darlings, but even they would not have eaten food off of their forks. Their forks, with very sharp tines, were considered dangerous and were meant to hold food, and instead they scooped food onto their knifes, which were duller and thus considered “safer”.

It’s likely that the Darlings may have eaten pie every day, but still their pies were not like ours. Most of their pies were savory and not sweet, and they may in fact have still been scooping the cooked food out of their pyes. Although we have many cooking vessels from the 18th century that were owned by the Darlings, we don’t have any pie plates or tins.

They would have mostly made their pies with straight sides in their cast iron pots. Pie plates don’t become common use items until the 19th century (it is however thought that the pilgrims may have come up with the idea of pies with slanted sides as a way to make the limited amount of food that they had look more substantial). One thing that the Americans did seem to bring to pie making is the addition of more fruits. The abundance of fruits in the colonies encouraged them to add them to their pies but often mixed with meat. Even when they made entirely fruit pies, they tended to use little if any sugar. So maybe with that in mind, it is not so wrong to say “As American as Apple Pie”. Apples weren’t native to the America’s and Americans certainly didn’t invent pies, but they may have been the first to create an Apple Pie as we know it today. At our March Open House, we hope you will stop by and see the Darling’s 18th century forks and knives as well as the myriad of cooking vessels and utensils they used for hearth cooking, and join us as we will be trying out some historic “pye receipts” (pie recipes).

“Onion Pye Receipt” Hannah Glass, “The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy” 1747, England

Wash and pare some potatoes and cut them in slices, peel some onions, cut them in slices, pare some apples and slice them, make a good crust, cover your dish, lay a quarter of a pound of butter all over, take a quarter of an ounce of mace beat fine, a nutmeg grated, a tea-spoonful of beaten pepper, three tea-spoonfuls of salt; mix all together, strew some over the butter, lay a layer of potatoes, a layer of onions, a layer of apples, and a layer of eggs, and so on till you have filled your pie, strewing a little of the seasoning between each layer, and a quarter of a pound of butter in bits, and six spoonfuls of water; close your pie, and bake it an hour and a half. A pound of potatoes, a pound of onions, a pound of apples, and twelve eggs will do.

Koan Farms Offers CSA

Koan Farms, operated on the grounds of the Darling House by our caretakers, is offering a CSA this year to area residents. A CSA is a Community Supported Agriculture program in which consumers buy food direct from farmers at discounted prices. CSA members pay for a share of the expected harvest at the beginning of the growing season and weekly produce shares are picked up at the farm or delivered. Shares are starting at $12.50/week.

Please visit for pricing and details.

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Mark your Calendars and Please Join Us – Upcoming Events 2016

March 20 - Open House at the Darling House with Hearth Cooking, 2-4 PM

May 15 - Membership Annual Meeting, First Church of Christ Parish House, 2-4 PM June 12 - Tavern Night - reservations required at

July 17 - Open House at the Darling House with ice cream making, 2-4 PM September - Tag Sale - stay tuned for a date