Some Newsletter Editions are Easy to Write
This one isn’t. Last week was the most challenging of the Old Club’s 94th Season. News arrived of the deaths of two long time members who were also great friends of many. Annie returned briefly, cheering Ryan and your editor until she told us she had at least another month of treatment and evaluation. Then there were the incidents of intolerable on course behavior and a deliberate refusal to follow the directions of the Pro Shop staff.
As always, things have a way to come into balance. We held an outstanding “Thanksgiving Dinner,” with all of the gustatorial as well as emotional trimmings anyone could want. One of our golfers enhanced the Club’s reputation with an outstanding performance at the annual Waterville Fall Classic. Our Leagues continued to fill the course with players enjoying the incredible late summer light, as well as Keith and the crew’s outstanding conditioning. The Grounds Committee received and reviewed a positive and helpful report from the USGA agronomist about our course conditioning and maintenance programs. And, when your editor returned to his New York home he received his first ever spontaneous hug from his two-year-old grandson.
Life is good.
And herewith the news:
Sad Tidings:
Steve Snowden died on September 1, we were informed by his life partner, Anne Page. A longtime member of the Island Country Club, Steve’s name appears throughout the Great Room, on the trophies and plaques he won as one of our most outstanding – and natural – golfers. Shortly before his death, his great friend and Member Rick Ferretti brought Steve to the Club, set him gently in a cart, and drove him around the course Steve had graced for so many years. Steve’s life on the Island as a lobsterman, Junior High principal and maintenance superintendent at Billings; and at the Club as a golfer and raconteur will be retold many times by many friends at a Celebration of Life at the Club on Sunday, September 25, from 2:00PM until 5:00PM. All members and friends are most welcome.
Steve Snowden
Barbara Bowne Kesar Whitman died on September 9 after a long and difficult illness. A notice was sent to all members on Saturday, and the obituary prepared by her family is immediately below.
The Whitman family has provided the Club with many gifts, the greatest of all has been Barbara, and the memories for all of us that she created.
News of the Clubhouse:
The Clubhouse will close for the season on Monday, October 10, however sales of food, beverages, clothing and golf and tennis accessories will end as those items sell out or when the registers are turned off for season-end accounting the last week of September. We have ended re-ordering beer, wine and soft drinks as well as snacks, and all clothing. There’s a Treat sandwiches and salads will continue as long as the demand supports it. Willow, Patty and Diana, consulting with Annie, will be putting more merchandise on sale throughout the month to reduce inventories and storage requirements. Please ask about special pricing for case orders.
The September 21st full Board meeting will be held in the Great Room and on Zoom at 4:00PM on Wednesday, September 21. An agenda will be distributed to all members soon. Very important will be a season end financial review and discussion of major equipment purchases recommended by the Grounds Committee to be in place for next season.
The Social Season Ending “Thanksgiving Dinner” is reported by Director and Hostess with the Mostest, Jeannette Parker: It’s A Wrap! ICC members gathered and gobbled at the annual Thanksgiving Dinner. This special night capped off a season of 20 events which included 14 Wine Wednesdays; 3 Fin & Fern Dinners; a Lobster Social, a picnic and a Thanksgiving Dinner…WHEW!
The ICC’s final finale ended like it started…with food and friends, both in abundance! Sandra takes the lead on the Thanksgiving Dinner…Thank You to everyone for your tasty contributions to this annual event. Such wonderful and willing cooks among our members make this annual event possible. Well done, Sandra Seile! Thanks to Linda Allen for cutting every slice of 12 pies. Thanks to Lisa Haynsworth and Lisa Stanley for pitching in and helping in every way but loose. Thanks to Mimi and Mikey for bringing music to our ears. Thanks to Willow and Diana for running the wine bar and helping our house committee in so many ways. Thank you, Ryan, for representing the ICC Board of Directors and presenting the House Committee with gorgeous fall mums. To quote Linda Stratton “whoever I forgot, I’m sure you did a remarkable job!!” The evening ended by singing Auld Lang Syne. We are all so fortunate to share the ICC together. Thank you, Linda, for your summaries and the best photos that enable all of us to relive these good times over and over until we come together again.
Teamwork makes it happen…the FUN it makes for you makes it worthwhile.
News of Golf:
Twilight League results for September 6 (postponed from Labor Day) are presented by Commissioner Ken Wiberg:
1- Lee Levant/Sam Ostrow 20 pts (HUZZAH! At last!)
2- Ken Wiberg/Nick Eaton 16 pts (card playoff)
3- Mark Sterritt/Richard Eaton 16 pts
Pins Hole 4:
1- Luke Hartmann 8’ 6”
2- Steve Stone 10’ 8”
With 2 weeks left in the season things are getting tight! Ken Wiberg/Nick Eaton & Mark Sterritt/Richard Eaton are fighting for 1st tied at 89 pts and Ryan Hayward/Myron Curtis have bolted into a tie for 3rd with Jim Twitchell/Dick Dunham with 76 pts each. Steve Stone/Steve Smith are 4 points out of 4th at 72 pts.
Scrambles play for September 9 is presented by Judge (and Jury) Dick Newman: 20 golfers on a perfect weather day. Low gross winners on a match of cards were Stephen Moore, Charlie Odenweller, Dick Newman and Bob Allen with a 31. Second low gross with a 32 were Lee Levant, Vinal Torrey, Pam Fowler and Mimi Gerstell. Low putts with 10 were Jack Shaw, Ed Black, Joe Bruno, and Linda Allen. Closest to the Pin on #6 was Linda Allen for the women at 6’ 11” and for the men on #6 at 8’6” was Dick Newman. It was nice to have the Allen’s join the Scramblers and leave their beautiful garden.
Billings League: Your editor knows they played. I saw them as I was putting my clubs and shoes (almost forgot them!) in the trunk of Old Paint last Thursday evening. Between the Club, fishing (I’ll never understand how a lobster is a fish), dealing with the increasingly absurd restrictions being placed on his and the Island’s livelihood, being Chief of the Stonington Fire Department and handling the matters of life itself, Ryan is busier and has more time demands than most anybody. I am sure he will catch up by season’s end.
In the Waterville Fall Classic Mark Sterritt, Island Country Club member and Morning Golf stalwart, finished FIRST LOW NET and fourth Low Gross in Division 3 of this prestigious, highly competitive and large field annual event. Congratulations and Well Played.
News of Tennis:
The weekly Tennis drop shot is served up by Director Linda Allen: Open tennis and regular groups are still playing until the courts are closed in October. There has been a core group showing up for Open Tennis and I encourage more people to come for this friendly round robin doubles play. Open Tennis is held Wednesday mornings at 9:00AM and Sunday afternoons at 2:00PM.
News of Bridge:
Last week’s Bridge play required two reporters, Jim Plotts forwarding Pat Roth’s summary of September 5’s dealings: Labor Day saw chilly weather and 7 intrepid bridge players show up at the club. Pat Roth served as hostess and reported the following results.
2560 – Ruthie Levant
2320 – Mimi
We will continue playing for the next couple of weeks or until we get a too small number of commitments. Bridge will be played tonight in the Clubhouse at 7:00PM.
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Editorial Note: As traffic came to a 40 minute long. multi-accident caused dead stop on the Sikorsky Bridge over Connecticut’s Housatonic River, I realized Old Paint was only one of more cars than were parked the entire busy summer on Main Street, Stonington. Sometimes we need to be reminded of just how lucky we are.
Sam Ostrow
Editor at Large
samsiccmail@gmailcom