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New Canaan There & Then: Waveny LifeCare Network

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‘New Canaan There & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Bettina Hegel, Joanne Santulli, Dawn Sterner and Pam Stutz. In a somewhat exhaustive 1992 history of Waveny Care Center, the (unknown) authors’ first sentence was as follows:

“In the early 1960’s several New Canaan people became concerned that an increasing number of their neighbors, many of them long time residents who had contributed much to the growth, development and appeal of the community, felt obligated to move out of town because of a lack of appropriate housing accommodations and inadequate support services for the elderly.”

Sound familiar? While dedicated senior housing still remains an elusive goal for New Canaan, Waveny LifeCare Network (formerly Waveny Care Center) has for over 50 years provided much more-than-adequate support services for the elderly, with a continuum of healthcare to serve the changing needs of seniors from New Canaan and beyond. And the history of Waveny LifeCare is fascinating, starting in 1961 when a small highly motivated group of respected town doctors joined with the clergy of seven New Canaan churches to form the Interchurch Service Committee, with the intention of addressing the problem detailed in that first sentence. The Committee was frustrated in its efforts though the ‘60s to find a suitable and available site, and it wasn’t until early in 1969 that the Committee realized that a portion of the estate recently given to the Town of New Canaan by the magnificent Mrs. Ruth Lapham Lloyd might be the answer.

New Canaan There & Then

New Canaan There & Then: The Artist and the Activist—Alice King’s Dual Legacy

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‘New Canaan There & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Bettina Hegel, Joanne Santulli, Dawn Sterner and Pam Stutz. While many knew Alice King (1890–1979) as an upstanding citizen, proponent of the arts, and talented vocalist, few realized she orchestrated one of New Canaan’s most significant social transformations. Realizing the housing challenges for minorities and refugees, she welcomed them to stay with her family on their Silvermine property until they could find other opportunities. Most notably, in 1941, Alice bought 12 houses on East Avenue and Cherry Street (then known as Baldwin Avenue) and first rented and then sold homes to Black families. For those who had only a down payment, she provided the financing.

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New Canaan Now & Then: Aviation to Administration—The Legacy of Walter and Mary Poor

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‘New Canaan There & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Bettina Hegel, Joanne Santulli, Dawn Sterner and Pam Stutz. Walter Poor Sr. (1916–2003) and his wife, Mary, were notable New Canaanites who lived on Bowery Road with their five children. 

Over the many decades the couple resided in New Canaan, they made countless community contributions demonstrating the kind of sustained civic engagement that transforms a town into a true community. 

A Civil Air Patrol pilot, and active member of the Men’s Working Party, Walter was an avid sailor, a vintage car enthusiast, had a pilot’s license, an aircraft of his own, and held several aerospace patents. 

He worked at the Perkin-Elmer Corporation, a global corporation which produces precision optic equipment, and was relocated to Norwalk, CT in 1941, where it would remain until 2000. Perkin-Elmer was instrumental in producing the tools that led to American victory in World War II, including optics for airplane range finders, bombsights, and reconnaissance systems. 

Perkin-Elmer’s rapid expansion, fueled by the wartime effort, led to its distinction as the first optical instrument maker to receive a Navy “E” for Excellence. A pioneer in its field, the company produced its initial infrared spectrometer in 1944, establishing a significant lead over Germany amidst their urgent military needs. 

In a 1992 New Canaan Advertiser article, Poor recalls his passion for aviation, “I was always interested in aviation… I got my pilots license in 1948 and the first plane of my own in 1950.” 

Poor’s interest in aviation led him to be recruited for the Civil Air Patrol by Philip Kleinert of Darien, group commander of this area’s CAP. Walter would serve in the Civil Air Patrol from 1950 until 1958, where he taught local teenagers about aviation techniques, as well as participating in various rescue missions. 

Most notably, Poor was on the squadron during the great flood of October 1955 when entire buildings and towns were swept away due to the overflowing of several Connecticut rivers.

New Canaan There & Then

New Canaan There & Then: The Maxwell Perkins House

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‘New Canaan There & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Bettina Hegel, Joanne Santulli, Dawn Sterner and Pam Stutz. William Maxwell Evarts “Max” Perkins was the preeminent editor, and in many cases discoverer, of the greatest authors of 20th century American literature, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, Marjorie Kennan Rawlings, James Jones and Ring Lardner. And Perkins lived, and died, in New Canaan. Perkins’ first encounter with New Canaan was in the summer of 1924, when he rented a cottage on the outskirts of town. “You would hate it,” he wrote his close friend Fitzgerald, “But I like it.”

Perkins liked it so much that later that year he purchased a gracious Greek Revival house located on 63 Park Street, steps away from the train station that he would commute from for the rest of his life.

New Canaan There & Then

New Canaan There & Then: Silver Hill Hospital

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‘New Canaan There & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Bettina Hegel, Joanne Santulli, Dawn Sterner and Pam Stutz. Silver Hill Hospital does extraordinary work in treating all who suffer from addiction and psychiatric disorders. And it has a fascinating history. 

Founded by John Millet in 1931, it started as the Silver Hill Inn, a place to help patients described as “nervous, depressed, anxious, or malingering.” Beginning in 1971, focus was placed on building the hospital’s substance abuse program. By 1984, that program was staffed by a psychiatrist, an associate psychiatrist, a psychologist, substance abuse counselors, nursing staff, and a recreational and occupational therapist.