‘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. There were 87 recorded fatalities and property damages amounted to an estimated $200 million in 1955 figures.
Poor recalled the difficulties of conducting their missions during this time in The Advertiser, “we didn’t have much in the name of radio communications then.”
According to NBC Connecticut, President Dwight Eisenhower flew over the affected areas shortly after this disaster declaring, “‘You can have no conception of [anything that] has happened here until you listen to the governors of these states. Industries flattened, cities paralyzed, people out of work, in certain cases members of their families missing not knowing where they are.’”
The valiant efforts of individuals like Poor and his fellow pilots were instrumental in mitigating the catastrophic effects of the floods.
Walter wasn’t the only member of the Poor family who made their mark on the town. His wife, Mary, was on numerous boards and committees that shaped the town as we know it today.
She was an active member of the New Canaan Board of Education, contributing to the planning of the 1968 construction of New Canaan High School.
Mary served as human relations chairman for the New Canaan League of Women Voters in 1976, and was on the Committee of the Hospice Home Care program in 1981, organizing volunteers to care for the town’s terminally ill population.
She was also on the New Canaan Historical Society Committee, acting as secretary throughout the 1980s and ‘90s. Furthemore, Mary was the curator for The Rock School, and posed as the school’s teacher for the schoolhouse reenactment at the New Canaan Historical Society’s annual Ice Cream Social on June 9, 1991.
The Poors were living examples of the civic culture that has sustained the New Canaan community since its founding. Their active participation and commitment to the common good mirrored the values deeply embedded in the town’s social fabric.
A portrait of seven-year-old Walter Poor, by Howard Logan Hildebrandt (1876–1958), a nationally recognized portrait, figure and landscape painter, is on view in the parlor of the New Canaan Museum and Historical Society.
Walter Poor was brilliant. At the same time he had a self-effacing sense of humor. I knew him well from many shared years at Perkin Elmer. He left an indelible mark on that company as well as on New Canaan. It is wonderful to see Walter and Mary recognized by the Historical Society.
Very interesting, Maya, and welcome to the historical society.
I remember them . Mr Poor was also a member of Old Faithful fire engine company . He was a nice man and I enjoyed working with and chatting with him.
Fabulous fabulous article. I just love hearing about our ancestors and how they promoted learning the arts and love historic societies for honoring them very well written.👏👏👏