Comprehensive Guide Opens a Window Into Norwood-June 11, 1994

A New Town Book Aims To Welcome Residents And Capture Norwood’s Identity

Paul Alberta, Norwood’s school music director, smiled as he turned the pages of Inside Norwood, a newly released comprehensive town guide unveiled on Thursday. Alberta explained that he had spent about a year and a half “breathing and living” the project, and he said the final product exceeded expectations. The book was assembled with the help of 35 volunteers who gathered information and photographs covering the town’s history, government, schools, health services, community groups, and religious organizations.

“When I got started I thought, ‘This is going to be a bear of a project,’” Alberta said. The book is being distributed free to residents and to officials in government, schools, community organizations, and businesses. Copies can be requested at a dozen locations around town beginning today. Approximately 7,700 copies were printed at a cost of $15,000, funded by three Norwood businessmen: auto dealer Ernie Boch, Ron Mallett of Norwood Cooperative Bank, and Anthony Sansone of Sansone Motor Tours. The soft‑cover volume resembles a college catalog.

Project volunteers said they hoped the guide would function as a “town dictionary.” Craig Sullivan, the project’s assistant coordinator, said it would be especially valuable for newcomers. The book includes addresses, telephone numbers, and the goals of various town organizations and buildings such as town hall, the library, and the schools. The idea originated with Schools Superintendent Ralph Toran, who said the schools’ multicultural committee had recommended creating a more welcoming environment for new residents, many of whom were immigrants.

Toran said the book was one way to make that transition easier. Volunteers noted that compiling information for the nearly 200‑page guide was difficult. “It was a lot of hours just trying to put that much information together,” Sullivan said. After gathering the material, Sullivan entered the data into his Macintosh computer. He said it took a couple of days to design the color cover, which features a photograph of town hall, a collage of old Norwood photographs, and the town’s official seal.

Sullivan spent several weeks entering the book’s contents. Some volunteers admitted that the guide contained Norwood trivia even they—longtime residents and employees—had not known. “It amazed me,” Alberta said. “I’ve been in Norwood for 31 years and there were things in that book that were informative to me.” Copies of Inside Norwood can be ordered at town hall, the Morrill Memorial Library, the Norwood Public Schools Administration Center, Norwood Cooperative Bank, Sansone Motors, or at the town’s seven schools.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger