Norwood Scrapbook-August 3

Welcome to the August 3 edition of the Norwood Scrapbook, where we dust off the archives to explore the civic squabbles, summer rhythm, and surprising headlines that defined our town on this very day across the decades. From mid-century municipal power outages to mid-seventies battles over vandalism and real estate expansion, Norwood’s history is rich with community character. Today, we revisit high-stakes police investigations, national artistic victories, and the enduring ring of the Town Hall carillon ringing out over the Common. Grab your morning coffee as we step back into the localized life of yesterday’s Norwood.

Main Featured Stories

1973 [Crime & Safety] | Gunmen Raid Pharmacy; Separate Emergency Room Incident Leads to Arrest

NORWOOD – Two armed men escaped with a small quantity of narcotics from the hospital pharmacy located at 914 Washington St. shortly after 8 p.m. yesterday. The two masked perpetrators held the store owner, an employee, and a customer at bay with revolvers while systematically gathering and taking the drugs, according to official police reports.

Gregory Romane of Foxboro, the owner of the establishment, Phyllis Stumpo of Norwood, an employee, and Francis C. Rogers of Norwood, a customer who happened to be present at the time, were fortunately not injured during the robbery. A detailed physical description of the fleeing robbers was not immediately available from authorities following the incident.

Early this morning, local police arrested a 23 year old man for disturbing the peace in connection with a separate, alarming incident occurring at Norwood Hospital at 3:30 a.m.

Police stated they received an urgent call from the receptionist stationed in the hospital emergency room, reporting that there was a man present who was actively claiming he was going to commit an armed robbery. Canton patrolman Edward J. Lehan, who happened to be present at the hospital attending to an unrelated matter, witnessed the disturbance firsthand and immediately struggled with the suspect. Patrolman Lehan successfully subdued the man before Norwood patrolman Paul A. Bishop arrived on the scene. The man was formally placed under arrest by Patrolman Bishop and transported directly to the Norwood Police Station for booking.

1976 [Real Estate & Development] | Preliminary Approval Granted for 112-Lot Grandview Estates II

Meanwhile, in local real estate and commercial development news, developer Richard Saccone successfully secured preliminary planning board approval for Grandview Estates II, a sprawling 112-lot residential development spanning across Union Street, Sumner Street, and Route I-95, which notably also incorporates 14 individual lots extending directly into the neighboring town of Walpole.

Richard Saccone noted during the proceedings that active site construction is officially slated to begin next spring, executing across five distinct phases over an estimated 10-year overall completion period. The newly approved site layout differs significantly from previous draft submissions by eliminating several planned cul-de-sacs, and final approval was granted with the formal endorsement and recommendation of the town engineer. (Reporting by local archives).

1977 [Civic Government] |

1977 [Environment & Public Works] | Town Square Trees Heavily Pruned for Tree Health, Not Lovers

NORWOOD – The Veterans of Foreign Wars Square, serving as Norwood’s central town park, may seem heavily spruced and trimmed to the point of being completely shorn this week. While the recent heavy pruning has noticeably broadened the open visual vista across the park grounds—rendering it far less of an idyllic, shadowed trysting place for young lovers—municipal officials insist that suppressing public romance was certainly not the motive.

According to Town Manager John P. Mogan, the park’s trees, which are mostly deciduous varieties, were heavily cut back by a professional arborist strictly to protect their long-term vitality. The town square trees had not been formally pruned for a few years, Mr. Mogan explained, and the sole consideration guiding the aggressive degree of cutting was determining what was necessary for proper arboricultural maintenance. He reaffirmed that there was “no other motive” for the sweeping cutbacks except good, routine tree health care.

1978 [Infrastructure & Utilities] | DEQE Approves Plans for Pellana Road Sewer Pumping Station

NORWOOD – The state Department of Environmental Quality Engineering (DEQE) yesterday officially approved engineering plans for a crucial local sewer pumping station designed to alleviate chronic sewer backup and severe basement flooding problems affecting residents in the Meadowbrook Road and Pellana Road neighborhood.

State Representative Gregory W. Sullivan (D-Norwood) publicly announced that the state decision had been finalized and that the DEQE will formally notify officials at Norwood Town Hall shortly. Town Manager John P. Mogan expressed great satisfaction upon learning of the state approval, noting that the immediate next step for the municipality is forwarding final detailed “shop” drawings of the pumping station and specialized equipment for final DEQE review, after which the town can officially solicit commercial bids.

“I have great hopes this job can be completed before the next rainy season—or by freeze-up,” Mogan remarked regarding the construction schedule.

Town Meeting members had previously approved a $110,000 municipal appropriation for the new sewer pumping station, which will be constructed at the intersection of Pellana Road and Sixth Street. According to Representative Sullivan, a major technical concern during state review was a potential downstream capacity issue with the existing Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) sewer trunk line, which is already operating near full capacity. However, retained engineering consultants successfully convinced DEQE officials that the added flow would present no operational problems. Additionally, addressing state requirements for an auxiliary power backup, Sullivan confirmed that the $110,000 town appropriation fully covers the purchase and installation of an emergency generator for the pumping station. Sullivan, who has worked closely alongside affected neighborhood residents throughout the process, congratulated the community on achieving this vital infrastructure milestone.

1981 [Transportation & Aviation] | Air Controllers’ Strike Divers Commuter Flights to Norwood Airport

NORWOOD – Commercial commuter air traffic traveling from Cape Cod to Logan International Airport was unexpectedly diverted to Norwood Airport yesterday as a direct result of the ongoing national air traffic controllers’ strike.

Leonard Carroll, operations manager for Wiggins Airways based at Norwood, reported that Gull Air and Bar Harbor Airlines (Bell-Air), two small regional commuter airlines operating out of Hyannis Airport on Cape Cod, safely landed six commercial flights at Norwood Airport after being denied standard landing clearances into Boston’s Logan Airport. Upon arrival in Norwood, airline personnel shuttled displaced passengers directly to Boston using ground transportation vans.

Due to the ongoing strike disruptions, Wiggins Airways was forced to cancel the majority of its scheduled pilot flight instruction classes and informed charter customers that guaranteed flight schedules could not be maintained. Robert Ferrara, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tower chief stationed at Norwood Airport, reported no unusual operational problems or safety hazards at the facility despite the sudden influx of air traffic, noting that supervisory management personnel were successfully filling in for the three to six union controllers who would normally be on duty.

1981 [Crime & Law Enforcement] | Second Suspect Sought in Kelly’s Getty Service Station Robbery

NORWOOD – Local police are actively searching for a second suspect in connection with the armed July 8 robbery of a Pleasant Street service station during which two masked men stole several thousand dollars in cash.

Detective Sergeant Thomas J. Michienzi reported that an official arrest warrant has been secured for the second, currently unnamed suspect, charging him specifically with robbery while masked. Working in close cooperation with Boston police officers, Detective Michael Broyer arrested John Jones, Jr., 32, of 19 Charman Ave., Roslindale, on Thursday night, charging him with masked robbery relating to the heist at Kelly’s Getty Station located on Pleasant Street.

Detective Sergeant Michienzi confirmed that Jones pleaded innocent to all charges on Friday during his arraignment in Dedham District Court. His bail was set at $50,000 surety or $5,000 cash. Jones successfully posted the $5,000 cash bail and was subsequently released from custody pending a formal continuation of his court case scheduled for later this month.

1983 [Public Safety & Utilities] | Mid-Morning Power Outage Blackouts Norwood Center Business District

NORWOOD – A sudden power failure occurring at 10:12 a.m. today left the entire Norwood Center business district completely without electrical power.

Norwood Hospital, which was immediately impacted by the sudden grid outage, successfully switched its critical medical systems over to emergency auxiliary generators without interrupting patient care. Commercial businesses throughout the center district were left entirely without electricity, as were numerous residential homes across the immediate neighborhood.

Furthermore, all municipal traffic control signals throughout Norwood Center were rendered completely non-operational by the outage, causing traffic delays. The central Norwood Police Department radio communications system was also knocked offline by the main power failure, forcing dispatchers to creatively utilize a police cruiser parked directly outside police headquarters as a temporary mobile dispatching unit to maintain emergency communications.

1985 [Education & Healthcare] | Norwood Hospital Auxiliary Awards Scholarships to Junior Volunteers

NORWOOD – Carol Fitzsimmons of Norwood and Stephanie Shapiro of Sharon have been officially selected by the Norwood Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship Committee as the two outstanding junior volunteers to receive $500 academic scholarship awards this year.

These annual auxiliary scholarships are awarded to dedicated hospital youth volunteers based on high academic standing, total accumulated volunteer service hours at Norwood Hospital, and stellar personal character references.

Fitzsimmons, a recent graduate of Fontbonne Academy, volunteered extensively in the hospital coffee shop, acted as a main reception desk attendant, and served in various other volunteer capacities. She will attend Boston College this fall, where she plans to pursue pre-medical studies.

Shapiro, a graduate of Sharon High School, contributed volunteer time across several medical departments, including the coffee shop, emergency room, patient admitting, and medical records. She plans to study medical technology at the University of Massachusetts. Local youth interested in joining the hospital volunteer program are encouraged to contact the program office at 769-4000, ext. 2473.

1985 [Arts & Culture] | Norwood School of Ballet Takes National Championship Title in New York

NORWOOD – Six talented students representing the Norwood School of Ballet captured the top overall prize for the second consecutive year at a prestigious national dance competition held recently in New York City.

The local dance troupe won the overall award for best ballet performance, securing the highest combined team score in the competition. Between 300 and 400 aspiring ballet dancers competed in the event, hailing from dance academies across North America, according to Kathleen Farmer, director of the Norwood School of Ballet. Farmer noted that the open competition format allowed the dancers to perform seamlessly as a unified ensemble, remarking, “They made a real team effort.”

The winning local dancers included Linda Philbin of Westwood, alongside Lynne Callahan, JoAnne Forgit, Kristen Lyons, Barbara Kougias, and Tricia Plasko, all residing in Norwood. The talented team also secured several major performance awards at the regional “Dance Capers” competition held earlier this summer in Holyoke.

1988 [Community & Events] | Summer Concert Series Highlights Carillon and Local Bands

NORWOOD – The pleasant sounds of summer will waft across the central town common every Monday and Wednesday evening throughout this month as part of two distinct, free outdoor concert series sponsored by the town and open to the general public. Attending concertgoers are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or picnic blankets.

Norwood‘s famous annual carillon concert series will feature bell music ringing out every Monday evening from the historic tower of Norwood Town Hall—proudly recognized as the only municipal building in the entire United States housing a fully working carillon. The hour-long carillon performances begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. on the following scheduled dates:

• August 8: Daniel K. Kehoe, carillonneur from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
• August 15: Janet Tebbel, carillonneur representing the First United Methodist Church of Germantown, Pennsylvania.
• August 22: Donald Traser, associate carillonneur from the War Memorial Carillon in Richmond, Virginia.
• August 29: Sally Slade Warner, representing Phillips Academy in Andover and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Cohasset.

In addition to the carillon recitals, live ensemble music will fill the air on Wednesday evenings starting at 7:30 p.m. on the common. The following musical groups are officially scheduled to perform for local audiences during the Norwood Arts Council Summerfest:

• August 3: The Bugaloo Swamis
• August 10: Roy Nutile Swing Band
• August 17: No Strings Attached
• August 24: Rhode Island Navy Band
• August 31: The Liz Boardo Band

Quick Hits & Local Notices

⚡ Quick Hits & Local Notices

• 1967 [Crime & Law Enforcement]: Thieves made an unsuccessful attempt to smash open a heavy steel safe during a commercial break-in at the Norwood Texaco Station located on Route 1 yesterday. Norwood police reported that the station facility was entered by forcing open a door, after which the safe was heavily battered and its combination dial broken; however, Manager George Gaetani confirmed to investigating officers that nothing was taken.
• 1974 [Vandalism & Public Safety]: Unidentified vandals caused an estimated $1,000 in property damage to the Willett School overnight after smashing multiple exterior windows, prompting police to dispatch officers to the school at midnight when an automated alarm sounded. Responding officers discovered that a street stop sign had been hurled through a classroom window while a large tree branch was thrown through another, leaving seven 32-by-52-inch glass panes and several 14-by-32-inch panes destroyed, though police noted the intruders apparently did not enter the facility.

Today’s Daily Reflection

From structural town planning and neighborhood infrastructure upgrades to battling public vandalism and celebrating national artistic achievements, today’s historical snapshot showcases the active civic spirit of Norwood. Whether gathering on the town common for evening concerts or rallying behind local youth and hospital volunteers, our community has consistently faced challenges with practical resolve and celebrated its accomplishments with pride. These stories remind us that the fabric of Norwood is built upon the daily actions, public service, and shared experiences of its residents across generations.

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