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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2011

REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

5B

TODAYS OBITUARIES

Cosmo W. DePalma

Former owner of Woodbury Drug


Waterbury and, most recently, in the Woodbury Senior Bowling League. Cosmo loved his family and friends above all else. He loved his many pets, cats, horses and dogs. He had a special place in his heart for his customers. He was helpful to all and a mentor to many including friends of his grandchildren who he treated as his own family. He loved participating in and watching sports and gardening. Cosmo is survived by his three daughters and their husbands, June DePalma Carlson and Steven of Burlington, Sandra DePalma Hoey and William, with whom he made his home, and Roberta DePalma Zulpa and Paul, all of Woodbury; and five grandchildren, Caitlin Rose Hoey, Michael Cosmo Carlson, Stephanie June Carlson, Jason Anthony Zulpa and Alexandra Edith Zulpa. He also leaves behind his sister, Mae DePalma, his brother-in-law, Joseph A. Del Principe DMA and his wife, Cynthia, his sister-in-law, Connie Del Principe, and his longtime friend, Robert Crane Sr., all of Waterbury. He was predeceased by two brothers, Joseph and Alfonso DePalma. The funeral will be held 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, from the Maiorano Funeral Home, 95 Willow St., Waterbury, to Our Lady of Lourdes Church for a Mass at 11 a.m. Burial with full military honors will follow in Calvary Cemetery. Family and friends may call at the funeral home on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. Memorial contributions in Cosmos name may be made to: The Abbey Regina Laudis, 273 Flanders Road, Bethlehem 06751; or to St. Teresa of Avila Church, Building Fund, P.O. Box 5001, Woodbury 06798. For more information and online condolences, visit www.maioranofuneralhome.com.

James E. Stewart
Retired from AT&T
BETHLEHEM James E. Stewart, 68, of Bethlehem, Conn., passed away after a long, courageous battle with melanoma cancer on Friday, Dec. 23, 2011. He died at home surrounded by his family. Jim, affectionately known as Peepa, was born Jan. 14, 1943, in San Francisco, Calif. He was the son of the late Edward J. Stewart and Rita Moore Stewart. He is survived by his wife, Helen Eseppi Stewart of Bethlehem; his blended family of seven children, Cheryl A. Malloy and her husband, Dwayne, of Bethlehem, James E. Stewart and his wife, Jessica, of Harwinton, Michael J. Stewart and his wife, Erin, of Torrington, Brian E. Stewart and his wife, Kerry, of Litchfield, Jonathan T. Stewart and his wife, Heather, of Harwinton, Susan P. Smith and her husband, Gerard, of Litchfield, and Marcena P. Sass and her husband, Leo, of Litchfield. He is also survived by two brothers, Edward J. Stewart of Rohnert Park, Calif., William G. Stewart and his wife, Nancy, of Novato, Calif.; 21 grandchildren; a great-grandchild; and many nieces and nephews. Jim was raised in both California and New York before eventually settling in Bethlehem, Conn. He enjoyed a long career as a communications specialist with AT&T. After retiring from AT&T in 1996, he worked as a consultant, giving him the opportunity to travel throughout the United States, South America, China and Australia, oftentimes with his wife. When he ended his consulting career, Jim and Helen enjoyed their retirement in both Bethlehem, Conn., and Waikoloa, Hawaii. Jim was a sports enthusiast, an avid, skilled golfer, and a member of the Torrington Country Club in Torrington, Conn., as well as the Kings Club in Waikoloa, Hawaii. He enjoyed fishing, reading, spending time with his grandchildren, and playing with his muchloved dog, Sydney. He was a communicant of St. Anthonys Church in Litchfield as well as Church of the Annunciation in Waimea, Hawaii, where he established many lasting friendships. Jims family wishes to express their sincere appreciation to the Rollins family of Atlanta, Ga., and the doctors and staff at both Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Ga., and NYU Cancer Institute in New York. They also wish to extend their deepest gratitude to the hospice caregivers who provided loving care and support to both Jim and his family. A celebration of his life and memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012, at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 49 South St., Litchfield, Conn. Memorial contributions may be made to Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), 1411 K Street, NW Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005; or The Connecticut Hospice, Inc., 100 Double Beach Road, Branford, CT 06405. To leave an expression of comfort to Jims family, please visit www.rowefuneralhome.net.

WOODBURY Cosmo W. DePalma entered peacefully into eternal life after a brief illness on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011, surrounded by his loving family at Waterbury Hospital. He was the devoted husband to the late Edith (Del Principe) DePalma. Cosmo was born in Waterbury, the son of the late Pasquale and Lucia (DAmato) DePalma. He was a graduate of Driggs Grammar School, Leavenworth High School, the University of Connecticut and the University of Vermont. He was a proud World War II Army veteran having served in the 40th Infantry. He was the owner/pharmacist of Woodbury Drug for more than 30 years. For a short time, he also owned Village Apothecary in Southbury while owning Woodbury Drug. Prior to those, he owned Kingsbury Drug in Waterbury for more than 20 years. He was a parishioner of St. Teresa of Avila Church where he was a member of the St. Teresas Mens Club. He was awarded the St. Teresa Christian Neighbor Award. He was a beloved friend of the Abbey Regina Laudis. He was a member of the CT Pharmacy Association, the Kiwanis Club and the VFW Post No. 7330. He was honored with the State of CT World War II Veterans Public Service Award in 2009. He loved sports, especially the New York Mets, New York Giants and UConn Huskies. He was an avid bowler for more than 70 years in the Automotive Bowling League in

HERBST: UConn president offers views on academics and athletics


Continued from 1B are taken into account. The other schools around us, such as Rutgers and the University of Pittsburgh, are top competitors. Those in the top 10, such as Michigan and UCLA, are more aspirational (for UConn). They are highly ranked because they have invested more in their institutions and in faculty. on the sticker price. What is not being reported is that our financial aid will go up simultaneously with tuition. We already have 15,000 students (of 28,000 total) receiving financial and are boosting it not only for the neediest but for middle-class students who may not qualify (for other assistance). The average debt at graduation, our default rate, last year was 2.5 percent (of graduates with loans), compared to 7 percent nationally.

ously damage the Big Easts basketball reputation?

They are great teams, and we will miss them, but well do our best as we look toward more expansion.

Are you reserving the right to move to another conference if an invitation is extended?

Q A

Q
A

Graduation rates are one benchmark of success. Are you satisfied with UConns 81 percent graduation for sixyear students?

Q A

How can UConn contribute to keeping its graduates working in state and not defecting to better job markets?

Were putting a big empha sis on completion and reaching out more to students who are only a few credits away. We would like to see it in the low 90s. How do you think the public both in-state and outof-state regards UConn from an academic standpoint?

Q A

We have to be job creators. The Bioscience Connecticut (project at the UConn Health Center) is a good example, not only creating jobs for physicians, clinicians and engineers. When you bring in federal or corporate grants, it has a huge multiplier effect on the states economy and provides money to hire people of varied skills.

Thats too hypothetical. We will always do the best thing for the university, but UConn is a charter member of the Big East. I and other presidents have worked hard with the commissioner to keep the Big East together and make the expansion work. So. we feel really good about it.

Spring weekends are pretty wild up there. Are you contemplating more control over the drinking and carousing?

Q A

Our applications are through the roof, up 30 percent over two years, and thats the best indicator.

Q A

UConn sports are a campus and state passion. Will the Big East realignment work to keep the league in the BCS lineup?

Q A

On the tuition and fee increases, what do you say to prospective students, especially from in state, who say they cannot afford a UConn eduction? Nationally, our increases are comparatively low, but theres been too much focus

That was the goal of our expansion. That being said, the landscape is really crazy, and keeps changing. But we control what we can control.

Its been a project here for a decade now, from what I can tell. Spring weekend was better last year, but the real focus should be on underage drinking. Its the root of the problem and happens all year around. The spring weekend situation is across the country. UConn is part of a national problem. A magic bullet solution is naive.

Mrs. Laurel Sears

Worked as a nurses aide


grandchildren, Misty Sears of Parrish, Fla., Roger and Michael Sears, both of Sarasota, Fla., Melissa Sears of Port Charlotte, Fla., Becky and Stacey Roshon, and Stephaney Roshon Valazquez, all of Atlas, Pa., Joseph Sullivan of Bethlehem, Anthony Sullivan of Waterbury, Justin Sears, Ryan Sears, Patrick Sears, Angela Sears and Amanda Sears, all of Naugatuck; and many great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at the Southbury Funeral Home of Munson-Lovetere, 235 Main St. North. Burial will be in Pine Hill Cemetery, Southbury. Calling hours will be Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, from 4 to 8 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Bethlehem Volunteer Ambulance Assoc., P.O. Box 401, Bethlehem 06751. To place an online condolence, visit www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com.

BETHLEHEM Laurel Sears, 73, died Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011, at Waterbury Hospital. She was the widow of Roger Sears. Mrs. Sears was born March 12, 1938, daughter of the late George E. and Marjorie Haines Weed. She had worked at the Southbury Training School for many years as a nurses aide. She was always physically fit and a hard working person all her life. Mrs. Sears was an active member of the First Church of Bethlehem UCC. She is survived by three sons, Richard Sears of Bethlehem, Roger and Robert Sears of Naugatuck; a daughter, Cynthia Roshon of Pennsylvania; a sister, Myrtle Bartolotto of Ansonia; 13

Does the impending loss of Syracuse and Pittsburgh (to the ACC conference) seri-

Q A

Do you miss Georgia?

I miss the weather, but I think the people here are just as friendly.

STAY: Class project takes on life


Continued from 1B Taylor and Brandow made the video as extra credit for a class called Global Perspectives on Death and Dying, which they had not planned to sign up for, but needed to fill a seminar requirement. It was the only one available when I registered, Taylor said. Same with her, actually. It wasnt our first choice. For a final project, students were told to do something pertaining to their majors that addressed a topic covered in class and pushed for a change. Taylor started an interactive blog for those coping with grief at makethislifeyourown.tumblr.com, and Brandow, a public relations major, started 100 Reasons to Stay as a Twitter account. The roommates decided to combine the two concepts for an extra credit video. They wrote all their reasons to live on note cards and trekked around campus, asking anyone they saw to hold up a card for a photo. They strung all the photos together for a slide show to the song Waving Flag by Knaan, featured in the 2010 Olympics with the lyrics, When I get older, I will be stronger ... Taylor and Brandow posted the video on vimeo.com, a video sharing website, and showed it to their class. Classmates and friends began sending the video to celebrities, including Perez Hilton, who

STEVEN VALENTI REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Ms. Priscilla Coords Former Warren town clerk, treasurer


WARREN Priscilla Schieffelin Coords, 94, of Angevine Road, died Dec. 18, 2011, at her daughters home in Sharon surrounded by her family. She was the widow of Deane M. Coords. Priscilla was born May 14, 1917, in New York City, the daughter of the late Alfred Eric Todd and Barbara Schieffelin Nunn. She attended the Nightingale-Bamford School, the Todd-Hunter School, and later, Katharine Gibbs School in New York City. Following graduation, she worked at First National City Bank where she met Deane, and they were married in June 1941. They lived in New York City until 1968 when they moved permanently to their summer home in Warren. Priscilla served as Warren town treasurer from 1969 to 1977, Warren tax collector from 1977 to 1981, and Warren town clerk from 1969 to 1981. She was a member of the Colonial Lords of the Manner, Colonial Dames of America and the Daughters of the American Revolution. In recent years she joined the Prime Timers of Warren and volunteered at the Housatonic Valley Association. Priscilla is survived by her daughter, Barbara Coords and her longtime companion, Neil Jordan; her son, Schuyler Coords and his wife, Kathleen; her two granddaughters, Elizabeth Coords, and Kristin Favaloro and her husband, Michael; and two great-grandsons, Nicholas and Christopher Favaloro. A memorial service will be held at the Warren Congregational Church on Thursday, Dec. 29, at 11 a.m. Burial will be private at Warren Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to VNA Northwest, 607 Bantam Road, Unit F, Bantam 06750; Warren Volunteer Fire Company, 11 Sackett Hill Road, Warren 06754; or Sharon Volunteer Ambulance, P.O. Box 357, Sharon 06069. Kenny Funeral Home, 41 Main St., Sharon, has care of all arrangements.

Lauren Taylor, 20, of Watertown, created a video called 100 Reasons To Stay for a project at Quinnipiac University, then posted it on Vimeo where it has gotten more than 76,000 hits. Taylor is seen working at her home in Watertown on Monday. posted it on his website. The response was swift and voluminous. Anonymous people began sending Taylor stories of their troubles, writing that the video helped them. Others sent photos of themselves holding note cards with more reasons to stay. It helped someone in the end, so it achieved the goal of the project, Taylor said. Taylor and Brandow continue updating the blog and Twitter account with inspirational quotes and messages. Film majors at Quinnipiac have offered to continue the video project with viewer submissions. It is all new to Taylor, who said she had no prior experience with suicide. We did it so last-minute, Taylor said. We never actual-

The Rev. Harvey L. Parsons


Memorial service Wednesday
WATERBURY The Rev. Harvey L. Parsons, 84, passed away Dec. 25, 2011, at home. He was the husband of the late Shirley (Grant) Parsons. A memorial service will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, at Ark Church, Meriden Road, Waterbury. Private burial in New Pine Grove Cemetery. There are no calling hours. Go to www.aldersonfuneralhomes.com for a complete obituary.

More OBITUARIES, Page 4B

ly expected anyone to watch it but our class. The video follows the format of another viral clip, in which gay teen Jonah Mowry holds up note cards to tell his story of being bullied, cutting himself and contemplating suicide, while mournful music plays in the background. The last card reads, I have a million reasons to be here. Taylor said her roommate might have been inspired by the clip, which was featured on Good Morning America and touted by celebrities, but Taylor never saw it until their video got famous and people mentioned Mowrys in the same breath. We didnt have that in mind when we were making it, Taylor said. I didnt think this would be anything.

DISAGREE: Deadline to submit is 10 a.m. today


Continued from 1B Democrats and Republicans on the redistricting panel outlined the approaches they are recommending. Rep. Arthur J. ONeill, RSouthbury, said he is expecting Democrats and Republicans will hear back from the Supreme Court early this week. He is one of the redistricting panels four Republican members. However, the Democrats and Republicans may not be the only ones involved. The court has given any interested parties until 10 a.m. today to file appearances in the case. Individuals and groups that become involved can offer recommendations to the court, too. They may propose much different ideas than Democrats and Republicans. Some organizations may choose another course of action, said John Hartwell, a coordinator for Democracy for America, a political action committee that was founded by Howard Dean, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The groups Fairfield County branch objected to a Republican plan to shift Bridgeport from the 4th District into the 3rd District. The Republicans dropped that proposed move. We definitely do want to make our views known to the court, but I dont know yet how well do that, Hartwell said. For now, only Democrats and Republicans on the redistricting panel are involved in the Supreme Courts proceedings. Each opposes the process that the other party is proposing the court follow, and both sides are looking for opportunities to submit congressional maps for review as part of their competing plans. According to the Republican plan, each side would propose candidates for appointment as a special master and procedures for the courts choice to follow. Democrats and Republicans would also each submit competing congressional maps for consideration. The Democrats are arguing against the appointment of a special master, saying that approach would be too complicated and time-consuming. Under the Democratic plan, each side would submit congressional maps to the Supreme Court no later than Jan. 6. Next, Democrats and Republicans would file written arguments supporting their maps, along with any other materials the court requires. Then, the court would hear oral arguments on Jan. 27. The Democrats concede the court may want the help of a redistricting expert or technical adviser, but they see such specialists playing a much more limited role than a special master. The Supreme Court is assuming responsibility because Democrats and Republicans on the redistricting panel deadlocked over how to equalize the population among the five districts. States must redraw congressional and statehouse districts every 10 years after each federal census to ensure equal representation. The Democrats are contending few changes are needed to the current district maps because population shifts have been small in the last 10 years. The 2nd District in Eastern Connecticut has 15,000 too many people and the other four districts need to add from 523 to 8,079 people. The Republicans are arguing the congressional boundaries need much more reworking to correct glaring flaws in the current map. The 2001 redistricting plan dramatically departed from traditional redistricting principles and states historical approach to redistricting, according to Republicans. This was done for political purposes because the state lost a U.S. House seat, forcing the consolidation of two districts. The Republicans are urging the Supreme Court to rectify the gerrymandering deal that Republicans and Democrats struck a decade ago.

BRIEFLY Rorabacks site gets an upgrade


State Sen. Andrew W. Roraback, R-Goshen, is catching up with his opponents in the race for Congress in the 5th District, at least on the IT front. His campaign announced Monday that it has completed a user-friendly upgrade of its website, which had been in development since Roraback announced his candidacy in late October. The new site (rorabackforcongress.com) includes Facebook and Twitter links, as well as video footage, all standard fare in todays media-focused political environment. Roraback became the latest of four Republican candidates to seek the position currently held by Christopher S. Murphy, a Democrat who is running for the U.S. Senate seat that comes open with the retirement next year of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman. Four Democrats also want Murphys chair, including state House Speaker Christopher

Donovan, D-Meriden. So far, Rorabacks website shows he has received endorsements mostly from fellow GOP state legislators, but earlier this month he earned the support of Republican leaders in Torrington, Litchfield Countys largest municipality. Roraback is less known in the southern part of the 5th District, including most of Waterbury, where Justin Bernier of Plainville has received a unanimous nod from Republican aldermen.

Yoga center offers childrens sessions

WOODBURY Childrens yoga, Foundations of Meditation and Yoga 101 will begin Jan. 2 at the Woodbury Yoga Center. For information, call (203) 263-2254.

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