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switch to the pro-choice platform so they could support him.
When he didn’t modify his stance, one of the delegates told him he
didn’t know anything about abortion. Stanley told Mary’s story with-
out saying the story was about his daughter. When he finished, he
went to the bottom of the stairs and called Mary down to meet the
delegates.
Operation Brotherhood
BILL STANLEY PHOTO
Sgt. Jim Stanley, U.S. Marine Corps, and his little guy who has no legs, but
has a great big strong friend, 1952.
One of Stanley’s proudest moments came when he and his brother
organized Operation Brotherhood, a one-time charity to collect and
ship supplies, toys and diapers to 400 children who had been aban-
doned in the Korean War.
Jim Stanley and his fellow troops found children left alone in
buildings and caves and began to care for them. Bill Stanley heard
about the problem and mobilized various charities to respond with
help.
Jetport idea
BULLETIN FILE PHOTO
Bill Stanley meets with America’s first Secretary of Transportation, Alan
Boyd, in Washington. Boyd thought the gateway airport would prove a
national treasure in future airport development.
Another of Stanley’s proudest moments was the proposal of a proj-
ect that failed to go beyond the concept stage.
As Stanley became aware of the lack of warehouse space for air car-
go, it sparked the idea to build an international airport in Eastern
Connecticut from scratch for that purpose.
Democratic Town Chairman Phil Shannon introduced Stanley to
U.S. Sen. Thomas Dodd so Stanley could pitch his proposal for an
airport between Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Stanley said Dodd replied: “It sounds good, Bill, but I don’t know a
thing about airports except going in and out of them.”
So Dodd introduced Stanley to Alan Boyd, chairman of the Depart-
ment of Transportation, at Dodd’s house in North Stonington.
Dodd told Boyd to not be swayed by not knowing Stanley: “A good
idea doesn’t care who has it.” Boyd answered, “And a bad idea doesn’t
care who has it.”
But Boyd loved the idea. And so did David Thomas, chairman
of the Federal Aviation Administration, Stanley said. Stanley be-
gan warning the state about what would happen when peace
broke out, and the economy’s reliance on the defense industry
was shaken.
In the end, though, Stanley needed the backing of Connecticut’s
General Assembly. And he didn’t get it. When his state senator re-
jected the idea, Stanley ran for office. Stanley never stopped believing
in the airport concept.
Political career
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
The Democratic Convention at New London’s Ocean Beach in 1970.
Democratic Town Chairman Al Vertefuille, of Willimantic, tells Bill Stanley,
candidate for Congress, that he has just lost the convention by four votes.
Bill’s son, Billy, is brokenhearted.
Stanley was a lifelong Democrat.
In 1966, backed by Phil Shannon, a Democratic chairman in Nor-
wich, Stanley won the primary for state senator in the 19th District,
despite the opposition of John Bailey, a Democrat who Stanley de-
scribed in one of his columns as “one of the greatest political bosses
in American history.”
Stanley had gotten the attention of the local political world after
his successful leadership of a United Way fundraiser. The United
Way position came after Stanley raised money to rehabilitate 36
businesses in Norwich destroyed in the 1963 flood of the Spaulding
Pond Dam.
Stanley defeated Ed Kelly, from Taftville, in a primary. Stanley said
Kelly was a “by-the-rules Democrat,” whereas, for Stanley, “I would
get out of my cage quite often.”
On the first day in office, Bailey stood at the top of the stairs that
led to the Senate and greeted him.
The night before the caucus, a fellow Democrat asked Stanley how
he could get his vote for a certain committee.
Stanley said he warned him he wasn’t going to keep the party line,
but told the Democrat not to leave the jetport proposal in committee.
When someone wanted to appoint Kelly to a key state job, Stanley
opposed.
“I can’t fight a political war and then reward my enemies,” said
Stanley, who made sure Kelly got the lowest-paid job from Nor-
wich.
Stanley also ran against Vinny Laudone, a popular resident of Nor-
wich. Laudone, Stanley said, did a “stupid thing” and took out a half-
page advertisement in The Bulletin attacking Stanley. Stanley took
on the fight, going on WICH to counter the ad.
The governor wanted Laudone to be a judge, but Stanley swore he
wouldn’t become one. When it came time to appoint a judge, Stanley
said, “Last time I knew, Mr. Bailey, I was the senator and it’s my ap-
pointment.”
He named Ed Hamel as judge and then looked up to the balcony at
the state Capitol with a sense of satisfaction that he got a victory over
his political enemies. But he didn’t beat the “self-proclaimed envi-
ronmentalists” such as Mary Walton. He lost his battle for the airport
to the NIMBYs.
At the end of his second term, Stanley lost a primary bid for Con-
gress in the 2nd District to Democrat Jack Pickett. Pickett then got
badly beat by the Republicans. Stanley said Pickett was afraid to lose
and that cost him the election. Stanley then lost the race for his old
state Senate seat.
“Once I was out, I was with my kids, and I made a lot of money,”
Stanley said. As a state senator, “I met a lot of wonderful people and
got an understanding of politics.”
Radio days
For nearly a decade, the Stanley brothers co-hosted a morning ra-
dio show — “The Bill & Jim Show” — on WICH.
Stanley said his brother was “very gifted,” especially in his use of
humor and impersonations. He used to impersonate radio legend