Published February 17. 2021 4:38PM
Rep. Joe Courtney
In 1937, a freshman member of Congress from Norwich, former Rep. William Fitzgerald, led a successful effort to enact America’s first and only National Apprenticeship Act. After being signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt, the Fitzgerald Act, as it is still known today, went on to buoy our nation through war and peace, boosting America’s economy and workforce by way of its Registered Apprenticeship system.
Fitzgerald was uniquely suited to spearhead this law. He started working in a Connecticut foundry as a teen and rose from the factory floor to the foreman’s office, then to commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Labor, mayor of Norwich, and member of Congress. In transcripts from his committee hearings, Fitzgerald described how as a 15-year-old he was exploited by unscrupulous employers, and passionately argued in favor of national standards in a Registered Apprenticeship Program to protect workers and
Roberta Vincent, Special to The Times
Editor’s Note: As our nation celebrates Black History Month, this series in The Norwich Times will review the accomplishments of some of the exceptional athletes from Norwich who attended NFA and were inducted into the NFA/Norwich Sports Hall of Fame. This is the second in our series.
Every small city has its share of great athletes, but Norwich has a truly exceptional history. Here are short profiles of a few of these local athletes, all of whom are in the NFA/Norwich Sports Hall of Fame.
Robert E. “Bobo” Alves, Class of 1962
Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters creatively continue work and fun during the pandemic
Little Sister Jahyleeanne of New London, who turned 11 in mid-February, enjoys a vegan snack with Big Sister Siobhan McGirl of Norwich. (photo submitted)
Little Sister Jahyleeanne of New London, 11, relaxes with Big Sister Siobhan McGirl of Norwich. (photo submitted)
Little Sister Jahyleeanne of New London, 11, loves to be silly with Big Sister Siobhan McGirl of Norwich. (photo submitted)
Published February 16. 2021 7:49AM
Jan Tormay, Special to The Times
Nutmeg Little Sister Jahyleeanne of New London, who turned 11 in mid-February, said she has learned “how to not get mad so easily at people” and the importance of not eating “all the animals up” from Big Sister Siobhan McGirl (a vegan) of Norwich.
Ken Keeley, Special to The Times
The Marguerite Building, pictured here in 1890, was one of three buildings former Norwich Mayor Timothy Murphy constructed and named after his three daughters, Marguerite, Alice and Marion. Only the Alice Building, which sits on Main Street, remains today. The Marguerite, which sat on the corner of North Main Street and East Main Street at Burnham Square, fell into disrepair due to neglect. It was a unique building because trains ran under the back of the building, causing severe vibration. In the late 1900s, parts of the building started falling onto the railroad tracks below. After becoming a safety problem, the building was condemned by the city, and demolished in 1996.