Thomas A. Werner, 80, Dies; Staples Class of 1956, “He was a very honest man.”"

Obituary Report by Frederick Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun

Thomas A. Werner, a retired insurance executive who was active in several German-American cultural and social organizations, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Aug. 22 at his home in the Riderwood Thornleigh neighborhood. He was 80.

Shelley Arnold had known Mr. Werner since her days in the insurance business.

“Tom was just a good all-around guy and a great person,” said Ms. Arnold, who edits the German Society of Maryland Inc. newsletter. “He had a matter-of-fact manner and you always knew where you stood with him. He answered questions with one-sentence answers and that’s the way it was. He was a very honest man.”

Bernard A. Penner was both a friend of Mr. Werner’s and active in the same German societies.

“He was a very steady guy in the German community. When he said he’d show up, he showed up, and he handled his various offices with competence and detail,” recalled Mr. Penner.

Thomas Alfred Werner, son of Alfred J. Werner, an insurance executive, and his then-wife, Mercedes Will, a homemaker, was born in Baltimore and at an early age moved to Westport, Connecticut, with his mother, who had married William A. Ketchum.

After graduating in 1959 from Staples High School in Westport, he attended the University of Maryland briefly, before enlisting in 1960 in the Air Force where he was trained in repairing fighter jet electronics at Paine Air Force Base in Everett, Washington.

“A veteran of the Cuban missile crisis, he had vivid memories of loading nuclear weapons onto the planes knowing the world was on the brink of disaster,” according to a biographical profile submitted by his family.

Click here to expand obituary report

Discharged from the Air Force in 1964, Mr. Werner returned to Baltimore and became a trained underwriter for the Insurance Company of North America, while attending evening classes at the University of Maryland on the G.I. Bill.

After working as an underwriter for five years, he joined his father’s independent agency, the Werner Insurance Agency, and after it was sold, he established his own agency in Towson in 1984, Werner Agency Ltd., of which he was president. It specialized in high-risk insurance that resulted in forming a professional relationship with underwriters at Lloyd’s of London.

Mr. Werner retired in 2006.

He was a lifelong lover of the outdoors and physical activity, and as a Boy Scout in Connecticut, he earned the Order of the Arrow, which is granted only after a scout passes what’s known as “The Ordeal,” where he was involved in near-solo camping, given only minimal food and was required to maintain silence for three days while performing camp service projects.

The result of this experience developed into a lifelong interest in Native American history and folklore.

As an adult, he hiked sections of the Appalachian Trail in seven states, logging 300 miles that included the Smokies in North Carolina and New Hampshire’s White Mountains, with Mount Madison as one of his fondest hiking memories.

Family members said he passed along his love of hiking, camping, canoeing and skiing to his three children, and when his son joined Boy Scout Troop 341 in Towson, it renewed his interest in scouting. He served on the troop committee as treasurer and assisted in troop activities and outings.

A life-changing event occurred in 1988 when Mr. Werner traveled to Augsburg, Germany, to meet his first grandchild and ski the Swiss and Austrian Alps. Unable to speak German and relying on his son, he was determined to learn the language.

Later that year, he took German language classes at the Baltimore Kickers, a soccer club that was founded in 1953, and in addition to soccer, also promotes German culture and language.

“He learned a smattering of German, an appreciation of German beer and the meaning of gemutlichkeit,” according to the biographical profile, referring to the German word for friendliness.

Being a Kicker member led Mr. Werner to travel to Germany with the team, and he worked at the Kickers’ bratwurst and beer stand at the Maryland German Festival, where he was in charge of handling the money.

His expanded role including serving on the organization’s ’ board, mainly in a financial capacity, and for his work, he was made an honorary lifetime member of the Baltimore Kickers.

From 2006 to 2010, he served as president of the Deutschamerikanischer Burgereverein von Maryland Inc., which is the umbrella organization for area German clubs and sponsor of the annual Maryland German Festival that for years was held at Carroll Park in Southwest Baltimore.

In his first year as president, Mr. Werner moved the festival from its former home to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, which offered a larger venue and more convenient parking, and during his tenure as president had been responsible for overseeing four festivals.

After leaving office, he continued to serve as vice president, treasurer and director, and was still holding Zoom meetings this spring and summer for the festival that was held in early July.

Mr. Werner had also held two terms as president of Club Fidelitas Inc., a Baltimore German cultural organization, and the German Society of Maryland Inc., which honored him in 2018 with their Distinguished Service Award. He was also a member of the Edelweiss Club and the society of the History of Germans in Maryland.

“Tom certainly left his footprint in the German community,” Ms. Arnold said.

Dottie Kirchner, former president of the Deutschamerikanischer Burgereverein, knew and worked with Mr. Werner for more than 35 years.

“Tom never shirked from anything they asked him to do. When we moved from Carroll Park to Timonium, he handled all the contracts and made sure everything was set up the right way,. He was a no-nonsense person when it came to doing that. It was a big miss when he decided to retire for health reasons. He could no longer be outside in the heat and we said, ‘Sit inside and we’ll bring you our questions and problems’. He was always a soothing source.”

“Once he got his brain around a concept that he thought was important, he stuck with it. He fit right into that milieu,” Mr. Penner said. “Another side to Tom was his interest in medieval German history. He was a constant in the German community and he’s going to be missed.”

Because of his work, Mr. Werner was invited to attend German Embassy functions in Washington, D.C., including being present to hear German Chancellor Angela Merkel speak on the South Lawn of the White House in 2011. When Gov. Martin O’Malley signed the bill in 2013 making October German American Heritage Month in Maryland, Mr. Werner was in attendance.

“Our dad was cremated and we’re going to spread his ashes on the Appalachian Trail,” said a daughter, Jamie Walter of Easton.

Plans for a celebration-of-life gathering are incomplete.

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Werner is survived by his life partner of 38 years, Kay Schneck of Thornleigh; a son, Alfred Thomas Werner of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; another daughter, Wendi Alexi Werner of Everett, Washington; two sisters, Joan Clark of Timonium and Beverly Ketchum of Florida; and five grandchildren. A marriage to the former Lynn Sibley ended in divorce.

Back to Work CT: State Sends $1,000 Checks to Eligible Residents with New Jobs after Longterm Unemployment

Governor’s Office

Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the first round of the $1,000 bonus payments authorized through the Back to Work CT program are being mailed this week to more than 1,500 eligible applicants who are among the initial group of workers participating in the program.

Established by Governor Lamont in May, the Back to Work CT program is designed to provide an additional bonus payment to long-term unemployed workers who live in Connecticut, are transitioning back to the workforce, and have obtained new jobs. It is supported by Connecticut’s Coronavirus Relief Fund, which utilizes federal funding obtained through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES ACT).

Approximately $10 million has been allocated for the program, which will provide bonus payments for up to 10,000 eligible applicants. It is administered by the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Labor and runs through December 31, 2021.

“Many workers who were displaced during the early months in the pandemic and faced long-term unemployment are now transitioning back into the workforce and starting to rebuild,” Governor Lamont said. “This one-time bonus payment will help some of those workers pay for the critical things they need to get back to work, including childcare. This is the latest tool in our toolbox to maximize our state’s recovery from the pandemic.”

“Governor Lamont’s relentless focus on health, safety, and economic recovery has made Connecticut a national leader in our response to COVID-19, and the Back to Work CT program represents another timely investment in our people,” Connecticut Department of Revenue Services Commissioner Mark D. Boughton said. “I want to recognize colleagues at DRS for quickly standing up the Back to Work CT program, and thank the Connecticut Department of Labor for their ongoing partnership. The DRS is proud to contribute to this effort that directs additional support to those helping to sustain Connecticut’s comeback.”

“This is a job seeker’s market. It’s a great time for people to get back into the workforce and take advantage of opportunities to improve salary and benefits, or even start a new career,” Connecticut Department of Labor Interim Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo said. “Women were hit particularly hard by the pandemic recession in terms of lost jobs and lost income. At the same time, women remain primary caretakers for their families, making it difficult for them to re-enter the workforce early due to childcare and other responsibilities, which leads to additional lost income. The governor’s Back to Work CT incentive is a great added bonus for people who really need that financial help during the back-to-work transition. Thank you to Governor Lamont, Commissioner Boughton, and the DRS team for their partnership on such an important program.”

To be eligible for a Back to Work CT incentive payment, a person must:

• Have filed an unemployment compensation weekly claim with the State of Connecticut for the week May 23-29, 2021;

• Have filed an unemployment compensation weekly claim with the State of Connecticut for 11 additional weeks between December 27, 2020, and May 22, 2021;

• Obtain and maintain a full-time job for eight consecutive weeks between May 30 and December 31, 2021; and

• Not file an unemployment compensation weekly claim with the State of Connecticut for any portion of the required eight consecutive weeks of employment.

To claim a $1,000 incentive payment, a person is required to complete and submit the Back to Work CT program application electronically – no paper applications are accepted. The Department of Revenue Services may contact an applicant directly to substantiate his or her employment following completion of the required eight consecutive weeks of employment.

The Back to Work CT application, and additional information about the program, can be found on the Department of Revenue Services website at ct.gov/drs.

West Nile Virus Found in Easton

From Mark Cooper, Director of the Weston Westport Health District 

that West Nile  Virus has now been found in mosquitoes trapped in Easton. The New Haven Agricultural  Experiment Station typically finds mosquitoes positive for the West Nile virus around this time  each year. With plenty of time before the first frost that ends the mosquito season locally, there is concern that the number of infected mosquitoes will continue to increase, increasing the potential  for human exposure. With weather conditions favorable for mosquitoes and with the number of  infected mosquitoes likely to be increasing, precautions should be exercised to avoid being bitten by a mosquito.  The mosquitoes testing positive were Culex pipiens mosquitoes the predominantly feed on bird hosts, but will given  the opportunity, will feed on humans.  

No human cases of West Nile Virus have been identified yet in Easton, Weston or Westport at this time. However,  continued warm and rainy weather in the forecast, Mr. Cooper stated that “it is recommended to eliminate any  standing water around your home and take precautions to prevent mosquito bites”. Mosquitoes are still depositing their eggs in any pool of water they can find and will be eagerly looking for someone's blood to feed on. 

The Health District recommends residents take the following precautions: 

• Eliminate any object outside that can hold water and become a breeding place for mosquitoes. • Clean house gutters that may be retaining water. 

• Empty wading pools and bird baths every few days. 

• Chlorinate swimming pools regularly. 

• Make sure the covers that are on grills, boats, pools, and other equipment do not collect water. • Also, be sure door and window screens are tight fitting and in good repair to avoid mosquito bites when  indoors. 

Tips for avoiding mosquito bites when outdoors: 

Mosquitoes require a blood meal for reproduction. The following are measures that can help reduce bites from  mosquitoes that feed on people: 

• Be particularly careful at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active. 

• Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts. Clothing material should be tightly woven. • Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors. 

• Consider the use of CDC- recommended mosquito repellents, containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon  eucalyptus, IR3535, or 2-undecanone, and apply according to directions, when it is necessary to be  outdoors. 

• When using DEET, use the lowest concentration effective for the time spent outdoors (for example, 6  percent lasts approximately two hours and 20 percent for four hours) and wash treated skin when returning  indoors. Do not apply under clothing, to wounds or irritated skin, the hands of children, or to infants less  than two months old. 

For more information on West Nile Virus, visit the Health District's Web site at www.wwhd.org and/or the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program Web site at www.ct.gov/mosquito.

Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 7; State Positivity Rate 4.65%, Hospitalizations Down 17

The State of Connecticut reports that Westport’s COVID-19 cases are up 7, with no deaths reported. The State’s daily test positivity rate was up to 4.65%, and hospitalizations were down 17.

• Westport total positive or probable cases: 1,943 cases.

• Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 31 deaths.

• State Daily Test Positivity: 4.65% [up from 3.10%]

• State Hospitalizations: 363 patients [-17]

Happy First Day of School, Westport!

As our community heads into another school year amidst a pandemic, educators and administrators are more confident than ever on how to support children best while managing safety and health protocols. And - a rarity: many students are excited to head back into their school buildings today as they inch closer and closer to a sense of normalcy throughout their lives, like Superintendent Tom Scarice said last night “We took a step towards normalcy, but not a complete step.”

Morning Weather Report

Today

Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.

• High Tides: 6:40 AM/6:55 PM

• Low Tides: 12:40 AM/12:44 PM

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Light west wind.

Tomorrow

Rain likely, mainly after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 75. North wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tomorrow Night

Rain and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 62. Northeast wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Town of Westport Meeting Schedule

Arts Advisory Committee: 12:00 PM

Board of Education Gives Updates ahead of School Start; “They’re so ready for kids” says Superintendent

Board of Education Chair Candice Savin and Westport Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Scarice

Tonight’s Board of Education meeting covered six agenda items spanning from health and COVID-19 information to updates from the policy committee, with conversations with project managers for upcoming roof projects and a captain of the police department over officer patrols of the schools.

• Administrator’s Report

“There is a palpable energy” Superintendent Thomas Scarice said as he described his feeling while walking through schools this week ahead of their opening tomorrow. “They’re so ready for kids” he continued as he spoke about the excitement staff members have for students' returning into the buildings. Although disappointed that the District could not hold the traditional in-person convocation ceremony, Scarice was able to visit each school. “We took a step towards normalcy, but not a complete step” he said when discussing the difference in this year’s visit to educators and their schoolhouses.

Click here to expand full Board of Education meeting report

• Health Update

“Nationally, cases are very high, up 153% in the past month” started off Sue Levasseur, Director of Health Services, who then added that the rise in cases are primarily due to an influx in cases in the South. Levasseur said that Westport will be starting school at a higher level of cases than when they began schools last September, adding that they aren’t seeing any spikes and that local cases have seemingly plateaued in the past two weeks.

Local data showed that the average age of positive cases came from those in their 20s and 30s, and that 4 school aged cases were reported this week - with 1 fully vaccinated person reported as COVID-19 positive in each of the weeks so far.

“The good news: our vaccination rates.” She exclaimed, stating that 94.6% of children ages 12-17 were vaccinated at least with one dose, and that 86% are fully vaccinated. “I learned that vaccinations are to prevent hospitalizations and deaths, not to prevent testing positive” Scarice said when discussing the numbers. Levasseur spoke to the current progress with the Pfizer vaccine, which, she says, is moving towards the FDA for approval, adding “we could see vaccination for children optimistically in late fall, early winter - as early as November.”

Masks will continue to be mandated in the buildings through September 30th, while any visitor to the school must provide proof of vaccination - including all parent volunteers. Cover staff members (those who work in the buildings) must provide proof of at least one dose of the vaccination by September 27th, or face weekly testing.

The Department of Health has offered free weekly testing to public schools in the State, added Levasseur, although Scarice commented that they have yet to release any sort of plan yet.

Students who are fully vaccinated will not have to partake in quarantines this year, which are expected to be less frequent due to a now 3 foot radius and other mitigating measures - specifically at the elementary school levels where students are unable to be vaccinated. Cafeteria spaces were given special consideration - with many kids in the same space, unmasked, and talking and eating - large tents have been brought to the buildings to support a less congested indoor space and an option for outdoor eating based on a rotating schedule of classes.

Any students who do require isolation and quarantine will be better served this year, said Scarice, due to the addition of eight tutors - who will be available to support those who miss classroom time. The tutors are former teachers and were secured by Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning Anthony Buono and Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources & General Administration John Bayers, according to Scarice, who applauded their work in the endeavor to better serve students who are sent home.

The State did not provide any legal provision for remote learning for this school year, Scarice said. Any child who is not in school will be counted absent, with no virtual options counted towards the school’s 180 day/900 hour State requirement that was reinstated for this school year.

Any student who has a verifiable medical ailment which would require them to go through the Homeward Bound process, as has been done in previous non-COVID years. The State does have a Remote Learning Standard being created for the 2022/2023 school year that would allow certain instances of remote learning in younger age level settings to be counted as school days; “that seems silly” commented Board of Education Chairperson Candice Savin, saying “hopefully we won’t need it [then]”.

Back to school night: virtual this year. More information will be released, according to Scarice, however live and pre-recorded options are both on the table.

With the State allowing vaccinated teachers to remove their mask to lecture masked students in their classrooms, Scarice said “We are not doing that.” “There was an audible groan from our staff members when I told them” he added.

• Staples High School Roof Project

With a price tag of about five million dollars, the Staples High School roof replacement is up against several deadlines for State grant applications and a volatile pandemic construction market. “We’ve never seen anything like this” said Charles Warrington, a project manager with Colliers Project Leaders, as he said that project bids around the region are all subject to change with material costs on the rise.

“As we are aware, reports of 5-to-6-month lead times are currently in effect for roofing materials, specifically roof insulation, fasteners and adhesives.” he said in a report to the Board, continuing to say “There is extremely high demand nationally so your project will be in competition with other projects thus the need to advertise as early as possible.”

The current Saugatuck Elementary School roof replacement has fell victim to the current construction climate, with delays and possible cost increases all possible.

“The next step involves a review of the project to the Board Monday evening with an action item scheduled for the Board on September 8. Following Board action, the project will then proceed to the Board of Finance for two meetings in October, RTM Education and Finance Committees thereafter, before final approval of the full RTM on November 2. This timeline enables the Board to promptly begin the grant application process with the state Office of School Construction Grants and Review (OSCGR) to apply for any eligible reimbursements.” his report ended, with hope that a head start will also allow the District to obtain materials and begin construction on time - which would be as soon as school ends in June 2022.

• Class Size Report

Class sizes were above budget for many of the District elementary schools reported John Bayers, with all schools experiencing a late summer push for new enrollments. “We’ve seen a huge migration from New York over the Summer” Bayers said, saying that many enrollments were received just in the past few weeks - giving a possible explanation that New York schools typically begin after Labor Day, giving parents the allusion of more time to enroll. “We’ll have parents walk in the day before school starts and we’ll get them settled” he said.

With more sections being added for some schools to account for the new student numbers, Westporter Robert Harrington asked the Board about if the buildings were able to handle the student numbers - and if academic support services could still be adequately administered to students, specifically for growing school communities such as Greens Farms School.

• Reassignment of Westport Police Department Patrols to Westport

Westport Police Department Captain Ryan Paulsson was on hand to answer questions about the Department’s continued patrols of the schools with uniformed officers. Superintendent Scarice spoke to the opportunity that having officers in the school communities gives students, saying they would “build strong relationships” between the officers and student body - such as the popular School Resource Officer stationed at Staples High School. Paulsson said the officers assigned to the schools will be the same every day, allowing for consistency and continuity from day-to-day to support staff and administrators, adding in “a friendly face who’s always there.”

Board Member Lee Goldstein wasn’t convinced on the application of the officers in the schools, questioning Paulsson and Scarice on why the officers would be going into the buildings at all instead of remaining outside for their patrols. “Everyone in the school has a reason for being there. What is the police department’s reason for being there?” she asked. Goldstein referred to a Board of Education meeting held around three years ago, during which members of the public expressed concern about having uniformed officers in the buildings and interacting with children - with one public commenter tonight reminding the Board that a great concern came from the officer’s firearms being in the building.

The patrols have been a part of the Department’s sectors historically, explained Paulsson, however the designation of the same officer for the schools would allow them to better support the schools while adding no cost to the Police Department of Board of Education budgets through the realignment of priorities.

“Is this a unilateral decision? The Board of Finance and RTM did not want to fund officers in our schools. It feels a little un-transparent and manipulative” Goldstein ended.

“I’m taken aback that the officers were going into schools” said Chairperson Savin when she learned that officers had entered school buildings during the day. “Some clear guidelines on when they enter the schools, maybe at the request of staff or administrators, will be helpful.” Ultimately, “Police will be patrolling our schools” Savin concluded.

• 2021-2022 Board Goals

Board of Education member onboarding, budgetary items, and committees were the main focus of the Board’s goal discussion - while trying to figure out which items should be made goals, while others may already be covered by strategic planning already in place. Emphasis was put on an effective way to onboard new Board of Education members this upcoming Fall, however the way in which they were onboarded fell both on possible goals to be outlined and on current processes already taking place to assist in the transition to the Board positions.

• Policy Committee Update

“This will affect our booster clubs” said Board member Karen Kleine as she shared that the Board’s policy on Gift Giving is being evaluated. “We’ll be asking for information on how often they give, how much they give - going back a few years pre-covid to see if any follow-up may be needed” she continued. “Not a formal audit, more an internal audit” the Board added.

Haiku Moment with Westport’s Poet Laureate

A Haiku from Westport’s Poet Laureate: Diane Lowman

Flooding fires bombing

Refugees COVID-19

Give me some good news

Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 3 over Weekend; State Positivity Rate 3.10%, Hospitalizations Up 2

The Westport-Weston Health District reports that Westport’s COVID-19 cases are up 3, with no deaths reported. The State’s daily test positivity rate was down to 3.10%, and hospitalizations were up 2. Westport’s cases have been on the decline in recent weeks, with 12/100,000 resident infection rate over a two week period - with Weston at 20.2/100,000 and Easton at 21.8/100,000.

• Westport total positive or probable cases: 1,936 cases.

• Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 31 deaths.

• State Daily Test Positivity: 3.10% [down from 3.44%]

• State Hospitalizations: 380 patients [+2]