Little Rock Nine Student Speaks with Library Crowd; “‘Quit’ is not in my vocabulary”
Carlotta Walls LaNier speaks via Zoom to Westporter Steve Parrish and guests during an interview about her life and triumphs. WestportLocal.com photo“Since I see that you’re all in a library: I could not go to the city library” Carlotta Walls LaNier said to the attendees sitting in the Westport Library’s Trefz Forum as she began her discussion via Zoom. “I never even had a new book. Only hand-me-downs.”
La Nier, now of Denver, CO, described her experience as the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine through a conversation with Westporter and friend Steve Parrish. Attendees were able to listen to LaNier as she spoke about her “three 1st days of school” as she attempted to become one of the first black students to join Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas in ‘57 - the infamous period of integration that led to not only displays of hatred towards LaNier and her eight peers, but acts of support as the military were called in to act as personal bodyguards for the high schoolers. “We were excited” she began. “[Central High School"] was one of the top 40 high schools in the country. It was awarded the ‘most beautiful’” she said as she reminisced back to when she initially found out she could join the high school.
When she found out that the Arkansas National Guard were being called in for their first day of school, she initially thought it was to protect her. “That was not the case” she explained as she told listeners how she was turned away from the school on the first day of school. On their second attempt at starting school - they entered the building late through a side door, but were later evacuated from their classrooms mid-lesson by police officers who covered the Little Rock Nine in blankets as they drove them out of the school’s basement loading dock, past the awaiting protesters. Days later, President Eisenhower called in the 101st Airborne to act as their personal bodyguards, allowing them to finally begin school nearly one month late. “We felt honored to have the screaming eagles as our protectors.”
Once in school, she immediately excelled despite being tripped, spit on, and having personal belongings destroyed or stolen. “I had to be spot on” she exclaimed when Parrish brought up her honor roll award and then her 1960 graduation from the high school. “I didn’t have friends to call for help after school if I didn’t understand what the teacher said.” LaNier was the first black woman to receive a diploma from Central High School.
Through conversation with Parrish, LaNier admitted that she never liked the spotlight after her graduation - going thirty years before even speaking publicly about her experience in Little Rock. However a conversation with a Colorado history class changed her mind when she described how “One white boy turned red when he asked me ‘why is it that as an 11th grader, I haven’t heard of the Little Rock Nine before?’”. “I realized it was up to me to help teach others about what happened.” she continued.
She solidified this goal before the 7:00 PM Zoom call with library guests with a 6:00 PM Zoom call with Westport Public School students, who had the opportunity to listen to her story and ask questions. “Quit is not in my vocabulary” she told the students.
According to the National Women’s Hall of Fame, “After graduating from Central High in 1960, she studied at Michigan State University for two years before moving to Colorado. She enrolled at the University of Northern Colorado and earned her bachelor’s degree in 1968. She, along with the other members of the Little Rock Nine, is the recipient of the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, awarded by President Bill Clinton in 1999, the prestigious Spingarn Medal from the NAACP, and the Lincoln Leadership Prize awarded by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation. LaNier is a recipient of four honorary doctorate degrees and is an inductee into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.”
Birdwatching: American Oystercatchers Nest at Compo Beach
Westporters and visitors to Compo Beach have stopped to watch American Oystercatchers, which currently hold a spot on the Connecticut and federal threatened species list. If you travel to Compo Beach to spot these unique birds, be sure to stay away from the bird nesting and roped off area. Photos by Cami Vynerib.
Police: Car Accident Victim Identified as Norwalk Man; Accident Investigations Continue
A vintage coupe and a modern SUV were taken away from the scene of yesterday’s fatal car accident on Saugatuck Avenue. WestportLocal.com photoWestport Police Department Press Release: The deceased has been identified as Mark Lemoult, age 59, of Norwalk, CT. The roadway was reopened last evening once the Accident Investigation Team completed their on-scene tasks. The matter remains under investigation.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. East wind 7 to 10 mph.
Tonight
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph.
Tomorrow
Partly sunny, with a high near 68. Southeast wind 5 to 8 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Talking Transportation: Hovercraft Commute to NYC that Started and Ended in ‘76
The Bridgeport Hovercraft
The former Bridgeport Hovercraft. A little known part of Connecticut’s transportation history is that, almost 40 years ago, there was hovercraft service from Bridgeport to New York City.
If you’ve never “flown” on a hovercraft, it’s quite an experience. The interior of the craft is filled with airline style seats and there’s often even an attendant serving beverages.
When it’s ready to depart, giant fans blowing downward lift the craft onto a bubble of air, captured by a huge rubber skirt. Then other fans push the hovering craft forward, guided by air rudders. Think of an Everglades airboat on steroids, except this one floated above the surface of Long Island Sound.
In June of 1976 I got to ride on a demonstration “flight” of the “Excalibur”, a $400,000, 51-foot-long, 60-passenger hovercraft. It was a weekend press junket showing off the soon-to-be launched private service run by Bridgeport native Robert Weldon, who founded Hovertransport Inc with family, friends and local investors.
From what I remember about the ride, it was smooth but fairly noisy. What was really impressive was the speed: about 40 mph.
Weldon’s service was inspired by a British hovercraft service crossing the English Channel, which ran from 1969 until 2000 using two gigantic craft capable of carry 400+ passengers and 60 cars. Each of these monsters cost five million pounds and could travel at almost 60 mph.
Weldon’s hope was to bring Long Islanders to Bridgeport’s then newly opened jai alai fronton while also whisking Connecticut and Long Island commuters down the Sound to a dock at Wall Street. This was to be the first commercial hovercraft service ever in the US. The planned 35-minute run would cost passengers $125 a month, a premium over the railroads’ then $80 monthly commuter pass.
Robert Weldon.Paying passengers boarded the first regularly scheduled “flight” of Excalibur June 26, 1976, departing Bridgeport at 6:45 am, enroute to Huntington LI and then New York City.
On the first day, Huntington officials were miffed when the craft gunned the engines leaving the dock, ignoring the 5 mph harbor speed limit designed to avoid a wake, despite the fact that a hovercraft makes no waves but rides over them. The Excalibur was regularly ticketed by the local Harbor Patrol.
But by November 1976, ridership had stagnated and service was suspended as passenger loads never exceeded about 30% of capacity, far below a break-even ridership.
Weldon then moved his craft to the Hudson River, launching commuter service from Nyack NY to Wall Street. After a three-week run that Hudson River service was also halted when only six passengers had signed up.
In December 1976 Weldon moved the Excalibur to Miami to dazzle the tourists.
By the following year Weldon was running out of money. A planned 1974 IPO never generated enough investors’ interest. Also, by early 1977 they’d lost their docking space in Bridgeport as a waterfront park was under development.
In Spring 1977 the hovercraft was repossessed and Weldon filed for personal bankruptcy moving on to another job. He passed away in 1997 at the age of 68. With him went the dream of commuting by hovercraft on Long Island Sound.
About Jim Cameron:
Jim Cameron has been a commuter advocate for over 30 years, with a special focus on the Metro North railroad. He spent nearly two decades on the Connecticut Metro North Commuter Council, and most recently founded The Commuter Action Group. Jim Cameron’s Talking Transportation was a popular column on the former WestportNow.com prior to its cessation, and joins The Westport Local Press and several other online community organizations. A resident of Darien - he serves on its Representative Town Meeting and is Program Director of the town government TV station, DarienTV79. He can be reached at CommuterActionGroup@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter: @CTRailCommuters
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 37 over Weekend; State Positivity Rate, Hospitalizations Down
The State Department of Public Health reported 37 more cases in Westport over the weekend. The State’s daily test positivity rate was down to 12.30% while hospitalizations were down 6 patients, with 348 patients currently hospitalized for COVID-19 throughout the State.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 4,912 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 36 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 12.30% [down from 14.19%]
State Hospitalizations: 348 patients [-6]
Police: One Dead after Afternoon Car Wreck; Saugatuck Ave Closed
Westport police cars block off Saugatuck Avenue between Ferry Lane and Belaire Drive around 8:00 this evening while accident investigations continue into the evening. WestportLocal.com photoWestport Police Department Press Release:
At approximately 4:20 p.m. today, Westport’s police department, fire department, and emergency medical services responded to the area of 294 Saugatuck Avenue on a report of a car accident. The first personnel to arrive, observed that two cars collided causing extensive damage to both. There was only one person in each of the two vehicles and both sustained injuries. The individual in one of the cars was conscious and able to speak with emergency responders. That person was extricated by firefighters and transported to the hospital for treatment. The driver of the other car was unresponsive and did not have a pulse. Unfortunately, that individual was pronounced deceased by medical personnel.
The Westport Police Department’s Accident Investigation Team with assistance from the Fairfield Police Department’s Accident Investigation Team will be handling this investigation.
The deceased’s name will not be released until the next of kin are notified.
Saugatuck Avenue between Ferry Lane and Duck Pond Road is currently closed and is not expected to reopen for the next several hours. However, residents who live within that area will be allowed to access their homes.
Staples Students’ Pottery to be Showcased and Sold in Upcoming Art Show at MoCA
Madeline Barney, Staples junior and member of the track team, with the help of her pottery teacher, Jaclyn Jeselnik, and peers in the art program at Staples, has started a fundraiser in the hopes of helping the Westport community. They are creating a variety of bowls and then selling them in the upcoming Staples art show at MoCA on June 12, 2022. From there, they are collaborating with The Open Door Shelter in Norwalk and donating 100% of their proceeds to them. The director of communication will come to the event to talk to the crowd more about their fantastic mission. The bowls featured in this article are only a curated selection of what will be available at MoCA.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. North wind 8 to 10 mph.
Tonight
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Northeast wind 3 to 5 mph.
Tomorrow
Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Northeast wind around 8 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Southeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.