Charlie Brooks, 68, Died; Staples Grad, Air Force Veteran, Talented Jet Mechanic
Charlie of Safety Harbor Fl died suddenly from previous health conditions while on a trip, visiting relatives in Connecticut.
Charlie was born in Winchester MA on October 11, 1954, he lived in MA until 1965 when his family moved to Westport Connecticut. Charlie attended Greens Farms Elementary, Long Lots Junior High, and Staples High School.
After High school, Charlie enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1971 and worked as a jet mechanic repairing and maintaining the single seat jet fighter A-7 Corsair. During this time Charlie was stationed in Myrtle Beach South Carolina with the 354th Fighter Wing.
In 1976 Charlie began working at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, CT, and did so for almost 20 years. During this time Charlie earned his A & P license which qualified him to perform almost any repair on any type of aircraft. For many years Charlie worked exclusively on the fleet of Presidential VH-3 Sea King, which is operated by the Marines Corp in transporting the President of the United States.
Charlie was preceded in death by his parents Charles and Mary as well as his younger brother Daniel, he is survived by his sisters Martha (Tom Donaher) of Fairfield CT, and Mary Hart (John Wagner) of Trumbull CT, and a younger brother Robert of Blue River Colorado and many nieces and nephews.
Published by Westport-News on Nov. 30, 2022.
Morning Weather Report: Cold Day, Seasonal Night for Town Hall Tree Lighting
Today
Sunny, with a high near 42. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. West wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 27. West wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light after midnight. Town Hall Tree Lighting begins at 5 PM with festivities following.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 47. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly cloudy, with a temperature falling to near 36 by 10pm, then rising to around 44 during the remainder of the night. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
8 Homes Reported without Power after Wednesday Storms
With gusty winds and saturated earth, trees and limbs caused thousands of power outages across the State, according to Eversource - with only eight homes reported as “out” by 9:30 Wednesday night. No major road closures or flooding were noted in the community.
Governor, Department of Education Announce New Native American Studies Model Curriculum
Press ReleaseGovernor Ned Lamont and the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) today announced a new partnership with Connecticut’s recognized tribal nations to create a new Native American studies model curriculum.
This partnership and model curriculum stems from recently enacted legislation requiring school districts to include Native American studies as part of the social studies curriculum in the school year commencing July 1, 2023, and each year thereafter. This model curriculum and curricular resources, once finalized, will include the study of Native American tribes in Connecticut, including Northeastern Woodland tribes.
“Connecticut students deserve to have inclusive and accurate history lessons,” Governor Lamont said. “This curriculum is an important part of acknowledging our past and historical connections with our tribal nations. We are going beyond acknowledgment by building meaningful relationships with our tribal leaders and this curriculum effort is a prime example of that.”
“This partnership with Connecticut’s tribal nations is critical to ensuring the Native American studies curriculum development process is driven by Connecticut’s native and indigenous voices,” CSDE Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker said. “It is our goal to develop nation-leading educational resources and curriculum tools with subject matter experts in their fields and community members, while providing those resources at no cost to districts.”
“Native Americans play a critical role in Connecticut’s history and continue to play a critical role in Connecticut today,” CSDE Chief Academic Officer Irene Parisi said. “This is an opportunity to fully illuminate the historical and contemporary wisdom and contributions of Native Americans. The Connecticut State Department of Education is excited for this partnership and to curate cultural assets of each Connecticut tribe.”
Each of the five recognized tribes in Connecticut has its own individual story, and this curriculum will help students become aware of them.
Staff from the CSDE Academic Office plan to release this curriculum in June 2023 and have already begun meeting with officials from Connecticut’s tribes, as well as educators and other stakeholders to develop curriculum standards to inform curriculum resources and materials for the Native American studies model curriculum. Once completed, these curriculum resources will be made available on GoOpenCT, Connecticut’s digital library of open education resources.