People/Business

Suffield Native Leads Prominent Seminary

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As Martin Copenhaver DIV ’80 steps down as president of Andover Newton Seminary — an affiliate of the Yale Divinity School — Sarah Birmingham Drummond ’93 will take the helm, the first major leadership transition since the seminary formally joined the Divinity School in 2017. Drummond is a graduate of Suffield High School and daughter of Jackie and Ron Birmingham. Drummond — the Divinity School’s assistant dean and a current visiting professor of ministerial leadership — will assume her duties as the seminary’s president following Copenhaver’s retirement. She will also take the position of founding dean of Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School simultaneously. Drummond will be the first woman to lead the seminary in its two-century-long history.

People/Business

Emily Sweeney is Back on Track!

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For the last year, Emily Sweeney, age 25, who grew up in Suffield, has been slowly recovering from injuries sustained at the last Olympic Games during her last run on the Pyeongchang, South Korea, luge track. It has been a long road to recovery, but an impressive one. 

For the first six months after her accident, she was unable to do much more than light walking as exercise, and then it took another six months for the ligaments to heal around a broken bone in her back and one in her neck. Emily is still in the Army with the rank of Sergeant and is part of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program (WCAP). According to the Army’s website, WCAP allows top-ranked soldier-athletes to perform at the international level while also serving their nation in the military. WCAP Soldiers come from the Active, Reserve and National Guard components and are selected for their ability to perform at the highest level of their sports. 

Her training began in earnest in October, 2018.

People/Business

Local Equestrian Honored

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“I’m very proud of Gabriella and her horse. This is such a prestigious show and it’s an honor to qualify, much less to attend with your own horse and achieve so much together,” said trainer Danielle Barrasso, referring to her student, Gabriella Santaniello, a junior at Suffield High School who added the Premier Equestrian Award to her list of achievements at the 2018 International Friesian Show Horse Association World Show, October 2-7, in Springfield, Ohio.  Trainer Barrasso worked with Gabriella at the Sunny Hill Farm on North Street. In their very first IFSHA World Show appearance together, the Suffield teenager and her five year-old purebred Friesian mare, Rajasahara (Steffan-S x Senko Zon D), earned nine World Championships, 12 reserve championships, and a Top 5 in classes including costume, halter, (hunter and western) dressage, (hunter and western) equitation and pleasure, and showmanship. “She started riding at age five, and became my student when she was seven. She started out doing hunter/jumpers on my ponies before her parents bought Raja and waited for her to grow into her new horse.”

The wait, this Premier Equestrian Award winner has certainly proven, has been worth it.

People/Business

Local Preacher Portrayed in New Film

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It’s not every day that you get to see yourself in a national movie, especially when Dean Cain (remember he was Superman and Teri Hatcher was Lois Lane?) gets to play you! Scott Seabury will tell you how it happened in a Kent Memorial Library program held at the Suffield Senior Center on Wednesday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m. Accompanying Scott will be Agawam resident Michael Tourville, the author of the book, A Promise to Astrid which set the stage for the movie. Both Scott and Michael attended the final days of filming the movie also called A Promise to Astrid in West Virginia last October. The phone call from Michael Tourville informing Scott about the movie and his part in it, was a total surprise to Scott. He knew that Michael had written the book.

People/Business

Lily House under New Ownership

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Lily House Bed and Breakfast, the only remaining Suffield B&B, has new owners as of November 2018. Lorraine and Mike Mancini sold their 15 year-old business to Suffield residents Tiffany and Camile Hannoush. The Hannoushes feel Lily House, on Bridge Street right in the heart of downtown with history dating back to 1720, is rich with charm, character, and uniqueness. Guests visit from all over the world and include Suffield Academy parents, business travelers, and folks just looking to relax at a place offering all the comforts of home. Lily House also hosts events and special occasions, including local business meetings, family showers, and even a book signing which is scheduled for March.

People/Business

Suffield Welcomes Another New Business

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NE Tactical Training Academy opened doors in Suffield at 801 Thompsonville Road on October 1. Founder John Viscomi brings over six years of experience training law enforcement on tactics and techniques to his new business. Professionally trained instructors lead class sizes of 5–7 in Suffield, ensuring that both basic and advanced participants receive the individual attention needed to leave their training with the confidence to defend themselves. Among the training delivered is a Conn./Mass. Dept.

People/Business

Stonegate Takes Shape

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Stonegate, the subdivision being developed off North Main Street, was first announced at the September 2017 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, when Ray Daddario described his plans in a pre-application conference. The project then worked its way through Conservation Commission and Historic District Commission approvals and finally the Planning and Zoning Commission public hearings, deliberation, and final approval on February 28, 2018. As the property includes two notable homes in the Town Center Historic District that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Stonegate elicited considerable local concern and some opposition. The development comprised two parcels. The first is the 20-acre property at 480 North Main.

People/Business

Non-Stop at Bradley

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The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) is pleased to announce the debut of new, nonstop service from Bradley International Airport to Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and Orlando International Airport (MCO) on low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines. The service to Raleigh-Durham will commence on April 30, on an Airbus A320; the service to Orlando will commence on May 1, on an Airbus A321; the service to Denver is scheduled to commence on March 2.

People/Business

Never Too Old to Be a Flower Girl

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Norma Phillips, a life-long resident of West Suffield, had the honor of being specially requested to be a flower girl at a recent ceremony. Norma has extended family of three generations, and it was an exciting time for all present to have Norma, fondly referred to as the “Amp,” fulfill this special role.