By GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Special to the Post
CANTON, October 15, 2004 – Marian Turner couldn’t stop smiling. She also had a tough time finishing conversations. At the third annual Canton High Wall of Fame induction ceremony, Turner sat in the CHS gymnasium surrounded by her family and friends.
A steady stream of former students and their parents took the time to say hi to Turner, congratulate her or simply catch up.
“It is so heartwarming to talk to so many former students and their parents,” she said. “It is just wonderful.”
Turner, a member of the last class to graduate from Collinsville High in 1934, was one of eight CHS graduates being inducted into the CHS Wall of Fame for having made significant contributions to the community and/or their chosen field of work.
Ralph ‘Bud’ Kilborn from the Class of 1938, Samuel Humphrey (1941), Lowell Humphrey (1975), Lawton Miner (1937), John C. Meconkey (1920), Shirley Krompegal (1953), Steven Erisoty (1976) and Turner were honored before over 300 alumni, current students and friends.
The Wall of Fame inductions were the centerpiece of a busy alumni weekend at the high school that featured the annual night soccer games at Bowdoin Field with the boys and girls soccer teams and the field hockey beating arch-rival Avon, 1-0, on Saturday afternoon. There were also alumni field hockey and soccer games.
Tours to see the progress of renovations at the school were given Saturday along with an alumni breakfast. A memorial service was also held in memory of former Canton teacher and coach Sim Kaye, who died earlier this year.
Turner has lived in Canton her entire life. Her husband, Roy, also graduated from Collinsville High in 1934 and they have been married for 64 years. Turner taught fifth grade in town for nearly 20 years, retiring from her position in 1978.
“They were very rewarding years for me,” Turner said. “One of the greatest rewards is tonight seeing so many former students again. I felt it was a privilege to work the children.”
She recalled her education in a one-room schoolhouse in Canton and her nervousness when she got to Collinsville High and its large four rooms. “But when it was time to graduate, I didn’t want to leave,” she said with a laugh.
Erisoty credited the education he received for helping him to discover his career. He is a painting conservator in Philadelphia. He has organized symposiums at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Yale University Art Gallery and The Getty Conservation Institute in California.
He has helped conserve paintings for the Allentown [Pa.] Art Museum and the U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.
It all began with his exposure to art at Canton High with art teacher Carmen Mills.
“I was encouraged to grow and stretch. It is what good parents do. It is what all good schools should do. It is what Canton High School did for me,” Erisoty said.
Krompegal was the town clerk for 28 years in town, served as secretary for the Board of Zoning Appeals for 36 years and has served on the library Board of Trustees. She has been a member of the Collinsville Fire Department’s Women’s Auxillary since 1980.
When she married her husband Fred, they found an apartment in Hartford. But when they had a family, they moved back to Canton.
“I wanted them to have the same upbringing and education that we had,” she said. “I’m proud of our schools. We are the fastest growing community in the state and I believe it is because of our schools.”
Meconkey, who died in 1978, served the town in many capacities. At a testimonial dinner given in his honor, he was nicknamed Mr. Canton after giving a combined 229 years of service on the Board of Education, the Republican Town Committee, the town of Canton, the town library and several other community organizations.
Miner and his brother, Dick, helped Miner Lumber become a prosperous business in Collinsville. His business employed many town residents and family members. “Lawton was one of the kindest, most humble men I have ever known,” read his Wall of Fame nomination. “He was always there for people in need. He did it without them feeling like they were taking charity. His service to this town during his lifetime was outstanding.”
Samuel Humphrey served in World War II and the Korean conflict in the Air Force. After retiring from the Air Force, he has given the town of Canton 33 years of service on the Board of Finance, Board of Selectmen, Republican Town Committee and fire department. He was the town’s First Selectmen for four years (1983-86). He is currently serving on the Board of Finance. Humphrey, who has a Masters degree in physics, taught math and physics at Canton High for a year and a half.
He recalled about his mother who taught at Collinsville High in the early 1920s, frozen ink in inkwells and a lack of snow days. “If you could get there and the teacher could get there, it was a school day,” he said.
Lowell Humphrey, the current chief of police, was honored for his service to the town as a member of the town police, emergency medical technician (EMT) and Canton Volunteer Fire Department (1975-95), where he was fire chief for six years.
“I’m humbled to be part of this same ceremony with such honorable inductees,” Lowell Humphrey said. “Is this a great town? Only in America could one receive a publicly-financed education, go on the town payroll and be honored for what I do for a living.”
He talked about the changes he has seen in the town during his tenure with the police department. “What hasn’t changed is the commitment that the town of Canton has had and has always had to the education of its children,” he said.
Kilborn has served the town in several capacities. He was an original member of the town Planning Committee, a former chairman of the Board of Finance, a member of the Republican Town Committee and the volunteer fire department. He also served in the 1959 Connecticut General Assembly. A veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict, he became a lawyer.
Current students met and interviewed the inductees. They also prepared an introductory speech that they presented at the banquet. Canton High assistant principal Jordan Grossman spoke to the inductees and alumni at the induction dinner.
“It was a dream of mine to celebrate the rich tradition and spirit of Canton High School,” he said. “You are the true role models for our students. Our doors are always open to you.”
