Why Hartford-area doctors are giving up their independent practices.

May/June 2011

PULLING THE PLUG

Marking 25 Years Of Summer Music

MaLLoy’s oPEN GovErNMENT MIs-sTEP

GErI GrIswoLd’s IcELaNd advENTUrEs

TwaIN’s LEGacy of rEcovEry

The Hartford Club’s Magazine Of Ideas and Opportunities

Rockville BankConnecticut’s Best Community Bank I That’s My Bank! SM

Rockville Bank introduces powerful yet simpletechnology. A cash management tool that’s quick,easy, safe and secure. No special software required.

Powerful enough to:Process and capture your check deposits.Enhance your reporting capabilities.Electronically transfer funds to and from your business.

Provide direct deposit payroll for your employees.Set-up recurring payments from your customers.

Call Susan Maloney, your cash managementspecialist at 860-291-3794. She’ll put thispowerful tool to work for you. Contact her today at smaloney@rockvillebank.com.

Click Your Way To Faster Funds.

Rockville Click Your Way 8.375 x 10.875-10.10_Layout 1 10/26/10 2:08 PM Page 1

The Prospect | 3

06The Doctor

Is OutIt’s getting harder to find doctors

running their own practices, rather than ones affiliated

with local hospitals. Hear from physicians around the Hartford

region about why that problem is only going to get worse.

4 Jazz-ercise Nearly a quarter century ago,

aficionados started a jazz

festival in Connecticut. Now it’s

celebrating its anniversary.

5 Back To Secret Government Gov. Dannel Malloy is trying to make

Connecticut’s government more efficient.

But his plan to consolidate three watchdog

agencies will cost us all more than we can

measure.

10

14 Inside The Hartford Club See the many events, clubs and people at The Hartford Club.

10 Rebuilding Sam’s HouseJust a few years ago, the Mark Twain

House was facing possible bankruptcy.

Its troubles aren’t all gone, but the future

of the place where Samuel Clemens

wrote “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is

looking brighter.

12 Life In The Fast LaneGeri Griswold may be Hartford’s best

known traffic reporter. But when she signs

off the air, she signs on to several other

avocations.

12 23

InsIdeThe Prospect

The Hartford Club’s Magazine Of Ideas and Opportunities

4 | The Prospect

The Hartford Club46 Prospect StreetHartford, Conn. 06103(860) 522-1271www.hartfordclub.com

BOard Of GOvernOrs

OfficersLarry Brown, PresidentPatrick Sheehan, Immediate Past PresidentMark A. Caplan, First Vice-PresidentKaren Reich, Second Vice-PresidentScott Trenholm, TreasurerTom Flynn, Club CounselJason Giulietti, Secretary

directors

James Fisher, Chief Operating Officerjfisher@hartfordclub.com

The Warren Group

280 Summer Street

Boston, Mass. 02210

www.thewarrengroup.com

1-800-356-8805, ext. 318

Vincent Michael ValvoGroup Publisher & Editor-In-Chief

George ChateauneufPublishing Division Sales Manager

Mona AshourAdvertising Account Manager

John BottiniCreative Director

Scott Ellison

Senior Designer

Nate SilvaGraphic Designer

Ellie AliabadiGraphic Designer

Christina BriggsGraphic Designer

ContributorsTheresa Sullivan Barger, Laurence D. Cohen, Carlos Cunha, Paul Stern, Susan Schoenberger, Laura Schreier, Larry Smith, Luther Turmelle, Amanda Blaszyk, Keith Griffin, Christine Stuart

The Prospect Is Published Six Times A Year.

Copyright 2011 The Warren Group.

Matt Danyliw Jerry Franklin James Heffernan Adam KornafelMargaret Lawson Jerry Long

Dwight Merriam Tom Mongellow Michele Perrault Dina Plapler Vincent Valvo

25 Years of Hot, Steamy, Driving New Orleans Jazz

I t’s toe-tapping, thigh-slapping music played by some of the top jazz bands in the Northeast. It’s distinctly

American music that’s irresistible. And it’s at the Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Fest, which is trumpeting its 25th anniver-sary this year with an extravaganza that lives up to the blaring, soulful and peptic tradi-tion that is jazz.

But if it weren’t for some Connecticut

musicians and a slew of dedicated, enthu-siastic volunteers, there wouldn’t be a Jazz Fest at all.

The concept of the Jazz Fest started over a dining room table. Dave Greenberg, a lover of this type of music and an Essex resident, met with local music lovers Shirley and Joe Bombaci, and Stu Intersoll, a banjo player, to form the first festival in Essex. Over the years, there have been many volunteers who

continued on page 14

Connecticut’s Most Trusted Home Care Provider Since 1990.Over 20 years of preserving dignity through independence at home.

CompanionsandHomemakers.com • Serving All of Connecticut

“We know what you’re going through”™

860-657-4166 Companions Homemakers Live-In or Hourly Personal Care Service

All Taxes Paid • CT DCP HCA 0000101

Where has wisdom fled to in American poli-tics? With all the rancor and clamor across the land over how literally broke govern-ment is at all levels, we are relying more on expediency at the expense of a deliberative

commitment to our ideals. Don’t we still believe that democratic government exists for the good of the people, the individual — not for the ambitions of the governor, the speaker of the house, or the president?

So, if it is necessary to tighten our belts in this time of eco-nomic peril, let’s do it in places that will least damage govern-ment of, by and for the people. Let’s not cut corners over what the people can know about those who govern, how our elections are conducted, and inquiries into alleged ethical lapses of public officials

Yet Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, in his mostly admirable plan to cut the state deficit, has for some odd reason proposed a minis-cule savings (perhaps $1.5 million) by putting the important but small agencies dealing with freedom of information, elections, and ethics under one inherently conflicted, politically appoint-ed commissioner. It is not a smart move, probably won’t save money and raises questions about the governor’s commitment to transparency in government. Our new governor goes around talking about the importance of transparency, but folding the over-worked but highly regarded Freedom of Information Com-mission into a mega-agency belies his rhetoric.

Malloy is proposing to merge the FOIC with the Office of State Ethics, and the State Elections Enforcement Commission, all of which try to ensure those who govern do not violate the public trust. Then he tosses in the Judicial Review Council and the Contracting Standards Board in order to, his budget docu-ment says, “strengthen enforcement and compliance practices through information and knowledge sharing” among the five agencies “whose primary mission is to enforce honesty, integrity and accountability within state government.”

Whomever the governor appoints to lord over this agency of strange bedfellows, he or she will be wrestling with an octopus, a paranoid-schizophrenic octopus. FOI is all about keeping ev-erything in the open. Judicial Review is notorious for its secrecy. Elections Enforcement keeps a whole lot secret until final de-cisions are made. One of the myriad exemptions to FOI is the details in certain contracts. If the governor and legislature would simply open up all these processes, then it would make sense,

perhaps, to have them all in one agency. Fat chance.

Wrong DirectionSo the Government Account-

ability Office, as it has been dubbed by the Malloy administration, will be fighting secrecy on one hand and keeping secrets on the other. This does not sound like a formula for success of good government or even cheaper government.

The world-renown and highly honored retired general counsel to the FOIC, Mitchell W. Pearlman, put it this way recently:

“The merger of these agencies ... would create an unnecessary, yet expensive, additional top level of bureaucracy to lord over each of the former agencies. This includes an executive director as department head, and un-doubtedly one or more deputies and administrative support staff members. All this will easily cost hundreds of thousands of dol-lars extra for salaries, space and office furniture. ... In addition, the merger will necessitate an expensive, integrated computer system. It will have to be programmed with internal “firewalls” to guarantee the confidentiality of the highly sensitive informa-tion kept by the accountability agency’s separate divisions, while ensuring that their public records are readily available under the state’s Freedom of Information Act. This could add perhaps a million or more dollars to the proposed agency’s cost.”

Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Commission was cre-ated by the state legislature and Gov. Ella T. Grasso in 1975 and has become a beacon of light, a model for democracy all over the world. This proposed merger is before the Government Ad-ministration & Elections Committee of the General Assembly, chaired by Sen. Gayle Slossberg, D-Milford, a champion over the years of government transparency. She readily touts how she has supported the public’s right to know and, in 2008, “defeated a measure that would have limited information available through the Freedom of Information Act.”

Senator, it is time again, to champion transparency and toss this very bad idea out the open window.

THE HARTFORD OBSERVER

Lift The Veil Of SecretsDon’t Destroy The People’s Right To Know

James H. smith is a retired Connecticut journalist, an officer of the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information, and the author of “A Passion for Journalism, A Newspaper Editor Writes to His Readers” and the historical novel “Wah-say-lan, A Tale of the Iroquois in the American Revolution.”

BY JAMES H. SMITH

Gov. DANNel MAlloy’S plANS eNDANGer opeN GoverNMeNT.

The Prospect | 5

6 | The Prospect

RX: R.I.P

The Prospect | 7

arielle Levin Becker is a writer for ctmirror.org, where this article first appeared.

BY ARIELLE LEVIN BECKER

HaRtfoRdPHysIcIans: ARE SmALL PRACtICES GoING thE WAY of thE houSE CALL?

Dr. Lawrence Koch began prac-ticing medicine in what he calls “the golden era.” For 27 years,

he cared for patients in his private prac-tice.

But in the mid-1990s, as payment rates from Medicare and private insurers de-clined and paperwork increased, requir-ing more employees to handle it, Koch gave up ownership of his practice and be-gan working as part of a hospital-owned practice. He’s glad he did.

“It was obvious to me that a solo practitioner in internal medicine really couldn’t survive any longer,” he said re-cently in his office near The Hospital of Central Connecticut’s New Britain cam-pus.

Koch may have been ahead of the curve, but many doctors in private practice are now contemplating similar moves, giving up ownership of their practices to be-come part of hospital-owned practices or larger groups with multiple specialties.

Connecticut is still dominated by

practices with fewer than four physi-cians and has been slower to change than many other parts of the country, but hos-pital officials and doctors say the shift has been accelerating. Young doctors in particular are choosing to work for larger organizations rather than starting their own practices, they say.

The change is fueled in part by hospitals looking to grow their ranks of community- based physicians, who are a reliable source of referrals for lab work, tests and inpatient care. The health care system is evolving toward payment structures that reward better coordination between doc-tors and hospitals--and keeping patients out of the hospital. That’s led many hos-pital officials to see links with community physicians as critical to their future.

For doctors, meanwhile, becoming part of a larger organization means not having to handle administrative tasks like billing or be on call as often. It can mean more manageable hours, more leverage in negotiating with insurers, and a more

RX: R.I.P

8 | The Prospect

secure financial situation. In addition, many changes in health care

seem to favor larger organizations, doctors say, particularly the push to adopt elec-tronic medical records and an increased fo-cus on measuring care quality and patient outcomes.

Structurally Unsound“All of these new types of delivery sys-

tems require incredible amounts of in-frastructure, both in physician time and knowledge about the bureaucratic ins and outs of government regulations,” said Dr. Claudia Gruss, president of the Fairfield County Medical Association. “For a small practice, it’s extremely difficult to keep up to date with all these new regulations and reporting requirements.”

Gruss is one of five doctors in a prac-tice with offices in Georgetown, Wilton and Norwalk. It’s sizable by Connecticut standards. But it’s not big enough to deal with new regulations and have bargaining power with insurers, she said. The group is exploring its options.

But not everybody is looking for a change, and even those who see the shift as inevitable say there are downsides.

Many doctors who built their practices and ran them independently are not inter-ested in going to work for a larger orga-nization, which could mean less discretion about how to practice or how much free care to provide.

Employed doctors might work fewer hours than they did when they were self-employed and reliant on patient volume for income, potentially leading to less ac-cess for patients. Some say employed doc-

tors might not be as committed to staying in a particular area as a doctor who built up a practice over many years.

Office-based physicians support an av-erage of 5.7 jobs, including their own, ac-cording to a recent study prepared for the American Medical Association, and some of those could be lost if back office func-tions like billing can be handled by a larger organization.

“The bottom line is the arrangements all go in the direction where the previous total independence of the physician is be-ing sacrificed in order to gain the benefit of reducing overhead, diversifying revenue stream, aligning incentives and being able to succeed into the future,” said Dr. Ste-ven D. Hanks, executive vice president and chief medical officer at The Hospital of Central Connecticut.

Looking For Partners At a dinner meeting in New Haven in

March, Dr. Robert Nordgren told a room-ful of doctors about the uncertainty hospi-tals face. The federal government and pri-vate insurers are looking toward changes in how they pay health care providers, and the models of the future will likely reward managing the health of a group of patients, rather than paying for each procedure or hospital visit.

To adapt, Nordgren said, hospitals must be able to manage patients across a con-tinuum of care settings.

“If you’re going to be effective in any of that environment, you can’t just be a free-standing hospital,” he said.

Nordgren is CEO of Northeast Medi-cal Group, which was started last year by the parent company of Yale-New Haven Hospital and has been acquiring physician practices. The medical group isn’t inter-ested in managing the practices, Nordgren told the doctors; it buys practices’ hard as-sets like the building and furniture and has a central office to handle contracting and billing. Doctors get to manage their own practices in their own offices, but gain sta-bility, help recruiting new physicians, elec-

tronic medical records and the benefits of being in a larger group in uncertain times.

Nordgren’s presentation, part of a pro-gram organized by the Connecticut State Medical Society, drew several skeptical questions from doctors. But Yale-New Ha-ven is far from alone in seeking to acquire physician practices.

Stamford Hospital, for example, began acquiring physician practices through an

organization called Stamford Health In-tegrated Practices last year. It has about 30 doctors now, and is in discussions with about 50 more. By the end of the year, offi-cials hope to have 100, said Dr. Craig Olin, an internist who is part of the group.

Nationally, the proportion of doctors working for hospitals has increased in re-cent years. According to the Medical Group Management Association, which represents medical group practices, 28.1 percent of physicians in medical groups represented by the association worked for hospital-owned practices last year, up from 17 percent in 2003.

Large physician practices that include multiple specialties are also expanding. Dr. Amit Rastogi, president of PriMed, a practice with close to 60 doctors in Fair-field County, said the economies of scale in larger practices make it easier to afford the systems that are becoming increasingly im-portant in medicine.

Last year, for example, Medicare pro-vided a bonus payment to doctors who met certain targets for electronic prescribing. In the future, payments are expected to be increasingly tied to quality of care, Rasto-gi said, and proving that you meet quality standards requires having a way to measure, collect and report data. Hiring someone to harvest the data or an information technol-ogy specialist to troubleshoot the electronic medical records could be unaffordable to a group of 10 doctors, but would be doable if the cost is spread across 50 or 100 doctors, he said.

This isn’t the first time larger organiza-tions have tried to acquire physician prac-tices. In the 1990s, in response to managed care, hospitals began acquiring medical practices as a way to lock in referrals and potentially edge out third-party payers, Hanks said.

Many of those arrangements later un-raveled, leaving many doctors skeptical of overtures to partner. Five years ago, said Dr. Frank Scifo, director of primary care development and urgent care medicine at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, he would have expected doctors to be com-pletely unreceptive to the idea of partner-ing.

In the past two years, though, doctors have been approaching him about some form of affiliation. Not a day goes by, he said, that he or a colleague doesn’t have a conversation with a doctor about align-ment.

Safety In Numbers One of those who found the idea entic-

ing was Dr. Michael Kilgannon, a Willi-

mANY LoCAL doCtoRS ARE CoNtEmPLAtING GIVING uP oWNERShIP of thEIR PRACtICES to BEComE PARt of hoSPItAL-oWNEd PRACtICES.

The Prospect | 9

mantic internist. Kilgannon worked in private practice

with two other doctors since 1984. When one of his partners retired a few years ago, they struggled to find a replacement, and ultimately hired two nurse practitioners. With the second partner approaching re-tirement, Kilgannon had to rethink his op-tions. Recruiting a doctor can cost thou-sands of dollars, and Kilgannon said many young doctors coming out of training want to make more than he does now.

The recruiting quandary was one of the reasons Kilgannon joined Hartford Medical Group, part of Hartford Health-Care, the parent company of Hartford and Windham hospitals. The medical group can handle much of the burden of recruit-ing, and offer better pay and benefits than he could alone.

Being part of a larger organization also provides a sense of security at a time when health reform is poised to bring change and uncertainty.

“I think everybody’s a little concerned about being out there on their own and not part of a bigger corporation or a big-ger group with more bargaining power,” Kilgannon said. “Rather than being this little doc floundering on my own out there, I can be part of a larger group and part of Hartford HealthCare, which is a large corporation and a significant player in the state. I can feel a little safer with that.”

Little changed when he joined the medical group last April, Kilgannon said.

“The biggest difference was I had to make sure I wasn’t overstepping my allot-ted vacation allowance now that I’m an employee,” he said.

More recently, his practice got elec-tronic medical records. They would have been unaffordable in his old situation, but Hartford Medical Group paid for them and provided support staff to help get him started.

“I think most of the primary care doc-tors see the writing on the wall,” he said.

For Koch, the decision to work for a hospital-owned practice was in part a way to do more teaching, and in part because of cost and administrative factors.

“It came to a point where I was work-ing to pay my employees,” he said.

While it took away the administrative burdens, Koch said the change made lit-tle difference on the clinical side.

“There is no difference, there really is none, other than I don’t have to worry about billing, I don’t have to worry about salaries, I don’t have to worry about ben-efits for my employees,” he said. “I come in in the morning, put on my white coat, I see patients, I answer phone calls, at the end of the day, I go home.”

But others say that as more doctors become employees and work set hours, there could be less time to see patients.

Hanks said doctors choosing to be em-ployed are making economically rational decisions. Some have been working so many hours in private practice that once they have a more secure situation in a hospital-based practice, they return to a saner existence, with fewer hours or pa-tients per day.

“You can only run so hard and so fast for so long,” he said.

Dr. Craig Czarsty, an Oakville family doctor who has been in private practice since 1983, said access to doctors could become an increasing problem as more new doctors opt for ways to avoid work-ing long hours and being on call, whether in hospital-based practices or other ar-rangements. Hospital-based practices can also lead to changes in work habits, he said.

“It’s simple human nature that some-one receiving a fixed salary will not be as motivated as someone whose income is dependent on their production,” he said. “Production bonuses can be built into the contracts but it’s not the same.”

Czarsty, who is chairman of the board of the American Board of Family Medi-cine, is among the doctors not planning to leave private practice. He said he’s happy with his current arrangement.

“The boss is a pain in the butt but I can deal,” he quipped. “Did I mention that I’m the boss?”

10 | The Prospect

For Samuel Clemens, the writer whose fame has indelibly been cast as his pen name of Mark

Twain, his years in Hartford in the late 1800s were bittersweet. He loved his home at Nook Farm off Farmington Avenue, and loved this city. But it was during his time here that he misspent his fortune, investing and speculating in ways that forced him to face up to his financial folly. To make ends meet, he had to give up his ways and take to the lecture circuit to replenish his accounts.

How ironic that his legacy in Hartford should find itself in near-ly the identical situation, nearly 100 years later. The Mark Twain House and Museum, too, embarked on an investment — in its own expansion –— at an inopportune time. And like Twain himself, it has spent much energy on bringing back its fortunes. And, like Twain, it is a long journey that shows promise, but is marked with peril still.

Jeffrey Nichols, the executive director of the Twain House, is busy watching the black numbers change at local gas stations. The price of gas has topped $4 a gallon, and that’s got Nichols wor-ried.

After years in which it was begging for local corporate support to remain alive, the Twain House is seeing some positive indica-tors. But the museum is in the visitor business, not the corporate donation business. And higher gas prices could mean stopping the growth in visitors that the museum has worked hard for.

“This year, we’re doing well,” said Nichols. “Our only hope is that gas prices stay where they are. The last time they reached the $4 dollar a gallon level, it did have an effect on our tourism, espe-cially the bus groups.”

Nichols joined the museum three years ago, as it was facing monumental challenges. It had overextended itself by funding a building expansion. The economy was in the process of collapsing. And the museum had found that a senior executive had absconded with hundreds of thousands of dollars. With energy and determi-nation, Nichols set about to right all of those problems.

The result is that, while many of Hartford’s cultural institutions have suffered recently due to the lackluster economy, the Mark Twain House has bucked the trend and enjoyed modest success despite its near ruin. The Gothic Revival mansion on Farmington Avenue where the famous author lived for 17 years had to beg for help in 2008 after fiscal mismanagement and a dearth of donations, but has increased revenue and attendance steadily, according to the museum, and, some argue, could serve as a model for other cultural institutions in area.

Last year was the centennial of Twain’s death in 1910 and the nonprofit organization used the occasion to launch a campaign to draw visitors to the stately Victorian home. Earned income rose from about $1 million in 2009 to nearly $1.2 million in the fis-cal year 2010, which ended in January, according to Twain House executives.

Kimberly Reynolds, director of public relations at the Wads-worth Atheneum Museum of Art on Main Street, said she gives kudos to the Twain House for its success — acknowledging that the bad economy negatively impacted even the Wadsworth’s bot-tom line.

“It certainly affected revenue. But, what we did to combat lower attendance was to launch our ‘Masterpiece Series.’ Through these smaller, more focused exhibitions, we’ve been able to sustain at-tendance, and help stay even with the prior year,” Reynolds said.

The Twain House, meanwhile, celebrated the centennial of the author’s death, as well as the 175th anniversary of his birth and the 125th anniversary of Huckleberry Finn, by holding concerts, drama productions, lectures, exhibitions, and even a séance.

Marked For ChangeA century after Mark Twain’s death, his Hartford house struggles to stay solvent.

BY JAmES KANE

The Prospect | 11

THe MArk TwAIN HouSe — THe CleMeNS fAMIly oN THe porCH, 1885.

THe MArk TwAIN HouSe IN HArTforD, CoNN., vISITeD By 60,000 people ANNuAlly.

History And HistrionicsTwain was controversial in his day, and remains so now. And, as

they say, controversy sells.“The Mark Twain Centennial, the hoopla around the publication

of his long-awaited autobiography, and recent controversies over the use of language in Huckleberry Finn, have greatly increased our visibility as one of the prime spokespersons for Twain’s legacy,” said Steve Courtney, publicist and publications editor for the Twain House.

It wasn’t long ago that it was uncertain whether the Mark Twain House would remain open, never mind turn a profit. Membership has increased from 586 to 668 since their money woes three years ago and attendance has jumped 18 percent, from about 60,000 to 70,000, according to Courtney.

Earned income, which includes proceeds from the museum store, ticket sales and facility rentals, currently accounts for 45 percent of the budget. The rest of the Twain House’s $2.7 million operating budget comes from contributions.

“The Mark Twain House has maintained very good relationships with the business community and, under Jeff’s leadership, has prob-ably strengthened them,” said Oz Griebel, chief executive officer of the MetroHartford Alliance.

In January, Murasaki, a Japanese eatery in West Hartford, opened a spinoff café at the museum, featuring All-American fare and tra-ditional Japanese dishes. “They have a lot of international tourists, including from Japan, as well as students from nearby universities,” said Brenda Chant, manager of Murasaki.

The museum receives about 3 to 5 percent of its budget from public sources, mostly in the form of grants, according to Courtney. There is a small line item in the state budget shared with the Har-riet Beecher Stowe Center, which is located on the same property.

Too OptimisticIn 2008, the Twain House faced closure and was leveraged with

millions in debt related to the construction of the state-of-the art museum center on the site. The opening of the $18 million facility in 2003 was met with much fanfare, but left leadership at the Twain House perplexed about how to pay off the cost. This was despite a $3.5 million bailout grant from the state in 2006.

A series of stories three years ago in the national media highlight-ing the Mark Twain House’s plight led to contributions from many sources, including a $500,000 gift from the Annenberg Foundation. Leadership at the museum also restructured its loan from Web-ster Bank and began a media blitz which hasn’t stopped since. The number of staff was also slashed from about 50 to less than 20. The number of staffers on the museum’s website is currently 19.

The museum also utilized social media and a blog to promote the myriad events held there, and to reach out to new funding sources.

“The hiring of a very active, innovative and imaginative commu-nications manager, Jacques Lamarre, and PR staff has increased our visibility greatly in local and regional media,” said Courtney. “An enterprising employee founded our blog, Facebook presence and Twitter activity in late 2008, and it grew like wildfire. We now have 6,000 Facebook followers and 2,300 Twitter followers.”

One of the current events is “American Storytellers: Norman Rockwell & Mark Twain,” which runs through September. It fea-tures two original Rockwell paintings borrowed from The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in Hannibal, Mo., and limited

edition lithographs of Rockwell pencil drawings.

Making The Most Of HartfordThe Twain House also partnered last year with organizations

such as the Hartford Public Library and the Hartford Stage, which premiered an adaptation of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”

Samuel Clemens was known for being one of America’s greatest writers, but also for his lack of financial astuteness. He was forced to file for bankruptcy after bad investment deals, and subsequently left America for Europe in 1891 to embark on a lecture tour. He eventually rebuilt his fortune and paid off his creditors. Twain re-turned to the United States about 10 years later. The Twain family sold the house in 1903 and it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963.

It was in the 19-room mansion on Farmington Avenue where he wrote “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” He lived there from 1874 to 1891, when he departed for Europe.

This year, the museum is resuming restoration of the Mahog-any Room, and there are plans to install solar panels on the roof. By capitalizing on rumors that the turreted home is haunted, the Twain House has held “ghost tours” and was visited by the SyFy channel’s reality show “Ghost Hunters” for a taping in 2009.

Twain once famously stated, “The lack of money is the root of all evil.” It is also, apparently, an amazing motivator of originality.

Marked For Change

12 | The Prospect

Broad(cast) Interests

BY KATHrYn M. rOY

Traffic reporter, Wildlife rehabilitator Finds new Passion In Iceland

Don’t tell Gerri Griswold that the pur-pose of life is to find one’s true passion and follow a straight and narrow path to achieve success. Griswold, known to many as a morning traffic reporter on

WTIC AM 1080 and WZMX FM radio, wears several other hats in both her professional and personal lives.

Griswold says she could never do just one thing in life, and at 53, doesn’t expect to slow down anytime soon. Hers is a routine that would exhaust anyone at any age, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Each weekday, Griswold wakes by 4 a.m. She first cares for her farm animals: six goats, two peacocks, seven cats, two chickens, an African grey parrot, several bats and, currently, two porcupines. A certified wildlife rehabilitator, Griswold takes in injured animals and nurses them back to health. She also holds a license to possess bats for education and exhibition, and is known simply as “The Bat Lady” in many circles.

By 5:30 a.m., Griswold is showered and dressed and getting ready for her first “hit” in her home office at her historic farm property. She is on the air each weekday, giving her first traffic report at 5:38 a.m.

At 8:30, she’s off the air. She runs downstairs, gets in her car and speeds to White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield, where she puts on her hat as Director of Administration and Development. Griswold says it’s a job where she can put her love of nature and her creativity to work.

“I could be selling plastic spiders in the gift shop or developing programs for them,” she said. “I just enjoy making it really interesting for people by coming up with these crazy programs that no one else can think of.”

Nature GirlA self-described “obsession” with nature makes

Griswold a natural for the job.“I came into that job a little bit differently than

ConneCTICuT’S GerI GrISWold enjoYInG one of Her frequenT vISITS To ICelAnd.

The Prospect | 13

most people that work in a non-profit environmental education center, as my work with bats spans 20 years now,” she says. “I think sometimes we want to be treated like kids and that’s what I’m here for. I feel that my job in life is to make you happy.”

Griswold attributes her humble upbringing on the very farm she currently lives on to shaping her into the person she is today.

“Growing up poor is a good thing,” she said. “I wouldn’t change any of that.”

The farmhouse was purchased by Griswold’s great grandfather in the late 1800s. She left Winsted briefly to go to college in New York City but has made her home in the northwest corner town of Winsted, with her electrical engineer husband, Edward Greb-Lasky, for most of her life.

After tiring of her hectic career as a caterer and chef, Griswold got her first break in broadcasting with Metro Networks in 2002. After she saw what traffic reporting was all about, Griswold was hooked.

“I felt like I could really put my fingerprint on it,” she said. “I thought I could bring something different to it … a different way of reporting the traffic with the different phrases I use.”

Griswold likes the spontaneity of traffic reporting. And she never aspires to do anything else in broadcasting.

“If you ever told me this is where my heart would be, I would say you’re crazy,” she said. “I never get bored of traffic; I find it fascinating. Having people come up to me and saying how much of a difference I make in their life is so rewarding.”

Griswold makes a difference in the lives of scores of injured animals as well. This past winter alone, she has taken in three disabled porcupines. She has lost one, who was in such poor shape when she got the animal that the rodent lived only a week.

A second porcupine, which sustained a head injury in

a car accident and is blind as a result, is doing quite well. “He is a champion; he’s just a big gorgeous, fabulous

animal,” Griswold said. “He’s definitely blind but he can climb his way up to his apartment; he’s smarter than the average rodent.”

Griswold said she’s lucky to have had the opportunity to work with three “quill pigs” in recent months.

“It’s not often I get to work with them,” she said. “They’re usually in bits and pieces [from collisions with vehicles] when you get them. Any moment you can have with them, you just drink in whatever they can give you.”

Miles DistantGriswold’s love of nature has recently gained

momentum across the globe in Iceland. Always a traveler, Griswold and her husband first visited the country in 2002 after discovering a great weekend package they couldn’t pass up.

“Eddie and I loved it so much we went up later that same year,” she said. “Our trips then got longer and yearly.”

These days, Griswold travels to Iceland about three times each year, and recently returned from her 14th trip. Last year, she started organizing group trips for groups of about 15 people, and she is serving as “tour guide.”

Griswold said she is smitten with the country, which has a commitment to being “green,” has beautiful unspoiled natural areas and low crime.

“On this last trip I decided I never want to go anywhere else,” she said. “I was planning on going to Switzerland to see thoroughbred racing, but this country has completely and utterly kidnapped me, and I’m a very willing victim.”

Griswold said she isn’t organizing the tours to make money — she simply wants to educate people on the beauty that is Iceland to those who are like-minded and love nature. But with her signature sense of humor, she requests that no cry babies, sissies, cranks or pantywaists come along and spoil the trip for others.

For Gerri Griswold, there’s no time to waste.“I’m a jack of all trades, master of none,” she said.

“There’s so much pressure on us in life to do one thing or have that big career, but there are no rules in life. Whatever it is you dream, whatever fulfills you, just go out and do it. That’s all I’ve ever done, and I sleep really well at night.”

Griswold likes the spontaneity of traffic reporting. And she never aspires to do

anything else in broadcasting.

ConT

RIBu

Ted

PHoT

o

14 | The Prospect

CLUB STAFF

FEEDBACK

DIRECTORS

BOARDOFGOVERNORS

INSIDE ThE CluB May/June 2011

save THe daTe

Lobster & Lights July 15

An Evening in Athens Dinner – July 22

Cigars Under the Stars July 28

Martini Madness on the Patio – July 29

46 Prospect Street

Hartford, Conn. 06103

(860) 522-1271

www.hartfordclub.com

ST

AF

F •

FO

OD

&B

EV

ER

AG

E •

FE

ED

AC

K

Matt Dany l iw Jer r y Frank l in James Hef fernan Adam Kornafe l

Margaret Lawson Jer r y Long Dwight Merr iam Tom Mongel low

Michele Per rau l t D ina P lap ler V incent Va lvo

General ManagerJames Fisherjfisher@hartfordclub.com

ControllerJohn Williamsjwilliams@hartfordclub.com

Executive ChefChristopher Kubechef@hartfordclub.com

Food and Beverage Service DirectorJames Rybakjrybak@hartfordclub.com

Catering DirectorChristine Pollackcpollack@hartfordclub.com

Membership ManagerKaren Bowerskbowers@hartfordclub.com

Catering Coordinatorashley Smithasmith@hartfordclub.com

Front Desk SupervisorChris Healeyfrontdesk@hartfordclub.com

Membership ManagerChristine Carpenterccarpenter@hartfordclub.com

Comments on Food, Wine and Servicejrybak@hartfordclub.com

Suggestions for Member Eventsmgagnon@hartfordclub.com

Larry Brown, PresidentPatrick Sheehan Immediate Past Pres ident

Mark A. Caplan F i rs t V ice-Pres ident

Karen Reich Second V ice-Pres ident

Scott Trenholm Treasurer

Tom Flynn Club Counsel

Jason Giul iett i Secretary

HOurs Of OPeraTIOn Member Dining Room

BreakfastMonday – Fr iday7 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

LunchMonday – Fr iday11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

DinnerTuesday – Saturday5:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.

MeMBer LOunGe

Open DailyBeginning at 7 a.m.

Saturday5 p.m. – Midnight

FEEDBACK

25 years Of HOT, sTeaMy, drIvInG neW OrLeans Jazzcontinued from page 4

put in endless hours to make the festival successful from one year to the next, and in the process, have formed lasting friendships. The first Great Con-necticut Traditional Jazz Fest took place at the Essex Steam Train location with two venues at the steam train location and one on the Dickinson Witch Hazel site. There was also a band on one of the trains, which ran to Essex Meadows, where there was another tent for bands.

The festival continued to add tents to house the ex-panding roster of bands, many of whom were from all over the world. It had Paris Washboard from France, the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra from Britain, the Climax Jazz Band from Canada, and the Barrelhouse Jazz Band from Germany. Bands from all over the

country came, like the Chicago Six, the New Refor-mation Jazz Band, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band from New Orleans, just to name a few.

As the Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Fest grew, it needed a larger space, so it moved to Moodus, to the Sunrise Resort. The Hot Steamed Jazz Festival was developed to stay in Essex at the Valley Railroad Steam train grounds to keep the tradition of a local fes-tival, providing Connecticut now with two festivals.

The 25th reunion of the Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Fest will be July 30 at the Sheraton Four Points in Meriden, from 3 p.m. to midnight. The tickets are $30 be-forehand and $35 on the day of the event. Information is available at www.greatctjazz.org.

The Prospect | 15

BOOK CluB The book club meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. You will find a gathering of enthusiastic readers discussing history, politics, people of fame, works of

fiction, representing the varied interests of each member of the book club. The club has

been fortunate to have had local authors attend. There are no rules, by-laws, officers or costs. Food and drink are not provided but members usually remain to socialize and dine together in the main dining room or lounge. If interested, please contact Joseph Hewes at jhewes104@comcast.net

lADIES POKER CluBThe Ladies Poker Club meets on the third Tuesday of every month. We meet at the bar at 5:30 p.m., then go upstairs to a private room to start playing at 6 p.m. “Cheat

sheets” are provided, as well as lessons. We break at 7 p.m. to enjoy a light dinner. We

end the game between 8 and 9 p.m. All drinks and meals are on member tickets. If interested, please contact Jackie Reardon at jacquelinreardon@sbcglobal.net.

WINE CluB

The Wine Club meets the second Tuesday of each month from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Monthly topics are determined by wine club members. There is a nominal fee of approximately $20 per

person and depends upon the selections chosen for each meeting. In order to have sufficient literature,

wine and snacks for the meeting, please RSVP to Thom Page or Karen Reich at klreich@comcast.net to confirm your participation in our quest for knowledge, laughs and a glass or two. CHEERS!

BAllROOM DANCE CluB All members, their friends and guests are welcome to join the Ballroom Dance Club Group. The Ballroom Dance Club welcomes singles and couples, beginners, intermediates

and advanced dancers who want to learn new steps and dances and just have a fun evening

of camaraderie, and dancing with professional group instruction. Some club members choose to stay after for a light bite or drinks in the lounge. Dance music is available after the lesson for those who wish to stay and practice. Rumba, Foxtrot, Salsa, Waltz, Cha Cha, Swing and more. Contact Joanne Sousa at 860-528-1110, ext. 122, or JoanneS@jwatts.com, or Herb Glick at 860-523-7013, or HerbGlick@yahoo.com for more information or if you are interested in joining.

CIGAR CluBThe Mark Twain Cigar Gathering meets the third Tuesday of the month for dinner and an evening of contemplation and relaxation. Some months may feature a special guest,

and others will be an evening of camaraderie in the cigar lounge. Space is limited so please

contact Tom Mongellow at mongellowt@ctbank.com, and remember to bring your favorite stogies.

TEXAS hOlD ’EM CluBThe Texas Hold ’Em Club meets the second Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. This club offers a fun-filled night of the most popular poker game around the world. Guests are welcome! Food

and drink are not provided but members are more than welcome to purchase any fare on their personal

member ticket. If you want to join the gang or have any questions, please RSVP via email to Jason Kasprzak at jkasprzak@gmail.com. Please include your name, email and phone number in your RSVP.

ThE SWEETBREADS SOCIETYThe Sweetbreads Society is dedicated to tasting, enjoying and extolling the virtues of sweetbreads and other, sometimes under-appreciated, delicate foods. This loosely organized group meets

periodically as the need arises, usually once a quarter. Seating is limited and early reservations

are encouraged. Membership is open to all gregarious Hartford Club Members having adventuresome palates, and who enjoy lively and entertaining dinner companionship. If you are interested please contact Steve Tessler at s.tessler@comcast.net.

GOlF CluBCalling all golfers! Do not despair! The snow has melted, spring is upon us and once again the members of The Hartford Club Golf League will take to the links in their annual Quest for The Cup!

The membership, open to men and women alike, will meet and play a nine-hole round once each week

from late April to the end of August. The weekly competitions are friendly and are typically followed by dinner and revelry at the 19th hole, which occasionally occurs back at the Hartford Club. Handicaps, designed to ensure that players of all skill and experience levels can fairly compete with one another are set up and maintained by the committee. Tony Czarzasty is our two-time reigning champion. At the end of the season, the member who has accumulated the most points will win a memento for their keeping and, more importantly, will have their name emblazoned on “The Cup,” a permanently installed trophy prominently displayed at the Club. Please contact Richard Meehan (rmeehan@meehangoodin.com) subject: Golf League if you are interested.

CluBSWIThINThECluB Intra-Clubs

Want to join one of our many intra-clubs? Have an idea for a new one? Contact Michele Perrault at mmperr2@gmail.com.

INTRA-CLUB UPDATE:

16 | The Prospect

Timcia HallTD BankSponsors: Stephen Roche and Jason Giulietti

James ParkerWella FargoSponsor: Jason Giulietti and Michael Fitzpatrick

Rose Alma SenatoreCatholic Charities, Inc.Archdiocese of HartfordSponsor: Dr. Pamela Reid and

Galo Rodriguez

David SederTravelersSponsor: James Heffernan and Todd Sullivan

Donna HoweThe HartfordSponsors: Karen Reich and Olga

Timofeyeva-Vogt

Thomas LescalleetGriffin LandSponsors: Oz Griebel and Dwight Merriam

Brian NewmanKostin, Ruffkess and Co., LLCSponsors: Andrew Mandell and

Lawrence Greenfield

Jason NewmanKostin, Ruffkess and Co., LLCSponsors: Andrew Mandell and

Lawrence Greenfield

Patrick ClarkeKitchen Cabinet OutletSponsors: Michael Fitzpatrick and Nick Cianci

Harold BlindermanDay Pitney, LLPSponsors: Ken Boucher and Roger Lavallee

Lamonte OdumsTrivisional Omnimedia Group, LLCSponsors: Bob Thiesfield and Ken Cook

Sheila HoganHospital for Special CareSponsor: Denise Nappier and Brendan Kennedy

Brian DicksteinSpectrum Healthcare, LLCSponsor: Jason Giulietti and Karen Reich

Sean MurphySpectrum Healthcare, LLCSponsor: Jason Giulietti and Larry Brown

Corey BrinsonLaw Office of Corey J. Brinson, LLCSponsors: Earl O’Garro and Marc Miller

Morris MeteBarnum Financial Group – MetlifeSponsors: Michael Fitzpatrick and Ken Cook

Matthew GaughranBarnum Financial Group – MetlifeSponsors: Steve Toross and Neil Caron

James EckerleThe HartfordSponsors: Evan Fowler-Guzzardo and

Karen Reich

David CrandallHospital for Special CareReturning Member

Noel AndersonPrincipal Financial GroupSponsors: James Heffernan and Jason Giulietti

John O’BrienWethersfield Chamber of CommerceCT Trust Counsel, LLCSponsors: Ken Cook and Larry Brown

Rasheed AliTravelersSponsor: Michael Fitzpatrick and James Moss

Paul CicchettiReflex Lighting Group of CTSponsor: Nick Cianci and Marc Miller

John Lukomski, JrTravelersSponsor: Nick Cianci and Meredith Lavallee

Joseph HenryXL InsuranceSponsors: William McDonald and John Burrows

Joseph GilletteComplete Restoration SolutionsSponsors: Patrick Clarke and Herb Glick

Meredith LavalleeTravelersSponsors: Larry Brown and Dana Hrelic

Dr. Louise FeroeConnecticut State University SystemSponsors: Larry Brown and Dina Plapler

NEWMEMBERSPLEASE WELCOME OuR CLASS OF OF WINTER 2011

Interested in becoming a Hartford Club member? It’s more affordable than you think! Contact the Membership office at 860-522-1271.

Karen TrippThe HartfordSponsors: Kathy Heffernan and

Nancy Ainsworth

Jesse VanekHartford Symphony OrchestraSponsors: James Heffernan and Matt Jasinski

Jacqelyne TrieberAuto Donation Depot, Inc.Sponsor: Bob Margolis and Michele Perrault

Shaun SheridanWhittlesey and Hadley P.C. | Greater Hartford

JayceesSponsor: John Jezowski and James Moss

Taj JohnsonAetnaSponsor: Dr. Kenneth Alleyne and

Evan Fowler-Guzzardo

Adam ManThe Forman SchoolSponsors: Dr. Pamela Reid and Jason Giulietti

Glenn AndersonAdvantage StaffingSponsors: Michael Fitzpatrick and Vince Valvo

John ReynoldsEvent Planning ServicesSponsors: Kimberly Reynolds and

Marty Flanders

Frank CoulomRobinson and ColeSponsors: Theodore Tucci and Dwight Merriam

Chris Van De HoffTcors Capitol Group, LLPSponsors: Tom Mongellow and David O’Hearn

Roger TabsheyGeneral Paving and Construction Corp.Sponsors: Diane Prestileo and Richard Meehan

John Vesko IIIThe Brickman GroupSponsor: John DeHoyas, James Heffernan and

Richard Meehan

Bette RiegerA Granddesign, LLCSponsor: Jackie Trieber and Bob Margolis

Robert GerardiRetiredSponsor: Ruth Sharaf & Herb Glick

The Prospect | 17

THe BusHneLLwww.bushnell.org

HarTfOrd sTaGewww.hartfordstage.org

KEEPING YOu uP-TO-DATE WITh ThE hAPPENINGS IN ThE hARTFORD COMMuNITY!

COMMuNITYCOnneCTIOn

HairApril 26 – May 1, 2011THe MOST eXCITInG SHOW In TOWn! HaIR FeeLS uTTeRLy OF THe MOMenT In ITS POWeR TO MOVe uS. THeRe’S nOTHInG LIKe IT.” – Bloomberg news

The Public Theater’s new Tony-winning production of HAIR is the most electric celebration on Broadway! This exuberant musical about a group of young americans searching for peace and love in a turbulent time has struck a resonant chord with audiences young and old. HAIR features an extraordinary cast and dozens of unforgettable songs, including “aquarius,” “Let the Sun Shine In,” “Good Morning, Starshine” and “easy To Be Hard.” Its relevance is unDenIaBLe. Its energy is unBRIDLeD. Its truth is unWaVeRInG. It’s HAIR, and IT’S TIMe.

West Side StoryMay 24 – May 29, 2011More than 50 years ago, one musical changed theater forever. now it’s back on Broadway, mesmerizing audiences once again. From the first note to the final breath, West Side Story soars as the greatest love story of all time. Directed by its two-time Tony award-winning librettist arthur Laurents, West Side Story remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The new Broadway cast album of West Side Story recently won the 2010 Grammy award for Best Musical Show album. The Bernstein and Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway’s finest and features such classics of the american musical theatre as “Something’s Coming,” “Tonight,” “america,” “I Feel Pretty” and “Somewhere.”

“SO eXCITInG IT MaKeS yOu aCHe WITH PLeaSuRe.” – John Lahr, The New Yorker

Gem of the OceanMay 12 – June 5, 2011From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Fences.

Set in 1904, this tale of a spiritually tormented young man is the first installment of Wilson’s decade-by-decade, 10-play chronicle of the 20th century, The Pittsburgh Cycle. Citizen Barlow comes to the home of a former slave and “soul cleanser,” aunt ester, who sets him off on a spiritual journey to find a city in the middle of the atlantic Ocean. On his way to the mythic city, he makes startling discoveries about guilt, duty and redemption.

Fraulein MariaJune 15 – June 26, 2011Conceived and choreographed by Doug elkins Directed by Barbara Karger and Michael Preston

Fräulein Maria celebrates Rodgers & Hammerstein’s timeless songs from The Sound of Music as re-imagined by acclaimed choreographer Doug elkins. Set to the 1965 movie soundtrack, elkins’ affectionate humor shines through his idiomatic tips of the hat to such dance legends as Martha Graham, Paul Taylor and Merce Cunningham. He merges modern and popular dance forms including hip hop and “vogueing,” reinventing this beloved classic into an edgy and fun cabaret romp. Recommended for everyone, including children 5 and older.

18 | The Prospect

KENTuCKy DERBy PARTysaturday, May 74 p.m. Drinks on Member Ticket

Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets! Join us as we celebrate the fastest race in sports. enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and the race on our big screen. after the race, stay for dinner — chef will have a few Derby-inspired specials in the dining room! and for the ladies, take this opportunity to showcase your favorite “Derby” hat… you may even win a prize!

MOTHER’S DAy BRuNCHsunday, May 8Seatings from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. $38 adults / $18 kids under age 5 no charge

Join us as we honor all moms. enjoy our elaborate buffet complete with made-to-order omelets, carving stations, decadent desserts and so much more.

Be sure to make your reservations early!

FAMILy NIGHTMExICAN FIESTAfriday, May 136 p.m. $24 adults / $10 kids

Bring the family for an evening “South of the Border” as we transform the dining room into the ultimate Mexican Fiesta! enjoy traditional tacos, nachos, fajitas and more! What a great night for the family!

PATIO GRAND OPENINGfriday, May 206 p.m. $29 per person

Join us for the grand opening of our patio! enjoy the warm summer breeze on our very private patio. Our culinary team will prepare a buffet dinner of summer favorites and you can even take a spin on the dance floor. Come and help us kick-start the summer!

COOKING WITH CHEF KuBE: A GLOBAL ADVENTuRETHIS MONTH: AMERICAN GRILL MASTERSThursday, May 26Beginning at 6:30 p.m. $32 per person

This month we are in our own backyard! Get ready for the holiday weekend and join Chef as he shares the tricks of the grill! nothing says summer better than cooking on the grill.

PRIAM WINE DINNERfriday, June 3Beginning at 6:30pm $59 per person

Priam Vineyards was founded in 1998 in the historic town of Colchester, Conn., by Gloria Priam and Gary Crump. Priam Vineyards has won numerous International wine competition medals in the past few years as a winery. Their 14 international award-winning wines are produced in the style of northern France and Germany.

Join us as we explore this local treasure.

IT’S BACK!LOBSTER & LIGHTSfriday, June 17Reservations Begin at 6 p.m. $55 adults / $25 kids under age 5 no charge

Our most popular event of the year is back for the summer months. Our Lobster & Lights buffet is a lobster fest like no other. enjoy our famous raw bar, assorted salads, clam chowder, grilled specialties and of course whole steamed lobsters! So, make sure you come ready to eat.

Please note that this is always a sold-out event, so be sure to make your reservations now!

TIKI NIGHT ON THE PATIOfriday, June 24Beginning at 5:30 p.m. $18 (drinks on member ticket)

Put on your best (or worst) Hawaiian shirt and join us on the patio! enjoy many island favorites and of course plenty of drink specials!

RED, WHITE AND BLuE NIGHT ON THE PATIOThursday, June 30Beginning at 5:30 p.m. $18 (drinks on member ticket)

Kick off the Fourth of July holiday weekend early! Our culinary team will be preparing some summer classics from the grill and so much more. Show your american spirit!

Club Membere v e n T s

Please note that for certain member events (not including holiday brunches) seating will be available at tables of 6 to 8 people. When making your reservations, please indicate whom you would prefer to be seated with and we will do our best to accommodate your request. For smaller parties, please be aware that you will be seated with other members. This is in an effort to promote camaraderie among our membership.

Talcott Mountain Music Festival returns and We Have Your Tickets!

Watch for Updates on the Club Website!

18 | The Prospect

A Summer of Lobster & Lightsjune 17th

july 15th

August 19th

Make your Reservations Now!

MONThlYhAPPENINGSClosing ReminderPlease note that the clubhouse will be closed on Monday, May 30 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

Annual Club Shutdown Please note that the clubhouse will be closed on Friday, July 1 through Sunday, July 10 for our annual club shutdown. Be sure to check the website for a list of area clubs that will be offering reciprocity during that time. www.hartforclub.com Be sure to visit our website for the latest news and information from the Club — it’s our way of keeping you connected 24/7. See what is happening at the Club — view menus and wine selections for the events, make dining room reservations, see what is happening in the community and so much more! Having trouble accessing the Member Only section? Email your questions or concerns to mgagnon@hartfordclub.com.

Daily Member TableDining alone? Join our daily Member Table in the Member Lounge. The Member Table lets you catch up with old friends or meet other members in a casual atmosphere. Reservations are not needed — just stop by!

New! Member Value ProgramWe are also introducing a new business networking program. We are looking for members who are business owners, presidents or decision makers who would like to provide fellow members with a “little perk” or discount just for being fellow members. For more details please contact Ken Boucher at ken@parksleepfly.com or at 860-214-7761.

Visit the Club’s website to see who is already participating in this program!

Club Happy HourIn the Member LoungeEvery Tuesday – Friday5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.

2-for-1 Drink Specials and Complimentary Hors D’oeuvre PlatterMake the Club your Happy Hour Destination!

The Prospect | 19

Featured Speakers:May 12

Pedro Segarra, Mayor of Hartford

Talk of the TownThursday, May 12Thursday, June 95:30 p.m.Complimentary

THC’s Monthly Guest Speaker and

Social Networking Event!Welcome to the “Talk of the Town.” On the second Thursday of every month, we will feature a prominent speaker from our community that will share their advice, life-experiences and so much more!

Each presentation will be followed by complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Bring a friend!

Monthly Member MixerWednesday, May 25 andWednesday, June 22

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. COMPLIMENTARY

Join us for our Monthly Member Mixer, where you can catch up with your fellow member and have the chance to meet our newest members. Be sure to bring a friend — what a great opportunity to showcase your club and what is has to offer!

Are you a new member of the Club?Prior to the Member Mixer we will be holding a brief New Member Orientation. Meet the clubhouse staff, learn all of the benefits of your membership and get a chance to meet other members of the club. Watch your email for an invitation.

June 9

To be Advised

Young Executive Happy Hour Thursday, May 19 andThursday, June 16

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. COMPLIMENTARY

Are you a young executive and looking to meet other young executives? Then this is the perfect opportunity for you! Join us for complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drink specials. A great way to meet your fellow members!

JuNE 29 WEDNESDAY

JuNE 30 ThuRSDAY

JuNE 26 SuNDAY

JuNE 27 MONDAY

Member Table – noon•Ambassador Committee •– noon

JuNE 28 TuESDAY

Member Table – noon•Book Club – 6 p.m.•

Member Table – noon• Member Table – noon•red, White & Blue night •on the Patio – 5:30 p.m.CLuB

CLOSeD

The most updated calendar of events is available at HartfordClub.com

To make reservations to any of these events, please

contact the club receptionist at 860-522-1271 or

frontdesk@hartfordclub.com.

calendareventsof

MAY 8 SuNDAY

MAY 1 SuNDAY

MAY 22 SuNDAY

MAY 9 MONDAY

MAY 2 MONDAY

Member Table – noon•

Member Table – noon•

MAY 23 MONDAY

MAY 10 TuESDAY

Member Table – noon•Wine Club – 6:30 p.m.•

MAY 24 TuESDAY

MAY 31 TuESDAY

Member Table – noon•Book Club – 6 p.m.•

MAY 11 WEDNESDAY

MAY 25 WEDNESDAY

Member Table – noon•BoG Meeting – noon•Monthly Member Mixer •– 5:30 p.m.

MAY 12 ThuRSDAY

House Committee •Meeting – 8 a.m. Member Table – noon• “Talk of the Town” •– 5:30 p.m.

MAY 26 ThuRSDAY

Member Table – noon•American Grill Masters •Cooking Class – 6:30 p.m.

Member Table – noon•

MAY 13 FRIDAY

Member Table – noon•family night – Mexican •fiesta – 6 p.m.

MAY 27 FRIDAY

MAY 14 SATuRDAY

MAY 28 SATuRDAY

MAY 15 SuNDAY

CLuB CLOSeD

MAY 29 SuNDAY

MAY 16 MONDAY

Member Table – noon•

MAY 30 MONDAY

MAY 17 TuESDAY

Member Table – noon•Cigar Club – 6 p.m.•ladies Poker club •– 6 p.m.

MAY 18 WEDNESDAY

Program Committee •– 8 a.m.Member Table – noon•dance Club – 6:30• p.m.

MAY 4 WEDNESDAY

Member Table – noon•dance Club – 6:30 p.m.•

MAY 19 ThuRSDAY

Member Table – noon•Young executive Happy •Hour – 5:30 p.m.

MAY 5 ThuRSDAY

Member Table – noon•

MAY 20 FRIDAY

Member Table – noon•Patio Grand opening •Party – 6 p.m.

MAY 6 FRIDAY

Member Table – noon•

MAY 21 SATuRDAY

MAY 7 SATuRDAY

Kentucky derby Party – •4:00 p.m.

CLuB OPen FOR MOTHeR’S Day

BRunCH

CLuB CLOSeD

CLuB CLOSeD

CLuB CLOSeD

CLuB CLOSeD

Open for Breakfast

Open for Lunch

Open for DinnerClub Happy Hour - 5:30 p.m.

MAY 3 TuESDAY

Membership Committee •Meeting – 8 a.m.Member Table – noon•

Communication Committee •Meeting – 8 a.m.Member Table – noon•Texas Hold ’em – 6:30 p.m.•dance Club – 6:30 p.m.•

JuNE 12 SuNDAY

CLuB CLOSeD

JuNE 13 MONDAY

JuNE 14 TuESDAY

JuNE 15 WEDNESDAY

JuNE 16 ThuRSDAY

JuNE 23 ThuRSDAY

JuNE 17 FRIDAY

JuNE 24 FRIDAY

JuNE 4 SATuRDAY

JuNE 18 SATuRDAY

JuNE 25 SATuRDAY

JuNE 5 SuNDAY

JuNE 19 SuNDAY

JuNE 6 MONDAY

JuNE 20 MONDAY

JuNE 7 TuESDAY

JuNE 21 TuESDAY

JuNE 8 WEDNESDAY

JuNE 1 WEDNESDAY

Member Table – noon•dance Club – 6:30 p.m.•

JuNE 22 WEDNESDAY

JuNE 9 ThuRSDAY

JuNE 2 ThuRSDAY

Member Table – noon•

JuNE 10 FRIDAY

Member Table – noon•

JuNE 3 FRIDAY

Member Table – noon •Priam vineyards Wine •dinner – 6:30 p.m.

JuNE 11 SATuRDAY

CLuB CLOSeD

Member Table – noon• Membership Committee •– 8 a.m.Member Table – noon•

Communication Committee •Meeting – 8 a.m.Member Table – noon•Texas Hold ’em – 6:30 p.m.•dance Club – 6:30 p.m.•

House Committee •Meeting – 8 a.m.Member Table – noon• “Talk of the Town” •– 5:30 p.m.

Member Table – noon•

Member Table – noon•

Member Table – noon•Wine Club – 6 p.m.•

Program Committee •– 8 a.m.Member Table – noon•dance Club – 6:30• p.m.

Member Table – noon•Young executive Happy •Hour – 5:30 p.m.

Member Table – noon•lobster & lights – •5:30 p.m.

CLuB CLOSeD

Member Table – noon•Cigar Club – 6 p.m.•ladies Poker Club – •6 p.m.

Member Table – noon•BoG Meeting – noon•Monthly Member Mixer •– 5:30 p.m.

Member Table – noon• Member Table – noon•Tiki night on the Patio– •5:30 p.m.

Member Table – noon•Ambassador Committee •– noon

20 | The Prospect

10. Experience the exclusive culinary vision of Chef Kube and his staff.

9. Select from more than 100 special events throughout the year.

8. Take in the historical ambiance while enjoying breakfast, lunch and dinner.

7. Access over 150 reciprocal private clubs throughout the U.S. and abroad.

6. Network and build relationships with an influential membership.

5. Host a meeting or event in one of our eight private rooms – complimentary room rental as a member!

4. Experience exceptional service for an exceptional value from our catering department.

3. Make connections within the Club’s dynamic IntraClubs.

2. Join now and pay no initiation fee!

1. New membership and rate structure makes membership valuable and affordable.

For details about membership, contact Karen Bowers or Christine Carpenter, Membership Managers, 860-522-1271 or kbowers@hartfordclub.com or ccarpenter@hartfordclub.com.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Club.

The Hartford ClubReasons to Join

Now.

TheTop Ten

Powerful Opportunities.

Unmatched Camaraderie.

All that is missing is you.46 Prospect Street | Hartford, Conn. 06103 | (860) 522-1271 | www.hartfordclub.com

22 | The Prospect

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday

The following members are celebrating their wedding anniversary or birthday in May and June:

Rasheed AliPriscilla BardBrien BeakeyMark BertoliniKaren CappaKelly CieplinskiSharon CrandallChristopher

DadlezDavid

DangremondBrian DicksteinJohn Driscoll Jr.Ronaldo DunlopDavid ErffFrank FaganAnna FallonTammy FauthMargaret FeliceAnjanette Ferris-

SenatusMichael

FitzpatrickTracy FoxChristine

GauthierTerry GellinEliot GerstenJason GiuliettiR. Nelson GriebelJames Heffernan

Carol HerronPaul HoeyJames HoffmanPeter KellyPhilip KellyRudolph

KsiazkiewiczJohn LaceyJohn LangenbachChad LangevinBenjamin LevyJerry LongRobert LyonsNorma MaderazoEllen MarmerDenise NappierAudrey NathanHolly NeumannJason NewmanJames NicholasCorine NorgaardDavid O’HearnThompson PageLena ParkerJesse PellegattoLinda PendergastCarol ProomJeffrey RabuffoPamela ReidGarrett ReynoldsJohn Reynolds

Thomas ReynoldsEmily RogersDaniel SabiaMaria Savastio

BoehmJohn SheaAlfons SkudlarekLori SkudlarekJohn SlosekDavid SmithAlfred “Pat”

SoucyAndrew SpanyiCheryl StabnickJulia TashjianRobert ThiesfieldJudi ThrefallJesse VanekEdward VaranoPatricia VerdeK. Grahame

WalkerAndres Shaw-

WasnkeVirginia WayKaren WheatNancy WheelerDouglas

WhinnemGary WhitneyKaren Zabrensky

Allen AckermanGeraldine AksomitasMitchell ArmenBoyd ArnoldChristopher ArohDonna BailyMorris BanksLinda BeckerAndy BessetteHoward BlytheBeverly BoccaccioWilliam BriggsAlice BrownFrances BunovskyRobert CamilleriJoseph CappaCynthia CliffordChristopher CoeJordan CoeJuan J. CollasLloyd DanielsSarah DavisAngelo DeFazioChristine DeLisaKenneth DeLisaNancy DriscollJennifer DunnRaymond EngMary Facey

David FayEvan Fowler-GuzzardoSusan FundockDiana GalikRebecca GeorgettiRichard GrondinJoshua HallPamerla HayesKaren HealeyMarjorie HerzogCarolyn HoffmanDale HoveyAlan HowarthElliot JosephPeter KarlGayle LewisLynn MacDonaldLauren ManafortAndrew MandellPaul MarcheseBob MargolisHenry MartinJohn MartinKathleen MartinEarl McMahonLinda Preble McVayJennifer MiraHoward ModelGregory Norman

Edward O’Donnell Jr.Donald PendagastChristine RooseveltPatricia SabiaGrazyna SadanowiczDiane SardilliJoseph ScaliBernard SchilbergSamuel SchragerEugene Sheehan IIIJane SheehanSandra SheehanCharles ShiveryJorge SimonLisa Pavelo SoederSarah StevensJacob StudenrothMartha TherouxDiana TimlinEric TurnerPedro VegaSusan WaschWilliam WaschGene WasynczukJoan WetherallJohn WheatDiane WhitneyLisa ZborowskiJeffrey Zuzolo

FROM THE HARTFORD CLuB

Mr. & Mrs. Christopher ArohMr. & Mrs. Douglas BennettMr. & Mrs. Harold BlindermanDr. & Mrs. Karlos BoghosianMr. & Mrs. Larry BrownMr. & Mrs. Robert CamilleriDr. & Mrs. Joseph CappaDr. & Dr. William CeruzziMr. & Mrs. Michael ClarkeMr. & Mrs. Christopher CoeMr. & Mrs. John FaceyMr. & Mrs. Patrick GillandMr. & Mrs. William GlotzerMr. & Mrs. Tim GolubeffMr. & Mrs. Lawrence GreenfieldMr. & Mrs. James Heffernan

Mr. & Mrs. Efren JaffeJudge & Mrs. John LangenbachMr. & Mrs. Harmon LeeteMr. & Mrs. Jeffrey LeitzDr. Ellen Marmer &

Dr. Harold ShapiroMr. & Mrs. James McManusMr. & Mrs. John MillerMr. & Mrs. Brian NewmanMr. & Mrs. David O’HearnMs. Dina Plapler & Mr. Earl

McMahonMr. & Mrs. John SlosekMr. & Mrs. Bruce SpatzMr. & Mrs. Michael ThomsonMr. & Mrs. Scott Trenholm

MA

y Happy AnniversaryMr. & Mrs. Michael CasparinoMr. & Mrs. Dritan CurriMr. & Mrs. John DeansMr. & Mrs. James EckerleMr. & Mrs. Enrico FerranteMr. & Mrs. Louis GoldenMr. & Mrs. Lee HoffmanMr. & Mrs. Dale HoveyMr. & Mrs. Mathew JasinskiMr. & Mrs. Philip Kelly

Mr. & Mrs. John Lawrence Jr.Mr. & Mrs. James NathanMr. & Mrs. Jason NewmanMr. & Mrs. Gilbert PizanoMr. & Mrs. Joseph ShortallMr. & Mrs. Scott SmithMs. Debora Sokolski &

Mr. Bruce JonesMr. & Mrs. Jacob StudenrothMr. & Mrs. Jesse Vanek

Ju

NE Happy Anniversary

ARE WE MISSING YOUR BIRTHDAY OR ANNIVERSARY? Be sure to contact the membership office to update your member profile.

The Prospect | 2323 | The Prospect

Come and join us! Membership is just a phone call away at (860) 522-1271, or email kbowers@hartfordclub.com

or ccarpenter@hartfordclub.com.

Most journeys in life require planning, especially wealth management and retirement. And while the route may be clear, are you sure you’re on the right one? Are there

signs to help you along the way? If you’re unsure, talk with us. Here are a few things to consider as we start a new year:

• Recognize the difference between chasing past performance and future opportunities

• Develop your list of priorities for the short and long term• Think in terms of life stage and not actual age• Consider our conservative, disciplined approach to investing that has served clients

for 87 years [and counting!]

So, give us a call and learn how we’ve been leading investors since 1924. Let us help you navigate your financial journey ahead.

The Road Ahead

1500 Main StreetSpringfield, MA 01115

413-733-5111

www.stgermaininvestments.com

100 Pearl StreetHartford, CT 06103

860-727-9530