Wednesday, September 27, 2023

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Barbara Rothenberg, 80, Noted Artist

Barbara Rothenberg of Westport, noted artist and teacher, died today (June 26) of peritoneal cancer, her family said. She was 80.

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Barbara Rothenberg: noted artist. Contributed photo

She lived in Westport for more than 45 years with her husband Abraham Rothenberg, a well-known local architect, who died in August 2011. Her children, David and Daniel Rothenberg, went to Westport public schools from elementary through high school.

Born Barbara Henkin June 21, 1933 in Queens, N.Y., she was the daughter of Belle Israel Henkin and Maxwell Henkin, a dentist and photographer.  She graduated from the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan, class of 1951, and attended Bennington College, and graduated from the University of Michigan.  She later received an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University.

For more than 50 years, she was a creative, spirited and influential educator who touched the lives of generations of students. She taught at a variety of institutions, including the New York City Public School system, the School of Visual Arts, Housatonic Community College, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield University, and the Silvermine Arts Center in New Canaan where she was teaching until this year.

John Sachs, 93

UPDATE (adds memorial service) John Sachs, a former Westport resident who served on the Representative Town Meeting, died June 23 at Meadow Ridge in Redding. He was 93.

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John Sachs: served on RTM. Contributed photo

While in Westport, he was active in the Westport Rotary Club (president 1989-1990), served on the board of Temple Israel, and was elected to four terms on the RTM, where he chaired the Employee Compensation Committee. He also worked on the fund raising effort for the Jerusalem International YMCA.

He was predeceased by his wife Eva in 1990. Born Hans Sachs on May 8, 1920, in Decin, Czechoslovakia, to Elsa and Otto Sachs, he was raised and educated in Vienna, Austria. He fled to Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1938 after the Nazi takeover of Austria.

He took the name John when he arrived at Ellis Island in 1940. As a member of the U.S. Army’s Tenth Mountain Division Ski Troops, he served as an Intelligence Staff Sergeant in the Aleutian Islands and in Italy.

Arts Center Kicks Off Summer Café  Series

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The Westport Arts Center today hosted the first of its summer café series. More than 30 persons – art lovers and bird lovers – attended the event sponsored by John and Ellen Levinson and curated by Nature Conservancy. Levinson (hat), board chair of the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, introduced David Gumbart, assistant director of land management at the Conservancy, who spoke on the connection between migratory birds and the impact of vital rivers. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Helen Klisser During for WestportNow.com

Plastic Surgeon’s Center Has License Suspended

By Kate Farrish, C-HIT

www.ctmirror.org

A Westport plastic surgeon who is on probation and was fined $29,000 in 2011 has had his center’s license temporarily suspended after state inspectors found several new violations, including rusty equipment and instruments and a fire alarm system that had not worked for five months.

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The Center for Ambulatory Surgery at 32 Imperial Ave. was cited in the report.. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Under a June 20 consent order with the state Department of Public Health, Dr. Joel B. Singer agreed to the suspension of the license of his Center for Ambulatory Surgery at 32 Imperial Ave. through July 29. The order states that the violations “may pose a health risk to the public.”

During surprise inspections between March 21 to 28, inspectors found a rusty autoclave used to sterilize instruments, rusty instruments, an unlocked refrigerator containing medications and worn-out brushes being used to clean instruments, records show.

Donna M. Ortelle of DPH’s Facility Licensing and Investigations Section, outlined the violations in a June 4 letter to Singer. Diana Lejardi, a DPH spokeswoman, said that the center will be able to provide more information if it wants to dispute the findings.

U.S. Supreme Court Marriage Ruling Hailed

By Mark Pazniokas and Grace Merritt

www.ctmirror.org

The U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 today to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, the Clinton-era law that denied an array of federal benefits to married same-sex couples in Connecticut and 11 other states where gay marriage is legal.

“The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity,” Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote in a decision for the majority.

In a separate case, the court issued a narrower decision ruling that opponents of gay marriage had no legal standing to oppose a lower-court decision overturning California’s ban on same-sex unions, which was passed by a referendum question, Proposition 8.

The decisions set off celebrations among gay couples, both for the specific benefits they now can receive and for the broader symbolism of the nation’s highest court denouncing the discrimination against same-sex couples as unconstitutional.

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Buddy Allen Has A Forever Family

Buddy Allen
Buddy Allen. Connecticut Humane Society

Hi, my name is Buddy Allen and I am a 7½ year old Miniature Pinscher mix! I’m a funny little guy who wants nothing more than your attention and snacks if I can convince you with my charming smile to hand them over. I can get along with cats so long as they are respectful of dogs. I am also willing to share my home with children who are gentle and respectful of pets. I can live in apartments, single family homes, and condos. While I am a calm dog, I do have my bursts of energy and require some exercise each day to enhance my manly physique. I am neutered, microchipped, and current on my vaccinations. If you think that I am the cutest little man you have ever seen and I would make a wonderful addition to your home, then come down to the Connecticut Humane Society to meet me today!”