Picture Enfield - Then and Now

ENFIELD, CT — Before we get to today's installment of this weekly Enfield history series, courtesy of the Facebook group Picture Enfield, we'd like to take a moment to add some information to last week's photo, courtesy of some astute and knowledgeable readers.

Last week, we showed a group of unidentified men, likely town leaders, gathered at an unknown site in the late 1970s. Readers have informed us that among the gentlemen in the photo were former mayors Armand Roy and Joe O'Connor, and former State Representative and Enfield Town Council member Dick Cressotti.

Speaking of Dick Cressotti, we now move on to this week's gem. In 1976, Enfield hosted one of Connecticut's largest Bicentennial parades. In the featured photo, Mr. Cressotti is marching past Enfield Street Cemetery with a pair of political dignitaries: U.S. Senator Lowell Weicker, in the lovely red slacks, and U.S. Representative Toby Moffett, who served the former 6th District, and whose three-piece brown suit ensemble with matching brown heeled shoes are permanently entrenched in the "Were these ever actually in style?" Hall of Fame.

The area they are walking past has not changed much in the past 43 years, though I'm sure the Volkswagen Bus is long gone. Here is a more current view of the site, courtesy of Google Maps.

Last week's trivia answer:
Last week's trivia question was, "For roughly a decade beginning in the mid-1970s, what unique feature did every single stop sign in Enfield possess (and believe me, it was on EVERY stop sign in town)?" The answer, as provided by more respondents than any in this column's history, was "Stop Leo."

Leo Arnone was a narcotics and vice officer in Enfield from 1954 to 1986. He was a World War II Marine Corps veteran who was a champion weightlifter and bodybuilder, and therefore was an intimidating presence to fun-loving, mischievous teens and adults alike. He was completely bald before it was fashionable, earning the nickname "Kojak." He was particularly adept at spotting those of us skipping classes at Fermi High School, chasing us out of the trees behind the neighboring Elks Club on numerous occasions; in fact, I believe one of my classmates broke the record for the 220 backwards with Leo in pursuit.

Not a single stop sign in town was missing the white, spray-painted "Leo" for about a decade; they originally repaired them, presumably by painting over the name, but when they put the sign back up, we'd have it labeled again by nightfall, so they just gave up. Anyone driving through Enfield from out of the area back then must have thought we were a bunch of nuts, saying to themselves, "Who the hell is Leo?"

The retired detective sergeant was inducted into the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004, and passed away in 2009 at age 81.

(Enfield Police Department)

In 2016, more than 1,000 Fermi alumni gathered on the hill in front of the building for a final group photo before the school's closure, due to a merger with Enfield High School. I believe it was Mike Catania who showed up carrying a stop sign with LEO on it; though it wasn't white spray paint, it definitely brought back memories of those "innocent" days nearly 40 years later.

(Rich Tanguay)

This week's trivia question:
Who was the youngest Democrat to ever serve as a member of the Enfield Town Council, and who was the youngest Republican? Post the answer in the comments section below, or on the Enfield Patch Facebook page.