Picture Enfield - Then and Now

ENFIELD, CT — Today's installment of this weekly Enfield history series does not come from our usual source, the Facebook group Picture Enfield, but rather from my own personal extensive photo archive from my lengthy career in the media. Over the years, I have been at the scene of numerous horrific incidents, but rarely have I witnessed a display of selfless bravery like the one depicted here.

In this mid-2000s image, now-retired Thompsonville firefighter Vinny Grady put his personal well-being aside and dove headlong into harm's way in attacking an inferno inside Lafayette Park. Risking life and limb, the fearless Grady leapt into the conflagration and extinguished the flames before the situation could spread to the surrounding neighborhood, ensuring the safety of residents such as the terrified couple seen in the background of the photo, though they tried to hide their consternation by acting totally indifferent.

To the left in the photo is supervising Capt. Keith Pliszka, who later said he was prepared at a moment's notice to leap into the fray.

The victim in this case was an elderly chair cushion of uncertain vintage, likely from around 1967 based on its hideous print design. It was survived by its parent, an armchair seen under the loving protection of Capt. Pliszka.

Grady's heroic efforts spared the historic Lafayette Park, which remains intact today, as evidenced by the more recent photo below, courtesy of Google Maps:

Last week's trivia answer:
Last week's trivia question was, "In 1984, Edwards Food Warehouse opened in the then-brand new Brookside Plaza on Hazard Avenue, at the site of the current ShopRite. What was the name of Edwards' parent company, based in Connecticut, which had previously operated another grocery store in town?" The answer: First National Stores, better known as Finast, which was based in Windsor Locks and at one time had a store on the grounds of the Enfield Outlet Mall (now known as Enfield Commons), at the current site of Ocean State Job Lot.

This week's trivia question:
Who stole the bust of Enrico Fermi out of the foyer in the early 1980s? Post the answer in the comments section below, or on the Enfield Patch Facebook page.