Hey Greenwich! Did You Know ... Residents, Students Honored for Their Work?

Today is Friday, May 18, 2012 and it's National Cheese Souffle Day.

This day in history:

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln, a one-time U.S. representative from Illinois, is nominated for the U.S. presidency by the Republican National Convention meeting in Chicago.

In 1920, Karol Jozef Wojtyla is born in the Polish town of Wadowice, 35 miles southwest of Krakow. Wojtyla went on to become Pope John Paul II, history's most well-traveled pope and the first non-Italian to hold the position since the 16th century.

Mount St. Helens in Washington erupts, causing a massive avalanche and killing 57 people in 1980. Ash from the volcanic eruption fell as far away as Minnesota.

Things you should know:

From lawyers to students, hard work is recognized

At the Greenwich Bar Association's Annual Law Day attorney Richard DiPreta was presented the Robert G. Krause Probate Pro Bono Award. The was honored with the 2012 Liberty Bell Award and the annual Law Day Essay Contest award was won by student Hollis Jomo.

The awards were presented during the annual law day luncheon held at the and featured guest speaker state Sen. Scott Frantz (R-36).

The 3rd Annual Diversity Writing Contest

Local students won the Affirmative Action Committee's annual essay writing contest. Congratulations to the students who were honored at the annual awards ceremony held at earlier this week.

• 1st Place: Chloe Volkwein, Greenwich High School junior
• 2nd Place: Morgan Kennedy, junior
• 3rd Place: Cate Wright, Greenwich High School junior

Honorable mentions:

• Emily Hirshorn, Convent of the Sacred Heart freshman
• Chloe Potsklan, Greenwich High School junior
• Robert Cheng, Greenwich High School junior

A tip of the hat for the Greenwich Rotary Club Citizen of the Year

Adelbert  'Adie' von Gontard Jr. was honored Thursday night as the Club's 2012 Citizen of the Year.

Well-known around town for his involvement in various community organizations, von Gontard is the face of the Greenwich Riding and Trails Association. For more than 60 years he has served with the group including as president and chairman.

Also, for more than 30 years he has served as a trustee of the ; 20-plus years as a member of the Greenwich Fire Police Patrol and has been the District 10 leader of the .

von Gontard was feted at the club's annual dinner held at the Round Hill Club.

Traffic alert:

Connecticut Light & Power continues its power line and equipment upgrades around town. Drivers should expect some delays on:

• North Street, between the Merritt Parkway and Fairfield Road
• Sound Shore Drive
• Station Road
• Indian Field Road
• Circle Drive
• Loughlin Avenue
• Bruce Park Avenue Extension

Meetings today at Greenwich Town Hall:

None.

If you prefer the clicker instead of being there, there's Greenwich Community Television (GCTV) on either Fios Channel 24 or Cablevision's Channel 79.

And if you prefer movie entertainment, here's the schedule for:

*Sources: history.com