Outstanding Westporters Honored

The third annual "Westport First" awards honored three individuals, one family business and a civic organization Sunday for going "above and beyond the ordinary to serve and improve the greater Westport community."

Those honored at a banquet, hosted by the Republican Town Committee at the Longshore Inn, were Al DiGuido, Totney and Rick Benson, the Kowalsky Bros. and the Westport Woman's Club.

All have demonstrated leadership, self-sacrifice and devotion to the Westport community, said Desiree Soli, chair of the event.

Al DiGuido was chosen for his 20 years of charitable work and the founding in 2004 of Al's Angels, an all-volunteer band of Santa (in the person of Al) and his helpers who bring Christmas toys and holiday meals to children with cancer and rare blood diseases.

"Join us tonight and become an angel," DiGuido said. "Our work will be finished when we have crushed every cancer clinic and replaced it with a playground."

The Bensons, husband and wife, have been Westport residents since 1979 and together they set a standard for community volunteerism.

They played a large role in creating the Compo Beach playground in 1989 and have both served on boards and committees. Totney has been president of Project Return and the Long Lots PTA. Rick has been president of the Westport Rotary Club, Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 39 and he has served on the Board of Finance, Planning & Zoning Commission and Conservation Commission.

"How honored we are to have been chosen," Totney said. "How much fun we've had!"

"The more involved you are the more you get out of it," her husband Rick echoed.

Brothers Tom, Gary and Daryle Kowalsky accepted the award for the Kowalsky family, honored for the contribution their family excavation business, Kowalsky Bros., has made to Westport over two generations.

The Kowalskys were honored for many contributions to the town, including volunteering their services to build baseball fields on North Compo Road, donating their trucks and trailers for Westport's Memorial Day parade floats and maintaining the Peaceful Valley Farm as open space on Morningside Drive.

They were also honored for setting up a live nativity scene every Christmas with sheep from their farm at their business headquarters on the Post Road "for residents to enjoy."

"It's great to be recognized," said Tom Kowalsky, speaking for himself, his four brothers (Jay and Donald could not attend), his cousin Edward and the founders of the business, his late father Joseph, late uncle Paul and uncle Edward who is still part of the work force.

"The town's been good to us," said Tom, who grew up in Westport with his brothers. "We like to give back."

The award to the Westport Woman's Club was cumulative: it credited all the good works the organization has carried out in Westport since it began in 1907 as the "Women's Town Improvement Association."

These include planting trees along the Post Road, establishing the Visiting Nurse Service in 1925, providing free milk distribution, free dental clinics, a lending service for sickroom equipment and awarding college scholarships.

The award was accepted by Mary Vickery, the current president, who encouraged all the women in attendance to join.