At this writing, we have most recently added seven more new Members to the Old Guard family, men who reflect remarkable academic, career and community involvement accomplishments:

 

Larry Carr: Larry and his wife Roberta, relative newcomers to the area, are parents of a son and daughter, and have relocated to West Hartford to be near their grandchildren. Larry has interests in all sports, particularly collegiate basketball. His volunteer interests include work with Meals on Wheels and the Seniors Job Bank. He earned his B.S. degree at Northeastern University and and an MBA at Boston College. He recently retired as Dean at the Wentworth Institute of Technology. Prior work experience included fifteen years at Linkage, Inc. where he was the co-founder of an Inc. 500 company that was among the fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. Prior to that he spent ten years at Raytheon, and five years at Bolt Beranek & Newman, an MIT-spinoff technology development company. Sponsor: El Harp

 

Ira Levin: Residents of West Hartford, Ira and his wife Barbara have locally raised four daughters. His extensive interests include sports of all types, and especially golf. His volunteer work has included service in food management and distribution projects. He graduated from Suffield Academy, followed by his B.S. degree in Sanitary Engineering and Finance from Bucknell University. He retired following his longstanding ownership of the New Britain Plumbing Supply Company. Sponsor: Bill Whedon

 

Joe Light: Also a resident of West Hartford, Joe and his wife Nada have raised two sons and a daughter, the latter daughter and son a set of twins. Joe is currently a member of the Farmington Valley Chorale. Currently, he serves as the Interim CFO of Evans Cooling Associates in Suffield and performs assignments in finance and organization as a general business consultant. Previously, he was the Administrative Manager of Gemformulas, LLC, an internet sales company. Other prior roles included 14 years as a Management Consultant to small and medium-sized businesses, and a 15-year role as the Owner/Operator of Light Breads, Inc., a producer of European breads and pastries, in Westfarms Mall. Sponsor: Richard Moffitt

 

Errol Matzke: Errol and his wife Carol reside in Bloomfield. They have locally raised two sons. Errol is now a volunteer with the UConn Adult Learning Program, serving as treasurer, and he also volunteers on the communications and finance committees of his retirement association. He earned his B.S. degree in Mathematics at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and his M.S., also in Mathematics, from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Following one year at Boeing working on jet noise suppression, he then worked at the Hamilton Standard Division of UTC for 35 years, first as an engineer involved in product design and sales, and later in engineering and business functions. Sponsor: Phil Gardner

 

Kevin Morrison: A resident of West Hartford, Kevin and his wife have raised three children locally. His interests include golf and bowling, and he now volunteers for projects at Loaves and Fishes, the Westminster Presbyterian Church, and Habitat for Humanity. He earned his B.A. at Boston College, followed by an MBA at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He has recently retired from the development office of Hartford Habitat for Humanity after 12 years of service there. Prior to that he spent a 35-year career providing his CPA and audit expertise in service to leading-edge consultancy and manufacturing industries, including Arthur Andersen, Coleco and Moore Medical along the way. Sponsor: El Harp

 

John Rhine: Another resident of West Hartford, John and his wife Jeannette have locally raised a son. His diverse hobbies include woodworking, photography, cooking, car restoration (he is a member of the Porsche Club of America), and gardening. He is now active on the volunteer building and grounds crew of the Westminster Presbyterian Church. He also volunteers with the South Park Inn in Hartford, and on Habitat for Humanity building projects. A graduate of Dickinson College and later from New York University where he earned his MBA, he served as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves in Military Intelligence, retiring after 30 years with the rank of Lt. Colonel. He later worked in Management Consultancy at Travelers for 25 years, and for 6 years at the United Health Group, also as a consultant. Sponsor: El Harp

 

Jerry Rucci: Jerry and his wife Merry Ann reside in West Hartford, where they have raised a son and a daughter. His interests include landscaping and reading, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of his condo association. He has interest in volunteer service with Foodshare. He received his B.A. from St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont, and earned his MBA at the University of Hartford. He retired from Ensign Bickford after 18 years there, and then retired after serving 22 years as a business administrator for the Connecticut Judicial Branch System. Sponsor: Tom Goodrum

 

These newcomers bring our total to 9 new Members so far this season, bringing us close to the 25% mark of our 40-new-Member goal for this year.

 

The Old Guard promotes a legacy of fellowship and service that will continue to grow and strengthen as we grow the numbers within our ranks. Thanks to our Members for your deeply appreciated contributions to this success.

 

And please remember that there are many tools available to help your ongoing recruitment efforts. Our website, www.ctoldguard.org, provides excellent background for interested parties, including our monthly newsletters and an application.

 

I can also provide hard copies of brochures, 1-page overviews, and applications if you ever need that assistance. I'm also always available at [email protected] or 860-810-0091.