Y’s Men Membership News

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

New Members: 

Since our last Membership Newsletter on July 22, we have welcomed six new members:

• Jon Davis
• John Dexheimer
• David Master
• Allan Arkush
• Al Friedman
• Leo de Haas

Please keep an eye out for our newest members at Y's Men gatherings, introduce yourself, and give them a warm welcome. 



New Member Spotlight (1 of 2):

Michael Vitelli: A Love of Family, and Coaching Basketball

Michael Vitelli was born in Brooklyn, NY to an Italian bricklayer father from Brooklyn and an Irish “coal miner’s daughter” mother from Pennsylvania. His parents were both USAF veterans of the Korean War who met on an Air Force base in Alabama. Back in Brooklyn, both parents worked out of necessity, and their grit and work ethic were a powerful influence on Michael and his younger brother. 

Growing up in Canarsie, Brooklyn - a blue-collar neighborhood of mainly Italians and Jewish families - was equally impactful. Michael’s first job was as a paper boy delivering the NY “Daily News.” As fate would have it, Jody Kaplan's home was on his route. After Jody answered the doorbell on a cold evening’s “collections” call, Michael began structuring his weekly arrivals with hopes of seeing Jody again. Michael eventually asked Jody out for a date. They have now been married for nearly 50 years.

Graduating from Brooklyn College with a degree in accounting, Michael began his career at Price Waterhouse in NYC. Sony was a PW client and Michael joined Sony Electronics in 1980, where he remained for 23 years. When Sony moved US headquarters to New Jersey, Jody & Michael moved to Morristown, NJ and raised their two sons there, with Michael coaching basketball in his spare time.

In 2004, Michael joined Best Buy, requiring a family move to Minneapolis. From 2004 to 2013, Best Buy grew stores and revenue growing over 50%. Michael’s roles at Sony and Best Buy required several trips to Asia & Europe each year. Back at home, Jody was a substitute teacher, as well as a court-appointed guardian ad litem, in addition to keeping all three men and household running smoothly. 

Retiring 8 years ago, Michael devotes much of his time to coaching PAL and AAU basketball. When he started in Westport coaching in the rec league, Michael was somewhat unique among his fellow coaches: he does it because he loves it, not because he has a son on the team.

Michael and Jody love Westport! And of course, with their son Dan and two young granddaughters living in town, there's a lot of interaction, visits and assisting.

(Interview and Bio by Art Gang)

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New Member Spotlight (2 of 2):

Dick Harrington

Dick was born in West Roxbury and enrolled at the University of Rhode Island. He took a few years off from college and was working in the plumbing supply business when he met his wife, Jean. With Jean’s support and encouragement, Dick returned to the University of Rhode Island and graduated from the College of Business Administration in 1973 where he later received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws.

Dick joined Arthur Young as a CPA where he worked on the Audit Side for six years. He then set up a consulting business and represented a private company with respect to a purchase by The Thomson Corporation. Three months later, he was asked to join The

Thomson Corporation.

At Thomson Dick took on several Senior roles commencing in 1982. He was highly successful in strategically analyzing, restructuring, and realigning various business operations and optimizing their performance. Dick rose up through the ranks and was promoted to President and CEO of The Thomson Corporation, an organization comprised of 50,000 people, in 1997. His 11-year tenure as CEO was described in the press as “transformational” when he was credited with quadrupling free cash flow, tripling market value from $8 billion to over $32 billion, and leading more than $45 billion in transactions – most notably the historic acquisition of Reuters in 2008.

Dick has served as a director on public boards including, Aetna, Xerox, Milliken Company and several startup companies. He also served on the Board of the University of Rhode Island Foundation, served on the President’s Advisory Committee, and headed up two capital campaigns.

Dick has been honored for his management prowess receiving the “Legend in Leadership” award from Yale University and being named “CEO” of the Year by the Executive Council in 2007. Dick has been described as a business leader who has always valued people over statistics.

Dick and Jean made “landmark” multi-million-dollar donations to the University of Rhode Island. Following these “landmark” gifts, the school established the Harrington School of Communication and Media.

Dick and Jean moved to Westport in 1989. They have one daughter and a six-year-old and an 18-month-old granddaughter. Dick coached recreational soccer for 8 years with his daughter and has served as an usher at St. Lukes church. Dick plays golf at Longshore where he still holds a respectable handicap of 23, up from 15 in his heyday. He is looking forward to participating in Y’s Men activities and meeting more of his fellow Y’s members.

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Thank You:

We thank these Y’s Men who have referred new members in the past six months:

Membership Recruitment:

Continued membership growth is crucial for the club’s long-term health and financial stability. Do you have a friend who would be a good fit? Share the membership application link (click here) with them.

Best to you all,

Clarence Hayes



Membership Chairman

Y’s Men of Westport/Weston

(203) 818-7436

clarencewhayes@gmail.com