A military and civic-minded individual; gray or silver or silver gray or silverish or grayish?

Posted By: David Fortier April 6, 2024

By Bob Montgomery

Patrick Nelligan

There’s no doubt that we are a military-based town, and among the reasons is the many who have served or volunteered regarding this subject. One such seasoned military-minded man is Patrick Nelligan, who has recently retired after 42 years, and that takes in both the U.S. Army and Army Reserve. 

He’s been the command chief warrant officer for the Army Medical Command, civic-minded citizen in Bristol and has been presented with multiple citations and awards. Then there was his induction into the CT Veterans Hall of Fame in 2019. A son, Thomas, who has been following in his footsteps, gave him the ultimate compliment. In part, it goes:

“I’m beyond proud of you and all your accomplishments and continue to accomplish. You’re the best role model, friend and most importantly, the best father a son could ask for.”

In addition to Thomas, Nelligan and his wife, Nancy, have another son, Owen, and a daughter, Darby. And in closing this segment, I know that Mr. Nelligan will not retire to a rocking chair. There’s always more to do.

Odds ‘n ends

I once again parked in the lower lot at United Prospect Methodist Church to count the colors of vehicles passing by on Center Street, and this past session took into account gray/silver vehicles, cars and tracks, which were silver-grayish. The reason I chose the two as a whole was because it was hard for me to differentiate between gray and silver. My total of the vehicles being silver-gray were 29 out of 100.

Another vehicle game I play is what percent goes over the while line? That is, how far does a vehicle cross over the white line at a stop sign or red light. One day, an antsy fellow behind a steering wheel crawled a car length of one and a half times that of his vehicle. Then, there are the really dangerous drivers who do not stop on that line.

Pound Street is supposedly the original location of our first dog pound in town. It may have been called Dog Road at the time. 

Inductees

People sometimes ask how someone is selected to be honored by a group. Taking the Bristol Sports Hall of Fame, for example, and of which I am a selection committee member, many who have this privilege have different points of view. However, each on the committee acts fairly and believes in their votes.

One thing we do is discuss the names provided to us by others not on the committee. Some know an individual well and some may not. By discussing a candidate, we learn more about them. After a while, we take a number of names home with us to think about. No sudden decisions. I know I’ve changed my mind on someone more than once in doing this. We will start this process in a couple of months…to be announced around the end of August or beginning of September.

Joyce M. Maghini 

I was taken back when I saw Joyce’s obituary the other day. Joyce, 86, passed away here on Saturday, March 31. She was the wife of Tom Maghini, one of my favorite Bristol sports fans. 

I recall her pleasant smile when we all used to stop in for breakfast or lunch at the former Crystal diner/luncheonette on lower Main Street. Joyce was with a sister or two in a booth and Tom would pop in and sit at the counter with his newspaper.

I got to know the McCarthy family and would stop in to see Tom Maghini at home from time-to-time. When I did, Joyce usually answered the door and welcomed me in with a “Hello, Bob,” and that warm and friendly smile of hers. My best to both the Maghini and McCarthy families.

Contact Bob Montgomery at BobMontgomeryNews@BristolEdition.org, or by calling 860-583-5132.

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