Episodes I Saw or Heard by Harold C. Lovell, Sr.

Harold Lovell, Sr. was born in Stratford in 1886.  He lived his entire life in town.  He was active in the town and in the town's government.  He was on the Board of the Stratford Trust Company.  He was also a humorist.  Lew Knapp wrote of Harold Lovell in his historic book, In Pursuit of Paradise, "Harold lovell was voted 'best dispositioned' in his class at Bridgeport High in 1905. He never lost his sense of the ridiculous - all his life, his stories held his listeners spellbound."  Mr. Lovell built the Lovell Hardware building which still stands in Stratford Center.  Mr. Lovell died March 19, 1969.  

This recording was made at a Stratford Historical Society picnic at Boothe Park on July 24, 1959.  Mr. Lovell was 73 years old.  He relates his humorous stories of living in Stratford over those 73 years and tells of schools, mosquitoes, Center School teachers and principal, lack of sanitation at the Center School, town government, town meetings, being a fire fighter, being on the Board of Education, and being the Town Clerk.