By Robert Kilpatrick, Courier Staff Writer
The 2009
Merit Awards honored Alphonse J. Camera, Don Gelo, and the East Haven
Fall Festival at an awards dinner Thursday night attended by about 150
people.
The 18th
annual East Haven Merit Awards dinner, which signals the start of the
town’s annual Fall Festival, was held at the Country House Restaurant
on Route 80 in Foxon. Award recipients are selected by the Merit Award
Committee for their dedication and service to the town. Mayor April
Capone Almon presented the awards.
Camera is an art teacher at Joseph
Melillo Middle School who was selected for combining his great art
talent with a passion for teaching in the classroom and the community
since 1993. The professionally trained illustrator and painter
discovered his calling to teach kids when he returned to East Haven to
teach summer camp; his classroom successes have since shone the
spotlight on his teaching.
Gelo, who is retired, has left a
mark on many organizations and efforts in town, including the Old Stone
Church, the East Haven Academy, and East Haven High School, for which
he towed the band equipment trailer to destinations as far as Florida.
Described
as “the silent, gentle, good Samaritan” by the awards committee, Gelo
has served with the Masons, Shriners, and the Order of the Rainbow.
Accepting for the Fall Festival were
its officers, Michael Albis, Mary Cacace, and Al Zullo. The East Haven
Fall Festival began in 1992 as a cooperative effort between the office
of Mayor Henry Luzzi and the East Haven Chamber of Commerce. Albis,
Cacace, and Zullo were the founders of the festival and have served on
it continuously throughout the 18 years of its existence. Albis is a
lawyer and East Haven probate judge, Zullo is a lawyer, and
Cacace is director of the Chamber of Commerce.
For a full description of the Merit Award winners, visit the Courier at www.zip06.com.