John Ruddy

New London

Front Page Editor and History Writer at The Day

Page 1 editor, occasional history writer @thedayct, instructor @uconnjournalism

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Articles

The adventures of Objee

Nov 1, 2024 | theday.com | John Ruddy

Editor’s note: This story was drawn from the archives of The Day and the Coast Guard Academy Library. At a time when bears are climbing into cars and entering homes around Connecticut, it seems strange that four decades ago, the staff of the Cost Guard Academy spent two days chasing one around campus. Not to shoo it away, but to catch it. That bear was no random visitor. It was the academy’s escaped mascot, a 100-pound ball of fun named Objee.
Norwich prepares for Halloween

Oct 24, 2024 | theday.com | John Ruddy

Norwich ―Public Works department employees set up a corn maze on Friday for the evening’s third annual NorWitch Halloween Strut in downtown Norwich. The free event included a kids' mini corn maze, witch dancers, a magician, foods, crafts, a balloonist, costume contests for adults and children, a ghost movie, children's playhouses and more between 5 and 8 p.m.
Legendary submarine’s story is now complete

Oct 4, 2024 | theday.com | John Ruddy

Editor’s note: This story was drawn from the books “Salvation for a Doomed Zoomie” by John Galvin and “Through Hell and Deep Water” by Charles A. Lockwood and Hans Christian Adamson, as well as the files of the Submarine Force Museum, and the archives of The Day. When news broke in January 1945 that USS Harder (SS-257) was overdue and presumed lost, the Navy’s submarine community reacted with shock and disbelief.
The Holocaust in one color: UConn exhibition confronts challenge of portraying the unspeakable in art

Sep 28, 2024 | theday.com | John Ruddy

There’s no shortage of books and films about the Holocaust, one of the 20th century’s defining events. But look for paintings of it, and there isn’t much. Yishai Jusidman, a Mexican artist of Jewish descent, writes that painters have struggled more than those in other arts to portray the Nazi genocide.
New book follows a New London whaleship at war

Jun 2, 2024 | theday.com | John Ruddy

On Sept. 29, 1846, the whaleship Stonington, three years out of New London, was off the Pacific coast when it arrived at San Diego, then a small town. The plan was to make some quick repairs and head home. But the place had become swept up in a war between Mexico and the United States, and residents needed the crew’s help. What followed was apparently unique in the annals of American whaling.
Portraits of progress

May 2, 2024 | theday.com | John Ruddy

Ideas about what’s beautiful can change in unpredictable ways. Consider the art of Beatrice Cuming, a painter who spent much of her career in New London. She chronicled her era in vibrant scenes that show infrastructure, waterfronts and people, many of them set in familiar locations. The full scope of her work is on display at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in “Beatrice Cuming: Connecticut Precisionist,” a lively look at her 20th-century world, here and elsewhere.
Why did the church collapse? South African architect says he knows

Apr 19, 2024 | theday.com | John Ruddy

News of a building collapse on another continent isn’t the kind of thing that normally sends people into a frenzy of activity. But when Mike Bell, an architect in Cape Town, South Africa, heard about the fall of New London’s First Congregational Church, he knew instantly he had to determine the cause. It’s the same reaction he’s had to other disasters. “My mind goes into overdrive,” he said.
A dark moment for Connecticut

Apr 6, 2024 | yahoo.com | John Ruddy |New London

Apr. 6—Monday's eclipse will be partial here, but 99 years ago state experienced totalityEditor's note: This story was drawn mostly from the archives of The Day, the New London Daily Globe and the Westerly Sun, with additional material from many online sources. Click links in the text to see original stories in The Day. The first sign that something big was happening came a year in advance: Officials from the U.S. Naval Observatory were in New London scouting locations for a giant telescope.
A dark moment for Connecticut

Apr 5, 2024 | theday.com | John Ruddy

Monday’s eclipse will be partial here, but 99 years ago state experienced totality Editor’s note: This story was drawn mostly from the archives of The Day, the New London Daily Globe and the Westerly Sun, with additional material from many online sources. Click links in the text to see original stories in The Day. The first sign that something big was happening came a year in advance: Officials from the U.S. Naval Observatory were in New London scouting locations for a giant telescope.
The Nathan Hale Schoolhouse: a travelogue

Mar 16, 2024 | yahoo.com | John Ruddy |New London

Mar. 16—As landmark reaches its 250th anniversary, a look back at its endless journeyEditor's note: This story was drawn primarily from the archives of The Day. Click links in the text to see original stories. When Connecticut celebrated its 300th birthday in 1935, New London was represented in a parade by a 12-foot-long replica of the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse. Most of what makes that funny hadn't happened yet, but in later years, the sight of the building rolling down the street wasn't exactly rare.