Author: Webmaster (Page 4 of 27)
Retired Rheumatologist and ex-hockey player!
Retired divorce mediation attorney; active in non-profit boards over the years; consultant on non-profit fundraising; life-long tennis enthusiast; photography a hobby; trying to enjoy life, and family, breathe deeply, and stay healthy as I approach 90 (all too quickly)!
Frederick Erickson was born in Wisconsin in 1941 and raised in rural Minnesota. He attended Northwestern University, receiving bachelors, master’s and Ph.D. degrees there. He became an applied anthropologist and applied linguist, working primarily in schools of education. He is also a clergyman, ordained in the Episcopal Church as a permanent deacon. Teaching at a number of research universities, he retired in 2011 from the University of California in Los Angeles, where he also served as archdeacon for deacons in the Episcopal Church there. In 2023 he and his wife Joanne Straceski moved from Washington DC to the Seabury retirement community in Bloomfield.
Richard Woodworth Obituary
Published by Legacy Remembers on May 31, 2025.
Richard Mack Woodworth, 89, of Bloomfield, Conn., passed away peacefully on May 21 after a bout with cancer.
He was born on Feb. 7, 1936 in Schenectady, N.Y., son of John Lieuallen and Francis Mack Woodworth. Raised in the Syracuse suburb of Fayetteville, he earned his B.A., cum laude, from Middlebury College, where he was salutatorian of his class and editor-in-chief of the Campus newspaper.
He spent 10 years as a reporter for daily newspapers in Jamestown, Geneva and Rochester, N.Y., before becoming managing editor of the weekly Brighton-Pittsford Post for three years.
In 1971 he moved to Connecticut to become the editor of the West Hartford News and executive editor of Imprint Newspapers, positions he held until 1986. During his tenures, the Brighton-Pittsford Post won the national first-place award for general excellence as a “model suburban newspaper” from Suburban Newspapers of America and the West Hartford News was awarded national first prize for general excellence in its circulation class by the National Newspaper Association.
He founded Wood Pond Press as the successor to Imprint Publications in 1984. With his wife, Nancy, he was co-author and publisher of numerous editions of seven regional guidebooks, spanning the East Coast from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, to Key West, Fla.
In West Hartford, he served as president of the Connecticut Editorial Association of weekly newspapers and director of the New England Press Association. He also was on the board of the Auto Club of Hartford (AAA), the Bank of Hartford, the 1892 Club, the Greater Hartford Tourism District, the Children’s Museum of Hartford, the West Hartford YMCA, and the Noah Webster House and Historical Society of West Hartford. He was a member of Asylum Hill Congregational Church, where he sang with its Sanctuary Choir.
With co-authors Ellsworth S. Grant and Miriam Butterworth, he wrote and edited Celebrate! West Hartford: An Illustrated Story in honor of the town’s 2004 sesquicentennial celebration, of which he was co-chairman. He was twice honored with the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce’s Noah Webster Award for service to the community.
He was married to Nancy Dale Webster of Montreal, Quebec, who died a week before their 57th wedding anniversary in 2017. He is survived by his two sons, Jay (partner Marcio Pinto) of West Hartford, and Cameron (Monica Smith) of Girona, Spain. He was predeceased by his brother, Daniel K. Woodworth of Towson, Md.
Renee Bernasconi is President & CEO of Seabury, Inc., a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community in Bloomfield, Connecticut. She holds an MBA in Healthcare Management, is a licensed administrator, and has spent her career in senior living and aging services, focusing on mission-driven leadership, community, and innovation. Renee serves on the Connecticut Department of Social Services Advisory Committee, is a member of the LeadingAge Connecticut Board. She was instrumental in changing state legislation to enable Life Plan at Home programs in Connecticut—the first such program in the state and the fifth in the country.
Kevin Rennie writes a political column for the Sunday edition of The Hartford Courant since 2002. He has operated the popular political website DailyRuctions.com since 2010. Kevin’s stories have led to corruption investigations, resignations, and criminal convictions, reminders that there are many ways to serve the public interest without holding elective office.
Kevin was elected to represent the 14th House District in the Connecticut General Assembly for three consecutive terms starting in 1988. In 1994, he became the first Republican to win election to the State Senate from the 3rd Senate District in 70 years. He served one term and is no longer a Republican.
In 2002 scandals involving the administration of Governor John G. Rowland began to unfurl. Kevin’s column provided news of Rowland’s disappointing abuse of his position as the Waterbury Republican began descent to resignation and prison. In 2008, Kevin’s columns on Senator Christopher Dodd’s concealed Irish real estate dealings made international news.
Kevin is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College and the University of Connecticut School of Law. He lives and practices law in South Windsor.
Jackson Laboratory Professor, President Emeritus, and Honorary Fellow, Edison Liu, M.D., is an international expert in cancer biology, systems genomics, human genetics, molecular epidemiology and translational medicine with a focus on breast cancer. He has authored more than 350 scientific papers and reviews and co-authored two books. He obtained his B.S. in chemistry and psychology, as well as his M.D., at Stanford University. He then received his residency and fellowship training at Washington University, St, Louis, and Stanford, and postdoctoral training in molecular oncology at the University of California at San Francisco with Nobel Laureate, J. Michael Bishop.
From 2012 to 2021, Dr. Liu was the president and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory, an independent research institute focused on c
omplex genetics and functional genomics. During his tenure, JAX grew significantly in revenue, employee headcount, international presence, research scope, philanthropy and physical footprint. Under Liu’s leadership, JAX established The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, Conn., and added production facilities in Ellsworth, Maine and Japan and established a joint venture in China to the institution’s headquarters campus in Bar Harbor, Maine, and production facility in Sacramento, Calif.
Previously (2001-2011), he was the founding executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore and the president of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO). He was also the scientific director of the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Clinical Sciences in Bethesda, Md. (1997-2001), where he was in charge of the intramural clinical translational science programs. In his earlier career, Dr. Liu was a faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was the director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Breast Cancer; the director of the Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology at UNC’s School of Public Health; and the Chief of Medical Genetics.
Throughout his career Dr. Liu has received numerous accolades and awards, including the AACR Rosenthal Award and the Brinker International Award, both for breast cancer research; the Public Service Medal from the President of Singapore for his contributions to resolving the SARS crisis; and the Chen Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Human Genetics. He was elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, as President of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO), as a foreign member of the European Molecular Biology Organization, and as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Liu has served on the governing boards of the AACR, American Cancer Society, and the Foundation for the NIH. He holds honorary degrees from Queen’s University (Belfast, Northern Ireland), University of Southern Maine, and Colby College (Waterville, Maine).
Research Focus Synopsis
My laboratory is focused on understanding the systems genetics of breast cancer biology and its translational impact. Currently, there are four major programs in the laboratory:
- Dynamics of BRCA1 promoter methylation
- Oncogenic drivers of genomic signatures in cancer
- Clonal dynamics of therapeutic resistance in triple negative breast cancer
- Identifying host genes that determine response to immune checkpoint inhibitors
Dr. Lewis is the retired inaugural Physician-in-Chief of the Hartford Healthcare Bone & Joint Institute in Hartford. Following graduation from the UVM College of Medicine, residency at the University of Maryland Hospitals and an adult reconstruction fellowship at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Dr. Lewis joined the full-time faculty at the University of Connecticut Health Center where he was Residency Program Director for many years. He was selected for a sabbatical at the Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy in 1992 and was promoted to Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery in 1997.
After transitioning to private practice in Hartford, Dr. Lewis was Director of Research & Quality at the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute at St. Francis Hospital from 2007 until 2013 when he assumed his position at Hartford Hospital and oversaw design and building of the Bone & Joint Institute. After a clinical career as a total hip and knee replacement surgeon, he retired in 2018 from active practice. He currently serves on the Board of Hartford Hospital.
Jeffrey A. Flaks is a nationally recognized healthcare leader. He is President and CEO of Hartford HealthCare, an $8-billion system serving more than 28,000 people daily and has transformed Hartford HealthCare into a highly integrated network of 500+ locations with 48,000 colleagues, including 8,000 employed and aligned providers.
Under Mr. Flaks leadership HHC earned the 2025 AHA Quest for Quality Prize; “A” grades for safety from the Leapfrog Group; Nation’s First Care Partner of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; ranked #1 in the U.S. for mitral valve surgery; named the top employer in Connecticut for career development by Career minds: recognized for its commitment to helping employees build meaningful, long-term careers; forged partnerships with Google, Amazon, MIT, Abridge, Aidoc, K Health & others; and recognized on Fortune’s Most Innovative Companies list.
Mr. Flaks is the recipient of the 2025 Steven Schroeder Award for Outstanding Healthcare CEO; named Press Ganey’s Innovator of the Year in 2026. He has built academic pipelines with UConn, Quinnipiac and the Connecticut State Colleges system, supporting scholarships, mentorship and workforce development.
A Connecticut native, Mr. Flaks joined Hartford HealthCare in 2004 and serves on numerous
boards, including vice chair of the Connecticut Hospital Association. He holds honorary doctorates from Trinity College, Eastern Connecticut State and Sacred Heart universities
Trinity Academy—a tuition-free, independent & unique elementary school with a kindergarten in Hartford, primarily serving students from Hartford’s neighborhoods that is literally life-changing for its students.
Mark Panico
Board Chair
Senior executive with more than 20 years of experience successfully leading midsize P&Ls both domestically and internationally. A strategic problem solver who thrives on dissecting businesses to identify opportunities for growth, profitability, and leadership development. Currently serves as Chair of the Board for Trinity Academy, a tuition-free elementary school in Hartford, where he provides governance and strategic oversight in support of educational equity and student success.
Barton Darney
Development Director
Barton Darney is the Development Director at Trinity Academy, a tuition-free elementary school in Hartford serving students from historically underserved communities. With over 15 years of experience in nonprofit development and education, Barton leads fundraising strategy, community partnerships, and board engagement, raising more than $500,000 annually to support high-quality academics, innovation, and wraparound services for students. Barton is passionate about building relationships that expand opportunity, strengthen equity in education, and empower young people to thrive.