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FontA planned 38-acre nature preserve made possible by the late Paul Newman was re-zoned in September to accommodate such a piece of land. After Tuesday's gathering of the Representative Town Meeting, the land on the corner of Bayberry Lane, Coleytown Road and Easton was officially given a name: the Newman/Poses Nature Preserve.
"Many people around the world sought to honor Paul Newman with many accolades and sought to have things named after him and the family has generally, and I think universally, rejected such honors except in one case, and that's in his home town of Westport, Conn.," said First Selectman Gordon Joseloff at Tuesday's meeting.
In 1997, Newman donated 7.5 acres of land adjacent to his home to the town. The other 29.9 acres were acquired in a $3.75 million purchase that year by the Poses family.
Newman's daughter, Lissy, could not attend the meeting, but she wrote a letter that Joseloff read to the RTM. In the letter, she recalled how she and the other children who played on the land felt like "diminutive natives." Later on, she and her father would walk through the woods together and share thoughts with each other.
"My father was truly reluctant to have anything named after him," Lissy wrote. "In spite of this, my family took a chance that he would feel that this was an appropriate tribute. And doubly so because it would be shared with the other person without who's ownership the land would have disappeared long ago. I think that this time he would appreciate not being alone on the marquee."
During a meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission in September, Joanne Woodward, Newman's widow, fondly recalled the fun that her children had on the land and how Lillian Poses, a philanthropist and lawyer who passed away in 1994, would allow the children on her property. Her husband, Jack, who founded Brandeis University in Massachusetts, would let kids play on the land.
"My children grew up in that yard because Lillian was very kind and she loved the children and didn't mind if they ran around, so that is a special memory for me, but it also indicated how really beautiful the place is," Woodward said in September.
The Newman/Poses Preserve will be maintained by the Aspetuck Land Trust. The preserve is dedicated to passive recreational use, which includes activities such as walking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing. No buildings can be constructed on the property, although some parking spots will be permitted so people can have access.
"There's some who may say that it should be the Newman Preserve ... but the Newman/Poses Preserve I think honors two great families in Westport and certainly honors the wishes of the Newman family in granting Westport the sole opportunity to honor Paul Newman," Joseloff said.
The name was approved by the RTM unanimously in a 28-0 vote.
