"Quid Aere Perennius"
(What Is More Lasting Than Brass)
The original settlement of Waterbury was in 1674 in the Town Plot section. King Philip's War caused it to be vacated and the location was changed to the Western part of the Green in 1677. Both sites are marked. The Algonquin name for the area was "Matetacoke" meaning "place without trees." It appeared as "Mattatock" in 1673, and "Mattatuck" in the General Court record of May 18, 1674.
The name changed to Waterbury on May 15, 1686, when the settlement was admitted as the 28th town in the Connecticut colony. It then included all parts all or parts of the later town of Watertown, Plymouth, Wolcott, Prospect, Naugatuck, Thomaston and Middlebury. The name Waterbury was chosen because of all the streams flowing into the Naugatuck. Waterbury was incorporated as a city in 1853.
Waterbury occupies 28.9 square miles. Its elevation is between 215 and 965 feet above sea level.
"Quid Aere Perennius" is the inscription in marble above the City Hall entrance. It translates as "What is More Lasting Than Brass?" and was chosen by Frederick Kingsbury for his design of the Waterbury Seal in 1876. It was inspired by Horace's Book III, Ode XXX: "I have executed a monument which is more lasting than brass and more sublime than the regal elevation of pyramids which neither wasting the shower, the unvailing north wind, or an innumerable succession of years and the flight of seasons shall be able to demolish."Famous Waterbury Landmarks
Ben Franklin Statue - Seated in front of the Silas Bronson Library, it was designed by renowned sculptor Paul Wayland Bartlett, a one-time Waterbury resident. The 1700 pound statue was made possible by a $15,000 donation from Elisha Leavenworth. After completion, it made a 22-city tour, with celebrations in each city, from Baltimore to Boston and then to Waterbury where it was dedicated June 3, 1921. The route closely duplicated Franklin's stops when he ran away from home in 1723. A replica was made in 1982 by the US State Department to celebrate its 200th anniversary and Franklin as its first diplomat. Other Bartlett works include: Lafayette (Louvre Courtyard), Columbus and Michelangelo (Library of Congress), statues for the NY Public Library, the US Capitol and the NY Stock Exchange. His works are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and many major museums.
Soldiers Monument - Sculpted by former Waterbury resident George C. Bissell as a tribute to the whole Civil War experience, the 48-foot-high bronze monument was cast in Paris and cost $25,000. It was dedicated Oct. 23, 1884. Other Bissell works include: Memorial to Scottish American soldiers of the Civil War located in Edinburgh, Scotland, and many statues in Riverside Cemetery, including one of Waterbury Civil War hero, Col. John L. Chatfield. The poem on the Soldiers Monument, by Dr. Joseph Anderson of Waterbury history fame, was included in the Library of American Literature:
Brave men, who rallying at your country's call Went forth to fight - if Heaven willed, to fall: Returned, ye walk with us through sunnier years And hear your nation say, God bless you all! Brave men, who yet a heavier burden bore And came not home to hearts by grief made sore! They call you dead and lo ye grandly live. Shrined in the nation's love forevermore!
Carrie Welton Fountain - It was designed by Karl Gerhardt of Hartford. He was a favorite of Mark Twain who owned many of his pieces and financed his studies in Paris. The 2,500 pound statue is in memory of Caroline Josephine Welton's black stallion, Knight, and her love of animals. Weltons will left $7,000 for the monument and $100,000 to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; a cause to which she had already given $250,000 in 1874. Relatives thought she was insane and contested the will, resulting in a long trial that was covered by the New York Times. Carrie's side prevailed, and the fountain was dedicated November 10, 1888. In 1874, Knight had killed Carrie's father with a kick. Carrie was born in 1842 and died in 1884 while mountain climbing in Colorado.
Harrub Pilgrim Memorial - The 175 ton, 60-foot-long, 24-foot-high monument with 10-foot-high figures was carved out of French granite by Herman Atkins MacNeil of N. Y. Charles Harrub, a former engineer for American Brass, donated the $100,000 needed for the project to honor his wife and the Pilgrims. Dedicated October 11, 1930, it was originally located at Chase Parkway. Other McNeil works include: The Liberty Quarter with flying eagle on reverse side, McKinley Memorial in Ohio, Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Washington DC, many American Indian appreciations and statues of famous men in many American museums.
Father McGivney Statue - It was cast by Joseph Coletti of Boston to honor the Waterburian who founded the Knights of Columbus. The 8-foot bronze figure stands atop a 10-foot granite block. Messages were read from Pope Pius XII and President Eisenhower to the 8,000 people attending the dedication on March 31, 1957. Cardinal Spellman's appearance meant that he was the first Cardinal to visit Waterbury since Cardinal Gibbons in 1903.
Clock Tower - Constructed by the world famous architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White of N.Y., this structure resembles the Torre Del Mangia at the Palazzo Publico in Siena, Italy. This architectural firm also did the original Penn Station, wings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the J.P. Morgan library. It cost $332,000, is 240-feet high, has 318 steps and the clock was made by Seth Thomas Co. with a dial 16-feet in diameter with 5-foot tall Roman numerals. The eight she-wolf gargoyles are a reminder of the myth of Romulus & Remus. The Tower opened July 12, 1909 and is now the home of the Waterbury Republican-American.
Clock-On-The-Green - The base and the 15 foot granite tower were designed by Paul Lux of the Lux Clock Co. It has been called "Colley's Clock" at times for the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Charles Colley, who fought for it. A major debate at the time (beautification or ruination of the Green) had one newspaper on each side. The clock was dedicated November 25,1915.
Christopher Columbus Statue - Done by Frank C. Gaylord of Barre, Vermont for the Christopher Columbus Committee that raised the $25,000, this 12-foot statue is made of granite and weighs 12,000 pounds. This statue was dedicated Oct. 12, 1984. The Christopher Columbus Time Capsule, closed Oct. 12, 1992 to be opened October 12, 2092, is behind the monument.
M.A. Green Clock - The historic two-dial clock was moved from its original 1920 site on Grand Street to Bank Street in 1935. The 17 foot tall timepiece, made by Seth Thomas Co., was given to the City in 1993.
Veterans Monument - Designed by Luis Fucito for the City of Waterbury for about $55,000, it was intended in honor of all those who have served in the wars of our country. The 15-foot star was dedicated on May 30,1958 and is located on the west end of the Green.
Whale Sculpture at the Grand Street entrance to Silas Bronson Library - Designed by Jerome Stein, this mobile of the state animal, the sperm whale, is constructed with 150 pieces of metal. Dedication took place on Oct. 25, 1983.
Drescher's Restaurant - Built in 1903, this 300-ton building was physically moved 200 feet from Harrison Avenue to its present location on Leavenworth Street at a cost of $130,000 in 1982.
Hobart Welton Carriage Shed - The stone structure on Wolcott Street at the top of Manor Avenue has two Latin words inscribed at the top. They are a pun on Welton's name - PUTEUS - meaning WELL and DOLIUM meaning TON. Most people know it as "the place where they used to water the horses" and in later years "where people waited for the bus" or "the cave."
Howland-Hughes - Waterbury's worst fire occurred on Feb. 2-3, 1902 at the Bank and Grand Street area. 32 buildings and 100 businesses including the Reid & Hughes Dry Goods Co. were destroyed. (Property damage was valued at $2,000,000) This business started in 1890, was later rebuilt and became Howland-Hughes department store. Three generations of the Paine family, Ralph, Morris and Hank, have made the store one of Waterbury's enduring landmarks. In 1996, the store was downsized and now sells only products made in Connecticut.
Holy Land Cross - The present 52-foot-high cross replaced the first 32-foot-high cross in 1968. The 17-acre "Land of the Lord" with scenes from Bethlehem and Jerusalem consisted of 200 miniature buildings and figures of varying sizes. The catacomb area contained exhibits from the dismantled Vatican pavilion of the 1964 World's Fair. Holy Land took 30 years to complete, and it attracted 40,000 visitors a year from all over the country in the 1960's. Holy Land was conceived and built by John Greco and friends, and dedicated December 14, 1958.
Mattatuck Museum - The only museum in Connecticut solely dedicated to collecting and exhibiting Connecticut artists and sculptors and reflecting the industrial history of the state. The renovation and construction was done in 1986, designed by noted Argentine-born architect Cesar Pelli. The original museum, built by Griggs and Hunt in 1912, is located on the opposite side of the Green.
John S. Monagan Federal Building (Waterbury Post Office) - Designed by George Oakley Totten in 1931, the facade includes eleven panels facing Grand Street that illustrate the history of communication and transportation.
"That building that goes around the corner of Grand and Meadow Streets" was the former headquarters of the American Brass Company (Anaconda). It was built in 1913 using a design by Trowbridge & Livingston of N.Y. It is now the office of the Superior Court.
Library Park - Site of a former burying ground from 1686 - 1890. When it became a park in the early 1900's, some of the bodies were removed and 47 of the headstones were put in the wall along Meadow Street.
First Union Bank - This building located at 60 North Main Street was designed in 1927 as the Dime Savings Bank by York and Sawyer.
Silas Bronson Plaque - It is located in the lobby of the main library. The tablet reads: "Silas Bronson was born in Waterbury, West Farms, Feb. XV, MDCCLXXXVIII; died in the city of New York, Nov. XXV, MDCCCLXVII. An enterprising merchant in busy centers of trade, he was not forgetful of his native town, but bequeathed to it the fruit of his industry for the establishment of a free public library, seeking thereby 'to encourage and sustain good order and sound morals.' Let all who read these books and find help or comfort in them cherish his memory." The West Wing of the present building was built Oct. 20, 1963. The East Wing was completed Sept. 22, 1968. The original Bronson bequest was $200,000. The present day equivalent would be about $14,000,000, conservatively invested over that time span. The first Bronson Library was located on West Main Street in 1868.
Waterbury Firsts
- The first brass in America was rolled by Abel Porter & Co. They were also first to make brass by direct fusion of copper and zinc in 1802 and to commercially make gilt buttons.
- Hiram Washington Hayden in invented the first brass spinning in 1851.
- Holmes and Hotchkiss successfully manufactured the first hooks and eyes in 1836.
- Grilley Bros. made the first pewter or tin buttons in 1790.
- The first covering of cloth buttons by machinery was done by Daniel Hayden and Joseph Hayden from 1828-1870.
- The first expert in the treatment of Asiatic cholera was Dr. Henry Bronson in 1832. He was a professor at Yale Medical School.
- The first ferrotypes which made photography easier, less expensive, more stable and better for the less affluent were manufactured by William Delius in 1859.
- Ezra J. Warner patented the first can opener in 1858.
- The first Girls Club in the United States opened in 1864.
- William H. Davis, the General Secretary of the Waterbury YMCA in 1912, was a member of the first organized team to play basketball. In 1892, he played on the Springfield YMCA training school team of Dr. James Naismith, the creator of the game.
- The first Mickey Mouse watch was produced by the Waterbury Clock Co. under the Ingersoll name in the late 1920's. The price of $1.50 did not result in the company making a big profit.
- The first golf tournament in Connecticut for women only was held in Waterbury on June 12, 1917.
- The first Unico Club was founded in Waterbury in 1922. It now has 8,000 members and 150 regional groups. The membership is composed of business and professional people of Italian lineage or those who are married to an Italian-American. The clubs sponsor educational, cultural and civic programs.
- The famous Minstrel Team of Primrose and West played in Waterbury as far back as 1878. George Primrose said the first rendition of "There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" was in Waterbury.
- Sacred Heart was the first Catholic High School in Connecticut, September 6, 1922.
Waterbury Schools
City Schools
236 Grand Street
Waterbury, CT 06702
Phone: (203) 574-8000
Superintendent of Schools
Dr. David Snead
Mission
The Waterbury Board of Education has pledged to make the Waterbury Public School District the LEADER in Connecticut for urban education reform, for performance improvement and for efficiency.
To visit the home page for the Waterbury Public School System click here.
Approximately 17,445 children attend the Waterbury Public Schools which consists of 19 elementary schools, two Interdistrict magnet schools, three middle schools, three high schools, one alternative education school and one learning center.
Elementary Schools |
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| Barnard School | 11 Draher Ave. 06708 | 574-8181 | |
| Brooklyn School | 29 St. John Street 06708 | 346-3931 | |
| Bucks Hill School | 330 Bucks Hill Rd. 06704 | 574-8182 | |
| Bunker Hill School | 170 Bunker Hill Ave. 06708 | 574-8183 | |
| Carrington School | 24 Kenmore Ave. 06708 | 574-8184 | |
| Chase School | 40 Woodtick Rd. 06705 | 574-8188 | |
| Driggs School | 77 Woodlawn Terr. 06710 | 574-8160 | |
| Generali School | 3196 East Main St. 06705 | 574-8174 | |
| Gilmartin School | 107 Wyoming Ave. 06706 | 574-8175 | |
| Hopeville School | 2 Cypress St. 06706 | 574-8173 | |
| Kingsbury School | 220 Columbia Blvd. 06710 | 574-8172 | |
| Maloney Magnet School | 233 South Elm St. 06702 | 574-8162 | |
| Regan School | 2780 North Main St. 06704 | 574-8187 | |
| Rotella School | 440 Pierpont Rd. 06705 | 574-8168 | |
| Sprague School | 1448 Thomaston Ave. 06704 | 574-8189 | |
| Tinker School | 809 Highland Ave. 06708 | 574-8186 | |
| Walsh School | 29 Ashley St. 06704 | 574-8164 | |
| Washington School | 685 Baldwin St. 06706 | 574-8177 | |
| Wendell Cross School | 1255 Hamilton Ave. 06706 | 574-8171 | |
| Wilson School | 235 Birch St. 06704 | 573-6660 | |
Middle Schools |
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| North End Middle School | 534 Bucks Hill Rd. 06704 | 574-8097 | |
| Wallace Middle School | 3465 East Main St. 06705 | 574-8140 | |
| Waterbury Arts Magnet School | 16 South Elm St. 06706 | 573-6300 | |
| West Side Middle School | 483 Chase Pkwy. 06708 | 574-8120 | |
High Schools |
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| Crosby High School | 300 Pierpont Rd. 06705 | 574-8061 | |
| Kennedy High School | 422 Highland Ave. 06708 | 574-8150 | |
| Waterbury Arts Magnet School | 16 South Elm St. 06706 | 573-6300 | |
| Wilby High School | 568 Bucks Hill Rd. 06704 | 574-8100 | |
Special Programs |
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| Adult Education | 28 East Clay St. | 574-8038 | |
| Enlightenment Program | 30 Church St. 06702 | 574-8050 | |
| Pre-K | |||
| Safe Schools | |||
| State Street School | 35 State St. 06702 | 574-8028 | |
Colleges |
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| University of Connecticut Branch | 99 East Main Street 06702 | 236-9800 | |
| Post University | 800 Country Club Road 06723 | 596-4500 | |
| Naugatuck Valley Community College | 750 Chase Parkway 06708 | 575-8040 | |
Interesting Waterbury Facts
- Berlin Wright Tinker, the superintendent of Waterbury Schools for twenty years, was a descendent of Thomas Tinker of the Mayflower.
- When George Washington laid siege to Boston in 1775, 52 Waterbury men were in his troops.
- Waterburians John Saxon and Mark Richards were with George Washington at Valley Forge 1777-78. 689 Waterburians were in the Revolutionary War.
- MiIicent Baldwin Porter, namesake of the Waterbury Chapter of the D.A.R., helped Washington's troops at the Battle of Monmouth, June 1778.
- Waterbury resident Moses Dunbar, a Tory and Church of England devotee, was hanged in Hartford on March 19, 1777 for "high treason against the state of Connecticut" as an example to all Tories. Lafayette and Washington were said to have passed through Waterbury on their way to Hartford on September 17, 1780.
- A plaque in East Farm cemetery commemorates two French soldiers who died in Waterbury during Rochambeau's march of 1781.
- David Hale, the brother of Nathan Hale, taught school at the Waterbury Academy (1784-85)
- Charles Commerford, ex-postmaster of Waterbury and deputy chief of the first state labor bureau married Alexander Hamilton's daughter, Elizabeth.
- The Hayden, Scovill and Leavenworth Co. made the Lafayette Presentation Button set which was a gift to General Lafayette on his return visit to the U.S. in 1824.
- The Waterbury Button Co. made a button stamped "Andrew Jackson, March 4, 1829" that was duplicated several times during Jackson's presidential campaign.
- Charles Ferdinand Dowd, the Waterbury Superintendent of Schools from 1859-1860, was the originator of the system of "standard time."
- Theodore R. Timby (1822-1909), A Waterbury resident, invented a revolving turret that revolutionized military warfare and was used on the "Monitor" during its historic battle with the "Merrimack."
- Fifty-five Waterbury soldiers accompanied General Grant to accept General Lee's surrender at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. 942 Waterburians fought in the Civil War.
- John Hoadley Abbott was a member of the famous Tompkins Band of Waterbury that performed at Abraham Lincoln's funeral cortege in New York City on April 24, 1865.
- William Frederick Poole, who introduced the pioneering Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, purchased and organized the first collection of the Silas Bronson Library in 1869.
- Lt. Frank W. Kellogg of Waterbury was on one of Adm. Dewey's naval ships during the Battle of Manila Bay, May 1898. Kellogg Day was observed in Waterbury on October 21, 1898.
- On May 21, 1901, the Waterbury Clock Co. received a letter from Mark Twain stating, "Please send me a watch. $1 enclosed." This refers to the highly successful and inexpensive "Watch That Made The Dollar Famous" made by the company. By 1917, 300 workers produced 23,000 clocks and watches a day on benches which, if laid end-to-end, would extend for seven miles. The Waterbury Clock evolved to U. S. Time of Middlebury in 1942 and Timex in 1969. In 1957 Walt Disney was presented with the 25 millionth watch produced.
- Architect Henry Bacon of New York, who designed Waterbury Hospital in 1908 and the Citizens & Manufacturers Bank on Leavenworth Street, also designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
- On October 13, 1908 Waterbury's U.S. Congressman, George W. Lilly read a letter he received from President Teddy Roosevelt requesting a copy of Lilly's speech on the naval bill, delivered before Congress on April 11, 1908.
- On April 15, 1912 Waterbury's Rev. Roger Anderson was a passenger on the ship, Carpathia, that rescued survivors of the Titanic. He gave a memorial service over the exact location where the Titanic had just gone down and later gave a burial service at sea for three crew members and a passenger who died of their injuries while on the Carpathia.
- Many Waterbury veterans returned to Gettysburg on the 50 year reunion of the battle in 1913.
- Thomas P. Devine was the lawyer for Bessie Wakefield during the infamous trial covered by the N.Y. Times, 1913-14. Bessie and her paramour, James Plew, a one-time Waterbury resident, murdered her husband. They were both sentenced to hang. He was hanged. She would have been the first woman ever hanged in Connecticut since the seven "witches" between 1647-1653. Instead, she received life imprisonment after much controversy which included pleas to President Wilson and anger from the renowned Emmeline Pankhurst and Women's Suffrage organizations.
- Representatives from many clans of gypsies throughout the U.S. came to Waterbury to mourn Tryphena McNeil, Queen of the McNeil tribe, at a South Main Street site on April 28, 1915.
- Former Waterbury residents Stefan Bialaneus, Yvan Mozurak and Alexander Stuart were passengers on the Lusitania when it was sunk on May 7, 1915, leading to U.S. entry in WW I.
- Eleanor Chase, the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Irving Chase of Waterbury, married Charles Taft, the son of the ex-President, in 1917.
- Raymond Guyette, winner of the Croix de Guerre, is one of 50 heroes sent back from France by General Pershing to help with the Liberty Loan campaign and tour of the U.S. on April 29, 1918.
- About 6,100 military personnel came from Waterbury in World War I. Twelve Distinguished Service Crosses and twenty-one Croix de Guerres were awarded to Waterbury residents.
- Five "alleged Reds" from Waterbury were rounded-up and sent to Hartford. They were later put on a ship, called "The Soviet Ark" to be sent back to Russia. on January 8, 1920.
- Spanish War veterans unveiled a memorial tablet at Hamilton Park on July 4, 1921.
- Materials for Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" airplane were obtained from Waterbury's French Manufacturing Co., then located on Robbins Street, in 1927.
- Charles Lindbergh, along with four other famous aviators, sent autographs to Waterbury teenage fan, Justin F. Casey in 1927. His uncle had met them in a Long Island hotel and spoken of Justin's admiration for them.
- Telecells manufactured by the Waterbury Battery Co. were used by Admiral Byrd on his expeditions, 1928-30.
- The first chapter in David Garrow's 1994 book, Liberty and Sexuality, is entitled "The Waterbury Origins of Roe v. Wade" and it details the turmoil and historical significance of the Chase Dispensary being Connecticut's first clinic in a public institution to offer birth control information.
- The Waterbury Republican American won the 1940 Pulitzer Prize for Journalism for its exposure of graft in the city. Mayor T. Frank Hayes and 22 others were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the City of Waterbury. Hayes received a 10-15 year sentence and served six years.
- Waterburian George "The Mad Bomber" Metesky returned to the headlines in 1995 when the FBI examined his case in an attempt to catch the Unabomber. Metesky's reign of terror from 1940-57 was provoked by the denial of his Workmen's Compensation claim by Con Edison after a gas accident in the plant caused him chronic lung problems. Fifteen people were injured by Metesky's bombs, and he spent sixteen years in jail. The bomb sites like Macy's, Radio City Music Hall, and the subway, were linked because they all used Con Edison electric power.
- The 10,800 ton S.S. Waterbury Victory was a merchant marine ship launched on July 26, 1945 in Baltimore and christened by Rose Bergin. It was sold to a Dutch company in 1947, to Liberia in 1965, and Taiwan in 1968. It sank off the shore of Taiwan in February 1973.
- In July of 1945, Waterbury resident Michael Nido helped repair the USS Indianapolis - the cruiser that delivered the Atomic Bomb that would later be dropped on Hiroshima.
- In World War II, over 12,000 men and over 500 women (from Waterbury) served at every major campaign. 150 won Bronze Stars.
- George D. Libby, born in Maine, entered the military service in Waterbury. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action" during the Korean War he received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.
- Concetta Di Michele was listed as one of the missing when the elegant Italian passenger liner, Andrea Doria, sank after colliding with the liner Stockholm off Nantucket Island on July 25, 1956.
- Forty thousand people waited until 3 a.m. on the Green to greet Presidential Candidate John F. Kennedy, Sunday, November 6, 1960. Sen. Kennedy spoke to them from the balcony of the Roger Smith Hotel (now called the Elton). Pierre Salinger later said it was the greatest night of the campaign.
- The Mattatuck Drum Band, (founded 1767) the oldest continuing active musical organization in the country played at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy in 1961.
- All of the large structural steel sculptures of Alexander Calder, located throughout the world, were constructed by Segre Iron Works on Reidville Drive in Waterbury.
- Herbert Marcuse, philosopher, social activist, author of Eros and Civilization and One-Dimensional Man, favorite of 1960's radical thinkers and mentor of Angela Davis, had a son, Peter Marcuse, who lives in Waterbury.
- Judge John J. Sirica, born in Waterbury, presided at the Watergate Trial and was Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1973.
- Lescare Kitchens, one of the largest privately held kitchen and bath cabinet manufacturers in the U.S., made cabinets for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Frank Sinatra.
- Platt Bros. & Co., has been doing business in Waterbury since 1797. They produced 800 miles of zinc alloy rod which was used in the underground section of the Alaskan Pipeline to protect it against corrosion.
- Waterbury medical students Mark Perazella and Mark Albini were evacuated from Grenada when the U.S. invaded on October 25, 1983.
- On April 23, 1987, Astronaut Kenneth Cameron gave a special NASA award to Hayden Switch for its high-quality workmanship on the switches it supplied to the Space Shuttle.
- In 1987 Congress established the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for American companies in honor of the former President of Scovill Inc. and U.S. Secretary of Commerce during the Reagan Administration.
- Five thousand people lined the streets on May 12, 1984, as Joseph Carrah, Thomas Fava, Frank Fulco, Gary Coles, Richard Boutot, Bob Wesson and others carried the Olympic Torch through Waterbury on its way from Greece to California for the 1984 Summer Games.
- Sr. Mary Donovan, a Waterbury native and Maryknoll missionary, was taken hostage by the Nicarauguan Contras on January 3, 1985, and released unharmed, on January 10, 1985. At that time, the Contras were funded by White House arms sales to Iran.
- Fyodor Fedorenko, a former Waterbury resident and Scovill worker, was put to death on July 27, 1987 for being a Nazi war criminal; guilty of mass murder and treason. He was the first person ever extradited to the Soviet Union by the U.S.
- Curt Blik, an investment advisor working on the 33rd floor of the World Trade Center, used his Timex Ironman Indiglo wristwatch to guide himself and others down thirty-three darkened staircases after the bombing knocked out power in 1993. His story was featured in a full-page print ad in USA Today.
- Deirdre Coleman, Waterbury-born actress with appearances on "The Cosby Show," "Regis and Kathie Lee," a French perfume commercial that won a Cannes Award and star of a one-woman show, "Gorgeous Mistakes," married famed radio personality Don Imus in 1995.
- The seventh annual American Tour de Sol, an eight-day, 300-mile educational road rally for solar and electric powered cars began in Waterbury on May 20, 1995 and ended in Portland, ME on May 27, 1995.
- The torch for the Special Olympics World Games, the largest athletic event in the world, (140 countries, 7,000 athletes, 15,000 families, 45,000 volunteers), passed through Waterbury on June 27, 1995 on its way from Greece to New Haven, CT.
- The Naval destroyer, U.S.S. Stetham, is named after Waterbury native, Robert D. Stetham, who was killed by Arab terrorists during the TWA Airliner hijacking in 1985. Commissioned on October 21, 1995 it is the first U. S. Navy ship named in memory of an enlisted man.
- The button division of the Waterbury Companies supplies metal buttons to America's top fashion designers, including Anne Klein, Liz Claiborne, Ralph Lauren, and Donna Karan. They also manufacture buttons for retailers, such as Brooks Brothers and J. Press and design buttons for Burger King, American Airlines, and made buttons for uniforms worn on the Titanic. Waterbury Companies' buttons have been created for all branches of the U.S. Military since the Civil War.
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