By Jaime Thomas
The Hartford Senior Citizens gathered at AJ’s Restaurant on Tuesday to enjoy a luncheon and honor Earl Morrow, who was recently named a senior of the year.
Helen Macura opened the meeting with a prayer, and then Karen Harrington presented Morrow with a gift certificate to What’s Cookin? Restaurant and pinned a white boutineer to his shirt.
About 25 members, or half, of the Hartford group attended the honorary lunch, which included bread, a salad, a main course and dessert.
“The community recognized him for being named senior of the year; he got a lot of response,” Macura said of Morrow. “He’s highly respected and highly recognized—everyone seems to know him. The whole community responded and they’re glad he got it.”
In honoring Morrow, Harrington told his fellow seniors a bit about his life. The World War II veteran was born in West Pawlet and graduated from Hartford. He trained on a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber plane and was shot down on his 17th mission and taken prisoner of war in Germany for six months.
It’s this part of his life that Morrow has finally begun to share, to the interest, education and fascination of those he meets.
Despite this ordeal, Morrow continued to fly planes with American Airlines for thirty years and feels he’s been blessed.
“I’ve had a good life; I think I’ve done pretty good,” he said at the luncheon. He was modest about his honors and said the group needn’t have given him such special attention. But he is proud of his service in the war and is glad to spread his important story.
He is still active both with the seniors and elsewhere. He recently went to Washington with his daughter for the weekend to visit his brother’s burial site. And he’s not expecting to slow down anytime soon.
“I’m going to be here a while. My dad made it to 96; I’m almost 92, and I’m going to beat him,” Morrow said.
