LOCAL HISTORY CORNER: REMEMBERING THE HOME BANK OF CHESHIRE (JUNE 1976)

CHESHIRE CT PHOENIX NEWS

Back in June 1976, while the nation was gearing up for the Bicentennial, Cheshire residents were talking about local banking done right. The June 17, 1976 edition of The Cheshire Herald ran a feature introducing the friendly faces behind The Home Bank as they expanded their footprint with a shiny new North Cheshire branch.  

In an era before automated chatbots and cashless apps, these were the folks who managed your savings, approved your mortgage, and knew your children’s names before you even stepped up to the counter.  

The Front-Line Team

The everyday operations of Home Bank relied on local residents who knew the town inside and out:  

Jeanne C. Morrissette (Vice President & Office Manager): Jeanne started her career as a teller in 1961 and climbed the ranks to Vice President and Manager of the Cheshire office by December 1974. A civic powerhouse, she chaired the Cheshire Chamber of Commerce Membership Committee and served on the Cheshire Building Committee.  

George Naylor (Assistant Treasurer): Bringing 22 years of banking experience to the new North Cheshire branch, George was an alumnus of the Williams School of Banking, a Mason at Center Lodge #16, and a board member for the West Cemetery Association.  

Carmay Santoro (Acting Assistant Manager): Carmay began as a teller, served as Secretary-Receptionist, and stepped into the Acting Assistant Manager role in January 1976.  

Senior & Supervisory Tellers: Virginia Fowler (Senior Teller since 1968) and Maribelle Barnett (Supervisory Teller since September 1966) kept the teller windows running smoothly.  

Branch Staff & Reception: Elaine S. DeBisschop served as Secretary-Receptionist. Valerie Chabot and Jayne D. Papoosha (active in Temple Beth David and the Ben A. Cox School PTA) stepped up to greet customers at the North Cheshire branch. Rounding out the crew were part-time teller Patricia M. Gauthier and newest banker Mary Cavanaugh (Cheshire High Class of 1970).  

The Advisory Board: A Who's Who of 1970s Cheshire

Guiding the bank’s expansion was an advisory board packed with familiar local business owners, civic leaders, and neighborhood staples:  

Frederick A. Hitt: Attorney at Dice, Bohan & Hitt, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, former Board of Education chairman, and 1967 Barney Barnum Day chairman, residing at 303 Beacon Hill Drive.  

Richard N. Fiske: President of Ravenwood Properties, based out of 165 Mountain Brook Drive.  

Edward M. Bowman: President of White-Bowman, Inc. and Cheshire Investment Corp., living at 1430 Notch Road with his family of ten.  

John E. Nettleton: Real estate consultant of 845 Bethany Mountain Road, WWII American Field Service veteran, and Cheshire Land Trust committee member.  

Walter A. DeAndrade: Attorney operating out of 154 Main Street, U.S. Naval Academy and Yale Law graduate, living at 740 Cook Hill Road.  

Stephen W. Hallaway, Sr.: Retired VP of Manufacturing at Waterbury Farrel Co. (after 43 years) and member of the Cheshire Industrial Development Commission.  

Fred W. Bens: Former First Selectman, Director of Public Works, and director for the Hillside

Cemetery Association.  

Ernest C. DeLucia: Owner of DeLucia Farms on West Johnson Avenue, Town Selectman, and resident of 209 North Hill Road.  

Robert A. Huxley: President of Huxley Motors at 206 South Main Street, residing at 1311 Cheshire Street.  

Marshall Fisco & Lawrence Copeland: Prominent local executives leading Waco Scaffolding and Copeland, Inc., respectively.  

Whether you were dropping off a Christmas Club deposit or getting advice on a land transaction, Home Bank’s 1976 team embodied community banking at its peak.