Book Immortalizes Stamford WWII Vets

Sixty-nine years ago today (Dec. 7), Pearl Harbor was bombed. Stamford resident John Obuchowski was there. He was in “total shock,” Obuchowski recalled some 50 years later. “Even when the bombs were dropping you felt, ‘It must be a mistake.’ ”

Obuchowski died in 1994, but his words remain. His remembrances of the attack that prompted U.S. entry into World War II can be read by countless ensuing generations because of Tony Pavia.

Pavia’s 1995 book, “An American Town Goes to War,” is a collection of oral histories told to him by Stamford  veterans.

“Stamford was a microcosm of this entire country,” said Pavia. “This war was won by kids. Poor kids, affluent kids, middle-class kids who became extraordinary.”

Pavia, principal of New Canaan High School and brother of Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia, lives and grew up in Stamford. Relatives and friends sometimes mentioned their wartime experiences, piquing Pavia’s interest in their stories. An oral-history independent study course at Southern Connecticut State University, where he majored in history, furthered his desire to capture veterans’ remembrances. He decided in 1991 that he’d finally conduct interviews and write the book that had been lingering in the back of his mind.

There was one major concern, however. “I always felt like there was an hour glass running,” said Pavia. “I was worried they would die before the book was published.”

Some did, including Obuchowski. “It was sad because it was time for them to talk about it. I came along in the 90s, and they were ready.” Pavia gave his first copy of the book  to Obuchowski’s widow.

Elwood Lichack, Stamford’s last Pearl Harbor survivor,  died last year, making Pavia’s book even more invaluable. “They were the history-makers,” said Pavia. “There was a collective greatness we may never see again.”

 

“An American Town Goes to War” can be checked out at Ferguson Library. Have you read it yet? Are you working on a project that will add to Stamford’s historical richness? Add a comment below, or send one to fhunter@mainstreetconnect.us.

 

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