
SEYMOUR – Several influential town residents, who devoted countless hours of their time and efforts to making Seymour a better place, will be forever memorialized with three new awards created in their namesakes.
The Board of Selectmen during its May 17 meeting unanimously voted to establish awards in memory of the late Roberta M. King, Frank and Ann Conroy, and Karen Stanek.
Selectmen Al Bruno, Trish Danka and Fred Stanek, who comprise the selectmen’s awards sub-committee, came up with the ideas to create the new awards, which will be given out to town residents on annual basis, starting later this year.
The Roberta M. King Governmental Service is named after King, a well-known philanthropist who worked for the FBI for a short time. King dedicated much of her time to community service, serving as a longtime selectwoman, police commissioner, member of the Seymour Historical Society and active member of the Seymour Republican Town Committee. She was also an EMT with Seymour Ambulance Association, and a volunteer for both the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. King was also quite active in coordinating blood drives for the local American Red Cross chapter. King passed away at age 83 in 2009.
The King award will be philanthropy-focused and go to a resident “with a passion for helping others.”
The Frank and Ann Conroy Community Service Award is named after the longtime married couple (married nearly 70 years) who were extremely active in town, serving on various boards and commissions for decades. The award will be environmental-focused, due to the Conroy’s love and work with the Seymour Land Trust over the years, and go to someone who shared their passion for “exemplary effort in serving the community.”
Frank Conroy, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was a former First Selectman, Land Trust president. longtime police commissioner and a state trooper, among many other hats he wore. He was instrumental in establishing a home for the Valley Marine Corps and fundraising to both purchase and revitalize Legion Pool on Chatfield Street, the home o the Land Trust. The Valley icon passed away at age 90 in 2019.
Ann Conroy was equally enthusiastic about serving the community as a member of many boards and commissions, including the Board of Education, Seymour Democratic Town Committee, Inland Wetlands Commission, Culture and Arts and Seymour Historical Society. She was also involved with Girl Scouts, the Pumpkin Festival and the annual Christmas Parade, among many other groups and organizations. She passed away at age 86 in 2019.
The Conroys were honored in 2018 by the Seymour Christmas Parade Association for their outstanding community service.
The Karen Stanek Seymour Wildcat Pride Award is named for the longtime Seymour High School teacher and selectwoman who passed away in 2019 at age 70. Stanek, standing barely five feet tall, was tiny but a real powerhouse. She devoted 35 years as an educator, standing tall for women’s rights issues, bringing veterans into her classroom to share their stories with students and created a mock trial program for students.
The Stanek award will go to a Seymour student who takes pride in their school and community, and models leadership. Bruno said this award will be referred to the Board of Education to solicit nominations, rather than the sub-committee, and be awarded by the board, accordingly.
The subcommittee will solicit nominations for the King and Conroy awards beginning in August, then make a recommendation of recipients to the full Board of Selectmen in September for approval. The selectmen, in turn, will present the awards in October.
“I can’t think of more deserving namesakes for these awards,” said First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis.