Remembering Jack Brereton, 'A True Treasure'

Anyone who spent time with Jack Brereton quickly learned one thing about him: he loved East Haven.

It was his hometown and he had an encyclopedic recall of the names, faces, facts and figures that made up the history of his town. 

He once told an interviewer he could remember the names of all his teachers from grammar school -- an amazing feat for an 84-year-old man. When he died last Friday, July 29, one of the last direct ties to a large chunk of East Haven’s history was lost. 

It was his knowledge and love of the town -- for what it was and what it would become -- that led Mayor April Capone to name him the official Town Historian in 2009. 

When talking about him Monday morning, Capone said, “Jack Brereton was not only a wealth of historical knowledge for the Town of East Haven, but also a true treasure.” 

“He cared not only about government, but also service to the community. He took pride in preserving the history of East Haven for future generations,” she said. 

Brereton was born into a working class Irish family in 1926. His father worked for President Roosevelt's WPA program and his mother worked at a clock factory. His first home was on Main Street above Mascola's Barbershop and Logan Brothers grocery store, where he lived with his parents, two brothers and a sister.  

He roamed the streets of East Haven with other boys his age; swam in the Farm River; fished in Lake Saltonstall; and went to the movies at the old Capital Theater, where his aunt sold tickets. 

He lived through the legendary 1938 hurricane and watched the German airship 'Hindenburg' fly over town on its way to New Jersey. During this time, he also began a life-long battle with rheumatoid arthritis, which would prevent his serving in World War II. 

Retired Fire Marshal Bill Jackson grew up with Brereton, and participated in many of the same activities. 

"We were in the same high school graduating class. Later on, when he was Town Clerk, I was the Fire Marshal. When he was president of the Historical Society, I was vice president and succeeded him. We also served on the board of the Old Cemetery Committee together," Jackson said. 

"In 1998, Jack called some our classmates and we started getting together out at Doody's Restaurant in North Branford for lunch once a month," Jackson said. "He was a great organizer. He was still coming to our lunches until a couple of months ago, even though he'd been in a wheelchair the past two years." 

As a child of the Depression, Brereton's choices were limited upon graduation. College was financially out of the question. His first job was with the U.S. Post Office.

After working for several years at Reo Motors as the parts department manager, he joined his father in 1955 in the family business: the Goal Post Restaurant in Morris Cove. He later owned the Rotary Inn in Morris Cove.

The Goal Post opened on St. Patrick's Day, always an important holiday for the genial Irishman.

Cathy Watts, a long-time member of the Historical Society, recalled that "two years ago in September, Jack gave an impromptu concert at one of our meetings. He sang a number of Irish songs. He had a great voice and he loved Irish music. We’re really going to miss him." 

One of his Doody’s lunch friends, Joe Carbone, also recalled, “Jackie always was a great organizer. The Stoners used to have a corned beef dinner every St. Patrick’s Day to raise money for charity. Jackie organized everything to make the evening complete and entertaining. He brought in Irish dancers and acted as the emcee."

"Sometime during the evening he always said, ‘And now for my Italian friends, here’s O Solo Mio.’ Then he’d use his Irish tenor to sing the song. No one could have planned a better evening,” Carbone said.

Brereton had been one of the founders and first president of the East Haven Stoners, a charitable organization that donates to area youth programs, cancer research and other worthy causes.

Not long after entering the business world, Brereton became involved in town politics as a staunch Democrat. He was the minority leader on the town council from 1967 to 1971. By 1975, he was ready to run for Town Clerk. He won and went on to hold that post for 10 years. 

"He was a great boss," said Watts, who also worked for him at Town Hall. "His staff members were all women. Every so often, he’d take us all out for Happy Hour as a thank you for our hard work. He was really a gentleman." 

After leaving office, Brereton's next assignment was to chair the town's Bi-Centennial Committee in 1985. This task was much to his liking. His interest in the history of the town had been sharpened while he was Town Clerk since he had access to the detailed historical records of the community. 

In retirement, he turned his energies more and more to historical East Haven. He was always on the lookout for new members for the Historical Society and the Old Cemetery Committee. 

He began writing an update of the history of East Haven, which had last been tackled in 1906. He also co-hosted a show on Public Access ETV television with former Mayor Tony Proto. Over a period of some 10 years, they presented various historical topics. 

“Jack and Tony were a good team,” said ETV’s Marie Saddig. “They came across very well on screen and made their topics interesting. They talked about the history of churches, the fire department -- all kinds of East Haven institutions.”

In 2001, Brereton received the second "Profiles in Courage" award presented by the Democratic Town Committee. 

“The criteria for receiving this award was being a Democrat involved in the betterment of East Haven,” said Gene Ruocco, chairman of the Democratic Town Committee.

“We felt that Jack really exemplified that. He was always a gentleman; always a proud Irish Democrat. His daughter, Noreen Clough, is on the Board of Finance. He was very proud she’s following in her dad’s footsteps.”

Several words seemed to follow Jack Brereton through life. He was an organizer; he was a gentleman; he had an amazing memory; and he had passion for his interests.

He was also a devoted family man -- husband to Ann, father to John and Noreen, and grandfather to John and Ryan. 

It says a great deal about a man when his friends, co-workers, fellow politicians and volunteer cohorts all say the same thing. Of Jack Brereton, they said, “He will be missed.”