Anthony A. Davenport

Anthony Adams (Tony) Davenport of Windsor died on November 15 at the age of 91. Born in New York City, son of the late Walter and Barbara Davenport, he grew up in Yonkers, NY, and Winchester, CT. He was a graduate of the Northwood School in Lake Placid, NY, and received his B.A. degree at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. Following marriage to the former Elizabeth Jane Kinnear of Rochester, the family moved to the Hartford area where Tony joined the news staff of the Hartford Times. He was, variously, a reporter, television columnist, travel writer and assistant city editor. He was a member of the Society of American Travel Writers, serving SATW for two terms as national treasurer. In 1965 he joined the staff of WHCT-TV/Channel 18 for the station's final years of involvement in the nation's first over-the-air pay-tv experiment, working primarily in the areas of public relations, public service and program generation and promotion. After the experiment came to a close, Tony freelanced as an advertising copywriter before joining the Communications Division of the former State of Connecticut Development Commission, where he was responsible for the production of promotional publications, public relations, publicity and advertising in support of the state's growing tourism industry. In the 50's and 60's, the young family, with their Golden Retriever, hitched a pop-up camping trailer to their station wagon and explored the East Coast from New Brunswick's Bay of Fundy to the sand hills and dunes of the Carolinas, where Tony's parents had retired. He and Jay loved history and spent many years traveling to learn more about the history of the US and British Isles. And when their daughter, Mary, returned to the East Coast with her two young daughters, they happily settled in to help raise their granddaughters. This time can best be described by borrowing an excerpt from Tony's award-winning essay on grandparenting, "We have walked in the woods... we've watched ducks and geese on autumn ponds, seen them fly in formation and talked about where - and why - they go in winter. We've left food for the squirrels and watched them stash it away in the trees... Our time together can be focused without intrusion, paced to smell the roses and concentrate on the delights of companionship." Tony was a long-time member of the First Church in Windsor, UCC, and had served on most of the church's boards and committees. For several years he produced the church's monthly newsletter, as well as some of its other publications. He and a research associate compiled a history of the church's ministry and development since its founding in the early 17th century. For nearly 30 years he added his baritone voice to the church's Senior Choir. He also was a volunteer in the community's Northwest Park Bluebird Management Program, and was a Friend of Northwest Park. He also was a member of the Windsor Historical Society and, for several years, delivered Meals on Wheels to Windsor shut-ins. Tony leaves two daughters and their husbands: Helen Davenport-Senuta and Thomas Senuta, of Windsor, and Mary and Christopher Phelan, of Windsor Locks; two granddaughters and their families: Margaret Kinnear Cameron, her husband Eric Connolly and their children, Lucyann Elizabeth and Alexander Monahan, of Paso Robles, California; and Sara Elizabeth Giuliano, her husband Timothy Giuliano and their children, Della Jane and Cameron Christopher of Augusta, Georgia. He also leaves his nephew, Michael Beach and his wife, Joni, of West Hartford. After 65 years of marriage Tony lost his beloved "Jay" in May of 2015. In addition to his wife and parents, he also was predeceased by his older brother Michael, in Texas. Interment, following cremation, will be next to Jay in the First Church Memorial Garden. Friends are invited to donate to the church's general scholarship fund or to a charity of their choice.