Beloved WHS Security Director to Retire
WETHERSFIELD - Last Thursday afternoon, the dining room of the Wethersfield Country Club was packed with well-dressed public officials, school administrators, and residents from more than one town.

       The man of the hour: Ninety-year old John Saccente, the Wethersfield High School Security Director set to retire by the middle of the month. â€"Pops”, as members of the Wethersfield community affectionately call him, is somewhat of a â€"legend” in town, and today, the crowd of 165 plus people serves to illustrate that.

       â€"We don’t even get this kind of turnout when we have events for the Lieutenant Governor,” jokes John Gallivan, Chair of the Democratic Town Committee and a Wethersfield High School teacher.

       And for Saccente, who started at WHS-essentially a third career proceeding his service in World War II and his work with the Newington Police Department-the whole thing was a total surprise.

       â€"All I knew was, they told it was Bingo and World War II trivia,” Saccente says with a laugh. â€"Then I walk into this.”

       He’s sitting at his table, and, even as the party winds down, there’s a line of well-wishers waiting for their few minutes with him. He happily takes photos with old friends and former co-workers, as he tries to pin down his favorite WHS memories.

       â€"You could not fill a newspaper with all the memories I have,” Saccente says. â€"If I could write a book about them, I’d write a book.”

       Yet, Saccente doesn’t get too specific, reflecting mostly on the impact generations of WHS students have had on him.

       â€"They’re all my kids,” he says. â€"They grew up with me, and I love ‘em all.”

       But family members and colleagues were happy to fill in some of their favorite â€"Pops” memories.

       WHS Principal Tom Moore recalls the presentation of Saccente’s high school diploma-another surprise-during a graduation ceremony. Saccente enlisted in the military while he was still in high school, and by law, WWII veterans that joined under similar circumstances are eligible to receive the credential.

       â€"That was a pretty special moment,” Moore says.

       Deena Saccente, his granddaughter and WHS graduate, echoed this sentiment.

       â€"I think it was something he’ll never forget,” she says. â€"The opportunity to have a high school diploma was just amazing for him, and I tear up thinking about it.”

       As for his decision to retire, â€"Pops” says that it was simply â€"about time.”

       â€"I can’t walk around like I used to, chasing after kids,” he says. â€"I’m 90 years old.”

       He says he plans to kick back and take it easy. And who knows, maybe he’ll have time to write that book after all.

       â€"He’s an amazing person who has a huge heart,” Deena says. â€"He’s done a lot in his life, but I think being at Wethersfield High school is what he’s most proud of.”

      
STORY BY MARK DIPAOLA   |  Mar 09 2017  |  COMMENTS?