The Board of Selectmen opened last week’s meeting by honoring Anthony ‘Tony’ Connors “for his contributions to the Town of Westport.”

Mr. Connors, who is president of the Westport Historical Society and previous chairman of the town Energy Commission, among many other posts, was seated front and center for the occasion with his wife Sharon, surrounded by a large group of friends and admirers.

Board Chairwoman Shana Shufelt read from a letter by the Westport Historical Society’s executive director, Jenny O’Neill:

“Tony has been president of the Westport Historical Society for over a decade. During his tenure he steered the Historical Society through the purchase, restoration and opening of the historic Handy House. His gentle leadership style has enabled the Historical Society to flourish and grow.

“Of equal note, Tony became the unofficial town historian for Westport. Author, educator, lecturer, and spokesman, he created accessible and meaningful perspectives on local history. His public programs, whether lectures, walking tours or articles, are notable for being entertaining, scholarly and insightful. He made our local history relevant and significant beyond the boundaries of our town, tackling a wide range of topics such as the development of a factory village in Westport, slavery and temperance.

“For many years, Tony presented a three-part course, Westport History 101, which covered the stories of Westport from the Ice Age to the Second World War. Each session attracted audiences of 100-plus people and people returned year after year to participate.

“His most recent book, ‘Went to the Devil, A Yankee Whaler in the Slave Trade,’ published in April, exemplifies Tony’s ability to elevate small town history to the level of regional and national significance. His book examines the life of Westporter Edward Davoll, a whaling master who turns to the slave trade with disastrous results. Davoll’s story reveals a deadly combination of greed and racial antipathy that encouraged otherwise principled Americans to participate in the African slave trade.”

State Representative Paul Schmid delivered and read a citation from the state House and Senate (Senator Michael Rodrigues was delayed by Senate duties). He noted that the citation should actually have been made to both Tony and his wife Sharon because you can’t think of one without the other.

“Westport is a remarkable tapestry of stories,” Mr. Schmid said, “Native American, African American, Quaker, French Canadian, Portuguese, Yankee and, yes, even Skukes.”

Until the Westport Historical Society came along, “we really didn’t have a central repository for these wonderful stories. We had the photographs around Lees, we had Claude Ledoux’s tapings, and of course Cukie Macomber’s ‘Looking Astern,’, but we lacked a place where these could be gathered and revered.”

After the tributes, Mr. Connors thanked the gathering.

“Every moment that I have devoted to Westport has been gotten back many times over because of the support and enthusiasm and encouragement and friendship of people like you. Thank you.”