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Chet Blomquist (pictured) knew it was going to be a good day when he saw a deer in his neighbor’s yard on its way to Long Island Sound for an early morning sip of water.
A good day indeed.
In fact, Branford declared Saturday as “Chet Blomquist Day” to honor the 84-year-old who is known as an “indefatigable trailblazer.” His efforts helped establish the 28-mile walking trail along Branford’s perimeter. He has been a key player in developing the Shoreline Greenway Trail (SGT), that will eventually link shoreline towns from New Haven Harbor to Hammonasset Beach in Madison.
About 100 people joined Blomquist Saturday morning for a hike from Stony Creek to the Branford Town Green, and about 120 gathered for a celebration as town leaders praised his vision and his volunteerism.
Chet moved to Branford in 1955, becoming a physical education teacher at Walsh Intermediate School. He volunteered with the town’s recreation programs for more than 50 years, and was so instrumental in the volleyball program that the tournament was named in his honor. After retiring from teaching in 1986, he began walking around town.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“When I retired,” he told those gathered on the Green, “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I started walking in the neighborhood,” Chet said. “Then I got an idea sitting in church. I looked around to see who might be interested in walking with me.”
That was the beginning of the Branford Walkers, which led to Chet’s inspiration about the town’s trails. Chet coordinated efforts with town leaders, the Branford Land Trust and private property owners to link the trails.
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First Selectman Anthony “Unk” DaRos (pictured) told the crowd at the ceremony: “He doesn’t stop. He just keeps moving.”
“In what other town can you actually walk the perimeter and not be trespassing?” DaRos said in regard to the trail system that Chet spearheaded. He talked about how the 28 miles link Branford’s shoreline, wetlands, parks and woodlands.
“The driving force behind all that is Chet,” DaRos said, calling him a “visionary leader.”
DaRos read a proclamation detailing Chet’s accomplishments, and announced that the pond on the Tabor property, which the town owns, would be named Chet’s Pond.
Chip Angle, chairman of the Shoreline Greenway Trail (SGT), who has known Chet since he began serving on the board 10 years ago, said it was comforting for board members to know they had “an expert trail builder in their midst.”
The SGT group is working to build a 25-mile hiking and biking trail along the shoreline that will extend from Lighthouse Point in New Haven, through East Haven, Branford, Guilford and Madison.
“He has been a real leader in the development of the Shoreline Greenway Trail,” Angle said. He presented a plaque to Chet, whom he called an “indefatigable trailblazer.”
Alex Paluzzi, director of the Branford Parks and Recreation Department, talked about Chet’s dedication to the recreation center and its programs over the past half-century. “Chet did so many things for us,” Paluzzi said.
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Beth Dock, (pictured with Chet) representing the Branford Land Trust, talked about the importance of Branford’s trail system. “The trail has introduced hundreds of people to the Land Trust properties,” she said, noting that Chet also donates time to serve as a steward to help take care of those properties.
Dock told the Eagle that she joined Chet’s walking group about 20 years ago. “He got me out walking with a lot of people like me who needed to get out,” she said. “Branford’s trails are extraordinary.”
When it was Chet’s turn at the podium, he recalled the first time he came to Branford on a June afternoon similar to the sun-filled day Saturday. He was arriving for an interview with the Branford school system.
Chet told the Eagle that his love of hiking began in the Catskill Mountains of New York many years ago. He and his wife Daryl, who has since passed away, spent 18 summers working at a Boy Scout Camp in the Catskills. She was the camp nurse and he was the director of waterfront sports.
“I walked the trails of the Catskills for 18 years, that’s how I got into hiking,” Chet recalled.
When asked what he loves about hiking he replied: “You forget your problems and just look around and try to see something different each time.”
Chet also spoke about his most recent project, the Shoreline Greenway Trail.
“I want people to know it takes a lot of coordination and commitment from many, many people,” he said as he asked for volunteers to help with the emerging trail project.
“It’s never one person’s credit…it takes a team,” Chet said. “There’s been many helpful and good people at my side.”
Also speaking at the ceremony were David Gruendel and two teachers from the Branford Education Association; Geoff Smith of the Branford Walkers; Peter Borgemeister of Keyarts Klamberers, and Judy Miller, who shares chairmanship duties with Chet at the Branford Branch of the Shoreline Greenway Trail.
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“I think Chet wakes up every morning and says, ‘What can I do to make Branford a better place to live,’” Miller (pictured) told the Eagle prior to the ceremony.
“Chet is a force of nature, when he asks you to do something, you better do it,” Miller said. “Any time you mention Chet’s name, you get a lot of people supporting you.”
Joe Marshall, a long-time friend of Chet’s who works with him on the SGT project, told the Eagle that Chet is living proof that “the great benefit of hiking is health and longevity.”
Marshall also remarked about Chet’s ability as a leader. “What I find most fascinating about him, he’s terrific the way he gets things done. He’s made a great contribution to the community.”
Chet’s family includes three daughters, Lynne, Judy and Krista; a son, Steve, and six grandchildren.
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“This is quite a big day for my family,” said Chet’s daughter Lynne Cote of Branford. “We’re so proud of our father for all he has done. He has quite a clan who love to walk with him.” (Pictured with husband Butch, and dog Jewels)
His son, Steve Blomquist, who now lives in Hebron, said his father’s passion for hiking, watersports, volleyball and the outdoors inspired his children and grandchildren to follow in his footsteps.
“It’s good, at his age, to see him remain so active and have so many good friends,” his son said, looking around at the crowd. “He’s always been good at getting people enthusiastic.”
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