Page 8 - Sojourner Newsletter-WINTER 2021-2022

8 THE SOJOURNER

CHAPTER NEWS

Mr. Carlo Leone, CT Dept of Transportation, congratulating Brig. Gen. Lawlor.

HARTFORD #56. Bridge named in honor of Worshipful Brother and General John P. Lawlor, Jr. On Sep-
tember 17, 2021, a bridge on I-84 in Cheshire, CT which crosses over Route 70 (Waterbury Road) in Water-
bury, CT, was dedicated to Brigadier General and Worshipful Brother John P. Lawlor, Jr. (US Army, Retired).
The event took place at Blackie’s Hot Dog Stand near the bridge. Following the dedication hot dogs were
served to all in attendance. Wor. John is a member and Past Master of Harmony Lodge No. 42, a Past Associ-
ate Grand Marshal of District 3B and a member of Hartford Chapter No. 56, National Sojourners®, Inc.,
Newington, CT.
Connecticut State Representative Lezlye Zupkus, a longtime friend of Wor. John, organized the dedication
ceremony and was instrumental in passing the legislation to name the bridge. She was joined by East Hart-
ford, CT Mayor Marcia Leclerc and other state and local dignitaries.
Wor. and General Lawlor has been deployed on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia, Macedonia, and Kosovo,
and did a combat tour in Iraq. He served as Aide-de-Camp and military assistant to the Chief of NATO opera-
tions in 1997 as part of the Combined Joint Civil-Military Task Force in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. In
2003 he was part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving as Chief of the Public Works team responsible for infra-
structure improvements in Iraq. He also commanded an airborne battalion at Riverdale Park, Maryland, and
served as military advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
During the dedication Carlo Leone, special advisor to the State of Connecticut Department of Transportation,
invited General Lawlor to assist in unveiling a metal sign bearing his name which will be attached to the
bridge. Mr. Leone stated “It’s very unusual to have an award or a naming of a bridge or roadway for a living
person. Always in the past, it has been as a memorial to someone who has passed away and their past achieve-
ments.”