It has been a busy few months for Bill De Nio who won an Honorable Mention from the Connecticut Press Club for his Op-Ed piece, “Defending liberty: From battlefield to ballot box,” which appeared in the November 2025 issue of the Drummer.
As a member of both The American Legion Post 182, where he serves as Adjutant and webmaster, and the Granby 250 Committee, he has worked with community members on preparations for both the Memorial Day and 4th of July parades. As anyone who has helped to assemble community-wide initiatives knows, these are huge undertakings with lots of moving parts and the weather plays an outsize role.
Before moving to Granby in 2014, Bill and his wife, Judy, served in the U.S. Air Force, and he noted, “My time in Granby has been the longest I’ve lived anywhere.” Past posts included Texas, Alaska, Italy, Maryland, Japan, Israel, Germany and his final post at Fort Gordon in Georgia. After retiring from the USAF, De Nio spent five years at Travelers Insurance in Hartford while putting down roots in Granby. He had always wanted to live in New England and it has exceeded his expectations, including riding his motorcycle when the weather cooperates.
In addition to The American Legion and the Granby 250 Committee, De Nio has served as a poll worker and is involved with CTVets250, a veteran-led initiative creating an interactive Revolutionary War trail that connects 15 historic sites across the state, while also collecting oral histories from local veterans. The goal is to ensure that the service and sacrifice of Connecticut’s military community remains visible and honored for generations to come. He is also cultivating his hobby of studying the night sky and is a member of the Astronomical Society of Greater Hartford. De Nio noted that while he has submitted a number of items for publication in the Drummer, his Op-Ed piece was the first one that received such positive feedback.
His award-winning article can be found by visiting this link.