The Graduate

⚠️ Sensitive Archival Image: This article includes a historical photograph that some readers may find unsettling.

— A Southwick Time Machine Original

On June 27, 1931, Miss A. Bruna Gavioli of Southwick, Massachusetts, sailed from New York City on the RMS Cedric for a tour of England, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium, France, and Germany. Bruna was accompanied by her cousin, Corlina Cassari, and Miss Margaret Judge of New Haven, Connecticut.

After nearly two months abroad, Bruna departed Cherbourg, France, aboard the Westernland on August 15 and arrived back in New York City on August 24, 1931.

A. Bruna Gavioli, circa 1930

During her trip abroad, she met a young Italian man named Carlo Benea. He had earned his high school diploma in 1927 and worked as an accountant at the Banca Agricola in Cavezzo in the province of Modena.

On December 14, 1935, Bruna once again sailed from New York City, this time aboard the luxury Italian ocean liner SS Rex, bound for Cavezzo to meet Carlo, now her fiancé.

At the time, the Rex was one of the most famous passenger ships in the world and a source of national pride in Italy during the era of Benito Mussolini. But even as the ship steamed across the Atlantic, the world was quietly changing, and events already set in motion would one day echo across generations.

The Italian ocean liner SS Rex, a symbol of Italian prestige during the era of Benito Mussolini. The ship was sunk by Allied aircraft in 1944 during World War II.

Bruna had grown up helping her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Domenick Gavioli, run Domenick’s Spaghetti House, a restaurant they opened around 1928 on Point Grove Road near Congamond Lake in Southwick, Massachusetts. In addition to working in the restaurant, Bruna became employed as a telephone-exchange operator in Southwick in 1929. Carlo and Bruna reportedly planned to marry in Italy in January 1936, but instead, married on March 12, 1936.

On April 17, 1937, the couple welcomed a daughter, Carla Bruna Benea, while living in Italy.

But events in Europe were rapidly changing. As war clouds gathered over the continent, the young family left Italy and returned to the United States. They departed Genoa aboard the SS Rex on May 24, 1939, and arrived at Luxury Liner Row in Midtown Manhattan on June 1, 1939. They then moved into Bruna’s parents’ home on Point Grove Road in Southwick.

On February 17, 1940, their son Luigi "Lewis" Benea was born at Noble Hospital in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Their joy was short-lived.

The Forgotten Pocketbook

Late on the evening of November 22, 1941, Carlo, then 35, left his job managing a grocery store in Simsbury, Connecticut, and headed home to Southwick. Nearing home, he realized he had forgotten his pocketbook at the store. He turned his car around and drove back to retrieve it.

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company in Simsbury, Connecticut—reminiscent of the grocer where Carlo Benea worked.

On his way home for the second time, while traveling along College Highway near Floydville in Granby, Connecticut, Carlo struck a 60-year-old farmer who was walking along the opposite side of the road near his home along that same stretch of highway. The impact threw the man approximately 30 feet.

Carlo flagged down a passing motorist, Kenneth Reid, and the two men ran to the nearest house to call for help.

They pounded on the door until a woman in her nightgown answered.

Carlo and Kenneth told her that a man had been struck on the road and they needed a telephone to call for help.

As the woman told them she had no telephone, she felt a sudden sense of dread—what she described as a premonition that something terrible had already happened.

She ran from the house and across the yard toward the road, still dressed only in her nightgown.

There, lying badly injured in the roadway, was her husband.

Walter Boyarchurck.

The house where Carlo and Kenneth had pounded on the door for help was the Boyarchurck home. The woman who had answered the door was Walter's wife.

Antonina Boyarchurck fell beside her husband and pleaded for him to speak.

He did not respond.

Grief-stricken and nearly hysterical, Antonina ran to a neighbor’s home to summon help.

Meanwhile, Carlo and Kenneth returned to the scene and placed Walter into Kenneth’s car. They rushed him to nearby physician Dr. Ernest R. Pendleton, but Walter was pronounced dead on arrival. Dr. Pendleton determined the cause of death to be a fractured skull.

Dr. Pendleton's Office, Granby, Connecticut

Carlo was later charged with criminal negligence in the operation of a motor vehicle causing death and was held on $1,000 bail.

The legal consequences of the accident continued long after Walter’s death.

Walter’s son Constantine “Joseph” Boyarchurck, acting as administrator of his father’s estate, later brought suit against Carlo and his wife Bruna, charging negligence and seeking $15,000 in damages.

In January 1943, a Connecticut Superior Court judge found in favor of the defendants. The jury was persuaded that Walter had not exercised sufficient caution and was responsible for his own death.

Yet tragedy seemed to continue to shadow the Boyarchurck family.

Miss A. Bruna Gavioli, circa 1935

A Pattern of Tragedy

Four years later, in 1947, Walter’s son Joseph was held criminally responsible for the death of Chester Morse of Groton, Massachusetts. Morse had been walking along a highway in Simsbury, Connecticut, on June 23 when he was struck by an automobile. He died of his injuries on June 27, 1947.

The accident occurred on College Highway—the same roadway where Joseph’s father, Walter Boyarchurck, had been killed six years earlier.

For the second time in six years, a fatal accident on College Highway had altered the course of the Boyarchurck family.

Walter’s grandson, Joseph Boyarchurck, had been born on May 15, 1941—just months before his grandfather’s death.

On February 9, 1964, the younger Joseph sideswiped another vehicle in Groton, Connecticut. Traveling at a high rate of speed, his car went out of control and struck a pile of rocks. He died from his injuries on February 11 at the age of 22.

For the Boyarchurck family, the echoes of tragedy had stretched across generations.

But the course of Carlo Benea’s life would take a very different path.

For many years he worked as an accountant at Veeder-Root before retiring in 1971.

Retirement did not slow him down.

Gas pumps featuring Veeder-Root counters manufactured in Hartford, Connecticut (circa 1953)

A Life of Service

For more than 17 years, Carlo volunteered every Friday at a Connecticut courthouse, assisting the adult probation office of the state judicial department. He helped people complete legal paperwork and gave guided tours of the courthouse. He also volunteered as a tax counselor, preparing income tax returns free of charge.

During the 1978 tax season alone, Carlo and two fellow volunteers spent 217 hours counseling 258 taxpayers and preparing 248 income tax returns at the Senior Citizens Center in Bristol. Connecticut. The following year he headed a tax assistance program in Avon, Connecticut, through the town’s Social Services Department.

Even in his late seventies he remained active, working out at the gym three times per week.

And he returned to school.

Carlo Benea, circa 1985

Students in one of his classes on the history of Western civilization said they were glad to have Carlo there because he offered firsthand accounts of life under the regime of Mussolini—the fascist dictator who ruled Italy while Carlo was a young accountant. Having lived through that era, he made the history come alive.

His wife, Bruna, joked that she had grown used to her husband doing homework at three o’clock in the morning.

In 1986, just months before celebrating his 80th birthday, Carlo Benea graduated with honors from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor of arts degree in modern languages, majoring in Italian. A part-time student, he had even made the Dean’s List.

Carlo later returned for postgraduate study while continuing his volunteer work. In 1989, the Hartford County Bar Association honored 32 probation volunteers; Carlo and two others received special commendations as the oldest and longest-serving volunteers.

Carlo Benea died at age 96 on November 19, 2002—just three days before the 61st anniversary of the accident on College Highway that had once altered the course of his life.

He was laid to rest in Saint Ann Cemetery in Avon, Connecticut.

His gravestone bears a simple inscription:

“GOD FAMILY KNOWLEDGE.”

— Another story uncovered, assembled, and preserved by the Southwick Time Machine

Walter Boyarchurck: 1882 — November 22, 1941

Carlo Benea: July 12, 1906 — November 19, 2002

This article is based on original primary-source research, including but not limited to official records, census data, and period newspapers. Southwick Time Machine stories are living documents. Research is ongoing, and this account may evolve as new information comes to light.

The photographs accompanying this story are authentic, unless otherwise noted. In keeping with historical preservation standards, some of the images may have been digitally enhanced for clarity and detail, without altering the original subjects.

Help the Southwick Time Machine preserve stories like Walter Boyarchurck’s life and Carlo Benea’s journey—real histories that shaped generations and must never be forgotten.

Edited Out/Author's Additional Research Notes

Walter Boyarchurck: 1882 - November 22, 1941

Antonina Boyarchurck: 1880 - April 24, 1952

Constantine “Joseph” Boyarchurck: 1911 - 1979

Constantine “Joseph” Boyarchurck: May 15, 1941 - February 11, 1964

Carlo Benea: July 12, 1906 - November 19, 2002

Bruna (Gavioli) Benea: September 12, 1909 - June 30, 2009

Carla Bruna (Benea) Hayes: April 17, 1937 - February 8, 1996

Luigi "Lewis" Benea: February 17, 1940 -

Dr. Ernest Raymond Pendleton: October 16, 1873 - May 16, 1961

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini: July 29, 1883 - April 28, 1945

Bruna is sometimes listed as Burna.

Boyarchurck is sometimes mispelled Boyarchurk.

Antonina died at her daughter's house.

Following the 1941 accident, the Beneas relocated to Old Farms Road in Avon, Connecticut, on January 16, 1942.

Carlo and Bruna's son was reportedly Luigi. Later reports have him listed as Lewis.

Carlo's father's name was Luigi.

Walter Boyarchurck was born in Russia; Carlo Benea was born in Italy.

Carlo later told police he had tried to swerve to avoid hitting Walter.

Carlo’s wife, Bruna, lived to be 99 years old.

A Veeder-Root Counter

Carlo held various jobs upon arriving in America. He worked for the Gaviolis at their restaurant, he did handyman stuff, he worked at a grocery store, he managed a grocery store, and was a meat cutter.

Bruna was born in Berlin, Connecticut. By 1910, the Gaviolis were living in New Britain, Connecticut.

Bruna and her mother sailed aboard the Rex in July 1935 for a two-month visit to Italy.

In 1947, Constantine Joseph Boyarchurck lived at 5 Pine Hill, Simsbury, Connecticut.

One source said Carlo was returning to the store when he hit Walter. This does not appear correct.

In college, Carlo always sat in the front row so he could hear better.

The school provided free tuition for students over the age of 62.

In 1993, Carlo received more recognition for his volunteer efforts.

Carla’s first husband died at age 38 on April 14, 1970, following a short illness. She remarried in 1972.

In 1945, Carlo was described as having gray eyes, weighing about 145 pounds, and being five feet, six inches tall. He also had a scar under his chin.

More Than Just a Town Doctor: Dr. Pendleton of Granby

Ernest Raymond Pendleton, M.D.

In 1921, Dr. Ernest R. Pendleton opened the Granby Community Hospital in Granby, Connecticut. The private hospital was originally a large private residence, reportedly bought for $10. It was so big that little renovation was needed to convert it into a hospital before its opening date on November 15. The first floor was used at Dr. Pendleton’s home. On the second floor, there were three private rooms, a dark room for developing X-rays, a consultation and exam room, and nurses’ quarters.

In 1923, a part-time dental office was established on the second floor, and the cellar was converted to a laundry processing facility.

At the time, it was widely believed that rest, recreation, and outdoor activity were beneficial to recovery. To support that philosophy, Dr. Pendleton established a nine-hole golf course on the hospital grounds for the exclusive use of patients. The hospital also had a tennis court, croquet greensward, and a swimming pond.

Because Granby Hospital offered extensive recreational facilities and encouraged long periods of rest, it gradually came to function more like a sanitarium. People from all over New England, New York, and New Jersey came to the well-renowned facility. By 1926, it had been renamed Dr. Pendleton’s Sanitarium.

In 1927, the golf course was opened to the general public in an effort to appease residents upset that they could not use the facility's many amenities.

Patients often stayed for extended periods, and the operation eventually suffered financial problems due to difficulty collecting from patients. Some reportedly lived there for up to six years.

Dr. Pendleton’s Sanitarium closed on November 1, 1928. The last patient left on November 28, 1928, but he continued seeing patients at his practice. He had also served as medical examiner.

The golf course, which expanded over the years, remained in operation. Around 1930, the former sanitarium reopened as the Granby Terrace Inn. The golf course closed in 1943, partly due to gasoline rationing during World War II. It later became what is now Salmon Brook Park.

The Granby Terrace Inn, Granby, Connecticut

Dr. Pendleton was also a real estate developer. Pendleton Street in Granby, Connecticut, was named for him.

The well-respected doctor was born in Russell, Massachusetts. Later in life, he moved to Westfield, Massachusetts. He passed away there in 1961.

Dr. Ernest Raymond Pendleton
October 16, 1873 — May 16, 1961

RMS Cedric
Launched in 1902, the RMS Cedric was a British transatlantic ocean liner operated by the White Star Line. She was one of the company’s famous “Big Four” liners, designed for size, comfort, and luxury rather than speed. At the time, she was among the largest ships in the world, carrying passengers and Royal Mail between Liverpool and New York.

The Cedric was part of the White Star Line

During her career, the Cedric also served as a troop transport in World War I, and later returned to civilian service. By the late 1920s, the ship was aging compared to newer liners, but it remained a reliable vessel for transatlantic travel.

The Cedric was scrapped in 1932, shortly after Bruna Gavioli sailed aboard her in 1931 for her tour of Europe, marking the end of an era for one of the White Star Line’s iconic ships.

SS Westernland
The SS Westernland was a transatlantic passenger liner operated by the Red Star Line during the early 20th century. The ship was launched on April 19, 1917 as the SS Regina built by Harland & Wolff in Scotland and renamed Westernland in 1929 after entering Red Star Line service. (The Dominion Line ordered the ship in 1913.)

The vessel operated on routes between Europe and New York, often stopping at ports such as Cherbourg, France, making it a common choice for American travelers returning from Europe.

In August 1931, Bruna Gavioli boarded the Westernland in Cherbourg for her return voyage to America.

The ship changed hands several times. It even entered the war effort and was converted into a destroyer depot ship.

The ship continued in service for several years before eventually being retired after plans convert it into a whaling ship were abandoned. On August 1, 1947, the Westernland arrived at Blyth, Northumberland to be scrapped.

The SS Rex - The Grand Staircase in First Class

SS Rex: Italy’s Pride on the Atlantic

Launched in 1931, the Italian ocean liner SS Rex was one of the most famous passenger ships of the 1930s. Operated by the Italian Line, the ship quickly became a symbol of national pride in Italy during the rule of Benito Mussolini.

In August 1933, the Rex won the prestigious Blue Riband for the fastest transatlantic crossing, completing the voyage from Gibraltar to New York in just over four days. (She held the westbound Blue Riband until being dethroned by the SS Normandie in June 1935.)

The ship continued to operate on transatlantic routes throughout the 1930s, carrying thousands of passengers between Europe and the United States.

After Italy entered World War II, the Rex was removed from transatlantic passenger service and laid up in the Adriatic Sea near Trieste. On September 8, 1944, the ship was attacked and sunk by Allied aircraft after the region fell under German control. The wreck remained partially visible for several years before it was eventually scrapped.

The Blue Riband is an unofficial title awarded to the passenger liner making the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Rex capsized after it was attacked on September 8, 1944

From the Rex to Fascist Italy: Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini was the fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943. He founded the National Fascist Party and established one of the first fascist regimes in Europe. Mussolini ruled Italy during a period of authoritarian government and aggressive nationalism, and his regime later allied with Nazi Germany during World War II.

As the war turned against the Axis powers, King Victor Emmanuel III had Mussolini arrested in July 1943 after the Allied invasion of Sicily. German forces later rescued him and installed him as the head of the puppet Italian Social Republic in northern Italy. In April 1945, as the Allies advanced and the Axis powers collapsed, Mussolini was captured by Italian partisans while attempting to flee northern Italy and executed by firing squad.

Mussolini’s body, along with his mistress Clara Petacci, was taken to Milan and hung upside down in Piazzale Loreto. This public display allowed citizens to see that the fascist leader had been defeated, symbolized the reversal of his power, and served as a form of collective justice after years of oppression. The crowd insulted and struck the bodies as a final act of vengeance. Mussolini’s execution came just days before Adolf Hitler took his own life as Nazi Germany collapsed, marking the final days of the Axis powers in Europe.

The bodies of Benito Mussolini (second from left), his mistress Clara Petacci (third from left), and other fascist collaborators hang in public display at a service station in Milan’s Piazzale Loreto following their execution by Italian partisans in April 1945.

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