Knight Spends Terryville Weekend

[Terryville's TV Star: Ted Knight, who plays Ted Baxter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, greets a cousin, Mrs. Alella Kovaleski, during a weekend stay at the home of another cousin, Mrs. Matilda Levandoski of Patricia Street. Knight, a Terryville native, said he has over 100 relatives living in town.]

TERRYVILLE-Ted Knight, who plays Ted Baxter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, came back to Terryville, his home town, this weekend to visit relatives and old friends.

Knight, who plays a news anchorman for a small TV station on the show, said he has "well over 100 first and second cousins living in town" and he's sure he saw just about every one this weekend.

Knight said although the show's cast has completed filming next season's show for the rest of the summer, he still intends to keep busy. He's presently co­hosting the Mike Douglas Show and living in Manhattan. He said he also expects to be in a major play this summer.

He said he had this weekend to himself so he decided to rent a car and drive to Terryville for a day. Once he arrived at his cousin's Matilda Lewandowski's home on Patricia Street, however, his planned one­day stay became a weekend stay.

Mrs. Lewandowski said her home was "avalanched with over 100 people who dropped by to say hello to Ted Saturday night." Knight ended up spending the night at the Lewandowski home and was welcomed back to town by another couple hundred people Sunday.

The successful actor was born and grew up at 18 Allen St., across from St. Casimir's Hall. He attended East Main Street School and Terryville High. He lived in town until he enlisted in the service some 25 years ago.

Knight presently lives in California's San Fernando Valley with Dorothy, his wife of 25 years, two sons, 18 and 12 years old and a daughter, 9. But he said that because his whole family loves the ocean they will soon be moving into a 3,200 square­foot, two­level ocean­front home in Pacific Palisades.

On the Lewandowski front lawn Sunday afternoon, one cousin, Mrs. Alella Kovaleski, asked Knight in Polish, "How was it possible for you to be on TV last night in Hollywood and still be here in Terryville?"

Knight, who says he's "100 per cent Polish," attributed the miracle (in Polish) to "the wonders of science."