In Stamford's historic Atlantic Square, amid modern store fronts and movie marquees, a granite slab marks the ground where, 305 years ago, "Twentynine men and their families . . . imbued with the spirit of the founders of New England . . . made a permanent and enduring settlement of landowners and freemen."
From the pioneer Connecticut outpost has grown an industrial city of 65,000. Near the commemorative tablet stands a World War II honor roll, with gold stars marking the name of many a newer seeker after liberty: Arruzza, Dubrovsky, Malizewski, Pezzimenti.
This...