MUG ONE, the Macintosh User Group of Oneonta, will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3 in 103 Golisano Hall on the Hartwick College campus in Oneonta.
Brian Foley and Tom Slavinsky will present "Transferring LPs and Cassettes to your Mac". They will show how easy it is to digitize your record or cassette collection, using most any cassette deck or turntable, simple cables and inexpensive (or even free) software.
As an added bonus, Sven Anderson will give an introduction to Apple's newly announced iPad tablet computer.
For more information go to http://www.mugone.com, email Elsa Travisano at info@mugone.com or call Brian Foley at 988-7443.
Oneonta Tigers owner E. Miles Prentice Thursday told the City of Norwich, Conn., what he had told the City of Oneonta a year ago: “We’re happy to be here. We’re excited to be here and to be a member of the community.” As expected, Prentice, at a press conference in Norwich City Hall, announced the New York-Penn League Tigers will be moving from Damaschke Field this season to Dodd Stadium, former home of the Connecticut Defenders, which moved to Richmond, Va., in September. For the full reportage from the Norwich (Conn.) Bulletin, click here
Two people, a 46-inch pizza, one hour, and the chance to win $200 and have your name on the wall. A “Pizza Eating Challenge” is under way at Tino’s Pizza on Main Street; owner Tino Garufi said he was inspired by the Food Network’s “Man Vs. Food” show. “You always see this type of thing on TV, but not around town. I don’t know anyone who does this,” Garufi said. “I thought it would be fun, and seeing people try it would be great.” The pizza is made up of 6 ½ pounds of dough, 40 ounces of sauce and a couple pounds of cheese, the equivalent ingredients to four of Tino’s large-size pizzas. To take the challenge, deposit $40 and show up at the scheduled time with your co-pizza-eater. Then, try to eat the whole pie, every last piece of crust, in under an hour. Succeed, you get your $40 back, plus the $200 prize, your name on a plaque, your picture on the wall – and bragging rights. The plaque is being fashioned at Sport Tech, Tino’s Main Street neighbor. The first to take the challenge were Adam Remillard and Richard McVinney, both of Oneonta, on Saturday, Jan. 9. They sat in the front window. A crowd started to form. They only made it half way through. With 19 minutes to go, they gave up. For the three weeks since, Garufi has had signs in his windows promoting the challenge, but has had no serious contenders apply until this week. On some late nights, the bar crowd will come in and say they are interested in doing it, but forget about it, or change their minds by the next morning and never come in and sign up. Two more – Tino only knew them as Dominic and Rick, who work at Aaron’s Rentals – tried again on Tuesday, Feb. 2, but gave up with 4 minutes and 2 ½ slices to go. Garufi is hoping word of the challenge will spread about town and more people will give it a try. He thinks it would be fun to arrange some sort of challenge between local college fraternities or sororities. If it attracted the attention of the Food Network show, that would be even better, but not his ultimate intention. “You always see this type of thing in Texas, but not Oneonta. It would be pretty cool if ‘Man vs. Food’ came to little Oneonta to try it,” Garufi said. Tino’s Pizza has been back in Oneonta and located on Main Street since September, after spending six years in Cooperstown. “It’s good to be back,” Garufi said about the move.
Common Council Tuesday, Feb. 2, voted unanimously for an update of the 1996 study that recommended a merger of the city and town of Oneonta. The town board considers the matter Tuesday, Feb. 9.
BACKYARD BIRDS:
The 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, sponsored by the National Audubon Society, Feb. 12-15, asks everyone to count the highest number of each species they see at one time at one site on one of the days, and enter their tally on the web site www.birdsource.org/gbbc. For more information, contact John Davis at davi7js4@hughes.net or 607-547-9688.
NEXT BROWN?
Time magazine has listed Republican Richard Hanna of Cooperstown and Barneveld, who is running again against U.S. Rep. Mike Arcuri, D-24, as one of its 10 best prospects for pulling another "Scott Brown," the upset in Massachusetts' Senate race.
COUNTY IN PHOTOS:
Photographer Richard Duncan will talk about his book, “Otsego County: Its Towns & Treasures,” at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Greater Oneonta Historical Society's History Center at 183 Main St. A book signing will follow the presentation.
Patrick N. Dwyer has been appointed as Catskill Area Hospice & Palliative Care’s first full-time medical director, as well as its chief medical officer. He will oversee the medical aspects of patient care and serve as liaison with the local medical community. Dr. Dwyer has been affiliated with hospice since 1989, when he became associate medical director and volunteered to attend interdisciplinary team meetings and perform patient consultations as needed. Dr. Dwyer is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hematology. A graduate of Notre Dame, he received his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and he completed his residency in Internal Medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He also trained as a clinical associate at the National Institutes of Health in the National Cancer Institute and completed fellowships in both medical oncology and hematology at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. He was a hematologist-oncologist for 25 years at Bassett Healthcare.
ARC EMPLOYEE OF QUARTER:
Cesily Secoolish, Community Job Coach, has been named The Arc Otsego Employee of the first quarter for 2010. Secoolish has worked for The Arc Otsego for several years, first as a day habilitation site coordinator, now as a community job coach in the Community Employment Services Division. As community job coach, Cesily works with clients and employers to find jobs for people with disabilities and support them in their positions.
STILL THERE:
Bill Lelbach, identified as "former" artistic and managing director, Chenango River Theatre, in a recent article on the Foothills Performing Arts Center, is still in the position.
For the OHS boys basketball program, it was the fact that it was senior night. For a select bunch on this Jackets squad, it was the last time they would grace the floor at Drago Gymnasium outside of practice. Oneonta, who had gotten pounded by arch-rival Norwich just a few nights before (losing 27-6 at Halftime), had been embarrassed and upset after their loss. As we saw with OHS football, the energy on Senior Night was amazing. It was unparalleled, unmatched, and Owego, their STAC rival, simply could not keep up. Coach Jerry Mackey, who had very high expectations for this team coming in, has kept the Jackets within competition in the STAC (arguably the toughest conference for class B in central NY), however they just can't seem to get over that hump. OHS has numerous talent, let’s not forget that, however it seems that they have the same problem as eggplant....poor consistency. As they showed this week, they can beat anyone, but they have also shown that they can lose to anyone. Oneonta still has a shot at sectionals, and with their senior leadership (Eastman, Broe and Southerland), they should be able to make some noise....if they can stay consistent. Oneonta High School is pretty much all this city has left. Sure, the colleges are what the city is known for, however the community really rallies behind their Yellow Jackets. The OHS boys squad was 4-9 coming into this game, and 4-8 heading into the Norwich game, and the stands were packed. The girls team, which is ranked 4th in the state (after their shocking loss early season to Maine Endwell), has deep fan support but this passionate community gets behind their high school the way a city rallies around a professional team. Win, lose or draw, OHS is their life. That could have been the fuel to the fire Monday night for their 62-51 win. The fuel to the fire which burned bright, creating 34 total points from the Oneonta Seniors Eastman (15), Broe (2) and Southerland (17). Dan Baker contributed to the pot with 15 and Bryce Wooden scored 9. Apparently, Oneonta has some depth, and some hope for next season as well. Oneonta has a rich seeded athletic heritage, and despite the recent blow they have been dealt with their professional team leaving, they will continue to support their tradition, their heritage, their Jackets. Despite swirling accusations claiming the lack of fan support in the city, I have always been humbled about how this community as a whole gets behind their team. You put out a good product, and they are more than willing to indulge. Oneonta High School is a competitive athletic program, and they are soundly rewarded by the community. With a gym packed, sometimes a team with a down record may be lifted up. Sometimes, the little things make a difference.
Miller Proves Himself On SUNY Swim Team
By: BENJAMIN DEER It is rare when a collegiate athletic program finds a star in its youngest athlete. However, that is what the Oneonta State Men’s Swim Team has found in freshman, Alex Miller. Miller, a 2009 graduate of Oneonta High School, has been swimming competitively since the age of six. “My parents put me on the YMCA Swim Team when I was six, and I have just liked it and stayed with it ever since,” he said. Even as a freshman, Miller knows not to let his nerves get the best of him. In his first-ever college meet, he finished first place in the Men’s 200 yard IM as well as in the Men’s 100 yard Backstroke. Since then, Miller has come in first place 16 more times. For Miller, focus is the most important aspect of his success. “When I’m competing, all I focus on is beating the guy next to me,” he said. Miller’s simple, yet directed approach has worked wonders for him and the swim team as a whole. In his freshman year alone, Miller has already set a school and pool record in the Men’s 400 yard IM with a time of 4:23.59. He plans to break a few more records as well. “I want to go 52.0 seconds in the 100 yard backstroke. I would also like to take down both the 200 and 400 individually medley records, as well as the 200 backstroke record. I also think our freshman class can take down most of the relay records by the end of our senior year if we keep working as hard as we have this season,” he said. SUNY Oneonta’s swim team boasts 11 talented freshmen, with Miller being the most prominent. And as a freshman star, Miller keeps his success in perspective. “I really feel like I have accomplished something with all the hard work I have put in to swimming throughout my life,” he said. Miller’s freshman year will spawn many memories, but one in particular is special to him. At the North Country Invitational Meet in Potsdam, NY on the weekend of Nov. 20, Miller led his team to finish first place. Dominating the pool that weekend, the Oneonta men finished with 466 points. Second place Clarkson University finished with 427.5 points. However, what made this first-place win even more special was beating out Oneonta rivals, Buffalo State. “The most memorable moment of the year for me is when we beat Buffalo State at the North Country Invite and started chanting ‘No More Dancing’ to Buffalo State,” he said. If the Oneonta men can channel that confidence to the SUNYAC Championships, it will bode well for them, as they will enter the final meet of the season with a dual (swimming and diving) record of 3-6. The SUNYAC Championships will take place Feb. 10-13 at Erie Community College.
Compiled by Tom Heitz with resources courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library
125 YEARS AGO
Home & Vicinity – Five sleigh-loads of handsome, well-dressed women, drawn by plumed horses, enjoyed a ride about Oneonta Tuesday afternoon upon invitation of Mrs. George I. Wilber and Mrs. Wm. Morris. The sleighing was excellent and the weather all that could be asked for. After the ride the sleighs came up in front of the Central Hotel where a “lovely” supper was served which brought forth a great deal of praise from the critical married women, of which class the party was for the most part composed. The ladies were sixty in number and they talked like sixty. February 1885
100 YEARS AGO
The Merchants’ Association of Oneonta held its sixth annual banquet at the Windsor Hotel Friday evening of last week. The attendance was large, fully 110 members and guests sitting down at about ten o’clock to one of the finest repasts ever served on like occasion in the city, and at once attacking and disposing of the viands with a zest and keen enjoyment which would make a big reduction sale look like thirty cents. The banquet was a genuine triumph for Landlord Swart. Following the dinner, which was interspersed with music by Wolcott’s orchestra, came a series of addresses. M.G. Ronan, president of the association, was toastmaster. There were three speakers on the program – Dr. Schumacher, Superintendent H.W. Rockwell and lawyer Joseph W. Lawson, Esq. of Albany. February 1910
80 YEARS AGO
Over 80,000 people visited Howe Caverns, located near Cobleskill, from its opening on May 27, 1929 to December 31, a remarkable showing for the first year of such an enterprise. This was disclosed at a meeting of the stockholders held at Cobleskill last week. Plans for the illumination of the underground lake, which is 200 feet below the surface and 600 feet long, and for the providing of boats for the use of visitors by May 1 were discussed as well. The company will install 650 additional electric lights to illuminate the lake, making 1,650 electric lights in all within the caverns. February 1930
60 YEARS AGO
Undefeated Oneonta State Teachers College, the only unbeaten college basketball team in upstate New York, ran its victory string to 13 games Saturday night in the State Armory by beating Geneseo State Teachers College, 35-22. The contest was a battle of strategy more than anything else. Geneseo employed a deliberate cautious style of play, working out of a “mill” when the Red Dragons refused to be drawn into a man-to-man defense. The action lagged and at one time the activity was so dull that Fran Delaney, officiating with Jim Konstanty, expressed his attitude toward the idleness when he grabbed a soda pop tray from a vendor and went through the motions of selling it. The rules provide that a player must get rid of the ball within five seconds if an opponent is within three feet, but the ball can be held for 40 minutes if the three-foot zone is not transgressed. Geneseo held the ball for four minutes in the third period and five minutes in the fourth as the Dragons refused to relinquish their sliding zone defense. February 1950
40 YEARS AGO
Insufficient customer support has resulted in withdrawal by the New York Telephone Co. of its plan to expand local calling areas in a wide region around Oneonta. Involved were 14,367 customers in Oneonta, Cooperstown, Davenport, Edmeston, Hartwick, Hobart, Milford, Otego, Schenevus and Worcester. Last May the company polled its area customers for opinions on its proposal, which would have expanded service while at the same time increasing the monthly rates. John F. Murphy, company manager in Oneonta, said 10,502 customers participated in the poll. Of the total, he said 5,936 or 56.5 per cent opposed the plan; 4,140 or 39.4 percent were in favor, and 426 or 4.1 percent were neutral. Mr. Murphy said the plan would have eliminated toll charges ranging up to 25 cents. Under the plan monthly increases for residential customers would have ranged from 95 cents for a multi-party line in Otego to $2.15 for an individual line in Edmeston. February 1970
30 YEARS AGO February 1980
20 YEARS AGO
The office of Continuing Education at SUNY Oneonta will offer a basic aviation ground school during the spring semester. The course will prepare students to pass the Federal Aviation written examination, which is a prerequisite to flight training. Topics to be covered include aerodynamics, navigation, flight planning and weather. Plans are being made to administer the FAA examination at the end of the class. The instructor is Edward J. Welch, Jr., owner of Oneonta Aviation, Inc. Welch is a certified flight instructor and a licensed commercial pilot. February 1990
10 YEARS AGO
The Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society and the Ayres Society of Natural History will be searching for winter resident owls and hawks on February 12 in the Mohawk Valley near Sharon Springs. This is often a winter range for Short-eared and Snowy Owls and Rough-legged Hawks. Other hawks and owls, including Great-horned, Screech and Saw-whet Owls, are found in the area throughout the year. Participants should bring binoculars, dress warmly and bring a sandwich as food may not be available to purchase. The group will search for day-flying owls and hawks during the late afternoon and twilight and for night owls after dark. February 2000
Easy go, easy come back. It was as if Mayor Dick Miller caught the news of the Oneonta Tigers’ departure as it bounced off the outfield wall, then fired it home for an out. Not quite yet. But before Minor League Baseball has even officially approved the Tigers moved from Damaschke Field to Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn., the mayor may have already drafted a replacement – unnamed, so far – from the New York Collegiate Baseball League. “They’re dying to come here,” the mayor told Common Council at its Tuesday, Feb. 2, meeting. “We would have the best field in the league.” If you see this in time, Miller is hosting a public meeting on the future of baseball in Oneonta at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, at the Stella Luna. Admission free. Hors d’oeuvres served; cash bar. And the mayor may ask you to invest in the team to come: There’s no time to spare, as the NYCLB season starts in early June and the league needs to know by the end of next week if Oneonta is in. He said E. Miles Prentice, Tigers owner, has been helpful in lining up NYCBL interest. NYCBL players are from collegiate baseball powerhouses – Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, the University of Washington, the University of Virginia, Pepperdine. “These are players who are probably going to be drafted next year,” said Miller. Cooperstown is also fielding an NYCBL team next summer – the Hawkeyes, at Doubleday Field – so perhaps a cross-county rivalry is in the offing. In addition to the NYCBL team, the mayor hopes to draw Cooperstown Baseball World teams to the field, as well as local American Legion teams; maybe OHS’ team would l ike to play games at Damaschke, he said. “Frankly, the whole thing is kind of fun,” said Miller. “If you have the time for it.”
Teaching wasn’t Coleen Lewis’ first choice. A 1986 OHS grad, she studied hotel and restaurant managment at SUNY Delhi for two years, then business administration for another two. Then, in 1993, she was teaching Sunday school at St. Mary’s and realized how much she enjoyed teaching children. “Go back,” a colleague, Sue Nesbitt, told her. She did, graduating from SUNY Oneonta in 1995 with her bachelor’s in elementary education, knowing from the start she wanted to work her way up the profession, perhaps to building principal. She earned a master’s in library science from SUNY Albany in 2001, and a certificate in school administration at SUNY Cortland in 2008. “My goal never changed,” said Lewis, who Wednesday, Jan. 27, was appointed principal of Center Street School by the Oneonta City School Board, effective July 1. Lewis has worked in the Oneonta district for 14 years, from student teacher at Riverside Elementary, to licensed teaching assistant, to sixth-grade teacher at Valleyview, to library media specialist at Greater Plains. As district’s curriculum coordinator, she had been acting library media specialist at Valleyview this year and discovered “I missed being with kids.” “Kids keep you young, it’s so rewarding. It’s the most rewarding job I’ve ever had,” she said. So when John Cook, longtime principal at Center Street School, announced his retirement in December, Lewis – she was then district curriculum coordinator – went straight to Superintendent Mike Shea and expressed her interest in the job. The new principal feels lucky to have gotten the job, succeeding a man she considers a legend in Oneonta schools. “I know I can’t fill Mr. Cook’s shoes, I would never try,” she said, adding, “I am honored to have the time with him to transition.” Lewis plans to immerse herself in the Center Street community and its culture, getting to know the teachers, and the students and their families. “It is a family oriented school and I want to get to know everybody and how things work,” she said. “I want to support the teachers and set goals as a staff – it’s a team effort.” She plans to be visible and approachable, so people feel comfortable walking in her door to talk to her. Superintendent of Schools Mike Shea expressed satisfaction that what might have been a difficult transition is going so smoothly. “There’s no one is like John,” said his boss. “But I know that Coleen’s objective is to just listen and learn and get to know folks, so I don’t see any drastic change there.”
At Center Street, Oneonta, John Cook Found Happy Life
By LAURA COX
A fishing guide once gave John P. Cook this secret to happiness: Love your work, love your community, love your family. “That’s my philosophy of life,” said Cook as he prepares to retire after 25 years as Center Street School principal. “I have a great family, my job is fantastic and the community I live in is wonderful.” So you can imagine how Cook’s decision to retire – five years in the making –was a difficult one. Even filling out the retirement paperwork, he finds, was an emotional challenge. “I really like what I am doing,” said the principal as he watched over second graders during recess the other day. “You can’t script what my days are like.” Originally from Schenectady, he received a bachelor’s in physical education from Niagara and a masters in health education from Syracuse. He intended to be a phys-ed teacher and a football coach, but the job he was offered fresh out of school in 1970 was in health education. He coached swimming for a period, but never football, and he never taught phys ed. After teaching health and being an athletic trainer at West Genesee High School for two years, he joined Jefferson-Lewis BOCES as coordinator of health and drug education. He then made his first appearance in Oneonta as a health education instructor at SUNY Oneonta for eight years. He fell in love with the town, calling it “a wonderful place to live and raise a family.” He was tempted away once – a six-month stint as director of athletics at Salmon River – but returned to take the Center Street job. Cook and his wife, Nancy, a Bassett Healthcare nurse practitioner, raised four children. His daughters followed him into education: Caitlin Wightman teaches art at Cooperstown Elementary and Julie Lynch, special education at Riverside Elementary. Son John is an administrator at Granite State College in New Hampshire, and Tim has just completed a master’s in Montana. “I am proud of the sense of community I have developed at Center Street School with the students, parents and staff. We want kids to do well academically, but also socially,” Cook said about his biggest career accomplishments. He is also proud of the staff he has built over the years saying that everyone has helped to bring programming and school community to a whole new level.
February 1980