|
|
Hometown Briefs
|
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
|
 First Kidney Walk Planned
The National Kidney Foundation of Northeast New York is planning its first Family Fun Day Sunday, Oct. 26, at SUNY Oneonta’s Alumni Field House. The event will combine an indoor kidney walk, beginning at 1 p.m., with family activities hosted by the Center for Social Responsibility and Community and SUNY Oneonta’s Phi Sigma Sigma.
Activities include free kidney screenings beginning at 11 a.m., live music, and a kid zone with bouncy bounce and face painting.
Participants of all ages are invited to join in the fun by walking individually or by forming a team. Pre-register at www.nkfneny.org, or call 607-436-2633 for information.
Holiday Basket Inquiries Due
Otsego County residents in need of nutritional assistance are encouraged to complete a Holiday Basket application through Opportunities for Otsego. Those in need must submit an application by the Dec. 5 deadline to be considered.
For additional information on how to support the Holiday Basket program, contact Patricia Leonard at 433-8080.
Y Phone-A-Thon Seeks Help
The Oneonta YMCA is planning a phone-a-thon 2-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 18-19, at Hartwick College’s Wick Wire Phonathon Room.
To volunteer for a two-hour time slot, call Kelly Morrissey or Karina Goodrich at 432-0010.
Labels: 10-17-08, Hometown Briefs |
posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 10:11 PM   |
|
|
|
|
Hometown Sports
|
|
FOND FAREWELL 
Laura Cox/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Senior Appreciation Night for the OHS Girl’s Swimming and Diving team was Friday, Oct. 10. Pictured from left to right are Coach Teresa Burr, Meredith Ridgeway, Coach Al Beckemeyer, Melinda Wagner, Coach Linda Johnston, Leah Willis, Athletic Director Joe Hughes, Emily Shea and Heather Jones.
Labels: 10-17-08, Hometown Sports, OHS Girl’s Swimming and Diving |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 9:27 PM |
|
|
|
|
Hometown Sports
|
|
These ARE The Days
CHRISTOPHER McSWIGGIN
SPORTS BEAT
Senior year is arguably the most memorable year of a high school student’s life for many reasons, but none more than the aspect of nostalgia that is instituted the day after graduation.
You will always remember your high school friends, and if you are on a team your teammates are as cherished to you as your own family. In some cases, they are your second family.
These are the people you sweat, bled and cried with.
These are the people whose hands you held while you were waiting in anticipation of a game winning field goal, or layup or penalty kick.
These are the same people you laughed with on the long bus rides, and the people you played pranks on in the locker room during the week.
These are the people you will remember forever.
There are a number of senior athletes at Oneonta High School, and as teams are finishing up their fall seasons and students are applying to schools there is no better time to appreciate these autumn season seniors. Oneonta High School student-athletes show integrity and intelligence both on the field and off, and are not only model students but model citizens.
Drumroll, please. Your Fall 2008 OHS Senior Student-Athletes:
FOOTBALL: Nate Armstrong , Garrett Barrett, Tom Haney, Ian Kelly, Jon Lancto, Matt Marcewicz, Don Mitchell, Brendan Pidgeon, Captain, Ryan Pidgeon, Michael Santamont, Colbie Sengetti-Daniels, Eric Sheer, Dalton Smith, Ryan Sullivan and Phil Wright, Captain
The 3-3 Yellow Jackets play Windsor at 7 p.m., this Friday, Oct. 17, at home, and Oct. 24th will be their Senior appreciation game vs. rival Norwich.
•
CHEERLEADING: Sara Baker, Captain Rachael Grigsby, Jessica Ignone and Jessilyn Moore.
The Cheerleading team is at every football game and really gets this team going with creative cheers and intuitive wit. An exciting team with a lot of zest.
•
CROSS COUNTRY: Nick Madison is the solo Senior. Congrats on your pit run accomplishments.
•
GOLF: Martin Couch, Dan Do kuchitz, Tim O’Connor, Joseph Sastic and Eric Scorzafava.
Golf, possibly the most relaxing sport on this list, turns out to be one of the most challenging. Many people don’t know just how difficult the sport of Golf can be.
•
BOYS SOCCER: Patrick Deandrea, Chris Hayen, Aiden McDonald, Alex Miller, Keith Toombs and Jeremiah Ward.
The Boys’ soccer team already completed their Senior Appreciation game hosting Maine-Endwell. They faced off against Norwich at Norwich on Oct. 14in their final game of the season.
•
GIRLS SOCCER: Andrea Aikens, Bridget Aikens, Megan Brannan, Kaitlin Culpepper, Lindsey Doxtader, Taylor Foreman, Audree Frutiger, Monica Jones, Hannah Lawson, Chole Miller, Cha Cha Naito, and Breelin Shea.
•
GIRLS SWIMMING AND DIVING: Heather Jones, Meredith Ridgeway, Emily Shea, Melinda Wagner and Leah Willis.
The girls’ swimming and diving team scored a big win over Windsor earlier in the season, giving them their first victory. Their senior appreciation night was at last week’s meet vs. Norwich.
•
"Our fall sports season is off to a good start. Our athletics teams are competing with pride and dignity and we make it a point to make sure they compete in the classroom as well. Much of this dedication is led by our senior athletes, they will be greatly missed," said OHS Athletic Director Joe Hughes.
These are the times and the people you will remember for the rest of your life. Once you walk across that stage, a whole new life begins. New people, new friends, new teammates but nothing will ever let you forget about your senior year. Remember it, appreciate it, you only get one. Congratulations on your fall season class of 2009.
Chris McSwiggin, a Hartwick College student, covers OHS sports. E-mail at chrism@hometownoneonta.biz
Soccer Club Youth Tryouts This Weekend
The Oneonta Soccer Club invites all area boys and girls ages 8-18 to try out for the 2009 spring travel league on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2at the National Soccer Hall of Fame, as follows:
10 a.m.-noon, players born between Aug. 1, 1996 and July 31, 2000- (U10 and U12)
1:30-3:30 p.m., players born between Aug. 1, 1989, and July 31, 1996 (U14, U16 and U19)
Players should come with cleats, shin guards, a water bottle and ball.
For more information, check the OSC website www.oneontasoccerclub.org or call Vince Foti at 432-2022.Labels: 10-17-08, Hometown Sports |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 9:23 PM |
|
|
|
|
BJ’s Staff ‘Perfect’ Again In United Way Donations
|
|
Wholesaler Hits 100% A 3rd Time
By LAURA COX
 For the third year straight, the people of BJ’s Wholesale Club are perfect.
Within two weeks of the United Way of Delaware & Otsego Counties launching its 2008 fund drive, the discount shopping club’s Employee Pledge Program has again hit the 100 percent mark for donations.
In other words, all 54 employees of the Southside establishment have contributed.
“We post flyers to promote it, and try to give people as much information about the organizations it will support as possible,” said Kathy Foster, BJ’s local personnel manager. “Many of our employees have been here for quite a long time and have been participating for years.”
Walking through BJ’s Wholesale, employees can be seen proudly sporting United Way pins on their name tags, courtesy of United Way Executive Director Terry Capuano, recognizing their participation in the program.
BJ’s employee Cheryl Lepelletier, Unadilla, remembers giving to United Way even as little girl, “I like to help people and I have always given to United Way. It is an excellent cause and it is taken right out of my paycheck.”
Pat Nelson, Jefferson, another employee, said, “United Way is a good organization, and I know right where the money goes.”
The United Way of Delaware & Otsego Counties’ mission is to “work collaboratively with organizations to maximize the effect of limited resources in meeting health and human service needs.”
“We are not just check writers,” said Capuano, “we are looking for what specific community needs there are.”
The five impact areas recognized by United Way are: poverty and promoting self-sufficiency, elder services, health and dental services, child and youth services, and capacity building within human service organizations.
The organizations that receiving funding from United Way provide services that have an effect on one of these impact areas and meet the standards set forth by United Way for sustainability and growth.
“By donating through United Way, as opposed to directly to an organization, you help at least a dozen organizations with your donation,” said Capuano, “and 99 percent of any gift giving is returning to local friends and neighbors.”
One percent of local contributions goes toward membership in the national United Way and allows access federal government programs for emergency fuel, food and shelter, Capuano said, services that more than pay for the cost of membership.
United Way does year-round fundraising, but 60 percent of funds are raised through the employee campaign, where employees enroll in a payroll-deduction program where their donation comes right out of their paychecks and straight to United Way. The 2008 employee campaign was launched in September and Capuano has been busy providing information about the program to interested businesses.
“A little gift goes a long way,” Capuano said. “People donate anywhere between $20 and $1,500.”
Last year, the campaign saw a 7 percent decrease in donations which led to only funding 12 of the 26 programs that applied for funding, according to a press release. Capuano’s goal is to bring the funding level up to what it once was to enable them to fund more programs.
“Some of our best donors are the ones who have used the services we have funded and feel the need to give back. It is an investment in the community,” Capuano said.
Programs that were funded by United Way for 2007-2008 include: Delaware Opportunities, Delhi Campus Child Care Center, Family Service Association of Oneonta, Girl Scouts of America – Indian Hills Council, Girls on the Run of Otsego County, LEAF Council on Alcoholism and Additions, Opportunities for Otsego, Planned Parenthood of South Central NY, The Salvation Army and SUCO Children’s Center.Labels: 10-17-08, Front Page |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 3:43 PM |
|
|
|
|
At First, Oneonta’s Italians Slept in Boxcars
|
|
Joseph Fioravanti, His Community’s Historian, Reflects On Past, Future, On Columbus Day Eve
By LAURA COX
 It’s hard for Joseph Fioravanti to describe the early Italian community’s fight for acceptance in Oneonta without getting emotional.
He tells of Frank LaMonica Sr. moving into an empty house on the hill.
“He was a proud man and treated others with respect, “ said Fioravanti, his community’s historian, in an interview leading up to Columbus Day, Tuesday, Oct. 13; a dinner and program was planned on the 14th. “But neighbors offered to buy the property from him so he would move out.
“He refused the offer, and raised five kids up on the hill,” in the process becoming a prominent businessman.
The local community’s history goes back to 1865, when Italians moved to Oneonta from mining towns in northern Pennsylvania, said Fioravanti, author of the essay, “Italians In Oneonta: 1865-1950,” contained in the Italian American Club’s 50th anniversary program from 2005.
They came to lay track for the Albany & Susquehanna and, later, the Delaware & Hudson. In the early years, the men slept in railcars until they had the chance to move their families into homes in what later became the Sixth Ward.
In 1880, there were 115 Italians recorded living in Oneonta; by 1895 this number had more than doubled to 240 because of a boom with the cigar-rolling industry and the proliferation of mills.
In his history, Fioravanti, himself a former member of the Italian-American Club, mentions two great Italian pioneers, Joe Farone and Vito Molonari.
Farone, a railroad worker, operated a saloon near the train station as well as a grocery; he spoke English, and was able to interpret for neighbors who couldn’t speak or write in English. Molonari was a Sixth Ward saloon keeper and helped to recruit work gangs for the railroads.
“There were other ethnicities in the Sixth Ward at the time, Germans and Polish,” said Fioravanti. “They all had poverty in common and they were all physical laborers trying to meet the needs of their families.”
As the years went on, the Italian community started to be accepted by the rest of the community.
But “it wasn’t until World War II, when many of the Italians enlisted and died defending the U.S. flag and the country where they were raised, that they were fully accepted,” said Fioravanti with a tear in his eye.
 According to Fioravanti, the first people with Italian surnames to be hired by the City of Oneonta were hired after WWII. In 1952, Frank Gallucci was the first Italian hired as a teacher in the city and he taught high school history.
Other ground-breaking Italian residents include Judge Joseph Molonari, who received statewide recognition as the Sixth Judicial District Supreme Court judge, as well as Sam Bertuzzi, a national war hero highlighted by Life magazine.
The Oneonta Italian American Club was formed in 1955 after Anna and Rico Blasetti decided there was a need for an organization to serve the needs of the Italian American community. The first president, Nick Rizzo, was selected and meetings were held twice weekly to discuss business, hold baby showers, pot-luck dinners, dances, and be entertained by visiting speakers.
Over the years the club offered scholarships to deserving high school seniors, held Columbus Day celebrations and recognized Citizens of the Year. In 2005, the club boasted 150 paid members and celebrated its golden anniversary.
By 2007’s end, recruitment had waned, many long-standing members had passed away, and the club decided to disband.
“We couldn’t keep it going,” said Fioravanti, “but we still had a fund of money and so we formed the Trustees and Friends of Oneonta Italian American Club.”
Today the group gets together periodically for social events, including cultural programs with native speakers who share information about Italian culture and history.
“We enjoy hearing about the contributions of great Italians such as da Vinci, Michelangelo and Enrico Fermi. We are proud Americans and proud of our father’s heritage, Italian culture, and food.”
Fioravanti, who has lived in Oneonta since 1969, is a SUNY Delhi retired professor of English composition.Labels: 10-17-08, Front Page |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 7:56 AM |
|
|
|
|
French-Fryer To Help Heat SUCO Camp
|
|
By JIM KEVLIN
 When Diane Davidson learned it was going to cost $10,000 to heat the SUNY Oneonta Camp’s lodge with LP – liquid propane – this winter, it gave her pause.
Pause for thought.
And it didn’t take much thought before the executive director of Oneonta Auxiliary Services – it provides food and other SUNY Oneonta needs – had a better idea.
She and Matt Reiss, Unadilla, her director of maintenance, took a page out of the book of that farmer who has been buying used grease from the school’s cafeteria to heat his farm.
And Reiss found that with one spare part from Waste Oil Heat Inc. of Connecticut, he could convert the camp’s Thermal Pride gas furnace to burn vegetable oil right out of the french-fryer.
“I’m pretty excited about it,” Reiss said the other day. “We’re just giving it away; now we can use it to produce heat for our camp.”
He anticipates there will be no shortage of raw material: SUNY Oneonta’s food services generate 800 gallons of waste oil a month; Reiss doesn’t think it will take that much to heat the camp all winter long.
When first faced with the $10,000 bill – for heating a lodge that is little used in the winter – Davidson said she and Reiss thought about a wood-burning furnace.
After all, she said, the camp is surrounded by 250 acres of woods.
But further exploration soon caused the pair to focus on their preferred option.
The part has been ordered, and Reiss expects it to arrive any day, so the money may be in the process of being saved by the time you read this.
Davidson called it “an elegant solution.”Labels: 10-17-08, Front Page |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 7:44 AM |
|
|
|
|
Hometown People
|
|
Oneonta Native Pat Breuer Appointed Hampshire House Executive Director
 Pat Breuer has been named executive director of Hampshire House, the assisted living facility at 1846 County Highway 48.
A native of Oneonta, Breuer was brought in after the facility came under the new ownership of Wayne Kaplan and Robert Borsody of the Premier Senior Living Group, which also plans to open three assisted living facilities in Buffalo and six in Florida.
Previously, Breuer was employed by Otsego County, and worked to set up home care through the placement coordinator’s office. She has been in the health-care profession for 27 years and was the director of a senior day care facility in Orlando, Florida.
Under the new ownership, a gazebo has been built, carpet and furniture replaced, the walls painted, and rocking chairs and benches added out front, the new director said.
Hartwick College Appoints Nowak Student Life VP
Hartwick College has appointed Dr. Meg Nowak, assistant dean for student and academic services at Ithaca College’s School of Business, as vice president of student life, effective Dec. 1.
In her new position, she will will be responsible for housing and residential lilfe, campus security, medical services, counseling, wellness education, judicial affairs, Greek life, the chaplain and other programs.
A graduate of the University of Buffalo who received a master’s in student affairs administration at Indiana State University and a Ph.D. in administration from Boston College, Nowak has held administrative positions at SUNY Cortland, Cornell, Framingham (Mass.) State College and Youngstown (Ohio) State.
She has also been active in several professional organizations.
CERTIFICATION: The Oneonta Job Corps Academy has earned an Automotive Service Excellence Certification from the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation in the areas of electrical electronic systems and engine performance, Bill Renwick, career technical training manager, announced.
PEDIATRICIAN: Elizabeth Blasco, M.D. has joined Bassett Healthcare-Oneonta as a pediatrician. She has been practicing for eight years, most recently in Spencerport. A graduate of Duke, she earned her medical degree at University of North Carolina School of Medicine. She completed her residency in pediatrics at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
MIDWIFE: Gail Phillips, certified nurse midwife, has joined Bassett Healthcare’s Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology in Oneonta.Labels: 10-17-08, Hometown People |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 7:32 AM |
|
|
|
|
Democrat Arcuri, Republican Treadwell Would Serve County Best
|
|
EDITORIAL
Have you looked at maps of our congressional districts lately? Each looks like the letter “J,” and a big one at that.
The 24th Congressional District that includes the western part of Otsego County – the entire City of Oneonta and Cooperstown west of the Main Street bridge – runs 102 miles from Geneva to the Oneonta-Milford line, then north 118 miles to just south of Star Lake.
The 20th Congressional District spans 50 miles from Cherry Valley – the front tip of the “J” – to Masonville in western Delaware County, then shoots east 84 miles to the Poughkeepsie suburbs, then north 179 miles to Lake Placid.
U.S. Supreme Court decisions on one person, one vote, have determined congressional districts should average about 650,000 people, but the practice of gerrymandering – drawing the lines to benefit one political party or incumbent – is still rampant in the Empire State, as evident in the 24th and 20th.
In both, Republicans predominate – 160,000 to 128,000 in the 24th, and 192,000 to 117,000 in the 20th – nods to then-incumbents Republicans Sherwood Boehlert of Whitesboro and John Sweeney of Troy.
In the Democratic sweep of 2006, Mike Arcuri, the Oneida County district attorney, succeeded Boehlert, Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York City lawyer with roots in Hudson, defeated Sweeney, whose scandal-ridden tenure included a DWI arrest and marital discord.
If nothing else, it proves that no district, however jiggled, is 100 percent “safe.” Democracy, however imperfect, eventally overcomes all.
•
There are better ways to draw congressional districts – state Senate and Assembly districts around here are no better – than the way it’s done in New York.
The poster child of good-government redistricting is Iowa, where the Legislative Services Bureau, a non-partisan arm of the state legislature, develops three plans based on, not just population, but on “contiguity, unity and compactness” – in other words, they have to make sense geographically.
Party registration is specifically ruled out from the criteria.
The governor can veto, but the system has so much credibility, the Hawkeye State has quickly accepted the Legislative Services Bureau’s proposals for three Censuses now, 1980, 1990, 2000 – 30+ years.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer championed a similar plan in New York State, but it is in limbo since his departure.
“We still have a long way to go,” said Gina Keel, the SUNY Oneonta assistant professor of political science. “It’s still a highly politicized process.”
•
Which brings us to Election 2008 in Otsego County.
Our two big “J” congressional districts have population equality, but none of the other qualities – “contiguity, unity and compactness” – that would help assure consistent representation by congresspeople who know and care about our issues.
Kirsten Gillibrand is a case in point. She has been seen in these parts rarely in her first two-year term. Most voters in her district are in the Hudson Valley and Capital District. Saratoga County has 200,000 people, compare 12,000 or so in her piece of Otsego County. Where would you put the bulk of your effort?
Say what you will, but the reality is that eastern Otsego County has no representation in Congress.
Gillibrand and her opponent, Sandy Treadwell, Pataki’s secretary of state, have run somewhat predictable campaigns. They offer versions of “affordable health care,” decry “dependence on foreign oil” and support “our troops and veterans.” That they do so in exactly the same words suggests a parroting of market-tested concepts. On the bailout, both call it “flawed.”
The reality is that either will follow their party’s lead on the big issues, but the margin in the House of Representatives will likely be such that their single vote won’t make any difference. So what really matters is how each will serve Otsego County’s interests. Gillibrand has demonstrated Leatherstocking Country is less than an afterthought, which tips the balance to Treadwell.
While he lives in Lake Placid, Sandy Treadwell is a frequent visitor to Otsego County, where he serves as vice chairman of the influential Clark Foundation, chaired by his cousin Jane Forbes Clark of Cooperstown.
Treadwell knows where Cherry Valley is, and Middlefield, and Milford, and Cooperstown Junction, has many friends and acquaintances here and would be accessible to weigh in when local issues reach the level that a congressman should.
Given our gerrymandered districts, Sandy Treadwell is Otsego County’s clear choice.
•
At the risk of being accused of inconsistency, voters would be right to tilt the other way in the 24th District, even though a man with a local address, Republican Richard Hanna, who has a home alongside Otsego Lake in the Town of Otsego, is challenging Arcuri, a life-long Utican.
(Actually, Hanna too is focused on Utica, the center of much of his professional life. His business is based in Barnevelt. And he’s a nephew of Utica’s flamboyant former mayor Ed Hanna.)
It’s fashionable to decry politicians, but politics is a profession like any other, requiring a specific set of skills – diplomacy, the ability to compromise, an even temperament and a modicum of respect for what government, at its best, can accomplish.
In observing Mike Arcuri during his first term, it’s clear he’s a pro. He savors what he’s doing and is energized by it. In particular, his focus on the arcane area of infrastructure – roads, bridge and, heavens, water and sewer systems – is much needed. Look around: The 24th District is falling apart, as any town supervisor, village trustee or city councilperson will avow.
Like Gillibrand, it took Arcuri a while to discover Otsego County exists but, unlike Gillibrand, he did and has been increasing attentive during the second year of his first term.
Hanna has a much more interesting personal story – he built a contracting fortune over the decades since his mother and siblings were left penniless by his father’s untimely death; he has been a powerful advocate of women’s issues in the Mohawk Valley – but he’s a dabbler in public life. If he were elected, you suspect he wouldn’t like it much, and the idea of applying business principles to government rings hollow in light of recent events.
Why not a bipartisan team? Arcuri and Treadwell would serve our county best.Labels: 10-17-08, Editorial, Hometown Views |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 7:27 AM |
|
|
|
|
Hometown History
|
|
125 Years Ago
Banking – A new basis for bank circulation must be provided by Congress. The Treasury has begun to call for bonds that have been deposited at Washington to secure the bank circulation. There are three hundred and five millions of these three per cents subject to redemption on a notice from the Government, and two-thirds of these are held against bank notes now in the hands of the people. If the bonds are surrendered when the interest stops, the bank notes must be gathered in, and until arrangements are made for their reissue the volume of currency must be thereby reduced.
October 1883
100 Years Ago
The Oneonta, Cooperstown & Richfield Springs Railroad was sold at auction by Referee N.P. Willis at the Otsego County Court House in Cooperstown last Friday. The only bidder was Joseph Starrett of New York, to whom the property was sold for $200,000. No one knows much about Starrett, but it is supposed that he represented Herbert T. Jennings, who built the road. The purchaser, to hold the property, must pay, beside the $50,000 paid, the further sum of $150,000, and also the further sum of $320,000, and it is understood, that if the road is to continue in operation the coming year, the further outlay of at least $400,000 must be made. This will bring the cost of the property up to nearly $1,000,000. During the eight years that the road has been under construction and operation it has at no time been able to pay its operation and maintenance charges. It has never paid a cent of interest on a dollar invested in it.
October 1908
80 Years Ago
Speaking at a rousing Democratic meeting in Oneonta recently, Miss Mary V. Hun of Cooperstown and Albany, said concerning the Democratic candidate for president: “Ten years ago Alfred E. Smith came to Albany as Governor. He proved to be an extraordinary character. He possesses the ability to make those around him feel at ease, and this is the most charming trait of any man. Whoever came to see the governor, whether he was a workman, a politician, a university professor, or merely a curious visitor, found himself talking with extreme simplicity with the funny looking fellow at the opposite side of the desk, who was chewing a big cigar. The old conservative families asked him to dinner, at first because he was governor and because they were curious. They asked him the second, third, fourth and subsequent times because he was astonishingly interesting. Albany found also that it had an extremely able and hard working executive.”
October 1928
60 Years Ago
At its meeting on October 15, the New York State Board of Regents took further steps to insure that there will be no racial or religious discrimination in admission to colleges and other institutions of higher education in New York State. There are approximately 100 colleges and 300 other institutions which come under the provisions of the act. Fair educational practices as defined by the 1948 amendment to the state education laws forbid discrimination in admission to higher institutions “because of race, religion, creed, color, or national origin.” The Regents also instructed Frederick W. Hoeing, education practices administrator to make a study of application forms for admission in colleges and other institutions and report to the board at its December meeting. Another rule requires institutions to preserve all admissions data for three years.
October 1948
40 Years Ago
Thomas Benjamin will present an illustrated program on the ecology of a wildlife community at the October meeting of the newly formed branch of the Audubon Society. Mr. Benjamin, a senior at Laurens Central School, plans to tie his topic in with the habitat consisting of abandoned farmland in a grasslands situation. He will consider the inter-relationships of birds, animals and plants in such an environment. Mr. Benjamin has been associated with Gilbert State Park for two summers as director of nature study and recreation. The program on October 18 will start promptly at 7:45 p.m. at the Center Street School, Oneonta. The branch Audubon Society sponsored their first bird walk October 5 out East Street and into the Wilber Lake area. Fourteen people participated. Despite heavy fog, 24 species were identified including Canada geese, mallard and black ducks, red tail hawk, killdeer, spotted sandpiper, least sandpiper, rock dove, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, blue jay, common crow, white-breasted nuthatch American goldfinch, song sparrow, chipping sparrow, and white-throat sparrow.
October 1968
20 Years Ago
Advertisement – Oneonta Honda – Up to $2,000 for your present car, dead or alive -- $1,000 is the least your present car is worth at Oneonta Honda! You are guaranteed $1,000 for your old car when you trade it in on any new 1988 model or specially-tagged used car at Oneonta Honda. Up to $2,000 on any specially-tagged new 1988, or demonstrator. Hurry – the supply of 88s is getting low! No credit? Ask about our first time buyer program. Oneonta Honda, 65 Oneida Street. Call 433-1251.
October 1988
10 Years Ago
Milford’s Mike Rutledge, running for Oneonta State, won the 1998 Hartwick College Invitational men’s cross country meet with a time of 23:16 over a 4.2 mile newly-laid-out course. Oneonta State finished third out of six schools, behind Hartwick and Delhi, in the men’s race. Forty men finished the race.
Oneonta Yankees’ utility infielder Brian August has been named Most Valuable Player in the New York-Pennsylvania League for 1998. Playing on the NYP’s championship team, August batted .318 and logged 77 hits in 70 games.
October 1998
Resources for Hometown History have been provided courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library.Labels: 10-17-08, Columns, Hometown History |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 7:24 AM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gala Marks Quarter-Century Of Tending People In Last Days
By JEANNINE BOHLER
In 1972, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author of “On Death and Dying,” testified at the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging’s first national hearings about death with dignity.
“We live in a very particular death-denying society,” she stated. “We isolate both the dying and the old, and it serves a purpose. They are reminders of our own mortality.
“We should not institutionalize people. We can give families more help with home care and visiting nurses, giving the families and the patients the spiritual, emotional, and financial help in order to facilitate the final care at home.”
That help is what Catskill Area Hospice & Palliative Care has provided for a quarter century now, helping families and patients in their homes, hospitals and long-term care facilities as they face life-limiting illnesses.
A gala celebrating the organization’s 25th anniversary will be held on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Catskill Area Hospice & Palliative Care serves Otsego, Schoharie and Delaware counties, an area encompassing 3,100 square miles.
Nearly 200 volunteers and 140 paid staff members work daily to carry out the organization’s mission: “Making life easier for patients and families facing serious illness or end of life by providing choices, dignity and compassionate care.”
It offers physician, nurse, social work, volunteer, spiritual and bereavement services to families in its care from offices in Oneonta, Delhi and Cobleskill.
“Hospice walks with families to give them the support they need to care for their loved ones,” said Bob Escher, special events coordinator, who has been with the organization for 11 years.
The hospice logo – a sun drawn in the form of an embrace – speaks to the work of its volunteers and staff. The sun represents the warmth of love during a dark and scary time, Escher said.
“It is a metaphor that everything is going to be OK. Families report that they have felt embraced.”
At 1 Birchwood Drive in Oneonta, the space that houses the administrative offices and provides a space for families seeking bereavement support, that embrace is palpable.
High on a hill, surrounded by trees and natural beauty, it feels like a safe and comforting place.
Internationally, hospice stared in 1963 when physician Dame Cicely Saunders established St. Christopher’s Hospice in London.
In 1968, American Florence Wall, the dean of Yale Nursing School, visited St. Christopher’s, returned to the United States and established the first American hospice, a residential facility in Branford, Conn.
Locally, Hospice got its start in 1983, when two separate volunteer groups, one Oneonta-based, the other Cooperstown-based, united.
The organization gained strength when Congress passed a bill enabling Medicare to reimburse for hospice services. The local organization formed a board of directors and was incorporated, and by 1988 was certified to provide hospice services under Medicare.
Congress mandated that five percent of all hospice services be offered by volunteers. That requirement is what makes hospice the success that it is today and it is the volunteer beginning that will be celebrated when Catskill Area Hospice & Palliative Care marks its 25th year.
When a person is faced with a serious illness, it is not simply a medical problem, said Lola Rathbone, acting president. Financial problems, personal care issues, spiritual needs, practical needs like home upkeep and meal preparation, respite care for family members and caregivers are all facets of a terminal illness. Volunteers are there to fill those needs.
“These volunteers help patients and families maintain dignity. They’re able to help give them choices,” she said.
“Volunteers are the heart of hospice. We appreciate and revere our volunteers.”
Rathbone has worked with hospice for 17 years, serving as the vice president of clinical operations before accepting her current job. The position was left vacant when the former CEO, Lesley Deleski, retired after 18 years at the helm.
Volunteers fill endless roles, from running errands and doing yard work for families, to reading to patients and aiding in their care, to fundraising and assisting at events.
Each volunteer undergoes an 18-hour training course, typically offered two or three times per year throughout the service area. Many have had personal experiences with hospice and are able to help families realize that they will get through this difficult time in their lives.
“That’s the heart of hospice,” said 13-year volunteer Debra Parisian. “Working with families at such a formative time in their lives.”
Volunteers have always played an integral role in hospice services, according to Kathy Stedman, volunteer coordinator. Along with the traditional roles, volunteers are now providing complementary therapies, including massage and reiki, she said. Plans are underway to find volunteers able to offer music and pet therapy.
Offering individuals and families choices when faced with a difficult and transitional time seems to speak to the core of the hospice mission, and this is especially true of Catskill Area Hospice & Palliative Care.
The organization has become somewhat of a trendsetter, offering services that other hospices have not traditionally provided.
Many hospice organizations can assist people only when all medical options have come to an end. This hospice is able to work with any individual, even those still pursuing treatment, making up for costs not reimbursed by Medicare or private insurance through monies raised through fundraisers and donations.
“We have always said that we’ll take you, wherever you are in your journey,” Rathbone said. “We feel that it is important to care for as many people as we can, wherever they are in their journey.”
As a result, this hospice has had one of the highest patient per capita service of any hospice in the country, making it one of the leaders in the nation. It is currently serving almost 200 families, and has worked with nearly 10,000 families over its 25 year history.
“A life limiting illness affects he whole family. Everyone, including the children, goes through the process,” said Huemac Garcia, director of development, who has served hospice for five years.
“Hospice helps bring families together and give them the support they need. This is an experience they will share for the rest of their lives. You only get one time.”
Studies have actually shown that individuals who receive hospice services live longer and better lives than those who do not, most likely because families feel more confident, many stresses have been removed and the symptoms of the ill person have been managed, he said.Labels: 10-17-08, Catskill Area Hospice, The City of the Hills |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 7:14 AM |
|
|
|
|
Crossing The Divide
|
|
EVAN JAGELS
NIGHT LIFE
 In the small morning hours of Aug. 7, 1974, an arrow was shot from the roof of the north tower of the World Trade Center. It soared across the dark Manhattan sky and landed, as planned, on the roof of the adjacent south tower.
Unable to see the arrow, Philippe Petit took off all of his clothes and rolled around, feeling for the fishing line attached through a small hole drilled in the back of the arrow – looking to live the childhood dread he had had since he saw an illustration of what would be the tallest buildings in the world in a magazine in a far-away French dentist’s office.
Attached to that fishing line was a slightly larger string, and to that a slightly larger rope, eventually building up to the 450-pound steel cable on which he would spend almost 45 minutes walking, lying, and entertaining the world below as he crossed the 140-foot gap eight times, balancing with a 26-foot pole, before surrendering himself to the waiting NYPD officers under threat of helicopter intervention.
“Man on Wire” was the second of five films in the 23rd annual Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts Autumn Film Fest. The documentaries, shown at either the Chestnut Street Theater or the Foothills Performing Arts Center, “portray the human spirit and reflect positive ways we connect through art, creativity, and even filmmaking.”
This film was no exception to the festival’s statement, as the audience members audible marveled while members of Petit’s team recounted the details of the renegade mission. Some of the teams had helped him in previous acts of “physical poetry” with his high-wire performances on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, and the Cathedral of Notre Dame in his native Paris. The very structure of this film balanced somewhere between a documentary and a classic heist movie, as the operation naturally required inside men, phony documents, reconnaissance photos, drawings and models, black turtle neck sweaters, and even a speeding van.
After his arrest, charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct were dropped so long as Petit agreed to a free show for the children of New York City. Overall, however, the film showed something of the potential of the tenacious human spirit excited by harmless rebellion. Although this same passion put a strain on those close to him, his determination to accomplish such a death-defying goal – a challenge from which he would have gladly accepted death knowing he had at least tried – was inspiring in the sense that it required at least a small consideration of goals, cost, and consequence from the audience itself.
•
Other films included “Young @ Heart” and “Split: A Divided America,” produced and co-written by Oneonta native Peter Hutchinson. “Split” follows director and co-writer Kelly Nyks as he travels across country interviewing politicians, pundits, everyday citizens, and religious leaders about the divisions in our nation.
Upcoming in the Autumn Film Fest is “A Man Named Pearl” (Chestnut Street, Oct. 19, 2 P.M. and Oct. 21, 7 P.M.) and “Trouble the Water” (Foothills, Oct. 26 2 P.M. and Oct. 28 7 P.M.). “A Man Named Pearl” chronicles the wondrous 3-acre garden of 68-year-old Pearl Fryar of Bishopville, South Carolina – one of the poorest areas of South Carolina. Supposedly, Fryar was motivated by a racist comment that African-Americans don’t maintain their yards, so he set out to prove those with such prejudice wrong. In doing so, he not only won “Yard of the Month” in Bishopville, but inspired countless numbers of people with his own magic garden.
“Trouble the Water” brings us back to the horrors of Hurricane Katrina, telling the story of an aspiring rap artist and her husband, trapped by deadly flood waters before escaping alive to seize the chance for a new beginning.
General admission is $7 ($6 for members and students). Call 432-2070 or visit www.uccca.com for more information on the Autumn Film Fest.
Evan Jagels, a SUNY Oneonta music-production major, explores Oneonta night life in his weekly column.Labels: 10-17-08, Columns, Evan Jagels, Night Life, The City of the Hills |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 7:07 AM |
|
|
|
|
The Walls Have Art
|
|
SAM GOODYEAR
ART BEAT
Arts progenitor Peter Macris and his wife Ursula have moved from Otsego County to Connecticut. Many readers will recognize his name as the founder of Glimmerglass Opera, the Catskill Choral Society, Orpheus Theatre and Foothills Performing Arts Center.
He was here for some 30 years, so a move like this has had to be a wrench of considerable proportions. In fact, when he was first considering this major change a few years ago, he confided in me that one major factor in hesitating to leave the area was the Autumn Café.
He knew he would have trouble finding any place that served such excellent food; had as welcoming and warm an interior; tolerated, encouraged even, lingering over a cup of coffee or newspaper in European café-style; provided such a sense of well-being all around.
We agree whole-heartedly. The Autumn Café is all this and more, for one regular feature of its storied existence is a rotating art exhibition program.
A different artist (sometimes two) is invited to display works on the grand walls of the café, and the visitor is richly rewarded by taking the time to have a look.
Nancy Johnson, who along with her husband Tim Johnson and a few other enlightened restaurateurs founded the “The Autumn,” 10 years ago decided to promote regional artists in this propitious venue.
The café gets no commission on works sold (now that’s enlightened), the judging of works is impartial (although some obvious lines are drawn if necessary, which so far has not proved to be the case) all media are welcome.
Many of the artists live in the immediate area, though some live in the further reaches of the state.
Most of the clientele is stimulated and interested and positive in its response to what is displayed. Apparently, however, on one occasion a customer complained about a large canvas depicting spaghetti and sausage.
In a paraphrase of a famous statement, our response to that is “You can’t please all of the people all of the time.” Art rarely does.
This month there are two featured artists. Barbara Ardan of Oneonta, who works in watercolor as well as acrylic on mylar, will display paintings on the east wall of the restaurant. On the west wall will be the Chinese calligraphy of Tara Hu.
When asked if there was any correlation between the food at the Autumn Café and the art on display, Nancy Johnson replied, “No.”
A nice honest answer at a nice honest place.
Sam Goodyear’s column on the arts in Otsego and Delaware counties appears weekly.Labels: 10-17-08, Art Beat, Sam Goodyear, The City of the Hills |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 7:05 AM |
|
|
|
|
‘Century of Song’ Sparks Full Weekend
|
|
WEEKENDS BEST BETS
Pancakes for all can be found at the Annual Oneonta Rotary Club Pancake Day happening from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Oneonta Elks Club. Cost is $5 for adults and $3 for Children under 12.
•
Don’t miss the Centennial performance of The Sweet Adelines and the City of the Hills Chorus, who will sing the night away at their “Century of Song” performance at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at the Anderson Theatre at Hartwick College.
•
Enjoy a good spook at the “Things That Go Bump in the Night,” guided walking tour happening at The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown on Friday and Saturday nights. Tours run on the half hour between 5:30-7:30 p.m. Admission is $7.00 and reservations required. Call The Farmers’ Museum at 547-1450.
•
Stay entertained on Sunday, Oct. 19, with “World of Song” by the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton. Hosted by the First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnur St., the choir will feature art songs and folk tunes from the British Isles, China, Japan, America and Africa. Tickets are $15/adult, $10/students with ID and $30/family (parents plus children). For tickets call 432-4102.
•
Drive out to Fly Creek on Sunday and receive a free diabetes and hypertension screening conducted by the National Kidney Foundation of Northeast New York, hosted by The Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard. While you’re there, catch the performance by lyricist, humorist impressionist, Ody B. Goldy performing tributes to well-known performers. Name the song and writer and win some fresh cider.Labels: 10-17-08, City of the Hills, In The City of the Hills, weekend's best bets |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 6:44 AM |
|
|
|
|
Letters to the Editor
|
|
Judge Ghaleb 2nd Amendment Supporter
To the Editor:
It has come to my attention that there have been some rumors circulating in regard to county Judge Jill Ghaleb not issuing pistol permits. As an owner of several guns, and having had a pistol permit for the last 38 years, this is something that would have gotten my attention if I didn’t already know better.
I met Judge Ghaleb and was impressed immediately by her intelligence, her warmth and her honest responses to my various questions, some of which were regarding guns. I am an avid user of guns for recreation as well as for hunting. I have a strong belief in the right to bear arms and would never want that jeopardized.
If any of you have heard the rumors regarding Judge Ghaleb and her denying pistol permits, please know that they are untrue.
If you want to see for yourselves, you can go to the County Clerk’s office in Cooperstown and see the record of pistol licenses. The book will tell you the names of all persons who have been granted or denied licenses, when the decision was recorded, and which judge granted or denied it.
Judge Ghaleb has, and does act within the law whether it be pistol permits or a family court matter. She is caring and sensitive to families in crisis, but she is also a strong individual with tremendous knowledge of the law.
Do not listen to the negative campaigning without proof to back it up. Make it part of your duty to ask questions, or go and meet the judge like I did, or look up for yourself what the real truth is. Please don’t allow others to negatively influence you. It insults your intelligence.
KENNETH HALL
Cooperstown
Granite? Just Maybe
To the Editor:
Re “MSGE Clock Ticking”: Is there really “a granite outcropping in the center of the property”?
Locally, such rock is found mostly in the Adirondacks. (Technically those are all metamorphic, whereas “granite” is igneous, but the name is used informally.)
Although there is some “granite” exposed along fault blocks along the Mohawk River, I doubt that they show as far south as Springfield.
There could be a large glacial “granite” boulder (aka erratic), but I doubt an outcropping.
BRIAN BROCK
Franklin
We Can’t Afford Senator Jim Seward
To the Editor:
Jim Seward at election time uses our money to buy our votes, but the rest of the time he’s doing the bidding of the insurance industry: higher HMO rates, stripped-down policies that have higher deductibles and lack life-saving benefits. Jim has taken more than $300,000 in campaign contributions from the insurance industry.
We no longer can afford Jim Seward, who has followed a blind allegiance to the policies of George W. Bush and ex-Sen. Joe Bruno. Seward has been quoted as saying in support of Bush, “I think he will go out of his office with his head held high.”
Under eight years of George W. Bush our country is in the worst shape since the Great Depression. We can no longer afford Jim Seward and the policies he supports. Under the Bush administration, our country is trillions in debt.
Joe Bruno, who is still under investigation by the FBI, resigned from the state Senate in July, leaving New York with more than $40 billion in debt. According to Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s website, New York’s $2,517 debt per person is more than double the national average.
We need change in Albany. We do not need a political party pawn as our state senator and one who is owned by insurance lobbyists. We need someone who will truly represent the people of upstate New York and who is fiscally responsible. We need a strong voice in Albany. We need Don Barber.
SALLY BARLOW
OneontaLabels: 10-17-08, Hometown Views, Letters to the Editor |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 5:28 AM |
|
|
|
|
IN THE CITY OF THE HILLS
|
Monday, October 6, 2008
|
 COATS FOR KIDS: Bassett Healthcare and First Choice Cleaners are collecting gently used or new coats during October at Bassett locations and at the Cooperstown, Oneonta and Delhi First Choice Cleaners locations. Children’s coats and snowpants are needed.
CANDIDATES READY: A forum between the candidates for the 51st District NYS Senate seat, Don Barber and Senator James Seward, is scheduled for 7 - 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 27th at the Craven Lounge in the Morris Hall at SUNY Oneonta. Candidates for the Otsego County Court Judge, Judge Jhilmil Ghaleb and Assistant District Attorney John Lambert, will present their statements of position for 15 minutes each following the forum. Judicial candidates will not take questions.
TENNIS CAMP: The Eric Douglas Dettenrieder Memorial Fund will partner with Hartwick College’s Tennis teams to offer a free tennis clinic for children with disabilities on Saturday, October 25, 2008. The EDD annual fundraising dinner will be held later that evening at the Foothills Performing Arts Center.
ECONOMY HEADACHE: A recent study done by the National Headache Foundation reveals headache sufferers make significant changes in headache treatment and prevention methods during a financial crisis. Such changes include change in diet due to financial cut backs, as well as altering treatment from prescription medications to over-the-counter medication in an effort to save money.
PAINTFEST: Oneonta World of Learning, Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts and ARC Otsego are looking for volunteers to help plan and work a Paintfest for Children of all ages and abilities to focus on creative expression and play with paint. Interested community members can email WorldofLearning@live.com.Labels: 10-17-08, Front Page, In The City of the Hills |
| posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 3:40 PM |
|
|
|
|
| EMAIL ALERTS |
|
|
| HOMETOWN HOMES |
| See the latest area real estate listings and meet your local realty professionals. |
| HOMETOWN SHOPS |
| Ad listings for Otsego and Delaware County area gift shops, retail stores, boutiques, antique shops and more. |
| HOMETOWN AUTOS |
|
Automotive ads from local dealers Find you new car, or find someone to fix your old one. |
| DINING & ENTERTAINMENT |
Discover Cooperstown's unique eatieries, bed and breakfasts, resorts and hotels, or find out about the latest gallery openings, festivals and events. |
| BUSINESS & SERVICES |
| Find the right person for the job, from banking to photography. |
| FALL FOLIAGE TOUR |
Discover Otsego County's unique businesses while enjoying the changing leaves. |
| HOME IMPROVEMENT |
| Make upgrades to your home before the winter settles in. |
|
|
