Cny55plus no55

Most New Yorkers plan to leave state after retirement: study

55

Does it Matter If Your Partner Is a Lot Younger?

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER JIM KENYON TALKS ABOUT HIS CAREER MEET BILL GREGWAY, OSWEGO’S WEATHER MAN

COAST TO COAST ON THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Finger Lakes couple drives on Route 20 from Boston to Newport, Ore., in a British MG.

Priceless

PLUS Issue 55 February / March 2015

For Active Adults in the Central New York Area

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February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

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CONTENTS

55 PLUS

55 PLUS

February / March 2015

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20

Savvy Senior 6 Financial Health 8 Gardening 10 My Turn 20 Consumers Corner 27 Aging 30 Life After 55 38 Golden Years 44 Druger’s Zoo 46

12 RETIREMENT

• Six out of 10 New Yorkers plan to leave state after retirement: study

14 AGE GAP

• Does age difference between spouses make any difference?

16 PROFILE

• Reporter Jim Kenyon takes time to reflect on storied career

20 WEATHER

• Bill Gregway devotes more than half of his life to weather observing Ginny Donohue, 67: Making higher education more accessible for lowincome youth.

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55 PLUS - February / March 2015

25 MUSIC

• Harmony Katz, a barbershop quartet with a long tradition still in full steam

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28 MUSIC

• Rock ‘n’ roll comes alive thanks to Syracuse–based Baby Boomers Band

32 COVER STORY

• Finger Lakes couple takes the road less traveled in a car less likely

40 RESTORATION

• Hotelier resurrects the legendary Hotel Syracuse

42 VOLUNTEERS

• Volunteers provide vital support at St. Joseph’s Hospital

48 VISITS

• Ten things to know about Aruba, the happy island

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February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

5

savvy senior

By Jim Miller

Free and Low-Cost Legal Services that Help People in Need

W

here can seniors turn to for free or low-cost legal help? There are actually a number of free and low-cost legal resources available today to help seniors, but what’s available will depend on where in Upstate New York you live, the type of legal assistance you need and your financial situation. Here are several resources to check into.

Legal Aid: Directed by the Legal Services Corporation, legal aid offers free legal assistance to low-income people of all ages. Each community program will differ slightly in the services they offer and income qualifications. See lsc.gov/find-legal-aid to locate a program in your area.

Pro Bono programs: Usually sponsored by state or local bar associations, these programs help low-income people find volunteer lawyers who are willing to handle their cases for free. You can look for a pro bono program through the American Bar Association at findlegalhelp.org, or through lawhelp.org.

Senior Legal Hotlines: There are a number of states that offer senior legal hotlines, where all seniors over age 60 have access to free legal advice over the telephone. To find the states that offer this service and their toll free number, visit legalhotlines.org.

Senior Legal Services: Coordinated by the Administration on Aging, this service may offer free or low-cost legal advice, legal assistance or access to legal representation to people over the age of 60. Your area agency on aging can tell you what’s available in your community. Call the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 to get your local number.

National Disability Rights Network: This is a nonprofit member-

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55 PLUS - February / March 2015

ship organization that provides legal assistance to people with disabilities through their Protection and Advocacy System and Client Assistance Program. If you or your husband is disabled, visit ndrn.org to find help in your state.

Other Options: If you can’t get help from one of these programs, or find that you aren’t eligible, another option is to contact the local bar association, which may be able to refer you to a low-fee lawyer. Or, you may want to consider hiring a lawyer for only part of the legal work and doing other parts yourself. This is known as unbundled legal services.

Many bar associations offer public service-oriented lawyer referral services that will interview clients and help identify the problems a lawyer could help them with. If a lawyer can help with your problem, the service will provide you with a referral to a lawyer. If the problem does not require a lawyer, the service will provide information on other organizations in your community that may be able to help. Most of these lawyer referral services conduct their interviews and make referrals over the phone.

To contact your local bar association, go to americanbar.org and type in “state and local bar associations” in the search field to find their state-bystate directory.

And finally, if you are an AARP member, one other discount resource that may be able to help you is AARP’s Legal Services Network from Allstate. This service provides members a free legal consultation (up to 45 minutes) with an attorney along with 20 percent discounts on other legal services you may need. To locate a lawyer near you, call 866-330-0753.

55PLUS cny55.com

Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto

Associate Editor Lou Sorendo

Writers

Deborah J. Sergeant Aaron Gifford, Sandra Scott Mary Beth Roach, Hannah McNamara John Addyman, Matthew Liptak

Columnists

Eva Briggs, M.D., Bruce Frassinelli Marilyn Pinsky, Harold Miller Jim Sollecito, David J. Zumpano Marvin Druger, Michele Reed

Advertising

Jasmine Maldonado Marsha Preston

Office Manager

Laura J. Beckwith

Layout and Design Chris Crocker

Cover Photo

Chuck Wainwright 55 PLUS –A Magazine for Active Adults in Central New York is published six times a year by Local News, Inc., which also publishes In Good Health–CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper.

Published at 185 E. Seneca St. PO Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126.

Subscription: $15 a year © 2014 by 55 PLUS – A Magazine for Active Adults in Upstate New York.

No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher.

Third class postage paid at Syracuse, NY. Permit Number: 3071

How to Reach Us P.O. Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126 Phone: 315-342-1182 Fax: 315-342-7776 Email: editor@CNY55.com Editor@cnyhealth.com

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financial health

By David J. Zumpano

It’s All About Family 157 East First Street | Oswego, NY

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55 PLUS - February / March 2015

A

ll of us have family. Whether it is our spouse, children, extended family or even our pets. The question is, what does estate planning have to do with your family?

Everything!

Over the past 25 years I have been asking my clients what they want their estate plans to accomplish. The No. 1 answer I receive is, “Dave, I want stay in control.” The second issue I hear is, “I don’t want to become a burden to my loved ones,” and third is, “I want to keep it simple.”

The reality is, the only way to stay in control and keep your estate planning simple is to actually do it now, while you are healthy. And the only way to not become a burden to your family is to ensure your planning provides your wishes for your care so your loved ones don’t have to make life altering decisions for you in matters they ultimately didn’t know what you wanted.

As I look back over my many years of practice, the clients who stand out most to me are the children of clients who had to make the decision of whether to “plug” mom or dad in to life support and they didn’t know what mom or dad wanted.

While something as simple as this is often believed to be accomplished by a healthcare proxy, most healthcare proxies fall short in providing the specific guidance to your loved ones in those life and death situations.

What is essential to know is, most documents — like a will, healthcare proxy and power of attorney — grant a lot of legal authority but rarely provide any instruction as to how to carry out that authority. This destroys families.

Many conversations on estate planning center around whether one needs a trust and whether it should be revocable or irrevocable.

The predominant issue that destroys families is having to make healthcare decisions (healthcare proxy) and legal and financial decisions (power

of attorney) without knowing mom and dad’s wishes.

In most cases, families don’t fight o v e r t h e m o n e y, they fight over what mom and dad wanted. The kids want to be sure they carry out your wishes, but they have different ideas of what your wishes are. Healthcare proxies and powers of attorney grant legal authority to those you choose to make health care, legal and financial decisions for you, but they generally do not provide instructions on how to use that authority, which often leads to family controversy and frustration.

Finally, a trust, when properly done, can be used as your instructions to your family members and can lead to the granting of authority and the proper instructions to loved ones of how to use it; that is, to ensure what you want to have happen actually occurs when you are not there to do it yourself.

Some of the “boiler plate” trusts and other documents used by lawyers will address some of the issues, but rarely address the more difficult issues that lead to the destruction of families.

If you really want to protect your family, you’re the only one who can do it. But first you have to put your own oxygen mask on and get educated on the options you have available and how to ensure your children know your instructions. This ensures there is no fighting when you are gone, and, more importantly, no heartbreak because one of your loved ones had to make decisions whether you live or die, without knowing what your wishes were. Next time you wonder what estate planning is all about, it’s simple, it’s all about family!

David J. Zumpano is an attorney and a certified public accountant (CPA). He operates Estate Planning Law Center. He can be reached at 315-793-3622.

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gardening

Stoneleigh Apartments 400 Lamb Ave, Canastota • 697-2847

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If Fishes Were Wishes

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55 PLUS - February / March 2015

I

chose to practice landscape contracting in an area of the country that presents severe limitations on the profession during four months of the year. One of the benefits of my off season is the opportunity to back off on the throttle.

I am passionate about anything I do, especially my work. But you can’t drive on the highway every time and still enjoy the view of a slow country road. My winter downtime lets me pursue other interests in and on the water. Catch and release fishing would be at the top of that list.

I scan and file countless articles and pieces of information, taking advantage of cold weather days to review in detail. There are always tips and techniques to learn. If you aren’t trying to get better at something, then you cease being good.

I take the same approach with landscape design as I do with fishing.

My client’s landscape needs and preferences change like the ebbs and flows of the tide. It’s important that I keep up-to-date with the plants best suited for each client’s situation and preferences. The main goals are often more color with less maintenance and did I mention plants that deer won’t eat? That factor has become a significant game changer.

In order to continue meeting the same goals under changeable conditions, I find that I need to make adjustments with a body that is also … hmm … changing.

As a high school wrestler I learned that “leverage beats strength.” Use angles and tools that allow us to battle above our adjusted weight class.

In landscaping, that may require getting some new implements to use while standing instead of kneeling. It might mean purchasing materials such as compost or bark mulch in smaller bags that are easier to lift and carry. It

might even mean hiring professionals for some of the job so we can spend our time on activities we can handle without getting hurt.

In 1993, I bought an 18-foot center console boat for fishing and diving.

I wanted to learn from the best. so I hired Captain Tony Buffa to show me how to use my boat on Oneida Lake.

That winter, Tony and I trailered the boat to the Florida Keys. There we worked out some necessary details to manage it in the challenging shallow waters in my chosen winter stomping grounds. I ran that boat constantly for 20 winters until it wore out.

Now when I want to fish from a vessel larger than one of our kayaks, I hire a professional captain. I fish from his boat, and at the end of the day, step off with no worries about cleaning, fueling or other maintenance that brings me no pleasure. It’s all about the experience, and I have enough experience to know what I don’t want to repeat.

How about you? Would you still like to enjoy outdoors in your yard without the heavy lifting? That doesn’t eliminate the opportunity. It merely changes your approach.

Spring is the time to revive your soul. Plants will rekindle that interest as they begin their natural cycle of rebirth. That’s one of the beauties in living in Central New York. Change can be very stimulating. Don’t let the spring of 2015 pass without participating and adding to this excitement in your life.

Jim Sollecito is the first lifetime senior certified landscape professional in NYS. He operates Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse. Contact him at 468-1142 or at jim@sollecito.com.

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55+

retirement

Gone South AARP finds that six out of every 10 people surveyed intend to leave New York state after retirement. Weather, high taxes cited as some of the reasons

By Aaron Gifford

S

yd Tenenbaum was raised in Elmira and has lived in Syracuse since 1977. He retired last year and divides time between New York and Florida, but is seriously leaning toward permanent Sunshine State residency.

“Quite honestly,” he said, “I don’t care if I never see another snowflake again.”

The weather is a major factor, but so is the economy. As a partner with a manufacturing company, Tenenbaum grew tired of the costs of doing business here — high taxes,

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unreasonable utility costs and worker’s compensation premiums, too many state regulations. As a homeowner in The Villages retirement community, near Orlando, Tenenbaum immediately enjoyed the benefits of no state income taxes and low energy costs. His utility bill is less than $90 a month.

“That’s with the air conditioning constantly running,” said Tenenbaum, 63. “That’s three, four, or maybe five times less than what I would pay there [Syracuse].”

He’s not alone. The AARP, in a recent study, found that six out of

every 10 people surveyed intend to leave New York state after retirement, though 27 percent of those surveyed indicated that they are not confident that they’ll ever be able to retire. The main reasons for the desired exodus — mortgage or rent costs, high utility bills, and high taxes. The majority of those surveyed did indicate that they would be more likely to remain here if improvements were made in the areas of health care, housing, transportation and jobs for older residents.

In 2012, one in seven New York State residents was 65 or older. By

2035, that ratio is expected to be one in five. Also noteworthy is the fact that 1.2 million people left New York State between 2000 and 2009.

“As people age they almost universally want to stay in their homes and communities,” the report summarized, “but, contrary to their preference, residents are often faced with the reality of securing for themselves a future where affordable, independent living is possible. For some, this results in a decision to relocate. Importantly, the extent to which New York can meet the needs of its 50-plus residents now, and as they age, will help reduce the likelihood that they will leave the state in the future.”

If in fact 60 percent of residents in New York left after retirement, the economic blow to the state would exceed $105 billion annually, the AARP estimates.

Most of those surveyed for the AARP’s study also said they don’t believe their elected officials are doing enough to keep people from leaving New York. Over 75 percent said they would support a state retirement plan.

The vast majority also indicated that legislators need to work on laws that would ensure state residents could afford to remain in their homes. Nearly 80 percent of those surveyed said they believe the state needs to create an independent utility state consumer advocacy service to keep utility costs reasonable.

In a separate study for Onondaga County, the AARP found that about 50 percent of those surveyed would leave here after retirement. More than one third of those surveyed cited property taxes and utility costs as the main reasons for wanting to leave New York state after retirement.

The study, which factors in data from the U.S. Census, says more than 168,000 residents in Onondaga (out of a total population of 467,026) are over 50. By 2035, residents 65 and over are expected to make up 19 percent of the county’s population.

Ross Binder, 60, who grew up on the west coast but spent much of his adult life in Central New York and raised a family here, moved south in 2011. The retired scientist initially divided his time between the two states but soon realized that the sunshine state was a better fit for his active lifestyle. He plays in two over-50

Most of those surveyed for the AARP’s study also said they don’t believe their elected officials are doing enough to keep people from leaving New York outdoor soccer leagues in the Ft. Myers and Sarasota metro areas, where the seasons run from September through May. He can bike and swim in a nearby river year-round.

Financially, the move did not set Binder back. Although southwest Florida has traditionally been a hot real estate market for retirees, prices dropped significantly during the Great Recession and foreclosure sales were abundant. Binder said his house and surrounding property in the town of Alva, just outside Ft. Myers, is comparable in size to what he had in Manlius, but his property taxes down there are only $1,000 a year, compared to the $6,000 he paid here.

Binder visits friends and relatives in the San Francisco area as well as in Central New York, but prefers to spend most of his time in Florida. But he cautions that life in Florida is far from perfect. Some sweltering summer days can be unbearable; there are no soccer games in June, July or August for the over-50 players. The mosquitoes are nasty, and the alligators can be even nastier.

Binder was relatively new to the area when he went for a swim in the Caloosahatchee River one evening after dinner. A gator began circling him, and wasn’t deterred when Binder began yelling and waving his hands around. When Binder swam closer to shore and was able to stand up, the reptile swam away. Binder has since purchased an alligator swatter and is

more cautious about when he swims in the river.

“It was a learning experience,” he said. “You don’t swim after sunset.”

Binder sometimes refers to Syracuse, jokingly, as “Zerocuse.”

Other former Central New York re s i d e n t s o r s n o w b i rd s c a l l i t “Siberiacuse.” Tenenbaum, the Syracuse resident who is leaning toward permanently moving to The Villages, Florida, says retirees like to poke fun at their southern locations as well.

“You know what they say about this place?” he said with a laugh. “It’s a drinking community with a golfing problem.”

On New Year ’s Eve last year, Tenenbaum scored a hole in one on the golf course and shortly thereafter asked his girlfriend — now fiancée — to marry him. Like Binder, Tenenbaum quickly got attached to the active yet laid-back lifestyle of Florida. Golfing is his favorite hobby, but he doesn’t rule out trying out other outdoor activities if he settles there permanently. “ Yo u s e e p e o p l e e n j o y i n g something as simple as walking,” he said. “Everybody seems happy down here. Everyone says hello. It’s just different here.”

Still, Tenenbaum says there are several things he would miss about here if he became a full-time Florida resident, including the comfortable summer weather and the fall foliage.

“That’s not to say Syracuse isn’t a nice place, because it is,” he said. “But when you don’t have to go to work every day and you start spending what you’ve been saving for, having that sunshine and the easy-going lifestyle are so important.”

Joe Garafalo Sr. of Garafalo’s Importing in Oswego has seen many local residents head south after retirement. He’s shipped products to countless customers who could not get the foods they’ve enjoyed so much here in other states. Believe it or not, he said, many local residents who moved away for a better climate or to live in what they thought was a more vibrant community have returned here.

“Bigger cities and busier places can be a lot more expensive,” he said.

“People go away and get the big city treatment. Here, we ask how are your kids and how have you been. I think people miss the community and people in the community.”

February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

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55+

age gap

Age Difference: Does it Matter?

Some say age is just a number, others say substantial age difference between couples may create problems

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

I

n life and love, age is just a number.

If you and your sweetheart have 15 more years between you, consider your relationship extra special.

The 2010 United States Census reports that only 1 percent of couples have a 15-year age gap between them.

Whether your age gap is not that large or is larger, marrying Brenizer someone with

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55 PLUS - February / March 2015

several years’ difference in age presents additional challenges.

Some people may think there’s something wrong with the relationship, lobbing slurs such as the “nurse and the purse.”

“Every couple will have conflicts, but they may have more than the usual amounts because of outward negative perceptions,” said Susan Hartman Brenizer, licensed marriage and family therapist in practice in Fayetteville.

She advises staying away from naysayers to keep the relationship positive and deciding ahead of time how to cope with misunderstandings.

If one partner is retired and the

other still works, disagreements about money can arise, since money symbolizes power. Hartman Brenizer recommends negotiating and discussing issues relating to money early in the relationship.

“With age disparity, the older person has a whole lot more power because they have more years in the workforce and have more money than the younger person and more social contacts in the community,” Hartman Brenizer said. “They have more experience. The healthiest marriages have a balanced sense of power. Maybe she has power more in areas where she does well in and he has power where

he does well in.”

The younger spouse may enjoy more physical recreation the older one can no longer do; however, compromise and open-mindedness can help in that area also.

Familial dynamics and responsibilities can also foster disagreements. One partner may have already reared children and feel that part of life is done while the other yearns for youngsters. One may struggle to cope with rearing small children while the other ’s elderly parents are ailing.

‘The perfect storm’ Blending the family can become more complicated, too, since the older partner’s children may be closer in age to the younger partner.

“That sets up the perfect storm for competition over who does dad really love and who will he give his attention to,” Hartman Brenizer said. “I have several couples who really struggle with that.”

Physical differences must also be considered. The younger person may likely become a caretaker for the older partner, just as the younger one hits

the prime of life. For a couple that’s 55 and 40, for example, health isn’t a big deal — yet.

“For someone 75 and 55, that might have more implications to their physical abilities and lifestyle, particularly when it comes to things like sex,” said the Rev. Michael Heath, licensed mental health counselor at Pine Ridge Pastoral Counseling Services in Syracuse. “But just because one partner is older doesn’t mean the couple will be less sexually active.

When we get older, sexual life may have more complications. It’s not something that’s impossible, but should be taken into account.”

An age gap isn’t all bad news.

Though age-gap couples may lack complete cultural overlap, learning about the decades the older spouse experienced or the latest technology that comes easily to the younger spouse keeps life interesting.

“Men like younger women for their younger appearance and women like older men for their maturity,” Heath said. “They’re more stable and less impulsive.”

He encourages age gap couples to use the same relationship tools as any

couple — empathy, understanding, accommodation and honest communication.

“Work together on issues to find a satisfactory resolution,” Heath said. “Both members have not only a toleration for frustration but appropriate ways to manage anger.

Those are the kinds of skills for all relationships.”

Every couple, regardless of ages, experiences differences of perspective and culture. An age gap is simply another example that may be overcome and even enjoyed. By openly discussing potential problems in advance of or early in the marriage, couples can avoid many struggles.

“Be really patient, talk about things, keep the lid on,” Hartman Brenizer said. “No shame, blame, criticism or judgment.

“Decide together how to approach friends and family. Agree to not give up, but have a real commitment to putting the couple first, before kids and everything else,” she added. “It absolutely can work, but it takes more effort on the part of the couple. If you need to, seek psychotherapy for the negotiation of these things.”

February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

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Jim Kenyon Longtime investigative reporter takes time to reflect on storied career

By Aaron Gifford

I

t’s mid-morning on the Monday after Christmas, and Jim Kenyon is still getting used to the lack of deadlines. He’s been off work less than a week.

He enjoys long conversations that aren’t cut short by other calls coming in or news tips that need immediate attention. He loves the fact that he doesn’t have to submit a vacation request to visit his daughter and grandchildren in New York City.

The days have been pleasant, he says, but the nights will take some getting used to.

“It’s like you’re still waiting for the broadcast,” the newly retired newsman said. “In that business, you felt like you always had to be ready.

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55 PLUS - February / March 2015

You just don’t sleep well. I am starting to feel more rested, though.”

Kenyon, 65, just ended a television news career that spanned more than 40 years and earned him more than 50 awards of recognition, including the coveted Investigative Reporters and Editors award. Along the way, he made some people pretty mad while completing a body of work that brought changes to the community.

Not bad for a guy who admits he was a horrible student in high school.

A native of Wilmington, Del., Kenyon moved to Syracuse at the age of 6 when his father, Jim Kenyon Sr., secured a job here as an advertising artist. Kenyon, who has two older sisters, grew up with a love of fishing,

hiking and listening to blues and rock music. Henninger High School opened in the family’s Eastwood neighborhood, and Kenyon was part of its first graduating class in 1967.

Kenyon’s teachers steered him toward a career in journalism. At that time, SUNY Morrisville, now called Morrisville State College, developed an associate’s degree program that was designed to train students for staff writer positions at small daily and weekly newspapers. Kenyon applied but didn’t get in.

“My grades were terrible,” he recalled. “My dad got involved. You had to understand that in those times, if you didn’t go to college, you were going to war. And I was a prime

candidate for the draft.”

SUNY Morrisville admission officers agreed to let Kenyon in if he completed an algebra course over the summer. He succeeded at the task and walked onto the campus in 1967 as part of its inaugural journalism class. Kenyon got involved with the college radio station, WCVM, and also worked a night job doing the fiveminute newscast with WTOB in Utica.

He left school after three semesters for personal reasons, but later returned and graduated in 1970.

“I’d say broadcast law was one of the courses I enjoyed the most,” Kenyon said. “You learned how to avoid being sued.”

It was only by chance that Kenyon got his start in television. He attended the funeral of his father ’s friend, local television personality Charlie Featherstone. Staffers from the Syracuse affiliate of ABC (channel 9) told him there was a reporter opening on the evening shift. Kenyon applied and got it.

He covered city council meetings, spot news, accidents and crime.

Up for the task

her family.”

The work in Ohio was rewarding, Kenyon said, but it still felt like too much of an office job sometimes.

Columbus was a great town, and yet Kenyon and his wife never felt attuned to the community. It never felt like the right place to raise a family. They wanted to come home.

Three years later, while vacationing in Syracuse, Kenyon went to WSTM on a whim to see if it had openings.

He was hired on the spot as Channel 3’s weekend weatherman. The spot helped Kenyon fine-tune his on-air ad-libbing skills and get his foot in the door again. Soon, he took on additional news assignments during the week.

At the time the rivalry between all three Syracuse television news stations — 3, 5 and 9 — was intense, not to mention the competition within WSTM’s own newsroom. Steve Kroft, now of “60 minutes,” was working there, along with sports broadcasting legend Bob Costas and Jeanne Meserve, formerly of CNN. “I got involved in this great place,” he said. “And with the kind of work all three stations were doing at the time, you had to do things well and right.”

In WSTM’s quest to excel, news

executives at the time encouraged Kenyon to develop a specialty area.

At the time, environment reporting was becoming increasingly popular, so Kenyon took that on. He learned how to follow paper trails and people trails to investigate regulators, agencies and situations. The idea was to get past bureaucratic barriers to find out how environmental issues were really being dealt with.

Uncovering crime Kenyon focused on an FBI investigation of local trash haulers who had engaged in price fixing. But that inquiry took him in a different direction, and the reporter eventually uncovered a scandal in which haulers were fraudulently reporting the weight of their trucks to avoid landfill fees.

F e d e r a l i n v e s t i g a t o r s w e re unaware of that activity prior to Kenyon’s reports. Eventually, trash hauling company executives were indicted and imprisoned, and $1 million was returned to taxpayers.

Kenyon won the 1992 IRE award and a state broadcasting award for that work. When the Syracuse Press Club gave him honorable mention for it instead of an award, WSTM’s news

“It was very challenging and I loved it,” he said. “I felt like I found my place. No two days are the same. You find yourself playing a role and becoming part of the community.”

Kenyon said the most difficult part of transitioning from radio to television was writing to video and explaining to the audience what they were seeing. He eventually did some anchoring and, while he liked the attention it brought him, he did not find it as challenging as street reporting.

In 1973, Kenyon was o ff e re d a p ro d u c e r a n d nighttime anchor position for the ABC affiliate in Columbus, Ohio. This proposition came shortly after he proposed to his wife, Janice Kazacos, whom he had only known for about four weeks. They are still married today.

“I met her in a bar,” he said. “She was a cook there and I’d go there after work.

We got married and moved to Ohio. I still feel kind of guilty Investigative reporter Jim Kenyon, right, earlier in his career. He recently retired after about taking her away from more than 40 years in journalism.

February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

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profile

said. “If you’re going to be sued, it shows what’s on the record.”

Kenyon said health issues, which also included a torn rotator cuff and a kidney stone, contributed to his decision to retire. But he also looked at how the business has changed with the influx of multimedia reporters who can do their own camera work and editing and post their work quickly on social media outlets.

“I really admire that,” he said, “but it’s kind of skimming the surface journalism.

It’s time for me to step aside and let the next generation take over.”

Kenyon’s daughter, Gina, graduated from Liverpool High School and Albany State University and lives in Manhattan with her h u s b a n d a n d t h re e Kenyon with his grandkids: Olivia, 5; Xavier, 6 months; and Cole, 3. He said he hopes to children. They expect spend more time with them now that he is retired. they spend more time with their grandparents in the months ahead. director “went bozo” and pursued procedures (emergency triple bypass “Balancing family and work the judges to reconsider their contest surgery) on camera, along with his wasn’t easy,” Kenyon said. “We grew results, Kenyon said with a laugh, recovery and continued treatment. stressing that it was not his choice to The “Heart to Heart” series raised up with the value that marriage was get involved with the matter. awareness about healthy choices you forever. That’s worked so far — it’s “They actually held a special can make to avoid heart problems later been 41 years.”

Kenyon also looks forward to meeting and reversed their decision,” in life, he said. he said. “That had never happened Before and after the heart attack, hunting and fishing, motorcycle before. I didn’t ask for it. It’s just kind Kenyon put himself at risk on the riding and pistol shooting. He hopes of a crazy story.” job, he explained. In one instance, to remain in his Monday night indoor A few years later, Kenyon was an angry Oswego County man who target-shooting league throughout his recognized for his work on the was keeping hazardous waste on retirement. He’s also thinking about “Hidden Hotel Horrors” series in his property chased Kenyon with a taking up bicycling and getting into which he worked with a Chicago running chain saw. And more recently, better shape. Beyond those activities, forensic scientist to expose germs and a relative of a convicted criminal the retired newsman says he will look potential health violations at local approached Kenyon with a club in his for new ways to make a difference in hotels. He said the series promoted hand. The news photographer held up the community.

“I think it’s time to sit back, look changes in the hospitality industry his camera as a shield but luckily the at life and maybe take up work with a and area viewers who travel regularly situation was defused before anyone charity or cause,” he said. “I don’t want thanked him. was hurt.

After suffering a heart attack while “The thing we’ve learned is, the to be one of these guys who sticks with on assignment in Albany, Kenyon camera rolls on everything so you a career into their 70s and then retires decided to document his own medical document what goes on,” Kenyon and dies. I’ve got some years left.”

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55 PLUS - February / March 2015

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r? r Is a Lot Younge If Your Partne Does it Matter REPORTER JIM KENYON TALKS ABOUT CAREER Y, MEET BILL GREGWA R MAN OSWEGO’S WEATHE

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my turn

By Bruce Frassinelli Email: bruce@cny55.com

Football Saved my Life

A

Reflection to help parents evaluate if their kids should play football

t a time when many parents and grandparents are evaluating whether the health risks of playing football are worth the societal rewards, I reflect on the fateful decision I made 60 years ago to go out for football

Young Frassinelli during his years as a football player in high school. Playing football “taught me teamwork, patience, understanding and problem-solving,” he says.

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55 PLUS - February / March 2015

in my junior year of high school.

I have my band director, Tom Cadden, to thank for making this happen. One of my best friends, Paul Tocchet, and I put enormous pressure on Cadden to rescind his rule that those who played in the high school band could not be part of the football team, too.

Cadden’s logic was that you can’t be on the field as a football player and in the stands as a trumpet player at the same time. Back then, in our small high school of about 130 students, there was no such thing as separate marching and concert bands.

I had wanted to go out for football in my freshman year, as many of my non-band member friends had done. Football was a strong tradition in our family. Both of my brothers were captains of their respective teams in ’42 and ’47. My brother, Charlie — known as ``Bombo” — was a bruising fullback who was the backbone of the Hillers’ team.

I remember vividly the screaming headline over the box score of the McAdoo game, which Summit Hill won thanks to my brother’s touchdown — “Too Much Bombo.”

My father was an avid football fan and was more than disappointed when I opted for the band over football in ninth and 10th grades.

Although he never said so, he secretly wanted me to uphold the family pigskin legacy. When my brothers played, he left the running of our family grocery store to my mother for three to four hours, and he walked the sidelines showing support and pride for my brothers’ heroics.

Between my sophomore and junior years, band director Cadden relented and allowed those who wanted to play football to join up with the

Football taught me teamwork, patience, understanding and problem-solving. Victory was important, but the many side benefits of football were incalculable in giving me the underpinning tools that would serve me so well for the next 60 years band for the spring concert season.

My elation at being able to play was tempered by our 0-9 season my junior year. Despite my not having played until my junior year, I became the starting inside tackle for our single-wing formation team. I was big for my age — more than 200 pounds, which, back then, was about 30 pounds more than the average lineman. In those days, most players played both ways — offense and defense. I made my share of tackles, but it took me a while to get the hang of the intricacies of the game.

I guess now is as good a time as any to explain the headline of this column —“football saved my life.” Prior to going out for football, I was viewed as an odd-ball, a 1950s version of the nerdiest of nerds. I was an outrageous attention-seeker, pretended I was married with children whom I would visit periodically at some secret location ”in the sky.” There was more odd stuff like that, but you get the picture.

Despite this, I was relatively popular. I was elected class president in my sophomore year, al-

though I had no illusions about this selection. The two most popular guys in the class chose not to run, and the most popular girls wanted to be secretary and treasurer.

In football, I found that giving myself for the good of the team paid off in success and enormous self-satisfaction. My coach always stressed that well-worn saying, “There is no ‘I’ in `team.’” I found this old bromide to be at the heart of my metamorphosis, to be more concerned about others than about myself.

As an upperclassman, I found myself mentoring the younger players, even though they were rookies just as I was. Through this cathartic process, I found that satisfaction came in helping and teaching others and to forget the silliness associated with my quest to make everything all about me.

Just before the start of our senior year, team members voted for co-captains. To no one’s surprise, our star quarterback, Will Derby, was one of the selectees. To my utter shock, I was chosen as the other.

I ran home after practice the day the results were announced to tell my father. “Can you believe it, Pop? All three of your boys became captains of their football teams.” Not one to show much emotion, my Italian immigrant father cracked a smile and merely said, “Bene” (“Good”). Ten minutes later, I heard him tell a family friend with unbridled pride that I had become co-captain of the team.

Our team went 4-5 that year. I led the team in tackles, recovered four fumbles and I kicked the game-winning extra point in a 7-6 nail-biter against Jim Thorpe. More important, though, I took my role as co-team leader very seriously. My football experience turned around my life and prepared me for a professional career of leadership and collaboration, first as a newspaper editor, then general manager and, finally, as publisher.

Football also formed the bedrock of my passion for community service.

Football taught me teamwork, patience, understanding and problem-solving. Yes, of course, victory was important, but the many side benefits of football were incalculable in giving me the underpinning tools that would serve me so well for the next 60 years — and counting.

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Q: What is the earliest age that I can apply for my Social Security retirement benefits?

A: To apply for Social Security retirement benefits, you must be at least 61 years and 9 months of age and want your benefits to start in the next three months. You can begin receiving retirement benefits as early as age 62, but if you take benefits before your full retirement age, your benefits will be reduced permanently.

Q: Can I delay my retirement benefits and receive benefits as a spouse only? How does that work?

A: It depends on your age. If you are between full retirement age and age 70, and your spouse is receiving Social Security benefits, you should apply for retirement benefits and request that the payments be suspended. Then, you can choose to receive benefits on your spouse’s Social Security record. By doing so, you will earn delayed retirement credits up to age 70, as long as you do not collect your benefits on your own earnings record. Later, when you do begin receiving benefits on your own record, those payments could be higher than they would have been otherwise because you earned delayed retirement credits.

Q: I am about to retire, but I still have a young child in my care. Will I receive additional benefits for the child I care for?

A: When you qualify for Social Security retirement benefits, your children may also qualify to receive benefits. Your eligible child can be your biological child, an adopted child or a stepchild. In limited circumstances, you may also get benefits for a dependent grandchild.

To receive benefits, your child must be: unmarried; under the age of 18; between 18 and 19 years old and a full-time student (no higher than grade 12); or 18 or older and disabled from a condition that started before age 22.

55+

weather

Oswego’s Weather Man Bill Gregway has devoted more than half of his life to weather observing

By Hannah McNamara

B

ill Gregway found his passion for weather almost half a century ago and he has been on cloud nine ever since.

At the age of 80, Gregway continues to serve the Oswego community through his daily weather observations and recordings. He is a trained cooperative weather observer for the National Weather Service.

Gregway, who retired from the city of Oswego as a draftsman, has been recording daily readings of temperature, precipitation and snowfall at his coop station Oswego East for 46 years.

The U.S. Army veteran first developed a passion for weather while delivering newspapers as a young boy.

“It didn’t matter how fast I pedaled, I always got wet,” Gregway said. “But I’ve had an interest in weather for as long as I can remember.”

Gregway’s uncle served as a weather observer with the Army in China during World War II. When he returned home, he provided Gregway with his Army field manuals from World War II, which also fueled his nephew’s passion for the weather.

Gregway’s high school earth science teacher — who worked in the Army Corps — also helped heighten his interest about weather.

“As a native of this town, I think Oswego is a prime location to observe weather because I get to enjoy the perks of every season,” Gregway said. “Oswego also played a very important role in the history of weather observation.”

Weather data has been compiled in Oswego since the early 1850s by soldiers at the fort due to the importance of the port and the location of Fort Ontario.

In the 1870s, Oswego was one of only 13 weather stations in the United States.

Bill Gregway at home in Oswego. He has kept track of of the weather in the area for 46 years.

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Before serving as weather observer and draftsman, Gregway served in the U.S. Army from 1955-1958.

He traveled throughout the Midwest as a volunteer draftsman and when he returned home, he enrolled at Canton University. However, Gregway only completed a year due to an offer to work as a draftsman for the city of Oswego in the late 1950s.

Knack for observing It wasn’t until October of 1968 that he was offered a job with the National Weather Service as a cooperative weather observer. The opportunity came about after the meteorologist in charge of the Oswego first order weather station moved to Syracuse in 1953. The station was given to SUNY Oswego but after the college incorrectly recorded a number of weather observations, the college lost authority of the weather station, Gregway said.

“As a weather observer, you have to be consistent and dedicated to checking the weather multiple times a day at certain times,” Gregway said.

“The college may have lost the station but it was the greatest gain I’ve ever

received.”

Gregway is in charge of the official weather station Oswego East, which is fully equipped with up-to-date weather-recording instruments from the National Weather Service. The station is set up in his back yard, only a mile away from Lake Ontario. His monthly weather observations are distributed to the Buffalo National Weather Service and The PalladiumTimes in Oswego.

During his career as weather observer, Gregway has witnessed some of the most memorable storms of all time in Oswego County. At the top of his list is the famous blizzard of 1966 where over 103 inches of snow had fallen in under five days accompanied by wind speeds of 60 mph.

While most people stayed locked in their house, Gregway trudged through massive snowfall to observe and record the epic event.

Gregway also has continued a hobby that was passed on to him by a fellow meteorologist many years ago.

By observing trees and flowers in the months preceding spring, he is able to record whether the spring season will be early or late.

“It’s more of an observation that I keep to myself, but I always look forward to observing and recording certain flowers and trees around my house during spring,” Gregway said.

Over his 46 years of service, the National Weather Service has recognized Gregway on numerous occasions, including with its prestigious Thomas Jefferson Award. This award is presented annually to approximately five of 11,000 observers for unusual and outstanding accomplishments in the field of meteorological observations.

After open-heart surgery in 2013, Gregway was out of the loop in regards to weather observing for a short period of time. Fortunately enough, he has neighbors who understand his passion for weather and have helped record the weather on days that he has not been able to.

The heart surgery did not slow him down at all from pursuing his passion for weather.

“I attend rehab three times a week and always keep myself moving around,” Gregway said. “I’ve already observed weather for 46 years and I’m hoping to make it to 50.”

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55+

music

In Harmony

Harmony Katz rehearsing at the gymnasium at St. Daniel’s in Lyncourt. The group has performed the national anthem at various locales, including a Syracuse Chiefs game at NBT Stadium and a Syracuse Crunch game at the OnCenter War Memorial. A dozen members sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” at an immigration and naturalization ceremony recently.

Harmony Katz, a men-only barbershop quartet with a long tradition

By Mary Beth Roach

T

he Harmony Katz is looking for good men, according to its recent ad.

Men who can sing, that is.

The local chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society requires only the ability to carry a tune.

No experience is required and there is no need to be able to read music.

The boater hats, handlebar moustaches, and striped vests — so often synonymous with barbershop quartets — are optional.

And this group CAN sing.

At their rehersal space at St. Daniel’s in Lyncourt, they filled the gymnasium with their deep, melodious sound.

The 44 men who make up the chapter come from all walks of life and from all over Onondaga County, and a few from neighboring counties as well.

For them, it’s not only a hobby. It’s

a tradition, a social outlet and a means of becoming involved in the Central New York community.

David Bender, who actually sports the iconic handlebar moustache, is carrying on a family tradition. His father was a “barber shopper,” and David has been part of the local barbershop scene for 52 years He was a member of The Music Makers prior to The Harmony Katz, which began about 12 years ago.

“To me, it’s comfort music,” he said. “You hear a barbershop chord, and you know it’s going to be a good day.”

Bender, along with Bob Coant, Frank Lazipone and Larry Brennan, took a break during their weekly rehearsal to talk about their love of this traditional type of music and to serenade a visitor.

Coant has been a member for 37 years; Lazipone, 27 years; and

Brennan, 34 years.

“I had hair when I joined,” Brennan joked.

This is the only music that’s arranged with a four-part harmony that gets a fifth tone, Brennan said. The harmonics in the tones reinforce each other to produce audible overtones or undertones, according to The Harmony Katz website. Barber shoppers call this “ringing a chord” or creating that “fifth voice.”

“Once you’ve experienced that you never want to sing anything else,” he said.

The Harmony Katz of Onondaga County is one of more than 30 chapters that make up the Seneca Land District, which consists of New York state and a part of Pennsylvania.

There are 17 different districts that comprise The Barbershop Harmony Society.

With 30,000 members in the U.S. February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

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and Canada, the Barbershop Harmony Society is the world’s largest all-male singing organization. It is comprised of more than 800 choruses and 1,800 quartets throughout the United States and Canada.

Another group from the Seneca Land District distinguished itself about 50 years ago when The Buffalo Bills quartet performed in the 1962 film “The Music Man.” Remember: “Lida Rose, I’m home again, Rose?”

The group that hailed from western New York made those lyrics and song popular, and is considered by many to be the greatest barbershop quartet of all time.

Today’s Buffalo Bills football team name may have its roots in barber shopping. The team was a charter member of the American Football League in the 1960s. Following a public contest, the team adopted the same name as the AAFC Buffalo Bills, the former All-America Football Conference team in Buffalo.

The AAFC Bills franchise was named after the Buffalo Bills barbershop quartet, whose name was a play on the name of the famed Wild West showman Buffalo Bill Cody.

Membership in the local group has been increasing over the past few years and Lazipone suggested a number of reasons for the growth.

The rehearsal space at St. Daniel’s is easily accessible and the group has a number of talented people at the helm, including the musical director and assistant director. It also has a member who oversees public relations and marketing.

The group, too, has taken on an ambitious performance schedule.

By getting out and doing more community shows, Lazipone cited, they are gaining exposure.

Their schedule this past year has taken them throughout Central New York and Rochester. They have performed the national anthem at various locales, including a Syracuse Chiefs game at NBT Stadium and a Syracuse Crunch game at the OnCenter War Memorial. A dozen members sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” at an immigration and naturalization ceremony recently.

The group has sung for major holidays, and even does singing Valentines.

Following up on a suggestion

Let’s Talk!

from musical director Peter Carentz several years ago, The Harmony Katz has chosen the Food Bank of CNY as its service project.

As such, Lazipone, said, they have donated more than $11,000 to the agency over the past three years as a result of two fundraising shows and proceeds from their first Christmas CD that they recorded last year.

They have also put together a song titled “We Sing to Feed Them All,” which is the finale to their food bank concerts and every practice.

“It was a ‘feel good’ thing for the guys,” Lazipone said. “We’re using our talents to give back to the community.”

“It just adds so much character to your life and so much enjoyment,” he added.

Very often, those who want to learn more about The Harmony Katz will come to a rehearsal. They say they have a lot of fun, and they truly do come back, he said.

Anyone interested in adding their voice to the harmony can attend a Monday evening rehearsal or check out the group’s website at www. harmonykatz.com.

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www.christopher-community.org

consumers corner

By Eva Briggs, M.D.

Regrowing Nerves, Regenerating Neurons

C

ut your skin and your body repairs the wound in days.

Break a bone and the healing process takes weeks.

But damage the nerves in your spinal cord or lose brain neurons to disease or injury and the chance that the nerves will regrow at all is low.

The odds are better if you’re young; they decline with age. Some basic science research on a tiny worm suggests possible future avenues for treating damaged neurons.

Caenorhabditis elegans is a 1 mm transparent worm. Its transparency, which allows scientists to easily visualize its nervous system, makes it a favorite and therefore well-studied lab animal. In fact, in 1998 it was the first multicellular organism to have its complete genome sequenced.

Various invertebrates, from crayfish to leeches, are able to knit together severed nerves. But vertebrates, animals with backbones, lack this ability.

Investigators experimented with C. elegans of various ages — young adult (1-day-old) and aged (5-day-old) worms.

They damaged the animal’s nerves with a laser.

The youngest worms were able to begin to regrow their nerves 65 percent of the time. The regeneration rate fell to less than half, 28 percent, in the aged adults.

And the younger o rg a n i s m s w e re

almost three times more likely than the aged adult worms for the new nerves to make significant progress toward reconnecting with the worm’s dorsal nerve cord, which is similar to the spinal cord in mammals. This first stage of the experiment established that age was an important factor in nerve regrowth and regeneration.

The researchers next wondered if there was a metabolic pathway that could allow the nerves of aged adults to regrow as well as the nerves of young worms. They discovered a pathway called daf-2 that was already known to regulate life span. Daf-2 turned out to also independently regulate the ability of neurons to regenerate.

By modifying the daf-2 pathway in neurons, the researchers could produce worms that aged normally but could still regenerate their neurons as well as young worms. Daf-2 is an insulin inhibiting pathway.

Future research will be needed to determine whether a similar pathway exists in humans and, if so, whether it can be similarly successfully modified.

Clinically this could be useful for spinal cord injury. It could be used to could create an environment to stimulate regrowth of the injured nerves. Perhaps it will be combined with other avenues of current research, such as the use of stem cells.

Perhaps this research will lead to treatments to reverse or prevent degenerative neurologic diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. With 26 million sufferers worldwide, the potential to improve life is huge.

Eva Briggs is a medical doctor who works at two urgent care centers (Central Square and Fulton) operated by Oswego Health.

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s e i d l O n e d Gol

Rock ‘n’ roll comes alive thanks to Syracuse– based Baby Boomers Band

By Mary Beth Roach

C

ouples that play music together, stay together.

Or so it would seem for Art and Nancy Bronstein and Jim and Jessie Kerr-Whitt, who form the core of the seven-member local band, The Baby Boomers Band.

The Bronsteins, who have been married for 33 years, and Kerr-Whitts, who have been married 28 years, met about a quarter-century ago.

They played at gatherings with friends, mostly at Temple Concord in Syracuse.

About 15 years ago, the group added a drummer, then keyboards and bass. Each new instrument allowed the band to add another dimension to

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its sound and expand its repertoire, Bronstein said.

It was easy enough for the members to arrive at their current name of Baby Boomers.

“Because we are,” Art said, chuckling. The current members range in age from 57 to 64.

Moreover, he explained, the band’s name helps to identify the group as to the genre of music it plays.

What they play, Bronstein said, are rock favorites from the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s — covers by the legends of those eras such as The Beatles, The Eagles, Mamas & Papas, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Simon & Garfunkel, Tom Petty and more.

Forming the core of The Baby Boomers are: back row: Jim Kerr-Whitt, left, and Art Bronstein; and seated: Jessie Kerr-Whitt, left, and Nancy Bronstein.

The Kerr-Whitts have been married for 28 years; the Bronsteins have been married for 33 years.

The core members are the vocalists for the band, allowing the group to do four-part harmonies, which is the signature sound of many of the music selections in their song list.

“Because we have the vocals, we can do a lot of difficult vocal stuff live that other bands can’t do,” Bronstein said. “It gives us the opportunity to expose people to music they haven’t heard in a while. It makes us unique.”

Art, the bandleader, plays acoustic 6-, 12-string and electric guitars, and is one of the vocalists. Also on vocals is Nancy, who plays harmonica and melodica as well.

Jim is the band’s lead singer and plays acoustic guitar, and Jessie is also a vocalist and plays percussion.

Rounding out the band is Mark Oda on keyboards; Steve Fluery on electric bass guitar; and John Sucapani on drums.

The band has been through several drummers before Sucapani joined up about nine months ago. They have a keeper with him, Art said. Oda was “an incredible find,” according to Art, and Fluery came to the group via Craigslist.

They play eight to 10 gigs a year, Bronstein explained, since all seven still have “day jobs.”

Bronstein is an electrical fire investigator and works to determine the cause of a fire for insurance companies and law enforcement.

Nancy is a retired nurse practitioner in the field of gynecological oncology, but still teaches medical students at SUNY Upstate Medical University and LeMoyne College on a part-time basis.

Jim has served as pastor at North Manlius United Church for 20 years and the choral director at the Hebrew Day School in Syracuse. Jessie is an elementary teacher at the Hebrew Day School.

Oda works for the parking department at Syracuse University; Fluery is a professor at LeMoyne College; and Sucapani is a tile specialist and plays in another band called Command Performance.

Audiences have heard the Baby Boomers Band at the Taste of Syracuse, at outdoor concerts in Liverpool, a fundraiser for the American Red Cross, a benefit for the Museum of Science and Technology in downtown Syracuse, the Can-Am Festival in Sacket’s Harbor in July and at the Barnstormer Winery near Watkins Glen.

said. “People can relate to lyrics, the message. The ‘70s was such a strong decade. There were women’s rights, civil rights, the Vietnam era. Also the rock ‘n’ roll revolution. Those social factors. The messages are still relevant.”

Oda sees it as an era when music was changing, when the bands were blending various styles, such as Chicago did by mixing rock ‘n’ roll with big band and jazz fusion.

“We were blessed to live in a very special time,” said Oda. “I don’t know if it’ll ever be that way again.”

The seven members all hail from different corners of the state and the nation.

Art was born and grew up in Philadelphia before coming to Syracuse to attend Syracuse University.

Nancy is a native Central New Yorker. Jim is from the Southern Tier; Jessie is from the Albany area; Oda was born in New Jersey and grew up in Los Angeles.

Fluery is from Malone, in the northern part of New York state, and Sucapani is from the north side of Syracuse.

Although they come from different locales, and the last three have only been with the band a few years at most, their harmony is evident.

Sitting in on a rehearsal at the Kerr-Whitts’ home was like spending an afternoon in the midst of seven long-time friends.

When asked about their favorite artists, their favorite old clubs and

haunts, and the reasons for the continued popularity of classic rock, they began sharing memories of seeing The Beatles at Shea Stadium or Judy Collins at Red Rocks in Colorado, and even meeting Frank Sinatra at the Carrier Dome.

They talked about why they like vocals of Crosby, Stills and Nash, the soulful music of James Taylor or the horns that marked the songs of Chicago, and they reminisced about their days performing at the old Ground Round in DeWitt or Hungry Charley’s on The Hill.

Their rehearsals will usually culminate with a shared meal, frequently prepared by Sucapani’s wife. The only thing they may fight over is who gets the last glass of wine or finishes off the sub sandwich, Art joked.

“It’s a privilege to play music with people who enjoy it as much as you and have the talent to blend,” Oda said.

“When you’re out there and you’re doing well, you’re part of this incredible thing that is happening, I can’t describe the feeling. You have a nirvana moment,” Art said.

So enjoyable has his experience been, Art said he will play until his hands fall off.

“Being a baby boomer band, we’re getting up there in the years,” he said. “There’s going to come a time when one of us isn’t going to do this, but we’ll deal with that when we get there.”

Wide-ranging appeal Regardless of the venue or ages of audience members, the band’s music is well received by everyone, even youngsters. The Kerr-Whitts commented that the kids in the elementary school where they teach love the music.

“They come and they dance and they bounce around,” Jessie said.

But why do these songs from the middle of the 20th century still resonate today?

“I think it’s the harmonies,” Nancy

Four members of the seven-person Baby Boomers band are, from left, Art Bronstein, Jim Kerr-Whitt, Jessie Kerr-Whitt, and Nancy Bronstein February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

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aging

By Marilyn L. Pinsky

Pinsky’s Guide to Bathrooms To pee or not to pee is never the question

Z

agats is a rating guide for restaurants. Pinskys could be a rating guide i n m y o w n a re a o f expertise — bathrooms.

On a trip to China a few years ago I stopped so often to visit “the facilities” that my bus mates started referring to it as “The Pinsky” as in, “does anyone have to stop to use The Pinsky?”

Ratings would be based on a number of factors. Of course cleanliness and accessibility would certainly top the list. This guide would also go into details that only a true aficionado of the sport would appreciate: indoor vs. outdoor; international travel where the language barrier might slow you down for a few essential minutes; and the always difficult “pay to play” situation where carrying the correct change becomes an issue.

On the positive side, there would be a chapter on the enjoyment of meeting fellow line sufferers who might prove to be interesting conversationalists. Then to raise the level of discussion, there would be chapters on etiquette and ethics.

A few sample chapters.

INDOORS Let’s start with entry into the cubicle. Perhaps you’re at the mall for an appointment at the computer store and need to stop at additional stores to pick up a few things while you’re there. Nature calls. By this time you’re now carrying a computer, packages, perhaps a briefcase and/or a handbag. It soon becomes obvious that one hook or shelf will not do the trick.

The options become limited. Putting your possessions on the floor is not 30

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an appetizing thought and balancing them in some fashion while preparing to perform the act for which you’re there, could be dangerous both to your possessions and your balance.

Therefore the number, height and strength of hooks become an important feature on which to rate the bathroom.

Then there is the “cutesy” factor found at many restaurants where you have to decide if the figure on the door is male or female. Though I don’t speak Spanish I can figure out if I’m a Caballero or a Senora, but I do have to stop to think for a minute what door to go in if the only signage is a beetle or a butterfly, a rabbit or an ape or triangles pointing up or down.

OUTDOORS Sub-headings: Width of Trees; Identifying Poison Ivy; Proximity of Fellow Runners, Walkers, Golfers and Dogs in Relation to Timing of the Event; Life Span of Bio-degradable Paper.

ETHICAL If you’re at the airport and have the two allowable carryon items, perhaps a suitcase and a stuffed tote bag, you could be faced with an ethical dilemma. On the one hand, if you leave your possessions outside the cubicle door and are willing to take the chance

comfort.love.respect

they won’t be stolen, you’re violating the warning to “keep your luggage with you at all times.” On the other hand — and believe me when I say this — if you try to bring everything in with you it could be difficult to maneuver and you may not be able to open the door readily, which is a very panicky feeling. Then when you finally get out, how do you explain to the gate agent why you missed the boarding call?

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In the area of etiquette, common decency demands that you tell someone in charge if the unit is out of paper so the next person is not left swearing. That is assuming you can find someone in charge and short of that, warning the next person in line of the lack of paper.

But what to do when this is a bathroom shared by employees — obvious because the sign says Employees Must Wash Hands — and there is no soap in the dispenser? Now it’s not only bad enough that you can’t wash your own hands but you are left with the image of the cooks and servers not being able to wash theirs. This is of particular importance in a time when we’re worried about catching killer viruses and are being warned to always wash our hands. Who do you tell — the manager, the server? And how do you relay the message without alerting the tables around you to the situation and ruining their meals?

In conclusion, two things: I know I am not alone in this obsession as there is a popular app for your phone called Sit and Squat sponsored, of course, by Charmin. In many cities, you enable your location finder and the nearby public bathroom options come up, some rated, most not.

Finally, you can imagine how enamored I am with the Pissoir, (pronounced pi-swar) an automatic, self-cleaning toilet found on the streets of highly enlightened cities. They are described in Wikipedia as “a structure that provides support and screening of urinals in public space. It is a French invention common in Europe that allows for urination in public without the need for a toilet building.

Availability of a pissoir reduces the likelihood of urination onto buildings, sidewalks, or streets.” Then again, maybe I just like saying “pissoir.”

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February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

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Me and My MG

Finger Lakes couple takes the road less traveled in a car less likely

By John Addyman

F

igure it was one of the three: a crackpot idea, a bucket-list item check-off or the trip of a lifetime — and they did it.

Rob and Carole Lillis, 60-somethings from Canandaigua, pulled up stakes and ventured cross-country for 5,170 miles in the summer of 2013, following — and only following — Route 20.

No interstates if they could avoid

them. No chain hotels — only B&Bs and local mom-and-pop hotels and motels. No chain restaurants or fastfood places, eating only where the locals told them the best (and sometimes the only) food was.

And they did this all in a 1973 MGB. It was an adventure, especially considering what they were driving. The MGs were great little cars to

The Lillises started their five-week trip on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, the beginning point of Route 20, in the shadow of Fenway Park. And they stuck with it. They finished the trip at Route 20 in Newport, Ore., 3,365 miles away, meandering through 11 states.

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drive, pretty simple to repair — thank God for that — but reliability was not a strong suit. In fact, it wasn’t a suit at all.

Their little red MG has a four-cylinder 1.8-litre engine, a four-speed transmission, 95 horsepower and power nothing.

A telling comment came near the end of the trip in Oregon, where an MG cognoscenti sidled up to Rob and asked the pregnant question about the car and the trip.

“What broke?”

“Just a starter and a fuel pump and one flat tire,” said Rob. “Oh!” said the questioner, “So nothing by British standards.”

The trip took five weeks to complete and was marked with friends and family all along the route, kind of a Lillis Tour de America.

And it was America they found.

“You have to be flexible and open-minded to do something like this,” said Carole. “You have to want to have an experience and to meet people. It restores your faith in mankind. We found that our country is not as torn apart or divided as people would have you believe on television.

It was good to see that. Did we meet America? I think we did.”

Carole is a professor at Keuka College, teaching writing and intro-

Rob and Carole Lillis aboard their MG.

duction to children’s literature, and she is the director of the Academic Success center. She met Rob at Betty & Herb’s Blue Streak Lounge in Cleveland while they were both in college and he approached her with a line that shouldn’t have had a chance, but did.

“I told her she was the prettiest girl in the place,” he said.

Not long later, as a couple, they found they had an affinity for successful trips in a car.

“I had a 1959 Plymouth, big fins and all, and we entered a road rally.

There were MGs and Alfa-Romeos and Porsches — and we won it. They were furious,” said Rob. But in the interest of full disclosure, when he entered, he was sandbagging Carole as a ringer — the rally involved clues for Cleveland locations, and she was a native.

Looking at the other cars in the rally, Rob spotted a red MG he said he’d love to have one day. “It took me 40 years to get it,” he said.

Rob is a research consultant who evaluates school programs for drugabuse prevention and works with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on states’ drunk-driving programs, among many other projects. His degrees are in psychology, and he and Carole went to grad school together at the University of Rochester.

Three years ago, Rob started planning the trip. Carole humored him.

“My first thought was, ‘Oy!’” she said. “I had breast cancer in 2010.

Once you go through a situation like that, and with my daughter-in-law in 2011, same thing, you tend to be a little more open-minded. My fear was that something will happen to this car and it will break and Rob’s heart will be broken. He kept saying, ‘Everything can be fixed.’”

But to avoid fixing while on the trip, Rob started getting his 40-yearold British car ready. Over that twoyear period he replaced the tires, the wheel bearings, springs, radiator, the suspension, the radiator hoses, the water pump and more. He rebuilt the seats and bought new wire wheels.

And for the piece de resistance, Andy Bell of Steele and Bell in Canandaigua rewired the whole thing, replacing all the fabric-covered and notoriously

Rob on his MG: “Gotta love a wooden steering wheel.

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fault-prone Lucas gear.

Still, a lot had to come together to even get the trip off the ground. Every nook and cranny of space had to be utilized. “I knew we were really going when I put my rear end in the seat and the car started,” Carole said.

They trailered the car to Boston for the start on Commonwealth Avenue, the beginning point of Route 20, in the shadow of Fenway Park. Route 20 ends in Newport, Ore., 3,365 miles away, meandering through 11 states.

Taste of Americana “We hit every light leaving Boston,” Rob said.

The Lillis plan was to cover a bit more than 200 miles a day, with the itinerary calculated to be in Yellowstone Park on the Fourth of July for a family gathering, and ending up in Oregon a few days later.

A minor glitch happened in Cazenovia, near Syracuse, where the Lillises stayed at the Linklear House.

“He left his laundry bag there,” 34

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Carole said, looking at the ceiling.

“They sent it on, first to Medina, Ohio, then to Dyersville, Iowa. The lady who owned the bed-and-breakfast in Dyersville saw it in the post office and picked it up for us.”

The pair drove back through their old haunts in Cleveland, and were sorry they did. “I grew up in East Cleveland,” Carole said. “It was a wonderful place. It’s been abandoned.”

A dinner at the Timbers Restaurant in Angola, Ind., was comprised of two pork chops and all the fixings, for $5.99. “The waitress, Pam, sat down to talk with us,” Carole said.

“She’d lived in San Diego until she met the man of her dreams, who was from Angola.”

“People would see our car and that would be the conversation-starter,” Rob said.

At a bed-and-breakfast outside of Chicago, the Lillises met two couples from New Zealand and another couple from Sweden. And that was

where the first mishap occurred — a flat tire.

The “Field of Dreams” baseball field in Dyersville, Iowa, was a special place. Rob and Carole had pizza and nachos at the English Pub (owned by Mike English, who had an MGA).

It was in Dyersville that the Lillis MG’s starter seized.

“When you have a British car, you need two things,” Rob advised, “a cell phone and AAA membership.”

A mechanic couldn’t get the starter to react until he hit it with a hammer. It kicked over, but it had to be replaced.

Being an opportunist, Carole went to get her nails done while a new starter was installed. She also joined the Dyersville Historical Society and the couple went to a Latin mass at the town’s basilica.

The Lillises stayed in the only room to be had within 75 miles in Newman Grove, Neb., in a B&B that was the home of a former mayor.

There was a grandma-and-grandparun 1950s-style motel in Chadron,

Neb. — the Bunk House Motel. It was there that the MG started spewing brake fluid.

“My grandson can fix anything,” said the owner. And that’s what happened.

At Mount Rushmore, Rob and Carole saw 100 new American citizens sworn in. At Custer Park, Carole got close to a herd of 14 wild burros.

Rob went fly-fishing in Casper, Wyo. On the way to Cody, Wyo., the fuel pump gave up the ghost in Gray Bull, Wyo. The MG and the Lillises were stuck. A store manager kept them company until 10:30 that night.

He had bought an MG in France and they swapped stories for hours. The AAA driver took them to Cody, dropping them off at their motel, which had a corral next to it.

“At Yellowstone, we stayed at the Old Faithful Inn — no phones, no Internet, no TVs. We sat around and talked and watched buffalo walk by,” Carole said.

Portions of the trip were sad because a segment of America had disappeared with the advent of the interstate highway system. “We saw ghost towns, hundreds of closed motels and motor courts, Rob said. “Out west, whole towns were gone.”

The couple took lots of pictures, some of which are on the trip’s web-

All of this came out of the MGB. It took two years of planning to prepare for a five-week trip in an MG, and a good portion of the planning was how to fit all of this in a two-seat sports car with a modest trunk. site, www.whilewestillcan.org, and Rob is writing a book and making presentations to interested groups.

He’s also lapsing into a Prince Edward Island state of mind as he plans for the next MG adventure.

“We’ve always loved antiques and history,” he said, and that’s what their trip was — looking at history from behind the wheel of an antique.

“Life is like driving a car,” Rob said. “You need to look in the mirror, but not for too long.”

When the car arrived back in Canandaigua from its cross-country trip, Rob replaced the brake cylinders and clutch and parked it, ready for the next weekend ride.

“My grandson will have this MG,” he said. “We’ll have to find another one for my granddaughter.”

The Rob and Carole Lillis 1973 MGB is happily parked in Portland, Ore. after its five-week, across-the-country trip.

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Hashing it Out Good-natured activity blends fun with rigorous exercise

By Matthew Liptak

A

Andrew Clark, or “Tofu” as he’s known by fellow hashers arrives at an event in Solvay over the winter. He values hashing because it offers a chance for some fun, camaraderie and exercise.

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ndrew Clark of Syracuse doesn’t want to end up in a nursing home, in a wheelchair or incapacitated.

He’s a healthy 80-year-old and hopes to be a healthy 90-yearold down the road. The former engineer’s antidote to aging is a bit unconventional. It’s called hashing.

Hashing is a mixture of running, drinking and general good fun that was started by a group of British expatriates in far off Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, back in 1938. The Brits needed an activity in their free time to keep them occupied. The new event was named after their running club that was nicknamed “Hash House.”

Hashing includes a runner who plays the “hare.” The hare blazes a trail and leaves clues and markers written in flour on the ground along the way. The men and women running after the hare play the pack or hounds.

There is a lot of camaraderie and good will that develops along the way.

During the run, participants come upon the occasional stash of alcoholic beverages. Letters may be written on the ground to alert the harriers to nearby alcohol like “NB” for near beer or “SS” for shot stop. At the end of the run, the hare and hounds all end up at a local pub to share stories and a drink or two.

Every hasher gets his or her

own hash name. Clark’s is Tofu.

“I think the people are the good part of it,” Clark said. “I enjoy all the nonsense. It’s nonsense, but it’s fun.”

Clark started hashing in his 60s in the 1980s. He met a man at a Syracuse St. Patrick’s Day pub jog who introduced him to it.

“We’d jog over to Coleman’s for the green beer and then all the bars all over Tipperary Hill,” Clark said.

That original group of hashers suffered from the ravages of time.

Their joints and age caught up with them.

“Quite a few had physical ailments,” Clark said. “They just fell apart and they fell apart before they hit 80.”

By 2004, Clark had drifted away from hashing. But as time went on, he became concerned about keeping healthy. So many of his peers were slowing down and becoming sedentary. He didn’t want to be one of them.

“I was trying to think of something to do to get more exercise, some incentive,” he said.

He saw that Armory Square was hosting a red dress run. The new local Hash House Harriers and Harriets were running for charity in downtown Syracuse — all dressed in red dresses. Clark knew he had found his outlet.

Since then, he has done about 28 runs with the other hashers officially called the On-On-Dog-A Hash House. They run through both urban and rural areas. Most

Hashers of the On-on-dog-a Hash House gather for some beverages before a chilly December hash event.

runs last a few miles. Hashes have been done in Camillus, Manlius, Solvay, Liverpool, Syracuse and other area communities.

Unique settings One of the reasons Clark enjoys hashing other than the exercise and socializing is the opportunity to discover places in Central New York he hasn’t been to before. He spoke of hashing at the Split Rock Quarry in the town of Onondaga and finding old mining equipment from the early 20th century.

“I didn’t realize it, but in the middle of all that is a rock-crushing stone edifice,” he said. “It looks like a Mayan temple. It’s crazy looking.

That’s quite something. We’re running through the woods and all of the sudden it’s clearing. There’s this gigantic 50- or 60-foot-high edifice made of stone. It’s just unreal.”

There can be some bawdy hijinks

on the trail between participants too.

Clark described one experience that involved a woman “so bubbly she’s like 100 bottles of champagne.”

“There’s a couple of pretty big dudes in this thing and they grabbed her and they swung her like a hammock and dropped her in a mud puddle,” he said. “Then they rolled her around.

You know what? She didn’t care. She came out plastered, hair, everything, the whole nine yards. I was standing there watching it — couldn’t believe it.

We got back to the bar and had to use a garden hose in the back of the bar to hose her off. It was funny. She’s such a good spirit.”

Most of the members of the local hashing group are in their 20s and 30s.

They have been welcoming to Clark.

“It’s fun,” said hasher Ryan Perry, 28, a native of Homer, when asked about how he liked running with Clark. “You don’t see many guys his age out over 55. You have to kind of

keep an eye on him. We especially worry about him as far as falling and stuff. He’ll fall but he’ll get right back up and keep going.”

Group members encourage other older residents to give hashing a try.

“You obviously have to be careful,” Perry said.

Clark admitted it’s not for everyone, but said hashing was a good release for him. If other older residents could train at jogging a few miles at a local park they would probably be able to keep up with the On-On-Dog-A Hash House members. They might even find a home among all the smiling faces there. Clark has.

He summed it up when he reiterated what one fellow member told him.

“You don’t belong to any one of us,” she said. “You belong to all of us.”

For more information on the OnOn-Dog-A Hash House, go to www. soh4.com.

February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

37

life after 55

By Michele Reed michele@cny55.com

Beautiful Barcelona Catalunya’s Capital Offers Fun Expat Lifestyle

O

n our way back to our village in France, we arrived jetlagged in Barcelona on Jan. 2. But despite felling grungy, tired and stiff, we were glad to get back to one of our favorite cities on earth.

Food and a shower were the top priorities so we checked into the Hotel Banys Orientals in the Bari Gotic, the medieval heart of the city. We knew from past experience that the hotel breakfast was worth the modest 12 euro charge. So we hurried up to the breakfast room where plates of local delicacies awaited —savory Manchego cheese; Iberian ham, sliced tissue-thin, its deep red meat marbled with smooth white fat; a variety of Catalan sausages; freshly cut fruit and tomatoes; and as always in Barcelona, chocolate pastries. The coffee machine whirred as it produced cup after cup of café con leche to boost our flagging spirits.

Thus refreshed, we set off on our

first day in Barça, as it is affectionately known by locals. By then it was early afternoon, but days begin later here, and last until far into the night. We headed over to our favorite church, Santa Maria del Mar, the medieval cathedral built by local fishermen along with the craftmen’s guilds. The floor and walls bear witness to their trades: fabric makers, carpenters, coopers, and the trade for which our hotel’s street takes its name – Argenteria – the silversmiths. After lighting a candle at the chapel to Nuestra Senyora de Esperanza (Our Lady of Hope) for a friend battling cancer, we wandered up and down the narrow alleyways where the streets are in shadow even at noon, so close do the tops of the medieval walls come to touching each other.

After a day spent shopping, evening rolled around and although it was the second of January, the temperature was in the low 50s, so

Even in January, visitors to Barcelona can enjoy tapas and wine at outdoor plazas far into the night. Photos by Bill Reed 38

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Editor’s Note: Local writer Michele Reed and her husband, Bill Reed, have returned to the South of France, where they have been spending their winters exploring the possibility of retiring abroad. In a series of articles, she takes readers along on their journey, sharing the ups and down of senior expat living. people were sitting out having wine and food. We joined them, enjoying a glass of red wine and some tapas of gambas, or shrimp, with olive oil, garlic and prosciutto, brought crackling to our table in their iron cooking pot, and roasted sardines with peppers and onions. We sat in our jackets, next to a propane heater, but the night was mild enough we could easily spend the entire evening there – which we did! Along with local wine (Bau de la Tramontane, named for the brisk wind the whips down the slopes of the Pyrenees, here and in our little village in France), I had roast lamb and Bill enjoyed Catalan sausage with white beans, a dish we had learned to make and love last year.

The next day, Jan. 3, dawned bright and sunny, with temps promising to rise into the low 60s. We headed out for a walk to the Palau de la Musica Catalana, the 1908 modernista opera house. We took a wrong turn and ended up walking two miles rather than few short blocks we knew it to be. Our trek put us on the wide, broad avenues of Passeig de Picasso, Passeig

de Gracia and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, where the parakeets sing in very tops of the palm trees lining the pedestrian walkway in the center. It was great to experience at street level that which we had only seen from the top of a double-decker tour bus.

We stood under the magnificent Arc de Triomf, and I was thrilled to see details like two bats in armor flanking the archway.

We headed down the Ramblas, the huge pedestrian avenue with shopping stalls catering to every need. When we reached the Palau de la Musica, we marveled at the grand double staircase, with marble spirals encased in yellow glass that filtered the light streaming in the windows, and the original bar, constructed of intricate stained glass panels and flanked by archways with della robbia flowers glazed to a luscious shine. Outside, the facade was decorated with floral mosaics, heroic busts of composers and a massive corner sculpture like the figurehead of ship.

That evening was spent munching olives and sipping wine at an outdoor terrace on the Place del Born, watching the crowds go by. Everyone was holding hands or linking arms, from couples both old and young to mothers with their grown daughters, young girlfriends, and fathers with sons.

Children chased pigeons, shrieking in In Barcelona’s medieval Bari Gotic, the streets are so narrow the delight. Others rode scooters, biked or cobblestones are in shadow at midday. roller-skated, their parents following huge shrimp, sausage, pork, beef and is picked up four times a day, street close behind. And the dogs were chicken. Steaming cups of café con cleaners keep the thoroughfares fresh everywhere! When a couple brought leche provided a great finish to the and people just don’t litter. Although their French bulldog, Eva, to the table, meal, the day and our sojourn in the the Ramblas is famous for pickpockets, the waiter brought their wine and a city. it is a relatively low-crime city. We water dish for Eva. He had a dog just Sipping the strong coffee, I said saw an apartment on offer in the Old like her, showing them pictures on his to Bill, “We really could live here, Town, within walking distance to smartphone. you know.” Barcelona is hot now, cafes, shopping and the cathedral, Sunday, after Mass in Catalan at not only as a tourist destination but and near the Santa Caterina market, the cathedral, we took in the story also as a home to expats and retirees. an indoor emporium where locals of the area at the haborfront Catalan And no wonder. It has everything buy fresh vegetables, Iberian ham history museum, followed by another to make life interesting – fascinating and fish caught that day off Barcelona afternoon spent sitting in the sun on architecture, fresh food and affordable harbor. It was renting for 700 euros per the promenade at Barceloneta beach, wine, excellent shopping, dozens of month, about $850. Retiree-friendly, it people-watching. museums, a world-class soccer team, included two bedrooms, an AmericanWe headed back to our hotel great beach, pedestrian avenues, and style kitchen and a balcony, and was in restaurant for the best Catalan a reasonable cost of living. Public a building with an elevator. homestyle cooking in the city. We transportation is easy and inexpensive, enjoyed appetizers of feta wrapped and the ubiquitous yellow and black in smoked salmon and stuffed into a cabs are price-controlled. There is a About the author: Michele Reed black olive, and anchovies in pimiento major international airport and the retired after a career spanning four decades filling a massive green olive. Bill had a train station links you regionally in public relations, advertising, journalism Catalan meal of veal snout and trotters and by the high-speed TGV to Paris. and higher education. She now writes with black turnip, while I savored a Health care is excellent and affordable. travel articles, book reviews, haiku poetry local specialty, paella served in the And the city is clean – the garbage and fiction. traditional iron pan, and featuring February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

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55+

restoration

Rebirth Hotelier resurrects the legendary Hotel Syracuse

By Mary Beth Roach

E

d Riley once had a corner office in Boston, overlooking the Charles River.

Today, his office is tucked away in a corner of the Hotel Syracuse building, overlooking Harrison Street with a view of a parking garage.

The 60-year-old is in the midst of a $62-million-dollar acquisition and renovation of the iconic hotel in downtown Syracuse, which closed its doors in 2004.

It’s a daunting project that a few others have abandoned in the past several years.

This fifth-generation Syracuse native, an experienced architect and hotelier, has been interested in acquiring and renovating the historic structure for more than a decade. He has spent the last 2-1/2 years working with a myriad of local and state government entities, banks and others to take ownership of the property, which he finally did in July of 2014.

Now comes the job of overhauling 40

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the 90-year-old building to make it a viable property once again.

But rather than becoming overwhelmed, Riley is enthusiastic.

“I’m probably the happiest I’ve been in a very long time. I’m thrilled to take this on and get it done,” he said.

In his office off the mezzanine of the hotel, across from his desk, is a framed architectural drawing of the original hotel, which opened in 1924.

Lining the walls of the office space are more framed photos and news clippings from the glory days of the hotel. It has figured prominently in the life of the Syracuse community for decades.

It has provided 500-plus rooms to guests. Moreover, thousands of Central New Yorkers have gathered in its Grand Ballroom, Imperial Ballroom, Persian Terrace and its magnificent lobby over the decades for New Year’s Eve celebrations, St. Patrick’s Day parties, and more.

As such, it has become an integral

part of the local community.

Riley recalls, with a smile, attending his senior ball and numerous family weddings and receptions at the hotel.

“It’s been a big part of my social life over the years, as it is with so many people in this city. This is the way this hotel has lived its life,” he said.

He is committed to bring a new era of glory days to the hotel.

“I made a decision that if this building was going to be saved as a hotel, then somebody should stand up,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate in my life and in my career to get a lot of experience on a lot of different hotels and I have a lot of contacts in the hospitality community. I’ve leveraged those to bring them to this project and to get it done.”

Prime time opportunity After several different owners, some failed attempts at rehabbing the hotel, and mounting fiscal troubles,

the circumstances seemed ready for Riley to step in.

“I was approached by a couple of common acquaintances that knew what I was doing in hospitality in Boston and the company I was with and they asked, ‘Would you have an interest in talking about the hotel again’? I said, ‘Absolutely. I’ve always been interested in this property.’

Riley was raised in Syracuse and Fairmount, graduating from Christian B ro t h e r s A c a d e m y, O n o n d a g a Community College and Syracuse University.

He had an architectural practice in Armory Square before embarking on a career in hospitality.

He has been involved in the development of hotels for about 22 years.

While enjoying his architectural work immensely, he said, he was looking for a bit of a change.

“It’s like a lot of things in life. You go down a road and you come to a branch and you go left or right,” he said.

He went to work for one of his clients, The Pioneer Companies, with well-known developer Michael Falcone and his sons. He did some development work for them, and as part of that, they started looking at and developing some hotels, Riley said.

He spun off of the group and began developing some Marriott products. From there, he went on to head up resort development for Marriott in the Hawaiian Islands, still maintaining a home and office in the Syracuse area.

Following the 9/11 attacks, and for personal reasons, he decided to cut back on travel and take some time off. He went on to build The Lodge at Turning Stone Casino & Resort in Verona under a consulting contract with its project manager.

From there, he went to Intrawest Resorts, Inc. to oversee its Warm Weather Resorts Division in the RenoTahoe region.

After that division closed down, he joined the Pyramid Hotel Group in Boston. He remained there for more than nine years before resigning to focus on the Hotel Syracuse project full time.

Patient approach A lot of developers would not put two-plus years into just the acquisition

of the property, he noted.

“I’m not looking at it quite the same way,” he said. “I was fortunate in that Pyramid did provide me the avenue to get this thing off the ground and move it forward. At the end of the day, I’m going to stick here. It’s not all about the business. It has to work from a business scenario, but if we hit a wall and it looks like it’s going to be too difficult to get around the wall or through it, a lot of people would walk away. We’re going to say, ‘We’re going to find a way to go around it.’ And that’s not just me. There’s a team of people with the city, county and contractor, Hayner-Hoyt, that have taken this on as more than just a project.”

“It really is a community asset.

It should be saved,” he said. “That’s what keeps us functioning. If we do hit that wall, together we come up with a plan.”

Riley is aware that he has some critics, but he remains dissuaded.

“Just wait and see what happens.

What’s the alternative?” he said. “It’s very easy to sit on the bench and throw stones on the field. It’s a little different when you decide to get on the field and play the game.”

Currently the project is in Phase 1, including repairs to the roof, which Riley calls a “Swiss cheese roof,” and the parapet, and cleaning up the penthouses to make the building weather tight.

The exterior of the structure is in surprisingly good shape, Riley said.

He has been involved on projects in worse condition, he said. He recalled inspecting the roof of a property he worked on in Washington, D.C., and pulling trees out of the roof drains.

“Any hotelier that’s been in the business for a while can tell this is a beautiful old hotel. There isn’t many like it in existence anymore,” he added.

The bridge connecting the hotel to the former Hilton tower will be gone, and the façade will be restored as well as the entrance on Onondaga Street, which is the main entrance to the hotel.

Plans for the Onondaga Street side of the building include a conference center, an updated Imperial Ballroom; and a pre-function area for the ballroom to better service business clients, Riley said.

Because a big part of the project hinges on historic tax credits, the building needs to be renovated to

certain standards, including those required by the State Historic Preservation Office.

Images of the past Buried behind some mirrors from the 1980s, above the check-in desk, workers uncovered a mural painted

by Carl Roters, a former art professor at Syracuse University.

The painting, done in 1948 to mark the centennial of the city’s incorporation, depicts the early history of Syracuse.

Like a lot of structures during that time frame, public art was incorporated into the building, Riley said.

The guest rooms will get a major makeover. Some of the rooms are original, Riley said, while others were renovated in the 1980s. The doors and door locations will remain the same, but once the guest enters, it will be a state-of-the-art room for the flag that’s selected to run it, he said.

To have a flag and brand is critical to the success of a hotel in a market the size of Syracuse, Riley said. A recent unanimous vote by the Onondaga County Legislature designates the hotel as the headquarters for the convention center at the OnCenter.

This frees up grant money that had been earmarked for a convention center hotel and allows further renovation plans to continue.

Moreover, the convention center and hotel can effectively market Syracuse as a destination for large conventions. By being part of a flag, the hotel will benefit from name recognition, and can tap into the flag’s national sales and national reservations systems.

Hotel Syracuse’s reputation suffered over the years since the quality of its rooms was substandard, Riley said. By bringing in a flag, it will help restore its image on a national basis, he noted.

Riley said the economic impact of the hotel will be “tremendous.”

Laundry would be outsourced and food suppliers would benefit. He estimates there will be 300 full- and part-time employees, and hiring would be done “very local,” he said.

Riley plans to have the hotel opened in 2016, and it would bear the name of the national brand with “Syracuse” added.

“But to us, it’ll still be the Hotel Syracuse,” he said.

February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

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volunteers

St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center volunteers Pamela Macussi, Helen Peet and Mary Lue Fraser. They were recognized last year for their services at the hospital.

Angelic Approach

Volunteers provide vital support at St. Joseph’s Hospital

By Matthew Liptak

M

ary Lue Fraser is a busy angel.

The 80-year-old volunteer at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse found herself helping out the families of four different heart-attack patients in the emergency room during one morning shift in late November of 2014.

That was within the space of just an hour and a half.

Angels are what St. Joe’s calls the volunteers who act as intermediaries between families of patients and medical staff in the emergency room.

The Cicero resident has been serving as one of the hospital’s angels for almost 20 years.

She thinks she might have a knack for consoling those in distress. She got her feet wet in the emergency room when a Sister Jacqueline 42

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commandeered her help one day.

“Sister Jacqueline —wonderful, wonderful woman — but she was the kind of person you didn’t say no to. She said ‘I need some people downstairs.’”

Fraser went to help and Sister Jacqueline taught her the ropes, meeting people right from the ambulances back in the old days, she remembered.

Today, Fraser also volunteers in spiritual care and the surgical waiting room. She has two shifts, one on Monday mornings for five hours and one on Wednesday mornings in the ER for three and a half hours. Her spiritual care duties don’t have set hours.

She admits the positions can be stressful. Patients, family and even doctors can sometimes vent on her in high-pressure situations. She takes it all in stride.

“You have to realize that everyone

you’re dealing with at the hospital is stressed and people handle their stress differently,” she said. “Most people are just very grateful for help, but some people are taking out their frustrations and they have to spout at somebody and there you are. It’s nothing. It’s fine.

Even the doctors sometimes, they get frustrated if they can’t find a family that they’re looking for.”

When that happens, she just lets it roll off her back.

“You have to say to yourself, “They’re not mad at you,” Fraser said.

“They’re bouncing it off of me, but it’s not because of me. I just don’t let it bother me.”

Big-time hours Fraser has racked up almost 7,000 volunteer hours since she started with St. Joe’s. The former North Syracuse Gillette Road Middle School sixth-

grade teacher said she doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.

“I think one of the best parts of working up there at St. Joe’s is you know that you’re needed,” she said.

“They appreciate you being there.”

Helen Peet, 87, of Cicero, has been volunteering at St. Joe’s for 30 years. She moved from the admitting department to the gift shop and then, after hip surgery, she went to the information desk where she has been for 15 years.

“I couldn’t stay on my feet,” she said.

Peet may be off her feet for her two four-hour shifts on Wednesday and Thursday, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t working hard behind the desk.

She estimates she sees around 100 visitors during each shift.

They are there to get visitors’ badges that Peet gets for them.

“When people come in, they have to get a visitors’ pass now,” she said. “Times have changed. You can’t just walk in and out anymore. We do that at the desk. They have to come to us before they come inside to the patients.”

Peet sometimes gives directions, or, like Fraser, empathizes with people who are having a bad day.

“I’m a people person and I just love talking to all of them,” she said.

Also like Fraser, Peet has faced some challenges with the position over the years. The advance of technology hasn’t come without adjustments for her. She found the change to computers at the information desk to be a learning experience.

“We’ve been for a number of years on the computers, but prior to that we were paper and pencil people,” she said. “I prefer paper and pencil. It’s easier than pressing buttons that don’t work. As time goes on you get used to everything and you forget what it used to be.”

Challenges or not, both women find volunteering to be a good experience and they recommend it to others. Both Fraser and Peet hope to keep volunteering at St. Joe’s until they can’t do it anymore.

“I don’t plan on stopping unless they kick me out and they need volunteers so I don’t think I’ll get kicked out too soon,” Peet said.

For more information on volunteering at St. Joe’s, go to www. sjhsyr.org/volunteers or call 448-5186.

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visits over a span of 12 weeks (each visit will be 1-2 hours, on the SU campus, • Four parking provided). check your artery and brain health before and after 12 weeks of drinking • Weeitherwillwhey protein shakes or carbohydrate shakes. information on your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body fat, artery • Receive health and brain health.

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10 County Rt. 45A, Oswego, NY 13126 www.oswegohealth.org February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

43

golden years

By Harold Miller hal@cny55.com

America Rising History has shown that America is the world’s leader

W

e are the distillation of the world’s population of intelligent, independent and motivated people for whom the “American Dream” is alive and well.

When the stock market crashed in October of 1929 (Black Friday), the old world was ready to write off America and its bold experiment with capitalism and freedom. Indeed, the United States suffered through a decade of unemployment, bread lines, and shantytowns that only ended with World War II. America not only reacted to the threat of losing its liberty, but also saved the rest of the world from the evil tyrants who would have enslaved them.

When the stock market crashed in 2008, the world blamed America — mostly for our greedy bankers, feckless government and foolish

44

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politicians (a charge that is true).

Once again, the U.S. has suffered through almost a decade of high unemployment, stagnant growth and overwhelming debt.

However, America is rising above itself and its admitted flaws to once again lead the world’s economy and point the way to a better future.

Why is this so?

In order to understand this American economic phenomenon, it is necessary to take a trip back in history.

The historian would then observe that almost every major innovation and technical advance that enriched the world had “Made in the U.S.A” written all over it. Our country has always led the entire world in entrepreneurship and technological leadership, and our diversification has always been our salvation.

When WW II threatened to completely bleed us of our most valued resource — our young men and women — we developed better battleground leadership, better weapons, faster and more deadly aircraft, and ultimately the atomic bomb.

However, America’s major asset remains a free society that breeds innovation and experimentation.

Innovation depends less on developing specific ideas than it does on creating the space in which to develop them.

A free society that is willing to place millions of small bets on persons unknown and things unseen is the answer.

Two major events have come to the fore for America. These combined factors have turned the status quo upside down and tilted the global economic playing field in favor of

our country once again. No longer do we have to kiss-up to Middle Eastern dictatorships who despise our way of life and heretofore have controlled our economy.

These developments have also crippled our enemies — mainly Russia, Iran and Venezuela — whose economies depend almost completely on their production of oil.

• Fracking — This method of extracting oil and gas from deep underground employs a combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. This is making America the world’s leading oil and gas producer.

The technology was developed right here in the good old U.S.A. Our country no longer has to live under the economic yoke of Middle Eastern countries and it is neutralizing our enemies. Fracking has caused the price of oil to drop more than 50 percent and has given our country an economic shot-in-the-arm at a muchneeded time. It is estimated that the average American family will save over $750 on their gas bill in 2015. This will invigorate consumer spending which is the key to enhancing our Gross Domestic Product.

• Entrepreneurship — This is the engine that always has and is now revitalizing our economy. America invented the computer technology that gave the world the Internet, and in turn the “cloud.”

The Internet has become the world’s primary communication tool. All scientific development from medical to mechanical to socialistic will come via the computer. We may be assured that American entrepreneurs will be the primary beneficiaries of this great tool.

Our hope for insuring that this planet survives rests mostly from the knowledge in the cloud (that unimaginably vast compilation of knowledge that will benefit the entire world).

America is larger than our leaders.

We are the distillation of the world’s population of intelligent, independent, disciplined and motivated people for whom the “American Dream” is still alive and well.

We are better than our politics; we are larger than our culture, and we are smarter than our ideas. Bear this in mind as we dive into 2015 and watch America rise.

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February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

45

druger’s zoo

By Marvin Druger

Hospital Tales

B

eing a patient in a hospital is an unforgettable experience.

I have had this experience several times in my life and found that a hospital is like another world.

An early experience was surgical removal of an ingrown toenail when I was a youngster many years ago.

The surgeon anesthetized my toe and then cut out the nail. I screamed loudly. “Does it hurt?” the surgeon asked. “No, the toe doesn’t hurt, but the guy who is sitting on my knee is killing me.”

Another time, I was constipated for a week and I went to the emergency room to check things out. The doctor on duty was a former student in my general biology course. He said, “You must be impacted. I’ll have to do a rectal exam.” As he put on the rubber gloves to do the rectal exam, he commented, “I guess it’s pay-back time.”

It turned out that I had a twisted colon and had to have immediate surgery.

After the surgery, everything went wrong. I was in the hospital for about a month. I fainted, had fevers and chills that the doctors couldn’t stop, and had hiccups every 5 seconds for 14 days.

Finally, they found an abscess pressing on my diaphragm and they fixed the problem.

I won’t dwell on details of why and when I was hospitalized in my lifetime, but I can relate some of my memorable adventures in this environment. If you have ever been a hospital patient, some of these episodes may seem familiar to you.

The open gown I had to wear the usual hospital gown that was open in the back. I 46

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was told to walk a lot, so I marched down the hospital hall, only to hear comments from hospital staff in the hall such as, “What a cute butt!”

Vitals Night was always a difficult time.

I couldn’t sleep, but when I finally did start to doze off, a loud voice would blast out, “Time to take your vitals.”

The nurse would then take my blood pressure and insert a thermometer into my mouth. One nurse jokingly wrapped the blood pressure device around the circular bed rail. “Whoops!” she remarked.

“For a second, I thought you had no blood pressure.”

Another nighttime interruption was the inevitable blood

sampling in the middle of the night.

My arm was like a pin cushion until they inserted a PICC line. Then, they could get my blood without making a new puncture. I wondered if I would run out of blood?

Special visitors One day in the hospital, I was visited by a Rabbi, a Catholic priest and a Methodist minister when I was not

feeling well. Did they know something that I didn’t know? Fortunately, not.

Meds Several times a day, the nurse appeared with a handful of pills.

Before my hospital experiences, I had difficulty swallowing a baby aspirin.

With practice, I was able to swallow five pills in one gulp. A relevant poem that I wrote appears in my book, “Even Stranger Creatures and Other Poems:” (Available at the Syracuse University Bookstore for $10.95 plus tax):

Pills Blue and yellow, Pink and gray, These are pills I take each day.

When I was young I had no ills, I had no need For any pills Now that I’m older It’s no surprise That body parts fail And illnesses arise.

Pills are now my friends, They comfort me each day, They keep my juices flowing And chase the pains away.

I used to take just two a day, Now I take more than five, Pills, pills and more pills Now keep me alive.

Pain Periodically, the nurses wanted to know my pain level on a scale of zero (no pain) to 10 (strong pain). It didn’t seem to matter what I said. If the pain was severe, they would ask me if I needed a painkiller. How do I know?

Anesthesia I became very nervous about being anesthetized before surgery.

When I had my colon surgery, I was very agitated and was screaming. I remember the doctors trying to calm

me down.

“We’re going to give you an epidural. We give that to pregnant women.” I stopped screaming and started to laugh. The next words I remember the doctor saying were, “It went well.”

After that experience, I was very suspicious about anyone who vaguely resembled an anesthesiologist. On another occasion, a doctor appeared in my room. “Hello, I’m the anesthesiologist,” he announced. I was determined not to let him get near me. The next thing I remember was, “It went well.”

Once, I needed an endoscopy.

This involves anesthetizing the patient and inserting a long tube with a tiny camera attached down the esophagus to see if all is well. Just before the procedure, I sold the anesthesiologist three of my children’s books, i.e., “Strange Creatures and Other Poems”; “Even Stranger Creatures and Other Poems”; and “Mr. Moocho and the Lucky Chicken.” I was proud of making these sales as I slipped into unconsciousness.

When I had a colonoscopy, they gave me a weak anesthetic, so I could watch the procedure on TV. How exciting to be in a drunken stupor and watch a flexible tube probing your colon on TV!

Food Hospital food is notorious for being super-nutritious and tasteless.

On one occasion, I was on a clear liquid diet for three days. At the end of this hospital stay, I had lost 15 pounds.

Most people struggle to lose weight.

I struggled to gain back my normal weight.

A memorable episode was when the nurse delivered food on a tray with a heavy cover. She put it on a table about six feet from the bed and I couldn’t reach the food. I rang for the nurse, but nobody came. About 30 minutes later, someone showed up to take away the tray of uneaten food.

This went on for about a week. Then, a nutritionist appeared at my bedside.

“You are losing weight. You should eat more.” I had no response.

Tangles I was given intravenous fluids through a tube protruding from a

stand with wheels. Whenever I walked to the bathroom, or anywhere, I had to drag this stand and tubes with me.

I somehow managed to get tangled in the tubes each time. I was glad that I had a Ph.D., so that I could figure out how to untangle myself and get back into bed.

Other thoughts As we get older, we are bound to get something that we don’t want.

The body simply wears out with time.

Bodily functions decline with age but if we exercise, the functions decline more slowly, according to an exercise physiologist.

In any event, being an older patient in a hospital is a manifestation of this bodily decline.

However, there were some positive features of being hospitalized. In my long teaching career, I taught more than 50,000 students. In hospital settings, I met many of my former students who were now successful nurses and physicians. Many of them dropped in to say hello.

The last week that I was in the hospital following my colon surgery, a resident attended to my wounds daily.

The last day of my stay, he warmly grabbed both of my hands and said, “And I want to thank you for all you did for me.”

I looked at him blankly and had no idea who he was. “What did I ever do for you?” I asked.

He told me that, when he was a first-year college student, he intended to major in geology. I had a long conversation with him and convinced him that he should aim for a career in medicine.

He did so, and was very happy in his medical career and was grateful that I had steered him in that direction.

There were tears in my eyes, and the patient in the other bed behind the curtain yelled, “And my daughter-inlaw took your course also.”

So being a patient in a hospital isn’t necessarily all bad, after all. I told one of my doctors that I was going to write an article about my experiences in a hospital.

He thought this was a good idea.

I asked if I could mention him in the article. After I told him the episodes, he said, “If you write the article, call me “doctor.”

February / March 2015 - 55 PLUS

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55+

visits 10 Things You Need to Know About

a b u Ar One Happy Island

Water, water, water everywhere…

By Sandra Scott

T

he small island of Aruba in the southern Caribbean Sea is only 18 miles from the north coast of Venezuela. With sandy beaches, cooling trade winds and friendly people, the island is dubbed “One Happy Island.”

Aruba is considered one of the safest Caribbean destinations. The island is only 20 miles long and six miles across, which makes it easy to explore. The south coast is where the hotels, beaches and calm seas are while the north coast is arid with cliffs, heavy waves and it is virtually uninhabited.

In 1986 Aruba became independent of the Netherlands.

Aruba is blessed with great weather year-round and the island is out of the hurricane belt so any time is a good time to visit. Visitors need a passport but a visa is not necessary. English is widely spoken along with Dutch 48

55 PLUS - February / March 2015

and the local language, Papiamento.

It is a very safe island and even the water is safe to drink. US dollars and a credit card are all you need. Prices are usually listed in Aruban and in USD. The climate is dry so while there may be a few sprinkles each day, an all-rainy day is rare. Aruba is very tourist-friendly because the economy is largely dependent upon the tourist sector so they work hard to make Aruba “One Happy Island.” For more information log on to www.aruba.com.

Here are 10 things you need to know about the island.

1

Beaches: Life is a beach in Aruba with Arashi Beach on the list of top beaches in the world. It is just one of the many beaches.

Aruba’s beaches are public, including some located in front of some hotels.

Some are busy but there are also vast stretches that are virtually unvisited.

They are all clean with some having chairs, lounges and palapas that can be rented for the day.

2

Shopping: Aruba’s capital city of Oranjestad is a popular cruise port so shopping is assured.

There are high-end shops featuring everything from watches and diamonds to a flea market with popular fun-in-the-sun garments and toys. For those who are staying in a condo and preparing their own meals there are grocery markets offering everything you would expect to find in the United States.

3

Land tours: The best way to explore the island is on a halfday or all-day tour such as those offered by ABC Jeep Tours.

Tours are available to a natural pool, the lighthouse, caves with petroglyphs and other iconic sites. There are private

tours but if Jeeping is not for you then check out the fun-filled Kukoo Kunuku Bus where they have island tours but also dinner and pub crawl tours.

Looking for something unique? Take a Segway tour for an hour or a day.

4

Water tours: Water, water, water everywhere. Go scuba diving and snorkeling. A German freighter wreck and other wrecks are just offshore. Enjoy deep-sea fishing for mahi mahi, marlin and wahoo. If you don’t want to get wet, head 130 feet under the Caribbean Sea on the Atlantis Submarine. Pelican Tours offers a variety of experiences including their popular Sunset Cruise with an open bar, snacks and music. The newest fad is Standup Paddleboarding.

5

Catch the wind: Every day is a day with wind making Aruba the perfect place for sailing on a catamaran with Red Sea Sports. If you bring your own sailboat, not to worry, there are several places to dock your craft for a night or more. Aruba Active Vacation offers landsailing where speed can reach 30 mph. They also offer wind and kite surfing including lessons for the newbies. Try parasailing and for the adventurous there is skydiving.

Great shopping is a sure bet in Aruba’s capital city of Oranjestad.

One of the beaches on the south coast of Aruba, where the hotels, beaches and calm seas are located. The north coast is arid with cliffs, heavy waves and it is virtually uninhabited.

6

Dining: There is every kind of dining from fast food places like Wendy’s to romantic private dining on the beach. There are restaurants that offer a variety of food from Italian to German but visitors should try some of the Aruban specialties. Waka Waka is a junglethemed restaurant that serves a variety of food ,including Aruban specialties, such as Cabrito Stoba (goat stew). The island is home to farmed and feral goats.

7

Historical: Visit the Aruban Historical Museum in the capital city. It is located in the Fort Zoutman Willem III Tower and covers the island’s history, political development and the island’s unique

nature. The archeological museum has Indian artifacts dating back 2500 BC. There is also a museum dedicated to aloe, the island most famous product.

The most visited historical site is the Alto Vista Chapel, which is included on most island tours. There are still some old-style Dutch houses, many of which have been beautifully restored.

8

Festivals and more: There are a variety of events throughout the year including some that celebrate national holidays and others that promote local traditions.

Events range from fireworks on New Year’s Day to carnival in February to a music festival in May. There is something for every month.

9

Getting around: The bus is one of the easiest ways to get around. The supermarkets and all beaches are easy to reach by bus, and you will not have to walk miles from the bus stop once you’re there. There are also unmetered taxis; rates are fixed and should be confirmed in advance. If you are feeling flushed there are also limousines. Aruba is so small that renting a car is stress-free as long as one stays on the paved roads.

10

Accommodations: There are some places to suit the need of every visitor.

There are time shares, high-rise condo rentals and low-rise ones like Sunset Beach Studio all with kitchen facilities. There are hotels in many price categories from the familyfriendly Holiday Inn to Bucuti & Tara, an all-adult luxury hotel, to the allinclusive Divi Resort. Prices are best during low season from mid-April to mid-December.

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By Mary Beth Roach

Ginny Donohue, 67 Executive director of On Point For College in Syracuse talks about making higher education more accessible for low-income youth Q. What is your background and how did you come to create On Point For College?

A. I had started out as an innercity teacher, and I ran programs for Catholic Charities for a couple of years.

Then I stayed home with my children when they were younger. I went for my degree in accounting and went into the corporate world for 14 years.

Q. So, how did the organization come about?

A.: When my daughter, Shanley, was in high school, she told me about a friend. I knew he couldn’t live at home and was going from one couch to the next couch. She said, ‘Mom, he’s so great in computers. He really wants to go to college, so I told him you’d get him in.’ I had never helped anyone go to college before. But she told him I’d do it, so I did.

I figured out how to get him into college. After that, I was in the grocery store in Hannibal and two seniors came up to me and said, “Aren’t you the lady that got Shanley’s friend into college?

I said, “Yes.” They said, “Well would you help us get into college?” and I said, “sure.” They were connected with a program for chronically homeless youth in Fulton. After getting them into college, I started working with kids in this program called PATH. During the day, I was the vice president at WYNIT. But for eight years, I kept helping kids from that shelter go to college. I found out how to do financial aid forms. I would get them a backpack and fill it with supplies, get them their bedding for their dorms, $150 worth of clothes, drive them to school on their first day and visit mid-semester.

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Q. You were featured in Mutual of Omaha’s “aha moment” advertising campaign in 2009. What was your “aha moment”?

A. It was in 1998. There was a young man named Nick who was in the program, and he had gotten into one of the best conservatories in music in the country. We were sitting on the floor at the Wamsutta Outlet out in Waterloo picking out his bedding. He turned to me and he said, “Because of you, I’m going to have my dream.”

I was 52 at the time. I went home and I talked to my husband, John, and I said, “Look, I’ve been a CFO and an inner city teacher. It’s rather an odd combination of skills. I said, “I don’t want to wait until I retire to do something my heart is telling me I should do. I think I have the skills within me to get 50 or 100 kids into college every year. And I want to start doing it now.” And bless his heart, he said, “If that’s what you need to do, that’s what you need to.”

I went and told my boss I was leaving. I had no funding. I just had the belief I would figure out every time I’d come to an obstacle there’d be someone I’d learn from. But having been a CFO, I was used to solving problems. I left in 1999 to start On Point.

Q. How does this differ from other programs that help young people get into college?

A. The way we’re different is we don’t work in schools. We work in community centers. The second way we’re different is that our people are 17 to 29. There is not the age cap that there are in the most of the other programs. Most programs help you get

into college. We actually help you all the way through college and then we help you get a job after you get out of college. A lot of it is telling them the ropes, using the resources at college.

We want to kind of give them the playbook so they’re successful.

Q. What were some of your goals when you started the program?

A. My goal when I started On Point was that before I died I wanted to find 1,000 young people that never thought they could go to college and help them to go. Last summer we passed 5,000.

Q. How do you meet the challenges?

A. We reach out to the community.

There are so many good people in this community that want to make a difference. They know the door to opportunity doesn’t swing as easily for everyone and they really want to do something. I just had this basic belief from the very beginning that if we stayed smart, that somehow God would help us to provide for every student that came to us and asked us for help.

Q. What is your greatest accomplishment?

A. I think I was a really good mom to my two kids, Shanley and Adam. That to me is my biggest accomplishment. The second biggest accomplishment is to restore hope. The pride you see in someone’s eyes when they’re about to walk that stage, and they’re the first person in their family to ever walk that stage is amazing.

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At 88 Rose Anthony still in charge of tavern she founded 47 years ago

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55 PLUS Issue 51 • June / July 2014

CNY’s hottest models More CNY residents over the age 55 are obtaining modeling jobs

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