HOMETOWN ONEONTA 2-22-13

get ready for spring! HOME IMPROVEMENT TIPS, CONTRACTORS/

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& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch Complimentary

Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, February 22, 2013

Volume 5, No. 22

POLAR BRRR!

City of The Hills

2 Chambers Collaborate On Strategy

Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Lady Yellowjacket Minnie Webster, right, is congratulated by teammates after sinking the winning threepointer in overtime in the STAC championship Sunday, Feb. 17, at SUNY Binghamton/

By JIM KEVLIN

‘B

MORE PHOTOS, A2

NY Gun Law Won’t Stand, Gibson Says

ew York State’s new SAFE gun law “will be thrown out,” according to U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-19. Speaking to Cooperstown Rotarians Tuesday, Feb. 19, in a tour of the county that included a visit to Springbrook that afternoon, he said the U.S. Supreme Court has concluded guns “can be regulated, but not banned.” He questions the term “assault rifle” for weapons like the Bushmaster XM-15 E2S. “It’s a rifle,” he said. HONOREE SOUGHT: The city Commission on Human Rights & Community Relations is seeking nominations for its Trailblazer Award for a local woman who has enhanced the stature of her gender. Forms are available at the City Clerk’s or by calling 432-6450. ALUMNI, LUNCH: Registration is limited to 40 at the SUNY Oneonta annual Spring Alumni Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. Friday, March 15, at Morris Hall, so register today: 436-2526. Dr. Ben Dixon speaks on “A Visual History of Our Campus.” BLUE RIBBONS: Hartwick freshman Taylor Trombley, OHS ’12, graduate, began her college equestrian career by winning two firsts at the Skidmore College Show Saturday, Feb. 15.

‘Local First!’ Starts May 1

Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Shawn Roth jumps for Oneonta’s Holiday Inn Hotties at the 18th Goodyear Lake Polar Bear Jump Saturday, Feb. 15. Joe Miller holds the tether/MORE PHOTOS, A3

Dr. Seth Mathern flew in from Wyoming to jump for Morris’ Samantha Perry, a beneficiary and his patient.

Most Jumpers Raise Most Money At 18th Plunge At Goodyear Lake GOODYEAR LAKE

record number of jumpers – 400 – raised a record amount of money – $106,000 – at the 18th annual Goodyear Lake

Polar Bear Jump Saturday, Feb. 15. Cooperstown’s Ed Gwilt again raise the most, $8,000 – $4,000 from small donors, matched by $4,000 from the Delaware Otsego Corp., where Gwilt works.

AllOTSEGO.com

DETAILS OF THIS YEAR’S BENEFICIARIES AT www.

uy Local!” is a phrase that comes to mind naturally. But the executive directors of Otsego County’s leading chambers of commerce, Oneonta’s Barbara Ann Heegan and Cooperstown’s Pat Szarpa, have discovered a softer way to say it: “Local First!” The multi-chamber “Local First!” campaign we’ll all be hearing a lot about after May 1 “in no way is a knock or a slap to anyone who frequents Walmarts or other ‘big box’ stores in our region,” said Szarpa, who planned to sit down with Heegan at midweek to begin preparing action steps in the new drive.” “We’re thrilled these stores are here and employing local people. We’re speaking to those employees” in addition to everyone else: “When you are out shopping, think about our region, instead of just reverting to the Internet.” “It’s top of mind awareness,” said Heegan, who joined Szarpa Wednesday, Feb. 13, in hosting “stakePlease See LOCAL, A6

Venerable Curling Comes To Town

Cynthia Walton-Leavitt demonstrates her technique as Lynn Abarno, Stamford, Jean Seroka, Otego, Linda Stringer, Oneonta and Nancy Kocher, Laurens, look on.

Sport, Rooted In Middle Ages, May Now Sprout Here, Thanks To Pastor By LIBBY CUDMORE

n 1967 in Wilmette, Ill., if Mrs. Green didn’t like it, then Rev. Dr. Cynthia Walton-Leavitt’s mother was all for it. “They had started a curling club, and Mrs. Green” – a Walton family neighbor – “was saying ‘Who’s ever heard

of curling? No one’s going to do it!’ My mother didn’t like Mrs. Green, so whatever curling was, we were going to participate.” So began a lifelong love for the sport, which has taken the “Red Door” Church pastor all over the world, including a recent trip to Perth, Scotland, the country where the sport was invented. Please See CURLING, A7

Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

HOMETOWN ONEONTA HAS LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION IN OTSEGO COUNTY 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD OT113_19SommWine6cx3_AD_OtesagaSommelier_Ad_FJ 2/12/13 12:46 PM Page 1

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A-2 HOMETOWN ONEONTA

HOMETOWN People

MONGILLO SIBLINGS CELEBRATE MILESTONE BIRTHDAYS

The Mongillo siblings joined together to celebrate Philomena Mongillo Washburn’s 90th birthday on Jan. 23. The youngest, Hope Davidson, will be 85 this year, while her sister Virginia, will be 88, Tony turns 89 and Mike turns 87. The family was born of Italian immigrants and were raised – and still live – in Oneonta.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

Lady Yellowjackets TAKE STAC Championship

Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

OHS Athletic Director Joe Hughes congratulates Lady Yellowjacket Basketball Coach Matt Miller in the foreground, while teammates hoist Minnie Webster onto their shoulders in the background. After OHS and Horseheads tied in regulation time, Minnie scored a threepointer from the corner with 4 seconds left in overtime to push her team to a 57-56 victory. ON DEAN’S LIST: Abby Rodenas of Oneonta, a criminal investigations major, is on the President’s List at SUNY Canton for the fall semester.

Saturday, March 2 6 to 9 pm Sunday, March 3 noon to 4 pm

GRAND PRIZE announcment soon! Pre-registration is encouraged at House of Brides! Live entertainment Cooking demonstrations Reserve your seating Cash bar for one of our two Spotlight specials bridal fashion shows Prizes! Prizes! Prizes! Watch for more new and exciting events for the show! www.carriagehouseoneonta.com • www.houseofbridesofoneonta.com Call for information and reservations 607.431.9333 or 607.434.0103

@allotsegonews www.allotsego.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

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HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3

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Hope Hubbard, formerly of Cooperstown, and Cailey Lord of Unadilla receive friendly pats on the head from Goody, the polar bear jump’s mascot.

Crowd-pleaser Steven Meade of Milford performs his signature flip at the 2013 annual Goodyear Lake Polar Bear Jump Saturday, Feb. 16. More than 400 jumpers raised a record $106,000 to benefit nine ailing youngsters, plus the Milford Fire Department, Catskill Area Hospice and the Portlandville Methodist Church.

She can’t swim, but Delia Donovan of Portlandville took the icy plunge anyhow. Diver Jason Riegel was close at hand to ensure her safety. “We want businesses in Otsego County to join us, to hear what top business priorities are in the county from the experts. We want you informed and involved” Barbara Ann Heegan, Executive Director, Otsego County Chamber of Commerce

made in new york

With tears in her eyes, Trish Bohle of Oneonta cheers members of Team Bohle, who were jumping in memory of her brother Mark, who passed away last May 28 at age 41 “This is my brother’s jump,” Trish said.

Ian Austin Photos for HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Oneonta’s Nate Leonard, left, and Ryan Pondolfino were walking billboards at the plunge, expressing support for the Second Amendment as they prepared to jump.

HOMETOWN People FIRST ROBOTICS TEAM PREPARES FOR FIRST BOUT AT RPI

networking luncheon Join us and your business neighbors to hear regional briefings on the 2013 State Legislative Session and the FY 2014 Executive Budget.

Wednesday, February 27 10:30 am to 11:45 am Legislative Briefing 11:45 am to1:30 pm Networking Luncheon Foothills Performing Arts Center 24 Market Street • Oneonta Traditional Caesar Salad with shaved parmesan Spiral ham • mustards and horseradish sauces Roasted vegetable tureen Homemade macaroni and cheese Home-style green bean casserole Assorted rolls and sliced breads, whipped butter Dessert Cookies, brownies and fresh fruit Catered by Sunrise Catering $20 members/$30 non-members

Please RSVP by Friday, February 22, 4 pm e-mail: shelly@otsegocountychamber.com or call: 607-432-4500 ext. 207

Otsego County’s 2013 Robotics Team debuted its robot Tuesday, Feb. 19. From left, John Scott, Eric Kleszczewski, Chase Thomas, Dylan Davidson, Jerry Li, Griffin Rule, Matt Bitzer, Adam Agoglia, Chris Letner and Logan Mancuso. They’ll participate in the Finger Lakes FIRST Regional Competition Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 28-March 2, at RIT.

HOMETOWN Views

A-4 HOMETOWN ONEONTA

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

EDITORIAL

Success These Days Means Accepting Change. Are We Ready?

nteresting letter to the editor in Sunday’s Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin – Page 2, Viewpoints section – referencing United Van Lines’ annual study of migration patterns, showing New York has the third-highest ratio among the 50 states of people moving out vs. people moving in. The letter writer, Stephen Kutney of Endicott, goes on to reference Travis Brown’s book, “How Money Walks,” that reports $15 billion in income has moved out of New York in 15 years, more than any other state. • That brought to mind the Feb. 6 Cooperstown Central school board meeting where the fate of the “Redskin” nickname was debated, and where one alumna grilled board members: How many of you were born here? It turns out, none of them are Cooperstown natives. But so what? It’s really the wrong question. Are they interested, motivated, fair-minded, intelligent and – probably most important, given CCS’ recent history – do they have the fortitude to make decisions that protect and elevate the students under their care? One board member who spoke – for the first time since his

family here,” said Marietta, who, incidentally, was Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce president during a difficult transition, “I thought this” – the “Redskin” question – “was a very good way to invest the school board’s time. I think (the nickname) is one thing that holds Cooperstown back.” Other board members include a Bassett physician, an entrepreneur or two, a SUNY Oneonta professor, people who came to Otsego County in professional capacities and are contributing to their The Freeman’s Journal adopted community. This is exactly what New York CCS board member (and nonnative) Andy Marietta ran for needs. office “to make a better en• vironment for our children.” Cooperstown, of course, isn’t What’s wrong with that? the only place around here where the native-born flag is waved from election last May, he said – was time to time, nor is it unique to Andrew Marietta, a Midwesterner Otsego County or even Upstate. who attended SUNY Oneonta’s It’s a common dynamic in a lot of Cooperstown Graduate School places. in Museum Studies and stayed It’s least prevalent locally, to become the local director of perhaps, in the City of Oneonta, NYCON, the New York Council where you often hear newcomof Non-Profits. ers talking about how welcome He ran for the school board, he said, because of the hazing scandal they feel. The two colleges, with and other negative occurrences of staff, administrators, professors and students coming and going, no the past few years. His goal: “To make a better environment for our doubt contribute to this. Plus, so many of our neighbors are SUNY children.” Oneonta and Hartwick grads who “As someone who’s building a came here for college, decided

they liked it, and stayed. It’s surprising the attitude hangs on all, given, in particular, how our political leadership is largely dominated by folks from somewhere else. County Board chair Kathy Clark was raised on Long Island. Cooperstown Mayor Jeff Katz, likewise raised on Long Island, spent his career in Chicago. Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller is from Rochester. Same with our business leaders. Chobani’s Hamdi Ulukaya is from eastern Turkey. Custom Electronics president (and Ioxus founder) Mike Pentaris is from Cyprus. It’s a similar story at most of our major institutions. • At the bottom of the front page in that same issue of the Press & Sun-Bulletin was a headline, “Universities leading transition in Upstate.” In the first decade of this century, Albany correspondent Jessica Bakeman reports, New York’s colleges and universities grew by a whopping 38 percent; private-sector jobs grew 1.1 percent. SUNY jobs grew 20 percent; SUNY enrollment, 63 percent. (The Sunday paper was picked up after witnessing Oneonta’s Lady Yellowjackets the STAC title at SUNY Binghamton, and the construction underway on that campus

is eye-popping.) This is all part of a plan that hasn’t completely come together yet, to train people in “nanotechnology, biomedical science, analytics and renewable energy development,” the jobs of the future. But it’s happening. In his State of the State speech in January, Governor Cuomo announced five “innovation hot spots” in different regions of the state. Last year, Bakeman reports, the state chipped in $400 million to a $4.8 billion deal with IBM, Intel, Global Foundries and two other companies to make “cutting-edge computer chips.” Part of the challenge is while our state spends billions educating high-earners of the future, they graduate and leave for the Sunbelt or the Silicon Valley. If that continues, all is for naught. Certainly, there’s no time in world history where change came at us more quickly. With the Internet and the globalization it has allowed, everything is different, and we need to challenge assumptions, to let go of the old, to try new ways of doing things. We see change all around us. Often, it’s not so bad. Even when it is, it’s essential.

KATHERINE O’DONNELL OTHER VOICES

People Here, Everywhere Have A Right To Clean Water

lean drinking water – is it your right? While water is a bottom line necessity for life and health, approximately one billion people on the planet do not have safe drinking water; thousands of children die daily from water-related illnesses. Such issues might seem far away from Otsego County but are they? In New York State, our water is being threatened by the possibility of high-volume, horizontal fracking for gas. Fracking is currently exempt from the federal Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act, as a result of the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005. The bill also created a loophole for companies exempting them from disclosing the chemicals that are injected into the earth during the fracking process. New York State law also has a loophole regarding classifying fracking waste. While the waste contains cancer-causing and radioactive substances and high concentrations of metals, it is not classified as hazardous, therefore, regulations for fracking waste disposal are not as tough. Fracking uses water – and lots

of it. It takes 3-6 million gallons of water to frack a single well once. Fracking competes directly with farming and local businesses for water. For Otsego County, where potentially thousands of wells could be fracked, that would add up to billions of gallons of fresh water taken out of our aquifers, lakes, streams and drinking water. Can we afford this takeover of our community’s water? Along with water, over 300 chemical substances become part of the fracking liquid. When wastewater or flowback returns to the surface, it’s a radioactive, toxic brew laced with poisonous chloride, arsenic, barium, uranium, radium, radon and high sodium concentrations (Royte 2012). What goes down must come up. Much of the liquid that goes down comes back up (Royte 2012) as a further contaminated “brine” that is stored in open pits, reused, injected into the earth, hauled into municipal treatment plants and spread on roads as a de-icing agent. Public water treatment plants cannot treat for the flowback’s contaminants; therefore, the pollutants are released into

streams, aquifers and our drinking water. At every step of the fracking process, the chance for water contamination exists. Researchers have identified multiple sources of potential water contamination: spills and leaks from transportation, well casings, drilling, fractured rock, and flowback disposal (Rozell 2012). With respect to contaminated wastewater, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has no definitive plan on how to dispose of the billions of gallons of toxic, radioactive, fracking flowback. DEC solutions proposed and in some cases already used in New York include: 1. Reuse – increases the toxicity and radioactivity with each re-use (Nadeau 2012). 2. Spread flowback – on roads for snow and ice clearing and dust management. (This is currently practiced in our area). 3. Dump the toxic waste into municipal treatment plants that are incapable of removing either the toxic chemicals or radioactive materials. 4. Open Pit Storage – the DEC

has not banned open pit wastewater storage in the Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (dSGEIS). Open pits escalate hazards from potential flooding, leaking, or volatilization – all of which could result in exposure to chemicals for animals and humans. When exposed to air, benzene and other wastewater hydrocarbons will evaporate and enter the atmosphere (Hammer et al 2012). Toxics Targeting reports that wastewater and brine generated by hundreds of natural gas production wells and pipelines have been approved for spreading on roads in Otsego, Chemung, Broome, Tompkins, Tioga, Chenango, Steuben, Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Genesee, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany and Wyoming counties. It has already been on area roads. In 2009, Abrahm Lustgarten reported in ProPublica that the DEC found that samples of fracking wastewater contained radium226, from uranium, at 267 times the limit safe for environmental discharge and thousands of times the safe drinking limit for humans.

The New York Times (2011) reviewed thousands of internal documents from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which revealed that fracking wastewater contains radioactive and other toxic materials at levels unsafe for wastewater treatment plants to handle. Untreatable radioactive wastewater may contaminate drinking water and enters the food chain through fish or farming. Exposure to cancer- causing, radioactive radium through eating, drinking, or breathing causes a host of other health problems. Water is life. As Sandra Steingraber, noted biologist, researcher, and mother writes, “The water that flows from my kitchen tap is the blood of my children.” Recognition of the right to water requires that our government protect that human right. We can protect our right to clean water by banning fracking in New York State. Katherine O’Donnell, Ph.D., is a Hartwick College sociology professor.

letters

Iroquois Picked Wrong Side In American Revolution To the Editor: The writer(s) who reminded us of the injustices done to the American Indian forgot to mention the Indians were fighting for the

Tories – they had picked the wrong side. They were also known to massacre settlements: during the 1700s they fought for both the British and the French.

HOMETOWN ONEONTA

& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch

Jim Kevlin

Editor &Publisher Tara Barnwell Advertising Director

M.J. Kevlin Business Manager

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Ian Austin Photographer

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MEMBER OF New York Press Association • The Otsego County Chamber Published weekly by Iron String Press, Inc. 21 Railroad Ave., Cooperstown NY 13326 Telephone: (607) 547-6103. Fax: (607) 547-6080. E-mail: info@allotsego.com • www.allotsego.com

Sometimes they were mercenaries for the French, sometimes the British. There was a suggestion to re-name the General Clinton Regatta because he massacred Indians until they found out he was responding to massacres by Indians working for the Tories. The two letters (about Redskins) hit laughable heights of “white guilt.” The American Indian is remembered now and always as a proud and fierce warrior. Let it go. Do your necessary atonement in private. Self-flagellation would do the trick – long thoughtful letters appear to give you the moral high

ground. They don’t. From the Internet, (while not always accurate, it is generally a good source of historical data): “In 1779, Clinton led an expedition down the Susquehanna River ... At Tioga, Clinton met up with General John Sullivan’s forces, who had marched from Easton, Pa. Together, on Aug. 29, they defeated the Tories and Indians at the Battle of Newtown (near today’s City of Elmira). This became known as the “SullivanClinton Campaign” or the “Sullivan Expedition.” ADRIAN D. VanESSENDELFT Oneonta

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WELCOME E-MAIL THEM TO info@allotsego.com

Keep Mayor’s ‘Prudent Leadership’ To the Editor: Our able mayor of the last three-plus years, Richard (Dick) Miller, has announced his intention to run again for the office he now holds, modified to a degree by a vote-approved city manager, so the Common Council, mayor and C.M. will be a good trio team to run our fair city on our behalf. I heartily endorse the mayor’s desire, and hope many more will do the same. He has reached out to each member of the council, and both major parties. His upbeat and realistic perspectives have imported some elements of both major parties in an independent way where ever possible. He has the endorsement of one party, and seeks the other. May he secure it, and continue his solid leadership

to benefit us all, as we slowly emerge into a productive and well-rounded economy where all may prosper and be secure. We are a stable and vibrant small city of different faiths and cultures pleasantly situated in the western Catskills of our Empire State. Let us continue this caring and prudent political leadership into the unknown future to bless our best hopes and desires, benefiting from two outstanding educational colleges and an excellent medical system, good public parks, access to Interstate 88, healthy business and our Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center. May each of us continue to appreciate all the good we have here. The Rev. KEN BALDWIN Oneonta

HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-5

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

HOMETOWN

History

Compiled by Tom Heitz with resources courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library

125 Years Ago

The Oneonta Street Railway Company was the only bidder on the 20th for the franchise to “construct, maintain, Operate, and extend” a street railroad in town. The franchise was sold for a one-hundredth part of one percent of the gross receipts of the company, to be paid annually into the corporation treasury. The company intends to commence the construction of the road the coming spring and will form a construction company from the stockholders, each stockholder obtaining thereby a benefit pro rata to the number of shares he holds. Consents of the property owners along Front Street have been obtained for the purpose of running a branch to the depot connecting with all passenger trains. George W. Woodburn is perfecting an organization to be known as the Central Labor Union. It will be composed of one delegate from every trade’s union in Oneonta and surrounding town. The object of the organization will be the discussion of the status of each kind and branch of labor for the benefit of labor as a whole. Nearly every trade in town now has an organization of some sort. February 1888

100 Years Ago

Until the time arrives when a police officer can be maintained at headquarters at night the department needs an electrical signal that will enable the telephone operators to summon a patrolman when one is required in any section of the city. Up to the present time the budget of the police commission has been insufficient to permit of this expense, but this year it has been decided to install police signals. The first such signal is being placed at the corner of Main and Broad streets. When a red light is displayed, it can plainly be seen by a patrolman on Broad or on Main Street between Maple and Grove streets. When a call comes for police assistance from any section of the city at night and no one is found at headquarters, the central operator can, by pressing a button, display the red light. Any patrolman seeing the light is expected to answer on the nearest available phone and the person calling in will then be put on the line with him. February 1913

80 Years Ago

On Monday, the U.S. Congress proposed to the states that national prohibition, after its 13 years of turbulent trial, be done away with by repeal of the 18th amendment. The

10 Years Ago

40 Years Ago

February 2003 House, by a vote of 289 to 121, 15 more than necessary, approved the repeal resolution passed last week by the Senate. For the first time in American history, conventions of the people are to decide whether the states shall ratify or reject a change in the Constitution. Thirty-six of the forty-eight states must ratify to carve the 18th amendment out of the national charter and substitute for it a 21st amendment. By its terms, also, the ratifications must all occur within seven years from today. With repeal of the 18th amendment will come a specific prohibition of importation of intoxicating liquors into any states remaining dry. Legislative actions to ratify repeal have already begun in half a dozen states. February 1933

60 Years Ago

Oneonta meat counters are now conspicuous by the absence of posted grades on beef. No longer are meat retailers required to mark the government grades on beef. The federal government ended its grading when it ended its price controls. A trip to the meat market now is just like it used to be before the war – only simpler. Before the war there frequently were some sort of improvised grades, usually devised by packers, to denote the variations in quality. These gradings were sometimes displayed with the beef cuts in the show cases, but such action was entirely optional with the butcher. Now that Uncle Sam has quit certifying the grades of beef, shoppers have nothing to go by except the old custom of cross-examining the clerk, or proprietor. “The customer has got to know his dealer,” one meat retailer said. The end of grading does not mean the end of government inspecting of meat, however. February 1953

Oneonta Police Chief Joseph DeSalvatore will be suspended without pay for one month and the department’s second-in-command, Lt. Gerald Platt, will be formally reprimanded, Oneonta’s Public Safety Board ruled last night. The disciplinary action stems from public hearings in December and January on neglect of duty charges Police Sergeant Leland Higgins filed against the senior officers last summer. Stamford Attorney Elias Jacobs said he would seek a State Supreme Court review of the case and the decision. Jacobs also said he will seek a temporary stay of the penalties pending court review. Chief DeSalvatore expects to be fully vindicated in court and there is no thought to him leaving the department Jacobs said. The suspension is due to begin March 1. The Higgins charges generally involved the Chief’s handling of an anti-war sit-in on Dietz Street last May and his role in training and equipping the department for crowd control. The charges all deal with departmental procedures and are not, in any way, criminal in nature. February 1973

30 Years Ago

Alcohol abuse is rampant among college students across the nation and officials at Oneonta’s two colleges say they are doing what they can to combat the problem. Spokespersons from Oneonta State College and Hartwick College agree that the college drinking problem is widespread and neither college is immune. But, they add, it’s difficult to help students beat alcohol addiction unless they come forward for assistance. “Alcohol treatment and student services are fringe benefits,” said William P. Vitous, a counselor at SUCO. February 1983

20 Years Ago

Campus police at New York public and private colleges should be allowed to carry weapons to help ward off campus crime according to a legislative task force report. New York should also make the use of self-defense weapons such as Mace legal, and extend a federal law that requires higher education institutions to report crime statistics to prospective college students. The college setting often reflects the same criminal activity as the towns and cities that surround it, the report stated. February 1993

Charles Schneider, Music Director and Conductor SUNY Oneonta • Alumni Field House Sunday, March 3, 2013 • 4 pm Tickets: $40 • Table of 8 : $320 cso@oneonta.edu • 607-436-2670 • www.catskillsymphony.net Sponsored by The Morgan McReynolds Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Additional support by Benson Agency Real Estate, LLC, and Macys. This performance is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency. This performance is also supported, in part, by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art. This performance is also supported by SUNY Oneonta.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013

A-6 HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Chambers Collaborate On ‘Local 1st’ Strategy LOCAL/From A1 holders” at the Country Inn & Suites, Hartwick Seminary, in a “Local First!” campaign that has been percolating since soon after the two executives were hired last year, and is now coming to a boil. Chamber executives By May 1, a “Local First!” logo will Heegan, left, and Szarpa are collaborating on have been devel“Local First!” oped, and the two chambers, through Oneonta and Hartwick print advertising, College students are part of billboards and other means, the mix, so Oneonta Public will be rolling out what’s Transit was part of the Feb. expected to be a 2-3 year 13 discussion. campaign to make loPsalm Wycoff from the cal shoppers fully aware county Planning Departof what’s for sale in local ment led that discussion, stores. but the session was an The idea is to saturate Oneonta-Cooperstown the market, then to test aggregation. Southside shopper awareness in 24 Mall Manager Luisa Monor 36 months to determine tanti, MSO Director Julia the campaign’s success. Goff and Councilman Bob “Have businesses noticed Brzozowski were among atany change in local shoptendees from the city; from pers and local usage,” said the village came Mayor Szarpa. Jeff Katz and Cooperstown The local efforts was Chamber President Mike inspired in part by simiOtis (of Oneonta’s Gordon lar programs in Saratoga B. Roberts Agency). Springs and Western New Gina Reeves, the BrookYork, and such experts as wood School principal, author Becky McCray of www.smallbizsurvival.com. made the point that people need to be aware, not just Heegan joined the task of local stores, but of local force last November, and services like her Montessori one of her suggestions institution in Toddsville. was to make sure SUNY

HUGH MacDOUGALL OTHER VOICES

From County, Blacks Went Forth To Fame

n Martin Luther King Day, we inaugurated Barack Obama for the second time as president of the United States. It seems appropriate to invoke the names of four African Americans who had significant connections with the Village of Cooperstown. Some you have probably heard about – others perhaps not. • First: I invoke the name of Scipio, who was presumably named for the famous Roman general named Scipio Africanus. But all we know of him is his tombstone in Christ Churchyard, which identifies him as “an aged slave, a native of Africa, who died March 27th, 1799.” That tombstone, no longer legible, contains a poem the last verse of which reads: “His venerable Beard was thin and white; “His hoary head bespoke his length of Days: “His piteous tales of Woe, “While bending o’er his Staff, “He did Relate “Were heard in pensive Mood, “By Those “Who look’d beyond his tatter’d garb, And saw his Many Sorrows.” • Second: I invoke the name of Joseph Stewart. He was born a slave, the property of lawyer Abraham Ten Broeck, who brought him to Cooperstown from New Jersey and rented him to William Cooper for about $80 a year. Joseph Stewart was soon given his freedom, with a certificate filed at the Cooperstown county

HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Many of the county’s early blacks are buried in the Christ Episcopal Church cemetery, Cooperstown.

building. He spent the rest of his working life as William Cooper’s butler at Otsego Hall, where he was known as “The Governor.” After Elizabeth Cooper’s death in 1817, Joseph and his wife were given a house on what is now Pine Boulevard. He is buried in the Cooper family plot next to Christ Churchyard, where his tombstone reads: JOSEPH STEWART, died July 1823. Born a Slave. For 20 y’rs, a much loved & faithful FREE Servant of JUDGE COOPER.” • Third, I invoke the name of Stephen Atkins Swails. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1836, the son of a white mother and an African-American father. Following race riots at home, the family moved to Elmira, and young Stephen came to Cooperstown where he married and became a waiter at Keyes Hotel on Main Street. When the Civil War broke out he enlisted, in 1863, in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry – the first American Army regiment composed of African-American soldiers, and fought with distinction in South Carolina and Florida.

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In 1864, the governor of Massachusetts promoted him to lieutenant – the first black commissioned officer in the American Army. After the war Swails settled in Kingstree, S.C., where he became mayor, was elected for 10 years to the South Carolina State Senate, and served three terms as its president. Evicted from office at gunpoint by a white mob, he later worked for the Post Office and Treasury Department. He died in Kingstree in 1900 and is buried in Charleston. • Fourth, and finally, I invoke the name of John W. Jackson, Jr. Born in Fort Plain in 1858, he was brought to Cooperstown the following year, where his father became for many years the village barber. He attended school here, learned how to play baseball, and about the age of 18 left home to be a professional baseball player. He always played under the name of Bud Fowler, and between 1878 and 1894 was a member of many American teams, some of them in Minor Leagues – where his exceptional prowess as a pitcher, and especially as a second baseman, was universally recognized. Despite this, Bud Fowler never made the Major Leagues, and he was regularly expelled from teams because of his race – either his teammates or those of opposing teams refused to play alongside an African-American. In 1894, Bud Fowler formed the Page Fence Giants – an all-black, all-star team that played throughout much of the nation – traveling in their own private railroad car. Hugh MacDougall is Cooperstown village historian.

LETTER

Editorial Wrong On Armory Costs To the Editor: Your paper published an editorial stating the City of Oneonta spends $300,000 annually to operate the Armory. This number is radically wrong. The actual operating expense for 2012 is $65,000. The city collected $27,000 in rent, leaving a net annual operating cost of $38,000.

People rely on your paper to be accurate (or at least close to true). This error and your failure to correct it raises serious concerns regarding the content of your articles and editorials. A fact check or phone call to City Hall can avoid these errors. Michael E. Lynch Jr. Council Member Oneonta

29 Pioneer Street, Cooperstown, NY

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Cooperstown Village Ranch – Move right in to this charming 3 BR ranch in a central village location, one block to schools, grocery store, hospital and sports center. The large LR/DR has a nice wood-burning fireplace and opens to a newly remodeled kitchen with all new appliances and soapstone countertops. A rear entrance leads into a mudroom and spacious laundry room. The full bathroom has been completely renovated. A rear deck looks over a nice yard. Detached 1-car garage, full basement, and hardwood floors throughout. Come take a look at one of the few ranch homes available in the village of Cooperstown. Offered Exclusively by Ashley-Connor Realty $215,000 Visit us on the Web at www.ashleyconnorrealty.com • Contact us at info@ashleyconnorrealty.com For APPoiNtmeNt: Patti Ashley, Broker, 544-1077 • Jack Foster, Sales Agent, 547-5304 • Nancy Angerer, Sales Agent, 435-3387 Donna Skinner, Associate Broker, 547-8288 • Amy Stack, Sales Agent, 435-0125 • Chris Patterson, Sales Agent, 518-774-8175

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013 Many Hands, Many Skills… One Purpose! Creating Opportunities for People with Developmental Disabilities to Live Rich, Full Lives HOME MANAGER: F-T, Cooperstown area. Management position working as a key team member at a residence for individuals with developmental disabilities. Provide fiscal management, program system reviews, and staff training and leadership development. Must be well organized, mature, responsible, and creative in planning activities for residents and staff. Proficiency in recordkeeping and computer skills a must. Required: HS diploma and/or Associate’s degree, minimum 1 yr. supervisory experience, 1 yr. experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities, experience with Microsoft Office, valid NYS driver license, ability to lift 50 lbs. Must be available nights, weekends and holidays. SHIFT COORDINATOR F-T. Be part of a residential services team that supports individuals with developmental disabilities. Minimal supervisory duties, provide direct care and serve as a role model for employees. Required: HS diploma, GED or CNA, valid NYS driver license, ability to lift up to 50 lbs. Preferred: 1 yr. supervisory experience and/or 1 yr. experience working with people with developmental disabilities. Must be able to work nights and weekends. REGISTERED NURSE: F-T, Oneonta area. Non-traditional opportunity with flexible hours. Work as part of an interdisciplinary team providing services to persons with developmental disabilities living in a residential setting. Required: NYS Registered Nurse Certification, valid NYS driver license, ability to lift 50 lbs. and excellent computer skills. Preferred: 1 yr. experience working with people with developmental disabilities. DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS: F-T & P-T; day, evening and overnight shifts available. Required: GED, HS diploma or CNA, valid NYS driver license, ability to lift 50 lbs. Up to $12.50 to start depending on location. BUS DRIVER: F-T. As part of a team that supports individuals with developmental disabilities to participate in community life, you will transport individuals throughout Otsego County, M-F, 7am-12 pm and 2-5 pm. Based in Hartwick, NY. Required: CDL driver’s license, clean driving record, certified under Article 19A or be eligible to be certified, pass a DOT drug test.

The Arc Otsego offers competitive wages, excellent benefits, comprehensive training & career advancement opportunities. Applying is Easy! Download an application at www.arcotsego.org or Send resume to: The Arc Otsego, Attn: Human Resources, PO Box 490, Oneonta, NY 13820 or apply in person at 35 Academy St., Oneonta, NY

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HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-7

Curling Introduced To Oneonta CURLING/From A1 A dozen people showed up at her CCAL talk on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at SUNY Oneonta’s Morris Conference Center, some of whom planned to join her on the 20th at the Schnectady Curling Club to try their hand at the sport. The sport goes back to the late Middle Ages/early Renaissance, with the oldest rock – the projectile you may have seen on TV – dated 1511. In 1541, a monk recorded that he and his friend had played. Curling became so popular that special ponds were dug – shallow enough to freeze 6 inches of ice easily. British soldiers brought the sport to America. Although most clubs only allowed men until the 1950s, the Schenectady Curling Club, where Rev. WaltonLeavitt is a member, has pictures from 1907 of women out on the ice in long skirts and petticoats. “I remember some hullabaloo at clubs, ‘Oh, women have only been allowed here for a little while’,” she said. Curling is played with 16 40-pound rocks, eight for each team of four. The “skip” – the team captain – determines the strategy and tells

everyone where to aim their rocks. The “lead” throws her rocks first – sliding them along the ice – followed by the “second” and the “third,’ from the center line towards the “house,” a series of rings at the other end of the ice. “I’m usually at the low end, so I don’t have to read the ice as much as the others,” said Cynthia. The team that gets its rocks closest to the center ring in the house wins the “end.”

Most games are played with either eight or 10 “ends.” “It’s a game of inches,” she said. To make the rocks slide further, brushes are used to “sweep” the rock in a particular direction. “It helps cut the curl,” she explained. Originally, the game was played with ordinary house brooms, but while the rocks have stayed largely the same – although handles were added to make them easier to throw – modern brushes are sleeker, bearing more resem-

blance to a mop or a Swiffer. Curling has a strong following in the U.S., but in Canada, it’s practically a way of life. “You can always tell the curlers in the grocery store because they have one white knee in their pants from kneeling on the ice,” she said. Foremost, curling is considered a “Gentleman’s Sport” in attitude. “Each game begins with a handshake and ‘good game, good curl’,” the pastor said. “You would never say anything to anybody about a bad shot.”

Professional RN’s: Otsego and Schoharie Co. At Home Care, Inc. (AHC) is a not-for-profit Medicare Certified Home Health Agency recruiting professional nurses to work in Otsego and Schoharie Counties. AHC is pleased to announce that services are expanding to the residents of Schoharie County. As a member of the Bassett Healthcare Network, AHC is ranked among the “Top 25%” of all home care agencies in the U.S. for quality outcomes and is recognized as a progressive home health care leader. To support growth and expansion, AHC is recruiting fulltime professional nurses. Minimum 2 yrs. acute care experience is required & experience with an electronic patient record preferred. AHC offers a competitive wage & benefit package. For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact HR: 800-783-0613, 607-432-7634 or via email: lvosburgh@ahcnys.org www.bassett.org/athomecare

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IN MEMORIAM Minnie M. Huck, 86; Owned Powder Puff ONEONTA – Minnie M. Huck, 86, a stylist who owned two local beauty salons, died Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, at Robinson Terrace Nursing Home in Stamford. She was born Dec. 8, 1926, in Hobart, the daughter of the late Leslie and Hattie (Matthews) McLain. Minnie attended Charlotte Valley, Stamford and South Kortright schools. She attended and graduated from the Wilfred Academy in New York City for hairdressing and worked in New York City for a short time. On Oct. 25, 1949, Minnie married Henry Huck at Tupper Lake. Henry predeceased her on May 5, 1958. From 1946 to 1951, she worked in the Dietetic Department at Sunmount Tuberculosis Hospital in Tupper Lake. Following her return to Oneonta, Minnie worked for Charles’ Hair Stylist in Oneonta for three years. She then owned and oper-

ated her own beauty shop, Powder Puff Beauty Salon and also Minnie’s Beauty Salon that she operated out of her home. Minnie was a member of the Charlotte Valley Presbyterian Church, Davenport, where for many years she was an elder of the church and belonged to the church’s Women’s Society. She was also a 50-year member of the Charlotte Valley Rebekah Lodge No. 393 and was appointed as NYS Color Bearer from 1974 to 1975, by Rebekah Assembly President Isabelle VanDewerker and a past president of the Anna E. Wilber No. 4 Ladies Auxiliary Patriot Militant of Oneonta. Minnie is survived by one sister, Anna N. McCulley of Davenport; one brother, Donald McLain and his wife, Carol of Davenport; one sister-in-law, Charlotte McLain of Florida; nieces and nephews, Jackie and Meno

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burg, Va, and Marta Anne Reitema and husband, Gordon, of Clint; grandchildren, Edwin Ford and wife, Staci, of VanBuren, Ariz. Lisa Bryant and husband, Jim, of Walls, Miss., Leaha Hillis and husband, Scott, of Providence, Forge, Va., Paula Mieznikowski of Williamsburg, Va., Dusty VanBuren of Williamsburg, Va., Kurt Reitema and wife, Shannon, of Weedsport, Michael Reitema and wife, Kim, of Akron, Ohio; 19 great-grandchildren; 3 greatgreat-grandchildren; sisterin-law, Mildred Vieweg of Columbus, Ind., niece, Connie Russell and husband, Robert; two nephews,

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Thomas Hopkins wife, Lee, and Lawrence Klipfer and wife Jackie. The memorial service was held Sunday, Feb. 17 at the Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Funeral Home, 51 Dietz St., Oneonta, with The Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Walton-Leavitt, officiating. Burial will take place the Oneonta Plains Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children Hospital, 501 St Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 Arrangements are entrusted to Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Funeral Home, Oneonta.

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