EXPLORING DIVERSITY IN THE CATSKILLS

Exploring Diversity in the Catskills with Frank Sanchez

GROWING UP IN THE CATSKILLS IN THE 1940S AND 50S SEEMED PERFECTLY NORMAL TO A CUBAN/PUERTO RICAN LIKE ME.

Maybe it’s because the Catskills were historically a multi-ethnic resort destination and accustomed to diversity. Maybe because my parents fell in love—with each other and with the mountains— while vacationing at the Hispaniccatering Hollywood Hotel in Highmount in the late 1930s. Or maybe it’s because Pine Hill, where they decided to settle in 1944, was such an accepting place.

My family fit right into the community, even though my father never lost his Spanish accent and my grandparents only spoke Spanish. (In a way, that difference was even celebrated; one year my father ran for mayor and only lost by one vote!) Or maybe it’s because I went to Onteora Central School and married a classmate, Jane Todd, whose parents and grandparents grew up in Fleischmanns and Shandaken.

Becoming an Historic Preservationist in the 1970s changed the way I looked at the Catskills. All of a sudden I saw the buildings, the beauty of the tiny hamlets, the relationship between the architecture and the history, in a new way. Through my work, and through my service on the Catskill Center Board, I’m pleased to have had a small part in protecting that heritage. The Catskills were good to me, and it’s one way I can return the favor. - FS

PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANK SANCHEZ, HERE SHOWN IN THE FOURTH GRADE WITH HIS FUTURE WIFE STANDING NEXT TO HIM.