2 | May 20, 2017 • The Valley News Sun (TL)
www.suncommunitynews.com
Published by Denton Publications, Inc.
Published by Denton Publications, Inc.
www.suncommunitynews.com
(TL)
The Valley News Sun • May 20, 2017 | 3
Don Taylor, beloved local centenarian, passes away By Pete DeMola
Taylor was the son of the late Gilbert and Carrie (Daniels) Taylor. Taylor grew up and lived his entire life ELIZABETHTOWN — A beloved local on a small homestead on Taylor Road, icon is no more. where the hard packed dirt road carryDon Taylor, of Wadhams, passed away ing the family name paved the way to a on Saturday, May 13 at UVM Health simple-but-fulfilling life. Network ECH in Elizabethtown. Taylor farmed, hunted, chopped wood and made cider using an apple press in He turned 106 on April 30. Taylor was well-known across the re- the nineteenth-century wooden barn begion long before his longevity, making hind his tidy farmhouse. One of his earliest a name for himself as “It’s a sad day for memories, he often reearly as the 1920s for called, was hearing his horseshoe-throwing Westport” church bells peal followprowess. — Supervisor ing the end of World War The lifelong-bachelor Michael ‘Ike’ Tyler I in 1918. famously learned the Taylor stayed fit and sport from a pair of travhunted until well into his eling lightning rod salesmen, and quickly became a fixture on 90s. the professional circuit, racking up vicThe centenarian, who never shed his tories across the region. sunny demeanor and quick wit, told the “Don Taylor was one of Westport’s el- Sun last April he did as many as 100 der statesmen,” said Westport Supervi- ring curls each day. sor Michael “Ike” Tyler. “He was a treaAn avid baseball fan, he delighted in sure, and he will be greatly missed.” watching games on his large-screen teleBorn in Westport on April 30, 1911, vision. pete@suncommunitynews.com
County pleased with settlement Essex County eyes using settlement funds to beef up cybersecurity measures By Keith Lobdell
keith@suncommunitynews.com
ELIZABETHTOWN — The Essex County Personnel committee approved a settlement request from County Attorney Daniel Manning with Fidelity and Deposit Company in Maryland the attorney described as “excellent.” The county will pay the company $179,192 over a dispute from work done by Tougher Industries, Inc., at the
public safety building in Lewis. In 2010, F&D served the county with a compliant seeking $1,452,659 in damages for alleged breaches of contract with Tougher after the company had filed for bankruptcy. “This is an excellent settlement that took forever,” Manning said. “We had a $1 million fund so I would say we settle and put this whole thing behind us.” Manning added the county would also have to figure out what they would do with the remaining amount of the money. County Manager Dan Palmer said one area the county could use
the funding would be to upgrade information technology equipment, describing the need as “critical.” Palmer said the need was more in equipment then security, which he said was strong. But protecting the county’s cyber infrastructure is a daily battle for the IT staff, he said. “My IT people here at the county can tell you they have lists from China, Russia — all over the world with a litany of attempts to get into our systems,” Palmer said. “We have been fortunate enough in some senses, but it is an ongoing battle every day when it comes to the issue of cyber security.”
Don Taylor passed away on Saturday, May 13, two weeks after his 106th birthday. Asked if he preferred the Yankees or the Red Sox, Taylor chuckled. “I like them both just fine,” he told the Sun in March, before throwing a log into his woodstove. Taylor continued to live independently until last month, when he was admitted to Elizabethtown Community Hospital after injuring his hip. He delighted in playing the fiddle, and performed several bars at birthday party held in his honor earlier this month. Gary Anson, a neighbor, acted as his informal caregiver for years, checking in on Taylor and his beloved dog, Buddy, several times per day. Anson recalled hunting with Taylor when he was a spry 84. While it took Taylor some time to get
Photo by Kim Dedam
up the mountain, a buck came out; Taylor shot at it and the animal immediately dropped. “It was just one shot,” Anson recalled. “He was a crack shot, he never missed.” The pair remained close until the very end. “He just taught me a lot of things that were done back in the old days that were simple and easy to do,” Anson said. “He lived in the slow lane and everybody else lived in the fast lane.” Calling hours were held on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at Heald Funeral Home, 7521 Court Street, Elizabethtown from 4-5:30 p.m. A celebration of his life will immediately follow at 5:30. Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family.
8 | May 20, 2017 • The Valley News Sun (TL)
www.suncommunitynews.com
Published by Denton Publications, Inc.
EYE ON THE ARTS
> Arts Columnist
elizabeth@suncommunitynews.com
Upcoming
A
new exhibit, “A Little Light, A Little Color,” will debut at the Strand Center in Plattsburgh on June 2. The new photography exhibit by Penelope Clute will be on display from June 2-30. An opening reception is slated for Friday, June 2 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 563-1604 or visit strandcenter.org. On May 21, at 2 p.m., the North Country Singers and the Queensbury Middle School Select Show Choir will perform at the Tannery Pond Center in North Creek. The theme: “Music for the child in all of us.” Downtown Plattsburgh’s Champlain Wine Company will display an exhibit of works by Sharon Schenkel throughout the month of May. The exhibit, “Beauty Surrounds Us,” seeks to find beauty in everyday people, architecture and nature. For more information, call 564-0064 or visit champlainwinecompany.com. On May 22, Roger Mitchell will kickstart his second poetry workshop at the Upper Jay Art Center. Turn your memories into poetry with this three week course. For more information, contact mitchelr@indiana.edu. On May 27, the Upper Jay Art Center will host a unique free concert experience: a lineup of 28 local musicians coming together to honor one woman — the legendary folksinger Joni Mitchell. According to organizers, each per-
Pictured above, right: Penelope Clute will open a new exhibit, “A Little Light, A Little Color,” on June 2 at the Strand Center for the Arts. Photo provided. Pictured left: Dawn Tyler Watson will perform at Olive Ridley’s in Plattsburgh on May 19 at 8 p.m. For more information, visit plattsburghbluesandjazz.com. Photo courtesy of PB&J.
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former will be asked to perform their favorite song from Mitchell. For more information, visit upperjayartcenter.org. To request a spot in the lineup, contact upperjayartcenter@gmail.com. The Courthouse Gallery in Lake George opened a new exhibit, “Linear Landscapes,” on May 6. The display features the work of Rachel Kohn, who is known for creating three dimensional paintings by layers plaster, foam and aquaresin to create a textured canvas. The exhibit will run through June 9. For more information, visit lakegeorgearts.org or call 668-2616. On Sunday, June 4, Towne Meeting will perform their eighth benefit concert for the North Country Mission of Hope at St. Augustine’s Church in Peru. According to organizers, each year, all of the proceeds from the concert have been donated to the Mission for Hope, who aims to build safe cooking stoves for families in Nicaragua. Because of this series of concerts and the support of the community, 345 families now have safe stoves which replace the dangerous open fires previously used for cooking. For more information, visit townemeeting.com. The Newman Center in Plattsburgh will continue their “Reel-To-Reel Film Series” on Friday, May 26 with a screening of the 1973 film “Westworld.” The movie follows the story of the ultimate amusement park shaken by an apocalyptic computer glitch. The free showing is set for 7 p.m. For more information, contact serious_61@yahoo.com. The Ti Arts Downtown Gallery in Ticonderoga will continue to display “Reflections,” an exhibit featuring the work of Mary Behr, through June 10. Behr is a Hague native well-known in the community for her work as a lecturer, organizer and artist. On May 20, the Whallonsburg Grange will screen “Hidden Figures,” a film following the story of three African-American women who succeeded in aiding the US space program despite facing deeply entrenched racism and sexism at the time. The screening is set for 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults, $3 for minors. For more information, contact info@cvfilms.org. The Adirondack Dance Company will perform “The Nightingale’s Song,” on Friday, June 2 at 7 p.m. in E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium at SUNY Plattsburgh Hawkins Hall. Tickets are $13. For more information, contact Kathy Koester at 335-7385 or info@adirondackdance.com.
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