IRAs vs. 401(k), Which Is the Best Choice? How Long Do You Want to Live? To Age 80? 90? 100?
55 PLUS Issue 42 November / December 2016
For Active Adults in the Rochester Area
free Strong Museum of Play CEO Talks Retirement Health Tips and Advice for Travelers Meet the Real Santa. He Lives in Fair Haven
Taking Care of the Elderly Geriatrician Diane Kane transcends her role as caretaker of the elderly at St. Ann’s Community. She is about to celebrate 30 years with the organization
Internet Family
Long-distance family relationship not easy for a Penfield mother
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Tips to Get Ready for Retirement
Time for Christmas Decorating. Having grandkids’ help? Priceless
November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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CONTENTS
55 PLUS
55 PLUS
November/December 2016
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18
Savvy Senior 6 Financial Health 8 Dining Out 10 My Turn 24 Addyman’s Corner 40 Visits 46 Long-term Care 48
26 12 VOCATION • Santa Claus is already in town: Meet Walt Krehling
14 FAMILY
• Long-distance family relationship not easy for mother
18 PROFILE
• Classical music DJ Julia Figueras will celebrate 20 years with WXXI Last Page Q&A After nearly three decades as president and CEO of Strong Museum of Play, G. Rollie Adams is ready retire. 4
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roc55.com
22 INVESTING • Ten tips for those who who are getting ready to retire
26 MEMORY
• Herbie J Pilato of Rochester makes a mark in Hollywood
42 30 COVER
• Geriatrician Diane Kane transcends her role as caretaker of the elderly at St. Ann’s
36 RECORDS
• Record Archive offers wide selection of vinyl records
38 AVIATION
• Aviation and local history on display at Curtiss Museum
42 JOURNEY
• Career Navy man, artist opens for business in Canandaigua
44 MUSIC
• Couple brings back traditional, down-home music
Request either or both of our free booklets from our website www.AlbrightBuild.com
James W. Albright, CAPS, GMB, CGR, CGP 5205 Johnson Hill Drive, Canandaigua, NY 14424 Cell (5850 230-4280; Fax(585) 396- 5879 albright1.j.s@gmail.com www.AlbrightBuild.com November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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savvy senior By Jim Miller
A
Health Tips and Advice for Travelers
dream vacation can turn into a real nightmare if you get sick or injured while you’re away and aren’t prepared. Before setting out, here are some simple steps to help ensure a safe and healthy trip. Talk to your doctor: If you have a medical condition or health concerns, a good first step is to talk with your doctor now about what precautions you need to take before traveling. You should also have your doctor’s contact information with you when you travel, as well as a list of your medical conditions and the medications you’re taking in case you need emergency medical care while you’re away. If you’re traveling outside the U.S., you need to find out the health conditions of the country you’re visiting and what, if any, vaccinations or preventive medications are recommended. See CDC.gov/travel or call 800-232-463 to get this information. Check your insurance: If you have health insurance or a Medicare Advantage plan through an HMO or PPO that covers in-network doctors only, check your plan to find out what’s covered if you need medical care when traveling outside your geographic area. Beneficiaries that have original Medicare are covered everywhere in the U.S. But if you’re traveling abroad, you need to know that original Medicare does not cover medical expenses beyond the border except in rare circumstances, although some Medicare Advantage plans and some Medigap supplemental policies do. And, many private health plans don’t pay health care costs outside the U.S. either. Be sure to check. If you need coverage when traveling abroad, get a comprehensive travel medical insurance policy that covers medical care, medical evacuation and trip cancellation coverage. See InsureMyTrip.com and SquareMouth.com to shop and
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compare policies. Locate health care: Before your trip, find out what health and urgent care facilities are near the areas you’re visiting. Your hotel can help you with this, or see UrgentCareLocations.com or USHospitalFinder.com for U.S. facilities. If you’re traveling abroad, the U.S. consulate or embassy in the countries you’re visiting (go to step.state.gov to enroll your trip) is a good place to get a referral. Or join the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT.org), which provides its members access to a worldwide network of physicians who speak English and have agreed to affordable prearranged fees. Membership is free. Pack your meds: Make sure you have a sufficient supply of medications to last the entire trip. If traveling by air, you need to pack your medicine in your carry-on bag, so if your checked luggage gets lost or misdirected you won’t be without. It’s best to keep your medications in their original containers to get through airport security without delays. It’s also a good idea to bring along a note from your doctor that explains why you take these medications, especially if syringes or other medical supplies are involved. For airport security requirements visit TSA.gov — click on “Disabilities and Medical Conditions.” You can also call TSA Cares at 855-787-2227 prior to traveling with questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the security checkpoint. Seek mobility aids: If mobility is an issue and you’re flying to your destination, call your airline before you leave and ask them to supply you a wheelchair to use while you’re in the airport. And when booking hotel reservations, ask for an accessible room that accommodates wheelchairs and walkers.
55PLUS roc55.com Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto
Associate Editor Lou Sorendo
Contributing Writers
Deborah J. Sergeant Ernst Lamothe Jr., Jacob Pucci Arn J. Albertini, John Addyman Donna Cordello, Deborah Blackwell Mike Costanza, Todd Etshman
Columnists
Jim Terwilliger, Susan Suben Jim Miller, Bruce Frassinelli John Addyman, Lian Gravelle
Advertising
Donna Kimbrell, Anne Westcott H. Mat Adams
Office Assistant Michelle Kingsley
Layout and Design Eric J. Stevens Jeffe Adkins
Cover Photo
Chuck Wainwright 55 PLUS –A Magazine for Active Adults in the Rochester Area is published six times a year by Local News, Inc., which also publishes In Good Health–Rochester—Genesee Valley’s Healthcare Newspaper.
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November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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financial health By Jim Terwilliger
M
IRAs vs. 401(k): Which Is the Best Choice?
any folks consider IRAs and 401(k) plans to be six of one, half-dozen of the other. Yes, both have tax-deferred and tax-free options. The tax rules for both types of plans are similar. But there are differences that make one a better choice than the other under certain circumstances. Employer 401(k) plans are super savings vehicles for folks who are working and accumulating money for retirement.
401(k) Benefits Include: • Much higher ceiling for maximum contributions. This year, the ceiling is $18K or $24K for those age 50 and older. The IRA ceiling is $5.5K or $6.5K for age 50 and older. n No income limitation for making contributions. The only limitation is the ability to earn enough money to afford the contributions. Depending on a person’s circumstances, the ability to make deductible contributions to an IRA start to be phased out at an income of $61K single or $98K married. For after-tax contributions to a Roth IRA, the phase-out starts at $116K single or $183K married. n Potential for an employer match. Many employers will match employee contributions up to a certain limit. Depending on the size of the match and employee contribution rate, this can increase the effective return on the investment by a significant margin. n Ease of use. What could be easier than having your regular contribution come out of your paycheck, just like tax withholding? But in this case, you are paying yourself, not Uncle Sam and Uncle Andy. In addition, most plans now offer target-date funds that gently reduce stock exposure over the years as you approach 8
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your target retirement date. This option offers even the novice investor easy access to an outstanding investment solution, as long as one sticks with it and does not let emotions rule in times of market downturns.
IRA Benefits Include: When transitioning from an accumulation mode to a distribution mode, which happens when moving into retirement, a lot of things change, including the growing attractiveness of IRAs as a tax-deferred or tax-free savings vessel. Some of the advantages include: n Roth IRA as a rollover receptacle for Roth 401(k) money. This is a
no-brainer. Why? Recall that even though a Roth 401(k) is a tax-free account, it does mandate required minimum distributions (RMDs) when you reach age 70-1/2. The only way to avoid this unfortunate situation is to roll the entire Roth 401(k) plan into a Roth IRA where RMDs are no longer in the picture. n Take a distribution whenever you want. Many 401(k) plans place restrictions on access to your money when you retire. The Kodak plan, for example, allows you to set up a regular monthly distribution. But once established, you cannot stop the distribution or reduce it. You are only allowed to increase it. Further, the plan allows a maximum of four
on-demand lump-sum distributions per year. With an IRA, funds are available to you on demand and regular distributions can be started, stopped, increased or decreased depending on your needs. n Aggregate RMDs among multiple accounts. When you get into RMD territory, you must withdraw from each of your separate 401(k) plans. With multiple tax-deferred traditional IRAs, you can mix and match. Draw your combined RMD from one IRA only, from more than one, or from all. It doesn’t matter. n Control withholding. Depending on your tax situation and number of accounts, you may wish to establish your own federal withholding levels for distributions, including no withholding at all. You can do that with IRAs but not with 401(k) plans for which 20 percent federal withholding is mandatory. n Expanded investment options. With a 401(k) plan, investment choices are limited to the menu your employer provides within the plan. Such choices may or may not be overly limiting. Some plans may only offer funds having high internal expense ratios. With an IRA, your investment choices are virtually unlimited. n Employ a qualified charitable distribution gifting strategy. In my last column, we explored how charitable giving through direct non-taxable IRA distributions to charities can be advantageous, particularly for those in RMD territory who do not need RMDs to satisfy cash flow needs. Such distributions are allowed from IRAs but not from 401(k) plans. n Work with a trusted adviser. Being able to select and work with the same local adviser, face to face, over your retirement timeframe is a key advantage of converting your 401(k) assets to one or more IRAs. While some employer plans provide assistance to retirees, often such help is at the other end of an 800 number and call-center adviser turnover can be high.
James Terwilliger, CFPÂŽ, is senior vice president, financial planning officer at Wealth Strategies Group, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Company. He can be reached at 585419-0670 ext. 50630 or by email at jterwilliger@cnbank.com. November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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DiningOut By Jacob Pucci
Restaurant
Guide
Edgar’s at Belhurst Castle A
Unbeatable place for weekend brunch
t first glance, it’s easy to write off Belhurst Castle as a gimmick. The stone castle, built in the 1880s, was first used as a private residence, but later converted into a casino, speakeasy, restaurant and, eventually, hotel. With its grandiose architecture and picturesque perch along Seneca Lake, just outside the city of Geneva, it’d be easy for the hotel’s restaurant to rely on setting alone to draw customers. But a trip to Edgar’s, located inside the castle, for weekend brunch ($24.95 per person) proved that sometimes, what you thought was gilding can sometimes be solid gold. We passed through the brick entryway and wrought iron gates that
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serve as the restaurant’s entrance around 11:30 a.m. on a Sunday to find the buffet already busy. The buffet spans two rooms — the lounge, which doubles as a bar for the evening crowd, has the desserts, salads and pastries, while the main room houses the breakfast and lunch entrees. “Start at the grandfather clock and end at the fireplace,” our waitress told us. Breaking convention, we started in the lounge, where we filled our plates with quiche, toasted bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon and a selection of salads. The bagels were pre-toasted, which made me worry that they’d be dried out, but after tender bite, load-
ed with cream cheese, salmon, capers and chopped egg, my concerns were quickly forgotten. The onion, spinach and cheddar cheese quiche had a puffy, biscuit-like crust. I wished the bottom was a bit crispier, but the eggs were flavorful and not under-salted, a common downfall for buffet egg dishes. The orecchiette pasta and heirloom tomato salad was one of the finest pasta salads we’ve eaten. The tiny tomatoes, no larger than a marble, popped with a burst of fresh, juicy flavor. The pasta, cooked perfectly al dente, provided great texture. We went back for seconds. We also got second helpings of the roast beef and pit ham sliced to order at the carving station, located
Belhurst Edgar’s mimosa: Weekend brunch at Edgar’s includes complimentary bloody marys and mimosas.
Belhurst Edgar’s dining room: The stone walls, rich, dark wood and fine table settings evoked Victorian charm.
near the end of the buffet, in front of the fireplace and next to the made-toorder omelet station. The beef, a top round roast cooked medium-rare edging on medium, was served with au jus and horseradish. The horseradish was real, honest grated horseradish, far from anything served from a squeeze bottle. My watery eyes after eating a bite with too much horseradish was a testament to its potent flavor. The bacon perfectly walked the line between flabby and underdone and shatteringly crisp, which is no small task for cooking bacon in bulk. Eggs, home fries, sausage links, French toast and waffles with maple syrup and blackberry compote rounded out the breakfast selections. With its sweet ginger and plum glaze, the baked salmon was among the highlights of the lunch offerings. Eggplant parmesan and Southwest-inspired stuffed peppers, plus the carved meats, made up the lunch entrees. The pitfall of eating at a buffet is making sure there’s room for a dessert. It’d be especially tragic to not save room for the warm rum chocolate cinnamon cake. The molten chocolate cake, speckled with plump cherries, was divine. Service was attentive and our coffee, water and complimentary mimosas and bloody marys — properly prepared and plenty strong — never
went dry. It would have been easy for Edgar’s to skimp on the vodka in the bottomless bloody marys, or have a lighter hand with the white wine in the mimosas, but the fact that they didn’t speaks volumes about their attention to detail and resistance to rely simply on the gorgeous setting to provide a great dining experience. Note: A 4.7 percent surcharge is added to each bill. In March, owner Kevin Reeder explained to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle that the fee was added in response to a $2.50/ hour increase of the state minimum wage for tipped workers.
Belhurst Edgar’s quiche, bagel, tomato pasta salad: A selection of sliced cheese, tomato and orecchiette pasta salad, spinach, onion and cheddar quiche and a toasted bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers and chopped egg.
Edgar’s
Address 4069 W Lake Rd, Geneva, NY 14456 Phone 315-781-0201, ext 3. Hours • Breakfast: Daily, from 8 to 10 a.m. • Lunch: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; • Brunch: Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. • Dinner: Monday to Saturday, 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m; Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m. Website www.belhurst.com/dining/edgars
Belhurst Edgar’s ham, eggplant parm, bacon, couscous salad, tomato salad: A sampling of carved ham, chickpea and couscous salad, heirloom tomato and orecchiette pasta salad, bacon and eggplant parmesan. November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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vocation
Santa’s Already in Town
First letter. It’s never to early to send Santa a letter, and this Santa got one in late September — his first of the season. (John Addyman photo)
By John Addyman
J
olly? Check. Sparkly eyes? Two of ‘em. Does his belly shake like a bowl full of jelly when he laughs? Indeed it does. 12
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And that laugh, is it a deep, happy, “Ho-Ho-Ho?” It’ll melt your icicles and warm your mulled cider. Loves kids? Everywhere. All sizes. All ages. All colors. All the time. In a radius from Waterloo to Lake Ontario almost to Syracuse, people
assuredly know Santa Claus when they see him — and the man they recognize is Walt Krehling. A retired 35-year Eastman Kodak employee with a radiant white beard he started to grow in the mid-1980s, Krehling, 71, is so well-known that if you stop and ask anyone in Fair Haven where Santa lives, they’ll tell you how to get to Walt’s house. Call him and get his voicemail and you’ll find it has a simple message: “Santa.” He drives a Santa-suit-red pickup truck with “No1Santa” on the license plate. This isn’t an affectation. Walt Krehling knows who he is, and knows that he has a special gift to share with others. He loves the role, and he gets loved right back for fulfilling it. He started stepping in for the big guy from the North Pole in 1991. Krehling had volunteered to read to children in the Red Creek Public Library on Saturday mornings. “The teacher, Mrs. Becker, said to me, ‘Would you play Santa Claus for us?’” Krehling said, retelling the story of how all this got started. “I told her, ‘I don’t play Santa Claus.’ “She said, ‘You certainly look like Santa Claus.’” Mrs. Becker pressed. “I have a reading class,” she told Krehling. “Would you like to attend it and read to the kids? It would be a great surprise.” He thought about it. “I worked at Eastman Kodak, in warehousing, and we had a recreation department. I borrowed a Santa suit from them and I played Santa Claus for Mrs. Becker. That went well. I enjoyed it. The kids enjoyed it.” Krehling got talked into taking one more date as Santa, this time for
Santa (Walt Krehling) with his granddaughter, Emily (Kyle Meddaugh photo)
a kindergarten class in West Genesee Elementary School. “I did it for that class, and the following year, for the rest of the school. It went very well. That’s how it started,” Krehling explained. The kindergarten teacher was Mary, whom he would marry several years later. More requests came in, and soon he was on his own Santa Claus circuit. He decided to get his own suit as the appearances started to add up. He contacted the woman who made the Eastman Kodak suit, but she had sold her business to the Santa Claus Suit Co. in Michigan. Krehling contacted them, and soon he was sporting a splendid red suit with white rabbit hair trimming that fit him perfectly. That was 1993. He still has the suit. And his reach as Santa expanded shortly after that. “I was at the Turning Stone casino, in the Christmas shop,” Krehling said. “I was just walking through and the lady stopped me, and she asked, ‘Do you play Santa Claus?’ “I told her, ‘Oh yes, I do.’ “’Would you be interested in do-
ing Santa Claus here in our shop?’ “I said yes. I did Santa Claus for Turning Stone at their Christmas shop, and it was a big success, all kinds of people and pictures.” He played Santa in Turning Stone’s SavOn stores, did a Christmas Party in Manhattan for a law firm, Light the Park in Rochester, the Amerks games in December, the Century Club in Syracuse, Christmas in the Park in Fair Haven, fire company Christmas parties, Barbara Jean’s Furniture Store in North Rose, and the Waterloo Outlet Mall. He has survived cancer, had his kidney removed, and married for the second time 17 years ago, to Mary, the kindergarten teacher, who accompanies him on 75 percent of his visits as Mrs. Claus. A woman who spent years in malls setting up North Pole villages and hiring Santa Clauses, took one look at him in the Waterloo Outlet Mall seven years ago and said, “That’s the best Santa Claus I’ve ever seen.” But why?
Why is this good man such a great Santa Claus? Krehling, sitting on his porch and looking out over Little Sodus Bay, thought about that. “First of all, I like kids,” he said. “What I get out of it, the children come up to me, and the looks they give me when they’re really close. I prefer to have the kids stand rather than get on my lap because of the way things are today. They touch my beard, ‘Is that really your real beard?’ And they touch it and pull on it. My stomach — ‘Is that real?’ They ask. Yes, that’s real. “I like to hear what they have to say. I hear a lot very interesting stuff. A lot of kids in today’s environment, what they want is peace. They ask, ‘Can we have peace? Can we have a safe world?’ “Most of them are concerned about that, at young, young ages. They ask me for all kinds of stuff. I don’t promise them anything, just say, ‘We’ll see what we can do.’ If they ask for animals, I tell them I can’t bring them animals, that has to be cleared with Mommy and Daddy or Grampa and Grandma or whomever. “Over the years, the children are a little more concerned about safety, their well-being, as far as policemen and firemen. I don’t know if it’s a trust thing or not. They ask questions about policemen and firemen, they want to know, ‘Will anybody hurt me?’ “I always tell them, policemen and firemen are our friends. They’re not going to hurt you. If I talk to a school, I bring that up. A lot of them are kids from single families, single Mom or Dad bringing them up, a lot of them say, ‘I wish Mommy was here or Daddy was here.’ I listen to them. They are concerned. I think they’re more concerned than when I first started.” And he gets the jackpot question a lot. Spend five minutes around Krehling, and it’s obvious that this gentle man with sparkling eyes and welcoming smile is an embodiment of what we all think Santa Claus is. So kids ask: are you the real Santa? “I’m the real Santa Claus that’s here right now,” I tell them. “There November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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Santa and Mrs. Claus: Walt Krehling and his wife, Mary. Left photo: business card, gloves.
is a Santa Claus that I work for, but he can’t be here right now, I’m here. Right here, right now, I’m the real Santa Claus.” Not all kids want to see Santa. Mary Krehling says many kids will come up to her before her husband, to be reassured. But given a chance, this Santa Claus has a blessed charm. “When I was a school bus driver for the Red Creek schools [a job he picked up after retiring and did for years], I was told there would be a new kindergartner on my route who was petrified by Santa. The grandparents were concerned. The little boy’s name was Matthew. The grandparents knew I was the bus driver. He was my first kindergartner kid I picked up. His grandfather told me, ‘You know, you being his bus driver, I don’t know if he’ll get on the bus.’ I said, ‘Why?’ “He’s scared to death of Santa Claus.” “So I said, OK. So I went to his stop and opened the door and said, ‘Hello, Matthew! How are you?’ “And he said, ‘Good!’ And he ran up on the bus. He came right up on the bus. He wasn’t afraid. We still have a great relationship. I still see him. “His grandfather said, ‘I did not believe it.’” Krehling’s favorite story took five years to unfold. In 2010, he was asked to visit the children’s ward at Rome Hospital. While he was there, a lullaby began playing on the loudspeakers — a baby had just been born. “OK, we’re going to go up to the maternity ward. So we got up there, 14
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we’re walking down the aisle of the hospital, and the lullaby was playing and somebody hollered, ‘Santa, come here!’ I went into the room and a baby girl had been born — just born. As a matter of fact, the mother and father hadn’t seen her yet and the doctor gives the baby to me, all wrapped up, and the mother took a picture with me. The first time the mother had seen the child was with me holding her — just born. “In 2015, I was doing a store for Turning Stone and this little girl came up and she had an instant photo in
her hand. She asked, ‘Did you come to Rome Hospital and hold a little baby?’ “I said, ‘Yes I did.’ “She said, ‘I’m the little girl,’ and she showed me the photo. It was precious.” When Walt Krehling married Mary, she brought her two sons to the marriage and eventually, two grandchildren. One of them, Emily, 7, was asked to name the best thing about the Santa she knows and loves. “He’s my grandpa,” she said.
Best Santa Becomes Uncle Walter In 2008, my daughter Elisabeth took her son, Jaden, 2, to see Santa Claus at the Waterloo Outlet Mall. Elisabeth had been employed in Connecticut as the coordinator of a large mall’s North Pole Village: she hired Santa Clauses. But when she saw Walt Krehling in his suit at Waterloo, she knew right away he was special. The way he talked to kids, his gentle mannerisms, and the smiles on the faces of the children brought her quickly to the conclusion that this was the best Santa she’d ever seen. But she didn’t know that this Santa would become a special part of her life. “The story I love is the connection between all of us,” Elisabeth wrote to me. “I had taken
Jaden to see Santa at the Breakfast with Santa at the Waterloo Outlets since he was 2. I always thought what a great Santa he was. Then once Jeff Bentley and I started dating, I was showing him pictures of Jaden with Santa and that’s where Jeff told me that this Santa was his Uncle Walter. “When we went to the family reunion at Walter’s house that he has every year, Jaden saw him in the flesh like a regular person. Then this past Christmas, he said that he knows Santa is real because it’s Uncle Walter, and that he thinks Santa brought Jeff and me together so we could all be a family.” Jeff Bentley and Elisabeth were married in May. Uncle Walter and Mary were there.
Social Security
Q&A
Q: I usually get my benefit payment on the third of the month. But what if the third falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday? Will my payment be late? A: Just the opposite. Your payment should arrive early. For example, if you usually get your payment on the third of a month, but it falls on a Saturday, we will make payments on the Friday prior to the due date. Find more information about the payment schedule for 2016 at www.socialsecurity.gov/ pubs/calendar.htm. Any time you don’t receive a payment, be sure to wait three days before calling to report it missing. To ensure that your benefits are going to the right place, create a my Social Security account. There, you can verify and update payment information without visiting your local office. Please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/ myaccount to create your account. Q: What is the earliest age that I can receive Social Security disability benefits? A: There is no minimum age as long as you meet the Social Security definition of disabled and you have sufficient work to qualify for benefits. To qualify for disability benefits, you must have worked under Social Security long enough under to earn the required number of work credits and some of the work must be recent. You can earn up to a maximum of four work credits each year. The number of work credits you need for disability benefits depends on the age you become disabled. For example, if you are under age 24, you may qualify with as little as six credits of coverage. But people disabled at age 31 or older generally need between 20 and 40 credits to qualify, and some of the work must have been recent. For example, you may need to have worked five out of the past 10 years. Learn more at www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.
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November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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family
The Internet Family Penfiled mother finds it difficult to adjust to long-distance family relationship By Donna Cordello
I
came from a very close-knit family. In fact, looking back, I am still baffled on how all 18 of us fit in Nana and Grandpa’s kitchen, where we congregated for all of my childhood. There were Sundays, holidays, and actually, no particular days. We played cards and Grandpa called the numbers for bingo. We listened to him play his many instruments and laughed at his jokes. We ate Nana’s homemade pizzas, pasta dishes and delicious desserts. We had huge clambakes. That kitchen was a magical place for me, and not just because of the food and festivities. Or even because it is where I was first introduced to the Beatles on the small black-and-white
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‘I thought it was abnormal when parents and children only saw each other a couple of times a year. And yet here I am, 2,800 miles away from two of my children.’ television. It was magical because my family, which not only included mom and dad and my three younger brothers, but my aunts, uncles and cousins as well, surrounded me with love. Years later, our house became the
one with the kitchen. From baptisms to graduations, my husband and I cooked hundreds of meals for our children, our parents, our brothers and their families. My grandpa would have been proud — reminding me over and over again that there isn’t anything more precious than family. It never occurred to me that it would ever be different. Sometimes, I would daydream about how all of my children and grandchildren would congregate at our house and continue the tradition. And how my children’s children would grow up with their cousins like I did. How we would blow out birthday candles and share stories about crazy Aunt Mary and what the
world has come to. My husband and I would go to all of our grandchildren’s recitals and plays and games, just like my parents, Mema and Papa, did. They never skipped a beat, even in rain and sleet, always cheering our children on with enthusiasm and pride. And then the unthinkable. Our youngest son abruptly announced that he and two friends were going to go cross-country and check out the West Coast. My first thought was when I told my mother about the very same intentions I had decades ago. Instead of kissing me goodbye, she informed me that my grandpa would have a stroke and die if I left. Her guilt trip worked and I never did leave. With bated breath and a very heavy heart, I cried as my baby pulled out of the driveway. But, through my tears, I reassured myself that he would surely be back soon. I saw him yesterday. In fact, I saw both of my sons and the three of us talked for quite awhile on FaceTime! Yep, my son left seven years ago and never did come back home to live. Even worse, his older brother ended up joining him! How did this happen? I thought it was abnormal when parents and children only saw each other a couple of times a year. And yet here I am, 2,800 miles away from two of my children. People always ask why we don’t move. Well, we have a business and aren’t ready for retirement. But, more importantly, we have our daughter and my mom here. Am I supposed to leave half of my family on one coast to join the other half on the opposite coast? Plus, what if my sons decide to move somewhere else or even to two separate places? Am I supposed to follow them from city to city? I know it could be worse. I was talking to a woman whose four children live in four different states and not one where she lives. And it makes me wonder, what happened to the family unit and how and when did families become so dispersed and peppered across the country and even the world?
How things have changed! I remember patiently waiting for
‘We don’t have Sunday sauce or impromptu barbecues. We don’t go to many events together. And what I really miss the most is the human touch. Instead of hugging them, I blow kisses to a screen. And this has become our new norm.’ the mailman to see if a letter arrived from my pen pal. And how we could never talk to anybody long distance for more than a minute because it was too expensive. And how the closest I got to an airplane was watching one fly overhead. Technology keeps us connected now in ways that were never possible years ago. Without texting, FaceTime, Skype, Facebook, and all the latest things available, I wouldn’t “see” or talk to my sons as much as I do. And they often remind me that we talk all the time, more so, probably, than if they lived around the corner. As grateful as I am for all these tools, it still isn’t the same as having them near. We don’t have Sunday sauce or impromptu barbecues. We don’t go to many events together. And what I really miss the most is the human touch. Instead of hugging them, I blow kisses to a screen. And this has become our new norm. But, what about the next generation? My grandparents were second parents to me. Besides them and my parents and brothers, my aunts, uncles, and cousins were considered immediate family. We laughed, cried, fought and celebrated with each other. We shared our lives together. It will be different for my grandchildren — assuming that I will someday have grandchildren. And if and when I do, I don’t want to be a Skype Mema. I want to hold my grandbabies in my arms. And I want to be there when they learn how to walk and I want to push them on a swing and put Band-aids on their knees and read to them and spoil them and do all
the things that grandparents do. My parents probably never realized how going to all of my children’s events would be an anomaly in the future. And how much financial planning has changed from back then. Because if I want to do any of the things that they did, I have to incorporate travel expenses into my retirement — which was never a monumental consideration before my sons moved. But it is what it is and Mick Jagger’s song has become my mantra. No, I can’t always get what I want! I’m thankful that we do get to visit each other whenever possible but not nearly enough. And although I would prefer that my family all lived in the same time zone, I realize that all I ever prayed for was for my children to be happy and healthy. I am so grateful that they are. The truth is we have become an Internet family. Because even though there are thousands of miles that separate us, we can still stay in touch and remain a close-knit family. And whether they live in the city they grew up in or on a different continent, it will never diminish the love and bond between us. My sons live in a beautiful city where the sun always shines. And others remind me of what a great place it is to visit — which, as much as I’ve tried, I can’t deny. I raised my children with the hope that they would become responsible and independent adults. I always encouraged them to follow their dreams. And with that, I have to remind myself that they did exactly what they were supposed to do. They grew strong wings and flew away. I just wish it wasn’t so far.
Donna Cordello, 60, is freelance writer with local, national and international publications. She lives in Penfield and can be reached at donnacordello@aol. com.
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DJ Brings Her Love of Radio Home Julia Figueras, a classical music director at WXXI, is as passionate for Dvorak and Brahms as she is for Bruce Springsteen and Radiohead By Arn J. Albertini If you look at WXXI Classical 91.5 Musical Director Julia Figueras’ CD collection you’ll find plenty of classical selections — Dvorak and Brahms are two of her favorites. But you’ll find a lot more than classical; American rocker Bruce Springsteen and British indie rockers Radiohead are also among her favorites. “I never felt like I was two different people; a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” said Figueras, 61, who in addition to her music director duties is the midday on-air host and host of the “Backstage Pass”, a monthly live program that highlights local and visiting performers. “It’s all music and it’s all good. To me, that’s the delineation, ‘Is it good? Does it speak to my soul?’” And that could very well be a good country song just as it could be a classic Brahms symphony, she said “It’s all a matter of not categorizing, just listening.” The old times of classical radio disc jockeys only listening to classical music are gone, she said. The genres influence each other and cross over in to each other styles, Figueras said. “I think it’s really exciting.” Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead and the late Jon Lord of Deep Purple are among the rockers who have also composed classical music. And the classical musicians of 18
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tomorrow, like the students at Eastman School of Music, are listening to bands like Radiohead, she said.
Radio Roots
Julia Figueras will celebrate 20 years with WXXI in February.
When Figueras, who will celebrate her 20th year at WXXI in February, graduated from Greece Arcadia High School in Greece and headed to college in the early 1970s, she set her sights on becoming a professional actor. “Then I discovered I had stage fright,” said Figueras. She did, however, enjoy being a stage manager, which kept her involved with theater throughout her college career. “I ended up graduating with a theater degree, wondering what I would do with my life, wondering what one does with a theater degree.” Figueras graduated from Brandeis University in the suburbs of Boston. She liked the area and started waiting tables and working as a record store clerk. “It was a way to make money to pay the bills, be independent and sort of figure out where to go next,” she said. Then, she discovered WICN, an
alternative music station in Worcester, Mass. She already loved the genre and grew to love the station as well. The more she listened, the more she became attracted to the world of radio. “I love it. It’s magical. Radio is the best thing in the world.” “You can be whoever you want to be when you turn on that mic.” She called the station to talk about music and the craft of radio and they offered to train her. “I went to a station that was playing music I liked and they taught me how do it.” At WICN, and several stations in the Boston area, she learned the basics, what you need in a radio show and how to build that show. That’s still one of her favorite parts of the job, Figueras said. “I really love building a show; creating the arc of what’s going to happen from beginning of the day to the end.” Her early instructors also taught her about on-air presence.
“Don’t talk into the mic, talk to somebody.” “Be warm, be friendly, and if possible be witty.” Her mentors also taught her about things to avoid, like revealing too much personal information on air, Figueras said. “Never say ‘oh I love this song’ — you never know if someone listening doesn’t like the song. My opinion isn’t the important opinion. The important opinion is the opinion of the listeners.” “Also, be very accurate in information you give.” Another important lesson she learned from her days in commercial radio; you don’t have to be a fan to play the music. “What you need is to be competent on the air,” Figueras said. “If you’re good at radio, then you should be comfortable in whatever format you are working in.” Before finding her way to classical music, Figueras was a disc jockey at a heavy metal station. “That wasn’t my gig, but it didn’t matter,” she said. “I had a competent tape and I could do the job. “To me, being a fan wasn’t a necessity. Having a job and getting paid, that‘s a necessity.” Figueras had several different onair jobs at radio stations in the Boston and eventually moved to New Hampshire for a job at a modern rock station. “Like a lot of radio disc jockey jobs, the pay was just ghastly.” To help make ends meet, she picked up the Sunday morning jazz shift at the station. “I wasn’t an aficionado, but I liked jazz, I’d listened to jazz,” she said. “More than anything else it was a matter of money. It’s not easy to get people to pick up a Sunday morning shift so they were happy to have me take the shift.” Eventually, she landed at New Hampshire Public radio as a jazz disc jockey. Then, the station shifted to a classical music format. “They said ‘can you do classical too?’ I said, ‘sure.’” And so her career as a classical music disc jockey was born. “It was total happenstance,” Figueras said. Her grandfather was a founder of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, she’d attended its concerts as a
child and played trumpet as a child, but she wasn’t, at that point, a big classical music fan. “It was a lot of reading; a lot of studying,” she said of prepping for those first classical shows. And over time, as she’s learned more about classical music for her shows and attended live performance, she’s developed a love for the genre. When New Hampshire Public Radio switched to an all-news format Figueras found a new job in her hometown, at WXXI. So, she and her daughters, Molly, who is now 24 and Maggie, 20, packed up and moved to Rochester.
Coming home “I got lucky. I got to come home to my family.” Her mother and a brother still live in the Rochester area. Rochester is also where she met her husband, Peter Iglinski, a former news director at WXXI, who is currently a senior press officer for the University of Rochester. It’s also been a city that’s provided many opportunities for her daughters, Figueras said. “It’s not every city where your daughter can get lessons with the chief oboist at the local symphony and for a modest amount.” And her other daughter, who was trained in bassoon, and also was a part of the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, was chosen to appear on the nationally broadcast, “From the Top” program, which highlights outstanding youth performers. At WXXI, Figueras gets to work around 8:30 a.m. to get ready to go on-air at 10 a.m. Once she’s on-air, while the music is playing, Figueras is working on the next day’s show, getting music from the station’s music library and doing research on what music she’ll be playing the next day and updating Facebook and Twitter accounts. By the time she leaves, the next day’s show is already planned out. These days, many commercial radio stations tape their shows beforehand. But a live broadcast is important, said Figueras. “I think the audience can hear the difference.” A live show also allows the flexibility to adjust the show as needed,
like if there’s an important news or weather event that needs to be broadcast or if a famous composer or artist dies. After her midday show wraps at 2 p.m., Figueras gets to work ordering CDs for the station, listening to new CDs that have just come in to the station, putting the final touches on next day’s show and setting up interviews for “Backstage Pass.” The prevalence of social media opens up a whole new world for radio, she said. Social media — like Twitter and Facebook — make it much easier to communicate with listeners, collecting their feedback and questions, and to update them as new information becomes available. Meeting the listeners is one of her favorite parts of the job, Figueras said. But listeners aren’t always happy, she said. “Every now and then you’re going to, no pun intended, hit a chord they don’t like.” People are very passionate about their music, Figueras said. “If you do something that upsets them, they’ll let you know.” Once, she met a man at a party who said he never listened to WXXI because the songs were too long. “He said, ‘6 to 8 minutes is about my limit,’” Figueras said. When Figueras explained that classical compositions tended to run 30 minutes to an hour, the man suggested they only play a movement of the piece. Discovering new music, or an old piece played in a new way, is also one of her favorite parts of the job. “I enjoy when you listen to a CD for the first time and it just blows you away.” When she’s not on air, she enjoys New York Times crossword puzzles, which she does in pen. She also enjoys reading and watching murder mysteries, especially by British authors like the late PD James. “A lot of it’s about time and place, a book that really sets an era, really sets a moment in time, where you can really feel like you’re in the neighborhood where the story happens.” And if it’s Wednesday night, you’ll find her and her team, Geeks Who Drink, at trivia night at Lost Borough on Atlantic Avenue in Rochester.
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Best Gifts for the Grandkids By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
C
ollege, starting a new business, buying a house: starting out costs a lot of money. If you plan to financially help out your grandchildren, plan your gift so it benefits you both. Adam Mark, certified financial planner with Wealth Management Group in Rochester, said that giving your grandchildren financial gifts “can lighten the estate taxes.” Giving now, instead of waiting until you die, also helps your grandchildren at a time when they can use the money the most. Jeff Feldman, certified financial planner and owner of Rochester Financial Services in Pittsford, said that college students may lose their ability to receive financial aid if they suddenly experience a large influx of cash. Discuss your options both with your adult children and grandchildren and a financial adviser. Using a 529 plan (www.nysaves. org) can provide tax savings to you (up to $10,000 is deductible for married and filing jointly and $5,000 single tax payers). Qualified with-
ROCHESTER FINANCIAL SERVICES Fee-Only Financial Management Services Jeffrey Feldman, PH.D., CFP Certified Financial Planner RBJ Top 25 Money Manager SEC Registered Advisor
Phone: 585-442-7580 Email: jmfeld@aol.com Rochesterfinancial.com 20
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drawals — such as to pay for college tuition, room and board, schoolbooks and learning equipment — are tax free. Otherwise, the money is taxed and also penalized 10 percent. It’s free to start and costs $1.60 per $1,000 per year to maintain the account. The maximum 529 one-time gift is $70,000. The student may attend any qualified college, university or trade school in any state or abroad. Anyone can give $14,000 a year without having to file a gift tax return. “If you have less than $5 million in your estate, it has no implications,” Feldman said. “It’s just a paperwork thing. There’s no income tax for recipient and no deductible for the donor.” He said that many people feel they must give the same amount to each grandchild; however, if one family is affluent and another more needy, grandparents should give where the need exists. “It’s up to you” Feldman said. “They should love you regardless of what you give. It’s your money and you should feel free to give what you want.” Some young people want to start a business, not attend college. Before handing over sizeable amounts of cash to a grandchild who envisions himself as the next Mark Zuckerberg, insist upon seeing a business plan and discussing the plan with a financial adviser and someone savvy to that industry so you can fairly assess the potential risks. Don’t endanger your own financial future to make such an investment. Your grandchild can bootstrap the business, take out his own loan, or start a social media funding page. Helping your grandchildren purchase their first home, rental property or make other investments can help them prepare their own financial futures.
Selling Your Business and Maintaining WBE or MBE Status By Lian Gravelle, Esq.
F
or certain businesses, maintaining the certification of a woman business enterprise (WBE) or a minority business enterprise (MBE) remains crucial to its ongoing success. The business owner at the helm of a WBE or MBE certified company may put off transitioning her business because of the fear that any likely buyer would not be able to maintain that certification. Without the certification, many WBE or MBE companies would lose vital contracts and networking opportunities. An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) offers selling shareholders a unique opportunity to sell or transition ownership of their company while maintaining the WBE or MBE certification. An owner can sell less than 51 percent of her company to the ESOP and maintain control of the company while searching for another female to purchase the majority interest. Owners looking to sell their entire interest and exit the business may find a 100% ESOP-owned company still qualifies as an MBE or WBE certified business. In many cases, there is no other qualified female or minority who can purchase the business. Rather than lose the WBE or MBE certification that allowed the company to grow, a business owner should explore whether an ESOP is right for them.
Lian Gravelle, Esq., is an ESOP compliance counsel who works at ESOP Plus®: Schatz Brown Glassman LLP in Rochester. Visit www.esopplus.com or email lgravelle@esopplus.com.
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Call Donald today! 585-978-2585 November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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investing Tips to Get Ready for Retirement
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It’s always scary to think that the regular paychecks we get at work will stop coming. But three Rochester financial advisers explain that with planning and preparation, the work-retirement transition can be a lot easier. They offer tips for ensuring your retirement is a happy one. By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant Adam Mark, partner and certified financial planner with Wealth Management Group in Rochester
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“Get organized. Get all your ducks in a row. Review where your current financial status is, as well as the potential income stream that would produce over the long term. How your current investments will carry forward into retirement. Which pieces will work well and which will need to be adjusted to produce additional income.
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“Clarify what you’re retiring to. A lot of times people focus on what they’re getting away from, but that distracts from what they want to do next. Is it grandkids, golf, moving, traveling more, giving back? Helping clients align their goals with their financial position is a critical part of talking with an adviser.
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“It comes down to cash flow planning and how you’ll pay the bills and what the income and expenses look like.” Diana Apostolova, financial consultant with AXA Advisors, LLC in Rochester
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“Don’t leave your 401(k) on auto pilot. It is the worst thing you can do! Most people set up their 401(k) and then every once in a while they glance at how it is performing. What’s worse
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is that most never make any material changes to their 401(k) plan. The typical mutual fund options in a 401(k) plan are the target or lifecycle retirement funds. The general assumption of using these funds is that the mutual fund company will do the work, and adjust the allocation on your behalf. A common mistake people make with their current or old 401(k) accounts is failing to customize their investments and going in with the masses rather than building a strategy that’s unique to them and their own goals.
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“Think about the possibility of making work optional. This means having the ability to do what they want, when they want it, irrespective of money. The mistake that we see in many financial plans is that the assumptions that were made by the clients or their financial advisers, are way too aggressive. Making a set of aggressive assumptions can often make it appear that you will be able to retire comfortably, when in reality the sum of all of those assumptions may leave you grossly underfunded.” Jeff Feldman, certified financial planner and owner of Rochester Financial Services
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“If you have a $100,000 mortgage but have a low interest rate, there’s not a compelling reason to pay it off. If you have enough cash flow to pay your debt
monthly, you don’t necessarily have to pay it off, especially if you’re getting higher returns than the interest rate. If it’s just sitting around, paying it off is to be consider.
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“If you’re 10 to 15 years from retirement, sock away as much money as you can during your peak earning years. Take advantage of the maximum amount you can save under a 401)k) plan, $24,000 a year. Every dollar you put away, you save the taxes on it.
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“When I prioritize financial goals, No. 1 is saving for retirement. You can always find a way to pay for college, whether a home equity loan or other loans, but you never get a second chance to save for retirement. You’ll lose out on tax savings and accumulation of your nest egg. You’ll find a way to pay for college.
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“I tell clients to keep their debt low. Don’t incur too much debt when you buy your new cars. People during their peak earning years say they can afford a nice car, but focus on putting money away for retirement. You need to put as much money in your retirement plan.
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“Don’t get divorced five to 10 years before retirement. It can devastate people’s retirement.”
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my turn
By Bruce Frassinelli Email: bruce@cny55.com
How Long Do We Want to Live?
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hree of my boyhood friends and I have had recent conversations about how long we want to live. One lives in Carmel, Calif.; one in Rehoboth Beach, Del., and one near Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The California friend was a general practitioner (family doc) who now works part time in his field; the Delaware friend is a retired major bank vice president, and the Pennsylvania friend ran a successful auto franchise for many years. The first two are 77, my age, and the other is 76. All four of us are in relatively good health with no debilitating diseases or major infirmities. While none of my friends was specific with an age, all of them unanimously agreed that they wanted to live as long as possible but only if they can remain mostly independent. Quality of life
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trumps longevity for all three. We all know that people are living longer than ever before. A new survey commissioned by Time magazine and done by the Stanford Center on Longevity found that most Americans want to live to be 100, but they aren’t doing what they should do to accomplish the goal. The poll of 2,330 adults found that 77 percent of them want to live to 100, and more than one-third believe they will make it to 90 or more. Only about one-third of those surveyed said they were happy with their current body weight and financial situation. “The surprise in this survey is not that people want to live to 100, but it is how little they have done to prepare,” said Peter D. Hart of Hart Research Associates, which conducted the survey.
Only 42 percent of those surveyed said they are making a serious effort to get there by keeping their weight in check and building financial strength. My Pennsylvania friend is by far the most fatalistic of the four of us. “I expected to be dead a long time ago,” he said. “The fact that I am still alive at age 76 is a major mystery to me.” A life-long smoker who has frequently abused his body, he said he considers himself to be in bonus territory, and any day he survives from here on out he considers a gift. My Delaware friend still skis the slopes of Vermont, Utah and Pennsylvania. He has a garden that is the envy of his Rehoboth Beach neighbors. He tends to the garden himself, and when the warm weather comes, it is a daily chore that keeps him hopping. My doctor friend from California
has had a recent hip replacement, but he has bounced back stronger than ever. Although he does not have a specific workout regimen, he is active and enjoys life through travel and entertainment. I continue to walk 6.5 miles daily, have a few aches and pains that are par for the course for guys my age, but so far nothing major to slow me down. I would love to make it to the century mark, but only if I am aware that it is happening and only if I can dance the jitterbug to “At the Hop” on my 100th birthday. If not, then, “beam me up, (or down, as the case may be), Scotty.” My friends and I tend to be in sync for the most part with the Stanford/Time survey group, which said that, overall, they appear to be optimistic about aging “gracefully.” Seventy-seven percent say they are happy with their lives overall and feel that their family, career and education make them happy. In addition, 74 percent of those surveyed said that when they think about growing older, they think of mostly good things. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the centenarian population in the U.S. has gone up by nearly 66 percent in the past 30 years. There were some 32,000 people aged 100 and over in 1980; in 2010, when the last census was done, about 50,000 people lived past 100.
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So what are some of the characteristics of centenarians? • The vast majority are women. • The majority live with other people rather than on their own, usually in nursing homes. • Most are more sociable and interact with others. • Many eat healthier and curtail the amount of alcohol they consume. • Many are active, walk a lot and at a good speed. • Most live in cities. In the 2010 census, nearly 86 percent lived in urban areas. Those living in urban areas say it is more stimulating with much more to do.
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Riverside Cemetery 2650 Lake Avenue, Rochester 585-428-7775 www.cityofrochester.gov/riverside November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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memory
Herbie J Pilato is a Hollywood writer, producer, director, actor and entertainment executive originally from Rochester who dedicated his life to classic television and its messages showing the positive social impact. He is also the founder of the Classic TV Preservation Society and is embarking as host of a new talk show focused on classic television set to air in 2017. Photo courtesy of Long Beach Press-Telegram.
Preserving TV Classics Herbie J Pilato of Rochester makes a mark in Hollywood as television writer, producer, director and entertainment executive By Deborah Blackwell
F
rom the tender age of 3, Herbie J Pilato was an entertainer. He danced and sang in his living room for his family in their modest red brick home on Erie Street in Rochester, until he was old enough to go across the street to the loading dock at an old municipal warehouse. There he would lead neighborhood kids in child’s-play productions sprung from his star-struck imagination. Little did Pilato know then, that the road between Rochester and Los Angeles was not as long as it seemed. Because after a humble upbringing, Herbie J, as his friends call him,
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made his way to Hollywood where for more than three decades he has been living his dream as a successful television writer, producer, director and entertainment executive. The 56-year-old also founded the Classic TV Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the positive social influence of classic television programming — something he learned early on. “I was raised in the peanut butter and jelly generation, a different time when we would walk to school, come home for lunch, and watch television,” said Pilato. “Not to mention I lived in a fairly tough, inner-city neighborhood, so I gravitated toward the escapism of
television.” The 1960s and ‘70s were a time when society took cues from television, Pilato said. Families communicated more because of “The Waltons.” People became lawyers because of “Perry Mason” and doctors because of “Marcus Welby.” “The Munsters,” “Get Smart” and all of these popular television shows of their day had a positive impact on society, and according to Pilato, still do today. His all-time favorite — “Bewitched” — resonated with him so much that he spent many years personally sharing its message of tolerance and love during the turbulent
times of the era. Samantha, the lead character played by Elizabeth Montgomery, was easy to connect to, not just for Pilato, but many viewers, he said. A happy witch married to a mortal, she was an outsider who loved people for who they were, not for their status, money or what they could do for her. “People who felt isolated, minority groups connected with Samantha, because she radiated peace,” said Pilato. “Sure I loved the magic as a kid, but during the Vietnam War, race rioting and all the junk of the ‘60s that was going on, there was Samantha’s love. That really hit a chord, and has stayed with me throughout my life.” The importance of that message for Pilato became both his calling and mission. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Nazareth College of Rochester after studying both there and for one semester at UCLA as a visiting student of television and film. He officially moved to Los Angeles after graduating in 1983, and became a page for NBC Studios, where he worked on many shows in-
cluding “The Tonight Show” starring Johnny Carson. After his contracted 18 months as a page, he performed on camera for several shows such as “General Hospital,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “The Golden Girls” and “Highway to Heaven.” Pilato also later began producing and appearing as a cultural commentator on various TV shows and documentaries for several networks and studios, including Bravo, A&E, E!, TLC, Sony, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Besides his books, he now also writes frequently about classic television for many websites such as the distinguished www.emmys.org, a division of the Television Academy.
One of his many books dedicated to iconic classic television stars, “Glamour, Gidgets, and the Girl Next Door: Television’s iconic women from the 50s, 60s, and 70s” was published in 2014.
“Twitch Upon A Star”written by Herbie J Pilato and published in fall 2012 by Taylor Trade Publishing, became the fastest selling new title in that publisher’s history.
‘Guardian’ of classic TV “Herbie J Pilato is the veritable guardian of classic television. His work is culturally important, and even imperative,” said Joel Eisenberg, co-creator and author of “The Chronicles of Ara.” “Both his writing and his founding of the Classic Television Preservation Society will ensure for gener-
ations to come that the morals and values espoused in such programming will continue to be celebrated, and never forgotten,” Eisenberg added. Although Pilato met and worked with many Hollywood stars during his industry tenure, one of his proudest accomplishments was his dream of meeting Montgomery, as he was drawn to her for more than her role on “Bewitched.” “Elizabeth inspired me with her charitable ways. She was one of the first celebrities to advocate for those suffering from AIDS. She was part of the peace movement and a supporter of the disability movement,” said Pilato. “I respected her both as an artist and a human being.” He then wrote “The Bewitched Book,” published in 1992, and has since penned and published more than a dozen critically acclaimed books about classic television — four pertaining to “Bewitched,” one titled “NBC and Me: My Life As A Page,” and his latest title, “Dashing, Daring and Debonair,” a book about classic TV male icons from the ‘50s, ‘60s and
With the popularity of Herbie J Pilato’s book on iconic women stars of classic television, his most recent book, “Dashing, Daring and Debonair: TV’s top male icons from the the 50s, 60s, and 70s” was published in the summer of 2016. November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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‘70s, published last summer. “I was honored when Herbie J asked me to write the preface for ‘Dashing, Daring and Debonair,’ said Eisenberg. “In my opinion, nobody knows more about this world than he does.” But Pilato never lost sight of his Rochester roots. Throughout his years in L.A., he also spent half of his time in Rochester, caring for his elderly parents. After his father died in 1995, he stayed in Rochester continuing to care for his mother until her death in 2008. During those years, he remained a bi-coastal entertainment consultant, writer and producer and presented seminars on the importance of classic television at schools, colleges, businesses, and community and senior centers throughout greater Rochester. He also taught writing and acting for two years at the Rochester Association of Performing Arts.
Hugs do count “During my time in Rochester as an adult, I became a different person. My priorities changed; I appreciated everything about life more,” Pilato said. “From what I understand, all the love that we have, share, feel, believe and experience, we keep and take with us when we leave this world. So every hug and loving moment I have with people will last forever. Once I got that down, I realized there are so many people I can affect in a positive way. I make sure to have those moments with everyone. It’s a beautiful thing.” Although he recognized this concept later in his life, it’s actually something Pilato learned early on, which he attributes to his family. Both his mother and father each had 10 siblings, so he likened every day to a party at his house where there was plenty of love to go around. The little boy from Rochester took what he learned there and applied it to his life every day as an adult and throughout his Hollywood career. “I am very proud of being from Rochester. The hometown aspect and coziness of my upbringing there formed the foundation that allowed me to deal with not just the various 28
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Herbie J Pilato, a Hollywood entertainment consultant, writer, producer and television personality with Rochester roots, enjoys time with Rebecca and Bill Asher, children of Elizabeth Montgomery former star of the popular classic TV show Bewitched, at the Bewitched 50th Anniversary FanFare Celebration at the Sportsman’s Lodge in Studio City, CA in the fall of 2014.
pressures of Hollywood, but the world in general,” he said. Pilato is working with Eisenberg on a new endeavor as both host and executive producer of a classic TV talk show, naturally with the positive messages of classic television at its core. But he said it was growing up in Rochester that made it all possible. “I feel blessed that I was born in Rochester, into a loving and kind family with a solid base of life-long friends that serve as a strong support system and guide for the true priorities of life. While I have found my
place and new home in Los Angeles, and I am very happy here, in many ways Rochester will always be my home away from home.”
More on Herbie J Pilato? For more information on Pilato, his books, professional compendium and affiliations, visit www.herbiejpilato.blogspot.com. For more information on the Classic TV Preservation Society, visit www.classictvpreserve.org
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Taking Care of the Elderly Geriatrician Diane Kane transcends her role as caretaker of the elderly at St. Ann’s Community. She is about to celebrate 30 years with the organization By Mike Costanza
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touch of passion flows through Diane Kane’s words when she speaks of her profession. “For those of us who love geriatrics as I do, we say to each other, ‘It is a calling,’” she says. That passion has driven Kane, 61, to help shape local geriatric care. During her nearly three decades at St. Ann’s Community in Rochester, where she is the chief medical officer and medical director, the geriatrician has emphasized the primacy of patients’ treatment goals and helped create innovative programs that meet those goals. Colleagues have praised her efforts. “I’ve worked with many, many stellar physicians, but I’ve never really worked with a physician like Dr. Kane,” says Michael McRae, presi-
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dent and CEO of St. Ann’s Community. As a young girl growing up in Edison, N.J., Kane set her sights on becoming a dietitian. “I was the little girl that nobody picked on the gym team because she was overweight and not physically fit,” she explains. She developed good dietary and exercise habits, shed what she calls “quite a bit of weight,” and went on to major in chemistry, foods and nutrition at Rutgers University’s Douglass College. Upon graduating, Kane headed off to Boston to be with the man who would become her husband, Tom Pesciotta. Once in Boston, Kane took a job as a lab technician at the Harvard School of Public Health, now the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Contact with the medical community
drew her in a new direction. “I thought, ‘Hmm, this would really be a good way to take my interest in a good, healthy lifestyle and nutrition, and perhaps help people in a way that I never thought before that I could do,’” she says. The strong dose of stick-to-itiveness she’d received from her parents helped her meet the challenges of medical school. Growing up during the Depression, they were forced to drop out of high school. Her father served in the U.S. Marine Corps, and eventually took a position as a janitor for a local school district. “Despite the fact that he never graduated from high school, he always instilled in me a very strong work ethic, and a very strong desire to do the best that I can possibly ever do,” she explains. Kane went on to complete med-
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Geriatrician Diane Kane at her office at St. Ann’s Community. “I thought, ‘this is a reasonable starting job for a young doctor who has a young baby,” she says about her decision to join St. Ann’s. Next year, she will celebrate 30 years with the organization. ical school at the University of Massachusetts, and then headed off to Strong Memorial Hospital to finish her training. By the time she reached the final year of a residency in internal medicine, she was married and expecting her first child. Though she’d planned to go into private practice, Kane wasn’t quite ready to do so. Then, she heard that St. Ann’s Home was looking for a new assistant medical director. “I thought, ‘this is a reasonable starting job for a young doctor who has a young baby,” she says. Kane stepped into her new position in June of 1987. Her husband, a musician with a degree from Boston’s Berklee College of Music, stayed home to care for the first of their three children. “We decided as a couple one of us was going to stay at home,” she said. “We’re very old-fashioned people — 32
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we chose for our family not to use day care.”
“We were a nursing home back then — and only a nursing home — with a sprinkling of rehabilitation,” Kane said. Even the demand for St. Ann’s services was lower than it is now. “We thought, when were getting one to three admissions a week, we were bombed,” Kane says. All admission and treatment records were on paper, phone mail didn’t exist and cell phones were large, heavy and rare. When on call, Kane carried a beeper. It could go off anytime, even when she and Tom were out with their kids. “What do you think we had to do in those days?” she asked. “Find a pay phone.” Since then, St. Ann’s Home has grown into St. Ann’s Community, which encompasses the institution’s 388-bed main facility and two independent living communities, Chapel Oaks and Cherry Ridge. The Heritage was demolished in 2012. Altogether, about 780 seniors call the facility home, according to CEO McRae. The institution’s rehabilitation programs alone receive as many as 10 new patients a day. While growing, St. Ann’s has also expanded the services it provides seniors. Residents who suffer from a host of physical and mental conditions and ailments can access the services they need in or close to their homes. The practice reflects a “treat in place” philosophy that allows the institution to care for seniors more ef-
Tapping into knowledge
Fast Facts on Dr. Diane Kane
Though she initially found the idea of being the person in charge of treating others a bit daunting, Kane soon learned how pleasurable her new job could be. “I quickly discovered that it’s a privilege to take care of seniors,” she said. “A senior comes with a whole life worth of history that they are just dying to share with somebody, if you give them even just a few minutes of time.” In those days, St. Ann’s consisted of St. Ann’s Home and The Heritage, a 19-floor tower, both of which were on the same Irondequoit campus. The institution offered a relatively limited range of services for seniors; most came to it for long-term care.
n Has watched “General Hospital” since she first sat down to watch the soap with her mother in 1963. n Enjoys relaxing with “I Love Lucy,” and has every episode on DVD. n Has a thing for craft beers. Friends have nicknamed her “Diane Rabbit.” n Calls husband Tom Pesciotta her “rock.” n Knows where all the best bargains are — and loves looking for them. n Collects Santa Claus figurines — she has 500 of them.
fectively as they age. “Treat in place is the idea that we have the proper skill set, the proper tools and the proper training to be able to treat somebody as you’re on that journey,” McRae explains. In a nutshell, a senior who begins that journey at St. Ann’s can usually obtain higher levels of care as needed, thereby completing it without leaving the institution, McRae said. “If they start out in the independent setting, then maybe they need assisted living, then maybe they need memory care assisted living, and then ultimately, they may need nursing home care,” says Kane, who helped establish the approach at St. Ann’s. “We can take care of them throughout the continuum of their healthcare needs.”
Strengthening health care access Physicians and other medical professionals at St. Ann’s generally provide the medical care its residents need. On the other hand, those in the two independent living communities often obtain treatment from private, outside physicians. About 12 years ago, Kane helped create an in-house medical office through which those independently living seniors can obtain medical care. “We wanted to offer our independent folks the opportunity to have a geriatrician as their primary care doctor if so desired,” says Kane, who heads the office. Nowadays, Kane and the physicians under her regularly head out to
Michael McRae, president and CEO of St. Ann’s Community: “I’ve worked with many, many stellar physicians, but I’ve never really worked with a physician like Dr. Kane.”
“She’s a dynamo,” says Gerald Gacioch, Rochester General Hospital chief of cardiology. He and Kane created Heart Matters, a St. Ann’s program that helps those who have undergone cardiac surgery.
provide in-home medical care for St. Ann’s independently living residents. The institution also provides a long list of other benefits for seniors, including rehabilitative treatment, hospice care and adult day care. Kane’s treatment of St. Ann’s residents allows her to act upon a view she strongly holds — that medical patients should have a great deal of control over their care. “She takes an exorbitant amount of time with the patients, with the families, with those that are involved,
and truly understands what the patients’ goals are,” McRae said. As St. Ann’s medical director, she has been able to inculcate such views at all levels of care. “She sets the expectations for everyone in her medical department to have those deep, probing questions around the goals of care,” McRae says. “It’s a foundational and fundamental piece, and it actually helps focus and ground all of the caregivers.” Those views even help shape end-of-life care. St. Ann’s residents are encouraged to explicitly state the kinds of medical treatments they are willing to undergo if they have lost the capacity to make such decisions, or reach a point where medical care might not benefit them any longer. “One of the things that is priority in the medical department is having those critical conversations on day one,” Kane said. Those who wish to do so can enumerate their desires for end-of-life care on a medical orders for life-sustaining treatment form. “Once it is signed by the patient, or, if the patient lacks medical decision-making capacity, once it is signed by the healthcare proxy or surrogate, everybody throughout the entire continuum of care has to honor its
‘Diane Rabbit’ On her off time, what there is of it, Diane Kane, St. Ann’s Community’s chief medical officer and medical director, enjoys spending Friday evenings out at dinner with her husband, whom she calls “my rock.” “I love it — it’s just a very special time,” she says. They also enjoy watching “I Love Lucy” reruns together on DVD after she gets home from work. To stay in shape, Kane works
out as many as six days a week, and watches her diet closely. She avoids almost all meats, and eats so much fruit and vegetables that friends call her “Diane Rabbit.” During the coming years, Kane plans to continue improving senior care at St. Ann’s, and the surrounding area. “We want to take this model of following a senior throughout the continuum of care that has been very successful at St. Ann’s Community and now expand it to the Greater Rochester area,” she says.
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contents,” Kane says. St. Ann’s was the first institution of its kind in New York state to adopt the legal document, which is widely used and accepted. While encouraging the adoption of such changes, Kane also led the effort to create St. Ann’s Heart Matters program.
Heart of the matter “It was clearly her concept, her passion,” says Rochester General Hospital Chief of Cardiology Gerald Gacioch, who helped create Heart Matters and consults for the program. “She’s a dynamo.”
Heart Matters helps those who have undergone cardiac surgery or are suffering from heart ailments recover as quickly as possible, and avoid being readmitted to the hospital. The program serves those who are staying in St. Ann’s 72-bed Wegmans Transitional Care Center. “We have what we call a clinical path that we go down to ensure they have the optimal chance of successful rehabilitation,” Kane said. Effective patient education is essential to that success. “They’re getting daily instruction in diet, in their medications, other lifestyle things that they can be doing
to avoid readmission,” Gacioch explains. At the same time, Gacioch periodically meets with the center’s physicians and other staff to discuss patients’ treatment. Here, too, Kane has left her mark. “She’s very much a people person,” says Gacioch, who has known and worked with Kane for about 25 years. “The team that she’s brought together of doctors, nurses and mid-levels all the way down to the people who are washing floors, they are all smiley nice, always looking you in the eye.”
Chapel Oaks could be the key. Its 14 acres offer private one-and twobedroom apartments within reach of the Rochester area’s attractions. The rental units can come with balconies or patios, and sometimes feature dens. Residents can enjoy meals in Chapel Oaks’s bistro or a restaurant-style dining room, cool off in its indoor swimming pool, walk the trails of St. Ann’s Home or enjoy the other amenities that the complex offers. Skilled nursing care is available at all times, and residents have priority access to higher levels of assistance or medical treatment. Headquarters of St. Ann’s Community at 1500 Portland Ave., Rochester.
Cherry Ridge
St. Ann’s Community
Located on 41 wooded acres in Webster, Cherry Ridge features one or two-bedroom apartments and cottage homes in a variety of styles— the cottages even feature fireplaces. Seniors who are fully independent, in need of assisted living services or who might at times suffer from memory deficits can all call Cherry Ridge home. Though the services available to those staying at the complex depend upon their residences and needs, the complete list includes meal and housekeeping packages, enhanced assisted living care and 24-hour access to the staff via an emergency call system. Additional staff members are available for those in need of memory care services. For additional information on St. Ann’s Community, go to: www. stannscommunity.com.
St. Ann’s Home Located on 37 landscaped acres in Irondequoit, St. Ann’s Home offers 388 skilled nursing beds, many of them in single, private rooms. Geriatricians, internists, ophthalmologists, dentists, medical and surgical specialists and other professionals stand ready to meet residents’ needs. The facility is also across the street from Rochester General Hospital, should a more serious emergency arise. Older adults who are not in need of long-term care can also turn to St. Ann’s Home for the treatment or assistance they need. At the Wegmans Transitional Care Center, those recovering from surgery, injuries or other medical 34
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conditions can obtain a variety of short-term, residential rehabilitation services, from physical therapy to therapeutic recreation. Seniors who wish to spend their last months or days in comfort in peaceful, homelike surroundings can do so at the Leo Center for Caring, the facility’s on-site hospice. Beyond offering therapeutic advantages, St. Ann’s Home features such an on-site hair salon, beautiful walking paths, the opportunity to attend field trips and other amenities.
Chapel Oaks For seniors who want to enjoy an active, independent retirement,
Finding a New Job Six in 10 displaced workers aged 55-64 found new jobs in 2016
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mong workers who were displaced from jobs they had held for at least the past three years, in 2016 the reemployment rate was 73 percent for workers ages 25 to 54. The rates for those ages 55 to 64 and 65 years and over were 60 percent and 27 percent, respectively, according to a 2016 analysis of data from the Current Population Survey of the US Census Bureau. Displaced workers are defined as persons 20 years of age and older who lost or left jobs because their plant or company closed or moved, there was insufficient work for them to do, or their position or shift was abolished.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2016). Worker displacement: 2013-15 / The Center on Aging & Work at Boston College.
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records
Record Archive in Rochester has a collection of more than 250,000 records, ranging from vintage to the latest releases.
Finding Your Favorite LP Record Archive offers wide selection of vinyl records — and much more By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
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ant to find a special record or expand your collection artist? Try Record Archive in Rochester. Take your time flipping through its collection of more than 250,000 records, ranging from vintage to the latest releases. In the lounge, you may discover a vintage sofa style you once loved or loathed. Record Archive claims its LP and 45 collection is the largest selection of vinyl records in the Northeast. As one wanders the sprawling — and at times, messy aisles — that’s completely believable. 36
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The store also boasts an impressive selection of CDs, cassettes, and 8-track tapes, plus new and used Blu-ray, laser discs, DVD, and VHS. Most are about $5. Record Archive buys used media and buys, sells and repairs audio equipment such as speakers, turntables, amplifiers, receivers, and consoles. As is the nature of a store that sells secondhand items, Record Archive’s massive selection can seem jumbled, since much of its stock has one to few copies. Sorting through display after display of media to find one special record-
ing may take some time. The shop allows customers to try before they buy used recordings and can special order items it does not carry. Though Record Archive specializes in vintage, the store embraces social media to keep customers upto-date on special sales and events, some of which are only publicized on social media. It pays to follow Record Archive’s social media to take advantage of deals and discounts. For Record Store Day, an annual sale that occurred in April, some diehard customers waited in lawn chairs to secure their place in line before the store opened. The event is that big of a deal to fans of Record Archive. It’s a “celebration of what independent record stores do,” said Alayna Alderman, vice-president and co-owner. Record producers distribute a limited edition recording among a select group of independent record stores for this event, such as a special Beetles 45 or LP from their archives. Record Store Day is also one of the few days per year that shoppers can sip a craft beer while shopping at Record Archive. Four times per year, coinciding with store events, Record Archive obtains a special use permit to serve alcohol. “Ol’ Record Man Ale” debuted at the most recent Record Store Day to celebrate the store’s 40th anniversary. The brew represents a tribute to Dick Storms, who founded the shop and developed “The Record Man” persona during TV spots. Developed by local Rohrback Brewing, the beer references Storms’ nickname. The septuagenarian is still involved in the business, though Alderman handles its day-to-day operations. Alderman said that the business is working toward a beer and wine license, which would allow it to serve alcohol anytime, but especially for special events. Record Archive hosts performing arts events on its two stages and its Backroom Lounge can host events of up to 130 people. Vintage decor, chairs and couches keep the atmosphere retro and festive. Since it’s all for sale, the furniture constantly changes. Keeping with their vintage
vibe, Record Archive sells vintage clothing and bicycles. It makes sense to sell these things in a store already appealing to a vintage-loving population. Shoppers can also find new gifts, pop culture items, band tees, and snacks. Tickets for local concerts are also available at Record Archive. The quirky diversity of the store’s offerings seems to work. “We’re constantly evolving,” Alderman said. “There have been numerous record stores that have
gone out of business because of streaming and digital music, but we can happily co-exist. “People are defined by our stuff: clothes, cars, and things we have. The cool thing we have with vinyl is it’s a generation bridge builder. Grandparents are coming in with their grandkids.” Late last year, a customer spent $100 on stocking stuffers and retro gift items. Alderman felt thrilled to hear her remark, “Thank you for making Christmas fun again.”
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aviation
Flying High on History
Aviation and local history on display at Curtiss Museum
By Todd Etshman
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he Wright brothers got modern day aviation off the ground in 1903 in Kitty Hawk, N.C. but it was Hammondsport native Glenn H. Curtiss who made the airplane a practical reality. With support from Alexander Graham Bell, Curtiss refined the Wright brothers warped wing plane with the ailerons planes need for lateral control. The contributions and accomplishments of the founder of the American aircraft industry are on display at the newly renovated Glenn H. Curtiss Museum of Aviation History on state Route 54 in the village of Hammondsport, located at the southern tip of Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes. An initial $1.2 million phase of renovation was completed in June. The next phase will add approximately 40,000 square feet to the building which was originally a warehouse before the museum took over in 1992. “In many aspects it’s still evident it was built as a warehouse,” said new museum director Benja38
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min Johnson, who came to Hammondsport from the Springfield Museum in Springfield, Ore. Johnson said aviation and aviation history was a “part of everything we did” when he was growing up in Nebraska and he feels fortunate to do what he loves for a vocation. “The expansion allows us to tell our story better and increase the size of our collection,” he explained. With the additional space, the museum can add aircraft, increase educational opportunities and host more travelling exhibits. “We want to keep giving the people something new,” Johnson says. “We want to keep evolving. We want people to keep coming back, not say they were here just last year.” The expansion phase of renovation will take up to five years. In the meantime, the story of Curtiss and his mechanical prowess is here for the public’s education and enjoyment. “He was incredibly mechanically innovative. He could figure out ways to do almost anything,” said ex-museum executive director Trafford Doherty who became executive
director of the National Soaring Museum in Elmira in August after 14 years at the Curtiss Museum. The Southern Tier is rich in aviation history and the two museums make a nice day trip from the Rochester area. Born in 1878, Curtiss was a former Kodak child laborer whose initial focus was on manufacturing motorcycles. He became the fastest man on earth for reaching a speed of 136 miles per hour in 1907. The museum has a recreation of Curtiss’ motorcycle shop, his bikes and vintage British bikes from the 1960s and ‘70s. Curtiss and aviation itself emerged in the public eye later in 1908 when he flew his famous June Bug plane a distance of one mile. In 1909, the sale of his Golden Flyer plane to the New York Aeronautical Society was the first-ever airplane sale. From there, his aviation accomplishments grew to include the first long distance flight between two cities — Albany to New York City — in 1910, the development of the seaplane in 1911 and subsequently becoming the father of naval aviation. Flying itself was a novelty
Glenn H. Curtiss Museum of Aviation History in the village of Hammondsport underwent a $1.2 million renovation, which was completed in June. It’s now larger and visitors can enjoy more exhibits and items on its collection.
The museum has a recreation of Curtiss’ motorcycle shop, his bikes and vintage British bikes.
in 1911 but Curtiss took it a step farther, building planes that could land and take off in water. He also built the first planes to land on ships for the Navy. Curtiss trained Navy pilots and was an invaluable resource in the war effort. His company built the only American-designed, American-built planes used in combat in World War I. At the height of production, Curtiss employed 3,000 workers in Hammondsport and 18,000 in Buffalo. He died in 1930 at the age of 52 after complications from emergency appendectomy surgery in Buffalo, leaving the world to wonder what else he might have accomplished if he’d had the time. His grave is near the museum at the Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Hammondsport. “He built three planes here,” Trafford, the former museum director, explained. “Each one better than the last.” Visitors can see reproductions of the June Bug and several other planes, including a plane the father of U.S. naval aviation built for the Navy.
enjoy hands-on exhibits as well as antique toys and dollhouses. Patrons of the museum get to see more than finished exhibits; they can see works in progress at the restoration shop. Volunteer craftsmen are working on a reconstruction of the World War II era P-40 fighter plane using new aluminum material for the wings and parts of other aircraft, including two that crashed in a swamp near Ocala, Fla. in 1945. The museum purchased the fragments in 2011 and brought them to Hammondsport. “It’s amazing to see,” Trafford says of one of the more well-known fighter planes of the era with its trademark tiger shark mouth made even more famous by John Wayne in the 1956 movie “The Flying Tigers” and “Pearl Harbor” in 2001. Among the many accomplishments of skilled workers in the restoration shop is a 1924 Curtiss-designed speedboat made of mahogany. Patrons and rating services such as Trip Advisor give the museum high marks. The popular PBS television show, “History Detectives,” has made a few stops at the museum, too. Photography of exhibit items is permissible for personal or educational use. The museum remains open for winter hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week, weather permitting. Johnson said under his leadership, “the museum will tell a broad story using local history to do it.” More information and an exhibit schedule of events can be found at www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org.
Local history on display It’s actually a museum of local history, explains longtime museum curator Rick Leisenring, a Civil War buff who gained notoriety for his acting roles in movies such as “Gettysburg” in 1993 and “Glory” in 1989. The area is rich in Civil War history and a popular historical subject. The museum has a permanent Civil War exhibit. Many residents have family ties to the armies of both
Benjamin Johnson is the new director at Glenn H. Curtiss Museum of Aviation History on state Route 54 in the village of Hammondsport. sides. Notable examples include Confederate Army Brigadier General Walter Hustad Stevens, an engineer from Penn Yan, and Union Army General William Woods Averill from Bath, who is credited with inventing asphalt paving after the war. The lives of both men are a subject of the museum’s Civil War collection. The museum also includes exhibits from Finger Lakes history, dollhouses, boats, early 20th century fire-fighting equipment, quilts and famous Hollywood movie props in its diverse collection. As valuable as Curtiss’ planes and bikes are, Leisenring says it’s the diversity of exhibits that is the museum’s greatest asset. Leisenring’s personal collection of movie props from “Indiana Jones” movies, “The Mummy” and other popular Hollywood action movies is another popular periodic display at the museum. Kids can
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addyman’s corner By John Addyman
Time for Christmas Decorating Having grandkids’ help? Priceless
W
e have a Christmas explosion at our house. It closely follows on the heels of our Thanksgiving explosion. My wife transforms our home several times a year. Maybe this happens at your place, too. Starting in the winter, we have snowmen everywhere — particularly snowman cookie jars. Then it’s Valentine’s Day, Easter, spring, Fourth of July, autumn, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and finally, Christmas. She loves downloading one season and uploading the next. She redecorates upstairs and downstairs, sometimes outside, too. The colors of our house change with the seasons and the holidays. Usually, this changeover takes a couple of days. But for Christmas, it’s a month of work. And it’s mainly my fault. I collect Santa Clauses…lots of Santa Clauses. Big ones, little ones, porcelain ones, resin ones, wooden ones, plastic ones, fabric ones, singing Santas, Coca-Cola Santas, carved Santas, toy Santas, Santa ornaments, Santa playing cards and Santa candles. They are all up in our attic at this very minute — waiting. “You have no idea what’s up in that attic,” my wife tells me. She’s right, because throughout the summer, we go to garage sales. I’ve learned that if you go to just about any garage sale, anywhere, and if you look hard enough, you’ll find some kind of Santa. Actually, the only time there’s a Santa left at a garage sale is because I haven’t been there yet. So we have a lot of Santas. I’ve asked my grandkids if they’re looking forward to decorating
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with me this Christmastime. “Yes!” they said. “What part of the decorating do you like?” I asked. “Putting all the Santa Clauses out on the mantel and tables and bookcases,” they said. I do love my grandchildren. They’re 11, 10 and 8. My grandkids also like putting up our Christmas trees — we have a kids’ tree upstairs, and they do all the decorating on that, and an “adult” tree downstairs in the front room, which I decorate, with help from my sister-inlaw, Jean, who likes to do what I love to do — listen to Christmas music in the evening while decorating the tree slowly — while it’s the only light at that end of our house, with a hot beverage nearby. If a little bit of snow is falling, it’s all the more magical. Over the summer, I collected a lot more Santa stuff. In fact, I have boxes that I picked up at sales that I haven’t looked in yet. Some weekend, when all my chores are done and I
have a few minutes, I’ll look at those unchecked treasures. But even that is more fun with grandkids. My grandkids, especially when they’re together, pick out things from these treasure boxes and have extensive discussions about them. “You have too many of these,” they might say, noting that my supply of a certain Santa is over the top. In the background of that discussion, my wife is staring at the ceiling in the attic, thinking, “Out of the mouths of babes…” They’ll also find Santas that are a bit worse for wear and love, and those we pack in a special box, figuring we may find a use for them some day. We use red lights on the kids’ tree, and we put toy trains underneath it (does anyone do that anymore?) — something else my grandkids look forward to — and we have Santa Claus lights, snowmen lights, candle lights and bubble lights. It takes us most of a day to decorate that tree, but as the kids get older, it actually gets to
A sample of the Santa Claus collection owned by John Addyman. “I collect Santa Clauses...lots of them,” he says.
‘When my wife and I were in our younger married years, we’d take the kids out to the tree farm and cut our own trees. We did that at 10 degrees below zero on a Saturday morning with a deer walking around the lot with us. We did it in a snowstorm. We did it with 15 inches of snow on the ground. We did it in a snow squall where visibility was about 20 feet.’ be more fun because they can put ornaments higher on the tree each year. In another year or two, I’ll be able to sit back and watch them decorate the whole tree. When the grandkids come to visit during the holidays, the first place they go in the house is their tree to see if anything has changed. We get fresh-cut trees for the house. When my wife and I were in our younger married years, we’d take the kids out to the tree farm and cut our own trees. We did that at 10 degrees below zero on a Saturday morning with a deer walking around the lot with us. We did it in a snowstorm. We did it with 15 inches of snow on the ground. We did it in a snow squall where visibility was about 20 feet. But once the kids became adults and moved out, it was a lot easier to get smaller trees and have the nice guys at Secor’s wrap up the trees and put them in the back of the SUV. Those trees we can get into the house and set up in 20 minutes. And I’ve instructed all my grandkids to be careful about the spirit of the Christmas tree, to tell the tree it’s loved and admired, to thank the tree for its warmth and fragrance and glow. My grandson Jaden heard me talking to the tree last year and he asked me why I did that. I explained it to him carefully. A few days later, when he was leaving our house to go home, he went back to the tree and said good-bye and “Thanks.” I do love my grandkids.
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journey
John Henry Green holding one of his unfinished paintings —an acrylic on canvas depicting a transition from tree to a gothic structure window view into the distance.
Original Green Career Navy man, multi-faceted artist John Henry Green opens for business By John Addyman
J
ohn Henry Green, 67, wanted a place in the Canandaigua area to show his art, to teach classes in form and composition, and to offer workshops in sustainable living and alternative energy production. Suzanne, his wife, wanted Green to be happy. When he got his studio, she wanted to have space in it to lead Bible studies and enjoy Christian fellowship. Together, they wanted to host seminars and schedule experts in solar energy for the home, root cellars, sustainable living, earthworms, orienting your new building, and preparing for next spring’s garden — and lots of other stuff. 42
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What is Green’s training? Well, it’s involved. He got drafted during the throes of the Vietnam War. But he didn’t go to Vietnam. “I took the piece of paper that was my draft notice to the Air Force recruiting station,” Green said. “I asked the guy leaning up against the wall, ‘Hey, I got this draft notice. Are you guys recruiting anybody?’ He said, ‘Let me see that paper.’” Minutes later, the recruiter told Green to “sign here.” After his stint in the Air Force, he was looking for a job in construction. “I was a general laborer, doing civil engineering work in the Air Force. I’d
been in construction most of my life, so I kind of gravitated toward construction when I needed money.” He needed money because he had met Suzanne in a vivid “101 Dalmatians” dress, working in the men’s department at JCPenney in Fairfield, Calif. “I was working there, temporarily,” she said. “After I met her, I found that I needed a lot of socks and T-shirts. I can remember to this day that ‘101 Dalmatians’ dress and the platform shoes,” Green said. “He came back three or four times,” Suzanne said. “I liked his honesty and his eye contact. We com-
municated right away.” That was in 1973; they were married in 1979. Green took an internship at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in San Francisco. “I needed to make babies and needed health insurance,” he said. He worked on nuclear submarines. That mechanical ability was again useful. “The Lord gave it to me,” Green said. Suzanne had just finished her registered nurse studies at Santa Rosa Junior College and was an operating room nurse. Then the Greens started to move. Green had started in mechanical engineering work, but graduated to electrical engineering. “I had wondered how come the electricians made so much money because they were so clean,” he said. After that, he went to nuclear engineering school. “I was working on nuclear fast-attack subs. Great job. Great machines. “The Navy was excellent to work for. Excellent. I was really confident in anything they put me to because I knew if I had a question, I had all of the U.S. Navy behind me.” When Mare Island closed, Green was sent to Yuma, Ariz. as a weapons developer and test director. Then he became a construction project manager and finally, he was shipped to Aviano Air Force Base in Italy. He worked to bring the airport up to 2000 Federal Aviation Administration standards, and spent time in the Azores working on the technical aspects of a $200 million breakwater project. The location was an emergency-landing site for the space shuttle and Air Force One. Suzanne traveled with him. She was the director of nurses at the Yuma Surgery Center, and a program manager for the Air Force in Italy. The Greens came back to New York and the Rochester area in 2008. John Henry worked in construction management for the General Service Administration, renovating courtrooms and offices. Suzanne was an operating room nurse for Lindsey House Surgery Center and the Linden Oaks Surgery Center. Along the way, Green, 67, dabbled in things beyond work. Suzanne, 61, said, “All our life together, he has been designing and building homes that were self-sufficient.”
John Henry Green, 67, and his wife Suzanne, 61, recently opened their Original Green, an art studio in Canandaigua.
Ahead of his time “I also did some playgrounds, a Montessori School in Willits, Calif.,” he said. “They had communes in California in the 1970s. I volunteered to help people put together their building project, how to do recycling of buildings and houses and barns, and
when we got enough materials stockpiled, I designed a structure for them using what they had available.” “He was 30 years before his time,” Suzanne said. The couple has 11 acres in Bloomfield and Green is, as Suzanne decontinued on page 49 November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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music
Two talented musicians: a nationally known championship dulcimer player, Dan Duggan, and his composer-author-singer wife, Peggy Lynn. They make it their life’s work to keep alive the heritage of a piece of New Yorkana, Adirondack music and voices.
Striking a Chord with Tradition
Dan and Peggy Lynn Duggan bring back traditional, down-home music
By John Addyman
“T
he richness of music in New York is incredible,” said Dan Duggan of Wolcott. “We’re trying to get that music into the next generation with some history and heritage of music.” Dan Duggan, 60, lives on a 45acre parcel of land at the eastern edge of Wayne County that he draws breath from. He and his singer-author-composer wife Peggy Lynn and their combined talents work hard. They travel from April through November giving performances, teaching classes, researching and developing new music. When they’re not on the road, they record their own CDs and the work 44
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of others in Dan’s studio, Esperance Productions, right there on the farm. Peggy, 58, is a guitarist and concertina player who has a wonderfully earthy, pleasant voice. Hear one song and you can picture her pushing back on a chair on an Adirondack porch and singing at a family gathering or festival with everyone giving her rapt attention, listening to her carefully chosen words. Dan is a championship-caliber, nationally recognized hammered dulcimer player, one whose speed and lightness on the instrument allows him to master and construct music that others can only marvel at. Together, their mission is to save and bring the music of the Adiron-
dack region to the rest of America. But like so many things, what’s taken for granted in the Adirondacks is a somewhat foreign and distant piece of the country’s musical legacy. “We developed traditional instrumental programs for elementary and high school students,” Duggan said. The graduates from Duggan’s program are now in schools teaching the music to another generation, he said. Alfred University and Bennington College have traditional music programs today. “We’re trying to pass on the knowledge we’ve developed over the years as people passed it on to us. Adirondack music came down from Canada, from the Quebecois fiddling, from the logging camps, and in
our own area, from the Erie Canal,” he said. Right now, Duggan and Lynn are fighting to keep that musical heritage afloat, especially in schools, where there is no longer room for this important part of “New Yorkana.” “We’ve been trying to do this for years at the elementary and high school level, but the school climate has changed so much,” Duggan said. “There is so much focus on testing now. The arts in education have really taken a back seat and that’s really a change. We used to do programs in a lot more schools, but funding is down and the climate in schools is very difficult. Common Core has made it very difficult for teachers to do anything but focus on testing. There’s a lot of frustration among teachers.”
Jammin’ to Jamcrackers If they can’t get to the kids, Duggan and Lynn are working on everyone else. The two, with guitarist and singer Dan Berggren along, formed a group called “Jamcrackers” and give concerts in many small venues — churches, small festivals, coffee houses, libraries and museums. Jamcrackers is the nickname for the courageous workers who broke up logjams on rivers. They also do concerts with the Orchestra of Northern New York, and Dan teaches master dulcimer classes on his Esperance acreage. A new Jamcrackers CD is soon to be ready. Dan and Peggy are also enthusiastic participants in the intergenerational camp for grandparents and their grandkids at Great Camp Sagamore. Here, they can reach the kids through music directly. It was music and the dulcimer, that changed Dan’s life. So did Peggy. “I started playing the dulcimer back in the late 1970s. I first heard it when I was in Fredonia College,” he said. He got interested in it through Steryl and Paul VanArsdale, whose dad, Jesse Martin, had been a vaudevillian that taught his son to play the instrument chord by chord. Dan played guitar, backing up Steryl. “I saw how dulcimers were built, taught myself, then started writing,” he said. “The college had folk weekends twice a year, brought in some big name folk musicians, and
I got to play with them. It was a great community and I’m still in touch with a lot of them.” He’s also been a member of the Susquehanna String Band for 30 years and played a concert with the band in Watertown in late June. “The dulcimer is a wonderful instrument,” he said. “It really captured my attention. I’ve written a lot of music for it and done a lot of recordings — more than 20 CDs.” Peggy and Dan met at Fredonia through Berggren. “He was my college professor,” Dan said. “We started playing music together, became good friends, and I met Peggy. She had done some concerts on her own, and eventually, we started playing as a trio. I recorded her CDs for her then did some concerts with her. “She had been going through a tough and difficult time with her divorce; we spent a lot of time together, and ended up falling in love. We had a wonderful relationship for four years, then got married 13 years ago.”
Health crisis In 2009, Dan was diagnosed with cancer at the base of his tongue. Neck and tonsil surgery and radiation treatment put the cancer into remission, but the cure ended up infecting his jaw and breaking up his jawbone. In 2013, he had the bone in his jaw rebuilt, using bone transplanted from his fibula. He literally hurt from head to toe. “That was quite a setback,” he said. “It left me with some issues — primarily singing and talking. I had to really work on singing — it’s a big part of what we do. Peggy has helped
me through quite a lot.” Indeed. Peggy kept bedside watch and blogged from the hospital, letting fans and friends know how Dan was doing. Peggy’s notes are written like a conversation among old friends — factual, but full of hope. “Everybody has something going on health wise,” said Duggan. “I’ve been able to work around the cancer and surgeries. I’m really pretty fortunate. I feel a lot like I’m swallowing my tongue all the time, but I’ve really developed a way that I can speak pretty clearly and sing reasonably well. I have to work on my breathing. Now, it’s pretty much normal, just another reality.” Peggy and Dan have together recorded some interesting records. “A Stitch in Time” is a recent CD of Peggy’s tunes and songs about quilting and the heritage of quilting. “It’s really unique,” Duggan said. So are their Christmas and yuletide CDs. Dan’s newest CD, “For the Love of Friends,” is something he wrote during his cancer treatment and surgeries, “for all the people who supported me and my wife from the music community all over the country. It was pretty overwhelming,” he noted. Peggy and Dan were looking forward to hosting the Esperance Hayloft week on the farm in September when 12 students visit for a weeklong master class in the dulcimer and a Sep. 16 concert in Red Creek. Peggy and Dan will also perform in a host of other venues on the East Coast between now and November. “There’s a lot of music happening and it’s wonderful to see,” Dan says. “I’m a pretty upbeat person. I’m very fortunate.”
Peggy and Dan Duggan performing together. The couple lives in Wolcott and has a very busy season from April through November. November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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visits
Central Adirondack Trail: In addition to spectacular scenery, it offers a variety of outdoor activities such as camping, skiing, picnicking and canoeing.
Explore New York State’s Scenic Byways By Sandra Scott
A
scenic byway is a road, but not just any road. Each byway-designated road is different. Some byways might offer magnificent views while others have fascinating historical sites and still others offer access to an array of outdoor activities. A scenic byway is a “win/win” for the travelers who explore them and for the nearby communities. Here are 10 of those byways you should explore.
1
. North Fork Trail: Travel Suffolk County’s North Fork Trail from Southold to Orient Point by car or bike. The route goes through charming hamlets, past renowned wineries, expansive farms and wild wetlands along with glimpses of the ocean, beaches and maritime life, finishing with an uninterrupted view of the Atlantic
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Ocean stretching into the horizon. The area that was once known for potato farms is now home to many upscale vineyards. Visit the wineries, many of which have special events. Near Southold tour the Horton Point Lighthouse then walk down the 120 steps to the beach or hike their nature trail. Take the ferry to Shelter Island and enjoy the beach.
2
. Taconic State Parkway:
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s dream of a scenic highway along the Hudson River became a reality with the creation of the 104-mile drive that connects Westchester and Columbia counties. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the second-longest continuous road listed on the National Register after Virginia’s Skyline Drive and the longest limited-access highway
on the list. The drive offers views of wooded land, farmlands and mountains. It is the area that inspired mid-19th century landscape painters and the Hudson River School art movement. Near Ghent stop at the scenic overlook for a great view of the Catskills. To visit historic places in the area such as Hyde Park it is necessary to exit the parkway.
3
. Route 20 Byway: The 108mile byway is an important segment of the historic 3,300-mile Transcontinental U.S. Route 20 highway, which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in Massachusetts to the Pacific Coast of Oregon. Along the route through New York state there are quaint villages, that harken back to an earlier and more relaxed time. Esperance is home to Landis Arboretum and in Sharon Springs
visit the Beekman 1802 Mercantile made famous in the TV reality show, “The Fabulous Beekman Boys.” Antique shoppers will want to plan to be in Bouckville next year in August during the Antique Week; it is the largest in state. In Cazenovia visit the historic Lorenzo State Historic Site overlooking beautiful Cazenovia Lake.
4
. Revolutionary War Trail:
The Revolutionary Trail runs between the state capital of Albany to the shores of Lake Ontario traversing scenic valleys and woodlands. The route offers exceptional museums, historic sites, hiking, picnicking and cycling. Learn more about NYS’s involvement in the War for Independence at Fort Stanwix National Park in Rome and Saratoga National Historic Park. The Battle of Saratoga is considered a major turning point in the Revolutionary War.
5
. High Peaks: The High Peaks Scenic Byway winds past the Adirondacks’ highest peaks and along some of its most picturesque waters, including Chapel Pond, Johns Brook, Roaring Brook Falls and the Cascade Lakes. There are more than 40 peaks in the Adirondack Park that are over 4,000 feet in elevation. Mount Marcy is the big one at 5,300 feet North Fork Trail: Near Southold on Long Island tour the Horton Point Lighthouse then walk down the 120 steps to the beach or hike their nature trail. Take the ferry to Shelter Island and enjoy the beach.
and the tallest in NYS. It is not the most difficult of the high peaks; the terrain is variable and there are four trails to the summit. If you are looking for something easy to climb in the area check out Hadley at only 2,700 feet but with great views. Besides mountain climbing there is boating, biking, rock climbing, fishing, white water rafting, cross country skiing, and more.
6
. Central Adirondack Trail: In addition to spectacular scenery, the Central Adirondack Trail offers a variety of outdoor activities such as camping, skiing, picnicking and canoeing. Enjoy a cruise on the Fulton Chain of Lakes out of Old Forge. Take a cruise on the Durant out of Raquette Lake then tour Sagamore with its bowling alley and other refinements to see what a summer camp was like for the “robber barons” during the Gilded Age. There are regional museums including the not-to-miss Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake.
7
. Maple Tradition: The 80mile Maple Traditions Scenic Byway begins in Lowville and ends in the “Maple City” of Ogdensburg at the foot of the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge to Canada. The route takes travelers past farmlands, woodlands, the American Maple
Museum in Croghan. Stop in Croghan Meat Market to buy some of their famed Croghan bologna, cheese curd, and maple syrup. In mid-March communities host special maple-related events including sugar house tours, samples, and family-fun activities.
8
. Olympic Trail: Stretching
from Sackets Harbor on Lake Ontario to Keesville the drive is packed with scenic and recreational attractions. One highlight of the trip is the Village of Lake Placid, which hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1932 and 1980. Make time to visit the Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum. A free shuttle makes many stops within the village including the Olympic Ski Jumps, which are daunting from any angle.
9
. Cayuga Lake Loop: The
Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway offers a beautiful landscape of farmland, vineyards and small towns as it encircles one of the Finger Lakes. Waterfalls and gorges are characteristic of the region’s unique geology. Drive Cayuga Lakes’ Wine Trail, the first in America, where there are not only wineries but distilleries, cideries and a brewery. Explore Montezuma Refuge with a 3.5-mile roadway, 30 miles of walking trails, plus viewing towers. Visit and shop for handmade items at the unique and whimsical MacKenzieChilds store and workshop.
10
. Western New York Southtowns Byway:
Situated southeast of metropolitan Buffalo, the 108-mile scenic loop runs from the towns of Orchard Park and Aurora south to Springville and West Valley. The village of East Aurora welcomes everyone to the renowned Roycroft Campus that was influential in the arts and craft movement. In Derby visit the Isabel Martin Graycliff House, a Frank Lloyd Wright creation overlooking Lake Erie.
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long-term care By Susan Suben
Help When You Need It: ‘Transition Care’
D
uring the 10 years that I took care of both my parents, there were many visits to many hospitals for numerous emergencies. When it was time for their discharge, doctors, nurses and social workers barraged us with care instructions, prescriptions and physical therapy scripts. I was told different Medicare approved agencies would be calling us to arrange for assessments and care visits. Most of it went in my one ear and out the other. It was overwhelming, intimidating and scary for me as their caregiver to think that I might do something wrong and land them back in the hospital. Today, individuals are discharged from a hospital much sooner and hospitals are encouraged not to have re-admissions because they could lose federal funding. Hence, the “observation stay” that puts individuals in limbo and can sometimes deny them Medicare coverage if they need rehabilitation. This is a very important issue to discuss with a hospital if your loved one needs to go into a facility after they are discharged. In order to maintain low re-admission rates and assure quality care after a discharge, hospitals are establishing guidelines and programs for “transition” care. This new approach was prompted by the passage of the CARE Act that took effect in April. CARE stands for Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable. It updates New York’s public health law and “requires hospitals, at a patient’s request, to provide discharge instructions and post-release care plans to a designated caregiver.” This act was designed to assist the four million NYS families who serve as caregivers so that their loved ones can stay in their own homes and hopefully not re-enter a hospital or be admitted into a nursing home.
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State Sen. James L. Seward (R/C/I-Oneonta), a co-sponsor of the bill, stated that “when an individual leaves the hospital, there are a number of steps to recovery, and quite often a loved one, without formal medical training, is called upon to help make sure that recovery goes well.” The Pulse publication, in its Oct. 27, 2015, ran an article by writer Claire Hughes that states that CARE permits a hospital patient to list a family caregiver in his/her medical records. “The designated caregiver must be given information before a patient is discharged, including instructions and demonstration of tasks they will be expected to perform at home.” According to AARP, the bill features three important provisions: • The name of the family caregiver is recorded when a loved one is admitted into a hospital or rehabilitation facility; • The family caregiver is notified if the loved one is to be discharged to another facility or back home; and • The facility must provide an explanation and live instruction of the medical tasks — such as medication management, injections, wound care, and transfers — that the family caregiver will perform at home. Local hospitals are actively developing their transition care units. Strong Memorial Hospital started a “Virtual Care Unit” that concentrates on getting a patient through the precarious first 30 days after a hospital discharge. The VCU team “works closely with social workers to pre-empt potential stumbling blocks (e.g., trouble securing transportation to and from follow-up appointments); hand-selects supplemental transition coaching and telehealth programs administered by Visiting Nurse Service; and conducts one- and three-weekpost-discharge “rounding” meetings — multidisciplinary huddles that
ensure fluid, frequent communication between outpatient care managers and the hospital’s cast of health care professionals.” SUNY Upstate Medical Center recently created a department of transitional care. Diane Nanno, department director, stated, “A patient that leaves the hospital is still our patient, the care we provide extends beyond the building walls…Our patients are members of our community and we want to take care of them. It’s not just about getting people out the door, it’s about providing quality outcomes and quality of life.” Transition care teams generally “consist of social workers, case managers, continuum of care coordinators and patient educators who work in collaboration with all disciplines such as physicians, pharmacists, and therapists in an effort to help families make informed decisions regarding care.” Establishing relationships with postacute providers is also a critical part of the process after a discharge. As our population ages, there will be more individuals transitioning from a hospital stay to their homes. It is imperative that our health care system deal with the challenges and uncertainty faced by patients and their caregivers. The CARE act is intended to be a first step in that direction. In thinking about my parents when they were in the hospital, all they wanted was to return home and all I wanted for them was to be home — secure, unafraid and getting healthy. As caregivers, we no longer have to feel insecure. We now have the support and guidance to provide a safe environment and quality of life for our loved ones when they return home from a hospital stay. Susan Suben, MS, CSA, is president of Long Term Care Associates, Inc. and Elder Care Planning, and a consultant for Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Company. She can be reached at 800-422-2655 or by email at susansuben@31greenbush.com.
Original Green in Canandaigua continued from page 43
scribes, clearly torn between his art in the Canandaigua studio and the tractor in Bloomfield. Original Green is Green’s studio, workshop and the couple’s Bible fellowship place on North Main Street. Originally, Green wanted to build a cigar lounge with a studio attached. He had built the humidor for his friend Gary Liotta’s shop, Santiago’s Cigar Factory, in Rochester. John Henry and Liotta found the place in Canandaigua, but neighbors objected to the intended use. “There were editorials in the newspaper,” Suzanne said. “The school is right down the street; it’s a residential area. John Henry could have gotten the permit, but rather than starting out on a negative footing by pushing in a cigar store when most of the people didn’t want it, he changed his plans. “His goal was to have a place to display his art anyway, so we decided, let’s just move ahead and open the gallery and studio.” That happened on July 4 of this year — the couple’s 37th anniversary. Green is strong in color and substance. His metal work is pristine, and he likes to combine materials and draw strength from each. He paints. He sculpts. He photographs. “This has been great,” Suzanne said. “This has been a dream of my husband’s. I’m just enjoying it. I know how much he enjoys this. He enjoys the solitude. I’m here to do bookkeeping and the website. I do all the surround stuff. I’m very happy and so thankful we have the opportunity to do this now in our lives, something that hopefully becomes profitable. But our focus is that we’re both strong Christians, and this was a place we wanted to open for fellowship.” Green holds classes for people starting at high school age, where every artist starts with a drawing and ends up with something in color. Green stresses form and composition first. Suzanne said he’ll add “painting parties,” the fun other end of the spectrum, sometime later. They’re
just getting started, seeing what the market wants.
A ‘green’ lean And when he goes home, his environmental strengths flower. “I put in photovoltaics [solar panels], just under 9 kilowatt hours, and I’ve got a geothermal greenhouse. I put in some ponds, planted a vineyard, got some big old gardens, and I make compost,” he said. His bachelor’s degree was in fine arts and included alternative energy design. Couple that with his sustainable practices experience, the extremes of engineering training he’s received, his project-management skills, and John Henry is an expert adviser to people getting ready to build an energy-comfortable home. The couple has three grown children, all doing their own thing with some success. John Henry Jr. is a specialist in hazardous waste programs at Warsaw Hospital. He’s John’s son from a previous marriage. Aaron Green, a Cornell grad, is the assistant manager of the vineyard at Silver Thread Winery. Magdelynn Green is in Beaver Creek, Colo., and is an activities director. “My kids had to go out on jobs with me,”Green said. “Kids are never bored around me because I always have extra shovels.” What Suzanne said about Green love of solitude rings true. The studio is a quiet place, a reflective presence. You walk in the door and you have to shrug off whatever you were carrying.
Where is Original Green You can check out John Henry Green’s artwork and photos, upcoming sustainable living workshops and art lessons and sessions on Original Green’s website, originalgreendesign.com, or call the studio at 585-698-7740, or stop in at 335 N. Main St., Canandaigua.
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55PLUS Advertise in
Rochester’s Fastest Growing Population 585-421-8109 • editor@roc55.com November / December 2016 55 PLUS
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By Ernst Lamothe Jr.
G. Rollie Adams, 75
After nearly three decades as president and CEO of Strong Museum of Play, G. Rollie Adams is ready retire Q. Can you talk about how you plan to spend your free time once you retire? A. Not surprisingly, I expect to spend a lot of it playing with various activities with my family, traveling the back roads of the Finger Lakes region and enjoying its tremendous natural beauty and rich cultural heritage along with puttering around in the yard, and doing historical research and writing. I have done some research for a potential second biography — my first was “General William Selby Harney: Prince of Dragoons” —and I have a novel in draft form and an idea for another. I also have a huge backlog of books to read and movies to watch. And retired friends have told me that one of the best things about it is that you can take a nap any time you want. That sounds appealing too. Q. What will you miss most about the job? A. That’s tough to say, as I’m eager to move on to other things. But I will miss my daily interaction with colleagues, being around the collections, seeing guests enjoy the museum, and just walking into the office in the morning. But mostly, I think I’ll miss the creative energy here and opportunities to envision things and then strategize and work with others to make them happen on a large scale. Q. What makes The Strong Museum of Play such a staple in the Rochester area? A. That’s an assessment probably best left to others, but I believe it’s our mission to studying and interpreting play and the ways in which play is critical to learning and human development and illuminates cultural history. Or to put it simply, the museum is fun for people of all ages. Play sparks 50
55 PLUS - November / December 2016
joy, learning and achievement. It encourages collegiality and aids communication and socialization. It creates and recalls memories. It’s good for body and soul. Q. What were some of your proudest moments at CEO? A. There are many: Seeing people, especially children, learn while playing, acquiring the National Toy Hall of Fame; working with our terrific team to start the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, the World Video Game Hall of Fame, and the American Journal of Play. I also enjoyed building the most comprehensive collection of artifacts and documents of play in the world; completing two physical expansions and developing plans for another to come. We created national and international programmatic partnerships, such as with the Toy Industry Association and the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and we saw our staff develop extraordinary levels of collaboration and creativity. Q. What do you think the future holds for the museum? A. Every year, we draw more than 500,000 people to downtown Rochester and generate nearly five billion online and print media impressions. Market research indicates that we can nearly double those numbers with most additional attendees coming from out of state. That is provided that we can secure the necessary funding to expand again and along with our commercial partners, complete the neighborhood developments we envision for the Inner Loop fill nearest us.
Q. How has the museum changed since you first started? A. Foremost is the decision to be about play. Among many other changes included expanding from 150,000 to 285,000 square feet, growing attendance from 69,000 to more than 500,000 annually. As a history museum, we became highly hands on by blending the best features of history museums with those of children’s museums. Q. How do you think 21st. century technology has impacted the museum? A. This is still playing out, no pun intended. It has led us, as it has other successful organizations, to embrace the Internet, social media, mobile apps and other ways through which people want to access information and interact with each other. It has also led us to understand how video games have changed how people learn, socialize, and communicate, and that has caused us to develop the most comprehensive collection of video games and related materials anywhere. Q. What are some of the challenges you see in the future for the museum? A. One is implementing our vision for the next physical expansion, which we hope to accomplish within the next four years or so. Another is digitizing more of our collections so that researchers and others can access them fully from anywhere.
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