August 13-19, 2015

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Your Award-Winning News Source for the Upper Delaware River Valley Region Since 1975

Vol. 41 No. 33

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AUGUST 13 - 19, 2015

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of a local Crones Club, celebrating senior women and harkening back to a time when elder ARROWSBURG, NY — women, instead of too often beGrace Johansen, who ing the target of discrimination had a long relationship as happens now, were viewed as with The River Reporter as sources of wisdom, law, healing an employee and columnist, and moral leadership. passed away on August 8 at the In 2010, the crones, who were age of 86. comprised of Johansen and sevJohansen was an advertising en other women, gathered with manager with the newspaper, more than 40 younger women and she also provided the colContributed photo for what Sandy Long, writing umn “Did You Know?” She had in The River Reporter, called, a deep interest in local history, Grace Johansen “an inspiring and spirited diswhich prompted her to found the Tusten cussion of their remarkable lives and a Historical Society; she served as the orgagenerous offering of hard-won insights. nization’s president for 20 years. “‘Everything changes,’ said one. ‘AccepShe also wrote various books and booktance and fortitude will get you through.’ lets about the region. In 2003, Johansen ‘Limitations will come, but keep on gopenned a booklet that delineated a walking,’ advised another. ‘Ask yourself what ing tour of Narrowsburg, and she was inis most important to accomplish within volved in the town receiving the memoriyour lifetime and focus on that one thing,’ al plaque in front of town hall that marks offered a third.” the Town of Tusten’s Sesquicentennial Johansen was born in 1929, at the begincelebration, commemorating its 150 years ning of the Great Depression. Johansen’s of incorporation. family owned and operated the popular Johansen also worked with other comPeggy Runway Lodge, which was located munity activists to found the local liin Atco, PA, just across the Upper Delabrary. Information on the website of the ware River from Narrowsburg. Western Sullivan Public Library (WSPL) Although it burned down in 1979, Peggy says, “In the late 1980s, Grace Johansen, Runway Lodge has joined many other imlong-time Tusten supporter and area resiages from the past that have appeared in dent, imagined a library in a town where Johansen’s column in The River Reportthere had never been one. The result of er. From snowstorms near the turn of the that vision produced the Tusten-Cocheclast century, to the construction of Route ton Reading Center in a small storefront 97, to young people decked in swimming on Main Street, Narrowsburg, NY. Largeattire in the 1920s, Johansen treated ly through the determination of commureaders to a parade of pictures that highnity members, the Reading Center belighted the rich history of the region. came an accredited public library in 1990, Kristin White, director of WSPL said moving into its new home gifted by Art she was very gracious and will be greatly and Beth Peck.” missed. She said one of her colleagues The library ultimately merged with two told her “She lived up to her name.” others to become WSPL. See obituary on page 8. More recently, Johansen was a member

Chamber music at sunset

$1.50

By FRITZ MAYER

Priest,” and though he left the priesthood after 10 years, he maintained a life-long interest ARROWSBURG, NY — in the church and spirituality. Tom Kane, a long-time A recent post on his website reporter at The River says: “The officials of the CathReporter and an author, has olic Church are being forced by passed away, according to sourcits homosexual and transgenes who knew him. Kane’s body der members to come to grips was found in the Upper Delawith its long tradition of stern ware River on the afternoon of and inflexible doctrines on August 9, about 50 feet south of sexuality and its place in huthe Narrowsburg Bridge. Contributed photo man life. His body was discovered by Tom Kane “Pope Francis made some two volunteers of the National startling statements recently on the need Park Service. New York State Police confor bishops to abandon talking continufirmed that a body was discovered, and ally about abortion, homosexuality and various people confirmed that it was contraception and making it the central Kane. He was found fully clothed, and had core of the Catholic message.” identification on him. Kane’s journey to the priesthood and Kane won several awards for journalthen into journalism were driven by a ism while working at this newspaper, and keen interest in social justice. Another his professional life also included proof his posts says: “You don’t have to be a fessorships, public relations work with pope to state outright that Capitalism in the New York City Board of Education, its present form is not good for the earth teaching English in Jeffersonville, and or for people. It isn’t working. It is the root singing with the Delaware Valley Opera cause for the greatest economic inequalCompany. ity that the modern world has seen. It is He was also a priest in the Catholic the root cause of the destruction of our Church, and became ordained in 1959. He precious environment, of our precious ultimately became disillusioned with the planet.” church, as a post on his website explains: Working for The River Reporter, Kane “He loved his work, but even as he gained was the first reporter to cover a meetexperience as a counselor, he began to ing regarding natural gas leases, and struggle with the harsh moral doctrine the beginning of the great divide locally of church leaders. The stance of arrobetween those who supported and those gance and condemnation from religious who opposed hydraulic fracturing, and authorities who spent their days in the he won two first-place awards from the ivory towers of the Vatican came to feel New York Press Association for his jourmore and more at odds with the reality of nalism in that area. He also won a firsteveryday life that was the source of stress place award for his coverage of flooding for so many of Kane’s clients.” in the Upper Delaware Valley in 2006. Kane, who lived in Honesdale, PA, auTom Kane was 85 years old. thored a book titled “Bad Church, Good See obituary on page 8. Church: A Memoir of a Former Catholic

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SPANNING 2 STATES, 4 COUNTIES, AND A RIVER THAT UNITES US

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Tom Kane passes

Grace Johansen departed By FRITZ MAYER

www.riverreporter.com

The River Reporter


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