Photos provided by Alumni Foundation – The Albion Alumni Foundation held a reception last week that included Maurice and Courtenay Hoag, who have endowed a scholarship that awards $10,500 for over four years to students majoring in chemical engineering. Pictured, from left, includes Maurice Hoag, Kyler McQuillan, Trevor Hadick and Courtenay Hoag.
WATERPORT – The Albion High School Alumni Foundation held the first of what it hopes will become an annual event to honor its scholarship donors and recipients.
For this inaugural event, held at the home of Chris and Pat Haines last Wednesday, the Foundation Board of Directors honored the donors and recipients of both its largest scholarship and its most recently added scholarships.
This event was a unique opportunity for the donors and recipients to have one-on-one time meeting and talking with each other.
Maurice and Courtenay Hoag attended the event and met two recipients of a $10,500 scholarship that provides $2,625 annually to the students who major in chemical engineering. Trevor Haddick and Kyler McQuillan are both recipients.
“I was truly honored to tell him all the things that the scholarship has allowed me to achieve,” said Trevor Hadick, a student at Carnegie Mellon University. “Talking with Mo was remarkable. Getting to hear about his experiences in the field and stories regarding his world travels reminded me that you never know what the world has in store for you.”
The Panek family is funding two scholarships, including the John Panek Memorial Scholarship in honor of Jim Panek’s father. Kerry and Jim Panek are pictured with the scholarship winner, Sara Millspaugh.
Brenda McQuillan, Kyler’s mother, also was grateful to meet the Hoags and thank them for the generous scholarship.
“It was a pleasure to meet the man who is so graciously supporting Kyler’s college education through a scholarship,” Brenda McQuillan said. “Mr. Hoag shared the experiences he had throughout his 30-year career as a chemical engineer. Mr. Hoag’s enjoyment of working in this field and his resulting success were inspiring for Kyler to learn about first hand. Kyler walked away from this meeting even more excited about the education that lies ahead of him and his future career in the field of chemical engineering.”
Jim and Kerry Panek of Albion attended the event to represent two scholarships funded by the Panek family. The John Panek Memorial Scholarship ($1,000) is going to Sara Millspaugh, who is attending Cornell University.
Jayne Bannister, who is heading to Kansas State University, received the $1,000 Panek Family Farm Agriculture Scholarship.
MEDINA – Orchard Manor celebrated the 102nd birthday for Marian Boyle (center) with a party today. Two other residents – Louise Cockram and Grace Allen – also have topped 100 years old, and they have birthdays this month.
This photo shows, front row, from left: Laurie Seager, activity assistant; and and Kayla Williams, activity aide. Second row: Louise Cockram, Marian Boyle, and Grace Allen. Back row: Jamie Murphy, activity director; and Dave Denny, administrator.
Residents and staff gathered to celebrate Marian Boyle’s 102nd birthday at Orchard Manor Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. The facility has three centenarians, all having birthdays in the month of August.
Louise Cockram will be 106 on Aug. 28. When she was born in 1909, the mayor of Tokyo presented Washington, D.C. with 2,000 cherry trees which President William H. Taft had planted near the Potomac River. The Indianapolis Race Track opened, and eggs were $.14 a dozen.
Louise Cockram lived in West Bergen, where she raised her family. She recalls baking cookies, cakes, and pies to sell. She also made clothes for her family. She learned how to knit and crochet from her teacher, after school. Louise says she has no secret to her longevity. She continues to do Physical Therapy and still loves to play bingo.
In 1913, when Marian Boyle was born, the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, authorizing the Federal government to impose and collect income taxes. Ford Motor Company introduced the first moving assembly line, and the price of milk was $.35 a gallon. Marian Boyle was welcomed into the world on Aug. 6 in Shelby Center and was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church of Medina.
Also known as “Jimmy” or “Gumby”, Marian married her sweetheart in 1936. She enjoyed being a housewife and raising her family. Her hobbies included refinishing furniture, cooking & baking, knitting & crocheting.
Marian continues to enjoy moving around in her wheelchair, attending various activities and musical programs, and of course, her coffee & cookies.
In 1914, World War I began. The world’s first red and green traffic lights were installed in Cleveland, Ohio and the cost of a first class stamp is $.02. On the 8th day of August that year, Grace Allen was born.
On a recent trip down memory lane she recalled growing up in Oakfield, graduating high school in 1932. She wanted to go further in school to perhaps study English or French, but didn’t go to college.
She did, however, write West Barre news articles for the Batavia Daily News and the Medina Journal Register. Grace said that her secret to living a long life is hard work. She recalls family liking her good cooking and doing a lot of canning for winter meals. She never made much of her birthday, saying that it’s just another day. But, Grace will indeed have a slice of birthday cake this year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Provided photos – James Cooper created this 4′ x 6′ acrylic on canvas he entitled “Albert’s Park.” It is one of 68 pieces of art featured in the 65th Rochester-Finger Lakes Exhibition at Memorial Art Gallery.
MEDINA – A painting from a scene in New York City by James Cooper is one of 68 pieces highlighted in one of the area’s most prestigious art shows.
Cooper painted the 4-by-6-foot artwork of East Fourth Street. He was sitting in his car at 9 a.m., watching people going to work when he started drawing. He shows a woman picking up litter with a cane. There is an image of a bird as graffiti on a building.
Cooper adds a spirit in the trees. The spirit is happy with the woman picking up the trash, and presence of so many community gardens.
The Medina native returned to his hometown three years ago after a decade in SoHo, an artist community in New York City.
James Cooper is pictured with his painting at the Memorial Art Gallery. After a career in SoHo in New York City, Cooper moved back to his hometown of Medina three years ago.
He has been painting many local scenes and landscapes since coming home. He also teaches art classes, and takes small groups out on location to draw and paint.
“I came back to paint the local area,” Cooper said. “I wanted to do something authentic.”
Cooper, who also works as an architect, is the son of an art teacher. He has enjoyed rediscovering small town life.
“I got tired of the density of the city in SoHo,” he said.
The 65th Rochester-Finger Lakes Art Exhibition is a juried show at the Memorial Art Gallery. This is a long-running showcase for artists from western and central New York. The show opened on July 26 and remains on view through Sept. 13.
This year’s exhibition features 68 works by 46 artists. They were chosen from a field of 920 entries by 330 artists by Michael Rooks, Wieland Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 August 2015 at 12:00 am
~Tribute~
Photos by Tom Rivers – Bob Waters, president of the Medina Sandstone Society, gives a rallying cry on Dec. 11, 2013, during the inaugural induction of the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame. Waters believed the community should take pride in its history, including the many landmark buildings around the state made from the local stone.
MEDINA – Orleans County lost one of its biggest boosters last week with the death of Robert E. Waters. The former publisher lived a full life, leading the local newspaper, raising two daughters with his wife Barbara, and playing an influential role in civic affairs.
Waters was a community dynamo for nearly a century. In addition to leading the local newspaper, Waters was a key leader in finding a new use for the Medina Armory when it closed in 1977. It would become a YMCA. (The Y recently completed more than $500,000 in upgrades to the former Armory, setting the building up for years of more use.)
Waters relished life in a small town. He was pleased with the recent resurgence of the downtown Medina business district, with the influx of investment and young entrepreneurs.
“It used to be young people couldn’t wait to get out of here,” he told Orleans Hub in April 2014 when he was being honored as a Heritage Hero by Genesee Community College and Orleans Hub. “I’ve always been a small-towner. Maybe the small town is coming back.”
The Heritage Heroes were honored for the first time in April 2014 as part of the Civil War Encampment. Waters stood out for a lifetime of commitment to the community.
He used the written word to preserve local history. He has written publications – he wouldn’t call them books – about Medina’s sandstone past, the community’s boom years from 1900 to 1930, and a publication of penny post cards about Medina in 2012: “Greetings from Medina, New York.”
Bob Waters in April 2013 signs a copy of the Medina Sandstone Society’s latest publication, “Medina, My Home Town – Fond Memories.” Waters tended the Sandstone Society’s booth at the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Home and Garden Show.
While Waters loved the written word, he has also provided leadership and some of the heavy lifting for community projects, perhaps most notably the reuse of the former Armory on Pearl Street.
That 90,000-square-foot structure was built in 1901. After the state closed the building in 1977, Waters and the Armory Action Committee met weekly and negotiated with the state to keep the utilities on, make needed repairs and eventually transfer the site to the community so it could be used as a YMCA.
“When the National Guard left, the property could have gone down hill in a hurry,” Waters told Orleans Hub last year. “Now the Y is just running with it.”
Even at 90, he was leading the Medina Sandstone Society as the group’s president. Waters turned the Sandstone Society into a dedicated group that relishes the rich local history of the area. He backed efforts to create a Sandstone Hall of Fame that inducts buildings and landmarks made of the local sandstone.
Waters also pushed to create the Sandstone Trust that doles out small grants to community projects, from restoring stained glass windows, boosting the archives at the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, and repairing stonework at the former Armory, as well as numerous other initiatives.
Waters was meticulous in his dress, wearing suits and bowties. But he was far from pretentious. Many residents received notes from Waters over the years, praising them for their good works, whether opening a new business, planting flowers or painting their house.
Waters exuded enthusiasm for the community.
“He loved the character of small-town life,” said his daughter Julie, who works in central communications for Cornell University. “He believed that small towns have a lot of vitality.”
When the bishop of the Western New York Diocese for the Episcopal Church visited Medina on June 17, Bob Waters gave him a tour. The Right Rev. R. William Franklin is pictured at Medina City Hall with Waters after the two looked at the Sandstone Hall of Fame, which includes St. Paul’s Cathedral in Buffalo, a giant Episcopal church made of sandstone from quarries in Hulberton.
Waters graduated from Medina High School in 1942 and served in World War II with the Army. After he earned a degree from Miami University of Ohio, he joined the family business, The Journal-Register in Medina, in 1949.
The paper would expand its coverage under Waters, with a big push to cover all of Orleans County. Mike Wertman was hired as a reporter in 1978. He covered local sports and other community news, including local government.
At that time, Waters wanted more in the newspaper from outside Medina. He pushed Wertman and the staff to be a county-wide paper, and Waters embraced coverage of girls sports. He would make sports a full-time job for Wertman. Waters gave this advice to Wertman: “The more names you could get in the paper, the better.”
Wertman said Waters was influential in the careers of many journalists. Many got their start at The Journal with Waters as their mentor. Behind closed doors with staff, Waters was optimistic, looking for the good in the community and its residents.
“He was always positive and pro-Medina,” said Wertman, who now covers sports for the Orleans Hub.
After selling The Journal and the former Albion Advertiser to a large newspaper chain, Park Newspapers, in 1985, Waters would work 10 years as communications director for State Sen. John Daly and his successor, George Maziarz. Waters also served on the Ridgeway Town Board for a decade, and was deputy town supervisor.
He stayed active and engaged in community issues, and found time for golf at Shelridge. He enjoyed playing the game with friends, and his grandson, Cody. Bob was one of five founders of Shelridge Country Club and was its first president.
Julie Waters said the family nearly lost him when he was 40 and in the backyard with his kids. A stray bullet from a target shooter struck Waters in the cheek and left his neck. The injury gave him problems the rest of his life, but Waters and family were grateful for 50 more years.
“He almost died, but he survived,” his daughter said. “We always felt it was a gift that he lived and we had a father.”
Julie said she is grateful to the community for the outpouring of tributes for her father.
“People have expressed a lot for his love of community and family,” she said.
Bob Waters, right, shows Medina resident Roland Howell the Sandstone Hall of Fame during a reception in February 2014. Waters relished his friendships and local history.
On a personal note, I’ve been friends with Bob for 20 years since I moved to Orleans County and had my first newspaper job with the Albion Advertiser. I often went to the Medina office of The Journal-Register to drop off film and lay out the Albion paper.
Bob would often stop by. He sprinkled kind words around the news room, especially for the reporters. He offered some background on the issues of the day.
We remained in touch when I joined The Daily News in Batavia. We became closer friends the past two years. I really enjoy learning about the area’s Medina Sandstone history, and the seeing how far the stone travelled in building mansions, churches and other important community buildings all over the state and beyond.
I thought a Sandstone Hall of Fame would be a nice way to celebrate that heritage. I pitched the idea to Waters and some of the Sandstone Society members. They endorsed the effort – and did all the work.
Bob, like a lot of newspapermen, watched the grim state of the industry with concern. The Journal-Register closed last year. Other small-town papers have also shut down and many larger papers are a shell of themselves.
Bob was a big encourager when the Orleans Hub started. He wanted the local news covered. He even declared himself a “Hubster” in a recent email.
He has been a role model for many in the community, showing the importance of valuing people and history. He was unapologetic in his love for Medina.
He also showed it doesn’t always take a big capital campaign to make a difference. Sometimes it just takes a hand-written note.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Kim Lockwood, owner of FastFitness in Medina, recently added a tanning business, FasTan. Lockwood, right, is pictured with FasTan manager Danielle Waters at the site, which was a garage and has been renovated with five tanning booths.
MEDINA – In 2004, Kim Lockwood wanted to start a women’s-only gym. She was working as an occupational therapist for the VA in Batavia at the time.
But Lockwood believed there was potential in a business that catered to women with their own gym.
She brought passion and lots of energy to her goal. But she didn’t have a business background. She took a 10-week class through the Orleans Economic Development Agency, a class that helped her develop a business plan and also included insights on taxes, marketing, legal issues, computer skills and other issues.
Lockwood also used a low-interest loan through the EDA’s revolving loan fund to open FastFitness in 2004. She started the business in Albion and added a FastFitness in Medina in 2010. (She sold the Albion location which is now XPress Fitness.)
In 2013, with the Medina site on Main Street crammed for space, Lockwood moved to 627 West Ave., in a former hardware store. She tripled the space for the gym, and six months later opened a fitness room next to the gym for women to take Zumba and other exercise classes. During her winter peak, Lockwood has more than 400 members at FastFitness.
Kim Lockwood, left, gave up a job as an occupational therapist with the VA in Batavia to start FastFitness, a gym for women only. Lockwood credited assistance and ongoing expertise from her business advisor through the Small Business Development Center. Lockwood is pictured with her advisor Sam Campanella, third from left, and another business advisor Dick Pettine, left. Both serve as instructors with the Microenterprise Assistance Program, which is directed by Diane Blanchard, second from left. Lockwood graduated from that 10-week program in 2004 and continues to get advice from her business advisor.
When she was in the MAP program in 2004, she worked with Sam Campanella, one of the class instructors and a small business advisor with the NYS Small Business Development Center.
Campanella has been a frequent resource for Lockwood, connecting her with consultants for marketing, legal issues and accounting. He pitched an idea to Lockwood. He thought a tanning business would complement FastFitness.
Lockwood researched the issue and crunched the numbers with Campanella. She opened FasTan in March at 627 West Ave., in the same building with FastFitness. She already has more than 200 tanning clients using five tanning booths, including a stand-up booth, a 10-minute tanning booth and a 12-minute tanning booth.
The quick tanning sessions give people a chance to swing by on a lunch break, Lockwood said.
Lockwood is considered one of the biggest success stories in the small business training and assistance program through the EDA, said Diane Blanchard, MAP coordinator.
Lockwood said the small business assistance has been invaluable, and critical for her to grow her business.
Campanella said Lockwood has the key qualities for a successul entrepreneur.
“You need the ability to work hard and work smart,” he said today while visiting Lockwood at FastFitness and FasTan. “You need to have vision and determination and a don’t-give-up attitude. You need to understand the business you’re in.”
Kim Lockwood has a stand-up tanning booth at FasTan, which has five tanning booths at 627 West Ave.
Campanella and Pettine are both part-time certified business advisors. Campanella works out of GCC in Batavia and has 48 clients while Pettine works out of Brockport State College and has 58 clients.
Diane Blanchard, the Microenterprise Assistance Program coordinator, said the two are great resources for business owners. They can help get a business off to a good start and help as business owners grapple with other issues later on.
“They are an advisor forever,” Blanchard said.
Lockwood has grown from using 1,200 square feet on Main Street in Medina to 7,500 square feet at the current location, a former hardware store and garage.
She said the success of the business has her thinking about adding more locations. She has applied to be on the Shark Tank show for a big capital investment to turn FastFitness into franchises. She is waiting to hear from the show.
In the meantime, she may add another location nearby. She said she is grateful she made the decision in 2004 to start the business, and see the hundreds of people who have improved their health and confidence through FastFitness.
The EDA is starting another MAP class on Sept. 8. The program runs through Nov. 17. For more information about MAP, call Blanchard at (585) 589-7060 ext. 101.
Provided photo – Capt. Garret Farman relieves Capt. Michael Ballou as 28th commanding officer of the U.S. Navy repair facility in Japan. The Ship Repair Facility Japan Regional Maintenance Center provides ship maintenance and modernization to Pacific Fleet Type Commanders using advanced industrial techniques to keep the Seventh Fleet operationally ready. Photo by Michelle Bridges, Ship Repair Facility Japan Regional Maintenance Center Public Affairs.
By Alicia Akashi, SRF-JRMC Public Affairs
YOKOSUKA, Japan – Captain Garrett Farman relieved Captain Michael Ballou as U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center (SRF-JRMC) Yokosuka’s commanding officer at a change of command ceremony on July 10.
SRF-JRMC is a full-service ship repair facility providing maintenance, modernization, docking, fly-away and emergency repairs for U.S. Navy vessels. The SRF-JRMC mission is to “Keep the Seventh Fleet Operationally Ready.”
Captain Farman is the son of Robert and Patricia Farman of Medina. A 1986 graduate of Medina High School, Captain Farman attended the University of Rochester, earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
He was commissioned through the University of Rochester Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1990. He was awarded a Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Post Graduate School in 2000.
Captain Farman is an Engineering Duty Officer involved with the design, acquisition, construction, repair, maintenance, conversion, overhaul and disposal of ships, submarines, aircraft carriers and the systems on those platforms.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – This house was built in 1893 at the corner of East State and Platt streets as the manse for the First Presbyterian Church in Albion.
ALBION – I have admired Phil and Harriette Greaser’s house in Albion for many years. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s part of the Courthouse Square District, which includes 34 sites on the National Register, including seven churches.
The Greasers were often out on the front porch together. I would wave, and compliment them on their house. They told me I could get a tour sometime.
I didn’t pursue a tour until Thursday. I wish I had tried harder sooner. Mr. Greaser passed away at age 88 on June 30.
The house has several oval-shaped windows that face the Courthouse and other historic sites in Albion. Mrs. Greaser says this is the half-moon window.
The Greasers bought the house from the Presbyterian Church in 1987. It had been the church manse, the home for the pastor, since the house was built in 1893.
The Greasers were downsizing after restoring a 22-room house in Eagle Harbor that they called “The Four Chimneys.”
The house in Albion was designed by acclaimed Rochester architect Andrew Jackson Warner. It was constructed in the Queen Anne style.
“To have this architecture – an Andrew Jackson Warner house in Albion – was a great privilege to take on,” Mrs. Greaser said.
Harriette Greaser is pictured with the staircase made of golden oak.
The Greasers would transform the house, scraping away paint and bringing back woodwork. They planted trees, hedges and a big garden of flowers and vegetables.
The Landmark Society of Western New York took notice and gave the couple a Historic Home award in 2002. In 2007, their house was featured in a Rochester magazine.
The reception room in the Greaser home puts the woodwork on display. The house includes red birch, golden oak and cucumber wood.
Mr. Greaser grew up in Pennsylvania, the son of a Baptist minister. He moved to Holley when he was 20 after serving in the Navy. His father was leading the Baptist church there at the time.
Phil Greaser would work 37 years for Kodak. He and his wife were married for 51 years and they raised four children.
He loved architecture, music and literature. One of the rooms in the house includes his library. He liked to read by a window while birds fluttered nearby outside.
The library at the Greaser home lets in lots of natural light from the windows.
Phil Greaser enjoyed the many birds that were in the backyard at the Greaser property in Albion. His children gave him the stained-glass artwork for his 80th birthday.
The house in the village, across from the Courthouse and next to the Presbyterian Church, proved convenient. Mrs. Greaser is the organist at the Holy Family Catholic Parish. Her husband was the organist for more than 50 years at the First Baptist Church.
They each have a piano in the house. Mr. Greaser played a Steinway and his wife a Knabe. She continues to teach piano lessons from her home.
After years in the country, the couple enjoyed the easy access to the library, Post Office, grocery store and other amenities in the village.
But the Greasers weren’t used to such a public location, especially when they were out weeding and doing other yard work.
Harriette Greaser is pictured in the backyard of the property at 31 East State St., where she and her husband created a garden with numerous types of flowers, as well as a sandstone walkway. The yard used to be all grass.
Many pedestrians pass by each day on Platt and East State streets. Mrs. Greaser is aware of the location’s prominent spot in a historic district and busy part of the community.
“This is a very public place and the grounds need to showcase the house,” Mrs. Greaser said. “It’s wrong to have a house like this and not invest it.”
She and her husband preferred to spend money on bushes, flowers and the landscape, rather than go out for dinner.
Mr. Greaser loved Daylilies, his wife said. They have Daylilies in several different colors.
About 20 years ago a man stopped by the Greasers and offered them this sandstone bench, thinking it would go nicely with their backyard. The couple gratefully accepted.
Mr. Greaser took on many of the building projects at the house himself. He and his wife did lots of scraping, and Mr. Greaser liked to pick reproduction wallpaper to give the interior a feel from a century ago.
His wife said the community is fortunate to have contractors who can skillfully work on historic houses. They hired Panek Coatings to paint the house on three different occasions. Steve Ernst has helped them with some of the bigger projects, especially with the chimneys.
The front room has windows with refracted glass that send bursts of light in different directions throughout the day.
“The light comes in and just sparkles,” Mrs. Greaser said.
Mrs. Greaser said she and her husband enjoyed the house, tending to details inside and outside.
They enjoyed sitting in the patio, chatting with their friends and family.
She was asked why she and her husband tried so hard to decorate the house and keep it up.
“It’s your home,” she replied. “It’s want you want to live in and be surrounded by.”
The Greasers preserved many of the historical features of the house, including this communication system within the home. People could talk to each other from the top to bottom floors with these phones mounted on the walls.
Builders of the house didn’t cut corners with the woodwood. The Greasers also kept many plants inside the house, including one that hangs from the top staircase.
This plaque notes the house is on the National Register of Historic Places.
File photo by Tom Rivers – Chuck Nesbitt, the Orleans County chief administrative officer, details the Orleans County budget during a public hearing in December 2013 at the County Courthouse.
Press Release
NYS Association of Counties
ALBANY – Chuck Nesbitt, Orleans County chief administrative officer, was named to the Board of Directors of the New York State Association of Counties earlier this week.
NYSAC represents New York’s 57 counties and New York City in Albany and Washington, D.C. on matters germane to county governments, and informs county officials and the public about issues that impact county governments across the state.
“We are pleased that Chuck has agreed to serve on the board of directors,” said NYSAC President Anthony J. Picente, Jr., the Oneida County Executive. “His experience with local government efficiency programs and economic development will add depth and expertise to a very active and committed board of directors.”
Nesbitt has served as the chief administrative officer for Orleans County since 2005. In his post, he oversees the day-to-day operations of the county government on behalf of the County Legislature, from budgeting to departmental oversight. Nesbitt also serves at the president of the NYS Association of County Administrators, which is an affiliate of NYSAC comprised of 33 county administrators and managers.
“I have worked with Chuck for many years and I welcome his wisdom and perspective on our board of directors as we continue to advocate for mandate relief, investments in local infrastructure, and a strong economic recovery,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario.
Prior to 2005, Chuck served as the state’s economic development specialist for the Finger Lakes Region, where he devised business incentives to retain and create jobs in the area.
“NYSAC is a strong county advocate and plays an important policy development role in Albany,” Nesbitt said. “I am happy to have this opportunity to serve the Association on the board. I look forward to sharing our experiences from Orleans County, and learn from the leaders of counties in other parts of the state.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Gerald Scharping checks the thermometers inside a shed in his backyard. Scharping has been a weather observer for the past 41 years for the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
GAINES – Gerald Scharping has checking the thermometer and the rain gauge in his backyard as a daily duty for 41 years.
He is dutiful in recording the high and low temperatures, as well as the precipitation for the day. He charts it all, and makes notes about other weather issues of the day, noting if it was windy, sprinkling or snowing.
He sends in a report each month to the National Weather Service, with puts the information in the National Climatic Data Center.
Gerald Scharping is presented a framed certificate and letter of appreciation for his years of service as a weather observer from Dan Kelly of the National Weather Service.
Today the Weather Service presented Scharping with a certificate and letter of appreciation for his many years of service. Only a weather observer in Oswego, who has been volunteering daily in the data collection for more than 50 years, has been at it longer than Scharping, said Dan Kelly, the observer program leader for the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
Kelly works with 53 observers in a territory from Buffalo to Watertown.
“There are very few who have been at it longer,” Kelly said about Scharping.
The Crandall Road resident walks to his backyard each day, sometimes trudging through snow. He tries to get the measurements at 5 p.m. each day.
“I was interested in it,” Scharping said about collecting the weather data.
Scharping checks the rain gauge.
Kelly said the Weather Service has data from Albion since 1938. Tom Lamont was the first to collect the data on Densmore Road, which is about a mile from Scharping’s. Dennis Kirby and Stanley Kast followed, with Scharping starting in 1974.
Kelly said the Weather Service doesn’t have too many spots like in Albion with daily data from the same area going back more than 75 years. That long-term data can help the Weather Service study possible changes in weather patterns and climate, Kelly said.
Scharping has lived in his house for all 87 years of his life. He ran a general farm until 1972, when he was hired as the first manager for the Orleans County Soil & Water Conservation District. He worked in that job until retiring in 1992.
Kelly shared some highlights from Scharping’s reports over the years. The hottest day recorded was 101 degrees on July 8, 1988 and the coldest was minus-20 on Feb. 18, 1979.
Scharping has counted 2,706 inches of snow in the 41 years with the biggest snowfall – 16 inches – on March 11, 1992. He has also tracked 1,448.76 inches of rain with the biggest day, 4.83 inches, on Sept. 14, 1979.
Scharping said he is committed to the task each day and wants to keep at it.
Kelly said he welcomes more volunteers to collect data. He said the Weather Service would like someone in Medina and people near the Lake Ontario shoreline. For more information, email Kelly at Dan.kelly@noaa.gov.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos and article by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Jennifer Ohar Scott has found a way to funnel her outrage about what she sees as the over-testing of children and stifling of their creativity.
Scott, a Medina High School art teacher, has turned to painting to vent her frustrations with Common Core and state leaders, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former Education Commissioner Dr. John King. He was commissioner when the state implemented Common Core.
Some of Scott’s paintings are featured in an art show at the Marti’s on Main art gallery at 229 North Main St., Albion. There will be a closing reception there on July 24 from 5:30 to 9 p.m.
The top photo shows Gov. Andrew Cuomo with a crown of hundred-dollar bills on his head. That mixed media art work is entitled “Cuomo: The Emperor of Contingent Funding.”
It is includes a column from New York Times writer Paul Krugman, who on Feb. 23, 2015, wrote “Knowledge isn’t power.” Krugman argues that a failed education system isn’t the cause of the wealth gap in the country. Click here to see the article.
Jennifer Scott created this mixed media artwork of John King, the former state education commissioner.
“The King of Standardized Testing and Unregulated Data Sharing” depicts King wearing a crown made of a test bubble sheet.
The artwork also include portions of a letter written from Medina English teacher Karen Jones to King. She sent him a six-page letter, detailing her concerns about Common Core testing. Scott said King never responded, and his lack of a response angered her.
Her Common Core-themed artwork has been featured in Buffalo galleries. She won the “People’s Choice” award for the artwork on John King at Gallery 464 in Buffalo.
“At the very least this should provoke a conversation,” said Scott, who lives in Lockport. “I feel strongly about educating parents, but I don’t want to shove my viewpoint down their throats.”
“One Size Will Not Fit All” is a statement about standardized testing.
Scott opposes the reliance on standardized tests in assessing students’ and teachers’. Those state tests don’t measure students who may learn and test better through auditory, cognitiive and other learning styles, she said.
“One style of testing is the antithesis of what I’ve learned,” Scott said. “The testing they’re doing now is not helpful. It only benefits the testing companies.”
“This is a Normal Brain” is a work by Jennifer Ohar Scott.
“This is Your Brain on Common Core” is displayed next to the other painting of a healthy brain.
Scott teaches teaches eighth grade and high school at Medina. She was recently selected as one of 25 teachers of merit by Buffalo Business First.
She said she doesn’t oppose the state wanting accountability for teachers. But she said the overreliance on test scores is not good for students, teachers or the community.
She stressed her artwork is her opinion and not the Medina school district’s. Scott said the testing issue, which prompted many students and parents to “opt out” of the most recent tests this spring, has dominated her artwork.
“Everything I’ve been doing lately is about Common Core,” she said.
For more on Jennifer Ohar Scott, visit jenniferoharscott.com.
To see the artwork at Marti’s, contact gallery owner Kim Martillotta-Muscarella at 589-6715.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 June 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – John Robinson is making his third ride along the Erie Canal, going 363 miles from Buffalo to Albany. He is pictured at about 11:15 this morning with his wife Andrea. They are close to the Main Street lift bridge in Albion.
This time the journey has been harder. The rain has softened the towpath, making it mushy and requiring more push from Robinson to move his adaptive use bicycle.
Robinson is pictured on East Bank Street, headed to the former Grammar School on East Academy Street.
Owen Robinson, 12, joins his parents Andrea and John on the bike ride, which took a brief detour off the canal today in Albion so the family could meet residents served by The Arc of Orleans County.
Robinson, 46, stopped in Albion late this morning. He visited developmentally disabled residents served by The Arc of Orleans County. Robinson, who was born without arms and legs, was given a big reception and he happily greeted residents and posed for pictures.
He has made promoting abilities and skills of the disabled to businesses and government officials. He wants people with disabilities to have a shot at employment. When they can’t work, he wants there to be services in place so they can remain part of the community.
John Robinson is praised by Donna Saskowski, executive director for The Arc of Orleans County. She also leads the state ARC chapter in Genesee County.
“We’re doing everything we can to advocate for people with disabilities at the local, county, state and national levels,” Robinson said during a reception at the former Grammar School in Albion, where The Arc provides services. “We’re trying to make a better life and a better economic opportunity for people with disabilities.”
Robinson in October was honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change” for his efforts to connect disabled residents to jobs.
Robinson lives in the Albany suburb of Glenmont. He is managing partner and CEO of Our Ability, a company that supports people with disabilities.
Robinson meets with local developmentally disabled residents.
He recalled when he first stopped in Albion two years and was struggling on the bike ride. He didn’t think he would be able to get to Albany, about 300 miles away.
But a big crowd of residents, including local officials and many disabled residents, gave him a huge welcome, including a quilt with blocks showing their support for his trip.
Robinson keeps that in his office. He is also a motivational speaker and he shares how the enocuragement from the Albion group lifted his spirits during a trying time.
“You guys inspired me to keep going,” Robinson told a group of about 30 people today. “I mention Albion, NY, and Orleans County every where I go.”
Andrea Robinson rides behind her husband John and their son Owen as they go down East Bank Street today in Albion.
The Robinsons started today’s trip in Medina and plan to go to Spencerport at the end of the day. It will take about two weeks to travel the canal.
They are traveling with Robinson’s business partner Doug Hamlin, a para-palegic who is using an adaptive use bicycle. Hamlin was slowed today because of the rain and soft towpath.
Robinson said he hopes their example will inspire the community to look past the disabilities and see the abilities in everyone.
He said he was encouraged after the visit at The Arc today.
“Everybody in here has a will to live and has a family that wants the best for them,” he said. “We’re trying to send the message that we are people with ability.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 June 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
John Robinson, left, and his friend Doug Hamlin, right, ride adaptive use bicycles along West Bank Street in Albion on July 1, 2014. The duo and their supporters rode the Erie Canal and stopped in Albion to visit The Arc of Orleans County. They will be back Tuesday morning at 11 for a program at the former Grammar School on East Academy Street.
The Arc provides services at the former school for senior citizens and people with disabilities.
Robinson will leave Medina in the morning and head to Albion. Robinson was born without full arms and legs. He is riding an adaptive bicycle from Tonawanda to Albany.
This is the third year Robinson is making the trip along the 363-mile-long Erie Canal.
Robinson has made the trek to show people that disabled residents can achieve big dreams, too.
Robinson also brings a message seeking job opportunities for disabled residents. Whether in sheltered workshops or other jobs in the community, Robinson said people with developmental disabilities have skills that can be used in the workplace.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 June 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Albion Rotary Club honored Kathy Ludwick, retired Albion village clerk/treasurer, as a Paul Harris Fellow on Thursday. She is pictured with Rotarians Don Bishop, center, and Bill Diehl.
This is the highest honor given by a Rotary Club. The Albion club will donate $1,000 in Ludwick’s name to Rotary International to be used for humanitarian work.
Ludwick was praised for her 32 years as a village employee, including 25 years as clerk/treasurer. She has been a volunteer with the Albion Strawberry Festival for all 29 of the events. Even in her retirement, she continues to help with the festival, serving as treasurer of the two-day event, which costs more than $20,000 to put on. Ludwick for many years coordinated the craft vendors.
The Rotary Club now is the main sponsor for the festival. Ludwick thanked the club for stepping up and leading the event.
Bishop has volunteered with the festival for two decades and he said Ludwick has been instrumental in the effort.
“She has been my mentor and go-to person for over 20 years,” Bishop said.
Marlee Diehl puts a Paul Harris Fellow pin on Bill Diehl, her husband and the outgoing president of the Albion Rotary Club. This is Diehl’s third Paul Harris award.
Diehl is a retired teacher and financial advisor. His wife also is a member of the Rotary Club and will serve as district governor in 2017-18 for 70 clubs in Western New York and Southern Ontario.
Mr. Diehl said the club tackled several important community projects in the past year in addition to the Strawberry Festival. A golf tournament raised $5,000 for a van for the Joint Veterans Council to take veterans to medical appointments. The Saint Patrick’s Dinner in March raised $1,633 for Rotary Interact to give to a community in South Sudan that is building a school and safe drinking water system.
Diehl also said the club secured funding for literacy projects in the Philippines and also locally with Head Start families.
The Rotary Interact leaders at Albion High School attended the Rotary meeting on Thursday. The Interact club started in Albion in 2000. Tim Archer, left, is advisor for the club that includes these student officers for 2015-16, from left: Elizabeth Goff, president; Meredith Patterson, treasurer; Matilda Erakare, vice president; and Vivian Rivers, secretary.
The Interact Club connects students to community service, including projects far from Albion. Besides the humanitarian work in the South Sudan, Interact has raised money to dig water wells in Peru, build a school for girls in Pakistan and help hurricane-ravaged Biloxi, Miss.
“We’ve done a lot with your help to touch our world,” Archer told the Rotary Club. “The world is full of places in need and we’re grateful to touch just a few of them.”
Karen Sawicz, owner and publisher of The Lake Country Pennysaver and Orleans Hub, was inducted as the new Rotary president for the next year.
Sawicz, left, is sworn in as new president by Carol Toomey, a newspaper publisher and a Sawicz friend from Concord, Mass. Toomey is a past district governor in Central Massachusetts.
Sawicz joined the Rotary Club in 1995 and served as president in 2002-03. Her father, the late Vincent St. John, also was a Rotarian.
This year’s theme for Rotary is “Be a Gift to the World.”
ALBION – Albion High School Alumni Foundation takes great pride in making a difference for a lifetime for the Albion Central School District community – alumni, students, teachers and friends.
Its claim to fame, so to speak, is the scholarship program. Each year at the Class Night celebration, the Foundation presents scholarships to graduating seniors who meet the criteria of each specific scholarship. This year, the Foundation awarded 20 scholarships to 28 students totaling: $39,650.
These awards provide financial assistance so that Albion’s bright young scholars may continue their educational goals and be successful in their future endeavors.
The funding for the scholarships are made possible through memberships and gifts from AHS Alumni, as well as individuals or organizations that contact the Foundation to establish a scholarship. The Foundation manages the funds and awards the scholarships annually during the Class Night event, along with other scholarships that are awarded that evening.
Four new scholarships were added in 2015: The Rex & Marilyn Horton Scholarship, The Wayne A. Burlison Memorial Scholarship, The Glassner Family Scholarship and The John Panek Memorial Scholarship.
The Foundation is already working on at least three more for the 2016 awards: the Ronald Sodoma Scholarship, the Masons Scholarship, and the Archibald Scholarship.
Here are the results of the 2015 scholarships managed and awarded by the Albion HS Alumni Foundation.
Albion High School Alumni Foundation Scholarships ($1,500): This year’s recipients are Dominic DiCureia, Brittany Francis, Kellie O’Hearn, Morgan Seielstad.
Paul R. Haines Memorial Scholarship ($1,500): This year’s recipient is Morgan Ferris.
Smith Foundation Challenge ($1,000): These scholarships are awarded annually by the Foundation to students entering the second year of college. This year’s recipients are Kali Benjovsky and Lydia Erakare.
Saint-Gobain Technical Fabrics Scholarship ($1,000): This year’s recipient is Madyson Coville.
Elizabeth Balcom Smith Scholarship ($500): This year’s recipient is Gabriell Struble.
Golden Performance Award ($500): This year’s recipient is Elijah Martin.
Jim and Susie Fraser Health Careers Scholarship ($500): This year’s recipient is Olivia Neidert.
Dr. Lee Minier Science Scholarship ($500): This year’s recipient is Jacob Squicciarini.
Albion Alumni Foundation Performing Arts Scholarship ($1,000): This year’s recipient is Charlyne Olick.
Coach Richard Diminuco Scholarship for Athletic Excellence ($1,500): This year’s recipient is Clayton Stanton.
Harry W. Salchak Science Scholarship ($2,500): This year’s recipient is Jacob Squicciarini.
A.B. “Dick” Eddy “Service Above Self” Scholarship ($1,250): This year’s recipient is Adryan Cheeseboro.
The Nancy Elaine LaGamba Scholarship ($1,000): This year’s recipient is Savannah Allen.
The Dr. Paul Mahany Family Scholarships ($1,250): This year’s recipients are Nita Bela, Mallory Broda, Amanda Covis, Jordan Deskins, and Sara Maxon.
Panek Family Farm Acriculture Scholarship ($1,000): This year’s recipient is Riley Kelly.
Hoag Scholarship ($10,000): This year’s recipient is Kyler McQuillan.
Panek Family Farm Agriculture Scholarship ($1,000): This year’s recipient is Jayne Bannister.
The Rex & Marilyn Horton Scholarship ($500): This year’s recipient is Jayne Bannister.
The Wayne A. Burlison Memorial Scholarship ($500): This year’s recipient is Nicholas Ettinger.
The Glassner Family Scholarship ($1400): This year’s recipient is Drake Arnold.
The John Panek Memorial Scholarship ($1,000): This year’s recipient is Sara Millspaugh.
For more information on the Alumni Foundation, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 June 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos courtesy of Jenny McKenna – Jenny McKenna is pictured with her parents, George and Iva McKenna, after Jenny was named National Guernsey Queen on June 20 at the American Guernsey Association’s 139th Annual Meeting in Walnut Creek, Ohio.
An Albion woman has been named National Guernsey Queen and will serve as an ambassador for the Guernsey dairy breed this year, attending major livestock shows and writing a monthly article for the Guernsey Breeders’ Journal, among her outreach efforts.
Jenny McKenna, 20, is currently a student at Cornell University, majoring in animal science with a concentration in dairy science. She is the fundraising officer for the Dairy Science Club.
McKenna served as dairy princess for Niagara-Orleans counties in 2013 and last year was the New York State Guernsey Princess.
She was crowned queen on June 20, vying with candidates from seven different states. McKenna was chosen the winner at the National Guernsey Convention and 139th Annual Meeting in Walnut Creek, Ohio.
“This has been a dream of mine since I was showing at the county fairs,” McKenna, 20, said today by phone from California. She is working this summer for a dairy farm and cheese processing plant in Modesto.
McKenna and her family have been Guernsey fans for many years. They show the red and white animals at local and national shows.
The breed produces milk with a rich flavor that is high in butterfat and protein. The animals can handle heat better than Holsteins, McKenna said. When it’s hot in the summer, the Guernseys see little drop off in milk production.
Their milk also is easier for people who are lactose intolerant, she said.
Jenny McKenna, far right, served as the NY Guernsey Princess last year and handed out ribbons at the State Fair.
McKenna is the youngest of four daughters of George and Iva McKenna. Jenny and her three sisters make all the decisions on their family’s Wee Kin Farm, a small hobby farm with a variety of species.
Jenny also helps at her family’s animal hospital, Country Lane Veterinary Services in Barre.
In the future, McKenna hopes to own and operate an agricultural tourism farm to educate the public about agriculture and dairying. She plans on always owning Guernsey cattle and to continue to be a Guernsey advocate.
Her sister Betsey was the National Guernsey Princess.
Jenny said the Guernsey industry is a close-knit group.
“We are like a family,” she said. “We all work together and like to share ideas.”
Photo by Tom Rivers – Jenny McKenna of Barre is pictured during the Albion Strawberry Festival parade in June 2014 when she was the New York State Guernsey Princess. She was the Niagara-Orleans Dairy Princess in 2013.
