Press Release, Medina Mayor Michael Sidari

MEDINA – Due to the current State of Emergency in New York State and Orleans County, the Medina Village Office lobby will be closed for the protection of the employees and the public beginning start of business Monday, March 16, until further notice.

The drive-up window will be open for all normal business. This is for drive-up only, no walk up to the window.

Wednesday, March 18, is Election Day in the Village. Anyone wishing to vote who does not want to come into the polling place is able to pick up and return an absentee ballot at the Village Office. The ballot must be turned in by close of business Tuesday, March 17.

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Tops limiting some cleaning supplies, food items

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The shelves at ALDI in Medina are nearly empty at about 6 p.m. today. The shelves to right normally are filled with loaves of bread.

The store will close on Sunday and is expected to reopen in about two weeks. The other nearby stores in Brockport and Batavia will remain open, employees said.

The toilet paper at the Albion Tops is all gone on Friday.

Tops announced on Friday it is limiting some items to two (2) per customer to allow as much available inventory to assist as many customers as possible. Those items include:

• Disinfectant Wipes – Disinfectant Sprays – Hand Sanitizer – Bath Tissue, 18-roll pack or larger – Cleansing Flushable Wipes – 4 Total Gallons of Water per customer – This includes spring, distilled, purified or 3-pack gallon water – Multipack water are limited to two (2) total per customer. This includes all brands of water.

A statement from Tops on the company website says:

“We appreciate your patience as our supply chain and distribution teams have also been working around the clock to ensure that the food, cleaning supplies, household essentials, and pharmaceuticals that you need are reaching our stores as quickly as possible and are available to purchase in-store, with grocery pick-up, or by delivery.”

Tops also is cleaning its stores and common areas even more to protect customers and employees.

The company has taken the following actions:

• increased communications with our stores and associates and reiterated proper sanitation procedures

• added extra supplies like hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, and disinfectants to help combat the spread of germs

• increased cleaning cycles especially in commonly used areas like cashier stations and self-checkouts

• increased the frequency of sanitizing and cleaning of food contact surfaces, pharmacy counters, restrooms, break rooms and other public areas.

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MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department will take some added precautions in responding to emergency medical calls due to concerns with the coronavirus and urges understanding from the community.

Fire Chief Matt Jackson posted this message on the fire department’s Facebook page:

“Dear Residents of the Village of Medina and Adjacent Communities We Serve:

“I am writing about the Village of Medina Fire Department’s precautionary measures related to COVID-19. Thankfully the virus itself has not yet had a direct impact on our communities. We have been implementing reasonable and proactive steps to protect the communities we serve, as well as our personnel.

“Because of our responsibility to our communities, we are enhancing our precautions to ensure we remain fully-staffed and healthy. Rest assured, we will still respond to your emergencies as we always have and always will.

“However, if we are dispatched to your home, you might find yourself being asked questions by our personnel from your doorway and we may also be wearing protective equipment such as a mask, eye protection and gown. You may also be asked to a wear a mask while we assess your medical condition. Again, this is being done out of an abundance of caution to maintain a healthy, prepared emergency response team.

“We will continuously reassess this situation and pass along any pertinent information as needed. We would also ask you to be proactive and take this situation seriously. Stay informed, wash your hands, stay home when sick and call 911 only for true emergencies. Please follow the guidance of actual medical professionals, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) or the NYS Department of Health.”

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MEDINA – Medina Central School is canceling field trips and overnight trips until further notice, Superintendent of Schools Mark Kruzynski said in a letter to the community.

The district plans to remain open, but urges parents to consider childcare options if the school district is forced to shut down for an extended period of time, he said.

Here is the superintendent’s letter, which was posted on the district’s Facebook page at about 4:30 p.m.

Dear Parent and Community Member:

We are aware of concerns of the COVID-19 virus. At this time, Monroe County has one confirmed case, and Orleans and Niagara County have no confirmed cases. The Medina Central School District is closely monitoring this fluid situation and is following guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), and Orleans County Health Department, and the New York State Education Department. As of the time I am writing this, 4:00 pm, Friday, March 13, the Department of Health is NOT recommending closure of the schools.

Based on conversations with various area health officials, the Medina Central School District will be implementing the following changes, effective immediately:

• All field trips and overnight trips have been cancelled until further notice.

• No events, other than food service, will take place with more than 50 people in attendance.

Given the continual changing nature of this situation, we ask that you consider your childcare options in the event that school does close for an extended period of time. Please send an email to me at mkruzynski@medinacsd.org if your emergency contact information has changed, with the correct information. We will utilize the district website, email, phone calls, and social media to communicate updates.

In the event of an extended closure, we have preparations in place for distribution of food and instructional resources.

The Medina Central School District will continue to share information as it becomes available. We thank you for your patience, support, and understanding during this unprecedented situation.

Sincerely,

Mark Kruzynski

Superintendent of Schools

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Press Release, Orleans Community Health

We know all of you are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 (the new coronavirus) being reported in the media and how it may impact us here at Orleans Community Health.

Protecting those entrusted to our care by providing a safe and healthy environment is our top priority. At this time, we don’t have any cases in our facility (Medina Memorial Hospital).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the office of Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) have recommended a variety of steps that we have been implementing to help reduce the potential for the virus to enter our building. However, we need your continued help in battling COVID-19.

Based on the latest CDC, CMS and State recommendations and out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our patients and residents, effective today, no visitors will be allowed at Medina Memorial Hospital.

Exception: Nursing staff and attending physicians will work with families who have special circumstances, such as a critically ill or injured family member, end-of-life situations, etc. on a case-by-case basis.

Anyone coming to the facility for services will follow the requirements below:

• Complete a screening prior to having services rendered

• Limit movement within the facility, do not travel from one floor to another unnecessarily

• Perform hand hygiene upon entry and exiting the facility

We understand that connecting with family members is incredibly important, and there are a variety of other ways you might consider connecting with them. These may include telephone, email, text, video chat or through social media. If you believe a visit to the facility is necessary for circumstances other than that described above, we request that you contact one of the individuals below prior to your arrival.

Our facility is following the recommendations of the CDC on prevention steps, including following strict handwashing procedures, and in many circumstances, wearing gowns and gloves when interacting with patients and residents who are sick.

We also are staying up-to-date with the CDC recommendations as they are updated. In addition, Orleans Community Health is in close contact with the local and state health department and are following their guidance. We will continue to keep you informed as we receive updated information.

Thank you for your cooperation as we all work together to keep our patients and residents safe.

If there are questions, contact Joanna Miller, risk manager, at (585) 798-8210.

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MEDINA –  The Medina Police Department and First Presbyterian Church of Medina are teaming up to provide a program for adult church members on how to handle an active armed threat.

Pat Crowley, a member of the Presbyterian Church and retired prevention educator from GCASA, has helped organize the presentation on Tuesday evening at the First Presbyterian Church, located at 522 Main St.

This topic is applicable, not only in houses of worship, but any places accessible to the public, Crowley said. The presentation is not restricted to church leadership, and all are welcome and highly encouraged to attend.

Lt. Todd Draper of the Medina Police Department will lead the presentation, which begins at 5 p.m.

Topics will include:

• See something, say something.

• Run, hide, fight

• Situational awareness/mental preparation/choosing to act

• Making a plan: Individually and as a congregation

• Emergency response: What to expect from first responders.

The Presbyterian Church will provide dinner immediately following the presentation.

Any church members in the Medina area are welcome to attend, but a head count is requested. Please respond by e-mail to Crowley at pcrowley5555@gmail.com or call the First Presbyterian Church at (585) 798-1264 and leave a message.

Specific questions on the presentation or this topic can be directed to Draper at tdraper@villagemedina.org.

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Provided photo: Medina’s varsity winterguard performs on Saturday in Lancaster.

LANCASTER – Medina’s two winterguard teams both earned second place on Saturday in Lancaster, which hosted 24 guards from Western New York and Canada. This it was Medina’s fifth competition this season.

The RA class had 5 competitors and Medina’s JV guard earned 2nd place with a score of 78.50, bested only by Orchard Park with a score of 78.75.

In Scholastic A, Medina’s Varsity guard came in 2nd with 80.38, topped only by Orchard Park with 82.38.

On Saturday Medina is the host for a winterguard show, “Colorburst.”  It’s an opportunity to see Medina’s guard perform without having to travel far. The doors open at 4 p.m. and the show starts at 5 p.m.

There will be 18 guards performing in competition. Medina’s Jr. Varsity guard performs at 6:06 p.m. with the Varsity Guard at 7:52 p.m.

All of the competitions are scheduled to be done at 8:30 p.m.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Jill Pettigrew, an artist from Batavia, shows off a transformed room this morning at the Orleans County YMCA to Greg Reed, the Y director.

Pettigrew painted the mural that shows animals having a picnic in the forest. The wall used to be white on top with blue on the bottom.

Pettigrew worked on the mural for a few weeks. This past weekend she worked long hours to create a radical new space in the child watch room at the Y. This morning was the big reveal to Y staff and parents.

Here is how the wall looked before Pettigrew’s artwork.

Gavin Gursslin, 3, of Medina tries the new basketball hoop that is mounted by the wall. The room has artwork and many other stations to encourage children to be active.

“To see the transformation is just incredible,” said Allison Gursslin, Gavin’s mother and one of the staff at the child watch room.

That room is open from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It is free to Y members who want supervision for their children while the Y members work out or participate in a class at the Y on Pearl Street.

Ivy Wroblewski, 2, of Medina looks through a magnifying glass. Pettigrew created a nature scene on a cabinet with removable magnetic insects.

Pettigrew was hired last year to paint artwork on the Y’s sidewalks and stairs. Some of the designs resemble obstacle courses, a balance beam, swings and other scenes popular at playgrounds.

The YMCA received a $51,000 grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation to transform the sidewalks and steps by the Y with art. There was grant money left over from that project to pay Pettigrew to work on the child watch room.

These children play at the kitchen scene, which includes a slot for the mail. The transformed space includes the furniture for the role playing.

“We’re giving kids more opportunities to play together,” said Greg Reed, the Y director. “Kids learn through play.”

Nora Gursslin, 8 months, explores the watch room this morning at the YMCA.

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Photos courtesy of Lionel Rhim

MEDINA – Lionel Rhim took these photos of a small owl this morning sitting on the tire of a Chevy Silverado 2500HD. The vehicle is for sale at Hartway Motors on North Main Street in Medina.

Several people have commented on the Orleans Hub Facebook page that this looks like a screech owl.

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Dorothy Cox, a teacher who later married a jeweler, wrote of her adventures

This is an early picture of Dorothy Roberts Cox, whose life story was shared in a presentation Monday by Catherine Cooper at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

MEDINA – The Medina Historical Society has planned a season of programs designed to create interest in the organization, but the one Monday night at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library will not soon be forgotten.

Historical Society president Reinhard Rogowski welcomed the crowd which gathered at Lee-Whedon to hear library director Catherine Cooper give a presentation on the life of former Medina resident Dorothy Roberts Cox. While her life had its exciting moments, it is the circumstances under which a notebook from her family literally “fell into our laps,” which are truly intriguing, Cooper said.

“Each of us leaves a paper trail of documents that attest to our existence,” Cooper said. “We have photos, newspaper clippings, wills, birth certificates, marriage licenses and death certificates, some all neatly organized and others in envelopes or boxes at the back of the closet. But what if we had no close relatives? What are the chances some kind person would come in and gather your papers? And what are the chances this person will parcel them up and arrange for them to be sent to your second cousin in Australia? Then what are the chances, 35 years later, the child of that second cousin will feel compelled to save your records, arrange them, decipher them, figure out the relatives, digitize them and then reach out to your home town because he believed they belonged back where you spent your life?”

Cooper explained what happened in March 2017, when she was made aware of an e-mail on the Medina Historical Society’s website from Australia. She made contact with the person, the son of Vera Colley, Dorothy Cox’s second cousin, who lives in Western Australia. He wrote that he had this giant notebook full of pictures, newspaper clippings and other information on the life of Dorothy Roberts Cox. They had been sent to Vera after Dorothy died in 1982. Vera had visited Dorothy in Medina several times.

The fires in Australia were just becoming a worry and Vera’s son Brad decided to ship Cox’s belongings to Medina, where they would be safe and could be viewed by people who knew her.

Dorothy was born in 1896 in Rome, a daughter of Robert and Catherine Jones Roberts. Both her parents were Welsh and her father came to Medina as a quarryman. He worked as an engraver with Thomas Platt and bought the business. His shop was on East Center Street, which later was a monument business and a lawyer’s office. It was just recently purchased and remodeled by Alex and Pat Greene as an artist’s studio and space to do psychic readings.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Catherine Cooper talks about the extraordinary circumstances in the life of the late Dorothy Cox and how a notebook chronicling her life history came from Australia to Medina, during a presentation Monday at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

In a picture from one of the slides from Dorothy’s cousin, there is the engraver’s shop next to the brick building on the corner of Main and East Center Street, on which can be seen the words “Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco,” and “EAT,” referring to the diner which operated there until the mid 1900s’.

The Roberts bought a house at 119 Maple Ave. in 1894, and also bought two lots on Roseland Avenue, where they built a home in 1911.

Dorothy attended Medina High School, where she graduated in 1914. Graduation was held at Bent’s Opera House. At a time when many stopped going to school at grade eight, her mother insisted Dorothy continue and get an education. One year at Brockport State Teacher’s College qualified her as a teacher, and she taught in several different schools.

Her reminisces in the notebook recall World War I, war bonds and dating officers.

In 1918, she was in bed a month with the flu when armistice was declared.

Dorothy went on to complete additional training at Harvard Summer School in 1922 and 1923, earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Columbia in 1937. Her first teaching job was on Long Island.

In 1923, she spent five weeks in Mount Vernon Hospital with a perforated appendix. Two nurses working 12 hour shifts attended to her at a salary of $50 per week. Her total hospital bill was $975. She came home to Medina on a sleeper car.

During the 1920s, Dorothy was involved with Camp Nundawaga at Thirty Mile Point on Lake Ontario. She was depressed when it was sold during the Depression.

Before her hospitalization, Dorothy had been saving her money to take a trip to Wales. When her doctor told her she was susceptible to tuberculosis and should go to a warmer climate, she moved to Florida.

After her mother died in 1938, she finally went on the trip she had saved for. She traveled to Toronto to catch her ship, the SS Montrose, to Liverpool. She wrote there were whales blowing quite a way to the north of the ship, then suddenly a big one appeared on the other side, about as far as Ensign Avenue was from their back window.

“Right after that, we saw a good sized iceberg,” Dorothy wrote. “I always thought they were the color of ice and hard to see, but they are the whitest things I have ever seen.”

Dorothy was in Wales when war was declared and the ship she came home on was also used for soldiers. The ship Athenia was the first English ship torpedoed by the Germans on Sept. 3, 1929, and several passengers from that ship were onboard the ship SS Importer bringing her back to America. There were 211 passengers, 28 of them Americans, on the ship with a capacity of 80. Husbands and wives were separated and the men were stuffed anywhere, Dorothy wrote in a letter home.

Lee-Whedon Memorial Library director Catherine Cooper holds a notebook she received from Australia on the late Dorothy Cox, wife of Medina jeweler Harry Cox.

“There are 18 in the barroom,” she wrote. “They have to put up their own cots after the passengers are shooed out at 10 p.m. and they have to get out early in the morning.”

They described the lifeboat drill as very realistic. There were four lifeboats for 200 passengers. Four survivors of the Athenia group were making comparisons. They said when the whistle was blown on the Athenia, the boat lurched violently and two lifeboats were slowly lowered over the side and swung out.

In the disaster, they said the boats were lowered by passengers, who bungled things. The boat just nicely swung out when the ropes supporting one end broke and dropped 30 feet, tossing all onto one end of the boat. Two members of the crew received broken arms, leaving only one able-bodied man to row. The boat was overloaded and water was up to their knees. Woman bailed with toeless, heelless shoes.

Dorothy’s father, who died in 1942, had been a friend of Lloyd George, one-time prime minister of England. Lloyd George once visited Niagara Falls and Robert Jones traveled up to see him.

Dorothy worked at Curry’s Dress Shop on Main Street at one time. She married Medina jeweler Harry Cox on Sept. 3, 1944 at the First Presbyterian Church, after his first wife had died.

Harry and his first wife had an interesting connection to the Orphan Train. They had adopted two sisters from the train. One girl, Barbara, married Armand Bacon, who owned parts stores in Medina and Lockport.

Dorothy loved to golf at Shelridge Country Club. She took many trips with the Senior Center in Medina.

Another interesting connection to Medina was that with the Tony and Rose Napoli family.

Tony was born in Italy. He served in the Navy during World War II and his ship was in Australia during the war. As there were not enough sleeping quarters for all the men, some of them were billotted out to homes in town. Tony ended up in the home of Vera Colley. Vera and her husband had a son named Brian.

Brad Colley indicated to Catherine that it was Tony who had arranged for Dorothy’s papers to be sent to Vera in Australia.

The story of Dorothy Cox’s notebook brought many comments from the audience.

Jack Wasnock remembers Dorothy was a member of the Medina Historical Society. He said he bought his class ring at Cox’s Jewelry, which was later Limina’s Jewelry Store and now houses Della’s Chocolates.

Cooper commented that the wooden chairs in the library would have been there when Dorothy used to visit.

Lynn Ambrose, who lives on Ensign Avenue, said the Cox’s back yard backed up to her front yard.

“I used to see her all the time,” she said.

Monday’s program was one of several events which the Historical Society hopes will help increase its membership.

“We have been trying for several years to raise our membership, with a goal of 100 members,” Rogowski said. “We are now at 75.”

Upcoming programs include a members’ tea in May, led by Georgia Thomas; an old-time bridal show in June; and a program by sculptor Brian Porter of Pendleton on creation of the Company F monument.

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Kate Messner is a Medina native won now lives in Plattsburgh. She has written 50 books for children and educators and sold more than 3.5 million copies.

MEDINA – Kate Messner’s love of books goes back to growing up in Medina, when she spent a lot of time visiting Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

“My favorite titles were Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books, but I also loved reading nonfiction, especially about natural disasters and dangerous animals,” said Messner, now living in Plattsburgh with her husband Tom.

A daughter of former Medina school superintendent Tom Schirmer and his wife Gail, Messmer has become an award-winning author, who has published 50 books for children and educators and sold more than 3.5 million copies. She has 12 books for children scheduled to come out this year.

Messner graduated from Medina High School in 1988 and attended Syracuse University, where she earned a degree in broadcast journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication. She spent seven years working as a television news producer and reporter at NBC affiliates in Syracuse and Burlington, Vt., before going back to school to get her master’s degree in education.

“Both of my parents were educators, my dad superintendent of schools, and my mom an elementary school art teacher,” Messner said. “Teaching was something that was also calling me.”

Chirp is a new book out by Kate Messner.

After getting her teaching degree, she taught middle school English in Plattsburgh for 15 years and earned National Board certification in 2006.

“It was while I was teaching that I started writing more seriously, mostly to share stories with my students and model writing and revision,” Messner said. “That’s when I published my first books. In 2012, I transitioned to writing full time, but I still love that time I get to work with kids in school systems as a visiting author.”

Messner’s husband, who is from Rochester, is chief meteorologist at WPTZ, the NBC affiliate in Burlington, Vt., where she met him when she worked there.

Ideas for her books come from all over the place, Messner said.

“That is why I always carry a writer’s notebook,” she said. “I’ve had inspiration strike on airplanes and in museums, on school field trips and in line at the grocery store. Mostly, I tell aspiring writers that the best way to court ideas is to be curious about people and the world around you. I talk to strangers and ask a lot of questions.”

She doesn’t know how to answer when asked what her favorite book is.

“That is always such a tough question for a writer to answer,” she said. “It’s a little like asking a parent to choose a favorite child. But I’m always excited about the newest books and the projects I’m working on at the moment, so today, I’d tell you that one of my favorites is my newly released novel, Chirp, which is a mystery set on a cricket farm, as well as a coming-of-age story about summer, friendship, family and finding your voice. I’m also really excited about a new series I’m writing for Random House, called History Smashers, which is aimed at undoing some of the lies and myths we teach young children about history. It’s illustrated by comic artist and graphic novelist Dylan Meconis, and the first two books – about the Mayflower and Women’s Right to Vote – launch in July.”

The Next President comes out next month, one of 12 books to be released this year by Kate Messner.

She is really excited about three books coming out in March. Tracking Pythons: the Quest to Catch an Invasive Predator and Save an Ecosystem is about a team of scientists researching South Florida’s invasive Burmese pythons, and comes out from Millbrook on March 3.

The Next President, illustrated by Adam Rex, is a picture book about where future presidents were when any given president took office. That comes out March 24 from Chronicle Books.

Another favorite of Messner’s is a title she co-authored with her sister Anne Ruppert, who lives in the Buffalo area and just retired from teaching high school science.

“She taught forensic science for years, so we teamed up to create a book for kids that puts them in the role of a forensic scientist, solving imagined mysteries,” Messner said. “Solve This: Forensics comes out from National Geographic Kids on March 17.”

Messner’s titles are frequently selected for One School, One Book and One School/One Author programs, according to her publicist. The novel Chirp has already received impressive five star reviews from critical journals, and her books have been New York Times Notable, Junior Library Guild, IndieBound and Bank Street College Education Best Books selections. Her novel The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. won the E.B White Read Aloud Medal, and her science picture books have been finalists for the American Academy for the Advancement of Sciences/Subaru SB&F prize for excellence in science writing.

In addition, Messner is a frequent speaker at conferences for writers and educators and visits schools all over the world to talk to students about books, writing and the power of curiosity.

Messner writes pretty much every weekday, unless she’s traveling for research or appearances. On a typical day, she writes for three or four hours in the morning, takes a break at noon to get some exercise and have lunch, then tries to get in another writing session in the afternoon.

When she’s not writing, she loves the outdoors. She has aspirations to climb all of the 46 Adirondack peaks, and so far has climbed 32.

More information about Messner and her titles are available on her website www.katemessner.com or Twitter: @Kate Messner.

Her books are available at The Book Shoppe in Medina and Barnes and Noble.

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J-Co makes renovations to former Dan’s Cans

Photos by Tom Rivers: Jeff Colonna stands outside J-Co’s Can and Bottle Return, which is having a grand opening celebration this week.

MEDINA – Jeff Colonna this week is celebrating the grand opening of his new can and bottle redemption business at 718 S. Main St.

Colonna made significant renovations to the site, which was operated as Dan’s Cans for about seven years. Dan Gilhooly opened that business in 2009 and ran it until he passed away on Oct. 11, 2016.

Colonna acquired the property and he said it is a prime location in the village, with parking that makes it easy to get in and out. Employees can also easily see customers when they pull in. If they honk, Colonna said he and his crew will gladly help bring in customers’ bags of bottles and cans.

Colonna, 36, wants to run a clean operation that doesn’t reek of strong smells. He put in new stainless steel tables and a sorting tray that are easy to wipe down. The tables are connected to a drain and the frequent cleanings will fight odors.

“I don’t want it smelly or sticky,” he said.

J-Co’s employee Tim Ward sorts through cans that were dropped off on Wednesday at the site at 718 S. Main St. Jeff Colonna, left, is owner of the business.

He also put up a wall to separate the intake area with the sorting that goes on in the back. The cans and bottles are separated into about 50 different groups depending on the distributor, size of the cans and bottles, and color of the glass.

This week J-Co’s has offered an extra penny for the cans and bottles, for six cents. Colonna will keep that rate for firefighters, police officers and veterans.

Colonna is pleased with the steady business so far at the site. Customers bring in varying quantities of cans and bottles, from 8 to 10 to over 3,000.

Colonna also owns a driveway sealing business and works with his father, Rich Colonna, in a rental property enterprise.

Tim Ward and Jeff Colonna work together on Wednesday. Colonna put in new stainless-steel tables and sorting trays, as well as other upgrades. He wants the site to be as clean as possible.

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Photos by Ginny Kropf: Lisa Moule, left, a 14-year employee of the Medina Post Office, was presented with the Postmaster General Hero Award this morning, for realizing one of her customers was having a medical emergency. Moule called an ambulance and waited until they arrived, quite possibly saving the woman’s life. With Moule are Gary Vaccarella, acting district manager; Scott Streebel, Medina postmaster; and Medina operations manager, Eugene Oyer Jr.

MEDINA – Lisa Moule is the first one to tell you she’s not a hero.

But that’s not what her superiors and fellow co-workers at Medina Post Office think.

Moule this morning was presented with the Postmaster General Hero Award by acting district manager Gary Vaccarella, for possibly saving the life of a customer on her delivery route.

“This was the first time I’ve encountered a situation like this, and it was scary,” Moule said.

A 14-year employee of the Postal Service, Moule started a recent day like any other, except that she had an express piece of mail which had to be delivered by noon.

“The piece was going to my sister’s best friend’s mom, and she was at the end of my route,” Moule said. “So I asked my supervisor if I could deviate and deliver that piece first, and they gave me permission.”

Moule was familiar with the woman, as she was in a wheelchair and would get up in the morning and unlock her door, so Moule could bring her mail in to her. That particular morning, Moule arrived at the lady’s house three hours earlier than usual.

“I took her mail in to her, but that day I knew something was wrong,” Moule said. “She couldn’t find words to communicate with me. “I said, ‘Honey, I can’t leave you like this. I’m going to call an ambulance.’ The lady said no, and I told her I knew she would be mad at me, but I had to call the ambulance.”

Moule waited until the ambulance arrived, and told them something was wrong with the lady. She told Moule she had gotten up as usual and made her bed, but then became confused and couldn’t think. Moule knew she had had a stroke in November and her medications had been changed. She shared this information with the paramedics on the ambulance. They asked if the lady usually acted like that, and Moule told them, “Absolutely not. I’ve talked to her every day for the last two years and this is not normal.”

The lady ended up in the hospital for three weeks, after being diagnosed as having multiple strokes. After a week, Moule went to see her and met the lady’s niece, who looks after her affairs. The first thing the niece said was, “I want to give you a hug.”

The first thing Moule wanted to do was get the niece’s contact information so she could keep in touch.

“The niece told me she keeps thinking how different things might have been if I hadn’t gotten there when I did,” Moule said. “I’m happy things aligned just right so I could get there when I did. A week later, there was a fire on my route and I called it in. I don’t think of myself as a hero. I am who I am.”

Moule’s grandfather Ray Bates was a mail carrier in Lyndonville for many years. He always told her, “As long as you can sleep at night, you’ve done the right thing.”

Moule is the first employee in the history of the Medina Post Office to win the Postmaster General Hero Award. Participating in her presentation with Vaccarella was Medina Postmaster Scott Streebel, Operations Manager Eugene Oyer Jr. and Supervisor Scott Wackenheim, who submitted Moule’s name for the award.

Employees of the Medina Post Office pose on the steps with Lisa Moule, center, who was presented with the Postmaster General Hero Award this morning by acting district manager Gary Vaccarella, who stands beside her.

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