By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 5 February 2024 at 2:36 pm
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Aeddon Cayea, a 2017 graduate of Medina High School, has landed a new job with United Way of Orleans County and is celebrating the launch of his first book.
MEDINA – Life is good for Aeddon Cayea.
Not only has the young man landed a prestigious job as grant writer/deputy director of United Way of Orleans County, but he is about to launch his first book with a celebration at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at Author’s Note Book Store, immediately following the Otherworlds Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Club.
Cayea’s debut novel is “Struck Down on the Seventh: An Exorcism Performed by an Idiot.”
“We are so excited to celebrate him and to be the host and home for his first of undoubtedly many books to come,” said Author’s Note owner Julie Berry.
Cayea said his writing began as the result of an assignment in high school, when he had to write several chapters out of a novel.
“It kind of got away from me,” he said. “I was always interested in spirituality.”
The first part of his book really wrote itself, Cayea said. “It very quickly took on a life of its own.”
The first draft took him about a month, but then he tinkered with it for the next five years, on and off.
“I’d pick it up and put it down, then maybe two years later go back and work on it again,” he said.
The book was released Jan. 15, and he is already working on a sequel. He has completed about five-eighths of the first draft, he said.
“My first book was suitable for me to write when I was 18, but this book will be suitable for me when I am 25,” he said.
He describes his book as “an adult work of magical realism.”
“’Struck Down on the Seventh’ follows Phaethon, a moody college student, as a mysterious tome draws him into a world where the divine is not so far away as is often imagined,” Cayea explained. “Exploring similar spaces to works like Neil Galman’s ‘The Sandman’ and David Lynch’s ‘Twin Peaks’ television series, the novel navigates the travails of a clever but critically flawed individual as he strives to balance aethereal visions and brute facts. Balancing the indiscretions of youth with revelations of mystical theology, Phaethon forges ahead hoping to fare better than his namesake.”
The book is available at Author’s Note in Medina or from the publisher’s website at blackmoonpublishing.com.
Cayea graduated from Medina High School in 2017 and Emerson College in 2021 with a degree in religious studies and Asian studies. After returning home to Medina he joined the Americorps program for a year, working at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension. During that time he wrote grants and worked at the fair. When the year ended, he went to work at Lowe’s in Brockport while pursuing other work.
He had become acquainted with Nyla Gaylord, executive director of United Way of Orleans County, who realized Cayea’s talent. At the she needed someone to do outreach for the Connect Orleans Initiative.
“After a month or two of that, she thought I could be of more help,” Cayea said. “They needed a grant writer, and here I am. I have a job I love in my home town. I appreciate the flexibility and novelty of the job. It’s a new challenge every day. I feel a strong connection to my community and I’m happy to come back to Medina to live and work.”
“This job enables me to help my community,” he added. “I got a taste for non-profits, and what I like about United Way is how we are constantly looking for ways to help the community. As an organization nationwide, United Ways are at a crossroads, but in Orleans County we are taking that as an opportunity more than a risk.”
Press Release, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
MEDINA – More than 200 hospital and clinic workers at three Orleans Community Health sites in Medina, Albion and Batavia voted to ratify a 3-year labor deal late last month. Hospital and clinic workers are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, the largest healthcare workers union.
The new three-year contract covers hospital and clinic workers at Orleans Community Health’s Medina Memorial Hospital, Lake Plains Batavia Dialysis Clinic, and the Albion Healthcare Center.
Wages were a key sticking point in contract talks forcing workers to vote in favor of holding an informational picket, which is now cancelled.
“We fought hard for this contract and it’s great,” said Kagney Bieniek, Radiology Technologist. “With the wages we won during negotiations, this is the best contract we’ve seen in years. I hope that it will help us to retain more workers and to get new hires. I love having a hospital like this to serve our community and it’s great that we were able to settle.”
The new three-year union contract provides for a $17 per hour minimum starting rate for new hires. Healthcare workers won general wage increases from 3% to 20% in the first year, and an additional 3% in the 2nd year and 5% in the third year.
In addition to general wage increases, some positions will see an increase in base rate of pay to help retain and recruit more workers into those positions. Healthcare workers will also get an increase in preceptor pay.
Workers also won increases in shift and weekend differentials, one additional day out of town bereavement, and MLK and Juneteenth as paid holidays starting in 2025. Union members will also maintain their access to 1199SEIU Training & Upgrading Benefit Fund.
1199SEIU represents professional, technical and service jobs at all three sites including: Registered Nurses, Dietetic Technicians, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Physical Therapy Assistants, Radiology Technologists, Nuclear Medicine Technologists, Respiratory Therapists, MRI Techs, Surgical Techs, Certified Nurse Assistants, Unit Secretaries, Ambulatory Unit Aides, Activities Aides, Pharmacy Technicians, Aide Porters, Cooks, Cafeteria Aides, Maintenance Workers, Environmental Service Workers, Couriers, Patient Care Technicians, Processor Phlebotomist, and Clinical Technicians.
The new three-year union contract runs through Dec. 31, 2026.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced today the six designated free fishing days in New York will take place on: February 17 to 18 (Presidents’ Day Weekend), June 29 to 30, September 28 (National Hunting and Fishing Day) and November 11 (Veterans Day).
During these days, the fishing license requirement is waived for freshwater fishing on New York’s waters.
“The Free Fishing Days program provides a great opportunity for aspiring anglers to try freshwater fishing for the first time or former anglers to reconnect with one of America’s favorite pastimes,” Governor Hochul said. “New York is blessed with an abundance of freshwater lakes, ponds, streams and rivers, allowing for memorable fishing experiences that increase tourism and benefit the economy.”
The Free Fishing Days program began in 1991 to give people who might not fish a chance to try the rewarding sport of freshwater fishing at no cost, to introduce people to a new hobby, and to encourage people to support conservation by purchasing a New York State fishing license. Outside of free fishing days, anglers over the age of 16 must have a valid fishing license.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “Free Fishing Days are spread out throughout the year to give anglers a chance to enjoy freshwater fishing in various climates. It is the perfect time for families and friends to take advantage of the State’s plentiful fishing opportunities and learn or re-refresh a recreational hobby without the traditional fees.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2024 at 12:10 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – Workers from Upstate Tower Construction in West Seneca are putting up a 180-foot-high tower in Carlton today. The tower is next to the Town Hall and highway garage on Waterport-Carlton Road.
These workers are 100 feet up after the first five sections, each 20 feet long, were installed. The workers will bolt the new section.
The project is paid for as part of $2,990,000 grant from the state to the county through the Statewide Interoperable Communications Grant.
The grant pays for the new tower in Carlton, a new tower and equipment at the Orleans County Emergency Management Office on West Countyhouse Road in Albion, and two backup 911 dispatch consoles at the EMO site.
The Carlton tower is the fifth new one to go up as part of the county’s broadband internet project as well as an improved emergency radio communications network. The other towers included 180-foot-high towers are next to the Public Safety Building on Route 31 in Albion, Millers Road in Yates near the water tank, and at the Kendall Central School near the bus garage. The other tower is 150 feet high next to the Holley water tank on Route 237.
The previous towers were completed in 2020 with a $5,897,141 grant. That money also paid for communication shelters, technology to connect separate radio systems and new radio channels.
Workers move a sector frame for where equipment will be installed near the top of the tower.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2024 at 9:42 am
Provided photo
MOUNT MORRIS – Hannah Brundage of Kendall is shown being congratulated on winning the zone competition of the American Legion Oratorical Contest.
She competed at Mount Morris on Saturday. She previously won the Orleans County and the 8th District Level contests.
She is the first Kendall student to advance to the state competition, which will be March 2 in Albany at the Crowne Plaza.
Brundage gave an 8-10 minute speech on the Constitution and then had to give a 3-5 minute additional speech on a chosen piece of the Constitution decided that day.
Zackary Baron from Albion finished third at the zone competition.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2024 at 9:06 am
Gas prices are beginning to go up as part of the usual pricing trend, moving from January which is typically the lowest prices of the year, AAA said this morning.
Nationally the average price for regular unleaded is up 4 cents from a week ago to today’s price of $3.15, while the statewide average is up 2 cents to $3.28.
However, the price is down a penny in Orleans to $3.39, while Genesee is down 5 cents to $3.24, Wyoming declined 7 cents to $3.38, and Livingston dropped by a tenth of a cent from $3.439 to $3.438.
AAA issued this statement about gas prices: “We are entering the time of year where pump prices begin to heat up, typically peaking around July, but unless there is a major shock to the global oil market that causes prices to spike, the national average will likely continue its slow upward trend with a few flat days or even small price dips along the way.
“This morning, oil prices range from $72 to $78 per barrel, a $6 decrease from one week ago. Diesel prices are also fluctuating. The national average price for diesel is $3.93, up 2 cents from one week ago, and down from $4.64 a year ago. The New York average for diesel is $4.39, down 1 cent from a week ago, and lower than $5.27 one year ago.”
Here are the average regular unleaded prices in Western New York counties:
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 February 2024 at 9:54 pm
BARRE – A photographer from Barre is offering to take professional portraits of pets with proceeds to be donated to the WNY Heroes’ Pawsitive for Heroes Program.
Ashley Bringenberg is organizing her second annual Pooch Playoffs Fundraiser. A pet portrait is $125 with 100 percent given to WNY Heroes. The pets will be photographed at Bringenberg’s studio at the Harvester building in Batavia.
Ashley Bringenberg
“The past few years have been especially hard for charities,” Bringenberg said. “So a group of photographers and I got together and decided to host a competition to find Western New York’s Ulti-Mutt Cutie as a way to help out WNY Heroes and have fun in the new year.”
Bringenberg wants to photograph 32 pooches which would raise close to $3,500 for Pawsitive for Heroes. This donation includes a custom portrait session, photo keepsake keychain, and a swag bag of goodies.
WNY Heroes’ Pawsitive for Heroes program provides service dogs for veterans in our area. The cost to train one service dog is $5,000, Bringenberg said. She would like to meet the cost of training a service dog, knowing the dog would change the life of a veteran.
She welcomes sponsors as well as entries in the Pooch Playoffs.
That contest is a bracket-style competition that starts on March 19 with 32 dogs competing for prizes from local businesses and the title of WNY’s Cutest Canine. Each round, dogs are be placed in pairs and will face off in an online vote. The winner moves forward with the goal to be voted the “Ulti-mutt Cutie of Western New York” and go on to compete in the national competition.
“It’s funny. Our pets are such important members of our families yet most of us don’t think to have a professional portrait taken of them,” Bringenberg said. “Pooch Playoffs gives everyone a fun way to get a portrait of their pet made, by a professional who knows how to photograph pets, while also supporting Pawsitive for Heroes.”
Contact Bringenberg by Feb. 29 to sponsor the event or to enter a pet. Competition spots are filled on a first come, first served basis.
For more information, check Ashley Bringenberg Photography’s Facebook page. For more on Pawsitive for Heroes, click here.
Photo and information from Medina Mustang Boosters
BATAVIA – Batavia Central School held a winterguard competition on Saturday, in a well-attended event with 25 guards performing in seven classifications.
In Scholastic A, Medina came in 4th place with a score of 58.55 while Victor earned 1st place with 68.36 points.
First place winners in the other classifications included Greece Cadets with 51.56; Gates Regional A with 56.21; Greece A1 with 62.36; Batavia Independent A with 70,40; and Luminosa in Senior class with 73.98.
Medina’s next competition is Saturday, Feb 10, in Victor.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 February 2024 at 8:46 am
Crystal Hand volunteers as PTA president, Girl Scout leader and Music Booster
Photo by Tom Rivers: Crystal Hand is shown Friday even with her husband Matt and their three daughters, from left: Sam, 18; Al, 17; and Rianne, 12.
ALBION – Crystal Hand was driving home to Albion on Nov. 21 after an appointment in Brockport. It was a rare ride by herself. Usually, she has at least one of her children with her, and often some of their friends.
But at 11:12 a.m. on the day before Thanksgiving, she was driving a Chevy Impala alone on Route 31A in Clarendon. She was nearing a notorious curve in Clarendon, when another car came at her from the opposite direction – in her lane. A collision was unavoidable.
Hand, 40, was badly injured in the crash with a shattered right leg, a left arm broken in two places, a concussion, bruised collarbone and nerve damage in both arms. She has had six surgeries, including putting a rod in her leg from the kneecap to her ankle.
“I’ve been in pain since Nov. 21,” Crystal said during an interview at her home in Albion on West State Street. While she talked she had a bag of frozen vegetables on her aching knee.
She is grateful to be alive, and to have been by herself in the car that day.
Two people in the other car were killed. Justin S. Christmas, 32, of Rochester and Autumn Lynn Dercqu, 22, of Medina didn’t survive. Christmas was driving the car, a Buick. He was eastbound when he crossed a double solid line at a curve, where one of the property owners keeps a sign noting the accidents.
Hand stayed awake after the impact. She turned her car off so it wouldn’t burst into flames. A good Samaritan was quickly on scene to check on her. She directed him to her phone and had him call her husband Matt to let him know she had been hurt in an accident. Matt was working from home and took off to see his wife, but in a blur he first forget his car keys, then his phone.
He came upon the scene with the other car in a field and his wife on a stretcher, being put in an ambulance. She was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital.
Crystal said the pain in her leg that day was the worst she has ever felt, much more intense than giving birth to any of her three children.
In the ambulance she was told the two people in the other car did not survive. “When I heard that my heart broke,” she said.
Hand was hospitalized for about two weeks. She pushed herself to get out in time to see her youngest daughter’s middle school holiday concert. Crystal made it for that Dec. 7 event, positioned up front in a wheelchair.
“I’ve never missed one of their concerts and I wasn’t about to start,” she said.
Rianne, 12, is the youngest of the daughters. Al is 17 and Sam is 18. All have been very involved in the school musical programs.
Their mother is the treasurer of the Albion Music Boosters. She is president of the PTA that serves the elementary school, and also is a Girl Scout leader.
‘Always willing to help anywhere’
“She is all about her family and her kids,” said Rose Allen, the previous PTA president. “Anything with her kids she is all in.”
Allen has known Crystal and Matt for several years now through the PTA and Music Boosters.
“We have done many book fairs and craft nights through the PTA,” Allen said. “I can always depend on her and her husband. They are good people.”
Crystal is very dedicated and reliable to the organizations that serve the local students, and she does it without seeking any attention.
“She is very meek and doesn’t toot her own horn,” Allen said. “She is always willing to help anywhere.”
The Hands have a welcoming home to their children’s friends. They often have movie nights and kids like to hang out there. Allen’s daughter is among the kids who like to visit the Hand family.
Spaghetti dinner benefit at QWL on Feb. 10
Allen is leading a benefit for the family on Feb. 10 with a spaghetti dinner, basket raffle and 50/50 from noon to 3 p.m. at the QWL Building at 3623 Washington St., Albion.
There are 300 tickets available for the dinner and they are $15 each and pre-sale only. Allen is selling tickets (contact her at 585-298-8377), and any PTA or Music Boosters member also has them. Allen also can be reached to donate a basket or they can be dropped at the QWL on Saturday at 8 a.m.
Anyone interested in donating to the family can do it directly through Venmo at @Matthew-Hand-109.
Hand has been receiving in-home nursing care, and occupational and physical therapy. That is ending and she will be going to outpatient clinics for OT and PT, to learn to walk again.
She said she appreciates the many encouraging text messages and cards from the community. Crystal has to do the hunt-and-peck method to respond to texts, and several times a day she drops her phone because she can’t grasp it firmly due to the nerve damage.
She and her husband are thankful their friends formed a food chain right after the accident, frequently dropping off meals for the Hands.
“The community has been an absolute godsend,” Crystal said.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 3 February 2024 at 9:29 pm
MEDINA – The Medina Area Partnership’s Wine About Winter has proven itself to be a crowd-pleaser, regardless of the weather. When temperatures last year plummeted to near zero, people still made the trek for the annual wine-tasting event. When 800 tickets went on sale for this year’s event, they didn’t last very long.
Wine About Winter has grown from 350 tickets sold for the first one in 2009 to the 800 now sold. MAP members say they could probably sell more, but feel that 800 is a manageable number. Tickets are sold for $30 each for two start times, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., to minimize the congestion from the crowds, said Ann Fisher-Bale, former events coordinator with MAP.
Registration takes place at the Medina Senior Center, where participants get a wristband, free bag of goodies and a wine glass. There they also purchase tickets for the many baskets which are raffled off during the event.
Sponsors who provided gift items for the goodie bags and the wine glasses were Albone’s Spray Foam Insulation, Bent’s Opera House and Generations Bank.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Medina Area Partnership member Laura Gardner stands in the Medina Senior Center, where hundreds of goodie bags and wine glasses were lined up to give participants of Wine About Winter. (Right) Members of MAP ready wristbands for the 800 participants for today’s Wine About Winter in Medina. Clockwise from left are Sarah Fisher, Ann Fisher-Bale, Wendy Oakes Wilson, Dawn Borchet, Cindy Hewitt and Amy Crandall.
People come from throughout the Western New York region for Ale in Autumn and Wine About Winter, but on Saturday, it seemed like there were a lot of locals who participated, Fisher-Bale said.
Robyn Ottaviano of Medina and Kevin Hinckley of Lyndonville were among the local residents. Hinckley has attended every Wine About Winter, while Ottaviano has been to all but one.
“I love to try different wines and then go back and buy some,” Ottaviano said. “It always a lot of fun to see all the people. It’s exciting to visit the shops and discover things you didn’t know about, and it gets you out on the house in winter.”
Brittany Donovan and Jeffrey Stanton of Middleport are both first-time attendees.
“Our other friends had done it and had fun, so we thought we’d join them to enjoy the wine and have a good time,” Donovan said.
Holleigh Utley of Barker has done the wine event for three or four years.
“Is it fun. Heck, yeah,” she said. “I’m here with my sister and brother-in-law, a girlfriend and bunch of their friends.”
(Left) Brody George, a conductor on excursions at the Medina Railroad Museum, pours wine for Robin Ottaviano of Medina. The Museum’s wine selection was 999 Buffalo’s Chateau Buffalo, a red wine with loganberry. (Right) Holleigh Utley of Barker drops a ticket in the jar for a chance to win a wine basket at the Medina Railroad Museum. Raffle baskets were available at each of the participating merchants at Wine About Winter.
Stephanie Preston of Medina said this is probably her eighth time attending the event. She was with her sister-in-law Rachel Preston, friends Christina Baisley of Rochester and Alicia Barth of Akron, attending for the first time. The girls raved about the cheese and pickles they tasted at The Walsh Hotel.
Fisher-Bale said the MAP committee walked around town after everyone had been checked in.
“Not only was everyone seeming to have fun, but it is a wonderful way to get people familiar with our merchants, in hopes they will come back and shop,” she said.
Twenty-three businesses on Main Street, East Center and West Center participated, in addition to Medina Railroad Museum, the Walsh Hotel, Hustl House, Medina Historical Society and American Legion, all in close proximity to downtown.
Fisher-Bale said wine selections ranged from dry to sweeter.
Another feature this year was information in the goodie bags on an upcoming Murder Mystery event scheduled downtown on May 4.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Dr. Jim Robinson pours “Barry’s Red” wine from 21 Brix in Portland, NY for Sandy Kress of Royalton. She recognized Robinson as her veterinarian. He and his family also own The Vintage Cigar, which was one of 23 wine-tasting sites. He said Wine About Winter is a great way to get people inside and see what the businesses have to offer.
Sandra Baxter, right of Albion and friend Erica Miller of Albion try the wine from Brickstone Cellars in Hammondsport. It was served at Modern Mercantile by Anita Giles, left, and Lisa Mannella.
Nicole Montpetit and Anita Jones, both of Middleport, have fun at Modern Mercantile. Jones said she has been to several Wine About Winter events, and enjoys seeing a vibrant downtown Medina. “Just walking around Medina, it’s so nice to see it is so alive and thriving.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 February 2024 at 5:43 pm
Susan Howard
ALBION – The Orleans County Conservative Party is announcing its endorsement of Susan Howard for Orleans County district attorney.
Howard has been the first assistant DA for 12 years. Joe Cardone, the current district attorney, is retiring on Dec. 31 after 32 years in the position.
The Orleans County Republican Party earlier today endorsed John Sansone to the next district attorney.
Paul Lauricella, the county Conservative Party chairman, said the Conservative Party leaders met with both Howard and Sansone.
“Both candidates impressed the committee with their knowledge of the office and ability to do the job,” Lauricella said. “Susan and John Sansone are very capable candidates. The majority of the committee chose Susan. Good luck in the June 25th Primary.”
The Conservative didn’t endorse any of the local state legislators or Congresswoman Claudia Tenney.
“We have a 12-year term limit in our bylaws on any candidate that has been in any one position for that time or longer,” Lauricella said. “Assemblyman Steve Hawley reached out but was term limited out years ago.”
State Sen. Rob Ortt and Tenney didn’t not seek the local party’s endorsement.
“We are not going to chase after politicians that in many cases disappoint with their votes or spending sprees,” Lauricella said. “If they want an endorsement they can come in front of the full committee and answer questions. We would rather not endorse than have to be embarrassed by one of their liberal votes. This goes for local candidates also.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 February 2024 at 2:58 pm
Endorsements include 2 who seek to be new coroners: Dr. Julie Woodworth and Kevin Dann
MEDINA – The Orleans County Republican Committee has endorsed John Sansone to be the district attorney, succeeding Joe Cardone, who is retiring on Dec. 31.
John Sansone
Sansone and Susan Howard both work in the DA’s office, and both have been meeting with town Republican committees. Today they met with the full county committee. There were 79 votes this morning at the Knights of Columbus in Medina, and Sansone secured a majority of the votes.
“I think both the candidates are very talented attorneys,” said Skip Draper, the county Republican chairman. “It’s the committee’s job to vote for their first choice.”
Howard has been the first assistant DA for 12 years. Sansone also is an assistant district attorney.
Draper said he expects there will be a primary in June for district attorney, and may be as well for coroner.
Six people sought three positions for coroner. The committee endorsed incumbent Rocco Sidari of Albion, and backed Kevin Dann of Holley and Dr. Julie Woodworth of Lyndonville.
Scott Schmidt, the county’s chief coroner, did not get enough backing for the endorsement. Cassandra Boring, one of the owners of Mystic Dragon’s Lair in Medina, also sought the endorsement and so did former coroner, Dr. Eric Johnson. Charlie Smith of Ridgeway isn’t seeking re-election.
Dann, a former Holley fire chief, is an EMT for the Ridge Road Fire District and a 911 dispatcher at Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.
Woodworth is a member of the Department of Nursing and Allied Health at Niagara County Community College, where she has been recognized with SUNY’s distinguished teaching award. She has a PhD in nursing education.
Other endorsements today include Claudia Tenney for Congress, Rob Ortt for State Senate, Steve Hawley for State Assembly, and Nadine Hanlon for county clerk.
(Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include Dr. Eric Johnson as one of the six people seeking the endorsement for coroner.)
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 3 February 2024 at 11:25 am
Photos by Loretta Clark: Mike Vanderjagt, a former kicker with the Indianapolis Colts, signed autographs Monday for students during his visit to the Iroquois Job Corps Center.
MEDINA – The Iroquois Job Corps Center hosted a very special guest on Monday, who brought an inspiring message to students, said Operations Manager John Thomas.
Mike Vanderjagt, a retired NFL kicker and a former first-team all-pro, toured the center and spoke with students and staff.
Vanderjagt has moved to the Lyndonville area, and has been mentoring young athletes, serving as the special teams coach for the Medina High School football team. He had attended a Medina Rotary meeting, where John Thomas met him and set up his visit to the Job Corps Center.
Vanderjagt’s message to students was about believing in themselves and to never give up on their dreams and goals in life. He shared the many challenges he had trying to get to the NFL, and was told he was not good enough. He said he believed in himself, and never gave up.
In 1998, he was signed by the Indianapolis Colts, and in 2003, he became the first kicker in the league’s history to go an entire season, including the playoffs, without missing a field goal or extra point.
Vanderjagt scored 1,067 points in a nine-year career during the regular season, including a league high 145 for the Colts in 1999. He scored 54 more points in nine playoff games.
He played for the Colts for eight seasons and then finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys in 2006. His streak of 42 consecutive field goals is the second longest in NFL history behind 44 by Adam Vinatieri.
Vanderjagt is among the nominees for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Mike Vanderjagt, center, record-breaking kicker in the National Football League, visited Iroquois Job Corps Center on Monday to talk to students. Here, he is presented with an appreciation award by center director Dennis Essom, left, and operations director John Thomas.
Elbert Johnson, 30, was married with 2 young children
Elbert Johnston married Pauline Skinner on June 4, 1913
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Vol. 4, No. 6
HOLLEY – Elbert Johnston, Part 2. In our previous column (click here), we read about Elbert’s move to Holley in 1907 from a journal that he wrote at that time.
Elbert settled in to life in Holley and continued to work at Hudson Canning, the fruit and vegetable processing plant owned by his uncle, Joseph B. Hudson.
When Hudson Canning acquired the Batavia Canning Company plant in Brockport in 1910, Elbert was appointed superintendent. Elbert also managed the Holley plant when his uncle went to Long Island to attend to the original Hudson Canning plant in Mattituck in Suffolk County.
Elbert married Pauline Skinner on June 4, 1913. Born in Rochester on July 6, 1889, Pauline was the daughter of DeWitt and Stella Skinner. Pauline worked in the office of the Shinola Company, a Rochester based company which produced boot and shoe polish.
The couple was engaged on New Year’s Eve, 1912, following a courtship of six months. The wedding took place at Pauline’s home, 209 Flower City Park, in Rochester, on June 4, 1913, with about sixty guests in attendance. Elbert was then aged 26 and Pauline was 24.
“The bride wore a gown of white voile trimmed with ratine lace, made over white silk and carried a shower Bouquet of Bride roses and lilies of the valley….The groom’s gift to the bride was a gold monogram watch and pin.”
A wedding supper was served following the ceremony. According to a family story, an ice-cream maker set up on the front porch was snatched by young boy, but the bride’s father chased him down the street and retrieved it.
Elbert Johnston photographed on Sept.1, 1918, with his daughter, Arietta Jean, born March 9, 1917.
The couple honeymooned in New York City and lived in Brockport at first, but later moved to Holley, to a house across the tracks from Elbert’s uncle’s home.
Pauline assisted with office work at the canning factory.
Their daughter, Arietta Jean, was born on March 9, 1917, at Park Ave. Hospital in Rochester. Pauline had stayed with her parents for two weeks before the birth, to be close to the hospital. Elbert visited frequently. Arietta was named for Elbert’s mother, Arietta Hudson Johnston.
Pregnant with their second child, Pauline went to stay with her parents in Rochester again, in September 1918. Arrietta accompanied her.
A letter, which Elbert wrote to Pauline on Wednesday, September 25, 1918, survives. It is full of the details of their everyday lives. Elbert wrote that he brought some wood home and set a fire in the kitchen as the house was damp, gathered dandelions for the rabbit’s breakfast and cleaned the hutch. Lad, their Irish setter dog, spent a lot of time at the office, sleeping at the back of the stove. He included a snippet of gossip: “Chet and his wife are separating.” Elbert enquired after Arietta Jean and wrote that he would see them on the coming Sunday.
Their son, Robert Walter, who was named for Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott, was born on Saturday, September 28, 1918. But when Elbert went to visit on Sunday, as promised, he was denied entry. Visitors were not allowed at the hospital on account of the Spanish flu epidemic.
Within a week, a quarantine was declared in Holley where the flu was rampant. Elbert contracted it. His Aunt Allie cared for him, but he died on October 18, 1918, just shy of his thirty-first birthday, having been ill for just one week. He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Rochester.
His son, Robert Walter, was two weeks old. Elbert had not had an opportunity to see him because of the quarantine. Arietta Jean was nineteen months old.
Following Elbert’s death, Pauline remained in Rochester with her parents. She never returned to their home in Holley, which was sold. Later, since she needed to earn a living, and was an accomplished seamstress, she took a correspondence course in dressmaking and started a business.
This poignant tale is sourced from items graciously donated to the Orleans County Dept. of History by Gail Wadsworth, daughter of Arietta Jean. Considering the domestic upheaval surrounding Elbert’s death and the fact that Pauline moved house several times, it is quite remarkable that these items survived.
True, this material just provides details on the life and death of one individual. But from a local history point of view, its significance is that it helps us understand the great events of the time. It also points to the role of the local history entity in the preservation of such unique and irreplaceable documents.
In our previous column, we mentioned that Elbert and some friends attended a Political Suffrage program in Holley in 1907. It is apparent from Elbert’s comments following the event that he was not in favor of women’s suffrage, which is surprising, given that he was a modern young man from New York City who enjoyed the company of young ladies. His stance starkly indicates the daunting negativity and prejudice that faced the suffragists.
We can read that 65,000 people in the United States died from the Spanish flu, but when we read about a relatable individual, a healthy young man from Holley who succumbed having been ill for a week, we realize how virulent it was and the long-lasting impact it had on so many families.
Incidentally, at one point, Pauline and her family were neighbors of the Reverend Randall Kenyon family, whose housemaid was May Howard, a young English girl, one of the survivors of the Titanic, who is buried at Boxwood Cemetery, Medina…but that’s another story.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 February 2024 at 4:33 pm
Free solar-viewing glasses also will be available
Provided photo: Hoag Library will be distributing solar-viewing glasses on Saturday for free. The cost is covered by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Space Science Institute, through its Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries (SEAL) program. The program is providing 5 million solar-viewing glasses to 10,000 libraries.
Dr. Michael Richmond
ALBION – Hoag Library will welcome a speaker at noon on Saturday about the upcoming solar eclipse. Orleans County is in the path of totality on April 8, when the moon will fully block out the sun from about 3:18 to 3:22 p.m.
In Western New York partial eclipse begins at 2:04 p.m. with the partial eclipse over at 4:32 p.m., according to NASA. Just before the near darkness approaches, the shade of the moon yields a sliver of light.
Dr. Michael Richmond, a professor at Rochester Institute of Technology, will discuss the significance and rarity of the total eclipse during a presentation at Hoag. Richmond teaches both physics and astronomy courses and runs the RIT Observatory.
Map courtesy of I Love NY and shows a path of totality for the solar eclipse on April 8. A map of the contiguous U.S. shows the path of the 2024 total solar eclipse stretching on a narrow band from Texas to Maine.
