It is with sadness that we note the passing of long time friend, and distantrelative, Jane Patrick. Over the years we have worked with Jane in a number of organizations including Women’s Club and the Community Advisory Committee at Bassett. And, of course, in later years we joined her, along with the other Dinner Belles, for any number of delicious meals. But we do think that our favorite memory that we shared with Jane was when we discovered, having both married Cooperstown natives, that we shared Cooperstown Christmas plans.
As Jane told the story, the first Christmas after she married Pat, she asked him what their plans were going to be for the holiday. To this she reported that Pat replied that he didn’t know what she was going to do, but he was going to Cooperstown. And so it was off to Cooperstown for the holiday. We note that our experience with Christmas was much the same. And of course, after spending Christmases here, eventually we both moved here with our native Cooperstonian husbands, who were, we think, second cousins once removed. We, along with many, many others, will miss Jane. To her sons, John and David and their families, and her many friends we extend our sympathy.
And to our soon-to-be former mayor we wish to extend a big thank you for serving the village in a most difficult job in an atmosphere which often seemed to be completely lacking in civility. In fact, we were stunned by many of the online comments made about the story in The Daily Star announcing the mayor’s decision not to seek reelection.
It confirms our fears that Cooperstown is no longer the community to which we moved in 1982. And we fear we are the poorer for it. In fact, we would be hard pressed to find any remnants of the community we joined then. And while we realize that life is ever changing we do wish we thought it was ever changing for the better.
Unfortunately we do not think that is the case and have thus come to the conclusion that Cooperstown is now but a place to live, having lost its unique character which made it special for us. The community has become quite divided over a number of issues that have arisen in the past few years. And given the divisive nature of these issues, we don’t hold much hope of ever regaining what we have long thought was a wonderful sense of community. In fact, it might seem that the most perfect village has developed cracks in its veneer.
In fact, we were discouraged by many of comments we received regarding the column we wrote two weeks ago on the documentary, The Empire State Divide. We are accustomed to receiving comments from people we know. However, we do not believe we have ever received so many comments from people we do not know. Nonetheless, we were not surprised by the e-mail from a father in Oneonta who lamented the fact that his 23-year-old son had had to leave the area to find work.
The son’s degree from BOCES as a state-certified welder did not get him a job locally with which he could support himself. Instead he is now working for the gas industry in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
We also received an e-mail from a banker who wrote: “... Having worked in agricultural and business lending the last 29 years I have firsthand witnessed the shrinking of the farming sector and also the shrinking of the business sector.
It is very alarming to our farming and business communities experiencing some of the knee jerk reactions via the addition of more layers of government regulations that is impacting existing businesses and chasing away any business that may have considered coming to our county.
Our hard-working farmers and business owners are only trying to survive and keep their doors open. Another sad fact is the loss of our youth, that we pay dearly to educate, only to have them leave as there is no opportunity.”
However, we think the most discouraging comment we received came from a farmer in the region who wanted to let us know how much he appreciated the column. He then explained how frustrated he was that people from Cooperstown in general, and a local organization in particular, had seen fit to weigh in on the proposed windmill farm in Jordanville. He firmly believed the windmills would have been beneficial to his area. He even offered to meet with people from here to explain his point of view, even going so far as to offer a tour of his area. No one accepted his offer. Needless to say, his opinion of Cooperstown is anything but positive; mentioning that he really wished the people in Cooperstown would mind their own business. And we can’t say we blame him.
However, as depressing as we find many of the current opinions of Cooperstown to be, we were amused by the story that ran on January 27, 2012 in The Daily Star, titled “Sen. Gillibrand introduces Baseball Hall of Fame coin act.” It seems the Senator introduced into the Senate the National Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act to honor the Baseball Hall of Fame’s75th anniversary in 2014. In the article she was quoted as saying that Cooperstown is a “...truly magical place in upstate New York.” Based on the comments we have heard of late, we suspect designating Cooperstown as a “magical place” might be a matter of opinion.
Nonetheless, we can always hope that in the not too distant future we may once again think of Cooperstown as something more than just a place in which to live.
PLEASE NOTE: Comments regarding this column may be made by mail at 105 Pioneer Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326, by telephone at 607-547-8124 or by e-mail at cellsworth1@stny.rr.com
Columns
In These Otsego Hills: The losses are adding up ...
- Columns
-
-
From Fly Creek: Revving up for spring
Time to bring you up to date on Fly Creek’s happy clambering into Spring. First, the eatery scene. “Is Jerry’s open yet?” The answer is, “Oh, yes!” The porches are freshly stained; the lawns a uniform green, and the hop vines are already climbing the posts on the covered side deck. Blue and I went up there to lunch earlier this week, and I celebrated spring with my traditional bacon, onion and Swiss cheese hamburger. We two sat on the deck, enjoying the broad view and some spectacular clouds marching across, up toward Schuyler Lake.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: More from 1986 ...
This week we continue with the discussion of telephone service from the pre-dial days. On March 12 we noted that: “No one has yet produced a telephone directory from pre-dial days, but Doug Preston of New Hartford recalls that some business (which one?) in the village had the phone number 7.”
Continued ... -
Home Notes: Celebrations abound at the Thanksgiving Home
April was a month of celebrations and much to appreciate. We had a 90th birthday celebration for Wanda Noyes on April 4 including her family and friends. Personal care staff Dee Bouck worked with residents to hand paint Easter eggs for the tree in the activity room.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: 1986 continues ...
This week we continue our journey through the columns of 1986 with the answer to the question “for whom, according to tradition, was Hannah’s Hill named?”
Continued ... -
Book Notes: Baseball book features local contributors
Baseball is part of the nation’s fabric. Most kids have a memory of the game either from playing Little League, attending a major league contest or meeting a favorite player. In Cooperstown that feeling is magnified since we are the official home of baseball. We get to see firsthand what has made the sport the national pastime.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: Ya really wanna know?
SETTING: Fly Creek General Store. CAST: Assorted seated geezers, drinking coffee. [Door opens, enter heavy-set geezer; walking slowly with wide stance, maybe prostatitis.]
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: Returning to 1986 ...
For the past several years now we have undertaken sharing some of the area’s oral history we have collected over the years that we have written this column. Therefore, this year, we would like to go back to 1986 to share that rather unusual year. Those who were here then no doubt remember that it was that year that the village celebrated the bicentennial of its founding.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: For reasons unknowable
[Jim’s reached back to 2002 to share one of his favorite columns.] My father was born as the last century began into a river village in tidewater Maryland. He told me once of a man there in his boyhood who, like so many, made a thin living tonging for oysters in the cold months and, in the hot and humid ones, crabbing and raising vegetables.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: CCS balancing act ... side two
Last week we shared a number of activities in which students at CCS can participate. We thought it was an impressive, if not overwhelming, list. And we are indeed pleased that the young people of our area have these opportunities. However, we think it is also important to keep in mind that these undertakings do have a cost associated with them. They are not free. In fact there are, no doubt, those who would say they do not come cheap.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: A graceful crowd
Make of this what you will, friends. I feel I’m really meant to share it with you. Despite good medication for my Parkinsonism, every four or five weeks I can sensethe symptoms building up on me, giving me more than ordinary trouble. Lately it’s been falls, and last week brought a typical one. I’d gone out to get the paper, moving along with penguin steps on the snowcoved ice patches, and usingmy spike-tipped cane the waya climber uses an ice axe. But circumstances overcame me. Parkinson’s wipes out the possibility of multi-tasking.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: This and that and the other side ...
We note that the CCS Class of 2012 is presenting its senior class play, “Snow White” by Tim Kelly, this week with performances 7:30 p.m Thursday and Friday, March 29 and 30, and at 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 31. All performances will be at the Nicolas J. Sterling Auditorium at the Middle/High School.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: That green thing ...
Of late we have noticed that our email inbox has been much busier than usual. In fact, we find ourselves hard pressed to keep up with all the various messages we receive. As a result we suspect we have not answered some in as timely a fashion as might be thought appropriate.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: What you need to know
In their last Sunday’s bulletins, all 84 churches of Otsego County were to have carried announcements of an important meeting; most of them did. But because the announcement is so important, and not just to the churched, here it is again.
Continued ... -
Book Notes: Living the magic of ‘Hoosier’
A lot of people consider “Hoosiers” the best sports film of all time. The 1986 classic follows the exploits of a fictional small town Indiana high school basketball team in 1952 as it attempts to achieve the impossible dream of a state championship. The story is inspired by the true life achievement of the 1954 Milan team, who with an enrollment of only 161 students shocked big city power Muncie Central on a last second shot to win the state title. It’s the kind of sports story that represents something that is hard to grasp unless you live in a small town.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: The most perfect village... home to heavy industry?
We suspect we would get a whole lot more accomplished if we spent less time thinking, pondering and musing about things. In fact, there is a good possibility we might actually have completed our goal of cleaning the basement if we only focused on the task at hand, instead of trying to figure out the world around us. It almost makes us wonder if it is possible to think too much about things. We certainly hope not because should that be the case, we are in deep trouble.
Continued ... -
Up On Hawthorn Hill: The past in the present
Clichés abound about the value of photographs. Most are probably true at least to a certain extent. What I do know about an image is that it represents something of the past that is not the pastitself. But that is the power of any image. It represents something that once was. The beauty of an image, revisited, is that it functions as a catalystfor reliving in the present a past experience. My own view, one that I thank the Spanish writer Jorge Luis Borges for, is that all we ever can experience is the present.
Continued ... -
Home Notes: Workshops held for Thanksgiving Home residents
We welcomed Linda Keller, Ph.D. of the Bassett Research Institute and Ida Baker of NYCAMH who presented a six-week workshop for residents and staff.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: Late-winter hamlet news
Well, at least I’m “guessing” it’s late winter now — in the winter that wasn’t. But, if not snow, I can provide a flurry of Fly Creek news to share with you, scooping Associated Press, Reuter’s, and United Press International, not to mention all local news services except our General Store.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: Waiting for spring to have sprung ...
Difficult as it to believe, both January and February seem to have flown by and we find ourselves turning the calendar over to the month of March, which we have long thought is one of the more dreary months of the year. Of course, as in the pastthere are signs of spring as reflected by the tapping of the maple trees. For many years, the trees sprouted buckets to capture their all important sap. However, we now know to look for the sap collection lines that are strung from tree to tree.
Continued ... -
Book Notes: Kennedy: a unique individual
It’s been almost 50 years since the Kennedy assassination shocked the nation. Since then much has been written about President John F. Kennedy and whether he would have achieved his destiny (whatever that may have been) if he had lived. It is said he inspired young people in a way that has never been equaled. And there is the notion of Camelot, espoused by his widow Jackie, that there will never be a time of hope and promise like that again.
Continued ...
-
From Fly Creek: Revving up for spring
