Columns
In These Otsego Hills: Cooperstown loses two of its own
Last week was not a good week. Cooperstown lost two
of its own. Donald C. Reed, Jr. and Dorothy Elizabeth
Chase.
Both were Cooperstown natives and both graduated
from Cooperstown High School, Dorothy in 1938 and Donny
in 1943. And they both made their own individual contributions
to the community.
We are unable to move through our house without noting
Donnie’s handiwork. Even as we write this, the carpet
at our feet is there because of Donnie. However, when we
remember Donnie, it is not for the carpet with which we
live, but for the radiator that he took off our hands. When
we moved back here in 1982, we had the heating system
redone, replacing the radiators with baseboard heat.
However, many years ago, Jerry’s grandmother had the
radiator taken out of her bedroom, as it produced too
much heat.
It was stored in the basement and, unfortunately, did
not go away when the rest of the radiators did in 1982.
Consequently, when we decided to re-do a part of the
basement for Christopher’s digs, we were forced into disposing
of the radiator.
Twice Doug Gohde lugged it to the landfill. And twice
he brought it back to us as it was not accepted. He was
told it could leach something, we know not what, into the
soil which would then run down Willow Brook and into
the lake. So the radiator then took up residence in the
garage until Donnie arrived one day and asked if we had
a radiator which we wished to get rid of. We showed him
the radiator and he pronounced it to be perfect.
Perfect for what, we asked. And he explained he was
going to use it as an anchor for his buoy to which he tied
up his boat on the lake. So directly into the lake went the
radiator, bypassing both landfill and Willow Brook. And,
as far as we know, it is still resting comfortably at the bottom
of the lake.
And so, although we will certainly miss seeing Donnie
around town, we will always remember, with a smile on
our face, Donnie’s recycling of the Ellsworth radiator.
To Donnie’s family and his many friends, we extend
our sympathy.
We first encountered Dorothy Chase when we married
into the Ellsworth family in the summer of 1971. At that
time she cleaned for our mother-in-law, Enid Ellsworth.
And when Enid died ten years later, Dorothy started
cleaning for us and continued to do so until she broke her
wrist thus ending her cleaning days. However, not being
one to stay idle, Dorothy continued volunteering at the
senior meals nutrition center, at Bassett Healthcare and,
of course, at Christ Episcopal Church. Sometime during
our tenure as treasurer at Christ Church, we started joining
her once a week for lunch at the nutrition center. And
we took her home from the church Friday mornings after
she finished folding and stuffing the Sunday bulletins.
Unfortunately, the time came when we began to realize
that Dorothy needed more care than she was getting
living alone in an apartment here in Cooperstown. We
then helped her move first in October of 2007 to Welcome
Home in Richfield Springs and then again in June of 2008
to Marchand Manor in Sharon Springs. We used to joke
that she was working her way through all the ``Springs’’
in New York State. However, we did tell her that when
she got to Saratoga Springs she was going to be on her
own.
That, of course, never came to pass and we finally
moved her, for the last time in August of this year, to Otsego
Manor.
Throughout all of these moves we were able to still join
Dorothy once a week for lunch, first at the Tally-Ho in
Richfield Springs, then at My Sister’s Place in Sharon
Springs, and finally at Otsego Manor here in Cooperstown.
We always enjoyed our lunches with Dorothy and we
will be eternally grateful for what she taught us about
accepting with good humor those changes in one’s life
that occur as part of the aging process.
She graciously embraced each step of her journey towards
her goal of life everlasting with her Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. She now dwells with the angels and we
are the poorer for it.
In closing, our quote this week comes from The Book of
Job, Chapter 1, Verse 20, which says ``...the LORD gave,
and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of
the LORD.’’ And even though we find it hard to accept, we
do know it is as it was meant to be.
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
-
-
From Fly Creek: Passing fronts and settled weather
(I owe the first part of this column to an informal writers’ workshop sponsored by the Smithy Pioneer Gallery. The small group, led by Gallery Director Danielle Newell, meets Sunday afternoons and is open to anyone interested in the writing craft. As a warmup exercise on that very rainy afternoon, we each wrote a few paragraphs on the weather and emotions. Here’s what that keen group prompted me to scribble down) The dour old Scotsman, the one featured in jokes without number about buying lottery tickets, pinching pennies, scorning worldly ways, etc., once silenced a friend who was praising the beautiful weather.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: We're back from Michigan ...
Unfortunately, we once again find ourselves stuck in a time warp. When we look at the calendar, we realize that Labor Day is fast approaching. Yet, we seem to be operating under the misconception that it is still early July due in large part to the fact that we spent the almost five weeks from July 15 to August 17 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We feel the summer has sailed by and we, unfortunately, have not kept pace.
Continued ... -
Otsego Herald: Censorship?
All those indebted to John Lawrence, Post-rider, and do not settle the same IMMEDIATELY may rely upon having to pay cost!! Otego, Aug. 24.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: 1984 comes to a close ... finally
As we continue traipsing through 1984, we realize that even though we were supposed to be covering the comings and goings of Cooperstown, we actually were able, even then, to touch on a number of pressing community, as well as personal, issues. Of course, much to the relief of the powers that were at CCS, the school was not among them. The he-we ran for the school board in 1984 and was elected. Thus the school was deemed off limits by the powers that were at the paper. But we discovered there was still a wide range of issues upon which we could write.
Continued ... -
Otsego Herald: New school book
From the Otsego Herald for Saturday, Aug. 18, 1810
Continued ... -
Book Notes: Books offer tennis insights
Professional tennis sometimes seems to be the ultimate life. Where else could you travel the world, earn gobs of money, get in great shape, and have groupies from the opposite sex chasing you all the time? And you get all your equipment free to boot (which may explain why players smash racquets without remorse). Quite a glamorous life, isn’t it?
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: Continuing our 1984 musings
Now that we have undertaken the beginnings of this column, we fear we find ourselves unable to stop our review of the early writings. In fact, we seem to be completely addicted to the project. And thus, we will continue to explore the very foundations on which this column has been built.
Continued ... -
Book Notes: Burnett's book recalls 'Golden Age'
It’s a shame that today’s young generation missed the golden age of television from the 1960s and 70s. The fact that Hollywood studios with their ``original’’ ideas of constantly remaking hit TV shows from that era into new movies and reunion specials is quite telling. Even Fox with its ``That 70’s Show’’ is a reminder of that whimsical time.
Continued ... -
Home Notes: A place to cherish
As we enter into the middle of summer, let us pause and relish in the fact that we have been blessed with such lovely weather.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: Hurray for Mother Bassett!
Just back from my annual week at Lake George’s Silver Bay, in company with about 600 other Quakers. As always, it was a great time: Friends shared silence in the early morning by the lake and during the day in the big brown-shingled tabernacle. (Silver Bay is an old YMCA camp.)
Continued ...
Plenty of fine stringed music and singing in the evenings; lots of daytime rocking-chair stints on the deep veranda, facing across rolling lawns and lake to green mountains and skies of startling blue. -
In These Otsego Hills: In the beginning
Our remembering Jerry in last week’s column has now lead us to muse about our early days of writing a weekly newspaper column.
Continued ... -
Book Notes: Prohibition should not be ignored
I was an American history major in college and one topic that my professors never discussed was prohibition.
Continued ... -
Otsego Herald: Elopement
From the Otsego Herald for Saturday, July 21, 1810 Compiled, with comments BY HUGH C. MACDOUGALL
Continued ... -
Home Notes: Personal Care is a rewarding occupation
When I was a young girl in the early 50’s my family would often take rides through Cooperstown and the Cherry Valley area.
Continued ... -
In These Otsego Hills: Remembering Jerry ...
Difficult as it is to believe, we have been a widow for eleven years this week. And yet it seems as if our late husband Jerry just died yesterday. The memory of it remains most vivid in our mind. We suppose there is much that we don’t remember about July 20, 1999. But we do remember just how much that day changed our life forever. We lost not only our spouse of 28 years, but also our best friend.
Continued ... -
Otsego Herald: Celebrating the 4th
From the Otsego Herald for Saturday, July 14, 1810 Compiled, with comments by
Continued ... -
Our Opinion: What’s good for the goose...
The board of trustees has decided to hire an engineer to review the work of CLA Site, the firm hired to do the site assessment and design work for the Village Gateway Project _ now known as the Cooperstown Intermodal Transit Project. That review will cost up to $12,000.
Continued ... -
From Fly Creek: ‘Thump-thump, dum-lum’
Since I last wrote to you I’ve been several times embraced to Mother Bassett’s bosom.
Continued ...
(Oh dear, I hope that’s not a disrespectful metaphor. But if you’ve seen photos, you know she was a handsome, dignified woman with an ample superstructure.) This time, for variety, the hospital visits at first seemed to have little to do with Parkinsonism. But a new problem had turned up that had me tested in every part of the hospital except obstetrics. -
In These Otsego Hills: Travels with The Widge...
We have decided that the role of grandmother is quite to our liking. As we have been told any number of times, as a grandparent it is perfectly acceptable to hold, play with and fawn over the grandchild until such time as said grandchild becomes fussy. And then, and this is the best part, it is completely within the purview of the grandparent to return the fussy grandchild to the parents. We love it.
Continued ... -
Otsego Herald: Shocking accident, American arrested
On Wednesday last, as Joseph Faulkner, esq. of Middlefield, was returning home from Cherry-Valley, a gust of wind arose up suddenly, a large Elm was blown across the road, directly on Mr. Faulkner, who, together with his horse was instantly killed.
Continued ...
-
From Fly Creek: Passing fronts and settled weather
