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& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch

Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, March 25, 2021

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THE PANDEMIC YEAR • First Death On March 23, 2020

City of The Hills

All Fall To Egalitarian COVID-19 By MIKE FORSTER ROTHBART COOPERSTOWN

O HOMETOWN ONEONTA

National Guard Airman First Class Joseph Howard prepares to direct the public Thursday, March 18, into the mass-vaccine site at SUNY Oneonta.

In Five Days, SUNY Clinics Inject 3,000 ONEONTA

n its first five days, the mass-vaccination site at SUNY Oneonta’s Dewar Arena administered 3,000 anti-COVID vaccinations, according to state Health Department spokesman Joshua Bruno. “We look forward to continuing to provide this service as long as it takes to ensure that everyone who wants one has access to a vaccine,” Bruno said. In another significant development, Govenor Cuomo Monday lowered eligibility for shots to those 50 and over. Following developments on

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n Monday morning, March 23, 2020, Otsego County confirmed its first case of coronavirus at a Fox clinic in Oneonta. Just three days later, the county recorded the first COVID-19 death. Now, one year later, there have been over 3,500 positive cases here; 54 county residents

have died from COVID-19 and related complications. At least eight former local residents are also known to have died from the virus. The deceased ranged in age from 55 to 103, with more women than men dying of COVID. In tribute to the lives lost, are brief profiles of the fatalities identified in public records. Other families have chosen to keep the deaths anonymous. Please See TRIBUTE, B2

COVID was indiscriminate, its victims ranging from Brenda Utter, the first, to Jem Mitrano, Mayor Sam Nader’s sister; former Otego Town Board member Earl Edwards, and former SUNY Professor Rivkah Feldman.

SUSPECT SOUGHT IN HEIST ATTEMPT This white sedan, parked near the bank, is being sought.

RACES FIRM UP FOR ’21 LOCAL ELECTIONS

ll candidates in all contested races for local office in this fall’s local elections in Otsego County – petitions had to be filed by 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 22 – will be listed online by the time you pick up this paper. Visit

AllOTSEGO.com

www.

Pot Shops Becoming Issue Here

CHERRY VALLEY

he suspect in the attempted robbery Monday afternoon, March 22, at NBT Bank’s branch was still at large at presstime Tuesday evening. The incident occurred at 1:56 p.m. at the 16 Main St. bank. The suspect didn’t threaten the bank’s staff or display a weapon. State police from the Richfield Springs Barracks are handling the investigation. Bank robberies or threat of such are rare in Otsego County. Sheriff Richard J. Devlin Jr. said the last one he remembers was at the NBT in Edmeston on June 6, 2016, almost five years ago. Likewise, prosecutions are a rarity, said Assistant District Attorney Chris Di Donna. Attempted robbery is considered a violent felony under state law, punishable by a prison term of 16 months or more.

Cooperstown Trustee Won’t Let Matter Go By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN

►SENATOR OBERACKer TAKES ►WATCH FOR UPDATES AT www. OTSEGO.com tour of futuristic Otsego The suspect’s image was captured on the bank’s camera. County Animal Shelter. ►DELGADO BRIEFS COUNTY on $1.9 trillion payout due from President Biden’s Stimulus Plan. ►TRUSTEE JAMES DEAN HAILED Pitts Road near here, the Customer By JIM KEVLIN for 10-year job well done at his Hicklings are growing 65as well as last Village Board meeting. CEO, Tim 70,000 trout yearlings annu►FIRST NIGHT COMMITTEE plans Johnson, NORTH EDMESTON ally, and another 20-30,000 “robust” Hometown Fourth of with wife pounds of 2-year-old bass, July in Oneonta. Vicki, enjoy ickling’s Fish Farm which – a delicacy in Thai ►COVID CASE SHUTS CCS for Broadband Inc. is exactly what and other cultures – are sold at their one week. (Laurens, Morris Otsego Electric to Asian markets in Boston rural Edalso closed.) President/CEO Tim Johnson and other East Coast cities. meston ►AUDUBON MAGAZINE FEATURES is talking about. “The big money we’re home. Susan Fenimore Cooper, In tanks inside four sizespending now is in technolnature writer and daughter of able modern buildings on Please See BROADBAND, A6 Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA James Fenimore Cooper.

All

$7.4M Grant Fuels Broadband March

efore reacting, the Village Board is waiting to see what the marijuana-legalization bill due to pass the state Legislature April 1 looks like. But Trustee Mac BenMac Benton ton, who brought the issue before the trustees at their monthly meeting Monday, March 22, is determined to push for pot-selling “storefronts” in Baseball’s Mecca, seeing it as an economic-development opportunity too good to ignore. If the new law doesn’t give village the authority to make the decision to sell or to manufacture marijuana products, Benton said he will Please See POT, B2

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD

A-2 HOMETOWN ONEONTA

THURSDAY, March 25, 2021

HOMETOWN

People

Largest OPD Class Sworn In At Park

Join us for Easter Sunday

as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. May you find the answers you’ve been looking for!

Palm Sunday March 28 8 am & 10 am – Eucharist

Maundy Thursday April 1 10 am Holy Communioin

Good Friday April 2 Good Friday Worship Noon

Easter Sunday April 4 Ian Austin/Hometown Oneonta Oneonta Police Chief Chris Witzenberg, left, and Mayor Gary Herzig flank the latest class of OPD officers sworn in at Neahwa Park. From left are Michael Angellotti, Christian Cooper, Bryce Kohout, Michael Pedulla II, Carson Pochkar, Thomas Steinberg and Karolina Stypulkowsi. The seven begin their studies at the Broome County Police Academy, and will join the local police force in six months.

Executive Director, 2 Trustees Join CSO

ONEONTA – Cassandra Miller, lecturer in the SUNY Oneonta Communications Department, has joined the Catskill Symphony Orchestra as acting executive director. She succeeds Thomas Wolf, a past opera performer, who was executive director during the 2019 Miller search for the new conductor, Maciej Żółtowski. Additionally, Laura Tansey Wetzel and Ian Kenyon, both of Cooperstown, have joined the board.

8 am Eucharist 10 am Solemn Festival Eucharist

If you’re not quite sure, we have the answer you’ve been seeking.

607-432-1458

St. James Episcopal Church 305 Main Street, Oneonta · www.stjamesoneonta.org

Miller, former entertainment editor with the Daily Star, is a graduate of Boston University and has a master’s in communications management. She held various marketing positions before returning to her hometown in 2019.

Main Street Baptist Church Corner of Main & Maple Streets - Oneonta www.msbchurch.org -- 607-432-5712

HONORED: Alex Osterhoudt, son of Marty and Michelle Osterhoudt of Oneonta, was named to the President’s List at SUNY Brockport for the Fall 2020 semester. Alex is majoring in K-12 Physical Education and is a 2020 graduate of Oneonta High School.

Good Friday Service 7 PM

Easter Sunday Services 9:00 AM Worship Service In our building

11:00 AM Worship Service At Fortin Park, weather permitting Bring your own chair.

St. Mary’s Our Lady of the Lake Roman Catholic Church The “Red Door” Church (First United Presbyterian)

Easter Sunday Service Join us in-person, online or by phone!

Easter Sunday Service 10 am

For info to join us online, go to www.facebook.com/TheRedDoorChurch/ To call in: 1-301-857-2390//pin: 931 769 968#

Church Office: 607-432-7520 • The Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Walton-Leavitt

First united methodist Church 66 Chestnut Street, Oneonta 607-432-4102

A Reconciling Congregation · Welcoming LGBTQIA ALL SERVICES ARE IN-PERSON RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED 8:15 am services are on Facebook Live 10 am & other services on Zoom (meeting ID 195-736-049) Palm SunDaY – march 28 8:15 am and 10 am - Worship maunDY ThurSDaY – april 1 7 pm - Worship GOOD FrIDaY – april 2 12:10 pm and 7 pm - Worship EaSTEr SunDaY – april 4 8:15 am 10 am - Worship Rev. Marti Swords-Horrell, Pastor

Visit us online at www.firstumc-oneonta.org

HOLY THURSDAY April 1 Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7 pm

GOOD FRIDAY April 2 Stations of the Cross, Noon Passion Service, 7 pm

HOLY SATURDAY April 3 Easter Vigil, 8 pm

EASTER SUNDAY April 4 Masses at 9 am and Noon

31 Elm Street, Cooperstown · 607-547-2213 www.stmaryscoop.org Very Rev. Michael G. Cambi, Pastor

THURSDAY, March 25, 2021

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3

A-4 HOMETOWN ONEONTA

HOMETOWN Views

THURSDAY, March 25, 2021

EDITORIAL

Here’s Evidence That The Arts Can Be Entrepreneurial, Too

hen the going gets tough, the entrepreneurs get

going. A corollary: The entrepreneurial spirit isn’t limited to entrepreneurs. (Per Merriam-Webster: “A person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater-thannormal financial risks in order to do so.”) So it was telling to watch the Cooperstown Chamber’s first “Coffee With Coop” panel discussion via Zoom last Friday, March 19. Kudos to the Chamber, and Executive Director Tara Burke, who was also an adept emcee. It was a little dishearten-

►TOMMY IBRAHIM, Bassett Healthcare Network president/CEO, will be featured on the next “Coffee With Cooperstown,” 9 a.m. Thursday, April 22. Sign up at WEARECOOPERSTOWN.COM

ing to hear a recitation of all the Hall of Fame cancellations, although the scope of its undertakings – an estimated 80,000 fans were expected at Derek Jeter’s Induction – make them particularly fraught, not to mention dangerous, in Time of COVID. And yet, the entrepreneurial spirit lived in presentations by, first, Fenimore President/CEO

Paul D’Ambrosio and then, in Glimmerglass Opera General & Artistic Director Francesca Zambello. • Under D’Ambrosio’s leadership – as previously, when he was chief curator – The Fenimore’s been pushing the boundaries, from Grandma Moses in 2006 to the first Monet (2012) to Olympian skater and renowned broadcaster Dick Button’s funky “Art of Figure Skating Through the Ages” in 2016. (It ranged from Currier & Ives’ prints to, yes, the oldest ice skate extant. Plus, meeting Dorothy Hammill was a thrill to many.) This year’s “Keith Har-

LETTERS

HOMETOWN

passed the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act in 2019. This bill outlined clear and achievable targets to increase renewable energy production, storage and energy infrastructure. Plus, it recognized that many communities across New York have been left behind and disadvantaged economically, so it makes sure that large parts of the investment go to these communities. Our region has been left behind by Albany for far too long. This bill may start to change that. Of course, the question comes up of how to pay for these upgrades. We cannot print money like the federal government, so the answer is the Climate & Community Investment Act. This bill will set taxes and charges against those businesses that pollute the most. The revenue will be turned into direct reinvestment in our state. I support this legislation because it answers the question of how to pay for a specific state program. It may not be a perfect bill, it should be debated, and that debate can certainly make it better. The results of this bill will help our region, and for that we all have reason to support it. DAN BUTTERMANN Oneonta

ing: Radiant Vision” continues that boundary-pushing tradition, featuring a

Network Chief of Pharmacy Kelly Rudd briefs the first six Bassett employees to get a COVID vaccine. On Dec. 23 in the Clark Auditorium are, from left, Dr. Lewis Brinton, Keith Velasco, Eddie Cook, Suzanne Evans, Liz Burns and Dr. Travis Hodgdon. In the background is Allen Light, who administered one of the first shots.

Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal

In 2020-21, Traditions Fell Away, New Ones Emerged

Editor’s Note: For the past year, Melissa Marietta, Fly Creek, SUNY Oneonta director of career development, has chronicled her family’s year with COVID-19. This was posted on Facebook March 15, the anniversary of Otsego County’s state of emergency.

he sun shines! The temp rises above freezing! I’m here to check in. It’s the anniversary of The Last Friday. We knew something weird and possibly dangerous was coming. With no real understanding of the situation, we all assumed it could be days, if not weeks, before we’d return to life as usual. If we only knew. If only we’d gone to one last movie, one last dinner out,

ONEONTA

James C. Kevlin Editor & Publisher

Advertising Director & General Manager

Larissa Ryan Business Manager

Kathleen Peters Graphics & Production

Mike Forster Rothbart Contributing Writer

Ian Austin Photographer

Ivan Potocnik Web Architect

Tom Heitz/Sharon Stuart Consultant

IN MEMORIAM: Mary Joan Kevlin, Co-Publisher, 2006-17

MEMBER OF National Newspaper Association, New York Press Association The Otsego County Chamber Published weekly by Iron String Press, Inc. 21 Railroad Ave., Cooperstown NY 13326 Telephone: (607) 547-6103. Fax: (607) 547-6080. E-mail: info@allotsego.com • www.allotsego.com

one last coffee with friends, or one last concert. If only we’d hugged one another one last time. Twice this week, someone told me they wished they could hug me and I couldn’t find the MELISSA words to tell them I MARIETTA want nothing more than to hug them right back. I miss so many things we took for granted. • For the past year, I documented each week of the pandemic through a Friday check-in on Facebook. In my first one, I snapped a selfie sitting on

my couch, my dog curled up next to me, my hair disheveled, small pieces of leftover chips on the front of my sweatshirt. The accompanying caption read: “My hair: never wash. My shirt: also a napkin.” Our pandemic year proceeded through four stages. Spring was “All Bets Are Off.” Our lives turned upside down. We moved from years of screen-free weekdays to devices all day. We ate junk food and wore sweatpants. Summer was: “Time Stands Still.” Our usually bustling tourist town was empty. I walked around my neighborhood for miles, without rushing to the destination. By September we knew: “Winter Was Coming.” Race riots and elecPlease See MARIETTA, A5

OTHER VOICES

& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch

Tara Barnwell

“simple, cheerful” style married to cutting-edge issues, from beating AIDS

A YEAR WITH COVID

‘Dazzling’ Green Energy Best Best On The Future For New York’s Citizens To the Editor: The next New York State budget is on its way to passage, and with the federal stimulus of $12.6 billion it will not be as bad as projected. But there are still many problems ahead. Our state had a budget deficit before the pandemic, and a declining population, which the census will likely confirm later this year. We must look for new ways to bring people back to New York. Without more people, our state will continue to suffer, and the problems will continue to grow. What is one way to bring people back? More jobs! How do we get more jobs? By investing strategically in the industries of the future, and we can do that without hurting businesses already here. Green energy has dazzling potential. It is the industry with the fastest growing job basis in the country, and these jobs pay higher than average. We need the energy too. New York has some of the highest utility rates in the country, and investment in green energy will lower energy costs, because the costs for renewable energy continue to go down. Recognizing the value of green energy, the legislature

At the first “Coffee With Coop,” Glimmerglass Festival’s Francesca Zambello outlines plans for the Andrew J. Martin-Weber Lawn Stage, which will ensure a robust 2021 season, despite COVID.

to global amity. The outreach to teens – free admission is offered, plus trained teenage docents to guide their peers through Haring’s offerings – is a piece of the novelty we’ve come to expect from The Fenimore. • Hearing Zambello revisit plans for this year’s Glimmerglass season put entrepreneurial aspiration at center stage. We can be hopeful, but who really knows what the COVID threat will look like in July? Under Zambello’s plan, it doesn’t matter. Because, regardless, this Please See EDITORIAL, A5

Minnie Undrowned Again

randma hung up the telephone. “Mrs. Halpine from down the street. She’s forwarding a message from your Grandpa and Uncle Tom.” “They’re standing on the pier with boat hooks snagged in Minnie Frederick’s coat collar, holding her head above water. She’s screeching protests.” Grandma gave a snort. “I’d say, let her sink! Minnie puts on this show every November. Well, let’s see how she does without an audience!” • That’s a long time ago. I’m 82 now, and was maybe 14 that particular year. I say “maybe” because Minnie raised that same ruckus every year, for about

JIM ATWELL

10 years running. Her costume and script never changed. Minnie was always dressed in an ankle-length mink coat and battered cloche hat, both from the Salvation Army. And, except for galoshes, that was all that

Minnie wore. I mean that inside the mink coat, the two-hundred pound Minnie was naked – starkers. During some day each November,

Minnie carefully plopped her galoshes down her family’s concrete front steps and set her regular course: across the intersection with the top of our street, Taney Avenue. Only a block long, Taney sloped down past a dozen houses, among them #11, my grandparent’s house, and just below it and built on the same lot, ours. Taney ended with a low concrete wall breached at one spot by an entry onto a sturdy 60-foot wooden pier. • To that pier were tied a half-dozen of one-lungers oyster boats, so called because each was weakly powered by a single-cylinder engine that shoved Please See ATWELL, A5

AllOTSEGO.com • MORE LETTERS, A6

LETTERS TO EDITOR WELCOME • EMAIL THEM TO info@

THURSDAY, March 25, 2021

HOMETOWN

HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-5

History

Compiled by Tom Heitz/SHARON STUART, with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library

135 Years Ago

M. & L. Westcott, who are about to begin the construction of a four-story brick block to contain four stores on Main Street near the fire building, have arranged to open a new street between the proposed block and the residence of Dr. Hamilton, to be called Hamilton Avenue. The street will run from Main to Front Street and will be paved. As an easy grade can be obtained from the freight depot, it will doubtless prove a popular thoroughfare for teamsters and others. (Ed. Note: The area once occupied by Hamilton Street is today a parking lot) March 1886

70 Years Ago

the penal law. At a court session lasting five hours, Mrs. McMullen was fined $10 and paroled for a period of two years. Twentyfive men were fined $3 each. Samuel Bennett, 39 years old, of Baker Street, who was found prone at the McMullen home in an intoxicated condition, was fined $10 and given a suspended sentence of six months. The 10 young girls were placed on probation for a year. Victor Moore, 30 years old, who sold liquor at the dance, was arrested on charges of violating the Oneonta liquor ordinance. March 1931

50 Years Ago

110 Years Ago

Local News – Oneonta, according to a table compiled by the state excise commissioner, has fewer drinking places in proportion to population, than any other city in the state. Its ratio is one licensed place to each 558 of population. Cortland’s ratio is 1 to 426 and Binghamton 1 to 397. The junior class of Oneonta High School gave a reception last Friday evening to the faculty, sophomore and senior classes. As the date was St. Patrick’s Day, the color scheme was green and white, with shamrocks and other decorations. College and school banners were also used. The junior class committee consisted of Montiori Paige, Marcia Saxton, Lila Hall, and Herbert Getman. There was dancing to 11 o’clock to the music of Deusler’s orchestra. March 1911

90 Years Ago

What police alleged was a “wild disorderly dance” conducted by Mrs. Sarah McMullen, 50 years old, of 14 Baker Street, ended in Oneonta City Court Saturday morning before Judge Frank C. Huntington who collected nearly $100 in fines for the city coffers. The raid was the largest ever staged

March 1951 in this city. Acting on a complaint registered by a neighbor, members of the city police night force, led by acting sergeant Revera Still, swooped down upon the dance home shortly after 2:15 o’clock Saturday morning. Taken in the police net, beside Mrs. McMullen, were about 30 men of various ages and 10 young girls. Police said 14 trips were required to transport the prisoners to headquarters. After questioning at police headquarters by Chief of Police Frank Horton, the dancers were handed summons to appear in court on charges of violating city ordinance three. Mrs. McMullen was held on charges of violating Section 1146 of

A glass bottle recycling drive is being planned for April or early May in Oneonta according to Earl Fesler, manager of the local Coca-Cola beverage operation. The drive will be carried out by Coca-Cola independently, with or without support from the community. “We are making plans to make this a permanent thing,” Fesler said. The Oneonta drive will be based on model drives carried out by Coca-Cola in Rochester and New York City. In Rochester, CocaCola, joined with several other companies, community organizations and individuals, to set up collection points throughout the city. Over a ten-day period, 110 tons of glass was collected and recycled. In New York City, Coca-Cola worked unilaterally, paying a penny for each glass bottle returned. Fesler favors the Rochester plan for Oneonta. “However, we’ll go it alone, if we have to.” March 1971

40 Years Ago

The Otsego County Industrial Development Agency reported Tuesday that it will advertise bids to construct the proposed $1.2 million Pony Farm Road Industrial Park in Oneonta. Two months ago, the IDA acquired the 81.4 acre site, including land

LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

Rotary Edges Toward In-Person Meetings

here comes a time in the history of an epidemic when the risk of discomfort, disability and death begins to be outweighed by the risks of continued isolation and continued restrictions on normal societal behavior. If we can stay the course on the rate of vaccinations that we’ve seen lately since the mega-sites opened, we can soon reach that point. The CDC has indicated that if all the individuals in a space have been fully vaccinated, they can congregate in small groups and without masks with very low risk of illness. This also assumes we are beginning to reach a level of herd immunity so that the risk of a person who is infected coming into contact with a person who has no protection is decreased solely by the numbers of safe people around them.

The CDC has recently changed its guideline regarding distance that schoolchildren must stay apart. It is been reduced from 6 feet to 3 feet somewhat with RICHARD the comment that STERNBERG the extra 3 feet doesn’t really matter much. It doesn’t mean that there’s a decreased risk of communicability, it just means that the distance between masked children may be decreased. There is also a consideration of increased damage to the population from the isolation of individuals from normal society. •

anger, anxiety and fear mixed with gratitude for my health and time with my husband and children. Technology was both a blessing and a curse. I realized how integral school is to my children’s well-being and my own. My biggest takeaway from the year is that my family missed our old traditions. On Oct. 30, I wrote that we were “ready to adventure out to what will hopefully be a safe but

EDITORIAL: The Power Of Entrepreneurism EDITORIAL/From A4 season will be staged in the airy/COVIDunfriendly outdoors, with an Andrew J. Martin-Weber Lawn Stage that will soon be under construction at the Cary Mede end of the property, by the south entrance. Instead of seats, opera-goers will buy “Festival Squares,” socially distanced from each other and designed to be shared by up to four people. Bring your (low-slung) lawn chair or blanket! Or, ramp up to Glimmerglass Boxes, booths with cover and seats for up to six people. The new set-up is driven by COVID safety precautions, but, as Zambello put it, it’s “in harmony with what people love about Glimmerglass — innovative art and performances in a beautiful location.” • Different can be fun, but not all is different.

The main offerings include the traditional – Mozart (“The Magic Flute”), a Verdi (“Il Trovatore”), Offenbach (“Songbird”) and the edgier “Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson,” about the National Negro Opera Company. The one edgier staple is also a staple of recent seasons, thus familiar in the face of so much change. • All this cultural entrepreneurism matters because the county’s economy, as we’ve learned in the last year, is more dependent on music and arts tourism (as well as baseball) than is probably wise. If the county moves to a more diverse economy in the future, fine. But, for now, music and arts really matter, and D’Ambrosio and Zambello’s entrepreneurial initiatives – and the tourists and patrons they may draw here from near and far – will be a boon to us all.

Chaitanya Samudrala, Miss Tri-County Teen-Ager 1990, announces that the 1991 Miss Tri-County Teen-Ager Pageant will be staged at the Holiday Inn on Saturday, March 30 at 8 p.m. Contestants should arrive at 12 noon for orientation, interview, photo sessions and rehearsal. Contestants from the counties of Delaware, Greene and Otsego are eligible. The competition includes interviews with a panel of judges, and a swim suit and evening gown competition. Prizes include a four-day trip to Norwich, New York for the winner who will be eligible to compete in the statewide contest. Miss Photogenic and Miss Congeniality trophies will also be awarded. There is no talent competition. March 1991

20 Years Ago

State Senator James L. Seward has been awarded the highest ranking of any state legislator for keeping health care costs affordable in a report distributed by The Employer Alliance for Affordable Health Care. The Alliance includes 50 chambers of commerce statewide and 140 businesses within Seward’s district. “I will continue to work for state policies that provide more health insurance for more people at an affordable cost with limits on the mandates imposed by the state that drive up costs,” Seward said. March 2001

ATWELL/From A4 the boat along with consumptive coughs and starts. Pride of the dockage, however, was Grandpa’s cabin cruiser, built in our back yard across several years and finished out with handsome brass portholes, mahogany bunks, and even a pump basin and flush toilet. The cabin cruiser, 32-feet long, rode high along one side of the wooden pier, dominating the small flotilla. But never mind the cabin cruiser. The mink-clad Minnie who had clopped down the sloping street and onto the dock had come there solemnly bent on a single goal: her own suicide. Please, don’t ask me why. I have no answer now, any more than I did scores of years ago. But I can put your mind at ease a bit. knew we could be. In December, I wrote, “I Despite years of repeated attempts, Minnie has yet to am surrounded by people who care, not just about me, succeed in offing herself. In fact. I wonder if she really but their families, work, means to do it. community and the world. Just maybe, the exciteThe s***storm that is 2020 ment for Minnie is in the will never take away their attempt! And in being good work, resilience, and thwarted, yet again! And kind hearts.” then planning ahead to next We are ready to hit this November! anniversary and it will be All right, I’ll admit I’m hard. Then, we will move fascinated by Minnie, this forward.

I am president of my local Rotary Club. As such I have strong input into the decision to meet openly indoors, in person, again. Lately my thoughts have changed and turned towards figuring out how to do this safely, and what point to do this, rather than simply say no it’s not time yet. We will have to take into account proximity, whether a person has been fully vaccinated, and what distance we are able to maintain, especially while sitting down to eat and removing our masks. In my judgment, if the vast majority of adult Americans are fully vaccinated, even if there’s as much as 10 percent that isn’t, it will be relatively safe for us to reopen with reasonable social distancing precautions. This does mean though that many people Please See STERNBERG, A6

enjoyable Trunk or Treat event. Another day marked by a memory of something we took for granted.” We celebrated the holidays in isolation, with a quarantine and COVID tests. Now we have made it to the stage of hope. The snow continues to blow, but buds are forcing their way through the soil and the days grow longer. We are wounded and in mourning. Yet we are stronger and more resilient than we ever

30 Years Ago

ATWELL: Spring Revives Memories Of Aunt Minnie

MARIETTA: Pandemic Creates, Ends Traditions

MARIETTA/From A4 tion tensions exacerbated concerns that a return to normal was not on the horizon. We took photos of my kids’ back-to-school day: They dressed up, stood at the end of the driveway and smiled before returning to our house to open their Chromebooks. We were anxious, overwhelmed and tired. Each week, I rode an emotional rollercoaster:

donated by the city, for $230,000. Construction is slated to begin in April. The park will include space for 11 industries such as firms that provide paper products, food processing services, or electronics manufacture. IDA officials estimate that the industrial park will employ 500 to 750 area residents when it is in full operation. March 1981

Thank you Jim Dean

for 10 years of dedicated public service as a Cooperstown Village Trustee. With gratitude from the Cooperstown Democrats

caliban, this leviathan! And I’ll be writing more about her. But not just now. But stick around. Jim Atwell, a retired college administrator and local columnist for more than two decades, from Fly Creek, then Cooperstown, now resides in Woodside Hall. FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Here’s How Not To Ban A Book

ere are five of the top 10 best-selling books in the hardcover fiction category in the Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition of March 19-20. 1. Green Eggs and Ham., Dr. Seuss/Random House Young Readers 4. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss/Random House Young Readers 5. The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss/Random House Young Readers 6. Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, Dr. Seuss/Random House Young Readers 9. Fox in Socks, Dr. Seuss/Random House Young Readers

THURSDAY, March 25, 2021

A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Rotarians Reach To In-Person Meetings

In a tour of Hickling’s Fish Farm’s North Edmeston Plant, Darin Hickling points out cameras and other monitors that alert him if there’s any trouble. Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Coop Opens Rural Towns To World

BROADBAND/From A1 ogy,” said Darren Hickling, a civil engineer who operates the business with his parents, Vincent and Linda, a nephew and one of the nephew’s highschool buddies. With the county’s outmigration, Hickling said he can’t expand his workforce even if he wanted to: There’s no one to hire. “It” – Broadband – “was an economic-development initiative for us,” said Johnson, who had been outside legal counsel to Otsego Electric for 25 years before becoming the top executive in 2015. As a 501(c)(12), Otsego Electric – a cooperative founded during the Depression, owned by members to serve members – Otsego Electric is prohibited from making profits. But “we could see the handwriting on the wall. We could see the brain-drain, the lack of opportunity to work in the rural areas,” he said. “We saw the possibility that this” – Broadband – “would stabilize our customer base.” The strategy’s worked, for companies like Hickling’s, for realtors who can’t sell houses that don’t have access to Broadband, and for families like Johnson’s, who live in the countryside outside Edmeston. Johnson and his wife, Vicki, an Edmeston Central school nurse, have two daughters. During the COVID pandemic, one came home from college; the other, a teacher, lives with her parents. Both used Zoom, connected via Broadband, one to learn online, the other to teach online. Right now, Johnson and Otsego Electric are in the news, having received the latest federal grant, $7.4 million, to expand

into “underserved” communities outside the cooperative’s imprint. In the past month, Johnson’s spoken to the Otsego County board’s Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, the Friends of The Village Library (Sunday, March 21), and he’ll be featured in a Zoom in April with the Cooperstown Chamber’s “Coffee With Coop” program. To date, the cooperative has received a total $21 million in state and federal grants to grow its Broadband network. And it has, and how. The cooperative had been providing dial-up Internet service for 15 years, but “we realized there was a lot of pentup demand.” How far behind Otsego Electric had become was dramatized to Johnson while spending two years in Northern Virginia. He returned as CEO six years ago, began pursuing grants in May 2016, and crews began stringing wire in early 2018 in 23 rural towns Otsego Electric serves, 19 in Otsego County. Since then, the cooperative has strung 700 miles of wire past 5,000 locations; 2,700 of those locations have become Broadband customers, with packages starting as low as $49.95 a month. The high-end package is $99.95 a month. Verizon, NYSEG and Otsego Electric use each other’s poles, which speeds things along. Because hamlets are too densely populated, they are off-limits to the rural cooperative. But it serves rural areas in all of the county’s towns except the east end: Cherry Valley, Roseboom, Decatur and Worcester. It also serves two towns in Chenango County (Columbus

STERNBERG/From A5 who are vaccination skeptical need to get vaccinated. The paradox of this is that those who are most adamant about opening despite the risks or do not believe that there are risks at all, despite over 500,000 Americans having died of this disease alone all, are the ones who are willing to do the least to bring us to the point where we can open completely and safely. In my opinion, COVID-19 is so contagious, partially because it is transmitted in the air, just like measles, that is going to take more than 80 percent of the population to be immune to give adequate protection to the remaining 20 percent. And whether or not that remaining 20 percent says that they’re willing to take their chances, when they get sick, they still seek the healthcare system to bail them out. This puts the healthcare system in stress and still manages to put healthcare workers at risk whether from the disease or the fatigue they have felt fighting the disease for over a year. • One of the senior members of my group who has been fully vaccinated said he does not feel he is ready to go back to public meetings, since it has already been shown that having COVID or having the vaccine does not necessarily fully protect you from getting infected, and that he is high risk of serious complications. Other members have been pushing from the beginning to continue to meet and wanted to have lunch as if nothing happened. For myself and for my organization I feel that, by September, it is going to be reasonable to return to meetings again in person mostly

and Unadilla Valley), part of Brookfield in Madison, and one town in Herkimer County. Private behemoths, the Spectrums and Verizons of this world, can provide Broadband service profitably in closely settled communities – the Oneontas and Cooperstowns of this world – so they do. The new $7.5 million enables Otsego Electric to provide service in too-ruralfor-profitability areas outside its service area, the way it has within its service area. The federal government has identified such rural-enough area in the cooperative’s general vicinity. All of this growth has raised Otsego Electric’s gross by 33 percent, Johnson said, which is plowed back into the Hartwick-based operation. The cooperative has only hired two fiber technicians and one administrator. And, given the demand for Broadband, there’s no end in sight, Johnson said: “Biden’s going to make more funding available.” Back on Pitts Road, Darin Hickling is conducting a tour of the operations, accompanied by his golden retriever and he walks by huge tanks holding thousands of fish. “What Broadband has allowed us to do it be more Susquehanna efficient,” he said. “We have Landscaping LLC cameras in all our buildings, monitors that warn us if 607-226-1970 something goes wrong.” He stops by the filtration • Fruit Tree system that cleans the water Pruning Tree and returns it to the tanks. Apple• Bluestone “The filtration system can Pruning + & Walkways be hooked up to the Internet,” Patios he said. “Before, we couldn’t • Landscape have done any of that.”

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with the same protocol that we had before the illness. This course is predicated by a significant number of Americans being vaccinated. We have decided to plan for an annual fundraiser, previously done in the spring, that we’re going to do this year. It’s important to remember that the above represents my opinion and is based only on my interpretations of the facts currently available. The final

Jon Hansen

decision is not mine alone. Everybody in every organization ultimately will have to make their own decision if it’s safe again to go back to normal activities that are made available to them. Richard Sternberg, retired Bassett Hospital orthopedic surgeon, is providing his professional perspective weekly during the COVID-19 threat. A village trustee, he resides in Cooperstown.

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THURSDAY, March 25, 2021

THE GOO D L IF E IN COOPE R GUIDE T O

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Works on display in exhibit ‘An Artistic Discovery’, like the above by Jacob Johnson (14) of Cherry Valley, have a chance to move on to the Congressional Art Competition.

An Artistic Discovery & Spring Concert.

Photos by Henry, Tim Horvath

Henry Horvath, 15, main photo, in a “tree tunnel” that marked most of the 142-mile trek. Top left, Tim and Henry, Day 2, at the Spruce Lake lean-to. Bottom left, at journey’s end. Inset, a stream crossing during the Day 3-4 melt.

Cooperstown Son, Dad Establish Adirondack Record By JIM KEVLIN

COOPERSTOWN

he first three days on the 142-mile NorthvillePlacid Trail, “we had a nice crust,” said Henry Horvath, 15. “We made good time snowArtist Mary Nolan at the Railroad Avenue studio she shares with May-Britt Joyce and Maria Tripp. The dominant painting is “River Bend, Low Tide.”

shoeing, and sometimes didn’t even need snowshoes.” Day Four, “it warmed up. The crust was almost gone. We had two days of post-holing – stepping on snow and going down deep into snow. Even with snow shoes, we’d sink 6-7 inches.” Until then, Horvath and his father, Tim, 50, had been hiking

►TO LEARN about the Northville-Placid Trail and the Horvath team’s accomplishment, visit: WWW.FKT.com

three miles an hour on roadway, two miles off-road – averaging 17.25 miles a day. That day, “it took five and a half hours to go

eight and a half miles,” the son said, about half their best time. But they soldiered on, the weather cooled, and on March 15, 2021, they completed the “unsupported” trek in 7 days, 9 hours, no minutes and no seconds, the first team to have recorded the accomplishment on Please See DAD, SON, B6

TRIPTYCH ANCHORS PLEIN AIR SHOW

Fenimore Exhibit Brings Mary Nolan’s Art Indoors By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN

S AllOTSEGO.life

Jim Kevlin/

ome 25 years ago, when she was Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce executive director, Polly Renckens held a meeting of

people with space to spare in their homes. “We have tourists,” Polly told the gathering. “We need some place to put them. If you have space for a B&B, consider it.” Mary Nolan, who had been doing art as long as Please See NOLAN, B3

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL • HOMETOWN ONEONTA

iew works by local student artists in the exhibit “An Artistic Discovery”, the first round in the Congressional Art Competition. Six works will move on to the next round and represent the 19th Congressional District in a competition where one will be selected to be displayed in the corLARISSA ridor leading to the US RYAN Capitol. Works on view through Friday, Mar. 26. Presented by The Cooperstown Art Association, 22 Main St., Cooperstown. Open 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. weekdays. • “Sing Into Spring” with the Children’s Cabaret presented by Orpheus Theater. The cabaret will feature past and present youth performers with the Master of Ceremonies Bill Goertemoeller. Streaming live for free at 7 p.m. Saturday, Mar 27. 607-432-1800 or visit www.facebook.com/OrpheusTheatre/ • Learn about the conspiracy theories surrounding Beethoven in this episode of Beethoven Conversations. Join Maestro Żółtowski on YouTube as he examines the clues in the old master’s music and personal belongings to connect him to the political environment of the time and determine if he was in fact a member of a secretive organization called The Illuminati. Presented by the Catskill Symphony Orchestra. 7 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 27. 607-436-2670. • A brash artist interrupts the tranquility of a sleepy artist co-op in this NEXT! playreading presented by The Fenimore Art Museum. By Garrett Heater, this play explores the transience of community, relationships, and civility. Tune in, enjoy, and leave your feedback. 2 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 28. www.fenimoreartmuseum.org

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THURSDAY, March 25, 2021

Review Of Pandemic Year Underscores COVID’s Toll Pot Shops TRIBUTE/From A1 • March 23. Brenda Utter of Morris, age 63, became the first casualty when she “passed away unexpectedly following a brief and courageous battle with the coronavirus,” according to her obituary. She had worked at Preferred Mutual Insurance Company in New Berlin for most of her life, and left behind her husband of 44 years. • The Otsego County Department of Health reported three additional deaths from COVID-19 on April 8, April 15 and April 16. • April 12. Oneonta native Jemele “Jem” Nader Mitrano died in Norwalk, Conn., at age 92. She lived for more than 50 years in Manhattan but returned during summers to visit family, including her older brother, former Oneonta mayor Sam Nader. • May 19. The county confirmed a fifth COVID death, an unspecified person over the age of 60. After this, there was a period of 10 weeks with no deaths from coronavirus reported. • Aug. 2. Melanie Ruth Jones of Worcester, 60, was found dead at home after apparent respiratory failure. She was tested after her death and found to have COVID. Her husband, Wayne Dennis Jones, 68, passed away the same evening after receiving the news. His death was not officially caused by coronavirus, although he had earlier tested positive for COVID-19. • Sept. 20. Donald Kirby Jr. of Worcester, 79, died at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown. He worked as an electrician at SUNY Oneonta, had served as a chief for the Charlotteville Fire Department and was active in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Worcester. • Oct. 27. A man over the age of 60 died after being hospitalized for more than two weeks with coronavirus, according to the Otsego County Health Department. • Dec. 14. A woman over the age of 55 became sick with COVID-19 at the end of November and died of the virus over the weekend, the county health department announced. • Dec. 15. An elderly woman became the county’s 10th COVID fatality after she caught the virus from an employee at Robynwood Adult Home in Oneonta. The employee attended a Thanksgiving dinner with someone who later tested positive, then went to work after being exposed, subsequently infecting multiple patients including the woman who died. • Dec. 21. A woman over

55 had been hospitalized for “less than a week” but had not been intubated when she died, the county department of health reported. • Dec. 23. A second resident at Robynwood Adult Home, Oneonta, died after she was exposed during a COVID-19 outbreak in the facility, the state Department of Health reported. The outbreak started when an employee came to work after being exposed to the virus during a Thanksgiving gathering. • Dec 24. Bill Magee, age 81, of Nelson, represented Otsego County in the State Assembly for 28 years. He caught COVID during an outbreak that killed 43 residents of a Morrisville nursing home where he lived since 2019, but was asymptomatic until shortly before he died. His greatest accomplishment was his advocacy for farmers, according to his niece. • Dec. 26. Ray Armitage of Cooperstown, 93, died at Bassett hospital after living at Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home for 4 years. He was a Navy veteran who worked for 45 years for Pfizer pharmaceutical company, and was passionate about golf, baseball and his dogs. • Dec. 26. Aneilia Mead of Oneonta, 91, was the first of four patients at Cooperstown Center to die of COVID-related causes during an outbreak at the nursing home. She lived her whole life in Oneonta, working for two family businesses, and traveled the country extensively with her husband on their Harley. She last rode a motorcycle on her 90th birthday. • Dec. 28. Otsego County reported four deaths in one day, two men and two women, three of them residents at Cooperstown Center. The nursing home initially blamed the deaths on a bleeding hernia, pneumonia and sepsis, but the county later confirmed all were also COVID-related. • Dec. 29. Bruce Hall of Oneonta, 71, died after several weeks in Bassett hospital battling COVID pneumonia. He worked for the New York State Lottery for 25 years and was happiest on his fishing boat. “For a man of his age, he was quite active and healthy, which makes his death come as a deep blow,” according to his obituary. His death was connected to a November cluster of 41 COVID cases at the Copper Fox Tavern in Oneonta. • In January, Otsego County reported a 19th COVID death from 2020, a woman over 55. Her death

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in December at a hospital outside the county was later confirmed as a COVID-19 fatality. • Jan. 5. A man over the age of 55 was the first COVID death of 2021. The county reported two additional deaths from coronavirus on Jan. 7. • Jan. 6. Two former county residents died. Oneonta native Gary Hungerford, 78, “passed away suddenly because of COVID-19” in Farmingdale, according to a death notice. Earl Edwards, 85, from Otego, died in St. Mary’s hospital in Amsterdam with “his wife on the phone comforting him after valiantly battling COVID for several days,” his obituary said. He owned a lumber company in Otego, produced maple syrup and served on the Otego Town Board. • Jan. 11. Bill Davidson of Unadilla, 85, died at the Veterans’ Home in Oxford, one of six COVID-related deaths there. He was a middle school teacher and coach for 32 years. • Jan. 13. Carla Simonds of West Oneonta, 69, was nurse at the Oneonta Nursing Home and then Otsego County Public Health for many years. She died in Bassett Hospital, leaving behind her husband of 49 years. •Jan 20. The county announced the deaths of two women over the age of 55

The

on two consecutive days. Both had previously been hospitalized as a result of the virus. • Jan 24. Pat O’Brien of Oneonta, 85, died at Fox Nursing Home at the start of a COVID-19 outbreak that killed 14 residents and infected 116 people. She had lived in the nursing home for 7 years. • Jan 24. Bernice Marlette a lifelong resident of Mount Vision, 99, died at Fox Nursing Home on her birthday. She was remembered for her devotion to her church and her family, including 19 grandchildren; and 28 great-grandchildren. • Jan 24 to Jan 30. The Otsego County Department of Health reported another eight deaths from COVID19 in one week, most of them at the Fox Nursing Home. Due to a paperwork error, the state was informed but the county was not told until Feb. 9. One of the fatalities was Charles Rizzo, who died Jan. 30 at age 97, a Navy veteran who served during World War II and later became a nurse in Oneonta. •Jan. 30. Janice Gill of Unadilla, 79, died in UHS Delaware Valley Hospital in Walton after a brief illness from COVID-19. She worked as a supervisor for Amphenol in Sidney, and earned her college degree at Sullivan Co. Community College after she retired.

The

• Feb. 1. Shirley Banner of Cooperstown, 87, died at Alpine Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Little Falls from COVID-19 complications. In the 1940s she attended a one-room schoolhouse in Milford Center. She raised six kids and worked in more than that number of restaurants in Oneonta and Cooperstown. • Feb. 2. Rivkah Feldman, 87, lived in Sloansville and Manhattan, and died in New York City of complications from COVID-19. She worked as an English professor in NYC and taught at both SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Cobleskill. • Feb. 4. Frances Sokol of Unadilla, 100, died with COVID at Fox Nursing Home. She was a Quaker activist known for her work on peace and racial justice issues. In the first week of Feburary, the county announced four additional deaths at the same nursing home. • Feb. 4. Todd Goodrich of Springfield , N.Y., died in Redstone Rehab Center, East Longmeadow, MA, from the effects of diabetes and COVID-19. He worked at MassMutual, Springfield, for more than 30 years. Thirteen additional Otsego County residents died in the past month. Obituaries with more details about those who died can be found at www. AllOTSEGO.com.

Issue Here

POT/From A1 encourage fellow trustees to urge the county Board of Representatives to allow the village to do so. “It the decision goes to the county,” Benton said in a text, “I’ll urge my fellow trustees to sign onto a letter to the county strongly recommending that Otsego NOT opt out.” According to Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh Kuch, there are two bills now under consideration. One, from the Governor’s Office, will require all the provisions of the act to be enforced statewide. The second, supported by the New York State Conference of Mayors, would allow local governments to “opt out,” thus prohibiting marijuana outlets in their jurisdictions. Tillapaugh said she supports the second law, but it’s unclear who will do the opting out. In past proposals, it’s been cities over 100,000 and counties; but a new law might extend the opt-out provision to all levels of government. Nobody’s sure until the final marijuana-legalization bill is passed into law. In 2019, the last time Governor Cuomo sought legalization, he tried to put it in his budget, which would not have required senators and assemblymen to go on the record. State Sen. Peter Oberacker, R-Schenevus, said this time “I’m pretty sure it will pass by a majority in a separate vote.” While he intends to vote “no,” Oberacker said he favors the opt-out option. “If (localities) want to, they could opt in. It is more of a local decision.”

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THURSDAY, March 25, 2021

Nolan’s ‘Water As Muse’ Premieres

NOLAN/From B1 she can remember, received a call from a friend whose mother had a farm in the countryside around Fly Creek. “Would you like to manage a B&B?” Nolan, who had vacationed in Cooperstown and liked it here, said yes. In B&Bs, there are busy times and less busy times, and in the less busy times Mary took her paints and easel behind the house and began to paint the nature she saw – plein air, out of doors. “Around here, it’s beautiful,” she said in an interview after The Fenimore

Art Museum announced that “Water As Muse: Paintings by Mary Nolan,” will be this summer’s local exhibition. Nolan’s works will appear among that of such notables as photographer Ansel Adams and the featured show, “Keith Haring: Radiant Vision,” containing more than 100 works of the celebrated pop artist. “With rich colors and deep textures,” The Fenimore reports on its website, “her work is layered onto the canvas, creating densely pigmented impressions of the area’s storybook geography.”

Since her Fly Creek B&B days, Mary’s paintings have become staples of every local art show around here, from the Cooperstown Art Association to The Fenimore’s annual “Art on the Lake” every July, which features plein air work. She also teaches. “You do better when you paint with a group,” she said. “The group teaches each other.” Nolan was born into a big family in the Boston area. Her father was a school teacher; her mother, while raising eight children, taught piano.

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She began drawing in high school, attended the Vesper George School of Art in her hometown, then went on for a master’s in art therapy. She lived in California and Tennessee and, on developing an interest in basketry, moved to New Mexico to pursue that art form for a while. While living in Vermont, she experimented with abstract, multi-material paintings. At one point, Nolan took her easel on a vacation in Cape Cod, and painted “a very simple sky-and-ocean pairing.” It quickly sold, and that prompted her to do more Cape Cod scenes. In Cooperstown, she began painting Otsego Lake, likewise popular, and not just locally. At one point, she had six galleries

carrying her art throughout the Northeast, from Natick, Mass., to Rumson, N.J. Her sister Ann and brother-in-law, Ron Bishop, a SUNY Oneonta biology professor, also live in Otsego County. And when her mother, Phyllis, moved into Otsego Manor, other family members followed, and remained: Dr. Francis J. Nolan, an ER doctor at Fox Hospital, and John Nolan, a physician’s assistant at Fox and Bassett hospitals. (Mary also has sisters on the Cape and in Maine, and two more brothers in Vermont.) Lately she’s sharing a studio on Railroad Avenue with May-Britt Joyce and Maria Tripp, both also wellknown locally. In the new studio, Nolan said she’s producing dozens

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of canvases a year, but says – self-deprecatingly – “the paintings I like, nobody’s interested in,” as she added a touch of color to “River Bed, Low Tide,” a 36-by-36 canvas now on her easel. “She’s a professional,” May-Britt said simply. When Mary heard she’d been selected for the local show – if you’re interested in being chosen, ask, she said; that’s what she did – she had a concept of what should hang there. Curators Chris Rossi and James Matson had other ideas and took matters into their own hands, building the snow around a 10-footlong triptych. Nolan’s as curious as anyone as to how the show will look when it opens Thursday, April 1. (A reception is planned for later this summer, TBA.)

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THURSDAY, March 25, 2021

B-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

OBITUARIES

IN MEMORIAM

Christy Schiele, 83 Feb. 16, 1938 - March 12, 2021

ONEONTA – Christy Schiele passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 13, 2021, with her loving family by her side. Christy was born in Brooklyn on Feb. 16, 1938. She lived for a time in The Bronx and Carmel, N.Y., and then spent her early years in Briarwood, a section of Jamaica, N.Y. After high school, her desire to see the world led her to employment as a stewardess with Capitol Airways which afforded her the ability to visit many of the great cities of the world. During her 83 years, we were blessed to learn life’s most important lessons from Christy. Her love for family and friends was unconditional. She adored her pets and taught us to respect and care for nature’s creatures by way of her pristine example. Her most favorite holiday was Thanksgiving, and she made every one of them memorable. All were welcome in her home and at her table

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and left with a full belly – she made certain of that. Her cakes, pies, stuffing, creamed onions, and broccoli casserole were legendary. Above all, Christy cherished family. She never forgot a birthday or anniversary and there was never a doubt for her loved ones just how much they meant to her. Christy was an accomplished piano player and a musician at heart. She made a career as Vice President and General Manager at the Orison B. Curpier Company, where she ran a tight ship and was famous for her coffee – and no one questioned who was really in charge. Her black poodle, Ted, joined her in the office every day for nearly 15 years and remained her faithful travel companion long after his passing on her “ILOVETED” license plate. Christy was a wonderful mother, an adoring grandmother, a doting aunt, and a friend to everyone who knew her.

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Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of H3 Holdings NY LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the Sec’y. of State of N.Y. (SSNY) on 02/02/2021. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Andrea Harris, 185 State Highway 51, Mt. Upton, NY 13809 Purpose: Any lawful activity. 6LegalApr.29 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Yak’s Youth Center, LLC. Filed 2/9/21. Office: Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agent for process & shall mail to: 158 River St, Oneonta, NY 13820. Purpose: General. 6LegalApr.29 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Alyson Negreira Ph.D., LLC. Filed with the SSNY on 03/15/21. Office: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent for process and shall mail copy to: 108 Main Street, Morris New York, NY 13808. Purpose: Any lawful. 6LegalApr.29 Legal nOtice NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received as set forth in instructions to bidders until 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, April 22, 2021 at the NYSDOT, Office of Contract Management, 50 Wolf Rd, 1st Floor, Suite 1CM, Albany, NY 12232 and will be publicly opened and read. Bids may also be submitted via the internet using www.bidx.com. A certified cashier’s check payable to the

NYSDOT for the sum specified in the proposal or a bid bond, form CONR 391, representing 5% of the bid total, must accompany each bid. NYSDOT reserves the right to reject any or all bids. Electronic documents and Amendments are posted to www.dot.ny.gov/ doing-business/opportunities/const-notices. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that all Amendments are incorporated into its bid. To receive notification of Amendments via e-mail you must submit a request to be placed on the Planholders List at www.dot. ny.gov/doing-business/opportunities/ const-planholder. Amendments may have been issued prior to your placement on the Planholders list. NYS Finance Law restricts communication with NYSDOT on procurements and contact can only be made with designated persons. Contact with non-designated persons or other involved Agencies will be considered a serious matter and may result in disqualification. Contact Robert Kitchen (518)457-2124. Contracts with 0% Goals are generally single operation contracts, where subcontracting is not expected, and may present direct bidding opportunities for Small Business Firms, including, but not limited to D/W/MBEs. The New York State Department of Transportation, in accordance with the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federallyassisted programs of the Department of Transportation and Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200, Title IV Program and Related Statutes, as amended, issued pursuant to such

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Her spirit survives in her sons, Frank and Evan; her most beloved grandson, Devin; three surviving siblings, Joy Clayden, Gay Morrisey, and Brian Curpier; her best friend and sister-in-law, Linda Curpier; many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews; and many friends near and far. She was predeceased by her father, Carl Curpier, her mother Linda Curpier, and her brother Orison Curpier. To honor Christy’s wishes, there will not be a service, but the family will be hosting a celebration of life on a date to be determined in the future. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your local ASPCA or animal shelter. Her family has entrusted her care to the Johnston & Stanimer Funeral Home in Morris. To leave an online condolence to her family, visit www. JohnstonFH.com

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TRICT OF NEW YORK– UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff,

BIDDERS SHOULD BE ADVISED THAT AWARD OF THESE CONTRACTS MAY BE CONTINGENT UPON THE PASSAGE OF A BUDGET APPROPRIATION BILL BY THE LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s Attorney(s) within 21 days after the service of this Summons, the United States of America may appear or answer within 60 days of service hereof; and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. That this Summons is being filed pursuant to an order of the court dated March 11, 2021.

Region 09: New York State Department of Transportation 44 Hawley Street, Binghamton, NY, 13901 D264475, PIN 980738, Chenango, Otsego, Schoharie Cos., Highway Job Order Contract, Bid Deposit: 5% of Bid (~ $20,000.00), Goals: MBE: 5.00%, WBE: 10.00%, SDVOB: 6.00% D264497, PIN 980741, FA Proj ZS3E-9807-413, Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, Tioga Cos., Wrong Way Driving Sign Replacement at Various Locations, No Plans, Bid Deposit: 5% of Bid (~ $20,000.00), Goals: DBE: 4.00% 2LegalApr.1 Legal nOtice SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DIS-

RICHFIELD SPRINGS – Roger Jay Skinner, 72, of Whitesboro, who was raised in Richfield Springs and operated the Skinner & Damulis Chevrolet and Jeep auto dealership here for decades, passed away on Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Roger was born on March 28, 1948, in Herkimer, son of the late Hiram J. and Leanor (Helmer) Skinner. On July 27, 1968, he married his childhood sweetheart Mary L. Kitts in Richfield Springs and they enjoyed a blessed and adventurous life together of nearly 53 years. In addition to his wife, survivors include Melanie Kimball, husband James Kimball and their daughter, Sahara Rose Kimball; Cynthia and husband Samuel Lamanna III, and their children, Victoria Leogrande, and her husband Christian

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Act, hereby notifies all who respond to a written Department solicitation, request for proposal or invitation for bid that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability/handicap and income status in consideration for an award.

Please call (518)457-2124 if a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the letting.

Roger J. Skinner, 72 Raised In Richfield, Ran Auto Dealership

against DONNA L. HENNESS, Defendant Index No. 19-CV-1538. Plaintiff Designates United States District Court Northern District of New York as the Place of Trial. The Basis of Venue is that the premises herein is situated in Otsego County. To the above named Defendants

NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action.

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YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of the Honorable Thérèse Wiley Dancks dated March 11, 2021. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage and covering the premises known as 16 Liberty Street, Morris, NY 13807 located at Section 221.13 Block 1 and Lot 41 Dated: December 12, 2019 Pincus Law Group, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiff, By: Nicole B. LaBletta, Esq., 425 RXR Plaza, Uniondale, NY 11556 (516) 699-8902. 4LegalApr.8 Legal nOtice NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY UNDER NEW YORK LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY LAW 1. The name of the limited liability company (“LLC”) is Wheat Hill LLC. 2. The date of filing of the Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State is March 15, 2021. 3. The County within the State of New York in which the principal office of the LLC is located is Otsego. 4. The Secretary of State of the State of New York is hereby designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The post office address to which the Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him or her is: 205 Wheat Rd, Mount Vision, NY 13810. 5. The character or purpose of the business of the LLC is any purpose allowed by law. 6LegalApr.22

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Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company. Name: SMITH’S SANCTUARY PROPERTIES LLC. Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 8 February 2021. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 1926 Bank St, Baltimore, MD 21231. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalApr.22 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company. Name: AA PROPERTY CARE LLC. Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 8 February 2021. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 106 Beaver Street, Cherry Valley, NY 13320. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalApr.22 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Blue Hill LLC, Articles of Org. filed 3/4/2021. Office: Otsego County. Secretary of State of NY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail to 8 Hazel Street, Oneonta, N.Y. 13820.

Leogrande and Samuel Roger Jay “RJay” Lamanna IV; Sarah and husband Michael Demarse and their son Brady Elias Demarse. Roger also leaves behind his oldest sister Carol Ann Dingman and husband Ken of Winter Garden, Roger Skinner Fla. As loving and supportive siblings, Carol and Roger were always there for each other. Also survived by his sister, Marie Guerra and husband Vincent. Even at a young age, Roger always considered it his duty to protect Marie, whom he loved dearly. He was a graduate of Clarkson College with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial

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Engineering and Distribution. He also received an associate degree from Fulton Montgomery Community College. He joined the family auto dealership in Richfield Springs. One year later, he opened the second one in Herkimer with two daughters. He had many honors and was a 40-year Rotarian. Active in the Red Cross, he served on the board of directors and received its Great Heroes “Man of the Year” Award. Please consider a memorial contribution to “The Roger Skinner Books for the World Fund, c/o AmeriCU Bank, 326 E State St, Herkimer, NY 13350. Roger J. Skinner was always looking to make the world and his corner of New York a better place. He would often say, “It’s a beautiful day in the Mohawk Valley”.

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Purpose: Any lawful activity. 6LegalApr.22

Formation of

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a NY limited liability company (LLC). Arts. of Org. filed with NY Sec. of State (NYSS) on 2/16/21. Office: Otsego County. NYSS designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. NYSS shall mail process to: 2274 State Highway 166, Cooperstown, New York 13326. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalApr.8

Notice of LLC Formation of Cherry Valley Naturals LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 2/18/21. Office Location: Otsego County. SSNY Designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 1561 County Highway 54, Cherry Valley, NY 13320 Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalApr.15 Legal nOtice Notice of formation of CREATIVE MIDDLE AGED WOMEN, LLC. Articles of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State (DOS) on February 21, 2021. Office location: Otsego County. DOS is designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail service of process to the Company at 106 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Company is organized for any lawful purpose. 6LegalApr.15 Legal nOtice Notice of formation of Brickhouse Pizzeria R.S. LLC. Art. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/13/20. Office: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 1 West Main Street, Richfield Springs, NY 13439. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalApr.15 Legal nOtice Notice of LLC

Middlefield Orchard, LLC,

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Legal nOtice NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Palumbo Property Management, LLC

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(LLC) filed Arts. of Org. with NY Secy. of State (SS) on 2/17/21. LLC’s office is in Otsego Co. SS is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SS will mail a copy of any process to 804 Pegg Rd, Morris, NY 13808. LLC’s purpose: any lawful activity. 6LegalApr.1

Notice of Formation of

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SAFE AIR MANUFACTURING, LLC.

Notice of Formation of

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/28/21. Office: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Joel S. Charleston, 11 Pearl Street, Valley Stream, NY 11581. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalApr.8

Cherry Valley Market LLC.

Legal nOtice Notice of formation of ARMOR CONSTRUCTION ONEONTA LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the NY Secretary of State on January 27, 2021. The office of the LLC is to be located in Otsego County. The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her to: ARMOR CONSTRUCTION ONEONTA LLC, 21 Country Club Rd Oneonta, NY 13820 The purpose of the LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity. 6LegalApr.1

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/29/2021. Office: Otsego County. United States Corporation Agents, Inc. designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to United States Corporation, Inc. at 7014 13th Ave, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalMar.25 Legal nOtice NOTICE OF FORMATION OF DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; Name of LLC: NED’S SPIRITS LLC; Date of filing: November 12, 2020; Office of the LLC: Otsego Co.; The NY Secretary of State has been designated as the agent upon whom process may be served. NYSS may mail a copy of any process to the LLC at Reinhardt Corp., 3919 State Highway 23, West Oneonta, New York 13861; Purpose of LLC: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalMar.25

►Need to publish a Notice of Formation, Public Notice, Supplemental Summons, or Notice to Bidders? Contact Larissa at 607-547-6103 or ads@allotsego.com and she can get you started.

HOMETOWN ONEONTA B-5

THURSDAY, March 25, 2021

IN MEMORIAM Reuben James, 88; Chaired SUNY Physics Department

ONEONTA – Dr. Reuben James, Ph.D. Ed.D., age 88, died Jan. 18, 2021. He was a SUNY Oneonta physics professor from 1960 to 1997, including 12 years as department chairman. Reuben was valedictorian of his high school class, and graduated from SUNY Potsdam and St. Lawrence University before attending Clarkson, University of Pennsylvania, and SUNY Buffalo. He joined SUNY Oneonta in 1960, taught physics, biophysics, solar energy and engineering, and headed the 3-2 Engineering Program with R.P.I. and R.I.T. He was an adviser to his students until his retirement and continued to teach parttime after his retirement. During his years in Oneonta he was involved in the National Science Teachers Association, then became National President of Sigma Pi Sigma (Society of Physics Students). A devout Roman Catholic,

he served as an altar boy up to the day before he entered college. He became a eucharistic minister, an usher, taught Catechism classes, joined the Knights of Columbus, rising to Fourth-degree Knight and serving as Grand Knight and other offices of the Local #4989 Council. As a child and young man he enjoyed the Explorer Boy Scouts. At home Reuben was a devoted husband and father and grandfather, an avid gardener, loved playing sports (especially with his children), basketball, baseball, softball, downhill and cross-country skiing, and more. He also coached Little League and soccer. He earned his pilot’s license at the Sidney Airport, and enjoyed flying with family. Reuben is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Mary Ann Packer Fitzpatrick James, his children, Kevin, Kathleen and her husband

1943, in Columbus, Ohio, son of the late John O. and Janet (Chapman) Stevens. Tom taught science and health for 17 years at Milford Central School. He was also a shooting instructor for the National Shooting Sports Foundation for men and women. During his tenure at Milford School, Tom

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Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home 14 Grand Street, Oneonta • 607-432-6821 www.grummonsfuneralhome.com

Feb. 26, 1925 – March 20, 2021

ONEONTA – Ernest After spearheading an Goodman passed away from attack against the Germans natural causes at the age of in Normandy, Belgium and 96 at Cooperstown Center. Holland in September 1944 He was born Ernst Josef with the Infantry of the Guttmann in Breslau, Guards’ Armored Division, Germany (now Wroclaw, he was severely wounded Poland), to Rose (Wagner) and spent months in military and Herbert Guttmann, and hospitals, almost dying from their large and thriving rheumatic fever. family. Ernest was convalescing In November 1939, at age in London when he met 14, he became one of almost Elisabeth Oakley, who 10,000 German and worked in the War Austrian Jewish Office as part of and non-Aryan her Army duty. children rescued He was 21 and by the British she was 18 when government in what they met, taking became known as classes offered for the Kindertransport. enrichment. Sitting His older brother at the back of the and only sibling class and watching Henry had gone her in the front Ernest Joseph before in the Spring row, he decided Goodman of 1939. Parents she was the one sent their children ranging he would marry, and they from infancy to 17 years did in November of 1946. of age to the British Isles, Her large and warm family for adoption or work, in a welcomed him with open desperate attempt to save arms. them from the Nazis. Jobs were scarce in postSurviving family war England, so in 1953 members escaped to Cuba, Ernest left for the U.S., London, and Bolivia. where his mother and other Ernest was placed on members of his scattered a farm in Staffordshire, family had settled in England, where he milked Chicago. Betty and their was very active in coaching the cows and did farm young son Paul followed a basketball and other sports. chores. He waited and few months later. An avid fisherman, he also prayed for the day he would Ernest knew he wanted a loved to hunt and was a true turn 18 and immediately college education, so after outdoorsman who passed joined the British Army, some research they moved, on his skills to his wife, becoming a member of the with Paul and new daughter children, grandchildren legendary Coldstream Guards. Ann to Nebraska, where and great-grandchildren. His name was anglicized to he earned his Bachelor of Tom continued to do all of protect him in case he was Arts degree from Hastings these activities even when captured by the Nazis. College, and a master’s confronted by muscular dystrophy in his early 30s. He always remained positive and upbeat and managed to be a sharply dressed man no matter what the occasion. He also enjoyed trips to the casinos with his wife and therapy dog, Goldie, by his side. Above all, Tom cherished his family and enjoyed spending all of the time he possibly could with them. Carleen is notorious for saying “Everyone loves Tom!” He was the Santa Claus of his household. He always shared his inner strength for God and his country. He lived life to the fullest. He is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Carleen Mitchell Stevens of Oneonta; children, Matthew Thomas Stevens and his wife, Anne (Cookie) of Keene, N.H., Adam John Mitchell and his wife, Meloney Dunning of Indianapolis; and Jennifer Jon Sauvola and her husband, Lyle of Rindge, N.H.; sister, Francine Bailey and her husband, Robert of Oneonta; brother, William Stevens and his wife, Donna of Oneonta; 15 loving grandchildren and seven loving great-grandchildren. Tom was predeceased by his spouse, Dale Sandford Stevens; daughter, Sarah Allison Buffum; and grandson, Phoenix Jude Dunning Mitchell. The family is especially thankful to Angela Palmer, Tom’s caregivers, and special friends who were so helpful to him throughout his journey. Family and friends are invited to attend a graveside committal service for Tom at 2 p.m., Tuesday, March 23, in Glenwood Cemetery, Oneonta. Memorial donations may be made to Helios Care, 297 River Street Service Road, Oneonta, NY 13820, in loving memory of Thomas Chapman Stevens. Arrangements are by the Bookhout Funeral Home, Oneonta. To light a candle or send an online condolence, visit www.bookhoutfuneralhome. com. Fred, Sean and his wife Juli, and Ann and her husband Dan. Also eight grandchildren; a sister, Keitha; and a brother in the Franciscan order, Brother Richard O.F.M. Reuben is predeceased by his parents, John and Jennie James, an infant brother, Paul, his sister, Mary, and one granddaughter. A funeral mass will be held and followed by a burial at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, at The Meadows, 140 Highway 33 West, Cooperstown, N.Y. 13326, or in Dr. James’ memory, to the College at Oneonta Foundation, Office of College Advancement, SUNY Oneonta, N.Y. 13820. To leave a condolence for the family online, please visit www.grummonsfuneralhome.com Arrangements are by the Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home, Oneonta.

Thomas Stevens, 77 Taught, Coached At Milford Central GOODYEAR LAKE – Thomas Chapman Stevens, 77, who coached basketball and other sports during his teaching career at Milford Central School, passed away on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, at his home on Goodyear Lake, with his loving family by his side. He was born April 30,

Ernest Joseph Goodman, 96 degree and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Nebraska. In 1963, the New York State University System was expanding and seeking staff. Ernie and his family packed up and moved to Oneonta, where they happily became immersed in the community. In 1967, when the college decided to offer summer semesters in Germany, Ernest was asked to head the program. The Goodman family joined Ernest for a wonderful year abroad and he began a visiting Professorship at the University of Wuerzburg that lasted throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Ernie loved his work teaching, and mentored those students in which he saw promise. He retired in 1991. Betty retired in 1992 after serving as Oneonta city clerk for seven years. They enjoyed travel and family in the years that followed. In 2014, Ernest was honored to have a scholarship at SUNY Oneonta established in his name. Ernest is survived by his beloved wife of 75 years, his daughter Ann Goodman, her husband Joel Weinstein, and grandsons Michael and Benjamin Weinstein. A graveside service was held on Tuesday, March 23. Donations in Ernest’s memory may be made to the Ernest Goodman Scholarship Fund at SUNY Oneonta.

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AllOTSEGO.life

THURSDAY, March 25, 2021

Adirondack Trek Prepares Son, Father For Challenges DAD, SON/From B1 FKT.com – for “fastest known times,” an international recordkeeping site. “Unsupported” means the Horvaths carried in lean provisions in 20-pound packs, including just two pairs of socks each – they slept in wet socks overnight, drying them with their body heat. “They did something really amazing,” said Bethany Garretson, the Cherry Valley native, now a hiking enthusiast, an outdoor writer, a Paul Smiths College professor and a friend of the Horvaths. Most people hike the NPT in summer. “In winter, it’s 142 miles of what could be breaking trails of very deep snow,” she said. “The High Peaks trails are climbed every weekend; they’re packed down.” The NPT “doesn’t get packed in the winter. It’s back country. It’s out there,” said Garretson. “I’m glad they set it – and I think it’s going to stand for a while.” “If people think it’s possible, they’ll want to beat it,” said Henry, who was picked up in Concord on Saturday, March 6, packed the

next day, and the two departed on the 50-mile trip to Northville Monday, March 7. The father-son team left nothing to chance. They’d been running, doing leg-lifts, hiking in the local woods. In February, they did an overnight hike on the NPT, 30 miles, to get an idea of what was in store. Tim, proprietor of Red Point Builders, Cooperstown, is a notable outdoorsman, climbing Everest in 2014. But Henry’s been going along for a while, hiking through Yellowstone Park’s Tetons when he was 11, and two summers ago joining his father for an 11-day, 200-mile hike on the John Muir Trail in California. Next year, they hope to climb Denali – former Mount McKinley, the nation’s tallest peak. And this was a test. “I knew he can’t go on bigger mountains until he has the skills – 140 miles in the middle of the Adirondacks in the middle of winter is a good school,” said the father.” Added Henry, who’s a sophomore at The Middlesex School in Concord, Mass., “The more difficult it is, the more rewarding

it is. That especially applied here.” (Mom Elizabeth and brother Oliver, 11, round out the family.) Warm temperatures – up to 55 – slowed the hikers down. On the other end, they experienced a minus 20 wind chill. “One day your T-shirt is soaking wet,” said Tim. “Another day it’s hard to stay warm hiking the trail with all your gear on.” It wasn’t all hard work. Witnessing wildlife, for instance, was a pleasure, said Henry. Day Four, “we saw moose tracks,” he said, “which is really cool. There are 400 moose in the Adirondacks. We didn’t get to see a moose – even just to see the tracks was fun.” Day 5, a bald eagle flew overhead. Day Seven, “I saw a fisher cat running across a frozen lake. You can see them bound.” The fierce 10- to 14-pound animal eats mainly porcupine. As for the scenery, “we were mostly in a tree tunnel. Those frozen lakes were cool to look at. The Blue Mountain is the only real peak; you don’t get all the way to the top, but you get the best view of the trip.

And the towns, Northville, Piseco, Long Lake, Lake Placid, added interest as well. But, with the “unsupported” definition, there was no stopping for pizza. Seeking to set the toughest record for those who followed to break, walking 590,000 steps a day, then, “when you get to camp, setting up the tent, boiling water, cooking your own food,” said Tim, all for the luxury of sleeping five hours a night. “You’re kept guessing until the last moment. Even if you’ve done 80 percent of the trail, it doesn’t mean you’re going to make it,” he said. Cross-country skiers had left tracks on several points in the trail, but “the last day, we just about lost the trail of the skiers,” said the father. ” With small trail flashes sometimes covered with snow, “you can burn up hours looking for the trail. “Until we got within a couple of miles, we weren’t sure we could make it.” Happily, they did, said Henry, and friends were waiting at the Lake Placid trail head with a bottle of champagne.

Tim Horvath photo

Henry Horvath moves gingerly across a footbridge during his and dad Tim’s 142-mile trek through the often-deep drifts of the Northville-Placid Trail.

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