Whodunnit? ABBEY KOUTNIK DID IT, CREATING FAIRYLAND/B1
HOMETOWN E!
E FR Volume 12, No. 43
ONEONTA
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, July 30, 2020
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COMPLIMENTARY
AllOTSEGO.com • COUNTY’S ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER
City of The Hills
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Again, Streck Era Ends Visionary Administrator Built Single Hospital Into Bassett Network ►WILLIAM F. STRECK
By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
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hile the coronavirus threat may have been subdued, GOHS Executive Direcit’s not necessarily over tor Bob Brzozowski yet, according to Bill Streck, Bassett shows board member president & CEO Kim Back the blueprints for 30 years, plus for the Lustron Home, the past two years. part of an Oneonta Regardless, History Center exhibit the healthcare that opens this weeknetwork won’t be end/DETAILS, B1 returning to any New Normal. Tire-Slashing “Bassett’s Spree Results future is in digital In Teen Arrest flexibility,” said Streck, who – with the arrival of Dr. Tommy Ibrahim, ONEONTA the new network president & CEO – retired for a second time on Friday, ne juvenile was July 10. Because of the COVID-19 arrested and a second emergency, “people can go to any is awaiting charges site and get what they need.” following 29 incidents where With “less travel” meaning “less Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA car tires were punctured and cost,” he sees Bassett going “full Retiring Bassett Healthcare Network President & CEO Bill other personal property items bore into the digital future.” Streck brought along a copy of John Davis’ “History of Bassett were damaged last week in An e-future means more effecHospital.” Why not? The Streck Years figure in it prominently. Oneonta’s East End. In all, the juvenile, whose OBERACKER REPORTS: name was not released because of age, was charged with 23 misdemeanors and six felonies. According to Oneonta Police Chief Doug Brenner, a second juvenile was also involved, but charges are Bond: COVID Cases pending. More details on By JIM KEVLIN Seem To Be Random Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
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90-Year-Old, In Schenevus, 3 Others Off Distribution Ventilators Center Lives
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AllOTSEGO.com ►TEEN AIRLIFTED after Exeter ATV crash. ►delgado introduces bill to connect small farms to local schools. ►dr. anthony fauci’s firstpitch mask donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame. ►VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER held for Congressman Antonio Delgado, D-19. ►SEWARD RESCUES Richfield Springs retiree from pension error. ►COMET NEOWISE visible in Otsego County skies. ►BASSET CANCER INSTITUTE has installed a “TrueBeam” accelerator to treat complex cancers more quickly
SCHENEVUS
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he SEQR review of the 120-acre proposed industrial site at Interstate 88’s Exit 18 will begin by the end of the year, bringing the dream of a 300-job Oberacker distribution center closer to reality, county Rep. Peter Oberacker, R-Schenevus, told the Maryland Town Board last week. The consultant on the project, McFarland Johnson of Canandaigua, will do Please See SCHENEVUS, B2
By LIBBY CUDMORE COOPERSTOWN
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90-year-old hospitalized with COVID-19 last week is out of the hospital and recovering, Heidi Bond, Otsego County Public Health director, reported as this edition went to press. By LIBBY CUDMORE “All the people who were hospitalized have improved,” ONEONTA she said. “No one is on a ventilator anymore.” ctivist Diandra Sangetti-Daniels was After a quiet weekend – shocked when she received the letter no cases were reported on from Police Chief Doug Brenner Saturday, Sunday or Monday criticizing the planned “Black Lives Matter” – on Tuesday, July 28, one Please See COVID, B2 memorial in downtown Oneonta.
BORN Sept. 8, 1946, in Parsons, Kansas; raised in Oklahoma City. EDUCATION: Oklahoma State; University of Missouri medical school; internship, University of Rochester. CAREER: Endocrinologist, 197684, Bassett Hospital; 1984-2014 (and 2018-20), president & CEO, Bassett Healthcare Network. FAMILY: Wife Karen, children Patrick, Sarah, Kate and Molly. • ►EDITORIAL: What if Bill Streck wasn’t? You don’t want to go there/A4 ►FOR MORE on Bill Streck’s life, visit Cooperstown Graduate Program oral histories at: www.cgpcommunitystories.org
tiveness, too, said Streck in a Saturday, July 24, interview summing up his career and, more specifically, the two years since he was asked to return in 2018 after his 2014 successor, Dr. Vance Brown, resigned. For instance, after Governor CuoPlease See STRECK, B6 Oneonta native Elizabeth Patterson, a Columbia County florist, introduces “Say Your Name,” photos of young black people killed before their time.
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
‘Black Lives Matter’ Display Divides Herzig, Police Chief
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“I read that letter,” she said during her remarks at the dedication of the “Say Their Names” photo display Sunday, July 26. “If they’re truly protecting every resident, you would support this. To have someone in a position of power write this letter upset me.” Brenner drafted the letter on July 19, but Common Council went ahead regardless, voting unanimously Tuesday, July 21, to Please See DISPLAY, B6
HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
A-2 HOMETOWN ONEONTA
HOMETOWN People
THURSDAY, July 30, 2020
‘Big Chuck’ Shares TALES Of opulent Homes
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
“Big Chuck” D’Imperio hands a freshly signed copy of his latest book, “Open House: 35 Historic Upstate New York Homes,” to Joanne Spina, Worcester, following his Sunday Series talk at the Swart Wilcox House Museum on Sunday, July 26. “The most magnificent home in my book is Hyde Hall,” said D’Imperio, WZOZ personality, “It is the most opulent in scale for that time in America.” He went on to recount many a tale from his travels collecting the best stories from each of the homes featured in the new book.
Sergeant Brenner, Police Chief’s Son, Reassigned From Fort Drum To Japan
ONEONTA
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gt. Erickson L. Brenner will be leaving the 227 MP Detachment, 91 st MP BN assigned in Fort Drum to begin a 1-year assignment with the 14th MDB (missile defense battery) based in Japan. Sgt. Brenner has been at Fort Drum for the past four years where he was with the 563D MP and the 227th MP detachment. Sergeant Brenner is a graduate of Milford Central School and has been an active duty member of the US Army since July 2013.
Treadwell Workshop Publishes Collection
ONEONTA
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fter a year of meeting at the Bright Hill Literary Center in Treadwell, the Seeing Things Poetry Workshop has published their first collected volume, “Seeing Things: An Anthology of Poetry.” The volume includes Sgt. Erickson Brenner, poems by Robert Bensen, center, with his parents Annie Kuhn, Karen Doug and Elaine. Miritello, the late Bertha Rogers, Pam Strother, He is the son of Oneonta Julie Suarez and others. Police Chief Douglas The 135-page book features Brenner of Oneonta and rural photographs by Elaine Shulgay of Worcester, Vicki Whicker. and the grandson of David The anthology is available and Lois Brenner of at the Green Toad Bookstore. Oneonta.
Connected to health, wherever you are. TeleHealth is not a new concept at Bassett Healthcare Network, but now more than ever, we are focused on providing access and delivering great care to all of our communities. Stay connected to your primary care providers and healthcare specialists by video chat, phone call, or text message. No matter where you are, expect the care you can count on.
Bringing Care to Where You Are. Bassett.org/TeleHealth 1-800-BASSETT
Look for the TeleHealth icon on your provider listings.
THURSDAY, July 30, 2020
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3
A-4 HOMETOWN ONEONTA
HOMETOWN Views
THURSDAY, July 30, 2020
EDITORIAL
What If Bill Streck Wasn’t? You Don’t Want To Go There
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e can talk about what Bill Streck was. But what about if he wasn’t? “We could have gone out of business, or become just a little rinky-dink hospital,” said Dr. John Davis, retired physician and author of the definitive “History of Bassett Hospital.” Instead, “We’ve become a model.” “He was the guy who guided us to where we were going,” said Dr. Michael Gold, former Bassett chief of surgery, now retired in Georgia. “One thing about Bill, he wouldn’t tell you your idea was good, and then not do anything. If he believed in it, he got 100 percent behind it.” Said Dr. Walter Frank, former chief of medicine, who
has observed and collaborated with Streck since the departing president & CEO arrived in 1978, “He had a vision of integrated healthcare systems, and we developed it here at Bassett before it became a national model … He has served the hospital extraordinarily well over the years.” These men used words like articulate, compelling, caring. He was a great teacher, a great recruiter of talent. He cared about providing an equal quality of care, whether to a congressman or to a laborer. As Streck said it himself, he fully embraced Bassett’s triple mission of research, teaching and, most of all, healing the sick in a rural community.
LETTERS
Trustees Ensure Cooperstown Is Where Plague Comes To Die To the Editor: The Cooperstown Village Board have clarified the village’s response to the Plague by adopting a resolution to require social distancing and require that masks be worn in public places. This ordinance will be enforced with fines. The board has insured that Cooperstown is where the Plague, not people, comes to die. The QAnon Karens and Kens may throw tantrums on TikTok about this ordinance, but that will just underscore the need for
• What if Bill Streck wasn’t here? In a departing interview, you could hear the strains of a visionary, energetic, dedicated and problemsolving executive. Certainly, when he arrived he could only see “through a glass darkly” where Bassett needed to go. But as he solved one challenge and the next challenge became clear, and then the next, the vision was defined and expanded into what today is an eight-county Bassett Hospital photo medical system of hospitals, clinics and a nursing home. Dr. William F. Streck From one hospital, many facilities, And he pursued it over 30 years almost 100, staffed by more than and, after a four-year hiatus, two 500 physicians and 2,500 people more. in all the tasks – mowing the lawn
to brain surgery – that comprise a great medical institution. His sense of fun was evident. Certainly, a cardiac institute would never be created in such a rural locale. So, instead, he declared formation of “a rural demonstration project,” and incrementally built the Bassett Heart Care Institute from there. It was also instructive how he positioned Bassett for state largesse and support, not by a head-on assault, but by becoming “very knowledgeable” in the state’s priorities, and building a strategy around that knowledge. • What if Bill Streck wasn’t? Think about it whenever you’re Please See EDITORIAL, A5
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ny display that disrupts the community feeling and positive energy of the community serves no purpose but to divide, especially when the content of the display is in relation to incidents that did not occur locally and shows all law enforcement, including members of Oneonta Police Department, negatively.” DOUGLAS W. BRENNER • Chief, Oneonta Police Department
protecting the community, for everyone’s benefit, including QAnon Karen, whether they like it or not. QAnon Karen and Ken can always go elsewhere, like Florida. We don’t need irresponsible people here infecting others. They’ll fit right in there. As to enforcement, you only have to cite one scofflaw for the rest of them to get the message. Scofflaws are like that. Even on TikTok. CHIP NORTHRUP Cooperstown
If Others Had Slaves, So What? To the Editor: Re: Morgan, as in Slavery So everyone does it? That’s the old fallacy: “I robbed a bank. So what? Others did it before me, so it must be OK.” Somebody has performed an idiotic criminal act. I can do it too. Other nations? Slavery? Must have been OK. A respected attack on this fallacy occurs in the first chapters of the Bible. The Creator confronts Adam about bites from the tree of knowledge. Adam responds: “The woman gave it me, and I did eat.” No good. Leave paradise. Preceding error must fail in the future. It was no excuse for Adam’s transgression. However, a few observations of mere historical accuracy: • First, slavery in English
HOMETOWN
territories was under open attack before the American revolution, and the British later outlawed the sale of human beings. • Second, U.S. slavery was not a benign institution. Charles Dickens visited the country in the 1840s and just happened to read U.S. newsprint. Ads describing runaways were prominent. The papers described disfiguring wounds used for identification: missing hands, fingers, toes, bent and crippled limbs, missing ears and noses, scars from branding and whipping, etc. Academic and journalistic accounts habitually avoid the hideous abuses of American slavery. It makes no difference who else did it. ROBERT MOYNIHAN Cooperstown
ONEONTA
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
James C. Kevlin Editor & Publisher
Ian Austin/The Freeman’s Journal
Johnny Brown prays Sunday, July 26, at dedication of the “Black Lives Matter” display in Oneonta.
Non-Local Photo Display Divides, Chief Says Editor’s Note: Oneonta Police Chief Douglas W. Brenner expressed his concern about the“Black Lives Matter” photo display at the Westcott Lot. Nonetheless, Common Council unanimously approved the display Tuesday, July 21, and it was installed this past Sunday.
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he Oneonta Police Department has always placed the needs and concerns of the residents and visitors to the City of Oneonta as its first priority. While not insensitive to the issues facing the nation and the world, the efforts of the members of the department are best focused on what we can do for our neighbors to make Oneonta a better place for everyone. On the agenda for the regular meeting of the Oneonta Common Council for July 21, Item 9 is listed as a topic for discussion and pertains to a photographic display supporting Black
Tara Barnwell
Libby Cudmore
Larissa Ryan Business Manager
Kathleen Peters Graphics & Production
Elizabeth Cooper Correspondent
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
negative context. The city is blessed to have residents and visitors who can freely express themselves in a respectable and constructive manner, which has been seen on at least two occasions in the recent past. We enjoy good neighbors, friendships and any display that disrupts the community feeling and positive energy of the community serves no purpose
but to divide, especially when the content of the display is in relation to incidents that did not occur locally and show all law enforcement, including members of Oneonta Police Department, negatively. Any display that could have ramifications that are potentially divisive to the City of Oneonta, its residents and its businesses, is not an image that should be promoted. In addition, as the chief of police, one of my top concerns is for the wellbeing of the members of the Oneonta Police Department. Police officers throughout the nation are under attack for the disturbing and unlawful actions of a few other law enforcement officials from other agencies who they have no contact with, no allegiance to, any sympathy for, and no tolerance for such actions. This has caused a national shortage of those who wish to serve their Please See BRENNER, A6
BE AFRAID, BUT DO IT ANYWAY
Advertising Director & General Manager Managing Editor
DOUGLAS W. BRENNER
Lives Matter to be placed on the fence at the head of the Westcott lot on Main Street. I would be remiss not to express my concerns with a photographic display that could show members of law enforcement locally in a
T
Household Finances Under Control – And Then....
his is really scary — getting your own place to live at 21. At 21, I was boarding with a young family which had a newborn plus two girls, 3 and 5. Small house, outdoor toilet, minuscule bath and a small parlor converted to a bedroom for me. Not my image of a single woman with the perfect job as a reporter at the morning paper in Wellington, New Zealand. I definitely needed my own place or at least shared with another single woman. Yet college economics doesn’t teach you how to figure out how much can
you spend on a place to live. So I asked a wise old reporter of maybe 29 or 30 for his advice. His few words changed my life. He told me it was easy — save 25 percent of ERNA MORGAN income, spend 25 McREYNOLDS percent on where I lived and then I could do whatever I wanted with the rest of the money. Armed with this advice, I hunted
until I found something that fit his guidelines. Hard to find anything in Wellington but it all worked out because I got a new job working as a radio/TV reporter in another city. Accommodations there were a lot less expensive although my pay had increased with the new job. Right away I was saving the 25 percent, limiting the cost of my rent to 25 percent and living in a nice flat. But even with some rules to live by I was still scared. And I needed to search out things like bed linens and towels. A bed, pots and pans, dishes. Please See ERNA, A6
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THURSDAY, July 30, 2020
HOMETOWN
HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-5
History
Compiled by Tom Heitz/SHARON STUART, with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library
150 Years Ago
Oneonta Local – Many farmers are already cutting their oats, of which we hear, that they are badly lodged. Fishing is getting quite popular hereabouts. Parties are daily visiting the river, meeting with fair luck. Peter VanWoert has sold 30 acres of land below the Plains to J.N. Taber of West Oneonta. Price $100 per acre. The hot weather is famous for bringing out the smells. Our readers would do well to look to their cellars and thoroughly cleanse all dirty localities. Otherwise, expect sickness. Town Talk – The new railroad; peaches in town; blackberries are ripe; hot days make lazy people; days are growing shorter; plenty of green corn in market; ripe apples are getting plenty; flies are aplenty and they bite sharp; muzzle your dog – the dog killer has come; now is a good time to dig wells. July 1870
Maryland on Sunday afternoon. About 100, including delegates from all the posts in Otsego County, were represented. Other officers elected and installed were Charles Smith, Unadilla Post, first vice-commander; Adrian G. Blanchard, Oneonta, Adjutant, Gaius A. Fish, Oneonta, treasurer, Chris C. Kleeman, Oneonta, chaplain and historian, and Floyd M. Harrington, Oneonta, sergeant-at-arms. It was reported that there were 377 paid-up members in the organization. July 1940
Victory for Soviet Russia over Poland would result in Bolshevism sweeping all of Europe and eventually the entire world in the opinion of General Eric Ludendorf, the famous German war leader. His views are set forth in a specially prepared and hitherto unpublished memorandum on “The Dangers of Bolshevism” written last month. Poland’s fall will entail the fall of Germany and Czecho-Slovakia,” General Ludendorf says. “Their neighbors to the north and south will follow. Let no one believe it will come to a stand without enveloping Italy, France, and England in its hideous coils. Not even the seven seas can stop it.” Transcontinental Air Mail – Air mail service from New York to San Francisco is expected to be inaugurated the first week in September, Assistant U.S. Postmaster General announced today. July 1920 Perry L. Morehouse of Oneonta was elected and installed county commander of the American Legion at the annual convention and clambake at Liedkie’s pavilion at
The number of violent crimes in Otsego County has reached an alarming height of more than double what it was a year ago. This fact has been verified by the Otsego
80 Years Ago
40 Years Ago
Helen Ostrander quietly observed her birthday at the age of 102. “It’s just another birthday,” she remarked. She is truly a wonderful person and every inch a lady. Dressed in a pastel pink dress with a pearl necklace and bracelet and a multi-colored flower corsage, she looked lovely. She got a lemon pie with a lighted candle on it. For the past two weeks several of her friends and acquaintances have called on her. Among them were Leah Hancock and Pauline Dudley from Oneonta, Agnes Hutt from Pottstown, Pa., Ken and Eileen Stowell from Morris, Marian Scofield from Utica, Virginia Shannon from Cornwall-on the-Hudson, Dr. and Mrs. Hans Wilk from Oneonta and Art and Ramona Goddard from Cooperstown. Miss Ostrander was born in Oneonta. She attended and graduated from Oneonta High School and was employed in the Albany State Education Department. July 1990
10 Years Ago
July 1895 County District Attorney’s as well as the Sheriff’s Department. Undersheriff Martin Ralph stated that burglary statistics have increased “tremendously” in the past three to four years. He said he could not comment on murder statistics because “there are too many cases still to be tried.” He added that “the number of arson cases has always been high in this county, but we had a shortage of manpower and of knowledge in the field,” Ralph said. But things are looking up. “We are receiving more cooperation between firefighters, police and fire
LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
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Will Fast-Tracking Vaccines Work?
nformation about vaccines is turning out appear to be the furthest along in developto be very fluid. What was correct last ment with the other two close behind. week may be wrong today. This could change by the time this article There are over 150 and development of is in print. There is no guarantee that any of each of them screaming for attention. There these will actually protect against the virus. One reason that so many companies and are several that are prominent and are ready to go into the last phase of testing to see if labs are in the hunt is the humanitarian need they work. for a preventative or a cure for Vaccines attack the COVID-19 COVID; another is whichever comvirus in different places and in pany/lab that wins this race will different ways. make billions and billions of dollars. Some have demonstrated strong Typically, the development of responses, but we don’t know if a vaccine and its commercial those responses will be protective distribution takes years, 3-5 against getting COVID-19 or amebeing typical. After the development of the liorate the severity of the disease. Not only is the science comvaccine, there are three stages of plicated, government regulations testing. RICHARD • In Phase One, just a small are complicated, manufacturing STERNBERG capabilities are complicated, and number of individuals are tested to finances and value of the various see if the vaccine is safe. companies performing this work is • Phase Two is a larger study to see if the very interesting. vaccine elicits an anti-viral response. Right now, there are several leading • Phase Three is a much bigger study candidates in the race to develop an involving tens of thousands of people who effective vaccine. are given the vaccine and then evaluated to One is being developed by Oxford see if it actually works in the real world. University in the U.K. in partnership with There has to be a large enough sample AstraZeneca. Another is Pfizer, working to statistically determine the difference with a German company. A third is between those members of the sample who CanSino Biologicals, a Chinese company. subsequently developed the disease, and And a fourth Moderna, in Cambridge, those who don’t. Mass., in conjunction with the National Following the results of the study, if posiInstitutes of Health. tive, then doses of the vaccine have to be made. As of July 27, there were approximately In the case of a vaccine against COVID-19 160 vaccines in development with 23 in this will require billions of doses. human trials. Moderna’s and Oxford’s Please See STERNBERG, A6
agencies,” he added. Another plus in catching arsonists is the use of the New York State Police lab in Port Crane. Before, all evidence was tested in Albany and there was much less personal contact between agencies, according to the undersheriff. New York State has maintained an office of Crime Prevention since January 1977. July 1980
30 Years Ago
60 Years Ago
Mrs. Barbara Pernat, a graduate of the State University College of Education at Oneonta has been appointed Supervisor of the Child Welfare Division in the Otsego County Department of Social Welfare to succeed Mrs. Elizabeth Nichols of Fly Creek who has resigned to accept a position in Cleveland, Ohio. Mrs. Pernat began her employment in the Department in 1951 where she spent six years with the Child Welfare Division, followed by two years in the Public Assistance Division. Mr. Engell said that Mrs. Pernat is well qualified to fill the position of supervisor. Her salary will be $4,700. Clark W. Jewell of Westville was granted a divorce from Mrs. Verna M. Jewell of New York City at a special term of Supreme Court held Friday before Justice Joseph P. Molinari at his chambers in Oneonta. Mrs. Jewell was defendant in a criminal action brought against her early in 1958 and growing out of an alleged shortage of $3,097.89 in accounts of the Otsego County Welfare Department. She was for 12 years a senior Account Clerk in the Welfare Department before her resignation in October 1957. The alleged discrepancy in the department records were picked up by examiners of the State Department of Audit and Control in the fall of 1957. July 1960
100 Years Ago
125 Years Ago
Pitching. It is one of the most interesting displays in the world of sports. With each pitcher having his own windup and release point, it is truly the most unique position in baseball. Also unique to every pitcher is the bag of tricks kept up the sleeve of the throwing arm. Having the ability to throw great pitches creates great pitchers. And great pitchers create, dare I say it, perfect games – surely the most sought-after achievement in sports. The good hitters still fail seven out of ten times. Since pitchers have the advantage over hitters, having a rounded-out pitching staff is key. It is what the Oneonta Outlaws and the Cooperstown Hawkeyes have this season. (Excerpted from an article by Benjamin Deer) July 2010
WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
I
Civil War Promise Still Unfulfilled
recently took photographs at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in the Village of Delhi, a small town with a resident population of 4,600. Over 700 people turned out for the peaceful, civil demonstration. The photos staked into the ground are of black people murdered across the United States: Murdered by police, murdered by self-appointed vigilantes, or mur- LARRY BENNETT dered by white people just afraid of or angered by black people just for being black. There were 36 portraits of murdered black men, women and boys on display, ranging from 1999 to 2020. Yet, as horrible as these numbers are, they are almost certainly a small percentage of black lives viciously cut down in the past 20 years. • I experienced irony and pain looking at the monument in the background – it’s situated in the Town
Square and commemorates Union soldiers from Delhi and Delaware County who fought in the Civil War. The other photo is an historic full-size view of the monument. Sixty feet up is a statue of Peace, with a raised sword sheathed in laurel leaves. The monument honors the 144th New York Volunteer Infantry that was raised across Delaware County. Delhi, the county seat then and now, was at the time a town of 3,600. The county was agricultural, the population small, and every man was essential to maintaining the Delhi’s Civil War small farmsteads. Nonethe- monument represents less, the 144th went to war a promise unfulfilled. with 956 men. The 144th It’s hard to know with fought from Washington, certainty but it’s reasonable D.C., to Charlestown’s Folly to believe the 144th was Beach and Fort Sumter, almost all – if not entirely and into Florida. Of its 956 – white men. These were men, it lost 217 from 1862 white American men from to 1865 – the three years it the North who volunteered was in service. As was true to fight white American men of soldiers on both sides, from the South for the presmore died of diseases than ervation of the Union. They of battlefield wounds. Please See BENNETT, A6
EDITORIAL: Promising Successor For Hard Act To Follow Dr. Bill Streck, left, and Dr. Tommy Ibrahim sport the sign of the times: masks. Ibrahim extends Bassett’s tradition of putting a doctor in the top job.
EDITORIAL/From A4 sitting in a waiting room, two minutes or 15 or 30 from home, chatting with someone from Deposit (90 minutes away) or Old Forge (two hours). Productive time NOT lost by easy access to a quality hospital is beyond counting, not to mention proximity to expert treatment. Think about it when your niece gets a nursing job, or your retired aunt supplements her income as a receptionist, or your son is inspired to go into medicine. What if 2,500 jobs that buoy Otsego County’s economy – Bassett Hospital photo the network is the largest local
employer – was buoying Utica’s or Binghamton’s or Albany’s instead? In effect, Bill Streck has been Otsego County’s indispensable man for more than three decades now. • So now we’re at an end, and a beginning. Be assured that it’s no coincidence that Dr. Tommy Ibrahim, a young, celebrated hospital administrator, has succeeded William F. Streck. Coming out of the COVID19, ordeal, Streck sees – and not through a glass darkly – that
Bassett is headed “full bore into a digital future.” Dr. Ibrahim, who used computers to streamline quality management in Oklahoma’s nine-hospital Integris system, seems just the kind of executive to pick up where Streck is leaving off. He’s a young 39, a touch older than Streck’s 37 when he took over, with plenty of ideas, and he exudes similar energy, curiosity and, in the best possible way, high spirits. As we bid hail and farewell to Dr. Streck, let’s hail Dr. Ibrahim as he aims to apply his predecessor’s qualities to the digital age.
THURSDAY, July 30, 2020
A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
McREYNOLDS: Home – At Last ERNA/From A4 All of this with no money left over after moving, paying a month’s rent in advance plus a security and getting a better wardrobe since I was going to be on TV. Moving to this small city was scary. I didn’t know anyone. I had emigrated from the U.S., which meant I had no family to consult. The few friends I had made in my short time in New Zealand now lived two and a half hours away. There weren’t cell phones or wireless and long-distance calls (known as “trunk calls”) were expensive. Calls were saved for a lot more important things. Somehow I found the Salvation Army store which had everything I needed. And well within my budget. Buying furnishings wasn’t the end of the scary moments though. Trying to make the flat seem more cozy and a bit like home, I planted peas outside my window. Well – my Dad had always planted a crop. On Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night, I stuck a couple sparklers in my pea planter – my contribution to the fireworks. It was illegal at home and the first time I had ever done anything like that. I was nervous. What if that old wooden building caught fire? Even worse – unimaginable – as I put the match to the first sparkler the building started to move under me. The planter moved from side to side and started to slide away from me. I started to shake. As I held onto the window a friend came into the room. An earthquake! Holy cow! My punishment for daring to burn up my peas – and in honor of a guy who tried to blow up Parliament? Maybe I should have succumbed to that fear? Erna Morgan McReynolds, raised in Gilbertsville, is retired managing director/financial adviser at Morgan Stanley’s Oneonta Office, and an inductee in the Barron’s magazine National Adviser Hall of Fame. She lives in Franklin.
BRENNER: Disrespect Police, And You’ll Lose Them BRENNER/From A4 community. Oneonta is no exception to this shortage. The department currently has two unfilled patrol officer positions and two members who are eligible for retirement. The current civil service list is almost exhausted and there is no entrance exam scheduled for this year by the state. Many other departments throughout the state are accepting lateral transfers, as are we, but are able to offer more advantageous working conditions. If my officers sense that the City of Oneonta is not supporting their hard work,
their dedication to community, their professionalism, their unwavering dedication to fairness by allowing a divisive display, the probability of losing more officers increases. We at the Oneonta Police Department enjoy a positive relationship with our friends and neighbors in the city, and work very hard to promote good relationships with all members of the community in which we protect and serve. A display that intentionally shows all members of law enforcement in a negative light based on the actions of a few from well outside our area would be devastating to the morale of the
finest officers I have ever had the pleasure to work with and lead. As the chief of police and a lifelong community member, I would hope that all factors are taken into consideration before any display is permitted in the City of Oneonta. Our strength comes from ourselves, and the residents in the City of Oneonta are compassionate, respectful, have concern and empathy for our neighbors, and love of community. Any display that does not emphasize the positivity only serves as a catalyst to create division and polarization of this community.
STERNBERG: COVID Vaccines, Treatments On Way
STERNBERG/From A5 Due to the expense involved in producing the vaccine in the past, manufacturing was undertaken only after successful Phase Three studies and regulatory approval. Uniquely, several of the vaccines under study are all being manufactured now before proven successful and approved, in the hope that they will be approved later. The idea is that the vaccine will be immediately available for distribution instead of waiting months to years in the typical development plan. The concept that we might actually have
an effective vaccine distributed in under one year is astounding. There is concern that the vaccines being developed, while so far being successful in testing and causing antibody reaction, in the patient may not prove useful since the strain of the virus most common currently or in the future may not be the strain of the virus to which the vaccine was developed. This is a situation with the yearly flu vaccine, where scientists have to guess which strains will be common in the population that year and vaccinate against those. So right now, it’s full speed ahead devel-
oping a vaccine and having enough doses to go around, as soon as possible. One or several companies will do very well financially, others will lose a great deal of money, for working in this fashion. Hopefully, the ones that are developed will prove significantly effective. Richard Sternberg, a retired Bassett Hospital orthopedic surgeon, has agreed to provide his professional perspective while the coronavirus threat continues. Dr. Sternberg, who is also a village trustee, resides in Cooperstown.
BENNETT: Promise Of Civil War Has Still To Be Realized BENNETT/From A5 went to war for the future of the United States, for the end of slavery, and for the emancipation of all black men, women and children. Now, 155 years later, the fact that so many people in our nation still wave Confederate flags, that so many people still have deep disregard for black lives, that so many black lives are taken by law enforcement that is sworn to “protect and serve,” and that so many black people are killed without any semblance of justice, is appalling. Now, 155 years after the most horrific
war in our history was fought, this state of our nation remains inhuman, monstrous and unacceptable. We must all help. We must examine our own biases and check them. We must visibly, openly, and loudly support the rights of black people, whether through Black Lives Matter, the NAACP or other organizations and actions. We must learn what these organizations stand for and believe in. We must learn about the truths of black culture, not just the ones popularized by white culture. We must seek out and read black political writers, black authors, black websites. We must speak up when we hear,
see or read racist remarks from anyone. We must patronize black-owned businesses and refuse to patronize businesses with records of racism and unfair treatment of fellow citizens. We must uncover the racist, unconcerned or unengaged people in every level of our government, and support people committed to defeating them. We must do an important thing this year. We must vote as if black lives depend on it. They do. Larry Bennett, retired Ommegang Brewery creative director who is active in local causes, lives in East Merideth.
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OTSEGO.life
THURSDAY, July 30, 2020
By LIBBY CUDMORE ONEONTA
W
hen Fran All saw what she thought was a new neighbor wandering around confused in her School
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House Road backyard, she tried to be gentle with her. “I tried to help her!” she said. “She was moving around like she had some Please See ACTS, B4
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Fran Reed, center, wants to invite you to join her family in doing Acts of Kindness for her birthday. With her, from left, are great granddaughter Haley Titus, daughter Stephanie Cooke, brother Frank All, sister-in-law Judy All and daughter OTSEGO.life Cyndi Miller.
Otseg Daily ne O COunty’s wspape r/online Call la rissa at 6 07-547-61 03 to get sta rted.
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Wilber Park Mystery Solved As Abbey Koutnik Steps Forward The kids of the Shakespeare in the Valley workshops present a performance of “Two Gentlemen of Verona” over Zoom this weekend.
By LIBBY CUDMORE
A
ONEONTA bbey Koutnik: Just call her The Founder of Fairyland. “In early May, my husband Gary and I were walking the loop in Wilber Park. I picked up a pine cone and a water bottle lid, and some rocks, and created the scene.” The next day, she came back. And there was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figure lying on the ground. Abbey, an artist who is active in community theater, and also known as Rosie the Clown, placed him in front of the tree as a guard. “I thought, wouldn’t it be fun if other kids added to it?” she said. “My background is in art and teaching, and I always oriented that towards being fun and playful.” Abbey Koutnik She and Gary, the recently Ian Austin/ OTSEGO.life retired vice chair of the Otsego County Board of Representatives, went to Cape Cod for Please See KOUTNIK, B3 Lily Cole poses for a selfie with Ms. Fairy, the original residient
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of Fairyland
COOPERSTOWN GRADUATE PROGRAM DOES ONEONTA EXHIBIT
After WWII, Enamel-Steel Homes Short-Lived Fad GOHS Executive Director Bob Brzozowski pauses in front of Oneonta’s sole ArmcoFerro home at 34 Union St., which briefly appeared to be part of the answer to the housing shortages as the Baby Boom got underway after World War II.
By LIBBY CUDMORE ONEONTA
A
►IF YOU GO: “Building Blocks of a City” opens Saturday, Aug. 1, Oneonta History Center, 183 Main St.
mong the cigarette-smoking robots, Cadillac limousines and performances by the Andrews Sisters and Judy Garland, Vito Molinari found a home. “Peter Molinari’s uncle Vito went to the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago,” said Bob Brzozowski, Greater Oneonta Historical Society executive director. “While there, he saw the Armco-Ferro houses, brought back the plans, and built one in Oneonta.” Armco-Ferro pioneered pre-fabricated OTSEGO.life Please See EXHIBIT, B3
All
Ian Austin/
Teen Shakespeare, A Concert Film, And Bird Q&A
T
he teens of the West Kortright center’s annual theater workshops present a virtual version of The Bard’s “Two Gentleman of Verona” in a Shakespeare in the Valley event. 6 p.m. Friday, July 31, Saturday, Aug. 1. www. westkc.org/eventbrite-event/shakespearein-the-valley/ • Get all your questions answered by experienced birders of the Delaware Otsego Audubon Society. Bring your questions and observations for virtual discussion. 7 p.m. Thursday, July 30, www. facebook.com/Delaware OtsegoAudubonSociety. • LIBBY Do you know the differ- CUDMORE ence between real science and pseudoscience? Play Zoom trivia with the AJ Read Science Discovery Center and SUNY Oneonta. Test your critical thinking skills. Registration required. 7-9 p.m. Friday, July 30, www.facebook.com/AJReadSDC/. • Glimmerglass Festival bass-baritone Ryan McKinny presents a short film, ‘Glimmerglass Lieder’ Showcasing Schubert Lieder’s music against the back drop of Otsego Lake. 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 30, www.glimmerglass. org/events/glimmerglass-lieder/ • It’s a socially distanced dance party as you enjoy a live performance by Loose Canon Acoustic Duo featuring blues, rock, folk and country music. 6-8 p.m. Friday, July 31, Pioneer Park, Main St., Cooperstown. www.wearecooperstown. com/free-fridays/. • Tenor Thomas Meglioranza and pianist Reiko Uccida perform program of Schubert including ‘Sonata in A major’ and ‘Die schöne Müllerin’ from the 2019 Honest Brook Summer Music Festival. 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, WSKG or channel 105.9.
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Schenevus Distribution Center Site Up For SEQR Review 90-Year-Old,
SCHENEVUS/From A1 the environmental review, in hopes the site can be shopped to Amazon and other prospective distribution center tenants by next spring, Oberacker said. Contracted by the County of Otsego, MacFarland Johnson last year reviewed 86 sites along I-88 between the Schoharie and Delaware county lines, and concluded the Schenevus one is the top prospect for development. In May, MacFarland presented two maps for the site, which is on a bluff to the north of Exit 18, one for a single project, the other for a six-site industrial park. “I’m still in favor of one site,” said Oberacker, who is McFarland Johnson, the county’s consultant on the Schenevus site, released also the Republican candithis schematic of a distribution center for the Schenevus site in May. date to succeed state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, in facing Democrat Jim Barber, Oberacker said he feels a The project has been in the Nov. 3 election; he is Schoharie. “I believe I have greater sense of urgency in play since 2016, when former a better chance of selling the community since the Otsego Now President Sandy this one-time.” Schenevus Central School’s Mathes collaborated with Maryland Town financial troubles surfaced Oberacker in initial studies of Supervisor Chris DiDonna over the winter. “Will this the site, which is owned by couldn’t be reached for the save the school?” Oberacker Ronald Klink. town board’s reaction, but said he’s being asked. One of the challenges faced by the site is access to natural ·· gas, and Oberacker said, after Buying AntiquES, the Constitution Pipeline from JEwElry, firEArMS Northeastern Pennsylvania Buzz Hesse was blocked, the idea of
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running smaller pipeline here from the Iroquois at Schoharie was considered. That’s another reason why he prefers the single distribution center to a six-lot park, the county rep said: It would require less energy, and much of it could be obtained through solar panels on south-facing roofs. Similarly, the Town of Maryland is considering running a water main up to the park entrance. But a distribution center would require less water than a business park, and might be able to handle waste water through an onsite system. Oberacker, who is president of Form-Tech Solutions, a research and testing company for the food industry, said he and others have spoken to Ron Kinch about buying the entryway to the prospective park and putting in a road, since it would make the property more saleable to potential tenants. With Amazon and other e-retailers looking to deliver “products to people in not just days, but hours,” sites like Schenevus’ are in demand, Oberacker said.
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COVID/From A1 new case was reported in the Village of Cooperstown and two were reported in the City of Oneonta. “They weren’t travelers,” Bond said. “Two of them had close contact with someone who tested positive. There’s no trend that I can tell.” On Friday, July 25, three cases more were reported in Laurens. Of those cases, one was an “index” case, where a direct source can’t be located, and two were from close contact. “We don’t know where it’s coming from,” she said. “It’s not one active party; there is likely more disease in the community that we don’t know about.” Currently, there are 10 active COVID cases in the county. In all, there have been 30 cases of COVID-19 since June, with 21 so far in July. At the peak in March and April, there were 62 cases. Of current cases, 18 are women and 12 men. “It’s not as bad now, but we still need to be concerned,” Bond said. “We don’t want people to get complacent, there is still an active disease.” She said that the cases eExc. Cond./ Rust Free appear to be “milder” than 137,000 miles they were in the spring. “It Exc. gas mileage could be a different strain,” No accidents Many new & extra parts she said. Prof. maintained The fastest-growing age FUN SUMMER CAR!!! group of cases is 21-40, $3900 with 10 cases since June. 607-432-2695 “It’s hard to tell why that’s happening,” she said. “My only guess is that people are going back to work and are socializing more than they did in March and April.” Five cases were reported in people under 20; the youngest current case is 12. “In March and April, our youngest case was a year old,” she said. In all, there have been 99 confirmed cases, with 84 recovered from the illness and five deaths, plus the current 10. Though testing at the hospitals is reserved for those showing symptoms, the county DOH has set up a free testing for those Send calendar items site to info@allotsego. who feel they may have been at risk, but are not showing symptoms. “If someone feels they are high-risk – their job put them at risk, or maybe they have traveled – they can come get tested, free of charge,” she said. The testing will be held 9 a.m.-noon Friday, July 31, at the Exeter Town Barn. To register, call the DOH at (607) 547-4230.
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►Thursday, July 30
RABIES CLINIC – 9 - Noon. Free rabies vaccination for cats, dogs, ferrets. Scheduling for 30-minute intervals to follow social distancing. First come, first serve. Susquehanna SPCA, Rt. 28, Cooperstown. 607-547-4230. CANCER SCREENING – 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. No cost mammograms, pap tests for women 40+ with no insurance or high deductible. Bishop Lot at corner of Depot & Main St., Unadilla. 1-888-345-0225. BLOOD DRIVE – 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Donate blood, help save lives. Registration required. Cherry Valley Community Center, Rt. 54, Cherry Valley. 800-733-2767. GLIMMERGLASS GLIMPSE – 5:30 p.m. Enjoy short film ‘Glimmerglass Lieder’ by bass-baritone Ryan McKinny. Showcasing Schubert Lieder’s music against the back drop of Otsego Lake. Presented by Glimmerglass Festival. Visit glimmerglass.org/events/ glimmerglass-lieder/ for info. MORE CALENDAR, B4
AllOTSEGO.life
THURSDAY, July 30, 2020
B-3
2 Pre-Fab Houses In Exhibit, But What About The Sears Kit House? EXHIBIT/From B1 houses used porcelain enamel steel panels over corrugated steel panels bolted together. The home, at 34 Union St., remained in the family until 2018, when Peter Molinari Jr. passed away, but remains occupied. “Because of the generosity of the Molinaris, we will have the blueprints on display,” said Brzozowski. It’s one of two such homes in the city, and they are highlights of “Building Blocks of a City: 100 Years of Architecture in Oneonta,” which opens this Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Oneonta History Center at Dietz and Main. Another set of blueprints is for a similar enamel and steel Lustron home at 251 West St. “It’s a bit more modest, and the interior and exterior have been changed,” said Brzozowski. It was built in 1947 by the Lustron Corp. of Columbus, Ohio, to help meet the demand of GIs returning from World War II and starting families, selling for $8,500, a quarter less than the normal new home of the time.
“Billed as a way profit,” said Falk. to maximize pleaSaid Brzozowski, sure and minimize “Cindy gave a talk work, advertising on Otsego County contended that architecture at SUNY the Lustron home Oneonta, and I was in would create a attendance. I thought ‘new and richer it was a good idea experience for the if we could focus it entire family,’” on Oneonta, and she The Wikipedia agreed.” entry relates. In the late 1990s, Mom “has far Sally Mullen, director more hours.” The of what was the Upper youngsters “have Susquehanna Historical fewer worries.” Society, got the downAnd “there’s far town designated a more leisure for state Historic District, Dad.” based on the research The idea was of Jessie Ravage, the all-steel homes the Cooperstown would required consultant. less upkeep, and “Sally’s skills with that seems evident persuasion got a lot of in the sturdy West building owners and the Street home that public to see that these is still in good were historic places,” condition and is said Brzozowski. occupied 80 years In addition to the after Vito Molinari Lustron and Armcobuilt it, said Ferro houses, Oneonta Brzozowski. Only Vito Molinari’s Armco-Ferro house, under construction has several Sears Kit following the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago, is still standing about 2,000 of the on Union Street in Oneonta. Houses, but at present homes remain in they are not included in the United States, the exhibit. we’d look at a particular with the majority of them in Cindy Falk’s “Modernism “We wanted to include & Anti-Modernism” class at area – commercial, educathe Midwest. Sears Kit Houses, but we the Cooperstown Graduate tional, transportation, The exhibit was develcouldn’t verify which ones Program. “Each week, housing, and civic or nonoped in collaboration with were real,” he said. “A lot
are misidentified.” In addition to studying the city’s architecture, Falk’s class also discovered some hidden histories of Oneonta. “The 1920s Census showed a significant African-American community on the other side of the Lettis Highway,” said Falk. “But when the post office was built, it displaced all these people.” The class was also able to detail how national trends played out in the downtown. “So much of what we found was based on commercial trends,” she said. “In the 1960s, for instance, there was the movement towards malls, so we have Southside Mall and what’s now the FoxCare Center.” Similarly, she said, Bresee’s Department Store weathered many of the downtown’s changes. “Department stores were relatively new when it was built, and just kept updating,” she said. “We have the notes on their bigger windows, we have the plans about ‘modernizing’ in the 1960s – including the aluminum façade.”
Architect Returned From Vacation To Find Fairyland Blossoming KOUTNIK/From B1 a month, and when they returned, Fairyland had blossomed – out of nowhere, it seemed to mystify Oneontans who came across it. “I walked around and I just loved the creativity and participation,” Abbey said. “The point is the creativity – I want kids to feel good about what they create, and it’s the perfect socially distanced activity.” In her absence, the trail had expanded to include a City Hall, dining scenes, a post office and the South Pole, complete with
penguins, as well as the moniker “Fairyland,” as we featured last week on this AllOTSEGO.life page. Until now, the creator’s identification was a mystery. “I was thinking of putting in a sign, but I couldn’t figure out what to call it,” Abbey said, on returning from the Cape. “Then I saw that someone had named it ‘Fairyland’ and made a sign!” Mrs. Fairy had taken flight, however. “I think she left with the squirrels,” she said. “When I ride my bike up here, there can be 20 people enjoying
the houses,” said Nate McGonigal, whose daughters, Olivia and Lillian, built the Fairyland Museum at the top of the trail. “I bring the girls up here, and it’s always the highlight of our weekend.” “Every time we go for a walk, there’s something new,” said Lily Cole, who was walking with her brother, Felix and father, Dan. “Felix gets very excited about it!” And although squirrels took her original scene, Mrs. Fairy returned on Sunday, June 26 to build a new home for Mrs. Fairy, complete with a selfie booth for kids to take
their pictures with. Abbey also created the Fairyland Village News, a weekly newspaper posted at the top and bottom of the trail. The first edition, published Wednesday, July 23, noted the “expansive growth” of the village, which now extends beyond the hill trail and along the upper path, as well as a note on the new-tothe-neighborhood penguins and a police report on the squirrels that have vandalized several homes. “I want to get some reporters to write articles about what they
see,” she said. “The kids can tell their own stories, and put them in a drop box.” Though Fairyland will remain active for the summer, Fairyland fan Margery Merzig noted that the Fairyland DPW will be going through the trail just after Labor Day to “winterize” the community and store the installations. “If any of the residents want to retrieve their stores, houses, zoos, etc. before that the DPW goes to work, the community will be happy,” she said. “Their message is ‘See you in the Spring.’”
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THURSDAY, July 30, 2020
B-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Family Asks Community For 80 Acts Of Kinds To Mark Mom’s 80th Birthday ACTS/From B1 kind of dementia, and said she wanted to plant a pot plant in my garden. I had sympathy for that lost lady!” The “neighbor” was actually part of a “Zingo-Gram” joke played by her kids as part of her 80th birthday celebration, but the kindness she showed
her – before she learned the kooky neighbor was a performer from the Slingerlands-based party company – was, in a way, also part of the gift. “My mom is someone who doesn’t collect a lot of things, so a gift wouldn’t be viable,” said her daughter, Cyndi Miller. “So we
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decided we wanted to do 80 Acts of Kindness to celebrate her.” Helping a fake neighbor aside, Fran, who turned 80 on June 15, has herself dedicated her life to kindness; after she retired from the business office at Robinson Terrace in Stamford, she continued to be active with
daughters Deb Mueller and Stephanie Cooke, brother Frank All and sister-in-law Judy All, as well as grandchildren – have all pitched in. “We had a party and we all went around the circle, saying what we did,” said Cook. “And so far, we’ve collected about 25 acts, and we mailed invitations to
people who couldn’t make it, asking them do an act on Mom’s behalf.” Frank paid for a stranger’s cartful of groceries. Mueller has donated nearly five gallons of blood. Judy visited with one of her former Meals on Wheels clients, a 100-year-old retired nun. Miller and Cooke, along with Fran, made nearly 200 reusable masks. Granddaughter Stacey Sinstack’s Daisy Scout troop even pitched in, taking boxes of extra Girl Scout Cookies to the hospitals. But to get to 80, they said, they’ll need the community’s help, and now Miller is encouraging people to perform an act of kindness in Fran’s honor. “It can be something as simple as holding a door for someone,” said Miller. “Look for an opportunity to be generous and to help someone.” “You can do something for the environment, such as picking up litter,” said Send calendar items to info@allotsego Mueller. “Or you can support a local business – that’s a huge act of kindness.” “There is so much need for volunteers,” said Fran. “Anywhere you live, there’s a lot you can still do amidst COVID.” When your act of kindness is done, Miller invites you to email her mother to tell her about it, pegall_ 40@yahoo.com “The world really needs this,” said Fran.
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Literacy Volunteers and Habitat for Humanity. Following her mother Zada’s death in 2012, she even established a scholarship at Stamford High School, giving $1,000 to a graduating senior in honor of the former French and Latin teacher. Her family – including
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FT-3rd shift (wkdays), 2nd shift (wknds); PT- 1st shift (wknds); Sub--all shifts; Addl. shift pay for qualifying shifts
CDO Workforce in Otsego County has Summer Jobs for youth throughout the Otsego County area. Youth must be 14 to 20 years old, Otsego County resident, and meet income and program requirements. Youth, 14 to 20 years old, with disabilities are encouraged to apply for these summer jobs.
Head Start Positions (All F/T with school breaks & Summers off)
For Information about jobs and eligibility visit www.cdoworkforce.org or call 607-432-4800 x 100. Youth can call to have a Summer Youth application sent to them or pick one up at CDO Workforce, 12 Dietz St. in Oneonta.
Family Partner Classroom Teacher
OFO is a family-oriented organization offering competetive wages, excellent benefits and opportunities for professional growth. For an application, submission instructions, benefit package summary and descriptions of all employment openings, visit EOE www.ofoinc.org/jobs
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Formation of GREULICH REALTY LLC
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Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 7/23/2020. Office in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Jeff Greulich, 9 Roaring Rock Rd., Washington, NJ 07882. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Principal business location: 40 Maple Ave., Unadilla, NY 13849. 6LegalSept.3
Notice of
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Goss Properties, LLC, Art. of Org. filed with SSNY on 6/25/20. Off. loc.: Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom proc. may be served & shall mail 33 Ford Ave., Oneonta, NY 13820. Purp.: any lawful. 6LegalSept.3
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Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company. Name: PRIME’S OUTDOOR POWER LLC Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 24 July 2020. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and
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SSNY shall mail copy of process to 5715 US Hwy 20, East Springfield, NY 13333. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.3 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: SPRINGFIELD CAMPGROUND LLC
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Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 24 July 2020. 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 7761 State Highway 80, Springfield Center, NY 13468. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.3 Legal nOtice
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Notice of Formation of AMERICAN MAIN STREET PROJECT LLC Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 06/26/20. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY desg. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 81 Spruce St., Oneonta, New York, 13820. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalAug.20
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BLOOD DRIVE – Noon - 5 p.m. Donate blood, help save lives. Registration required. Quality Inn, 5206 St. Hwy. 23, Oneonta. 800-733-2767. MUSIC ON MAIN – 6 - 8 p.m. Get outside to enjoy a live performance by Loose Canon Acoustic Duo featuring blues, rock, folk and even some country music. Pioneer Park, Main St., Cooperstown. Visit www. wearecooperstown.com/freefridays/ for info.
►Saturday, August 1 PADDLE & PULL – 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Enjoy fun socially distanced day to help pull up Water Chestnut stump portion of Goodyear Lake. Personal watercraft allowed, rentals available. Registration required. Meet at Fishing Access Site, St. Hwy. 28, Portlandville. 607-547-4488. ARCHITECTURE EXHIBIT – 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. New exhibit ‘Building Blocks of a City: 100 Years of Architecture in Oneonta’ opens. Greater Oneonta Historical Society, 183 Main St., Oneonta. Visit www.oneontahistory.org/index. htm for info.
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served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: 23 Washington St., N. Chelmsford, MA 01863 Purpose: Any lawfull purpose. 6LegalAug.13
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Rainbow Pond LLC
NOTICE OF FORMATION of
Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/23/2020. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be
PJM UPSTATE PROPERTIES LLC A Limited Liability Company. Articles of Organization were filed with the New York State Secretary of State on June 12,
►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.
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2020. The office of the LLC is to be located in Otsego County. The Secretary of State has been designated as the 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: Troy Muller, 2690 Co. Hwy. 35, Schenevus, NY 12155. The purpose of the LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity. 6LegalJul.30
HOMETOWN ONEONTA B-5
THURSDAY, July 30, 2020
IN MEMORIAM
Alice D. Siegfried, 88; Potter Supported Social Justice Causes ONEONTA – Alice Lou Differt Siegfried, 88, of Oneonta, a potter, avid gardener and social justice advocate, died from a probable heart Alice attack on Siegfried Saturday, July 18, 2020, while at Fox Nursing Home recovering from hip surgery.
Alice was born on Sept. 24, 1931, in Twinsburg, Ohio, to Charles and Elizabeth Differt. She attended Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and met Richard Siegfried, who she wedded on June 13, 1953. Alice also earned a master’s degree from Northwestern University in speech. Alice and Richard raised their four children in Oneonta, where Alice became a ceramic potter, a craft she practiced for more than 40 years, making plates, cups and casserole bowls used in kitchens throughout Oneonta and the Where YOUR personal design wider region. She was also a passionate is OUR specialty supporter of the arts, buying 20% IN-STOCK works from local artists OFF MEMORIALS and artisans to fill the walls Add’l lettering/carving extra and spaces of her home and 312 Chestnut St., Oneonta 557 St. Hwy 80 East, New Berlin garden. Alice was an active 607-433-0975 • 607-847-6549 member of the Unitarian sicklermemorials.com • sicklerm@outlook.com
Grandma loved her farm, her family, and playing her old guitar. Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home will take the time to find out what made your loved one special. Whether it’s finding just the right flowers, or finding a musician to play her favorite tunes on her old guitar, we’ll do what’s necessary to make her service as unique as she was.
Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home
Universalist Society for more than 60 years and the Greater Oneonta Historical Society. Alice was involved in social justice and Civil Rights organizations, including the NAACP. She displayed “Black Lives Matter” and “Families Belong Together” signs in
her front windows in recent years. She was predeceased by her parents; stepmother, Joan Differt; brother, Robert Differt; husband, Richard Siegfried; and daughter, Barbara Jean Siegfried. She is survived by her daughter, Heidi of
Brooklyn; her youngest son, Thor and his wife, Fran of Dunnellon, Florida; her oldest son, Will and his wife, Susan Powers of Potsdam; and three granddaughters, Ellie, Tera and Meagan Siegfried. Memorial contributions may be made to the
Unitarian Universalist Society of Oneonta or the Greater Oneonta Historical Society. A memorial service is being planned. Arrangements are entrusted to the Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Funeral Home.
IN MEMORIAM
Jim Wolff, 79, Fly Creek Town Justice, Civic Leader
FLY CREEK – James Francis Wolff, Sr., 79, longtime civic leader in Fly Creek, who served as Otsego town justice, and with the Fly Creek Volunteer Fire Company and EMT squad, lost his lengthy battle with cancer on Thursday, July 23, at his home with family by his side. Born May 3, 1941, Jim was raised in Richmond Hill, Queens, and attended Richmond Hill High School, graduating as a scholarathlete. After attending the City College of New York, he worked in the wood products industry, including positions at U.S. Plywood and Champion International. He married his first wife Teresa Walicki in 1965, and the couple lived in Rutherford, N.J., and had two children. Jim was a staff sergeant in the logistics department of the Air Force from 1961 to 1969 and in 1972. The family left the New York City suburbs to join the Walicki family on their farm in Burlington, where Jim launched his own business importing and exporting plywood and lumber. There, he also started the
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) to become a transporting amchapter at the Edmeston Cen- bulance service. His love of tral School, beginning a long his rural community was also tenure of civic engagement. expressed through his work In 1982, he married with both the Fly Creek Valley Margaret Williston Sloan and Cemetery Association and the moved to their current home Fly Creek Historical Society, in Fly Creek, where they eswhere he spearheaded the tablished Litco Farms acquisition of the Bed & Breakfast, one Fly Creek Grange of the earliest B&Bs in building. the area. The couple Jim loved to read hosted guests from all and spend time with across the country, as family and friends well as international and always kept travelers, who came to himself active, often visit the Cooperstown being seen riding area. around the Litco Jim was elected as Farms property on Otsego town justice in his bright orange 1987 and served in Kubota tractor, workJim that role for 25 years, ing on one project Wolff and concurrently or another. In recent served as justice for years, he found the Village of Cooperstown enjoyment spending time from 1989 to 1993. He was with Margaret at their camp also a past member of the cottage on Lorton Lake in the Cooperstown Chamber of Adirondacks. Commerce. He fought a valiant five-year In recent years, Jim was battle with cancer and Jim very involved in numerous was grateful for the outstandactivities and organizations ing care he received at the in Fly Creek. He served as an Dana-Farber Cancer Institute officer in the Fly Creek Volunin Boston and Bassett Hospiteer Fire Company and was tal in Cooperstown, as well as instrumental in helping FCVFC from his loving wife Margaret
and sister-in-law Arlene. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Margaret, sister Janet and brother-in-law Jack Lowe of Ithaca, sister-in-law Arlene (Side) Wolff of Easton, Md., son and daughter-in-law James and Lisa (Johnson) Wolff and grandchildren Katherine and Adam Wolff, all of Newtown, Conn., son and daughter-in-law Gregory and Osa (Armi) Wolff and grandchildren Alexander and Nicholas Wolff, all of Piedmont, Calif., stepson and daughter-in-law Eric and Sarah (George) Sloan and granddaughter Samantha, all of Liverpool, and stepson Christopher Sloan of Morris. He was predeceased by his older brother Frank J. Wolff, of Easton, Md. Per his wishes, Jim’s remains have been cremated and a memorial service will be scheduled when restrictions on large gatherings have been relaxed. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation in Jim’s memory to the Fly Creek Volunteer Fire Company, P.O. Box 218, Fly Creek, NY 13337.
Christine Coe (Cooke) Seibel
14 Grand Street, Oneonta • 607-432-6821 www.grummonsfuneralhome.com
May 6, 1952-July 13, 2020
FOX LAKE, Ill. – Christine Christine was married to Coe (Cooke) Seibel, 68, Ernest Kranich (deceased) passed away on Monday, July and Carl Seibel (deceased). 13, 2020, at Northwestern She is survived by her two sons University Hospital, following and their spouses: Bradley a long illness. and Katie Kranich Christine was and Adam and Alborn May 6, 1952, lison Kranich; stepin Oak Park, Ill., to grandsons Ethan, Charles Eugene Liam, and Cole Cooke, Jr. and Ruth Paulley, and grandCoe Cooke (both daughter Andie deceased) of Gross Kranich. Point, Mich. She was In addition, she predeceased by her is survived by her grandparents, Leroy brother, Charles and Grace Coe, Gross Eugene Cooke III Christine Coe Point, Mich., and and his wife Alma (Cooke) Seibel Charles Eugene and Marie, nephew Harriet (VanDycke) Cooke, Sr., Charles E. Cooke IV and his Gross Point, Mich. wife June, niece Elizabeth
Lauffer (Cooke) Walker and her husband, Dickson, many cousins, grandnieces and nephews, Aunt Sally Coe (Mrs. John Coe), and special friend, Beth Oppenheim. Christine had a close bond with her rescue dog, Beanie. Growing up, Christine enjoyed many summers on Lake Otsego, Cooperstown, at the summer home of her grandparents, Charles and Harriet Cooke, Sr. She had fond memories of the historic Cooke homestead: the farm in East Springfield, situated on the Old Albany Turnpike, which facilitated cattle drives and lodging in its day.
Christine will be buried next to her parents and grandparents at the Springfield Center (N.Y.) Cemetery. Arrangements are entrusted to Tillapaugh Funeral Home, (607) 547-2571. There will be a funeral mass at St. Mary’s “Our Lady of the Lake” Catholic Church in Cooperstown, (607) 547-2213. The date will be announced at a later time. In lieu of flowers, you may consider a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the animal shelter of your choice in Christine’s name: Christine Coe (Cooke) Seibel.
William J. Liggio, 70
Our 132nd annive
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Our Chapel comfortably seats over 200. George M. Tillapaugh (1888-1913) · Revo and Anna Tillapaugh (1913-1958) George G. and Marjorie Tillapaugh (1935-1988) · Martin H. Tillapaugh (1988-Present)
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SCHENEVUS – William John Liggio, 70, of Schenevus, a Vietnam veteran and careerlong truck driver who specialized in car carriers, passed away Thursday, July 23, 2020. Born on August 25, 1949, Bill grew up the eldest of two siblings in an Italian family in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. He was the son of the late William Robert and Raffaela (Margio) Liggio. Bill attended Rice High School in Harlem, where he played baseball and basketball. Upon graduation in 1968, in the military tradition of his father, who fought in WWII and his grandfather, Vincenzo Margio, who fought in WWI, Bill enlisted in the Army. After training at Fort Jackson, S.C., Fort Knox, Ky. and Fort Hood, Texas, he achieved the rank of sergeant before deploying to Vietnam. After 12 months of service, Bill returned home
Vietnam Veteran; 4-Decade Truck Driver
on his birthday, Aug. 25, 1970. Bill and Ann Marie married on Nov. 28, 1970, at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Jackson Heights. In 1971, Bill enrolled in the National Tractor Trailer School (NTTS) and got a job at NuCar Carriers in Newark, N.J. He drove various large trucks but specialized in car carriers. Bill retired in 2010 after a proud 39-year career. Bill had a passion for cars, particularly muscle cars of the 1960s and 70s. He also enjoyed working on his own cars. Bill was handy and self-sufficient, able to fix just about anything. Bill possessed skills in the kitchen, cooking for his loved ones. He enjoyed listening to music and, as a younger man, even played the drums. But one of his greatest lifelong joys was animals. He was caring and compassionate to
animals of all kinds, but especially his beloved dogs Duke, Coco, Girl, Pups and Petey. Whether at work or in retirement, Bill had a knack for striking up conversation and befriending people. He was a kind and loving man who will be deeply missed by his family, friends and anyone whose heart he touched. Bill is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Anne Marie (Proscia) Liggio. He is also survived by his beloved daughters, Carrie (Todd) Lean of Bucks County, PA, Denise Liggio and her husband, Dennis Fediw of Nassau County NY, Christine Liggio and her fiancé Thomas Baron of Syracuse, NY; as well as his dear sister, Karen (Liggio) and Arthur Seltzer of Bucks County, PA; nephews, Andrew and Alec Seltzer; and grandchildren, Caleb and Aidan Lean; sister-in-law Diane, (Proscia) and Jay Semelmacher; and
niece, Jennifer Camilli and great nephew, Justin Nickel. All are invited to the funeral mass at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 29, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church at 201 Main St, Worcester. Burial will take place at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville, NY, where Bill will receive Military Honors. Memorial donations in Bill’s memory may be made to Schenevus Maryland Emergency Squad, PO Box 80, Schenevus, NY 12155, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 201 Main St., Worcester, NY 12197, Super Heroes in Ripped Jeans, 697 Winney Hill Rd., Oneonta, NY 13820 or Susquehanna SPCA, 4841 State Highway 28, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to, www.hellerskinnerfh.com
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THURSDAY, July 30, 2020
Streck Crafted Bassett’s Expansion Into 8-County Network
STRECK/From A1
mo declared the state of emergency Friday, March 13, the Behavioral Health program shifted 100 percent to “e-consulting.” As a result, the program was able to counsel more patients, and there were fewer cancellations, he said. Also, dermatology has gone largely digital, he said. Of course, “you’ve got to come in for surgery,” Streck continued, and some patients “want to see their doctors, and be seen.” Still, younger patients may be more comfortable going into “something that looks like an Apple store,” to choose among a menu of offerings. Of course, envisioning the future – Bassett’s future, specifically – has been part of Streck’s outlook since arriving in 1978, by way of an Oklahoma City boyhood, the University of Missouri medical school and his endocrinology internship in Rochester. Just three month later, he wrote Dr. Joseph Lunn, Bassett’s chief of medicine: “I really like Bassett” – at the time, it was the single, stand-alone Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital – “But who’s planning for the future?” It’s a much repeated anecdote. Rather than write him off as a “Young Turk,” Lunn named him chairman of a committee to envision the future. The committee – a halfdozen doctors – met twice weekly, including Saturdays. Their report was accepted, innovations began and by 1984 Streck was “director,” the title that grew into president & CEO. Rural hospitals, then and now, were under challenge; many have since closed. “It became apparent Bassett could survive and thrive by going outside itself,” Streck said. Today, the network serves eight counties through almost 100 facilities, including five hospitals, clinics, in-school clinics, a nursing home and more. As Streck sees it, part of the success was a willingness to take on problems, as when Herkimer’s Valley Nursing Home asked Bassett to assume management, or when the Cobleskill Hospital went bankrupt and the state came looking for an angel. “You had to respond to the opportunity,” said Streck. If that approach “had not been proven correct step by step, it probably would have stopped.”
Bassett Hospital photos
President & CEO Bill Streck, third from right, turns a gold shovel at the 1990 Bassett Clinic groundbreaking. When it opened, the clinic lost $1 million a month for six months, one of Streck’s low points in his 30-year tenure, but it forged him from a coach into a CEO. At right is Roger Chamberlain, Friends of Bassett chairman and campaign chair.
COO Bertine McKenna (14 years). Still, “the Bassett I left (in 2014) was one I had envisioned ‘through a glass darkly’” in the 1970s, when he picked up Paul Starr’s “The Social Transformation of American Medicine.” “I had a vision of what we had to do, and what to do to get there.” Part of the concept was to raise the hospital’s profile statewide, and as early as 1984 he convened a Rural Health Conference at Bassett Hall. The nine years leading up to 2014, he chaired the state Rural Health Council. “I tried to become very knowledgeable in how the state operated and its priorities,” he said. There were setbacks, the darkest hour being the opening of the Prime Care Clinic building at River and Atwell: Bassett lost a million a month for the first six months, as the caseload went down as the organization adjusted to centralization. Another off-repeated anecdote: “We’ve gotten ourselves into this and now we have to get ourselves out of this,” he told doctors. A distinguished physician responded, “I didn’t get us into this.” Up to that point, Streck told Virginia Lee, a student who added him to the CGP’s oral history archive in 2014, he had considered himself the coach Streck made a point of developing contacts of a talented team. with New York’s state and national legislaAt that moment, he tors, including briefing U.S. Sen. Hillary became a CEO: “If Clinton when she represented the Empire the ship went down, State. I was going to go down as the captain.” Throughout the interview, Streck But there were thrilling highpoints, gave much credit to colleagues – Drs. one being the creation of the Bassett Walter Frank, who served on the Heart Care Institute in 2003. Such original committee and succeeded an entity was considered impossible Lunn; Don Pollock, Prime Care outside an urban system, but Streck director; Michael Gold, retired chief didn’t approach it head-on, instead of surgery, and others – and “a board creating “a rural demonstration that would listen,” led by Dr. Thomas project” that evolved into what we Morris, chair during most of Streck’s tenure. He was “blessed” by “remark- know today. A second was the Obama able and committed colleagues” like Administration identifying ACOs CFO Nick Nicoletta (28 years) and
The COVID hotline, the test tents and triage – defining degrees of urgency and deploying resources appropriately – had been developed under Heneghan’s leadership at a oneday meeting of 50 people from across the network, Streck said. “We handled COVID effectively,” he said, then quickly pointed out that the challenge proved to be less than anticipated: “We were not submerged with a flood of patients, either.” Overall, Streck believes Bassett’s response – particularly its ability to respond regionally – has raised its reputation. Asked about an “illuminating moment” in his transformational career, Streck paused. Early on, in 1987, he invited the state Health Commissioner David Axelrod, “charismatic,” “controversial,” a scourge of the medical industry, to speak to the medical staff. So Bassett Hall was packed, SRO, with people ready to disagree with everything Dr. Axelrod had to say. “He spoke about hospital evolution – and devolution,” Streck remembered, “and about the persistent vegetative state of the hospital system.” And he got specific. He ticked off hospitals’ shortcomings, one by one. But, to general surprise, he ended each criticism with, “but not here at Bassett.” “This group that was there, ready to be angry, just came away truly
– “accountable care organizasomething for his “Incident Command tions,” hospitals that are reimbursed System,” usually implemented for according to healthy outcomes. activities such as large fires or bus Bassett had been working on such a crashes. model for years. Dr. Steve Heneghan, the network Obamacare’s ACO “was the right model,” Streck said, although it continues to struggle. “All the patients need to stay in your system,” he said. After retiring for the first time, Streck spent four years as innovation officer at the Healthcare Association of New York State, but was To begin raising Bassett’s statewide profile, Streck organized the called back on May 19, 2018, after Vance first Rural Healthcare Conference in 1984 at Bassett Hall. With him, from left, are Assemblyman Tony Casale, now a Cooperstown Brown’s departure. He had two goals: resident, and state Sens. Lloyd Riford of Auburn, Jim Seward’s Understand what predecessor, and Charles Cook of Delaware County. was going on, and develop a plan that led to Dr. Ibrahim’s recruitment. clinical director, put together the captivated,” said Streck. The event Streck found “there was nothing pieces that were announced by Streck, ended with a standing ovation. bad going on,” just “a loss of Heneghan, and Drs. Bill Lecates, the And so ends a Bassett career, but a momentum at the institutional level, hospital president, Charles Hyman, career that continues: Bill Streck, 73, inactivity about strategy and plans. In the infectious disease expert, the expects to join a national consultancy, this environment” – the fast-changing Monday after the Friday when the advising hospitals across the nation on healthcare picture – “that was just governor announced the state of finances and the future. consequential.” emergency. He put together a team – network COO Andrew Manzer, CFO Paul Swinko, CIO Lee Marley, LeCates, Heneghan, Innovations Officer Gerry Groff, facilities VP Jonathan Flight and Valley’s Lisa Betrus, the network’s longterm care expert – that “put together a work plan.” They pursued a series of “very complicated” challenges – for instance, consolidating labs. “It was not high drama,” he said. “It was just work.” What Streck couldn’t anticipate was COVID-19, of which he can say four months in, “we handled it effectively.” Actually, the planning was initiated in January, not by the medical staff, Streck said, but by Brinton Muller, director of emergency preparedness, who viewed the then-distant threat from Wuhan as Bill and Karen, right, with their grown children and grandchildren at the time of his 2014 retirement.
‘Black Lives Matter’ Display Puts Chief Brennan, Mayor Herzig At Odds DISPUTE/From A1 allow florist Elizabeth Patterson, Oneonta native and the daughter of Paul and Sarah Patterson, to install the display on the fence above the downtown Westcott Lot. “We enjoy good neighbors, friendships,” he wrote, “and any display that disrupts the community feeling and positive energy of the community serves no purpose but to divide. “Especially when the content of the display is in relation to incidents that did not occur locally and show all law enforcement, including members of the Oneonta Police Department, negatively.” Interviewed this week, Brenner
asked, “Why are we trying to bring a problem here? I understand they want to bring awareness, but it’s not a local issue.” For his part, Mayor Gary Herzig disagreed with the chief. “It’s an unfortunate choice that Chief Brenner felt the need to defend the police in this letter,” he said. “The memorial was not about us and it was not a referendum on Oneonta. A defensive reaction is an unfortunate reaction.” At Sunday’s dedication, SangettiDaniels called Brenner “an example of white fragility. He sees this as an attack on his officers.” The memorial, which used
greenery donated by Wycoff’s Florist, featured 200 photographs of black men and women who were killed by “racism, racial injustice and police brutality.” Among those on the wall is local Jason Walker, 22, who was stabbed by Frank Ricca in 2005, following a dispute at a house party. Ricca, who testified at trial that he acted in self-defense, was acquitted. “Oneonta has racism,” said Sangetti-Daniels. “It’s important to continue talking about it. Most of the people on this wall aren’t from Oneonta, but all that could change.” In the interview, Brenner said, “You know who isn’t up there?
Brienn Leath. Julian Keen. John Arthur William Sr. Rasheen Phillipe McClain. They’re people of color, but they’re not allowed up there because they’re cops who were killed. Apparently, black police lives don’t matter.” Herzig thinks otherwise. “This memorial is very meaningful,” he said. “It’s a powerful message when you see the faces of real people who lost their lives to racism. I’m proud that it’s on the streets of Oneonta.” Following the local and national protests at the May 25 death of George Floyd while being taken into custody by Minneapolis police offi-
cers, Herzig proposed a Community Advisory Board to review OPD policies and procedures. Since then, Governor Cuomo has issued an executive order directing all 500 communities with police departments to do so, and report to Albany by April 1. Oneonta’s community board will be announced during the Common Council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4. Half of the members, Herzig said, will be people of color. Brenner, he said, will not face discipline or censure for his letter. “He expressed himself in defending the Oneonta Police Department,” said Herzig. “We’ll move on from here.”
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