Recognition
Distinction
Saranac Elementary teacher earns top state honors for teaching excellence.
Morrisonville man is named distinguished teaching professor by SUNY system.
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October 10, 2009
Cancer survivor rallies fellow hikers to climb Armstrong Mountain By Jeremiah S. Papineau jeremiah@denpubs.com
Nancy LaBaff, a cancer survivor from Canton, recently organized a hike of Armstrong Mountain in Keene Valley to honor cancer survivors and the memories of individuals who have lost their battles with cancer. Those who participated in the hike were, from left, Jean Ryan, Jack Coleman, Terry Clemons, Colleen Kaulfuss, Nancy LaBaff, Brian Yourdon, Lori Clark and Cindy Kuhn. Photo submitted by Jean Ryan
KEENE VALLEY — When overcoming a mountainous obstacle, one woman has found the only way to keep moving forward is by tackling another — especially if that obstacle is a mountain. Canton resident Nancy LaBaff has been hiking since 2003, when she overcame her two-year-long battle with thyroid cancer. She’s taken on several mountains since receiving her clean bill of health, and most recently brought along a group of people that included some North Country residents. “When I got into hiking, I started meeting people and some of them had stories of either their husband, their wife, their sister or whoever that has either survived or lost their
battle with cancer,” said LaBaff. Through the people she met on hikes in the Adirondack Mountains and through Adirondack High Peak Forums, an on-line discussion board for hikers, LaBaff was motivated to organize a hike of Armstrong Mountain for people who were either cancer survivors or somehow else affected by the life-threatening disease. “We all know the pain that cancer can cause. Cancer affects everybody,” LaBaff said of her reason for organizing the hike. “These people and myself included have had people they love that have been afflicted or who have died from cancer.” The hike gave people like Jean Ryan of Peru the opportunity to share stories of how cancer has affected their lives. Ryan lost a sister to cancer and said she has several
See HIKE, page 14
Generosity of local business not lost on one local family Saranac woman nominates Tangles Hair Salon for national recognition By Jeremiah S. Papineau jeremiah@denpubs.com PLATTSBURGH — Though they didn’t get to the final round of a national contest recognizing the good deeds of small businesses, the owners of Tangles Hair Salon are still winners in Wanda McIntyre’s book. The Saranac woman nominated businessowners Bob Whittington and Jon Gerry for “Shine A Light,” a contest sponsored by American Express and NBC Universal. The contest, which has been narrowed down to the top three nominations, was what McIntyre thought would be the perfect way to honor the commitment the two men have to their customers. “There’s so much competition out there, even though they didn’t win it was nice to get the story out there about how nice they are and how they help people,” she said. McIntyre speaks from personal experience. The single mother of two first met
Whittington and Gerry after reading an article in the Clinton County Free Trader Today about how the two strive to help the less fortunate in their community through their business. McIntyre was interested in whether or not they could help her 13-yearold daughter, Breanna, make her own wish come true. “All she wanted for Christmas was a ponytail,” said McIntyre. “I could find a way to try to give her anything else, but I just didn’t know how to give her that.” McIntyre’s daughter suffers from ectodermal dysplasia, a genetic disorder which can result in the inability to properly grow hair, fingernails and toenails and have severe skin irritations, among other symptoms. The condition is one that has mainly manifested in poor hair growth with Breanna, said her mother, who also lives with ectodermal dysplasia. When McIntyre contacted Tangles, with-
Bob Whittington, left, and Jon Gerry, owners of Tangles Hair Salon in Plattsburgh stand with Breanna McIntyre of Saranac. The two helped Breanna receive a new look using hair extensions. Their kindness led to Breanna’s mother, Wanda McIntyre, nominating them for a national contest recognizing the good deeds of small businesses.
See TANGLES, page 6
Photo submitted by Wanda McIntyre
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