The Freemans Journal - Cooperstowns Newspaper Since 1808

Friday, July 10, 2009

Seward Backs Senate Reform

State Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, has voiced support for a reform plan that would end the deadlock in Albany and reform the General Assembly’s upper house in a bi-partisan way.

NEW ZEO: Tavis Austin joined the Village of Cooperstown as zoning enforcement officer Monday, July 6, replacing Al Keck, who retired. A Hartwick native, he returned with wife Erin and their two children, 6 and 4, in May. The 1996 CCS grad left the area to attend Humbolt State University, then worked as a planner in California and Utah. He is also Town of Hartwick planning consultant.

REUNION PICNIC: Organizers of the Goodyear Lake Polar Bear Jump are planning a reunion picnic at noon Saturday, July 11, in a field near the plunge site on Lake Shore Drive South.

REGISTER NOW: Registration is under way for the second annual Chris Gentile Memorial Tennis Tournament, Saturday-Sunday, July 18-19 at the Clark Sports Center. Register early to guarantee T-shirt by calling Sheri Holohan, 547-5656, or Penney Gentile, 547-7118.

Labels: 07-10-09, Cooperstown and Around, Front Page

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Art Dealer’s Detective Work Traces Painting’s Inspiration To Brookwood

By JIM KEVLIN

COOPERSTOWN

You might not think it, but an art dealer is a lot like a detective.
Or can be, if you get to know Robert T. McLean, a Sherlock Holmes in his field.
It’s taken him a year of gumshoeing, but Bob McLean of McLean Gallery in Albany has located the scene in a woodland painting by George Wellington Waters, a member of the prestigious 19th-century Hudson River School.
It is Brookwood, the 100-acre Glimmerglass-side estate just up West Lake Road from Cooperstown.
The trees have grown, for sure; some have fallen. The fancy barn was razed a couple of years ago.
But the terrain, the brook as it bubbles toward Otsego Lake, the heights on the lake’s east side, are unmistakable.
When you return to the scene, you can find the remains of the former driveway that approached the house along the north end of the property. (Today, you approach along the south side.)
And that man depicted standing on that path: Could that be James Barclay (J.B.) Jermain himself, the lawyer, financier and Albany heavy-hitter who bought the estate in 1880?
McLean makes it seem easy, but think of the number of hill-lined lakes and tree-lined shores in Upstate New York.
But to back up a little bit.
McLean first acquired the painting in question in 1995 from John Garry, the retired Albany County district attorney.
It’s a large painting, 4 by 5, with a 10-inch ornate gold-leaf frame around it. The couple he sold it to first enjoyed it for more than a decade but, on downsizing, discovered they no longer had room to hang it.
And so they approached McLean a year ago to sell it again and, as he frequently does, he hung it in a reception room at the Schuyler Meadows Club, his golf club in Loudonville.
Waters taught at Elmira for 30 years, and so Bob’s initial forays – six in all – were to the Finger Lakes, poring through wills and deeds in six county clerks’ offices.
A one point he thought he had it: a scene on Keuka Lake, near Keuka College. Two more trips. But no. It was back to square one.
“This was a big time frustration,” McLean said.
Garry, he knew, had bought the painting from B. Jermain Chapman, an attorney with Cooper, Irving & Savage, the Albany firm (with its own links to Cooperstown).
Chapman had received the painting on the death of his half-sister, Katherine Jermain Savage Townsend, (all surnames with Cooperstown ties).
She, in turn, had inherited the painting from her maiden aunt, Maria, J.B. Jermain’s daughter.
(An aside: On his death, J.B. had bequeathed Brookwood to Katherine, his granddaughter, and she and husband F.D. Townsend, an architect and proponent of the Roycroft School, raised seven children there, and also built the notable Arts & Crafts garden house.)
Pulling that string instead of the Waters one, he cracked the code, and found a reference to Brookwood in one of the many, many Jermain family wills.
He sought out the site last January.
Eureka.
“The scene looks nearly identical today,” he concluded. (And he’s since obtained a historic photo from the NYSHA archives that depict the scene even more precisely.)
Subsequent research discovered J.B. Jermain – he the fortune in stocks and real estate inherited from his father Sylvanus for numerous Albany philanthropies – had the painting hanging in Hedge Lawn, his Greek revival mansion in Menands, until his death in 1897.
J.B., McLean further learned, had commissioned Waters in 1888, eight years after buying Brookwood.
The painting is back on the market with a hefty price tag made possible, in part, by McLean’s success in identifying the locale.
That raises any painting’s price, he said. But, additionally, Cooperstown has cache.

Labels: 07-10-09, Front Page

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cooperstown Hydro Hopes Move Ahead

COOPERSTOWN

The concept of hydropower for Cooperstown may get an energy boost Monday, July 13.
Ralph Dumke, president of Waterline Industries, Seabrook, N.H., will be briefing village trustees and the Sustainability Committee at 1:30 p.m. in village hall.
Waterline partners with communities to develop hydro projects, and he is expected to spell out Cooperstown’s financial, construction and management options for the Susquehanna River near Mill Street.
A stand-alone unit, that would fit over the Mill Street dam, produced by Mavel of Boston, would generated an estimated $63,000 in power annually, paying for itself in three years.

Labels: 07-10-09, Front Page

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Wimbledon Star May Play Here In August

Melanie Oudin, who upset Number-6 seed Jelena Jankovic Saturday, June 27, at Wimbledon, may be appearing on center court at the Cooperstown County Club in August.
Jankovic was formerly ranked Number 1; Oudin was 124th in the world, so this was a big upset. Melanie lost in Round 16.
The 17-year-old from Marietta, Ga., is granddaughter of Cooperstown native Charles Folger Oudin Jr., who passed away in 1998. Melanie’s dad, John, spent his boyhood summers on Otsego Lake.
Dale Closi, tennis pro at the country club, said she may have to cancel because of the demands of her new celebrity.

Labels: 07-10-09, Front Page

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‘Cooperstown Corridor’ Concept Building Steam

Team Explores Improving Entry To Cooperstown

By JIM KEVLIN

COOPERSTOWN

When you think about it, yes, the last half-mile of Route 28 into Cooperstown from the south does resemble “an industrial-quality strip,” as Chuck Hage describes it.
But imagine it instead with sidewalks, trees, historic lamp posts, flowers – welcoming indeed.
Hage, a retired Kodak executive who has gained a local reputation of pursuing ideas that, well, just seem to make sense, thought perhaps something could be done about what he calls the “Cooperstown Corridor Design Concept.”
He approached the Town of Otsego board – part of the stretch, south to just past Mang Insurance, is in the village; the rest, to Wilber Bank, is in the town – and the town applied to the state Department of Transportation to see what might be available.
Conversing with Tom Breiten, Hage learned the Otsego town supervisor, who is retiring from elected office at the end of this year, has been obtaining an advanced degree in landscape architecture at Cornell.
Breiten, the student, is a member of a novel DesignConnect team that is looking for projects that combine landscape design and infrastructure improvements.
The result: Breiten and other DesignConnect team members will be touring the stretch at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 12. A discussion will followed at 1:30 in village hall, to see what might be done to move this idea forward.
Mayor Carol B. Waller, county Rep. Jim Johnson, R-Fly Creek, and county Planning Director Terry Bliss are among those alerted to the meeting, and the public is welcome too.
Meanwhile, DOT got back to the Town of Otsego and reported its role in the $2.3 million undertaking would be to fix the drainage, and repair and rebuild the roadway.
However, it encouraged the localities to apply to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s TEP (Transportation Enhancement Program), which would fund sidewalks and the rest up to $2 million.
In Hage’s view, the “Cooperstown Corridor,” if improved, would encourage people to walk to Wilber, Haggerty ACE Hardware, Church & Scott and other businesses they would only drive to now.
And vice versa, people living in homes on that stretch might be inclined to walk to Stewart’s and the Great American.
“If this were done,” he said, “people would be much more likely to use the parking area” in the proposed Gateway Project at the village’s south end, since visitors would perceive Cooperstown begins right there.
“But this is not just for tourists,” Hage said. “It would improve things for residents, too.”

Labels: 07-10-09, Front Page

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Locals

CERTIFIED: Dennis Savoie, M.D., Cooperstown, has earned the prestigious certification of League Cycling Instructor (LCI) from the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), a 125-year-old national bicycling organization. He completed in-depth training on teaching skills for cycling in traffic, on trails and with groups of riders and will now be able to train all levels of riders how to confidently and effectively cycle for fun, fitness and transportation. Savoie is an experienced cyclist with more than 100,000 miles biked.

AWARDS: Special Senior Athletic Awards were given to the following Cherry Valley-Springfield students at their athletic banquet on Friday, June 19: Kenneth E. Young Sportsmanship Award: Adam Halay; Barry Prill Outstanding Senior Athlete: Courtney VanBrink; Adam Yerdon Memorial Athlete Award: Scott Sheldon; Hank Misiewicz Memorial Athlete of the Year: David Adams; Girls Sportsmanship Award: Morgan Shuster

POEM: Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School fifth-grader Zachariah O’Connor will give a reading of his poem, titled “The Thoughts of the Changing Water,” to commemorate Lake Appreciation Day, as a prelude to the pot-luck lunch beginning at 12 p.m. on Saturday, July 11 at Glimmerglass State Park.

SCRAMBLE WINNERS: The team of Liz Darling, Linda Kehoe, Hetty Adams and Barbara LaCava who finished with a first-place score of 63 at the Leatherstocking Women’s Golf Association shotgun scramble Thursday, June 23. The annual opening luncheon followed. Second place went to Anne O’Connell, Maureen Kuhn, Martha Vaules and Dottie Gebbie who scored a 66. Two teams tied for third place.  Lennie MacArthur, Martha Harausz, Carol Steigelman and Kathryn Ahearn scored 68 as did the team which included Pattee Carrier, Geri Brose, Sue Miller and Christine Brasitis.

JORDAN IN LEED: James Jordan Associates, Architects of Richfield Springs has renewed its membership for the fifth year in the US Green Building Council. The Council is the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. LEED (Leadership and Energy in Environmental Design) Green Building rating system is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.

PHOTOS: First-, second- and third-place awards went to Liesl Schanz, Elizabeth Miller and Maureen Culbert respectively in the Springfield Center Fourth of July Photography Contest.

FANCY FOOD: Patsy Smith, and her daughter, Wendy, President of SchoolHouse Kitchen, had a booth in the New York State Aisle at the Fancy Food Show in the Javits Center in New York City June 28-30, after launching a Dill-Horseradish Mustard, a Squadrilla Chutney (orange chili), and a Ginger-Lime Dressing and Marinade. Pati Drumm Grady of Cooperstown Cookies had a booth across the aisle.

DISTINCTION: Ethan W. Ayres graduated with distinction on May 24 from St. George’s School in Newport, R.I. He is the son of John and Ruthe Ayres of Cooperstown and will attend Hamilton College this fall.

Labels: 07-10-09, Locals

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Obituaries

Lillian J. B. Travis, 78; Cooperstown Native

COOPERSTOWN – Lillian June Bloomer Travis passed away at home in Zephyrhills, Fla., under the care of her family and Hospice this past Saturday evening, June 27, 2009.
She was born Sept. 27, 1930, to J. Emory Bloomer and Wilma Curry Bloomer as one of eight children.
A native of Cooperstown, she moved with her family to Zephyrhills in 1956.
She was a 1948 graduate of Cooperstown High School and graduated from the Binghamton City Hospital School of Nursing in 1951. She was a lifelong registered nurse and upon first moving to Florida worked in the emergency room at the Plant City Hospital. Thereafter, she was the school nurse in Zephyrhills public schools from 1966 until 1969, and then spent the balance of her career until retirement at the Lakeland Regional Hospital in kidney dialysis and critical care specialities.
She was a longtime member of the Order of the Eastern Star, and June and her family were members of the First Christian Church in Zephyrhills. In the mid-1960s, June was an active Brownie and Girl Scout Leader in Zephyrhills.
She is survived by her three children, Cliff Travis, and grandchild, Spencer McCauley Travis of Inverness, Jeff Travis (Sharon) of Zephyrhills, and Cindy Watkins, and grandchildren, Lillian Charlene Watkins of Zephyrhills and Travis Earl Watkins (Giselle) of White Sands Missile Range, N.M. She is also survived by three brothers, John E. Bloomer of Esperance, Malcolm Bloomer (Brenda) of Hartwick, and Kenneth Bloomer (Mary Ann) of St. Louis, Mo.; and by three sisters, Genevra Placek of St. Petersburg, Fla., Velma Vibbard (Kenneth) of Burlington, and Elaine More of Springfield.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Robert K. Travis, on June 2, 2007; and by her father (1984); and her mother (2009); and by a brother, Ernest Bloomer (Lois) of Bangor, Maine.
The funeral and burial were in Florida.
Memorial contributions may be made to Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, Box 18066, 5002 W. Lemon St., Tampa, FL 33679 or to Hernando-Pasco Hospice, 37445 Clinton Ave.,. Dade City, FL 33525.

Vonee M. Bell, 68, Springfield Center

SPRINGFIELD CENTER – Vonee Marie Bell, 68, of Koenig Road, beloved wife of John W. Bell, passed away peacefully on Friday morning, June 5, 2009, in Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown.
Burial service from the Book of Common Prayer, with Holy Eucharist, will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 11, in St. John’s Episcopal Church, Richfield Springs. The Rev. John Dixon Bartle, Rector, will officiate.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church, Richfield Springs. Envelopes will be available at the church.
Funeral arrangements are with J. Seaton McGrath Funeral Home, Richfield Springs.

Labels: 07-10-09, Obituaries

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Tigers Rule the New York-Penn Jungle

CHRIS McSWIGGIN

At mid-week the Oneonta Tigers sat, all alone, in first place, with a 10-5 record and a three-game lead on the Lowell Spinners.
The Tigers completed their first sweep of the season, taking three straight from Aberdeen at Damaschke Field. Oneonta had taken two out of three from the Ironbirds on the road the series before.
The Oneonta players have revenge on their minds as they take on the Vermont Lake Monsters in a three-game set. Vermont defeated Oneonta in two straight contests and held them to their lowest statistical outings of the season.
The Tigers have a chance to take a firm lead on the NYPL Stedler Division.
The Lowell Spinners play the pesky Tri-City Valley Cats for a three game set and with victories over Vermont, Oneonta could set themselves up for another playoff run.
Oneonta would use their back-to-back losses at
Vermont as momentum, beating the Spinners 9-3 in game one.
Now they have won three straight, and look to keep the fire burning.
Oneonta had a heck of a July 4, with Tigers’ first baseman Rawley Bishop hitting a grand slam and a solo home run in the Tigers 7-2 victory over Aberdeen in front of the biggest Tigers crowd this season, 1.522.
The Tigers have some solid pitching and have relied on it to get them through a lot of games. Oneonta takes on Vermont for three straight then take on Tri-City in a home-away-home contest before embarking on a six-game road trip.
July 8 was Sid Levine Bobble-Head Night at the ballpark.

Labels: 07-10-09, Oneonta Tigers, Sports

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40,000 Walleyes To Be Stocked In Otsego Lake

COOPERSTOWN

Otesgo Lake was stocked with 10,000 walleye fingerlings at Three Mile Point on Monday, July 6, a joint effort of the SUNY Biological Field Station and the Otsego County Conservation Association, which contributed $6,000 to the effort.
Over the summer, 40,000 fingerlings in all will be stocked at various points around the lake, generally at 15 feet below the surface, to escape predators.
The walleye is a game fish historically popular in Otsego Lake. By the 1970s it had disappeared due to the accidental introduction of the cisco, a fish which preys heavily on walleye fry, in the 1950s. In the mid-1980s the alewife, a non-native forage fish, was illegally introduced to the lake.
“Walleye stocking (is) an effective means of controlling the alewife,” said OCCA Executive Director Erik Miller.

Labels: 07-10-09, Area Briefs

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Bound Volumes

175 YEARS AGO
STOP THIEF!! – Stolen from Geo. H. Mann, of Cobleskill, Schoharie Co., on the night of June 26, a Red Cow, which was driven by the Thief into the Town of Worcester, Otsego Co., and on the morning of June 27th was sold to the Subscriber, by a man calling his name Seeley, who stated that he was from Ballston, Saratoga, Co.
Said thief is about 30 years of age, dark complexion, about 5 feet 9 inches high; wore a cloth cap; had with him a palm leaf hat; wore a brown frock coat, blue Satin pantaloons. Whoever will apprehend said thief, and secure him in the jail of any County in the State, shall be entitled to $5 reward, and all reasonable charges. Worcester, June 30, 1834. William Cook.
July 14, 1834

150 YEARS AGO
Breach-Loading Rifle – The amusements of the Fourth were agreeably diversified by an occurrence not mentioned in the programme. An invitation of Dr. Maynard of Washington, D.C., to witness the rapid firing of his breach loading rifle having been accepted, the procession in a body marched to the Lake, where the agent of the Maynard Arms, Co., Mr. W.P. McFarland, loaded and fired the rifle 15 times in one minute!
The facility with which this was done, and the great range of the bullets up the Lake, were surprising to all; and the interest felt in the exhibition, and the satisfaction with the result were manifested by three hearty cheers for the inventor.
July 8, 1859

125 YEARS AGO
Orphanage – As there is no room large enough for the purpose in the new building of the Orphan House, the usual annual Festival will have to be abandoned this year. The number of children sheltered at the House is now so large that they entirely fill the schoolroom, leaving no space for an audience of any size.
Therefore, instead of gathering our friends for the annual Festival, we cordially invite our neighbors in the village and the summer guests at the hotels and cottages, to make parties for visiting the Orphanage on Thursday afternoons between the hours of 3 and 5:30 p.m., when the children will sing and recite, and the House will be open for inspection.
We are always grateful for the sympathy of our friends and this year we much need their assistance; the new House is still unpaid for, and we are struggling under a heavy debt. Susan F. Cooper, Superintendent
July 12, 1884

100 YEARS AGO
Briefs – Rev. Dr. J.G. Traver of Hartwick Seminary is creating considerable disturbance in this vicinity with a new automobile of the Holsman make, having solid rubber tires and large wheels like a buggy. The machine runs very well, but the odd appearance of it seems to impel a crowd to gather around whenever it stops.
Over 500 gallons of ice cream are being turned out daily from the International Creamery.
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Craig Davis, aged 4 years, was bitten on the forearm by a dog Friday morning. Dr. Bassett cauterized the wound.
July 8, 1909

75 YEARS AGO
The dream of a generation is realized. Doubleday Field, owned by the village of Cooperstown, is a base ball park of which any big league town might well be proud, and a fitting memorial to the lad who conceived the national game which was first played on this spot.
The plot where the field is now located, then a pasture, was the spot where Abner Doubleday, later a Major General in the United States Army, and one of the heroes of the Battle of Gettysburg, marked out the first diamond and instructed his school mates of the Apple Hill Military Academy into the mysteries of the new game that his fertile brain had conceived.
July 11, 1934

50 YEARS AGO
Old-time Cooperstown baseball fans will recognize a familiar figure on the coaching lines for the Pittsburgh Pirates, when the National Leaguers take on the Kansas City Athletics in the 18th annual Hall of Fame game at Doubleday Field a week from Monday.
Wearing uniform number 42 will be George Detore, who as a youngster back in the 1920s, played third base and caught for the old Otsego Lake team which used to play its games at the historic ballpark before it was revamped during the WPA days of the mid-1930s.
Detore has been in professional baseball for 30 years as a player, coach or manager. He was scouted and first signed by the Cleveland Indians while playing with the Otsego Lake team. Detore makes his home in Utica where he starred at Utica Free Academy and in college at Colgate University.
July 8, 1959

25 YEARS AGO
Jennifer Svahn of Cooperstown was named Queen by the United Swedish Societies of Greater New York at Sweden Day at Lindbergh Park on Long Island.
The daughter of Dr. David and Mrs. Karen Svahn, Jennifer was valedictorian of the Cooperstown high school class of 1983. She is studying molecular biology at Wellesley College near Boston. For winning the title, Jennifer will receive, among other prizes, a trip to Stockholm.
July 11, 1984

10 YEARS AGO
This weekend, the Landmark Bed and Breakfast on Chestnut Street opens its doors to Cooperstown’s tourists and vacationers alike. Co-owners Ed Landers and Bob Schuermann purchased the former apartment property and transformed it into a nine-room bed and breakfast accommodation. There are now more than 100 bed and breakfast operations in the area.
July 9, 1999

Bound Volumes is compiled from resources provided courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library. Tom Heitz is the Town of Otsego historian.

Labels: 07-10-09, Bound Volumes, Columns

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Letters to the Editor

Collaboration Made Classic A Classic

To the Editor:
On behalf of Hall of Fame Chairman Jane Forbes Clark and the entire staff of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to area residents and businesses for supporting the inaugural Hall of Fame Classic Weekend.
When we began to brainstorm concepts, we strived to deliver a weekend of activities which would:
1) be impactful and drive attendance;
2) provide a strong foothold to establish a new tradition;
3) deeply connect baseball fans with each other and the ballplayers who participated, and
4) speak to our core mission of preserving history, honoring excellence and connecting generations.
Building the weekend around Father’s Day, a tried-and-true family holiday, gave us a platform to promote the legends of the game traveling to Cooperstown to a national audience. The players were thrilled to spend Father’s Day in Cooperstown, many with their own children.
Several have already expressed a strong desire to return. Sponsors saw value in providing support, and in part because of them, ticket prices were reasonable. We found the right partner to stage the game, in the Major League Baseball Players’ Alumni Association, a fellow non-profit that looks out for retired players.
From author readings, to honoring the original Hall of Fame dad, Pat O’Donnell, who left a photo of his dad under an exhibit two decades ago, to the Legends For Baseball Youth Skills Clinic, to the Father’s Day catch at Doubleday Field, to the game itself, the Weekend spoke to our mission and was widely embraced. We did our part. But so did you. And we thank you!
Thank you to the Village of Cooperstown and Doubleday Field Committee for embracing our concept. Thank you to the Chamber of Commerce for staging a great parade.
Thank you to Otsego County for seeing the value of tourism. Thank you to the Cooperstown High School for selling concessions, despite a scheduling conflict.
Most important, thank you for supporting the game and Classic Weekend. Attendance was strong and the feedback on the entire weekend of events, by and large, was positive. It was a tremendous village-wide effort, but also one residents could enjoy.
Were there some elements of the weekend that can be improved upon or changed? Of course. We listen to all comments, suggestions and criticisms, and look forward to making adjustments to provide an even better experience next year.
While we have turned our attention to Hall of Fame Weekend, when the spotlight is on the Hall of Fame once again, rest assured, we are also working on next year’s Classic over Father’s Day Weekend, June 19-20, 2010.
Be sure to mark your calendar.
JEFF IDELSON
President
National Baseball Hall of Fame
Cooperstown

Reform Proposal ‘Best Plan For Upstate’

To the Editor:
As the impasse in the New York State Senate continues it is clear that a bipartisan operating plan empowering each and every senator must be established. Enclosed is a revised version of the reform coalition’s proposed power-sharing plan.
This agreement that builds from a “bottom-up” approach has been discussed and forwarded to all senators.
I believe this plan is the best for Upstate New York and am hopeful it will result in a final agreement that will allow us to long term solution so that we can move forward on important local bills and look ahead to tax relief and job creation measures that must be addressed.
Attached is the letter sent to all 62 members of the senate.
JAMES L. SEWARD
R-Milford
State Senator, 51st District

Labels: 07-10-09, Letters to the Editor, Perspectives

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Stallions Ready To Gallop In Oneonta

By LAURA COX

Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, you may have seen them, 25 men ages 18-36, getting in shape, running drills and, since helmets arrived, hitting each other.
This is what football teams do and this is what the newest team in the Regional Atlantic Football League – the (Oneonta) New York Stallions – has been doing.
The motto: “What doesn’t break a team, makes a team.”
And the Stallions, dressed in Carolina blue and white, will play their home-opener at 5 p.m., Saturday, July 18, vs. the NEPA Miners of Scranton, Pa. at Fortin Park in Emmons.
(The season opener is away, at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 11, at Seidler Field in Plainfield, N.J., vs. the New Jersey Wolves.
After hitting a rough patch this spring – former owner and founder Donald Stanton Sr. was arrested and extradited to Arkansas on felony theft charges – the players are putting their feet on firm (but wet) ground, said Del Anthony, 37, of Oneonta, the team’s new owner and defensive coordinator.
Since buying the team, Anthony was able to secure Fortin Park as the home, something the previous owner struggled to do. While Fortin may not be ideal – the team has to provide the uprights and line the field – Anthony said he was happy to have a place to play for now and said he will continue to look for a home field for the team.
“We want to go where people can see us play,” he said.
When asked about his changing the name of the team – from Oneonta Stallions to the New York Stallions – Anthony said, “I changed the name of the team to make us more flexible to play in the surrounding communities. If we were the Oneonta Stallions it would seem funny if we didn’t play in Oneonta.”
A quick hand-raise of the team at a practice the other day showed a handful of guys who played football in college, a majority played in high school, and a couple who had never played on an organized team.
For most of the players, it’s been years.
The men come from all over the area to play including Unadilla, Walton, Delhi, Oneonta and Cooperstown.
“These guys play for the love of the game,” Anthony said, “and for most of them, it’s a second chance to play.”
The new owner believes local fans will be surprised and pleased by the talent on the team. And local pro football offers something else and something new to do on a Saturday night.
“I’m not going to tell you who the stars are on the team, because the other teams are already scouting us out,” said Anthony, “but I will tell you there is some real talent on this team.
“You’ll have to come out a watch us play and find out who they are for yourself.”
This first year as a team, he continued, will be the toughest, because the team will have to prove to the community they have some talent and worth.
In particular, sponsors have to be convinced the Stallions are worthy of support.
This is not the first semi-professional football team to give it a try in Oneonta.
The Oneonta Indians started in 1970, playing in the Empire Football League, and won two EFL championships, one in 1973 and another in 1975.
In the late 1970s, the Indians moved and their name was changed to the Chenango Storm.

Labels: 07-10-09, Area Briefs, Sports

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Editorials

Dangers Of Natural-Gas Drilling Familiar – Ask National Geographic

The other morning on the second floor of Bassett Healthcare’s clinic building waiting room in Cooperstown, there it was, a 2005 copy of that radical magazine: National Geographic.
Before the patient was summoned, a quick flip through its famous photo pages dramatized the ravages natural-gas drilling was doing to the ranches around Pinedale, Wyo. The photos were all there: Sludge coming out of faucets, aquifers drying up, flames shooting up through the ground.
On the way out, someone had already lifted the magazine, gripped by the same subject, no doubt. Happily, the full report is online. Follow the link from www.hometownoneonta.biz; read it, listen to the slide show and decide for yourself.
•
The point is this: There is no mystery about the damage natural-gas drilling does to an environment. And with rising fuel prices, reserves beneath Otsego County have suddenly become profitable to pursue, and dozens, perhaps hundreds, of sites are being targeted for development locally.
From National Geographic’s “All Fired Up: A natural gas boom is transforming public lands in the Rockies, pitting Westerner against Westerner,” by John G. Mitchell:
• On the millions of gallons of water needed for natural-gas extraction, which become polluted: “Much of it goes into evaporation pits or reservoirs, and occasionally there have been overflows into nearby watercourses, including the Tongue River.”
• On ruined wells: “Sludge ... can come out of a homeowner’s tap when drillers de-water the aquifer feeding that homeowner’s well and cistern ... ‘We lost our water in April 2003,’ (homeowner) Allison Cole told me. ‘By August 2005, five other houses here had lost their water too. The drilling company, J.M. Huber Corp., told us, “the reason you have no water is that your well pump burned out.” And I said, “Yeah? And the reason the pump burned out is because it had no water.”’”
• Public input: The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, “seeking public comment, received nearly 50,000 letters and e-mails, 99 percent of them opposed to drilling. What surely helped trigger that rebuff was a growing awareness that outdoor recreation, even more than ranching, might hold the key to the region’s economic future.”
• Oversight: The Blancett family “sold off all but a few of their cattle late in 2003, informing the BLM that they could ho longer ranch effectively because of the agency’s failure to enforce regulations governing the 450 wells on their spread, (which) had caused unmitigated erosion, loss of forage and pollution of both water and air.”
Natural-gas drilling, particularly hydrofracking – the spiderlike extension of drills from a central core – is simply something we don’t want in Otsego County.
•
When we say “we,” we’re excluding some of the 300 landlords who have granted leases on more than 40,000 acres in the county. We say “some,” because at least some of those no doubt have suffered buyer’s remorse, signing up for too little money and without a full understanding of what likely will be a devastating impact.
Environmentalists have gotten a bad rep by declaring never, no way, no how, on every matter from the snail darter to nuclear power to whatever, but all of us should try to step back, take an objective look at what natural-gas drilling will likely bring, and decide whether this is where Otsego County, beautiful Otsego County, wants to go.
By and large, our representatives have been slow to digest the threat. State Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, was the first to take tentative steps, seeking to ensure landowners aren’t gulled by agents seeking leases. The county Board of Representatives is finally responding in a too-measured way, but at least it is looking at what to do about the polluted slurry from drilling operations.
Economic-development proponents would be better advised to look at I-88’s vacant exits, or investing in tourism, or broad-band to promote entrepreneurism, and avoid any Faustian deals with natural-gas developers.
We all know where Faustian deals will end us.

Decentralizing Assembly’s Power Will Benefit Upstate, Whole State

We keep finding ourselves drawn to President Obama’s observation: In great crisis there is great opporunity.
And so it is in Albany, according to the very exciting proposal circulated Wednesday, July 8, by our state senator, Jim Seward of Milford. (For complete text, see Page 5)
For decades, the Republican grip on the state Senate and Democratic grip on the General Assembly has distorted governance in New York State, by centralizing legislative authority in the hands of less than a handful of leaders.
When state Sen. Pedro Espada broke with his party on June 8 – as did Hiram Monserrate, but he returned to the fold – the Senate was at a 31-31 standoff, and has been unable to conduct business since.
When the Democrats finally gained control of the Senate last fall, they cast their Republican colleagues into the outer darkness. Staffs were slashed, decisionmaking continued behind closed doors, but with no access or influence by the GOP.
This was particularly damaging to counties like Otsego and senators like Seward, since the Democrats tilt heavily downstate. In effect, Upstate was disenfranchised.
The GOP proposal – Seward said, a little preciously, that it emerged from the “Reform Coalition” – is unlike any initiative to come out of Albany in forever, in that it calls for a recognition of bipartisan government and, as or more important, a decentralization of power and related percs and influence to all senators.
This is as it should be. Senator Seward, for instance, represents the same number of New Yorkers as any Democratic senator. Why should we be completely disenfranchised?
The Mexican standoff of the past decades allowed a few leaders to ride their own hobby horses, to the detriment of broad-based policies initiatives for the good of the greatest number.
Let’s hope this promising happening takes hold.

Labels: 07-10-09, Editorial, Opinion, Perspectives

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 5:37 PM 0 comments

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WEEKEND’S BEST BETS

BRABANTS PERFORM: The Afton Fair runs through Sunday, July 12, featuring animal displays, midway, vendors, concerts and other grandstand events, including J.D. Winslow’s Brabant draught horses. Information, theaftonfair.com or 639-1525.

VINTAGE, TINY: Radio-controlled miniature replicas of military aircraft will be flying over the Gilbertsville Polo Field 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday to Sunday, July 10-12, Admission $3. Info, 293-7974.

RR ANNIVERSARY: The Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad marks its 140th anniversary with a train ride featuring period costumes and a birthday cake. Departs the Milford Depot at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 13. Adults $15, seniors $14, children 3-12 $12, under 3 free. Info and reservations, call 432-2429.

ANIMALS GALORE: Some 750 animals and 3,300 youth handlers will be at the 62nd Annual Farmers’ Museum Junior Livestock Show runs 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday, July 14, at Iroquois Farm, Route 33, Cooperstown.

BROOK WALK: The Otsego Land Trust is sponsoring a walk along Morris Brook at 2 p.m. Sunday July 12. Then tour All Saints Chapel and Cemetery, and stay on for an optional dinner featuring locally grown ingredients at 5 p.m. at the Empire House, Gilbertsville. For reservations, call 547-2366 or e-mail connie@otsegolandtrust.org

$15,000! Shoot a hole-in-one, win $15,000 at a golf tournament to benefit Habitat for Humanity at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 12, Oneonta Country Club. Limited to 20 teams. Call 432-8950 or 433-0575.

COME TO THE CIRCUS: At 2 and 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 12 the Kelly Miller Circus will perform at Skinner & Damulis Field in Richfield Springs. Get your tickets early and get the discounted price of $10 for adults and children under 12 for $6.

Labels: 07-10-09, Glimmerglass, Weekend's Best Bets

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 5:36 PM 0 comments

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THE JOE STILLMAN STORY

...And How Filmmaker Was Gripped By Iraq Vet’s Courage To Tell What He Saw

By JIM KEVLIN

Jimmy Massey believed that soldiers following orders committed war crimes in Iraq.
The former 12-year Marine, honorably discharged, believes that depleted uranium used in bullets, “bunker busters” and cluster bombs will kill annother 25 percent of Iraq population over the next 25 years.
He says nine out of 10 returning veterans suffer from PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder.
And, a former Marine recruiter himself, he will tell you recruiters indulge in “economic conscription,” pursuing children of single mothers and others predisposed by economics or family circumstances to join the military.
Joseph C. Stillman – the Oneonta filmmaker’s credits range from “Evil Dead II,” a cult classic, to “Cook and Perry: The Race for the Pole” with Rod Steiger and Richard Chamberlain – didn’t expect much when he went to hear Jimmy Massey speak at Hartwick College four years ago.
Instead, what Joe Stillman heard that night has been part of his life ever since.
“This story is much bigger than I thought,” Stillman said the other day in an interview in the headquarters of his La Paloma Films on Oneonta’s Chestnut Street. “This is a film about the price one man paid to tell the truth about what he saw.”
Four years, 14 states and $125,000 later, “From Mills River to Babylon and Back: The Jimmy Massey Story,” is complete, and more than 2,000 people have viewed it across New York State in the past few months, including an SRO crowd at the Foothills Performing Arts Center on May 29.
Another showing is planned at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 16, in the Cooperstown village meeting room, 22 Main St., sponsored by the Cooperstown Peace Group, which has been holding a noontime vigil every Wednesday, rain or shine, winter and summer, in front of the post office.
As he moves on to other projects, Joe Stillman has gotten his 57-minute film on the right desks at HBO and is waiting to hear if the network will air it. It’s been entered in the Toronto, Sundance and Woodstock film festivals.
And Jimmy Massey, grateful for the support he has received from the Oneonta community, moved to town a week ago and has enrolled as an art student this fall at Hartwick College.
The man who saw the possibilities in Massey’s story, Joe Stillman, was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1951, son of a civilian employee at the Naval Air Station there. Joe grew up during the Vietnam era, with Chinooks, Cobras and Hueys flying over the house en route to the air station for repairs.
“There were a lot of parallels to what’s going on now,” Joe said. The one difference: No draft.
He was an All-State Basketball player in high school and – most important to his future, it turns out – shot photos for his yearbook, La Paloma.
After a year on a basketball scholarship at Texas A&I in Kingsville, a couple of years playing rythm guitar and bass in a rising rock band, The Red Lime, and a full-time shooting job with Bayou Photo Co., Houston, he found himself in the Brook Institute, Santa Barbara, studying motion-picture producing.
“I liked telling stories,” he explained, “particularly stories that are significant and relevant, to give people a perspective on things they don’t know a lot about.”
He freelanced as second cameraman on various Hollywood jobs, met Oneonta native Rachel Schrull, then moved back East to New York City, where Rachel introduced him to “this really quiet place in Upstate New York.”
He’s lived in Oneonta, at least parttime, since 1979, but he spent the next 12 years back and forth to New York City, producing, directing and managing productions. “One year,” he said, “I was on location 48 weeks. I was home only four weeks.”
This took a toll on his family life, and the couple went their separate ways. Their son is now 23.
During this time, though, Stillman’s career advanced. Among the films he was associated with were “Lily in Love” (1984), with Christopher Plummer, Maggie Smith and Elke Sommer; “In the Spirit” (1990), with Olympia Dukakis and Peter Falk, and “The Ox” (1991), with Liv Ullman and Max Von Sydow.
In the early ‘90s, he was filming “Cook and Perry” on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic.
“I was tired of being on the road,” he said. “It really gets to be a drag. You long for your own bed and a home-cooked meal.”
So he asked himself: If Ellesmere Island, why not Otsego County?
Back in Oneonta, he sold WSKG Public Television on a local series, and five half-hour sequences of “Susquehanna Stories” were aired to critical acclaim and awards.
What surprised and encouraged him most, however, was that 350 people showed up at a “call for actors” at SUNY Oneonta’s Morris Hall in 1991. Another 60 showed up at the “call for writers.” And another 40 at the “call for directors.”
“It validated the concept that we had an incredible supply of talent in our county,” said Stillman, who over his career has done 15 feature films, 100 other films and 700 commercials, including Wal-Mart’s featuring Sam Walton and the “Bring It Home to the U.S.A.” theme.
His local films have included “The Ricky Parisian Story,” the state trooper from Oneonta whose death in the line of duty has spurred ongoing community-service programs, and “Standing Tall: The Eugene A. Bettiol Jr. Story,” about the local executive and civic leader claimed by cancer in his ‘40s.
Not a veteran himself, “The Jimmy Massey Story” has been an education for Stillman, and not just about depleted uranium and PTSD.
“Jimmy Massey’s story is a call to action for all of us to engage in our Democracy,” he said.
When Massey first began speaking out against the war, he was the sole Iraq veteran doing so, and found himself battered by Fox News, Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh.
At one point, he was so discouraged, Jimmy called Stillman to call the whole project off. He later changed his mind.
Today, Iraq Veterans Against The War – Massey is a founder – has 1,700 member, veterans and active servicemen.
“His story gave me courage to speak out against the war,” one soldier told Stillman after one of the airings.
Still, 4,000 American soldiers and sailors have been killed, a million Iraqis, and the war still goes on.
“And,” Stillman reflected, “we’re fighting a war that didn’t have to be fought.”

Labels: 07-10-09, Glimmerglass

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 5:34 PM 0 comments

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