how a first grade lass observed memorial day in í õ ì î · jefferson’s ferry tales ......

May June 2014 Volume 14 Issue 3

How a First Grade Class Observed Memorial Day in 1902

Budget/Finance Chuck Darling

Building Marty Petersen

Communications Bernie Tunik

Comm.Garden Edith Hull

Country Store Claire Baer

Conservation Bernie Tunik

Library Naomi Prach

Parking Control Dave Moran

Public Affairs Barbara Strongin

Social Activities Ellen Braunstein

Sunshine Jane Goor/Chris Procopio

Welcoming Noel Burks

Workshop Marty Petersen

Committees of the Council and Chairpersons

Jefferson’s Ferry Tales

Ferry Tales May June 2014

Louise Bender Siri Bergheim Margaret Pols Dolores Joyce Edward Mervin First Gloria Lancaster Editor Cammarata Liaison

Anne Grillo Marty Petersen Gordon Hall Ruth Regan Claire Reilly Alice Rhodes Bob Spann

Technical Assistance: Dom Commisso, Fred Romeo

WRITERS: YOU, THE RESIDENTS OF JEFFERSON’S FERRY

EDITOR EMERITUS—ROY MILLER

The 2014 Residents Council Claire Donohue, Chairperson Carol Fenter, Vice Chairperson

Joyce Edward, Corr. Secretary Colette Mayer, Secretary Hank Sparhuber, Treasurer Caroline Levine Marcia Jefferson Marty Petersen David Wooster

Dining Services Christina Carroll

Election Milton Lodge

Exhibit Barbara Strongin

Grounds Doug Brush

Health Issues Caroline Levine

JF Tales Margaret Pols

A publication by, for and about the residents of Jefferson’s Ferry Life Care Community.

jftales @gmail.com

By MARTY PETERSEN

B ack in the 1960’s I was As-

sistant Superintendent of Schools

in Elmont. The district office was

in an old four-room wooden

school house attached to the back

of a brick eight-room building

built in the 1920’s. The building

stood on property immediately

next to the original Elmont fire

house on Elmont Road.

One evening, I received a tele-

phone call at home that the wood-

en building was on fire! With my

son-in-law, I hurried to the scene.

The building was destroyed be-

yond restoration.

In the days following the fire we

rummaged through the charred

ruins and the items that had been

thrown out of windows by the

firemen. Fortunately most of the

contents of our steel filing cabi-

nets were salvageable, but wet.

During my search I came upon

two teacher plan books from 1901

which I claimed for historical pur-

poses. One of the books, now 113

years old, was entitled Good Citi-

zenship and the other, not titled,

was about science and nature.

They were the old soft covered

brown notebooks with 5/16”

spaced lines and hand written ma-

terial in perfect black pen-and-ink

cursive letters.

The books had belonged to Carrie

H. Stayley a first and second

grade teacher from PS 91 in

Brooklyn somewhere near the

Brooklyn Bridge. I assume that

they belonged to a teacher who

moved to teach at the Elmont Road

School, or to a young teacher who

had been given them by the experi-

enced author. Plan books were tra-

ditionally used to insure that teach-

ers had planned, organized and

referenced the studies that they

intended to cover hour by hour,

day by day. They provided substi-

tutes with what should be covered

in the teacher’s absence.

As a Principal in the 1950’s I

scanned teacher plan books selec-

tively each week to insure good

teacher preparation. By that time

we had an abundance of textbooks

for reading, spelling, math, sci-

ence, social studies which included

geography. Teacher plan books

simply had to include times by

day, the teaching subject, textbook,

page numbers, other references

and leading questions or state-

ments to introduce the content be-

ing taught. In 1901 they probably

had readers and math books only.

Other subjects required teachers to

research and write detailed materi-

al that became their textbooks.

Handwriting or penmanship was

taught using sample charts above

the blackboards. The charts includ-

ed manuscript; that is, printed let-

ters for grades one and two and

cursive letters from grade three on.

Handwriting was practiced daily,

as were arithmetic fundamentals

including the four operations.

The two books I have include de-

tailed lessons, facts and ques-

tions. The Citizenship Book has

each day’s opening program, in-

cluding saluting the flag, Bible

reading and prayer, songs, poetry

or other readings, occasional ref-

erence to a “manual” reading and

a citizenship talk. There are page

references apparently to refer-

ence books in the teacher’s per-

sonal library. Some of the “talk”

topics are affection, self denial,

self control, reverence, obedi-

ence, perseverance, promptness,

courage, kindness to animals,

honesty, national holidays and

presidents. Our cover was one

page in the notebook. In the sci-

ence-nature book we find birds,

sheep, trees, flowers, the pump-

kin, corn, the apple, thistle,

moon, copper, worms, geogra-

phy, the NYC boroughs and sea-

sonal changes. All of her writing

is quite extensive and compre-

hensible. A few sample senten-

ces follow, the first on citizen-

ship and the second on science.

“Every few days a new thought

comes to me as to what we

should be to be the very best kind

of citizens. One thing has

pleased me so much during this

past week. It has seemed as if

you little folks had been trying to

work out our talk of last Friday

on Self Control. I have noticed

your actions when you haven’t

known it and I feel you are grow-

ing toward the right kind of citi-

zens.” She continues for another

page introducing “Faithfulness”

with its attributes and the need

for all to be faithful.

A TEACHER’S LESSON PLAN A TEACHER’S LESSON PLAN A TEACHER’S LESSON PLAN ———190219021902


A TEACHER’S LESSON PLANA TEACHER’S LESSON PLANA TEACHER’S LESSON PLAN———1902 (cont’d)1902 (cont’d)1902 (cont’d)


Here’s a Sample Geography Lesson

It is evident that this teacher put a lot of time into preparing meaningful in-depth information to share with her pupils. She must have been a joy to each of them. Times have changed and with the advent of the electronic age teaching has become much less personal. What a pleasure if you find the combination of both the old and the new in a teacher today. How many of your teachers do you recall and for what reasons?

A TEACHER’S LESSON PLAN 1902 (cont’d)A TEACHER’S LESSON PLAN 1902 (cont’d)A TEACHER’S LESSON PLAN 1902 (cont’d)


worm through you fingers from tail to head. Can you find any roughness? (Bristles) (Let them discover rings) Now let the worm lie on the moist earth. Let us look at him and find his eyes. (Let them discover there are none.) Yet worms will keep underground all day and come out chiefly at night and draw back quickly if light is suddenly turned on them, showing us that even if they have no eyes they are sensitive to light.”

Here’s a sample Science

lesson:

Worms

(If possible let each child have a worm) “We all know where the earth worm lives but let’s look at its body and see if we can find some things to tell us how he is fitted for his earth home. (Head pointed and nothing growing from body) Feel its body. Is it perfectly smooth? Very carefully draw the

T HANKS! We’re so pleased that many of you have submitted stories or are considering writing a “Tale.” To encourage you to keep the ideas coming, here are a few suggestions:

1. Focus: As you consider your Tale, concentrate on what will be of interest to our READERS. Some events or memories are ex-tremely important to you and your family but may be of less interest to most of our readers.

2. Length: Our preferred story is one or two pages, including pho-tos. (About 400 words per page.) We also like short, “filler” items - jokes, quotations, inspirational words.

3. Photos: Pictures add so much to any story. We can help you decide which ones might be used..

4. Opinions: By definition, Jef-ferson’s Ferry Tales are stories, not opinion pieces. JF has a di-verse resident population, and we respect all points of view.

5. Endorsements: We do not ac-cept ads, and do not endorse spe-cific products or services.

6. Format: We can accept stories in any form: handwritten, typed, or computer document. Computer doc-uments can be sent to [email protected].

7.Copyright: Please observe copy-right rules. Most material on the in-ternet is “public domain,” but quota-tions taken from published works must be credited to the author. We are interested in what you write, not what has already been published.

If you submit a story, please keep in mind:

1. The editor has the right to accept or reject a story. If the editor feels a story is not appropriate or is not of general interest, she will ask one or two members of the Editorial Com-mittee to review her decision and be guided by their response.

2. The editor has the right to edit the story for space requirements or sty-listic concerns. If the editor makes major changes in a story, she will return the revised copy to the writer for approval before publishing it.

3. Our proof-readers (at least three) often make suggestions for better punctuation, phrasing or word usage. We usually use those suggestions.

4. Pictures reproduce best when we have either a digital photo or a hard copy rather than something emailed. If a picture does not re-produce well, we can’t include it.

5. Stories cannot always be pub-lished in the next issue and may be held for a few months. Usual-ly the editor can tell you when it will appear.

******

We have several nice vacation stories for the summer edition plus a few not-so-nice travel ex-periences. We have room for a few more. The November special issue on Air and Space is shaping up, too. Some people have said, “How can I write about that topic without getting too technical? Well, OK, technical is acceptable, but please don’t leave those of us who are technically-challenged in the dust!

From the Editor’s Desk

Submitted By

MARTY PETERSEN

R ecently, the final question on Jeopardy was,

“How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the unknowns?” All three contestants missed it.

The answer is, 21 steps. That number alludes to the twenty-one-gun salute, the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

Here are some other facts about those guards:

How long does the guard hesitate after doing an about face and begin the return walk, and why?

Twenty one seconds, for the same reason .

Why are the guard’s gloves wet?

The gloves are moistened to prevent the guard from losing his grip on the rifle.

Is the rifle carried on the same shoulder all the time and if not why not?

The rifle is carried on the shoulder away from the tomb. After the march across the path, an about face is executed and the rifle is moved to the outside shoulder.

How often are the guards changed?

Guards are changed every hour, ex-cept between April and September when they change every 30 minutes. Overnight shifts may be increased to 2 hours. The changing of the guard takes place 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?

To apply for guard duty a person, male or female, must be between 5’10 and 6’2 tall with a waist size not exceeding 30 inches. At least 6 women have served as sentries.

Sentries must commit 2 years of life to the duty, during which time they live in a barracks under the tomb. They cannot drink any alco-hol on or off duty and cannot dis-grace the uniform or the tomb in any way. After two years, guards are given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently being worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin, During the first six months, all off duty time is spent studying notable people who have been laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, memorizing who they are and where they are interred. The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make

the loud click as they come to a halt. The sentinel does not wear rank insignia so as not to outrank the Unknowns, whatever their rank may have been. The duties of the sentinels are not purely ceremonial They will confront people who cross the barriers at the tomb or who are disrespectful or loud. In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington D.C, both the US Senate and House of Representatives took 2 days off in anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that, be-cause of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns were given permission to sus-pend the assignments. They respectfully declined the offer. “No way, sir!” was their re-sponse. Guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment; it was the highest honor that could be afforded to a service person. Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they patrolled continuously, as sentries had been doing, twenty four hours a day seven days a week, since the early 1930’s. The inscription on the tomb reads:

Here lies, in Honored Glory,

An American Soldier known only to God.

GUARDING THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNSGUARDING THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNSGUARDING THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS


What else was happening around the time Miss Stayley was writing her lesson plans and Mr. Shotley was creating his tribute to his stu-dents? The contrasts of what life was like in 1902 compared to what is going on 112 years later are awe-some.

The average life expectancy in the US was 47.

Only 14% of the homes in the US had bathtubs.

Only 8% of homes had a telephone. A three minute call

from Denver to NYC cost $11.

There were 8,000 cars in the US and 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa and Tennessee were each more heavi-ly populated than California.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour.

The average US worker made be-tween $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2500 per year, a veterinarian between $1500 and $4000 per year, and a me-chanical engineer about $5000 per year.

More than 95% of all births took place at home

Ninety percent of all US phy-sicians had no college educa-tion. Instead they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as “substandard.”

Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were 14 cents a dozen. Coffee cost 15 cents a pound.

Most women washed their hair only once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

The five leading causes of death in the US were (1) pneumonia and influenza (2) tuberculosis, (3) diarrhea (4) heart disease (5) stroke.

The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexi-co, Hawaii and Alaska hadn’t been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30. The remote desert community was in-habited by only a handful of ranchers and their families.

Scotch tape, cross-word puzzles, canned beer and iced tea hadn’t been invented.

There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

One in 10 adults in the US couldn’t read or write. Only 6% of all Americans had gradu-ated from High School.

Punch card data processing had recently been developed and early predecessors of the mod-ern computer were used for the first time by the government to help compile the 1900 census.

Eighteen percent of households in the US had at least one full-time servant or domestic.

There were about 230 reported murders in the US annually..

LIFE IN THE US 112 YEARS AGOLIFE IN THE US 112 YEARS AGOLIFE IN THE US 112 YEARS AGO


MARK TWAIN TELLS IT LIKE IT IS

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, big-otry and narrow-mindedness.”

“If you always tell the truth, you don’t have to remember any-thing.”

“Anyone who can only think of one way to spell a word obvi-ously lacks imagination.”

“I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.”

“It is not best that we should all think alike. It is the differences of opinion that make horse races.”

(After a politico died.) “ Well, I won’t attend his funeral, but I ‘ll

write a very nice letter saying that I approve of it.”

“Let us live so that when we come to die, even the under-taker will be sorry.”

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can read.”

By LOUISE BENDER

E ven before the Sutins moved to Jefferson’s Ferry, Bonita was thinking about how to keep chil-dren in their lives. Here at Jeffer-son’s Ferry, she noticed that when a child visited, everyone’s spirit seemed to be lifted.

In the spring of 2013, Joyce Ed-ward, seeking a way to organize volunteer opportunities for our residents, arranged a presentation at JF by Maureen McCarthy of RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program.) Bonita asked about the possibility of JF residents making a connection with the children of Little Flower Children’s Services in Wading River. With the ap-proval of Karen Brannen and Claire Donohue for the Residents Council, “Saturday Friends” was born.

Little Flower is a not-for-profit agency serving children and fami-lies of NYC and Long Island. Since 1930 it has provided foster boarding home care and residen-tial treatment care

When Bonita met with Regia DeAlmeida, Little Flower’s Chil-dren’s coordinator, she had the names of JF residents who were enthusiastic about being a part of the project. Regia laughed and confessed that the late Father Fa-gan, Little Flower’s founder and her then-supervisor, always told her that she should be working not just with children but also with elders. Obviously this was meant to be, and, with our help, she went to work to make it happen.

For Joyce Edward, a particular

experience stands out. “On one visit, the children were interview-ing the Jefferson’s Ferry resi-dents, using a Life Story question-naire. I sat in on one interview during which a tall, well-built boy, perhaps 14 years of age, was talking with one of our volunteers. The difference between the two was considerable: one extremely

well educated, the other just learn-ing; one knowledgeable of the world, the other having been ex-posed to only limited experiences; one successful, the other’s success dependent upon some serious challenges. Yet in just a few mo-ments these two very different individuals found they shared their somewhat problematical family backgrounds, as well as their great joy in fishing. Aside from their pleasure in sharing with each other, it seemed to me that the young boy had an oppor-tunity to experience how the past need not prevent one from going forward, and our residents had a chance to appreciate anew how well he had surmounted the chal-lenges he had faced.”

Dom Commisso recalled the first visit by some of the children of Lit-tle Flower to Jefferson’s Ferry. “Our volunteers were asked to in-troduce themselves and say a few words about their interests. When I mentioned my interest in rocket and spaceflight, one of the boys jumped up and said he was interest-ed also. Later I approached him to

talk about it, but he was busy with drawing a flower. It was beautifully done. I think the boy showed some real artistic tal-ent. We agreed that at a future meeting I would share with him my knowledge or rockets and spaceflight. The next meeting his

older brother came and I sat with him while he interviewed me. I was very impressed by how profes-sionally he conducted the inter-view. The children are well be-haved and I enjoy meeting with them.”

On January 11, the children came to Jefferson’s Ferry, appearing in sensational Three Kings costumes. Barbara Livant enriched the pro-gram with music and Tapper, friendly and elegant, paid a visit. The morning was most enjoyable and suggests a good format for fu-ture programs, including music, special new interests and group games.

On January 15, a group of us trav-elled to the Little Flower campus. I expected to see a large, institution

SATURDAY FRIENDSSATURDAY FRIENDSSATURDAY FRIENDS


Gloria Lancaster, Jean Shea, Ellie Hezel and Dom

type building but was pleasantly surprised as we arrived to see cot-tages much like ours, pale yellow with white trim, except much larg-er. Approximately 10 children live in each one. Each has a special name, beautifully displayed in Old English lettering over the front door. The cottage we visited was “San Juan Cottage.” The entire campus has a very friendly atmos-phere.

Regia greeted us. Some of the children recognized us and recalled our previous visits. Regia said something like this: “Your friends are here! You know the expres-sion, ‘You’ve Got Mail!’ Well, today you have something much better than that. You’ve got friends! And friends and time are the most valuable things--friends together, talking, looking into each other’s eyes with a feeling that can bring tears.”

We went around the circle, about 15 children, three staff and our group, told our names and our spe-cial interest. The children were

fascinated when Barbara took out her violin. They wanted to touch a “real violin,” so she graciously walked around so they could see it up close and touch it. She played for our singing and then her own selections. The children couldn’t get enough, shouting “Encore, Encore.” Norman Sutin fas-

cinated the children with a mag-ic trick, making a ribbon disap-pear, and promised more magic for upcoming visits. We ad-journed to their dining room where they served us hot choco-late and cake that we had brought. When we left, several of the children came to shake our hands and thanked us for the visit.

Some children at Little Flower have already taken part in com-munity work. They currently volunteer at the Kent Animal Shelter and previously won a Suffolk County award for their service at a nearby Nursing home. They are helping others and, hopefully, our service has something to offer them. It is a perfect give and take.

For too many children that we meet through this project, and other children elsewhere, the world has not been a friendly place. May our “Saturday Friends” help show that it can be better.

SATURDAY FRIENDSSATURDAY FRIENDSSATURDAY FRIENDS


A wall had been built up—for your protection

The pain of letting go kept a path in one direction

You have long yearned to be on your own—considered no longer a child

Yet you were not ready—for a seedling gets trampled if let to grow wild

The legacy I wish to bestow on you—on this your special day

Has been stored in my heart for the right moment to convey

The time has come to make a way—leave you free to be

The person God fashioned for him-self, to live fully in creativity

The crossover is linked with prayer for you to become who you are

A woman of your own choosing-full of promise -beautiful as a star

Know in your heart always—I am there for you –rise or fall.

For my gift to you my daughter is a bridge instead of a wall.

Louise Bender to Lisa June 21, 1981

ROOTS AND WINGS

Lisa Bender age 13

A Visit From the “Three Kings” at Christmastime

While the JF Tales Commit-tee was planning this issue of “Jefferson’s Ferry Tales” and reviewing the story about the teacher’s old

planning book, Alice Rhodes came up with this little gem from 1907-08.

About the size and shape of an old-fashioned dance card, com-plete with a string tie and tassel, it was a “Souvenir” from a teacher in McLean County, Ill. to his students.

The front page reads,

In Memory of our Happy Hours together in School, and with

Best Wishes, this little token is presented with the compliments

of your Teacher.”

The teacher’s name was Vernon Shotley, and the names of his 27 students (12 different family names) were listed inside.

The booklet contains “Words of Wisdom,” such as:

There is no Excellence without Labor.

An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest –Franklin

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. -Emerson

Knowledge is more than equiva-lent to force. -Johnson

And on the last page there’s this sad little poem:

I wandered through the village, Tom

I sat beneath the tree

Upon the schoolhouse play-ground

That sheltered you and me;

And none were left to greet me, Tom,

And few were left to know

Who played with me upon the green

Just forty years ago.

A GIFT FROM THE TEACHERA GIFT FROM THE TEACHERA GIFT FROM THE TEACHER


By LOTTI HUNSTEIN

Jefferson‘s Ferry is the home of two residents who share a similar background and have some things in common that defy the odds.

I came to this country after the war from Hamburg, Germany, where I had been born and raised. I lived in Garden City and had a second home for 26 years in the Poconos in Pennsylvania before moving to Jefferson’s Ferry in 2005.

The name “Lotti” is such a German name and certainly not common in the USA. so one day when a new resident named Lottie Schuler moved into Jefferson’s Ferry my curiosity got the better of me.

I approached her and asked where she came from, noting her last name of Schuler. “Pennsylvania,“ she said. “Where in Pennsylva-nia,” I asked. “The Poconos” was her answer. A few people with the name of Schuler lived in the area where my place was in the Po-conos, so that rang a bell. I was dumfounded by the coincidence.

“Where else do you come from with that first name of yours, Lot-tie,” I asked.

Lottie’s answer was “Germany!” I had to ask! “Where in Germa-ny?” And she answered that she was born in Hamburg but left as a small child when her parents came to America.

All I could say was “No Kidding” and I gave her a big hug saying “Hummel, Hummel.” (It is a tra-dition, when a Hamburger meets another Hamburger, to greet each other with these words. Only a true Hamburgers knows the cor-rect response.)

Here we are, two people named Lottie and Lotti, who came from another continent, born in the same city and country and having a residence in the Poconos, Pa. And then meeting here in Jeffer-son’s Ferry to spend the rest of our lives together. The odds of such a thing happening must be most unusual. It is indeed a small world!

IT’S A SMALL WORLD!

R emember when our grand-parents, great-grandparents, shyly, told us that they had “only an eighth grade education.” Well, check this out: These are some questions from an eighth grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, KS. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogi-cal Society and Library in Salina.

8TH GRADE FINAL EXAM ARITHMETIC

(samples out of total 10 questions) TIME: 1.25 hours

1 A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10

ft. long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

2 If a load of wheat weighs

3,942 lbs, what is it worth at 50 cts. bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs. for tare?

3 District No. 33 has a valuation

of $35,000. What is the neces-sary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50.per month, and have $104 for inci-dentals?

4. Find the interest of $512.60

for 8 months and 18 days at 7%.

5. Find bank discount on $300.

for 90 days, (no grace) at 10%.

6. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20. per meter? 7 Write a bank check, a prom-

issory note and a receipt.

ORTHOGRAPHY (Today we would call it Eng-

lish) TIME: One Hour

1. What is meant by the fol-lowing:

Alphabet, Phonetic, Orthography, Etymology, Syllabication?

2. What are the following, and

give examples of each: Tri-graph, sub vocals, diph-thong, cognate letters, lin-gual?

3. Give two rules for spelling

words with final ‘e.’ Name two exceptions to each rule.

4. Give two uses of silent let-

ters in spelling. Illustrate each.

5. Use the following correctly

in sentences: cite, site, sight; fane, fain, feign;

vane, vain, vein; raze, raise, rays.

6. Write 10 words frequently

mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of dia-critical marks and by syllabi-cation.

US HISTORY

(samples out of 8 questions) TIME 45 Minutes

1. Give an account of the discov-

ery of America by Columbus. 2. Relate the causes and results

of the Revolutionary War. 3. Who are the following:

Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn and Howe?

4. Name the events connected

with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

In today’s discussion over stand-ardized testing, I wonder what percentage of eighth graders would pass this one!

WOULD YOU HAVE PASSED THIS EXAM?WOULD YOU HAVE PASSED THIS EXAM?WOULD YOU HAVE PASSED THIS EXAM?


From our Archives

This article first appeared in JF Tales in November, 2010

BY FAITH LITTLEFIELD

M y daughter Laura was born in January, 1962 in Rutherford New Jersey. On pleasant days I would take her for a stroll through the “town” –all two or three blocks of shops. We lived in a small apartment building off Main Street. The pediatrician who took care of her was Dr. John Williams whose lovely of-fice and home was in what looked like a Brownstone house. Oppo-site was a small park where I would stop and sit on a bench af-ter our walk through town or after a visit with Dr. Williams.

One day while I was sitting on a bench an older gentleman came out of Dr. William’s house. When he saw me he walked over and very politely greeted me. He looked 80 years old or more. (I was 23 at the time.) After ex-changing a few pleasantries, he asked if he might sit a while with me. Since this occurred 50 years ago, I don’t remember what we talked about. How I wish I could! He did tell me on this first encounter that he lived with his son, Dr. John Williams. I then told him that his son was the pe-diatrician I took Laura to, and what a wonderful doctor he was. He of course agreed and told me that he too had been a pediatri-cian for many years.

When it was time for me to leave he asked if I would be walking through town. I replied that I would and he asked if he might accompany me, and I agreed. Did he tell me that he had been

born in Rutherford and how much the town meant to him? I don’t know. On this and future walks he seemed to greet many people he knew.

From time to time, during the months when the weather coop-erated, I would take my walks to the park. Rutherford was ter-ribly hot in the summer, so our walks were in the early morn-ing. I saw him many times dur-ing these months until the weather became too cold.

During the winter of 1963, I did not see him. When I inquired, Dr. Williams explained that his father had died. I remember feeling as if I had lost a friend. He asked me if his father had told me that he was a published poet – very published, as it turned out. I told him he had “mentioned” writing poems.

Here is the full story: In 1883, William Carlos Williams was born in Rutherford New Jersey. He began writing while he was a student at Horace Mann High School and eventually made the decision to become both a writ-er and a doctor. He received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania, where he met and befriended Ezra Pound. Pound became a great influence on his writing and in 1913 ar-ranged for the London publica-tion of Williams’ second collec-tion, “The Tempers.” Returning to Rutherford, where he sus-tained his medical practice throughout his life, Williams began publishing in small mag-azines. This started his career as a poet, novelist, essayist and playwright. According to “Wikipedia,” Williams experi-

mented with new techniques of meter and lineation as he sought to invent an entirely fresh and uniquely American form of poetry whose subject matter centered on everyday circumstances of life and the lives of common people.

William Carlos Williams was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry only two months after his death on March 4, 1963. The prize was given to him for a collection of his poems called “Pictures from Brueghel,” which we have in Jefferson’s Ferry Library. Here is a poem from that volume:

LANDSCAPE WITH THE FALL OF ICARUS According to Brueghel when Icarus fell it was spring. a farmer was ploughing his field the whole pageantry of the year was awake and tingling near the edge of the sea concerned with itself sweating in the sun that melted the wings’ wax unsignificantly off the coast there was a splash quite unnoticed this was Icarus drowning.

REMEMBERING WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMSREMEMBERING WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMSREMEMBERING WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS


PREVENTING FALLS AROUND THE HOUSEPREVENTING FALLS AROUND THE HOUSEPREVENTING FALLS AROUND THE HOUSE


We’ve heard a lot about falls, but Richard Karmazin felt this article from a recent issue of “Strive for Healthy Living” is worth sharing. We have added some information for residents of Jefferson’s Ferry (in italics.) Contact Patti O’Hara if you need help with these suggestions.

1. BEDROOM

Place a lamp, nightlight & phone within easy reach.

Choose a bed that’s easy to climb in and out of.

Wear your pendant.

Keep bedspreads or other bedding from extending onto the floor.

2. BATHROOM

If you need grab bars next to the toilet or tub, contact maintenance.

Set a nonslip rug next to the shower/tub.

3. HALLWAY

Remove books, shoes, papers and other clutter.

Use nightlights and overhead lights to brighten your path.

When carrying clothes to or from the laundry or closet, keep belts, sleeves, etc. from dragging on the floor.

4. LIVING ROOM

Remove throw rugs or use nonslip backing tape.

Allow for clear walking paths.

Keep all electric, telephone and computer cords against the wall.

Watch out for things that may have fallen on the floor, like pen-cils, slippers, wrapping materials.

5. KITCHEN

Place all items you use within easy reach.

Immediately clean up any spills.

Get rid of the stepstool and step-ladder.

Never stand on chairs to reach high shelves.

By MARVIN BELLIN

I was sitting on the sand at a private beach in Glen Cove, reading a book, when a beautiful Irish Setter dog came up and sat on the blanket next to me. I was awed by his beauty, flowing coat and affectionate nature. He placed his head on my lap and I petted him and began talking warmly to him, and he seemed to respond. I suddenly realized it was getting late – time for me to get back to my rented cottage on the nearby Whitney Estate. As I started back, the Irish Setter fol-lowed. When we reached the cottage, I told him to go home, but he remained on the porch, whimpering softly. I was touched, but knew that this beau-tiful dog had a master who would be missing him, so I closed the screen door, sadly, and

went upstairs to shower and change. When I returned, I looked outside. The dog was gone. I was sad, but relieved.

I mention this experience as it later proved important when my wife, Barbara and I were expect-ing our first child. We were dis-cussing the kind of dog we want-ed. Which dog would we prefer to have? At about the same time, we both said aloud, “An Irish Set-ter!” which made us both laugh. (It was surprising how many ide-as we had in common!) We had also considered a Great Dane but agreed that that breed had too short a life span, and was too large – even a puppy might knock the baby over as she began to walk. So an Irish Setter it would be. Little did we realize how much this decision would affect our lives.

Our involvement with Irish Setters began with a visit to the Echo Hills Kennels. We de-cided to learn all that we could about Irish Setters. I studied all the literature before going out to pur-chase our new puppy – their de-sired confor-mation, structure, and the health and problems of the breed. At Echo Hills we saw a litter. I went over each and every one of the puppies and found the one

that we were eager to purchase. The breeder asked how I knew to pick that very one, and I explained that, based on our reading and careful study of Irish Setters, this one puppy exemplified all of the features that we felt best con-formed to the standards. The breeder was very impressed, but explained that, as that puppy was the “pick of the litter,” it had to go to a “show home” only. She en-couraged me to select any other pup from the litter. ‘What is a show home?” I asked, and “What would be required of us to be able to own that dog?” She explained that she would require a slightly higher fee, and that she would also insist that the dog be shown in AKC (American Kennel Club) ap-proved shows. Impressed with our research and what we had learned, she offered, if we took the dog, to meet us and the new puppy at the next show the following week and

LIFE WITH OUR IRISH SETTERSLIFE WITH OUR IRISH SETTERSLIFE WITH OUR IRISH SETTERS


Martin showing first place winner in 1996

we should be prepared to show the dog ourselves at that show.

Barbara stayed at home with our daughter, Devra and I went with our puppy, named Beauty Belle of Echo Hills, aka “Beauty” to the show. It was a bit of a drive, so Beauty sat in the front seat with me, her head on my left thigh for most of the ride. The breeder had suggest-ed that we feed her lightly, so Barbara gave her a scrambled egg with a dog yummy before we left. The eggs, or the expe-rience of driving to the show after eating, was a problem. She threw up a couple of times on the way. I did have water and towels on hand, so I washed and wiped her clean and made sure she looked and smelled nice. Beauty remained affectionate with me for the en-tire ride.

At the show, we met the woman who sold us the puppy. “Where is your crate and show lead?” she asked. “What crate and show lead?” I responded. “I don’t know what they are.” She explained what they were and said she’d give me a crate to use, and I should go to the con-cession stand and purchase a show lead. I did so, and she showed me how to use it. I sat by the crate with Beauty inside, talking affectionately to her for a while. Then Beauty and I went to a grassy area away from the showring to practice. Beau-ty was very cooperative and responsive, adjusting immedi-ately to the show lead, running around in a circle with me hold-ing the lead. I laughed and called her “Good Girl!” She

seemed to enjoy the praise and attention. I then did what is called “setting the dog up.” I had watched how they held the dog’s head and stretched out the body, setting up the front and rear legs so that the top line was smooth, holding up the end of the tail. She seemed to love my praise when she did as I wanted her to do. We were having fun together.

After a while, the loudspeaker announced, “Puppy Bitches to the ring!” It was time for us to do our thing. I had studiously observed how the handlers ran with their dogs and set them up,

but still I was nervous at first. I figured it was a first time for both of us and I could only try to do my best with my little Beauty. We entered the ring and were all lined up. The judge told us to run the dogs twice around the ring. It felt weird holding the dog’s leash and running, but we did it and were having fun together. Then we had to “stack our dog” (set the dog up) as the judge went around checking out each dog. When the judge came to us, Beauty held her stance perfect-ly. I said to the judge with

some surprise, “Look! She’s doing it!” The judge laughed and said that she was doing it very well. I affectionately said to Beauty, “Wow, what a good girl you are!” The judge laughed again, I guess at my reaction.

After examining all the dogs, the judge went around announcing the order of the dogs and telling us where to line up. She came to Beauty and said, “First!” I was thrilled and said to Beauty and to the judge, “I can’t believe it! You won!” The judge said, “The dog is beautiful and very responsive, but you seem to have little experience. You need to go for training. But you have a very special dog and she really deserved to win.” So we left the ring with a blue ribbon in my hand. The puppy’s breeder was really thrilled and expressed her pleasure and satisfaction.

When I arrived at home with Beauty in one hand and the blue ribbon in the other, Barbara opened the door and screamed, “You did it, Beauty!” grabbing Beauty and the ribbon from me. She ran into the house, leaving me

standing outside as she announced to the people inside, “Beauty won a blue ribbon at her very first show! What a terrific little puppy she is!” At that point, we had no concept of what would be involved with owning, breeding and show-ing Irish Setters for the next 43 years.

LIFE WITH OUR IRISH SETTERSLIFE WITH OUR IRISH SETTERSLIFE WITH OUR IRISH SETTERS


Martin and Barbara Bellin

how a first grade lass observed memorial day in í õ ì î · jefferson’s ferry tales ......

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