The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2003 Vol 17 No 1 Spring c Q ~~ ' -. 'tI' .=5a":.{~~ = I:I~.... ~ 1llIr:F"- -.k"~. ~~ c ICI" C.. ~ "'.i~;Jj i=: ..,c -=~ ' ~f::l Iii:l-ao .. 1:1 .... ~ ......,. ;... - ~ ~ ..;::" f - '~~ W1a: a ~ - ~ ~- I:l ; '::I ... "d'!!:' ~.'" "':.. I!!I. '=" ~ ~ L ~, ~ v. .' v ",," ~,... ':>.-ol!'.... ::It:! .;j"-~,""" ~ - ~~ r' ~...,G.~'~yl:" '10.':1 .' ~i~' r , ..... :~ ~ - ~,\~ - ilJ!~":~", ~ ~A '_ '~ ...~~. .', ...~ ~.''rft ,,';"''; '7 - ..,. ""~ - - ~ __~ :>~,JI!:!' ',,", '". ... ~ "., .::- " ~ ....!' * ~ ~ ~ J ...~ ",,! ~ "" ~ "... I[ ""l"'l. ;; ~"',;:i i::I .. - - .. ....- - iL =;~..a.. - -- = "'" - ~ .. ..... ... ~,~~ ~.~........". ,.~ ~ ;J.'f.' _,. -;ii" ~ ~'" 'M! "", 'f!f:' , ,,;. ., .-f!': ~ 2 Fishers Island Gazette. Spring 2003 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the Editor: I would like to say thank you for the time, effort and support for the local lobstermen over the past five years. Because of the outcome of litigation, I was forced to sell my boat. Thank you Barry Bryan, John Thatcher, Dave Denison, Frank Burr, N.Y. State Police, F.I. Civic Association, FIDCO, the F.1. Conservancy and the community for support. I would have to say thank you to the past generations of locallobstermen who created their own conservation zone over the years. It worked. To the current locallobstermen, thanks. It's been great working with you guys. Best of luck. If you need a hand give me a call, as I will surely miss being out on my boat. Respectfully, JR Edwards To the Editor: The reality of lobstermen going out of business, selling their boats and seeking jobs ashore. recalls Longfellow's words, "... the harpies on the shore shall pluck the eagle of the seas." The "harpies on the shore" in this case function in Hartford [Conn.] and Albany, where career-obsessed attorneys general and politicians yield to the interests of large commercial fishing fleet owners to gerry- mander the lobstering zones among three states. The result is the squeezing out of Fishers Island lobstermen. They now con- sider their cause lost. Sincerely. Ed Goss To the Editor: Anne Cook's letter to the editor saluting the "Baby Boom Echo Generation's" theme for the guard shack struck a chord. Appar- ently, the painters' identities are known and their efforts praised. That was not always so. Prior to 1976, the guard house typically began the summer white. later boasting red. vertical stripes (rightly or wrongly blamed on Chippy duPont). To celebrate our country's bicentennial, a fellow artiste and I used a star- shaped cardboard stencil, and both red and blue paint, to complete the Old Glory stars and stripes motif in the wee hours of July Fourth. Fearing reprisals from N. Y. State Trooper Don Campbell (no relation), we kept quiet. The humor was heightened as everyone assumed Chippy was the culprit. Later that summer, we restored the guard house to its traditional white. On another occasion, a group of us painted a black and white checkerboard theme, an endeavor that ended in a paint fight. In a vain attempt to avoid detection, I buttoned my jacket to the neck and went to the Harbor [Restaurant] for a nightcap. A tactical error on my part. Constable Dick Grebe and Trooper Campbell found me the next day. I remember them approaching as I cut the grass and briefly considered a break for the water and a swim to freedom. They asked to see my hands and whether I was with "that Miller boy last night." Busted! There was a moment of indecision on the part of the cops when they questioned Mike [Miller] who had used paint thinner to wash away the telltale signs. Even though he looked dumb- founded while his unblemished hands were examined, Mike (who was not involved in the 1976 incident) was too honest to lie. Our penaltywas to re-paint the guard house white, perhaps the only time that structure was painted in broad daylight, for free. Behavior now publicly lauded was once frowned upon, by the authorities at least. However, even as Don lectured us on re- specting public property, equating our work with subway-graffiti vandalism, I thought I detected the hint of a smile beneath his strong words. Sincerely, Bob Campbell To the Editor: At the end of last summer, as soon as I stepped off the ferry J'd traveled for nearly 20 years, I was suddenly hit like a Mack truck with New London's heat and with reality. Driving away from the ferry dock, I found myselfin a dream world of sadness and despair, as well as relief and eagerness. I was sad to be leaving my secure place of existence without any fears and worries, but relieved to be in another world where I am not blind to its harsh realities. For those months on the sacred Island, my back is turned to the underprivileged and the reality I can't see. Uh-oh, that was definitely a honk. I turn around shocked to see that I am in the wrong lane with three large IS-wheelers on my back. And that was definitely not a wave that the truck driver just gave me, since he pur- posely put down four fingers and left the middle one up. I feel like I have been dropped on Mars. and yet this is the world I live in for nine Continued on page 3 /11'11 Can or e-mail the editor for a; information about advertis- -"'= ing or editorial content: oS~ winter 860-633-8200; summer 631-788-7000; figazette@cox.net. The Gazette appreciates and relies upon edito- rial contributions from the community. We re- serve the right to edit copy and regret that we cannot run every story and occasionally must hold copy for future issues. Spring 2(H}J. Pis hers Is/and Gazette 3 Post...istress and Postal Clerk to Retire If there is one indisputable fact on Fishers Island, it is that the U.S. Post Office is the heart of the Village, and news of a personnel change has rattled more than a few nerves. Postmistress Mary Strunk and part.time flexible clerk Lily Ahman have given notice that they will retire. May 2 and May 1 respectively. With a combined total of 66 years on the job, the women are ready to step down, but as of early March, there had been no official notice of who would replace them. Promotion to postmaster or postmis- tress nearly always comes from within the current ranks of the postal service, and that is the likely plan in this case, said Carl Walton, a spokesman for the postal service. Mr. Walton also stated emphatically that the Fishers Island Post Office would not close. "We have a universal service mandate to deliver mail everyday wherever there is a need," Mr. Walton said. "Since there is no other post office on the Island, it will remain open." As for concern about reliability of ser- vice from a potentially off-Island individual, Mr. Walton said there is always a back-up plan for someone to be dispatched in relief. Mar." StruBL; One of the more unexpeC[ed sights this summer will be seeing Mary Strunk on the "other side" of the postal window. Ms. Strunk has worked at the Fishers Island Post Office since she started as a 90-day temp in Jan. 1966. Letters to Editor Co"'inu~dfrom pag~ 2 months of the year. Being on Fishers for three months makes you forget that there is any sort of life other than lobsters, sunburns and laughter. I suddenly am disappointed that I no longer recognize the surrounding faces, as Island stickers slowly disappear onto Route 90. I realize that although I am thrown into what feels like a shark pit after three months, I am more fortunate than others I know. With the memory of our unlocked cottage and my wallet in thefrontseatofourcar, I am reminded that I have the chance to be in the beautiful dream world of Fishers Island. Sincerely, Jessica Ferguson Hulslander POST OFFICE - FISHERS ISLAND N Y.063.0 I~ -; --~ ~~ ; . (I-r) Lily Ahman, part~time flexible clerk, and Postmistress Mary Strunk will retire in early May. Art Walsh was postmaster at the time. His mother worked with him, as did Addie Valentini, who was clerk. Ms. Strunk became part-time flexible clerk after Mrs. Walsh's retirement and then clerk following the de- parture of Mrs. Valentini. Mr. Walsh, whose father had also been Fishers Island's postmaster, left in 1974 to become postmaster in Old Lyme, Conn. After a period of being" officer in charge," Ms. Strunk was named postmistress in 1975. Ms. Strunk is a true Islander. Her par- ents met and married here, and she graduated from Fishers Island School. When she started working at the post office, letters could be mailed for five cents, locally for four cents. "You have to be at least 55 years old and have 30 years of service before you can retire," Ms. Strunk said. "I could have retired last August, but stayed on for another year." Ms. Strunk is not certain about her retirement plans, and that is just the point. "It will be nice to have the freedom to get up in the morning, and if I want to do some- thing, I can just go and do it." Lil." ^-h...aB Lily Nunan joined the postal service as a part-time flexible clerk in Dee. 1974. She needed a part-time job when her son Kenny was in nursery school, and the hours coin- cided. Mrs. Ahman came to Fishers Island in Jan. 1971 when her husband Rick. who had grown up on the Island, returned here to work as a plumber. Mr. Ahman's mother, Lucy. had been Lee Ferguson's secretary. She and her husband Gordon continued the real estate business that had formerly been run by the F.l. Utility Co. Now that Lily and Rick Ahman. who have three children and two grandchildren, have reached retirement age, they plan to do some traveling, probably to Canada, "while we are still healthy," Mrs. Ahman said. Mr. Ahman is known for the usual prox- imity of his metal detector, and so Montana and New Mexico are also on the itinerary, due to the lure of gold and coins lying just beneath the earth's surface. . 4 Fishers Isla/Jd Gazette. Sprillg 2003 F.t. LoLsterIllen Betrayed Ly GOT. PataL:i Five years ago, the Fishers Island Gazette published a story that be- gan, "Fishers Island's lobsrering fleet is fighting for its life." Today. the death knell is ringing, with only the faintest glim- mer ofhape in a decision expected from the 2nd Circuit COllrt of Appeals that would restore an area around Fishers Island set aside for New Yark fishermen under a 1911 law. With nearly every legal argument and every attempt at conservation rebuffed. it was N.Y. Gov. George E. Pataki who not only plunged the knife deep into the heart of Fishers Island but twisted it. Using a different analogy in his remarks at the January meeting of the Fishers Island Civic Association, Barry Bryan said Gov. Pataki "pulled the trigger in the shot that caught Fishers Island lobstermen squarely in the back." The governor blocked a regula- tion proposed by the N.Y. Dept. of Environ- mental Conservation (DEC) that would have created the Fishers Island Special Manage- ment Area (FISMA). The governor's office had previously supported the creation of FISMA [see "Chronology," Nov. 5, 200 I at right]. Mr. Bryan, a retired Nf..."W York lawyer, has been working pro bono with Island lobster men, the Fishers Island Conservancy and FIOCO [0 save the Island's lobster fish- ery from destruction by commercial lobster interests from Montauk and Connecticut. "The FISMA rejection came as a com- plete shock," Me. Bryan said. "For more than three years, the governor's office had backed the concept and goaded the sometimes reluc- tam DEC staff, which faced legal challenges from Connecticut, into ultimately proposing a zone around Fishers Island somewhat less than a mile wide with a 300-pot limit." Gov. Pataki's action also came as a shock to a few other people, including the Island's proactive State Assemblywoman Pat Acampora, the lobstermen's Albany counseI, and even to the former OECdeputycommis- sioner who in 1999 came up with the idea of a conservation zone justified on both conser- vation and socia-economic grounds. The only explanation offered by the governor's office for blocking tbe FISMA regulation was that there was insufficient science [0 support it. From the beginning, however, it was known that there had never been scientific studies spccifically addressing """'!'"'! - --~ +=,.~ . o '0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ . ~ u . '" . ~ .~ ~ . Long Island Sound lobster stocks continue to diminish. (left) Healthy lobster and (right) lobster with shell disease. Meanwhile, the Maine Dept. of Marine Resources reported its best lobster harvest ever: 57.2 million Ibs. in 2002, up 18 percent from 200 I. the provisions of the proposed zone. Anec- dotally, there has been solid evidence of success with pot limits from Maine to Australia. Fishers Island was led to believe that the governor's office fully understood why there were still lobsters around Fishers Island and not elsewhcre in Connecticut or Long Island waters: because Fishers Island lobstermen had practiced lobstcr conservation for gen- erations. Similar conservation measures would have been codified in FISMA. "One can only speculate that what really happened was the regulation's sabotage be- hind the sccnes by Albany friends of the commercial lobstering interests in Montauk-probably led by Srate Sen. Ken LaValle, who also is supposed to represent Fishers Island," Mr. Bryan said. Mr. Bryan concluded that it is very disappointing and very frustrating to come up empty~handed after five years of struggle, which included four lawsuits brought by Connecticut, two appeals, over 2,000 hours of pro bono time in this litigation by young lawyers in Mr. Bryan's firm, Oebevoise & Plimpton, innumerablc legislative and regu- latory proposals for the conservation zone, and very significant financial support for this effort from FIOCO and the Conservancy. "Today the muhi-thousand-pot boats from Montauk and Connecticut are free to exploit Island waters without restraint," Mr. Conti'lued on page 26 The Lobster Wars: A Cl.ronology 191 1...1997: 1911 N.Y. statute carves out area around Fishers Island from reciprocal licensing laws with Conn. and restricts lobstering in that area to N.Y. residents. F.1. lobstermen follow conservative fishing prac- tices (500-600 pots per boat, closed seasons, one pot per buoy, etc.) that result in sustainable lobster stock in F.1. waters, while Conn. and Long Island waters were being fished out. Nov. 1997: Without any legal challenge and with no prior notice to F.1. lobstermen, the N.Y. Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) unilaterally declares 1911 F.1. statute unconstitutional (citing a durational residency requirement in the statute that had. in fact, been repealed by the legislature) and invites Conn. lobstermen to fish in statutory area. Apparently advised by Long Island politicians to establish turl in the event of a change in the law. Montauk lobstermen begin to set thousands of pots north and south of F.1. Dec. 1997: N.Y. State Assemblywoman Pat Acampora convenes meeting of F.1. Lobstermen'sAssn. (FILA) and F.I. Conservancy (FIC) with DEe. After meeting, DEC reverses position, orders Conn. lobstermen to remove pots from statutory area, and urges FIC to propose lobster conservation zone to deal with over-fishing by Montauk and (if law is changed) Conn. lobstermen. Jan.-June 1998: With strong backing of Ms. Acampora. FIC pushes legislation that would convert 1911 F.1. statutory area into lobster conservation zone, with pot limits and other rules paralleling historic practices of F.1. lobstermen. Proposal dies in Albany for lack of support in Senate. April 1998: Conn. Atty. Gen. Richard Blumenthal files suit in Federal District Court in Albany against DEC officials challenging 1911 COlltinlled Oil page 26 ,'Jpring Z003. Fishers Island Gazelle 5 ...Bul Slill Dedi.:a.led 10 TLeir Profession By Cynthia Riley I have a soft spot in my heart for Fishers Island lobstcrmen. Sadly, however, they are at the end of a long battle, nearly lost. A way of life on the Island is disappearing, and I wanted a first-hand glimpse before it was too late. Chris Edwards offered to take me out Feb. 21 on his lobster boat, the Witterbug, named for his daughter Whitney. I arrived early for our 9 a.m. meeting at his father's dock. Waiting in the shadow of stacked lobster pots,l remembered my first exposure to lobstering. It was January 1990, when Tom Doyen and I worked together at the Mobil Sution. Tommy, then in his 20s, was investing in hundreds of new lobster pots. He planned to deliver fuel oil in the wimer and looked fOlWard to lobstering spring, summer and fall in his boat, Lif Brotha. The pots arrived, along with new bait barrels, and they began to stack high on the docks, forming an im- pressive wall. Meanwhile, Tommy taught me how to tie up and fuel a hoat, how to "stick" a tank and othcr details of the oil and gas business. He carefully steered me around potential "quicksand" as a newcomer to the Island, lending me books on Island history, instilling in me a love and appreciation for the Island. Sometimes during lunch, he'd explain lobstering, how the two chambers in the pots worked, the finances, idemification tags, buoy colors, etc. He told me his father had been a lobsterman, and one of his neighbors had lobstered. Tommy grew up knowing lobsters. I'll never forget the warmth and respect in his voice when he talked about master lobsterman Jim Peishoff (1929- 1994), who was born and raised on Fishers Island. "Jim was an expert and a good role model," Tommy said. Over the course of the next few months I met other lobster men, Corbin Hedge, Ri- chard Erpenback, Jim Peishoff, Dave Denison, Ken "JR" Edwards Jr., Danny Doyen and Paul T ombari. Sometimes I smelled them before I met them. Pickup trucks loaded with bait barrels emitted such a strong odor that when the wind was right, I knew a lobsterman was near. Bait has a distinctive odor, the powerful smell seeping imo clothes, trucks, tools and boats. At the time, my personal expcrience with lobster fishing was confined to dawn and late night "catch and release" sessions off the Gada dock in West Harbor. A bacon- laden string dangled over the edge of the dock was all I needed to organize impromptu lobstcr races. [n 1994, I married Ed Riley and discov- ered that lobstermen often thanked Ed with lobsters. I used to groan when Ed came home with yet another batch of crustaceans. Some of our friends would eat up to eight lobsters at a sitting. Those were the days-cooking lobsters in scawater over an open fire on the beach. Now it is almost impossible to get lobsters. They are becoming rare, but the fulltime lobsterman is rarer still. Generations of Island men have lob- stered on Fishers, but today only Dan Doyen, Chris Edwards and Paul T ombari are actively in the business. Paul has added a captain's license for charters and water taxi service. Dave Denison, president of the Fishers Island Lobstermen' s Association puts in only 20-25 pots now. Jim Peishoff and Corbin Hedge are no longer with us, Richard Erpenback no longer lobsters here, and Tommy Doyen and JR Edwards are out of the lobster business comp[etely. [n 1999 and 2000,)R hired Ma- son Horn, now IS, to work with him on his lobster boat. If things had been different, Mason could now be head- 1I1g up a new gen- eration of lobstermen. As it is, Fishers Island has mostly a ghost fleet. The sight of Chris's approach- ing boat shifted my attention from rev- erie to the light 7mph WSW breeze, crisp blue sky and sapphire water. Just a few days after the bliz- zard, the 360 tem- perature felt balmy. Chris and I headed out to pull his pots in West Harbor. We talked about lobsters, and he patiently eXplained each practiced step on his boat. As of this morning, Chris had 150 pots in the water, most of which he intended to pull today, cleaning and storing them for the winter. At the height of the season, he will have 300 pots in the water-in contrast to Con. nccticut and Montauk Jobstermen who have a 3,000-trap allotment. Chris said he might leave in 20-30 pots through the winter but doesn't expect to put all his pots back in the water until June. That means he won't have a ready supply for Memorial Day weekend. With the season becoming shorter and shorter, Chris said, "I feel rotten telling Is- land customcrs that I don't have lobsters. The Island retail business has always helped offset the higher cost of doing business from an island. People want Fishers Island lob- sters, because they taste better than other lobsters, but I can't count on that business any more, because I just don't have the lobsters. "[n the past, if! had a bad run oflega[- Continued on page 27 . Chris Edwards hauls the last of his lobster pots in February. He planned to leave 20-30 pots in the water but said he will not be dropping all of his pots again until after Memorial Day. 6 Fishers Island Gazette. Spring 2003 Taunted artists to paint a jJOrtmit Child & fallli()I, rorjJOrate, estate, )'achts, pets Oil, 71'aterrolor, pastel, dratt'ing, sculj)luTt, Por{folio aud jJorlrail commission injoTlIwtion available ujJOu request CAROLE LOWE ERDMAN Agent phone 1.860.536.3652 email erds@snet.net toeb ponraitsultd.com IHA\IIIl2 IUlf lrlH IE I[)iO(7 ILIIil)UU!l2 ~lrl()ll2IE 788-7101 v Plan your summer parties with us! V Find great deals on our sale rack vWine tasting every Saturday afternoon June 28th through labor Day weekend. Open Tues.-Sat. . for your convenience Music & Video for your Home! "" ................... ./ ..~ '. .. Overnight invitations for last-minute celebrations! . Home Installation Home Automation System Design Multi-room Audio Pre-Wire New Homes Structured Wiring . Plasma & LCD 1V Home Theaters Two-Piece Projectors . In-Store Repair Ferry Pick-Up & Deiivery . Trusted since 1934 ROBERTS Audio · Video 90 Bank Street New London CT 2-Blocks from the Ferry www.robertsav.com 860-442-5314 800-606-4434 We carry a distinctive line of party invitations in-store! For a huge selection and quick turnaround, just ask for InFinite Designs. We can print... . Any design in many sizes ( . Any typestyle, ink I:DIDr and quantity Matching thank-you notes and accessories too! I' l/()e~'!llh;'t9 ,(AlIllhe (JiaNtp ,f}('("I(II[J' fia/I(fllmr -1'liuy' ((}(\'! 29 (///;\'I .-flIt/1 ~j;/'('d, ,,/J;./Mti(' , " Spring 2003 . Fishers Is/and Gazene 7 Flat Top: Steeple<<:Lase Horse of tLe Year Kentucky thoroughbred flatTop, owned by summer resident Nancy Gerry, emerged victori- ous from a dramatic steeplechase battle Nov. 17,2002, securing a place in history as oneof racing's great steeplechase competitors. The memorable finish ro the $100,000 Colonial Cup in Camden, S.c. could have been filmed in Hollywood: "Flat Top started in front, but it's Tres Touche by a half a length in the backstretch. Now FlatTop has pulled even. The horses are running stride for stride, jumping the 14lh and 15'h as one. Into the sweeping final turn, the battle is on! Flat Top, on the inside, emerges from the turn with a slim advantage and lands the 16'1, hurdle with a lead, powering on to the final fence and the championship, winning by six- and-a-quarter lengths!" More exciting than a movie, this race was the final Grade I steeplechase that would determine the winner of the prestigious Eclipse Award for the 2002 steeplechase horse of the year. The heightened drama caused Mrs. Gerry, not known for being faint of heart, to look away for a moment as the race reached its climax. "It was neck and neck and nerve-wracking as all get out," she said. Trainer Janet Elliott held fast, however, and witnessed what some call the "most courageous" race of the year, which was com- pleted in 5:05.6 minutes. Ms. Elliott, who trains Flat Top at her Lancastercounry stables in Kirkwood, Penn., has a reputation for bringing horses back from long layoffs and returning them to top form. After previously staking his claim as a champion by winning the 1998 Eclipse Award, Flat Top had multiple injuries over the next few years, including problems with a broken splint bone, a suspensory and a tendon. Returning to competition, the nine- year-old son of Alleged started this season with three consecutive third-place finishes. He finally took the top spot in the October 2002 Breeder's Cup, becoming the only horse this year to win two Grade I events. Flat Top, named for an aircraft carrier, had an unimpressive start to his racing career. After three unsuccessful flat races, he was Continu~d on pag~ J 8 . ~ " ~ c o ~ .. ~ ~ .. ~ . ~ , o u o .. ~ ~ . (top. I.r) Flat Top's trainer Janet Elliott, Mf"S. Gerry's daughter Banany Dearborn. and owner Nancy Gerry after winning the Colonial Cup in Octo- ber 2002. .In 1960, Mrs. Gerry, a graduate of Virginia's Foxcroft School, sits side. saddle on Flare at the Thanksgiving Day hunt at the school. Mrs. Gerry put Flare down after the grey mare developed cancer. "After that, I gave away my saddle. bridle and clothes. went into the woods and burst into teaf"S," she said. . (left) Flat Top pulls ahead of Tres Touche at the 2002 Colonial Cup in Camden, S.C. 8 Fishers Island Gazene . Spring 1003 IDGSI Group Health Insurance Specialists 1ie tfuare SO UtlOns DIVERSIFIED GROUP SERVICES, INc. ~~),~~?.! @. d qealth Plans O<ior , 'l1 tif." G"'Udj. -rHSYo"g't,,;g: Olutwns. Specializing in health insurance for employer groups (2-50) & individual long ie,.m ca,.e ~ U."'VM. Gmllplleahhlnsuranl'cBrnkl'r ,M JranE. Clark, RIlU ~) BE Fina . ..mail: j.c.ulark@Snl.t.nl.l , nCtal ASsurance 1-800-235-5126 48 Lafayette Street . Norwkh, Connn:lkul 06360 Tekphone: 860-886-5126 . Fax 860-886-7017 tt$i Sally Pratt Multi-Million Dollar Producer & Chairman's Circle Member Sally is among the top .08% of real estate sales agents nationwide. She specializes in the sales and marketing of exceptional properties from Port Royal to Pelican Bay. including golfing communities. waterfront, beach front and estate homes. ~ ~ RESIDE~1L\L REAl ESTATE, INC. 550 Fifth Avenue South, Naples, Florida 34102 800-741-7131 or 941-262-7131, Exl. 127 941-261-5085, home office A Crime-Stopper, an Energy-Saver and a Foul Weather Friend all rolled into one. :o/'If r. : tJ I -== ~1f1: ----- '. ri ti' ,. .;, - ~.",~ :,.:;; ..~ III · llJI I U If - . Storm Protection Engineered to withstand hurricane force winds . The Ultimate in Security Vinually break-in proof ~I . . ......,. ~ ~ .., .'.04!i!R~ -.-' ~"""MI 1\'~.' , A - }T:" ,~,;",& ~ . Sun & Climate Control Reduces fading while lower heating and cooling costs COASTAL NEW ENGLAND ~.r. II . ;cJou..a.~ I: -.. STCBIAI<lSEC>.IIT'!SH.mERS @ . Peace of Mind RoIl.a.way shutters provide protection on demand Toll Free: 1-877-535-3691 www.roll-a-way.com FIDCO can and will revoke your right to drive past the gate house. SLOW DOWN-30~! A community service announcement from FIDCO (Fishers Island Development Corp.) Spring 2003 . Fishers Island Gazene 9 Fro... Carnegie Hall to the White House . The Connecticut Master Chorale in the Grand Foyer of the White House last December. Island resident Diane Dawson Dexter stands immediately to the right of chorale director Tina Johns Heidrich (at center in dark dress). In 1961, President Harry S. Truman played this 1938 Steinway grand piano for President John F. Kennedy. The piano was featured on this year's White House Christmas card. J\ sk Diane Dawson Dexter how to get to Carnegie Hall, and she'll tell you, practice, practice, practice. Now ask her how to get to the White House, and a shy smile spreads across her face, because she has first-hand knowl- edge of that answer too. Ms. Dexter, a year-round Island resi- dent, is a member of a select, audition-only chorale that has seen stunning success in its brief three years of existence. During the past year, the 55-voice Con- necticut Master Chorale has sung twice at Carnegie Hall and once at the White House. In addition, the group has sung at West Point and has twice won McDonald's@ Gospelfest Competition, in 200 1 and 2002. "An invitation to Carnegie Hall usually comes rhrough an audition or a recommendation," Ms. Dexter said. "In our case, a music clip from our website (www.cmchorale.org) served as our audition!" The group was invitcd to sing John Ru((er's Magnificat last Easter after Dr. Terre Johnson, conductor-in-residence for concert organizer Mid- America Productions, came across the chorale's rendition of the very same piece on the Internet. "Dr. Johnson said hewas 'in awe' when he heard our clip," Ms. Dexter said. "He came to Connecticut, rehearsed us once and said he never heard a group so prepared. "John Rutter is a well-known English composer and conductor who came to Carnegie Hall to direct his work, which requires 200-300 voices. We were a part of the group, but we were the necessary core, to make sure he could achieve his sound. "We had four one-hour rehearsals with the composer in New York, and they went by in the blink of an eye. He explained his motivation and inspiration for the composi- tion. It was a very intense experience, beyond belief." That concert was Easter, 2002. Within a month. the conductor-in-residence had issued a second invitation, this time to sing Mozart's Coronation Mass Jan. 20, for Carnegie Hall's 2003 Martin Luther King Day Concert. Once again the group served as the core, this time to top high school chorale groups from across the country. Last November, flush with success, the chorale's publicity director sent an inquiry to the White House about singing there. Washington's standard reply was, "Don't call us, we'll call you." "We sent a tape; they called us back immediately and asked us to sing at the White House Dee. 21!" Ms. Dexter said. "The problem was that because of security, they could accommodate only 25 of our group, so we agreed on a lottery. I sing second alto or first tenor. We have eight sections in our chorale, and I was the last name called from the last section." The group's rehearsal in their Washing- ton Hotel, just a block from the White House, turned into a performance as crowds gath- ered to listen in the lobby. At the White House, the chorale sang for 50 minutes in both the Grand Foyer and the Book Signing Room, their voices enhancing the experience of Christmas-at-the-White House for invited guests, which that day included members of Air Force-One and Helicopter- One and their families. "It was very emotional and moving that we were invited," Ms. Dexter said. It was one of those perfect times, when everything goes smoothly. " The chorale usually sings wirh a 20-40- piece orchestra and plans three major con- certs a year, most sold-out, in churches in Bethel, Conn. and Newtown, Conn. There is practice every Tuesday night just outside SOllthbury, Conn., after which Ms. Dexter spends the night at her Middlebury house, currently occupicd by her daughter's family. Ms. Dexter has three children and five grand- children. While the group specializes in classical pieces, director Tina Johns Heidrich often includes a gospel or two in their regular concerts. They entered the McDonald's@ 2001 Gospel Competition on a lark and won over a regional field of2, 179 choruses. Taking to the stage at the Palace Theater in Stamford, Conn., reserved looks greeted the conservative chorale, one of only two white groups in a sea of black singers adorned in every color of the rainbow. By the end of singing, "The Word was God," the audience was clapping, yelling, dancing in the aisles and swinging babies in the air. Invited back for a second year, this time against a field of over 3000 entries, the chorale received a huge welcome and once again came out with the top prize for Adult Choir. By the conclusion of, "Go Tell it on the Mountain," the entire audience was on its feet, cheering. The wife of one of the singers said she never heard the second half of the piece, because there was so much "hollering, hooting, clapping and shouting!" "A bouquet for the ears and eyes" is how Ms. Dexter describes her lifelong connection with the arts. She has loved music since childhood, never missing an opportunity to sing in choruses and church choirs. Retiring to Fishers Island two years ago, she began painting and has been selling her detailed work at IPP Arts & Crafts fairs and through private commissions. The Dawson home on West Harbor has been in Ms. Dexter's family since it was built in the early 1900s. Her parents retired to Fishers Island in 1969. They both died in rhe 1990s. With experience as a high school chemistry and earth science teacher in West Hartford, Conn., Ms. Dexter tutors and sub- stitutes at the Fishers Island School. 10 Fishers Island Gaz.elle. Spring 2003 WILLS, TRUSTS & ESTATES Probate in Suffolk County and Nassau County REAL ESTATE Planning & Zoning 51020 Main Road, Southold NY 11971 & Former town attorney and surrogate's court attorney Patricia C. Moore ATTORNEY AT LAW TOWN OF SOUTHOLO, SUFFOLK COUNTY 631-765-4330 . Fax: 631-765-4643 Qc)HERTV BEALS & BANKS, P.C. CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS Accounting & Auditing Tax Return Preparation Probate and Estate Accounting Tax & Financial Planning Accounting Systems Set-up 1-860-443-2033 187 Williams Street New London, Conn, Weekly Island Service -Island Appointments Available New York & Connecticut Licenses Held FISHER & FISHER ASSOC.,INC. - Full Service Insurance Brokers - r!1 Commercial Business Owner's Coverage Marine ~ CHUBB r!1 Personal Homeowners Automobile . Liability Marine For information, please contact: John C. Fisher Fisher & Fisher Assoc., Inc. 455 Post Rd Ste 202 Darien, cr 06820 (203) 656-3644 Fax: (203) 656-3970 ~ ~ Bertram B. Fisher DeWiu Stem Group, Inc. 420 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 1Ol70 (212) 867.3550 Fax: (212) 983-6483 Servin/[ the Island for over 40 years I may be the last insurance agent you'll ever need. Home, life, auto, business, disability. It's a good idea to talk to your Farm Family agent about all your insurance needs. I can help you find gaps in your coverage that may put you at risk. And eliminate overlapping coverages you shouldn't have to pay for. For the custom-tailored coverage you deserve, count on Farm Family for personal. ized, professional service. Call me today. Farm Family Life Insurance Company III Casualty Insurance Company Glenmonl. New York A company founded to serve Farm Bure8l~ members I Kevin J. Cantwell AGENT 104 Edwards Ave. Calverton NY 11933 631-727-7766 631-727-7941, fax Spring ZO(J). Fishers Island Ga1.ene 11 Free luxury accommodations. No res- ervations necessary. Drop in any time. Not a bad offer from Greg Thibodeau and Anne-Marie Boudreau. There's a catch, of course: only an owl would consider these accommodations luxurious. For eight years, the Thibodeaus' over- "The kids bought me an owl call for Christ- mas, and I saw an owl the second night that I used the call. I was a little scared because he was bigger than I had expected. "h [Oak about a month and half before we saw the female. Her hoO[ is different from the male's, because it is high-pitched. The male owl cominued to hoO[ at noon, and we could hear her re- sponding. Next thing we knew, she was in the box by March." Owls are not mi- gratory, and they mate for life, Ms. Boudreau said. According to her expen, young owls wander for three years until they stake out a territory and then re- . Spring is here, and the owls are mating. On March I, the female main there for the rest moved into this extra large 3'x 2'x 18" owl box 30 feet up a tree in the of their lives, which woods behind the Walsh Park home of Anne.Marie Boudreau and Greg Thibodeau. For the past 10 years, a female barred owl has nested in the averages eight years. box, which the Thibodeaus fill with oak leaves and pet store cedar chip "The female will bedding. A squirrel nests in the box during the off.season. nest after mid-March, sized shingled owl box sat 25 feet up a tree in ahhough it depends on the severity of our the backyard of their Walsh Park home and winter," Ms. Boudreau said. "We stan to anracted the same owl and her young nearly hear the owls at night in February. They are every March. Bm the tree fell during the very vocal at this time of year. violent Aug. 27, 2001 microburst, and the "Owls lay eggs in direct relation to the box was relocated 30 feet up a new tree amount of food available, so I put food on farther out in the woods. the feeding station we built hoping that it Ms. Boudreau's fascination with owls might encourage her to lay another egg. I was sparked when she regularly heard an owl feed them rabbit, fish, poultry, beef, shrimp, hooting after the Island's noon whistle. "It whatever we have available. sounded like the typical hoot of a barred owl. "The female lays her eggs aboUl rwo to so I went [0 the library in New London and three days apart and sits on them for six to found two university dissertations on the eight weeks. During this time, the male flies barred owl. One was a masters thesis written by to drop food to her and to distract poten- many years ago by a man from Acadia Uni- tial attackers." versiry in Nova Scotia." Crows, other birds and especially rac- It took Ms. Boudreau some time to coons, which like to nest in these boxes, pose locate this expert, but itwasworrh the search. a real threat to the owls. Ms. Boudreau said He said he had obtained owl information by two babies were born during both the first building an owl box with a camera inside. and second years that the owl took up resi- Every time the owl entered, it tripped a wire, dence. The next year, however, a raccoon and the camera took a picture. found its way to the box, leaving only rem- Ms. Boudreau's goals were more basic. nants of the eggs. "The expert from Nova Scotia told me that I In order to thwart the predators, Ms. didn't need a very big box, but we had already Boudreau and Me. Thibodeau covered the buih one by the time I spoke (0 him-and trunk of their first owl box tree with a slippery our owl box is huge, it's likeacondominium!" eight-foot-high skirt of aluminum, which About ten years ago, during December, they adjusted annually for tree growth. It Ms. Boudreau and Mr. Thibodeau put their kept the raccoons and squirrels away, but the box in a tree at the edge of a wooded area. new tree does not have that protection since Sl.~'I~'{~.\ll }~ ='" T-4" ,-\.~\\; ,. '. ~. ~~ .~ .~. ~.,l~_...w"""ff'":-~"'\..' .~. -":~ . h.h , .' .:""i'" r..j_____~1 .;'::'" .,<' . ':"~t ~~1C;, #1<.. ' ,-- '.".. t~~B . .1.. -II" .' 'i,. : (\ .....t; "'~ . ,"' .' . ~ ~.,. -. "l'~ . ,'- l,j , ,'" ., r: " r..l, ,'" ....~. . ,/I). .'.TJI" ". "1 ,.... ....... . ,'." f~" .'~: .. i ~,:.- ~~ .... a~ "'jl' ':."1./ ~.('- .'~'.- ~~,2,""~;-', .'- . -. -~,J";,"'~',,-:: "I.),...,~ . :~ rl!l~''''.~'::'-'''''fl ,.~;et:".~ . I.... "." ;:It ~' "'!..;--";"'. '\ ......" "i 1'" ~_~.,., .,~ ',,;:.1 ".", . .. ... ""("'-...-r1.'~" ...~.~, ~"._ ~,.:~...., i::'! ~ ". -t'....~.??(', ..... r:.~ll;, ~..._~)...~r.. J!. h,-...--.,:'1" I . ~~~~k"..;.J:.h l,,!& ~ r "",;'':;.. .,.1' ",t ;' <: ~..~. I . ,", .... t.- ~, . ~..-. ~,. ,~~. , "., f"h J . il.lo.-.;.....t;~ei-n,,",~..'~f.iMZ..-r~n\ "'1'-. ':1-";;"''''';1 predators can easily jump from nearby trees. "As soon as the eggs hatched, the female left for the woods and Aew back and forth. She also started coming to our deck. We fed her and soon she was popping up all over the place. In the evening, now I just whistle and call' owl' and she comes. And sometimes, she just comes to the railing and thumps her feet. "It takes about a month for the babies to come aUf of the box, usually around Memo- rial Day. A week or two later, they are flying, and then the male and female chase them away. We feed the owls until the first baby flies [0 the feeding post. Then we stop, so they'll learn to get food on their own." Owls are not [00 particular about what they eat and enjoy a variety of gourmet items including fresh roadkill, mice, salamanders, earthworms and fish. Ahhough they keep out of sight during the day to avoid predators, they are often killed by cars at night, because their fondness for roadkill draws them roo close (0 moving vehicles, Ms. Boudreau said. "The female lost her mate two years ago and screamed like a cat in heat all last year. We are so happy that she has a new mate. She returned to the box March I-a true sign of spring!" The Thibodeaus have bad 13 baby owls fly off the nest. "I think they've stayed on the Island," Ms. Boudreau said. "People are hear- ing owls all over the Island, from the East End ro the West End." ff.... r~"~.''''(A \II~' , ",_'b ~.. .Jt.. ~.. ~\Wi"'\1;'V . ." I. ~.!}. ., i~ r1f;.I!-'~. }, .''': '.' '" P..... . .f/; .. - ;\. . " '~<r ,~ij~ '., Jl e~ ~~\1~~~>;!. ~~"'.?~'~~ "'~ ....:.",r .' ','''' tid:::1 .u ',l. ~e' , .' '_ ".)' -,' , riA' ! ~\:....t,.'..'~. .. 'c.y.~:., P, - ' \ .'" ~~~~ _-....9:;:. ~~ l! ,L~:.,-. ~.,. 'r, "j ~.".." "{.: . . , . ~ '. II "I P .... -.. - L,~ -......'. ~,> .i- -"', I ,,1,1:...., . :t... .- 1':''; ,. '-. ."'. ~f;.7.~ ~ ~ . ~ .~.~ ..:,~ . ~~:'. , ~,. ~ "~fi'" .!.'~: "'~' ,~~I,~,J . '. ~'''1! . ~: t.{l~" c&;; '. -~,. :'.' &\ i !O .~,..~ ~ ~ :11,,;>'0" ., . ~ 'JI ~J. .~_ '. m__ __ . .~ . I __~ . The barred owl is a predator about 16-18 inches long with a wingspan from about 24 to 30 inches. It has dark brown eyes and distinc- tive dark and light bars on its chest. Island naturalist Edwin Horning removed this barred owl from inside a home in 1998. 12 Fishers Island Gaz.ette. Spring 2003 FISHE~~~!N g~ASSf)eIATlON l@ Box46"'4~ish"lrs Island NY 06390 ~T'&.f'a{. 631-788-7029 John Spofford & Twig Stickney · Co-Presidents Nancy Hunt. Secretary Jay Parsons. Treasurer Board Members Barry Bryan, Heather Ferguson, Mike Imbriglio Sarah Malinowski, Speedy Mettler Carol Ridgway, Penni Sharp, Janio Spinola Louisa Evans, Ex officio The Fishers Island Civic Association exists to promote the economic, civic and social welfare o( the people o( Fishers Island. Quarterly meetings provide (orums (or discussions o( Island issues and reports (rom Island organizations. Annual dues: Individual $10; Family $15 Subscribing $25; Supporting $50 Sustaining $100 EVERGREEN lANDSCAPES,lNC PO BOX 219 FISHERS ISLAND NY 06390 631 788 7433 F A ~ 631 788 7409 IRRIGATION INSTAllATION AND MAINTAINANCE BACKHOE AND DUMP TRUCK SERVICE GREG AND GAil CYPHERD GCY P H ER D@FI 5 H ER 5 ISLA N D. N ET e'<S Island lit:. · ~ '6. ~ F.I. Electric ~ F.I. Telephone F.I. Water Works Angela W. Fowler, RLA, PC Landscape Architecture Garden Design Site Selection Planning 212-391-9699 · 212-944-1313, fax 39 West 38th St, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10018 Member, International Federation of Landscape Architects Member, American Society of landscape Architects Andrew K. Dwyer Andrew Knox Dwyer, 20, of Hobe Sound, Fla., died Jan. 17 in an automobile accidem returning to Yale from a trip to New York City. His sudden death brought hundreds of mourners to his memorial ser- vice Jan. 22 in Bedford. Andrew's exuberance for life and the sheer joy he took in his love of family and friends was the universal theme expressed at the service by those who knew and loved him. His sisters Nancy and Elly talked of the unusual closeness among the three siblings. Their brother was their best friend, a young man who shrugged off any notion that it was strange to have an older sister join him and his friends for an evening. "I cannot begin to imagine life without Andrew," Nancy said. "He was a gift that entered our lives and changed our family forever." While immediate memories of Andrew focused on his "wacky, goofy" side and his unquestionable loyalty to his friends, there were other elements, his deep intelligence and quick wit that were so much a part ofhis personality. Andrew was seldom out.argued and planned to major in political science at Yale. He quickly found solutions to problems, always with a selflessness that led to a multi- tude of friendships. Nearly all of his friends, whether from Bedford, Hotchkiss, Fishers Island or Yale, considered him their best friend. A5 a testament to Andrew, those dis- parate friends now acknowledge a lifelong bond, just having known him. Andrew was born June 21, 1982 in Bedford, the son of Cynthia and Andrew Dwyer. He was a 1998 honor roll graduate of Rippowam-Cisqua School in Bedford, where he played three varsity SportS, and a 2001 honor roll graduate of Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn., where he played varsity lacrosse and captained the paddle tennis team. Andrew was a member of Yale's Class of2005 and of rhe frarernity Delra Kappa Epsilon. An obsessive sports fan, Andrew, known as "Dogg" to his friends, was a tough com- petitor as well. He and a friend resurrected the dormant paddle tennis ream at Hotchkiss and built a new team thar defeated Salisbury for the first time in school history. In spite of the paddle tennis, lacrosse, Dwyer famity photo ANDREW K. DWYER Spring 200J. Fishers Is/and Gazene J 3 pick-up basketball games, pool and tubing in front of the Dwyer's house on Fishers Island, Andrew had one overriding passion in sports: golf. His 5.3 handicap tamed courses at both the Fishers Island Club and the Bedford Golf & Tennis Club. It was acknowledged that only an early morning tee time could arouse Andrew, who liked to sleep late. He also loved spending time at Isabella Beach wirh his childhood friend Jake Grand, always acknowledging Fishers Island as his favorite place to be. Andrew is remembered affectionately for his idiosyncrasies and his generosity: he embraced cheeseburgers and cheesedogs, never wavering in his rejection of vegerables. He ordered food for friends, day or night, often picking up the tab. He was a sports encyclopedia and never met a prank or a person he did not like. He had dle uncanny ability roweave humor into serious situations and always looked for ways to lift the spirits of others. "He was the most loving, caring, compassionate person I ever met. Ever," a friend said. Andrew's first word was, "Elly." Speak- ing at his memorial service, Elly said, "... I know he is laughing, and on occasion danc- ing. I thank God for blessing my life so much with Andrew. My best brother and my best friend." Contributions in Andrew's memory may be made to the Andrew K. Dwyer Founda- tion, 532 Cantiroe Rd, Bedford, NY 10506. Clifford R. Oviatt Jr., Organized Lobstermen Clifford R. "Dick" OvianJr. of Hilton Head Plantarion, S.c. died Sepr. 24, 2002 ar Hilton Head Medical Center and Clinics. He was 76. An attorney who specialized in labor management, Mr. Oviatt was appointed to a 1989-1993 term on the National Labor Re- lations Board by President George Bush. Me. Oviatt and his family summered on Fishers Island during the 1960s and 1970s. "Fishers Island lost a great friend with the death of Dick Ovian," said longtime friend and summer resident Ed Goss. "The lobstermen were among his earliest friends on the Island, and he convinced them to put aside their differences and form the Fishers Island Lobstermen's A5sociation." The Oviatts first came to Fishers Island at the recommendation of Me. Goss. They rented the Goss house with the Bourons, and the three families remained close friends. After a few years, the Oviatts bought Dick Foyle's house. "My husband loved ro play golf and enjoyed the water and the beach. He particu- larly loved fishing and became friends with Francis Doyen. One of Dick's best memories was hauling in fish at Race Rock. It was a wonderful time on Fishers Island," said Me. Oviatt's wife of 51 years, Diana Oviatt. Mr. Oviatt served in the Guadacanal Pacific campaign with the Sixth Marine Di- vision where he was decorated for combat valor. After his military duty, he played mi- nor league baseball in the Boston Red Sox organization. A graduate of Wesleyan University and Cornell University Law School, Mr. Oviatt Conti"ued on page 14 14 Fishers Island Gazene . Spn"ng 2()()3 John Carsten Harper The Rev. Dr. John Carsten Harper, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church on Fishers Island from 1978-1996 died Sept. 13,2002 in Washington D.C. aftersuffering a heart attack while undergoing knee surgery. He was 78. Mr. Harper preached to eight presi- dents during his three decades [1963-1993] as rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington D.C., the "Church of the Presi- dents," on Lafayette Square across from the White House. According to an obituary in The Lon- don Times, Mr. Harper" ...wasa member of the East Coast establishment...and very much at ease with presidents, archbishops and senior members of the Democratic and Republican administrations. "But there was another side to him, instilled by his father, an Episcopal minister in a blue-collar parish in Massachusetts, who refused to buy a car because his parishioners were too poor to own one. "When [Mr.] Harper was offered St. John's, very much a society church, he made it a condition that the practice of renting pews to wealthy members of the congrega- tion must end. It was a controversial move that upset conservative members but helped open the church to a wider community, with more emphasis on feeding, clothing and hous- ing the needy and helping drug addicts and alcoholics." A complex man, Me. Harper knew struggle in his own life, said the Rr. Rev. Peter James Lee, Bishop of Virginia in a homily preached at Mr. Harper's Sept. 18, 2002 memorial service in Washington. "John wrestled with his own demons of alcohol, ambition and ambiguity, and found in the struggle grace to help other strugglers," Bishop Lee said. "From his 1974 book, Sunday, A Ministers Story, John said: 'I am more drawn to the lives of people who have suffered and sometimes been defeated than to those physical and spiritual athletes who go through life without any apparent misgiv- ings, mistakes or serious defeats.' "What we see in the life and ministry of John Carsten Harper is evidence of a faithful struggle, evidence of one who was sympa- thetic to human weakness and pain and able to bring into the shadows of life the light of Christ, more radiant because of its authentic acceptance oflife as it is." A tough, independent-minded church- man who tried to remain politically neutral, Mr. Harper supported the liberal wing of the Church on issues of women priests and gay rights and, during the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, when tear gas swirled around Lafayette Square, he opened the church as a refuge for protesters. Sometimes criticized that his ministry Photo courtesy of Barbara Harper JOHN CARSTEN HARPER was compromised by his image as a society rector, Mr. Harper used his network of con- nections to raise money for multiple commu- nity service outreach organizations and had recently raised tens of thousands of dollars to support the International Study Center at Canrerbury Carhedral in England. He had preached at most of the main London churches and was probably better known in England than any other American Episcopal C. R. Oviatt Jr. Contilluedfrom page 13 was a partner in the Connecticut law firm. Cummings and Lockwood. He lived in Con- necticut for 30 years and moved his family to Virginia in 1981. He was a former senior partner at McGuire Woods of Washington D.C. The Oviatts sold their house on Fishers Island one year after moving to Virginia, transferring family gatherings to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Me. Oviatt is survived by his wife Diana "Di" Johnson Oviatt; four children and 10 grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be sent to priest. Mr. Harper brought his ideas of com- munity outreach to Fishers Island as well. He was the driving force behind putting St. John's on a firm financial footing and en- couraged the church to develop outreach programs, which today offer generous college scholarships to children of Island residents. Mr. Harper started preaching on Fishers Island one Sunday a month in the 1960s, anerT om McCance Sr., a parishioner of Mr. Harper's in Bedford. recommended him to then-rector Arthur "Tui" Kinsolving. AFtercontinuingin that monthly capacity for 18 years, Mr. Harper was selected to sllcceed the Rev. Peter Sturtevant, who had followed Mr. Kinsolving. For the month of July, the Harpers lived in the then-rectory, the easternmost of the Munnatawket Cottages, commonly re- ferred to as the Three Sisters. Somewhat aloof, Mr. Harperenjoyed the contemplative pleasures of walking, sitting on the beach and reading on the porch overlooking Fishers Island Sound. Born July 17, 1924 in Winthrop,Mass., Mr. Harper served in the Navy in the South Pacific during WWII. He graduated from Harvard University in 1946 and from what is now Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass. in 1953. As a young man, he taught at the Taft School in Connecticut, and upon ordination in 1953, served parishes in Provi- dence, R.I.; Foxboro, Mass.; aod Bedford, developinga reputation as an engaging speaker and a disciplined administrator. Mr. Harper is survived by his wife of 49 years, Barbara Quarles Harper of Washing- ton, three children and 10 grandchildren. ~ Habitat for Humanity, All Saints Episcopal Church, 3001 Meeting St, Hilton Head Is- land, SC 29926. Send obituaries to: Fishers Island Gazette Obituaries PO Box 573 Fishers Island NY 06390 KA THARINE WILMERDING Katharine Wilmerding Katharine "Kitty" Salvage Wilmerding died Jan. 24 at home in Oyster Bay aftcr a brief illness. She was 89. Mrs. Wilmcrding was devoted to family and friends, and her keen mind and lively imagination enriched the lives of those she loved. An avid reader with a par- ticular interest in history. "Granny" faithfully at- tended her grandchildren's and stcp- grandchildren's school and sport- ing events and was a constant presence in the lives of her fam- ily. To engage her young grandchildren's love of history. she wrote for their first trip (0 England. A Mi- crowave Version '~ .. f .1~ t.,; .\ \ 't-- -L . ~, of English History. Later, on a more adult level, she weare a short history of the Polk family dedicated to her nine Polk grand- children. Mrs. Wilmerding's spirit was always positive and upbeat in spite of having lost two husbands by the age of 52. Her sense of fun infected and influenced people of all ages. Mrs. Wilmerding was the daughter of Sir Samuel and Lady Salvage, who for many years owned the Wilmcrding property on the point at Hay Harbor. Lady Salvage first came to Fishers Island with her siblings before the [Urn of the 20,h cemury. staying in one of Winifred Clark's houses. Seven Gables or The Anchorage. She married Sir Samuel in 1908, and they would often steam up [0 Fishers Island from Long Island on their yacht, The Colleen. By 1930, the Mononono Inn adjacem [0 the Salvage property had fallen into disre- pair, so Sir Samuel purchased the hotel and irs six cottages and arranged for their re- moval. Prior [0 the razing, however, the Salvages gave a party, now a staple of Island lore, to which guests were invited to bring hatchets and axes to initiate the demolition. Mrs. Wilmerding spent happy child- hood summers on Fishers Island, and after hcr marriage [0 Frank Polk in 1934, contin- ued [0 summer with him at the Lodge, a house on her parems' propcrty. Ten ycars after Mr. Polk's death in 1952, she married John Wilmerding, who died four years later. Mrs. Wilmerding had not summered on the Island in many years but often visited her family here. Known for her mis- chievous sense of hu- mor and dar- ing practical jokes, Mrs. Wilmerding is fondly re- membered for the most famous joke of all, that of "the world's most traveled golfbal!." One of Mrs. Wil- merding's fa- Photo courtesy of Sam Polk vorite pas- times was hunting for golf balls at the Fishers Island Club golf course with friends AI and Jane Foote. One summer. Mrs. Wilmerding and Mr. Foote .\"prillg 2003. Fishers Island Ga1.ene 15 spotted a golf ball in the rough along the sixth fairway. They each homcd in on thc ball, claiming ownership, until they saw rhat it had a large gash on one side, at which point they magnanimously offered the ball to the other. Thus began the longest practical joke on record. For years, the two mysteri- ously exchanged rhe ball at the most unex- pccted places. For exam pic: The U.S. ambassador [0 Russia handed the ball to Mr. Foote during an embassy party in Moscow; the Princeton Tiger delivered the ball to Mrs. Wilmerding during half-time at a Yale-Princeton football game; Mr. Foote discovered the ball as he carved Thanksgiving turkey and spooned it out with the stuffing; and Mrs. Wilmerding awokc onc morning in her hotel room in Italy to find the ball on her bedside table. The hall reportedly disappeared on a subsequent de- livery to Russia. The golf ball's notoriety increased with its travels, and a silver replica, including the large gash. is currently in the golf museum at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Sr. Andrcws, Scotland, with the caption. "The most traveled golf ball in the world." Mrs. Wilmerding is survived by three sons, Frank, Sam and Bill Polk; three step- children, John and Jimmy Wilmerding and Lila Kirkland; two sisters, Magdelaine S. Anthony and Margaret S. Taliaferro; nine grandchildren; and six step-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Island Health Project, PO Box 344, Fishers Island NY 06390 or to the H.L. Ferguson Museum, Fishers Island NY 06390. ~ 01. ;:;..'t ~'~~i;:::r "'--- ~ 't',...~ ~ -. . St. John's Church and Fishers Island library two days after the Feb. 17 blizzard. J 6 Fi.~"ers Island Gaune . Spring l(J(jJ Tornassina Arasirnowicz Tomassina Arasimowicz died at home on Fishers Island last October 2002. She was 85. A longtime member of the Fishers Is- land community, "Aunt Massina" was inde- pendent, generous to a fault and devoted to her family. Born Nov. 27, 1917 in Monti Parizo, Photo courtesy 01 Patty Faulkner TOMASSINA ARASIMOWICZ Italy, Mrs. Arasimowicz was the daughter of Nazireno and Mary Pacciotti Oliveri. Her family came to Fishers Island when she was a small girl, and her father began work as a gardener for the Tilford family. After a num- ber of years, Mrs. Arasimowicz moved to Hartford, Conn., where she lived with family friends and graduated from hairdressing school. When her father died, she returned to Fishers Island to care for her mother. Back on the Island, she met widower and longtime Gtey Gulls employee, John Chestnut. He had infotmally adopted that surname, because no one could pronounce Arasimowicz. In later years, Mrs. Arasimowicz used the Chestnut name selectively, on her subscription to TV Guide, for example. They married in February 1969 after a courting period that consisted mainly of fishing dates, which Mrs. Arasimowicz al- ways said she thoroughly enjoyed. Mrs. Arasimowicz worked at Sinclair Pharmacal Co. until her rctirement in 1994, the same year, apparently, that she bought her last boule of aspirin. Known for her aversion to doctors and mcdicine, Mrs. Arasimowicz clearly needed pain relief after she fell in September 2002. Her niece, Patty Faulknet, helped open the bottle of Bayet@, which had expired eight years earlier. Determined not [0 endure follow-up radiation treatments and not to stopsmoking after an operation for throat cancer, Mrs. Arasimowicz knew the dangers and made her decision. She busied herself with crossword puzzles and tending her linle strip of garden, where everything flourished. Her one fear, however, was storms, "I remember walking imo her house one day, and she was sprinkling water on the win- dows. I asked her why, and she said it was Holy Water. She felt it would protect her," said Mrs. Faulkner in a eulogy. "We would like [0 thank all who were so kind [0 Aum Massina over the years. Your thoughtfulness meant so much to her," said nieces Mary Anne Alfieri and Mrs. Faulkner. Mrs. Arasimowicz is survived by two sistcrs, Mary and Nora, and many nieces and nephews. Gerald J. Carroll M.D., Summered Since 1950s Getald J. Cartoll M.D. of Baltimore, Md. died Nov. 3, 2002 at Greater Balti- more Medical Cemer after a long illness. He was 83. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Dr. Carroll graduated from Brooklyn Prep and Georgetown University, where he was cap- tain of the crew team. After graduating from Georgetown Medical School, Dr. Carroll was an intern and resident at St. Vincem's Hospital, New York City. During WWII, Dr. Carroll served as ship's physician aboard the USS Ballou and was honorably discharged with the rank of captain. After a two-year residency in anesthesia at Bellevue Hospital in New Yark, Dr. Carroll began work in Norwich, Conn. as Director and Chairman of Anesthesia at the William Backus Hospital and as a staff member at Uncas on Thames Hospital. As his career progressed, he became Chief of Anesthesia at St. Agnes Hospital in Catonsville, Md. and later Chief of Anesthe- sia at St. Joseph's Hospital in Towson, Md. before retiring in 1989. Dr. Carroll heard about Fishers Island while in Norwich and began renringsummer homes here in the late 1950s. He eventually bought Ann O'Shea's shingle-style house across from Duck Pond as a Valenrine's gift for his wife, Dorothy. "We would come for the summers in the late 1960s, and Dad would fly up every weekend and take off the month of August," said son, Kevin Carroll. Dr. Carroll was a longtime member of the Fishers Island Yacht Club. He loved sailing Bullseyes, often with next door neigh- bor William Glendon. "Dad was always playing golf," Mr. Carroll said. "Bur more than anything, he loved to sit on the porch and watch his children and grandchildren come and go. He also loved watching us fish at the Race. "The consensus is that he was one of those guys who talked least and said most. He didn't talk a lot, bur when he said some- thing, he meant it." Dr. Carroll was the youngest president of Connecticut's Anesthesia Society. He was appointed by Maryland Gov. Marvin Mandel to the Board of Governors for the Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Co., where he served as vice chairman and later as rhe company's president. He also served as presi- dent of the Maryland and DC Society of Anesthesiologists. Dr. Carroll was predcceased by two sons, Gerald J. Carroll and John Gregory Carroll. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Dorothy C. (Cutsail) Carroll; a daughter, Maura E. Doucerre of Baltimore and a son, Kevin F. Carroll of Owings Mills, Md.. and seven grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be sent to US Lacrosse Inc, 113 W University Pkwy, Baltimore MD 21212, in support of the Gerald J. Carroll Jr. "Exemplary Coach- ingAward." o '0 ~ 0. ~ " or i F.1. Utility~o. u Elizabeth F. Husband Elizabeth F. Husband died Nov. 17. 2002 at Four Spear Ranch, her home in Cochise, Ariz. She was 92. AlongtimesummerresiJent, Mrs. Hus- band lived in a large house with sweeping views of Long Island Sound. Her quiet generosity was often unnoticed by the scores of people who regu- larly park their cars on her property while playing golf across the street at the Hay Harbor Club golf course. She also provided lodg- ingforthe "mosquito girls," :: who live each summer in & c the small cottage halfuray ~ up the Husband driveway. ~ Mrs. Husband was ~ , born Jan. 14, 1910, the 8 o daughter of Rose (Hayden) 2 ~ and William Shirley Fulton of Waterbury, Conn. She graduated from Miss Poner's School in Farmington, Conn., class of 1927. A friend and Yale classmate of Harry Ferguson. Mr. Fulton brought his family to Fishers Island as part of a nucleus of Yale graduates who summered together and wanted their children to get to know one another. The group stayed at the Mansion House Hotel, but the Fultons eventually bought property near Simmons Castle. They later purchased a home on the West End after deciding that the East End was too far from town and too far from the 60-ft. yacht June J(lh that Mr. Fulton had given to his wife. During the course of many trips to Ari- zona, beginning in 1906, Me. Fulton devel- oped an archaeological interest in the area and throughout the 1920s, regularly traveled to the mountains, canyons and mesa country looking for archaeological sites. On one excursion, he heard of Texas Canyon with its boulder formations, rugged vistas and rumors of prehistoric agricultural villages. Mr. Fulton purchased the property for his FF Ranch (later the Amerind founda- tion) in 1930, built a home and began exca- vating archaeological sites on his ranch prop- erty. Today, the Amerind Foundation con- tinues to pursue archaeological research into the American Southwest and Northern Mexican prehistory. Mrs. Husband bought Arizona's Cochise Hotel & Gift Shop to save it from demoli- tion. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A second floor room in Mrs. Husband's Fishers Island home regularly served as an informal gift shop filled with items that she would bring from Cochise. Mrs. Husband enjoyed taking pictures with her ever-present camera. She was also an avid reader and actively supported several librar- ies, maintaining an ongo- ing interest in historical properties and their pres- ervation. She participated in Children Research Ine. and sponsored two Euro- peanchildren under its fos- ter parent plan. Just before leaving for Arizona last September, Mrs. Husband insisted on walking unaided down the path to Isabella. She spent about 20 minutes sitting on the rocks, enjoying a final visit to the beach. A5 one of the oldest living graduates of Miss Porter's School, Mrs. Husband was extremely disappointed not to have had the strength to attend a reunion at the school last fall. She died not long after returning to Arizona. Mrs. Husband was a member of the Amerind Foundation Board of Directors in addition to other organizations including the Cattleman's Association, Willcox Cowbells, Mayflower Society and the Santa Catalina Corral of Westerners International. She was also vice president of the Board of Directors of the Henry L. Ferguson Museum. Mrs. Husband was the widow of Ken- neth E. Gunter and Thomas B. Husband. She was also predeceased by a brother, Wil- liam Hayden Fulton, and a daughter, Sherry Gunter Adams. Mrs. Husband is survived by two step- sons, Michael and Timothy Husband; five grandchildren, William, Rosemary, David, Steven and Kenneth Adams; six great-grand- children; four step-grandchildren; a step- great-granddaughter, and several nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to the Amerind Foundation Inc, Dragoon AZ 85609; or Charles William Leighton Jr Hospice, 319 W Grant St Ste A, Willcox AZ 85643. ELIZABETH HUSBAND .\/Jring 2(}(}3. Fi~her.~ Idand Gazene 17 Helen Kavanagh Longtime Island resident Helen Kavanagh died Sept. 21, 2002 during a brief stay at Beechwood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in New London. Mrs. Kavanagh was born in Mt. Car- mel, Pa., the daughter of Joseph and Anna Yanick. She married George Kavanagh in New York June 8,1937; he died in 1995. Mrs. Kavanagh spent her youth in New York City where she modeled furs and was a buyer for Abraham and Strauss. She came to Fishers Island in the late 1930s with her husband, who was looking for construction work after hearing that the Island was being developed. Initially, she summered on the Island, returning to Brooklyn for the winters but later moved here as a year-round resi- dent. Mrs. Kavanagh was a professional cook who was constantly developing new recipes. Soups were her specialty. She was also an avid gardener and took great pride the flower garden she tended at her Peninsula home. Her house was filled with so many plants that her husband often said it felt like he was "living in a jungle." Mrs. Kavanagh had many friends on Fishers Island who enjoyed her wit and brisk knowledge oflsland history. She was a communicant of Our Lady of Grace Church. Mrs. Kavanagh ~ is survived by a . ~ nephew, Alan ~ Chaplaski and a ~ niece, Dorothy ~ H, KAVANAGH Chaplaski and her husband, Louis Manzi, all of Stonington, Conn. Mrs. Kavanagh was predeceased by three brothers, Leon Yanick, Albert Chaplaski and Chester Chaplaski. Burial was in New St.John's Cemetery. " . . " .,~ u ~ ~ '0 S J 8 Fi.~lJers Islalld Gazene . Spring 2003 Flat Top Continu,d from pag' 7 trained to jump and found his niche in the amiable world of steeplechasing. "I especially enjoy the steeplechasing family. They are such a nice group of people, and everyone is friendly and happy," said Mrs. Gerry, who first rode a horse at the age of six or seven. "My father owned steeplechasers, and I've had both flat and steeplechasers," Mrs. Gerry said. "We all foxhunted, but sitting astride a horse never worked for me. My mother road side saddle and put me on side saddle when I was 12. I rode that way until I stopped riding at 55." Mrs. Gerry's deep love for horses, "just being around them," appears to supercede her interest in the competitive nature of the sport. That said, the National Steeplechase Association (NSA) recognized Mrs. Gerry as 2002 Champion Owner, wirh $250,431 earned by just two horses in eight starts. She also led a group of 12 owners who earned more than $100,000 in steeplechase races this year. In addition, Flat Top, who has won nine of 17 career starts ranks fourth in all- time earnings on the NSA list, with $593,806, and is only rhe sixth dual winner of the Colonial Cup. Flat Top's personality pointed him in the direction of steeplechasing from the be- ginning. "Flat racing and steeplechasing offer different lifestyles," said Ms. Elliott, who now trains 15 horses, down from her previ- ous 25. "Most hurdle horses live at someone's barn, and flat horses spend time in stables at a race track. Flat Top doesn't like being shut up in a stall. A farm has a more casual atmosphere, and he likes to be turned out in the paddocks with his friends. It's a much more relaxed lifestyle. "Flat Top is the best horse I have ever trained. He is exceptional, such a fantastic horse and so bloody brave. Five-year-old T res Touche never rattled him and neither did the conditions, which were soft. Wet or dry, he doesn't seem to mind, which makes him a very classy horse. Usually horses have a style of running, but he's adaprable, which is unusual. " As for next year's competition? "Prime racing age is three-to-infinity, but 14 is con- sidered old. You could say eight to 10 is prime, so Flat Top is a little past his prime," Ms. Elliott said. "I guesswe'II...just try to see what all the varying factors do, the horse, the ground, the weather, and just hopefully run him where we can and when he seems right." Steeplechasing originated in Ireland not far from the town where Ms. Elliott was born. The first steeplechase was run from the steeple at the church in Donerail to the steeple at Buttervant in County Cork. A steeplechase includes two kinds of jumping: timber and hurdle. Timber is post and rail jumping, and hurdles are plastic bushes with foam rubber rolls in front. Most flat races run, on average, from six furlongs to one and one-quarter miles. But a steeplechase starts at two miles. [The Colo- nial Cup is two-and-three-quarter-miles.] "Some horses don't like to run short and fast; they like a longer, steadier race. You have to find out a horse's niche in life," Ms. Elliott said. New Fire Chief The old guard has returned. Robert E. Wall has been named chief of the Fishers Island Fire Department. It is a job that recycles personnel. Mr. Wall counts about 17 years on and off as fire chief. Ladd Cottage, Circa 1805 Absolutely one of the most adorable cottages in the Village. Recent renovations have only enhanced its charm. Re- modeled kitchen accom- modates the chef and the sous-chef! This well- loved gem is in great condition, has seasonal water views and is lo- cated less than a mile from the beach. It offers 9 rooms, including 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, large dining room and sunroom. Roof, insula- tion and thermopane windows are recent im- provements. $385,000 _. ....4' ^ .,. -~~-. Doyen. McBride REALTORS@ 860.434.5838 ~ 631.788.7303 .f;'pring 1(J(J3. Fishers /s/alld Gazette 19 ATOP CLAY POINT Architecturally distinctive Contemporary with breathtaking panoramic views from four terraces. Rich cyprus and antique brick exterior. Walls of windows affording marvelous light. Twelve beautifully appointed main rooms. Entrance Hall with circular oak staircase with wrought iron balustrade. Living Room and Dining Room both with Fireplaces. Four Master Bedrooms. Pine paneled Recreation Room. Dark Room. Four Bedroom Staff Quarters. Heated Swimming Pool. Three car Garage. Six acres on one of Clay Point's highest elevations with sweeping view of the Connecticut Coast & Fishers Island Sound. $1,695,000 -,--- ---- -~ .. . ,. . .... ON BARLOW POND Over one acre of level land with easy access. A fabulous building site or long-term investment to acquire now for a future generation. $310,000 PARADE GROUNDS Recently refurbished first floor Pied-a-Terre. Approximately 1900 square feet with new Eat-in Kitchen, Living Room with Fireplace, Three Bedrooms plus Large Sleeping Porch. Hall Bath and Powder Room. Basement Storage Space. $299,000 tft:t Ginnel Real Estate ~ (631) 788-7805 Thomas H.C. Patterson, Broker Associate Box 258, Fishers Island, NY 06390 www.ginnel.com . e-mail: ginnell@aol.com 20 Fishers Island Gaune. Spring 2003 rn~st:fc IsLe ReaLL~ fnc. -t=isber<s Island, n,;y. 06390 631-788-7882 www.mysticislerealty.com ~ "" ~~ Built for the Lamont duPont family in the early 19505 and located on 6 acres with sweeping views of Fishers Island Sound, this brick and cypress home includes 4 bedrooms with baths and lovely entertaining spaces, including a large solarium and paneled recreation room. All rooms have stunning water views. Additional bedrooms are in a staff wing. The house is winterized. has an arrached 3-car garage and an extremely arrractive heated pool. A separate legal building site is part of the G-acre parcel. $1,G95,000. (Ginnellisting) Undeveloped land Parcels Chocomount Beach. Approximately) 50 fect of direct waterfront with sweeping views of beach and Block Island Sound. Certainly one of the most desirable undeveloped sites co come on the market in years. Inquiries welcomed from environmentally sensitive po- tential buyers. --------- Near Big Club golf course. 2.9 acres in very desirable pan of the Island. Probably no water views, but a nice-sized wooded and very private site. Asking $225,000. --------- Barlow Pond. Strong views over the pond with easy access to utilities. Much of the building and DEe permitting has been obtained. This charming one-acre site is offered at $310,000. --------- East End. Two separate and contiguous building sires offered as a package at $275,000. Probably no warer views but extremely appealing area of the Island with great trees and din roads for walking. BAGLEY REID' Broker Outside decks command stunning distant views over the Island from this architecturally intriguing contemporary. The house, on several different levels. includes a large living/dining room, 4 bedrooms with marble-fitted baths, and a solarium with 20-ft. ceilings and a 60- ft. indoor lap pool. The house is situated on 2.5 naturally landscaped acres overlooking Bacleyfield Pond. Partially furnished and fully winterized with taxes of approx. $10,000. Asking price $1,900.000. This two bedroom winterized cottage has a great deal of porential. There is a small living room, reasonably up-to-date kitchen. outside porch and full basement. House appears sound and has a good-sized attic space that could be used for expansion. Located on approx. 1/3 acre, including garage with off~street parking. Recently reduced to $250,000, plus commission to be paid by purchaser. Taxes approx. $1,300. SUE HORN' Salesperson Spring 21m3. Fishers is/arid Gazette 2/ . ----~ - New Listings BAGLEY REID. Broker SUE HORN. Salesperson www.mysticislerealty.com Delightful late 19th century shingled cottage located on approx. one-quarter acre in close proximity to all Island services and activities. This house is a perfect spot for a summer or year-round family. Spacious and rambling. the first floor includes a good-sized living room, bright and sunny bedroom with adjoining small bed chamber or sitting room, halfbath and large kitchen/dining room area. The second floor has 4 ample bedrooms and 3 baths. Numerous closets and second floor laundry are additional plus points. The house is fully winterized and is to be sold mostly furnished. Asking price $700,000 with reasonable taxes of approx. $3000. Early 20th century bungalow design surrounded by tall privet hedges. This house is situated at one corner of the nearly one-acre property, and its very large side yard makes it hard to realize that one has nearby neighbors. The ground floor has a generous living room with fireplace. large dining room with adjoining and very appealing sunroom, an updated kitchen, 3 bedrooms and 3 baths, and several enclosed porch areas. There are 2 bedrooms and a half-bath on the second floor. The house is winterized and has a partial basement and separare garage/srorage building. Offered ar $685,000 with taxes approx. $3200. rnd's"tfc IsLe ReaLt:d' fnc, 22 f'ishers /sla"d Gazette. Spring 2003 Ba<<:L. in TiDle... Sil"er Eel Pond T ran..for...ed This is the first in a series of articles about [,/and history. often detailing the e!fict past decisions have had on present day Island life. By Pierce Rafferty You are standing on the deck of the MV Race Point as it glides smoothly past the jetty into Silver Eel Pond. As you look back, however, the watery emrance closes, and you become land-locked in what was once a brackish pond frequented primarily by eel- hunting fisherman. To understand how Silver Eel Pond was transformed from an eel fisherman's delight into one of Fishers Island's primary harbors, the clock must be turned back to the end of the 19th century, a time of frenetic military activity and popular panic. In the mid-1890s, the government hur- riedly implemented plans for a series of forts that stretched across the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound. The outbreak of the Spanish-American War in the spring of 1898 spurred calls for coast defenses and caused panic in the cities of the East. By the fall of 1898, just after the conclusion of hostilities with Spain, the U.S. government succeeded in purchasing 216 acres at the western tip of Fishers Island for fortification purposes. The sellers of all but one of those acres were Edmund and Walton Ferguson, the princi- pal owners of Fishers Island. Construction of the fort and its facilities began immediately. One of the government's first tasks on Fishers Island was to find a suitable location for a wharf and dock. The three major docks already in civilian use on Fishers Island were the Munnatawket Dock near the entrance to West Harbor, the Mansion House Dock on West Harbor near today's Yacht Club dock, and the Brick Yard dock on the far side of West Harbor. All three were too distant to be of use to the military. Major Smith S. Leach, the Corps of Engineers' officer in charge of the region's defenses, wrote to the Chief of Engineers: "Cutting into Silver Eel Pond is proposed, because it is not only cheaper than to build a dock out into the Sound, but affords a per- fectly land-locked harbor in which vessels can lie and discharge in any weather." While everyone agreed with his assess- ment, there was a bothersome detail that threatened to upset Major Leach's plan: the government owned less than half of Silver Eel Pond, with the Ferguson brothers owning the balance. The chief of engineers wrote Major FISHERS I SLAN D Leach: "Is it possible that the proposed dredg- ing will interfere with any use of the pond which the adjoining owners might enjoy?" Major Leach, never a stickJer for indi- vidual property rights, assured his superiors that all would be fine as long as the dredging took place on the government side of the pond. He insisted that: "... nothing will be done that can affect the private interests in the pond, except that by opening it to the sea, its surface will rise and fall with the tide. Its natural level is higher than average high tide, so that when opened to tidal flow, its surface will rarely. if ever, be higher than now, but generally lower." [Emphasis added] It was not an argument that many today would find particularly convincing, but it worked in the wake of rhe Spanish-American War. Major Leach received quick approval from Washington and work crews began the pteliminary curs to open Silver Eel Pond late in December 1898. When the channel was fully dredged in February 1899. Edmund and Walton Ferguson suddenly found them- selves the owners of a "pond" that rose and fell with the tides. They perhaps got a degree of satisfaction when they sold the govern- ment their portion of Silver Eel along with some adjoining land in 1908. Continued on page 23 Official New York State Auto Inspection Station CARCO@ INSPECTION Fuel Oil Gasoline Propane Party Ice Diesel Service M@bir FUll SERVICE STATION When you're in trouble, who are you going to call? E. Riley, station manager 631-788-7311 · 631-788-5543, fax · Emergency only: 788-7178 Silver Eel Pond Sprillg Z003 . Fishers J.~lalld Gazette 23 Corltinuedfrom page 22 Silver Eel remained in military control until the late 19405 when Fort Wright was put on inactive status. In 1948. the newly- formed Fishers Island Ferry District began using Silver Eel Pond as the primary docking area for ferries. switching ferry service from the West Harbor area. h has remained at Silver Eel ever since. Ne~s Clip: 1899 A Naugatuek [Conn.} Daily News article recounts the tragic fizte of the original inhabi- tants ofSi/ver Eel Pond. It is reprinted here in its entirety. with originalspelling andgrammar: "SILVER EELS BECOMING SCARCE Salt Water Drives Them from Famous Pond at Fisher's Island" New Haven-March 23 [1899]-The fa- mous silver eels of Fisher's Island will soon be no more. Silver Eel pond is known to most fishermen and sportsmen in this vicinity. It is located on this side of Fisher's Island some way back of the Munnatawket house. I t is quite a large body of water and a peculiar kind of eels have made their home in it. Silver eels are long and thin, with a white stripe running under- neath. They are not better eating, although some persons prefer them to the regular salt water eels. Since the govern- ment began to build fortifications on the is- land many changes have been made. a. Among other things a ~ chan nel has been cut ~ " about 70 feet wide ~ from the sound into ~ ~ Silver Eel pond, a dis- z tance of perhaps 70 feet. Then a wharf was built at one side of the pond. The bank was abrupt and little work was required to make a wharf with 12 feet of water. The pond was dredged so it affords a fine harbor and land- ing place for boats bringing supplies and materials for government work. The tapping of the sea salt water into the brackish waters of Silver Eel pond, and the silver striped inmates of the pond could not stand the change. Some sought to escape by way of the channel, others remained. A fish- ".,._u......""""'...._.. _......--'''-~,--~- - --- "'"' . Silver Eel Pond while it was still a "pond." Boundary(enlarged inset) separates east half of pond, owned by the Fergusons, and west half, owned by the U.S. government, which dredged a channel to the Sound. erman crossing the pond lately saw dozens of eels lying at rhe bottom with their silver stripes uppermost, showing that they were dead. Other fishermen, spearing for eels in Little Hay harbor, have brought up silver eels from out of the mud, or in dying condition. They no doubt were some of the number which had left the pond by way of the chan- nel and had dug into the mud to escape the briny water of the sound. ISLAND HARDWARE More than just locks and hinges SERV,:iTIIR@ 788-7233 r"'"'M Benjami~ oore @ "-- PAINTS ~ 24 Fishers Is/and Gazelle. Spring 2003 the beach plum po box 664 fishers iSland,ny 06390 (631)788-7731 Sound Home Inspections, Inc. "Professional home inspection, from basemellt to chimney" Tom Morgan Nononolly Certified, American Society of Home Inspectors #5535 Connecticut Ucense #H01.234 Fully Insured 20 years' experience Over 5,000 homes inspected . On-site computer generated reports . Specializing in older homes and commercial structures 860-445-1236 fax 860-572-9148 .""'''''''''''.. ( . l %...,- '"./ llllIlU\\" PO Box 393. Mystic CT 06355 www.soundhomeinspections.com "The On Time Airline" -L1c1ion V'~ - Twin and Turbine ~ .(ngine... - . " --"JI~~~~ Ctiartep.:~.e~ . .... =---- -~ ~ - RESERVATIONS and INFORMATION 1- 800-243-8623 1- 860-448-1646 24-hr. Emergency Service )t(""l\""~,,,,~~ !!! - , introducing. . M~in" Cott~~E' 160 designs, 10 1 fabrics & 40 lovely colors }b~~' f~~~d~Y~3P~~'~n Spring lOtJ3. Fi~lJers Isla"d Gazette 25 Green ThougLts By Leila Hadley Luce Where did tulips, heralds of spring, originate? Surprise. Not Holland. The hardy single-colored scarlet, yellow or white bo- tanicals, which comprise the 120 or so wild species of the genus Tulipa, come from Asia Minor and the Mediterranean regions. They extend west into Spain, and east into China's Tien Shan mountains, and Japan. Horticul- tural consultant and garden writer Scon D. Appell says they have "an outstandingly wide geography," and that "there is a word for 'tulip' in practically every language in the world." The name, tulip, comes from the Latin tuHpa, a Latinized corruption of the Arabic word for turban, du/band, signifying the shape of the flower. Because the Turkish word for tulip, /ale, contains the same letters used in Arabic script to write Allah, the tulip was venerated by the Turk... as a sacred flower symbolic of perfection and eternity, the most holy of flowers, a talisman of protection believed to be the only flower accompanying the Ottoman Turks as they swept westward from Asia into Europe. Tulips entered Eu- rope in the 16,h century from the court of the Turkish sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and quickly rose to the status of royal favorites in English and Dutch gardens. !..i\ Tulips belong to the Ii/iauae, Of lily family, which includes hostas, hyacinths, daylilies and crocuses, as well as aspara- gus, onions, garlic and chives. Many other bulbs and flowers are toxic, but tulip bulbs are ed- ible. In the late 16,h century, Carolus Clusius (Charles de I: l.'Eseluse), a Flemish botanist ',I' who did more than anyone to popularize the tulip, [0 des c rib e, catalog and understand the flower, sampled some rulip bulbs that had been preserved in sugar as sweetmeats, and declared them far tastier than orchids. Tulip bulbs nevercaught on as delicacies, but they were consumed in ~ quantities by the Nazi-threatened Dutch during the hungry wimer they suffered at the end of World War II. By the 17'h century, the largest concen- tration of tulip enthusiasts could be found in the Netherlands. The Dutch merchant class and their backers were enormously better off than most of their contemporaries in En- gland, France or the Empire, and their riches fueled the acquisition ofluxuries of all kinds from magnificent houses to paintings [0 rare tulips, making possible the munificence of the Golden Age enjoyed in the Dutch Republic berween 1600 and 1670. At this time, the most popular tulips were streaked red or pink on white petals, purple or lilac on white petals, or red, purple, or brown on yel- low. It was the patterns, the feather or flame shapes or borders that excited gardeners. To understand the rulip craze that followed, one has to understand how differ- ent tulip cultivars were from every other flower known to horticuhuralists in the 17'h century. Brilliantly defined, the tulips' colors were more intense than those of ordi- nary plants: red became incandescent scarlet; plum became a velvety shade of almost-black. A single-colored tulip one year that bloomed the next with an eye-catching array of colors, patterns or stripes was said [0 be "broken" (broken away from its former image). "Broken" tulips, streaked with strong colors, were also referred to as Rembrandt tulips, as Rembrandt van Rijn and other artists were fond of painting them. The most highly prized were the "broken" varieties that displayed their contrasting colors in slender stripes that ran along the center of the edges of their petals, or in colored feathering as delicate as a dragonfly's gossamer wings. Because these superb vari- eties were scarce, they were cov- eted, expensive and increasingly lu- crative to grow. Choice bulbs served as currency when financiers speculated on tulip futures, and rare bulbs were traded for grand houses, large estates and for- tunes, as bulb prices soared astronomi- cally. The feverish boom in tulip trading, the hysterical obsession de- scribed as "Tulipomania," lasted rom 1634 until the crash in 1637 when the government forbade further specu- lation. By then, the Dutch had become so skilled in growing and hybridizing tulips that they offset domestic catastrophe by develop- ingan export business that hasenjoyed domi- nance in the international trade since 1650. The ironyof the tulip mania was that the most coveted tulips, the most elaborately or delicately colored, whose contrasting streaks and flares of pigment made each bloom a living canvas, were infected with a virus, apparently unique to tulips. This virus caused the astonishing intensity and the variations in colors and patterns that collec- T ulipo::JVCania tors craved, yet at the same time weakened the bulb, cut- tingshort the life of the tulip. The mystery of "break- ing" remained unsolved until well into the 20th century when the John Innes Horticul- turallnstitution in London identified the aphid-carried disease, termed the mosaic virus, and celebrated its demise, the flo- rists' equivalent of eliminating small- pox. The famed "broken" varieties of tulips and their successors, doomed to flourish for only a short time, have mostly died out. Only the Rembrandt varieties available today are sus- pected of still harboring the mosaic virus, and it is advisable to keep these bulbs away from larger hybrids for this reason, as well as for appearance and style. Today, flared and flamed tulips are pro- duced by painstaking crossbreeding. The flower lover of Clusius's day had only a handful of species to enjoy, but now close [0 6000 different tulips have been bred, cata- loged and described. Among them are mag- nificent, large Darwin hybrids with a satin sheen, derived from crosses between T. flsteriana and T. greigii and the Darwin tu- lips; the lily-flowered tulips flowering in late spring with long, pointed, graceful petals; and the late spring Viridiflora tulips, whose white petals are flushed with emerald green. Many of the finest species and the ances- tors of some of the most recent hybrids come from Russian Turkestan. They include eich/eri, flsteriana, greigii and kaufinanniana. Almost all of these cultivars originate from areas that have cold winters without letup, short warm springs with plenty of moisture from snow melt, and long hot, dry summers during which the bulbs are dormant. Because rainy spells can rot dormant bulbs, many gardeners go to the trouble of lifting bulbs in summer and replanting them in autumn. Tulips require plenty of water in the springtime, when they are storing food for Conti"u,d 011 pag' 36 26 Fishers Island Gazette. Spri1lg 2{)()] Long Island to deal with objections by Conn. and Montauk lobstermen. Lobster Chronology Contimted from page 4 F.1. statute under Commerce Clause of U.S. Constitution. Sept. 1998-Feb.1999: In lieu of legislation, FIC develops regulation creating lobster conservation zone and presses DEC to adopt it as an exercise of its extensive regulatory powers to conserve marine resources and protect fisheries. Afterfour months, FIC is told that the DEC will only do what it is required to do by the legislature. May 1999: After failing in her attempt to join Mr. Blumenthal's suit as an additional plaintiff, Mystic lobsterwoman Vivian Volovar brings a separate suit in the same court against the DEC officials, challenging the 1911 F.1. statute under the Privileges and Immunities and Equal Protection Clauses of the U.S. Constitution. June 1999: Federal District Court Judge Frederick J. Scullin dismisses Mr. Blumenthal's suit on the grounds that it is really a suit by Conn. against the State of N.Y. (not N.Y. officials), which can only be brought in the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Blumenthal appeals to the Circuit Court. Volovar suit continues in Scullin's court. July 1999: After meeting with FILA. Fie and FIDCO, the deputy DEC commissioner agrees that the DEC can create a conservation zone by regulation, acting under a recently extended statute authorizing it to establish special management areas around artificial and natural reefs and treating F.1. and its surrounding rocks as a single reef. FILA, FIC and FIDCO begin what turns out to be a two-year effort to work out terms with the DEC that would protect the F.l.lobster stock and the F.l.lobster industry and satisfy constitutional requirements. July 1000: Circuit Court reverses Judge Scullin's decision and returns Mr. Blumenthal's suit challenging 1911 F.1. statute to Albany District Court, where it proceeds alongside Ms. Volovar's suit. Feb. 200 I : Judge Scullin declares 1911 F.1. statute unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause. Conn. lobstermen flock back to F.1. waters, adding thousands of pots to those set by Montauk lobstermen. Prodded by the governor's office, N.Y. Atty. Gen. Eliot Spitzer appeals Judge Scullin's decision to the Circuit Court. Nov. S, 100 I: DEC and governor's office promulgate Fishers Island Special Management Area (FISMA) as an emergency regulation effective immediately. FISMA creates one-mile area around F.I., with 300-pot limit, two closed seasons and crucial "opt-in" provision that anyone electing to fish in FISMA must give up right to fish any other pots anywhere else. Nov. 9, 100 I: Mr. Blumenthal and Ms. Volovar file two new suits in Albany District Court challenging the constitutionality of FISMA under the Commerce Clause. Dec.1 3, 100 I: Judge Scullin enjoins FISMA on grounds that opt-in clause imposes a burden on interstate commerce in violation of Commerce Clause, but issues opinion suggesting how 300-pot limit could be implemented constitutionally. N.Y. does not appeal decision. Jan. 1001: A generally hostile panel of the Circuit Court hears argument on N.Y,'s appeal of Judge Scullin's Feb. 2001 decision holding the 1911 F.1. statute unconstitutional. FILA, FIC and the States of Maine, N.H. and R.1. make arguments as amici curiae. This appeal was still pending as of March 12. Jan.- Aug. 2002: FILA and Fie work with DEC to revise FISMA to satiSfy Judge Scullin's constitutional objections and adopt his suggestions. May-June 2002: DEC gives notice of revised FISMA regulation and holds hearing on "- ~' ... ... 1 . , , . Immature female lobster filled with eggs. Sept 1001: DEC signs off on revised FISMA, with 7S-pot limit for any permit holder (N.Y. or Conn.) and an extra 225 pots for anyone giving up right to fish outside FISMA, two closed seasons and other provisions tracking historic F.1. practices, and sends regulation to governor's office for promulgation. Dee. 1001: Governor's office blocks issuance of FISMA regulation, saying that there is a lack of scientific evidence to back it up (notwithstanding that the DEC's scientific experts had approved it, and the governor's office itself had signed off on it when it promulgated the emergency FISMA regulation). Mar. 1003: Still hoping for a favorable decision from the Circuit Court. Meanwhile. two F.l. lobstermen have been forced out and sold their boats. One has died. The Fishers Island stock has been depleted and a Connecticut lobsterman has been heard to complain that there ought to be some regulation of the number of pots in Fishers Island Sound. Betrayed by Pataki COfltillurd from page 4 Bryan said. "The lobster srock is fast being depleted, and one by one the Island lobstermen are being forced out. One of the Island's few remaining indigenous occupa- tions seems doomed. "The good deeds of our lobstermen in conserving their resource for future genera- tionswere punished by the plunderingof that resource by greedy commercial interests from Connecticut and Long Island after they cleaned ou[ their home waters. "In the end, Fishers Island, in close con- frontation with Connecticut, but isolated and remote from Albany and Long Island, did not havc cnough political clour to get anyone to care." o '0 ~ ~ < . . ~ . ~ < ~ . Fishers Island School Varsity Boys' Basketball Team: (l-r)Jeremy Ellis, Robert Blair, Ethan Bean, Rand Brothers, Graham Kuzia,Jeremy Doucette, Brendon ConroY,Joe Lamperelli, ConnerScace, Billy Bloethe, Mason Ho..n and Coach Dan Gillan. Spring 2(J(J.J. Fisher.~ Island Gazene 27 Dedicated to Profession Cmui"ued from page 5 size lobsters, the pots would still be full of immature ones. I'd throw them back, know- ing the lobsters were out there. But now the pots are coming up empty or nearly empty, and sadly, about 50 percent of the lobsters caught suffer from shell disease, a baffling mystery thar no one seems to understand. "Whatever I get now, I think of as a bonus; the days oflobstering as a business are over. I don't buy many new pots, which cost about $50 each with ropes and nets. You lose about 25-30 percent every season, mostly to boat traffic. I used (0 get roughly four (0 five pounds out of every pot. Now I'm lucky to get anything," he said. Chris pulled his pots, the dear water revealing a sandy bottom, and from the pots, he showed me how to identify a female without eggs: The tail has a deeper, wider cup section that holds and protects the eggs. He also poimed out that males have two small extra appendages just below the body at the beginning of the tail section. Our45 minutes on thewaterwasalmost up, and Chris cominued to hook the electric winch to pot after pot. An electric pulley system helps raise pots out of the water, but they still have to be tugged and hauled over the side of the boat and hand-stacked in the stern. Empty, clean pots weigh about 60 pounds. Wet traps, covered with seaweed and bottom muck, and hopefully full of lobsters, are heavier. Chris learned to lobster from his dad, Ken Edwards Sr., and had his own lobster license when he was 13 or 14. While in high school, he moved ofT the Island for many years, but when he returned, there was a moratorium on new licenses. State law allows commercial licenses to be transferred within families, so Chris took over his father's lob- ster license and began lobstcring again. Ken Edwards Sr. learned the craft from Jim Peishoff, who had learned to fish and lobstet from his dad, John Peishoff. Jim worked for Edmund Hedge in high school, beginning to lobster at a time when lobster pots were made by hand. Jim's widow, Betty Peishoff, said her husband made his own pots until the last five years of his life, when he finally gave in and purchased ready-made pots. "Jim worked hard. It was dangerous, but he loved it," Betty said. "Fishing and lobstering were in Jim's blood. It gave us a good life, and we raised four kids doing it." Traditions, sea lore, lobstering skills, all passed down from generation to generation. Tommy and Dan Doyen also come from a tradition oflobstcring. Their father, Francis Doyen, a self-taught lobsterman, worked 20 years at it, with two lobster boats in the water at once. "It's too bad," Francis Doyen said. "At one time, lobsteringwas a beneficial thing for Fishers Island. For lots of reasons, some of them bad and some of them natural, lobstering has deteriorated almost to the poim of ex- tinction." With the unfortunate progression of the Island's "Lobster Wars," the mysterious lob- ster die off, and now shell disease, Chris said, "So many people connected with Fishers Island have tried to help, expressed concern, sent clippings of newspaper articles, and in- vested time and money in helping the lobstermen. I wish I could think of some way to thank everyone who cared." After Chris dropped me off at his father's dock, I found Tom Doyen returning to the F.I. Telephone Co. where he now works full time. I told him I was doing a human interest stol)' and not one about lobster politics. He interrupted me and said, "You'd hetter face it, you can't do a stol)' about the lobster business without getting into politics of it. "Politics changed lobstering. Everything we tried here with conservation was just ruined when politicians got into it. With all the stuff coming at us from Connecticut and Montauk, it was depressing. We had so little support from our own state. Sen. Ken laValle blocked everything we tried to do. He'll deny it, but that's what happened. "The States of Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Con- necticut all invested money in researching shell disease. New York essentially did noth- ing, testing something like 10 lobsters. On Fishers Island, with help from the Luce Foun- dation through the F.I. Conservancy, we tested 150 lobsters. A small group of lobstermen with the help of private monies did more research than the entire state of New York." After spending time with Chris, who is lobstering, and Tom, who is not, it is clear that they both still have a passion for the lobster business. 'l'heyappreciate the support that has poured forth from the Fishers Island community and are frustrated with the poli- tics of distant state legislators who have the ability to hinder their livelihood. Ultimately. they are concerned about the diminishing lobster supply and share a sadness about a treasured way of life that is disappearing. g o ~ ~ ~ " " . :E " ~ " . New Fishers Island School Superintendent Jeanne Schultz officially began work March J. Most recently (since 1999), she had been principal of the K-8 Richmond School in Pittsfield, Mass., and previously had been principal ofthe Berlin and Wynantskill schools in New York. Ms. Schultz also has 14 years' teaching experience in other New York school systems. 28 Fishers Island Ga:.ene . Spring 2003 HAROLD COOK Owner of ~AROLD' LLC. .Alarm Systems Installed and Monitored .Additions and Renovations .Wallpaper and Painting .Pool Care and Installation .Year-round House Watch Tel:631-788-5550 Fax:631-788-5549 Cell: 860-625-0772 After hours: 631-788-5546 Email: harco@fishersisland.net NY licensed and Insured #21-947HI BOROLEUM@ Since 1906 STUFFY HEAD COLD? SINUS? HAYFEVER? DIAPER RASH? CHAPPED HANDS? or LIPS? Suffer no more! Keep nasal passages clear and avoid chapping. RELIEF is as close as your medicine cabinet. Boroleum works and it's mild! SINCLAIR PHARMACAL CO., INC. FISHERS ISLAND, NEW YORK 06390 20-500/0 OFF Also... 20-30% on ALL Upholstery Fabric Drapes. Vertical & Mini Blinds. Bedspreads We carry a complete line of decorating fabrics perfect for every home... Call 444-1619 ............... for Pick up and Delivery "At Home Service" at F.I Ferry 601 Broad Street. New London EST BLISS 1882 · Pest Control · Termite Control o Sentricon* Colony Elimination System · Carpenter Ant Specialists ESTABLISHED 1882 EXTERMINATORS The oldest and largest in Connecticut Call 860-443-7697 today! Spri"g 2003. Fishers Isla"d Gazette 29 Our Lady of Gra~e: J\ Lo~al Centenarian By Faith Coolidge Parishioners of Our Lady of Grace Church garhered June 22, 2002 to commemorate the 100th an- niversary of the church's groundbreaking. Bishop Daniel Hart of Norwich, Conn. con- ducted a special mass, assisted by several former pastors of Our Lady of Grace, includ- ingFatherThomas W.Ahern (I 96310 1965) and Farher ZenanA. Smilga (I 994 to 2001). Following the mass, there was a celebratory dinner at the Hay Harbor Club, where congregants, including Council Presi- dent Mary Roberts and trustees, William Glendon and Tom Doherty offered remarks. James Wall gave an oral history of the church beginning in the 1880s when Roman Catho- lics on Fishers Island had to travel to New London, Conn. to attend church services. Recent research also indicates that in the 1870s, before construction of St. John's Episcopal Church, when the weather was too cold or rainy to venture across the sound, Islanders held ecumenical prayer services in the music room of what was later known as the Mansion House, Mr. Wall said. Attending church services on the main- land became a simpler task in the early 1890s with the introduction of the Munnatawkn ferry, which made several trips daily. In 1893, the Brooklyn Diocese assigned a priest, Rev. John Ferry, to lead services from May to October in the old schoolhouse, now the F.1. Library. Unfortunately, the ferry operated only once every 24 hours in the off-season when Island Roman Catholics organized their own services in various homes, such as the one that now belongs to Me. Glendon. Little did anyone know the lasting effect of these religious gatherings. Within a decade, the Brooklyn Diocese realized that there was a need for a permanent church to accommodate the growing number of Ro- man Catholics on the Island, and in 1902, ground was broken to make way for Our Lady of Grace. Now embarking on its second century of existence, many things about the church are the same as they were in its earliest days. Our Lady of Grace continues to be an integral part of the Fishers Island commu- nity, and it holds daily mass for its devoted parishioners. The major difference, however, is the dwindling size of the church's congregation, t " ~~..I l ~. ,.~~.,.,. .~~.. ~ ~ . = . ~ . . . ~ .. ~ . . ~ , o . u . , , " ~ . (top) Our lady of Grace Church pic- tured on penny postcard mailed in 1944. . (right) Familiar pale yellow church un- der blanket of snow. 2003. which mirrors the reduced numbers oftoday's Island population. The congregation was quite large in the early part of the 20th century, with 450 parishioners in the winter, ballooning to 1,000 during the summer. In 1957, nuns traveled to Fishers Island from New London by airplane to teach Sunday school to the parish's 37 children. There is no longer a religious school program, however, with only 20 parishioners who regularly at- tend weekend mass during the winter and 120 in the summer. While the size of the congregation is a fraction of what it once was, it does not negate the devotion and commitment of those who continue to worship there. Nor does it dis- count the importance of the familiar yellow church that sits high atop a hill facing Fishers Island's south shore. To cap off the centenary celebration, the church plans to publish a booklet early this summer covering the history of Our Lady of Grace. It has been exhaustively researched and written by Mr. Wall and is filled with anecdotes about the rich history of the church and its parishioners as well as life on the Island. "I was fascinated by the fact that the church developed as early as it did on the Island," Mr. Wall said. "I thoughr rhere was a lot of information that could be passed along to parishioners present and future. Putting it together was a labor oflove." Cynthia Riley Photo The booklet will include many hisrori- cal photos and will document various facts about construction, which was completed in 1905. For example, the land was donated by E.M. and Walton Ferguson, and the founda- tion was built by local volunteer masons with bricks supplied by rhe Fishers Island Brick Manufactory (Iarercalled Sage Brick Works). The original estimate to build the church was $30,000, bur E.M. & Walton Ferguson Co. lowered the estimate to $11 ,000. Father James Bennett was the first pastor ro serve the church; he remained untill911. The church's rectory was built in 1913 at a cost of$4,500. Mr. Wall's bookler will be available for purchase at the church as well as at other Island locations. The church plans to con- tinue recording its history and the events that led to its development. Anyone with infor- mation, photographs or personal recollec- tions is asked to contribute them for future publication. 30 Fishers Idalld Gazelle. Spri1lg 2003 %&5 FUEL AND SERVICE STATION TEXACO@ Montauk Avenue G ASiShers Island NY 06390 631.7,88;:?J43S -tJ......."...ru...8 "Your Full Line Service Station" ~~.. -'~. lSe~ing Fjsher~Jsland for Over 35 ~ears \.~pUil ..} . U L L Official New York Inspection Station CARCO" Insurance Ins{ettioli' L I nSpef"tinn V · GENERAL REPAIRS FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC Tyre ~pr\lirp Authorrzed TEXACO" Dealer Motor Oil and Related Products nip~el Authorized AMERADA HESS~ Dealer Automatic/Watchdog Fuel Oil Service Joe Perry, Mallager, 788-7755 (Emergency Only) II ,. . ~~~ J_ Whaling City Ford BROAD AT COLMAN STREET NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT 860-443-8361 Pick-up at the Ferry We Treat You Well...Every Department...Every Time The c:7YL~ SULLIVAN AUTOMOTIVE CORNER CHEVROLET . BUICK . GEO . PONTIAC OLDSMOBILE . CADILLAC Largest GM dealer in Connecticut and Rhode Island at one location! ~.. ,... . '.. . <..- ,'. Sales 443-8432 Parts 442-0491 Corner of Broad and Colman Streets Service 442-4371 Body Shop 442-7132 New London, Conn. DICK'S GARAGE, LLC Phone: 788-7249 Spring 2fJ03. Fishers Island Gazelle 3/ Fishers Island's constables are back at work after an involuntal)' hiatus of about 20 months. Duringthat time, N.Y. State Police troopers have been the face of law enforcement on the Island in winter as well as summer. While looking into supplementary training for Island constables Larl)' Horn, Bruce Hubert and Todd Pezzolisi, Southold Police Chief Carlisle Cochran discovered that they had no power to act in criminal matters. "Constabularies were normal in days past:' Chief Cochran said. "But with Southold now a 'Class-B' town, with its own police force, constables are restricted to civil duties. They can't even give a parking ticket or respond to burglar alarms. Apparently no one realized this." The Island constables, still collecting their stipend, waited for the legislature to approve a special act, drafted by Assembly- woman Pat Acampora and Sen. Ken La Valle, to amend the criminal procedure law regard- ing the designation of peace officers in the town of Southold. "The amended law gives South old per- mission to hire up to four constables assigned to Fishers Island with the power to enforce criminal laws," Chief Cochran said. . Fishers Island's constables are: (l-r) Todd Pezzolesi, Bruce Hubert and Larry Horn. For years, the Fishers Island Civic Association's Police Action Committee had been pushing for constables to receive more training. Currently, Island constables supple- ment state troopers in the summer, and dur- ing the winter they respond to all burglar alarms and issue parking tickets, although they are not trained to give speeding tickets and cannot be certified to use radar. They also respond to any kind of disturbance, including dog and domestic complaints. Chief Cochran said he has been in communication with the Suffolk County sherifFsoHice, which trains peace officers. "It 6011. BirlLday CeleLralion al Legion Ed Rileywas "stunned" when he walked into his surprise 60,h birthday parry Feb. 18 at the American Legion and saw 125 adults, plus children, packing the hall. The guests, many of them wearing Ed's trade- mark braid and suspenders, had managed to keep the parry a secret, an amazing feat, considering Ed knows all the Island news. Deborah Doucette was in charge of in- vitations and food and came up with the idea of suspenders and braids, which she made with daughters Megan, 17, and Brittany, 14. Ms. Doucette has also been responsible for a number of new social events at the Legion, including breakfasts, fish fl)' and prime rib dinners, Sunday afternoon football buffets and Nascar buffets. She does most of the cooking but gets help from her daughters, her husband John Doucette, JR Edwards and Don Brown (omelets are his specialty). . Ed Riley at his surprise 60th birthday party Feb. 18. . Guests, Tracy Brock, Liz Furse and Cele Oaigneau sporting Ed's trademark braid and suspenders. Photos; Cynthia Riley (left) & Bob Wall (right) is a one-to-two week course that they offer maybe once a year. But they don't schedule training until they have a sufficient number of participants," he said. Southold's argument in favor of the bill was that Fishers Island is separated from Southold by two ferry boat rides that travel through another state. Also, there have been other bills passed specifically for Fishers Island. For example, most [Own boards in New York State have five members, but due to Fishers Island's isolation, the Southold Town Board has six members, with the addition of Fishers Island's Councilwoman/Justice Louisa Evans. j i\ . Bill Bloethe, owner of Fishers Island Village Market and News Cafe prepares his morning coffee at the News Cafe, open for breakfast and lunch this fall and winter. A declining year- round population and heating costs associated with the large store prompted Mr. Bloethe to cancel morning hours at the Village Market, which is still open in the afternoons. Sales have been steady, and the change to the News Cafe has been a big hit with patrons who applaud the coziness of the smaller venue. 32 Fishers Islalld Gazette. Sprillg 2003 WALSH COt-tfRAcCTING LLT' .Chad M~roka, president I rOn-Island Ii Generalra~ Electrical f Full 5erv~~tractor ,I ~ ~ ~ F - " c..,r] ,- Carpentry, Roofing, Painting - Sidina &Decking ~ iT I I '(e<.l.r-,\und1house and gro!Jnds care -] b:J. U ! - III F [\- ':T Special Services: Design'Aid . II~Orb~tryLan(fMiilWdr' , ~Il E. x~avation, Alarm Service . .' tJl-=.lJL J ~OFf:iCE U FAX ., 631-788-?Jl8 631-788-7776 , I. walshfi@fishersisland.net 2"Plioul~m~rg~~cy Servic Z & S Contracting "The Good Guys" The Island Contractor That Supports the Island · Renovations · Remodeling · New Construction · Expert Painting/Paper Hanging · Licensed Electrical, Plumbing & Heating Professionals · 24-Hour Emergency Service · Complete Line of Electrical Appliances · Now Also Window Washing Shop: 788-7857 Tom: 788-7755 Ill) I[REMODELlNG & RESTORATION II INC. Box 447 Fishers Island NY 06390 Fine Home Building, Design & Maintenance Services Tel: 631-788-7919 Fax: 631-788-7192 E-mail: info@bdfiny.com 24-Hour Service Fully Insured & Licensed Spring 2OfB. Fishers Island Gazelle 33 Fishers Island Visits Maine's Island Institute F ishersIslandhas begun tapping into the resources of the Island Institute, a non-profit organi:t..ation that for 20 years has, among other things, advocated solutions that balance economic, cultural and environmental concerns for 14 year- round island communities off the coast of Maine. In a trip sponsored by the Fishers Island who traveled ro Maine with his wife, Melie. "The solutions, however, are all different, because each island is unique." The by-words of the informal confer- ence appeared to be "place-based solutions." Place-based education, for example, draws from local culture, history and geography to create a meaningful curriculum. In terms of the community, it means that community .. > . . " . o u o Q ~' ~ . Nine Fishers Island residents in January traveled to Maine's Island Institute to discuss problems indigenous to islands with declining populations. (I-r) Mike Posey, Cathy Posey. John Spofford, Steve Scace, Melie Spofford, Stephanie Hall. Laura Edwards, Cynthia Riley and Rosemary Baue. Civic Association (FICA), nine Island resi- dents visited the Island Institute in Rockland, Me. Jan. 29-31 to gain perspective on the challenges that face Fishers Island's declining year-round population. The Fishers Island group [pictured and identified above] brought an agenda that included school/education, housing, trans- ponation, job opponunities and governance. They met with three Institutc representa- tives, and briefly with its president, as well as with the principal of the Vinal haven school and a member of the Islesboro Board of Selectmen. As Fishers Island representatives raised issues of concern, the Maine group would interject comments about similar problems, and solutions, for their islands. At one point, the selectman said, "How do you get anything done with all of those separate organizations on your island?" This planted a seed for future discussion about sctting community priorities and coordinat- ing the myriad organizations on Fishers Is- land to work more efficiently together to- ward those goals. "If there is one thing that they kept saying over and over, it was that, no matter what the size of the island, the problems are the same," said FICA President John Spofford, members work together to understand and resolve the Island's problems. F.I. Board of Education member Stephanie Hall said the trip was a positive experience. "It was a good opportunity to connect with people from other Island com- munities who struggle with many of the same challenges that we face. "Fourteen Maine islands have year-round schools facing problems of declining enroll- ment, isolated teaching staff and instability of leadership. We discussed "distance learn- ing" as a way to achieve professional develop- ment. We also discussed geographical tech- nology projects, boat building, adult educa- tion and 'team time,' where teachers of different subjects meet to discuss student performance and plan a system of delivery for class work." This is not the first time that FICA has accessed the Institute. Former FICA Presi- dem Harry Ferguson initiated contact in the mid.1980s with the then-new organization. Leslie Goss Gruner, another FICA president, invited Institute representatives to Fishers Island in the late 1980s, with specific refer- ence to the school. Mr. Spofford remembered these efforts and arranged for the current meeting. "The intention is to get them [the Island Institute] to come here. They are interested, and hope- fully we can use them as an ongoing re- source, to see what works and what doesn't work," he said. Seeing the problems of Fishers Island reflected in those of the Maine Islands pro- vided much food for thought. For example, retired F.I. School kindergarten teacher Laura Edwards is now interested in further study of Maine's success with place-based education and GIS (geographic information system) technology. But she noted that while the islands of Maine face the same housing issues as Fishers, they offer no solutions. In fact, Ms. Edwards said that Fishers Island appears to be ahead of Maine in this area. There are 5,000 islands larger than one acre in the Gulf of Maine. "Of the 14 islands with year-round communities and schools, maybe two are comparable to Fishers, some are bigger, some smaller. A number have the same economic bent as Fishers Island. Northhaven has 75 kids in K-12, with a lot of support from a private educational founda- tion." Mr. Spofford said. Infonnation gathered in Maine was pre- sented at a Mar. 3 meeting/workshop at- tended by about 40 people wbo heard a summary of key points that focused on, "Community, community, community." Mter introductory remarks, the group divided into three sections, school/educa- tion, moderated by Rosemary Baue; gover- nance, moderated by Jobn Spofford; and housing/jobsltransportation, moderated by Cyntbia Riley. The groups discussed programs and so- lutions that had been tried in Maine, and identified problems and concerns facing Fish- ers Island. The focus was, "Where are we today?" and "Where do we want to go?" A small group from each section will serve as a task force to investigate solutions to the problems identified. The three task force groups will meet again March 24, forming a core problem-solving group. Island Institute Visit Two Island Institute representatives are scheduled to visit Fishers Island April 12. They are Programs Coordi- nator Leslie Fuller and Community Development Officer Nate Michoud. Both met with Fishers Island resi- dents who traveled to the Island Insti- tute in January. 34 Fishers Is/and Gazette. SpriflK 1003 Cold T elDps, I<<:e &- Snow Grip Fishers Island Unusually cold weather or an old-fash- ioned New England winter? Either way, Island residents braved more snow, ice, wind and frigid temperatures this winter than they had in recent memory. Island naturalist Edwin Horning said it was one of the coldest winters he remembers on Fishers Island. lee in West Harbor caused a juggling of boats: the Sed Stretcher moved to the Coast Guard Station at Silver Eel Pond for a few days, the BD Remodeling & Restoration commuter boat moved to the Mobil Dock for about a week in mid-January, and the working lobster and oyster boats were all at the yacht club dock at some point. The utility company reponed numer- ous water breaks in homes, some with exten- sive damage, and fuel deliveries were espe- cially difficult because of unplowed drive- ways or plowed driveways with compacted snow piled extra high on top of fill pipes. On a happy note, Duck Pond was frozen solid and drew enthusiastic young skaters to the thick ice. Illustrating the difference between busi- ness and pleasure, Steve Malinowski, who owns Fishers Island Oyster Farm, was out "every morning at first light" breaking ice to keep his Hur- ricane Cove dock accessible for pack- ing and shipping oysters. "It's been crazy; slllce our markets are strong, we've been ship- ping more oysters than ever," he said. "The ice was probably four to five inches thick and started form- ing at the inner- most reaches of our cove and Pirate's Cove," Me. Malinowski said. "During the cold snaps, we used an aluminum work boat from Pirate's Cove and an old Boston Whaler to break the ice. On some of the colder days, we had to make repeated passes to break the large chunks of ice." removed, because it would have melted and run down the side, and we wouldn't have been able to paint the hull. legally, we are allowed to keep her in water for two years, but we do maintenance every 12-18 months. "I always run the Munniltilwket from Christmas through February and into March. That is the only time we can survive without the Race Point. She's usually available for special runs, though. Freight delivery is not affected during this period." F.I. Ferry Marine Operations Manager Mark Easter also reponed a difficult wimer. "There was a lot of wind in November and December, very cold temperatures in Janu- ary and February, and extremely low tides. Sea spraying on the deck froze, causing icy conditions." Capt. Easter canceled ferry service after the 12:30 p.m. run from Fishers Island during the Feb. 17 bliz- zard. "It's not that the sea condi- tions were so extreme, but the road conditions were bad, and it was tough getting the crew in," said Capt. Easter, "and what a time [0 be in dry dock! "We took the Race Point to the Thames Shipyard near the Coast Guard Academy for stan- dard maintenance in early reb- ruary. The first week, it was too cold to accomplish our work. Then we got the snowstorm and had three-foot snow drifts on deck. All of the snow had to be g o -" a.. ~ ~ ~ tIoCI --""" ~:::..-- tIoCI-:c#-': ~; ~"""'-. ~ ~ ';.""":.<'"._~ ~ ~"V4 m: ~~~.~: ~ "" ~.....:1~ JI ~ ~ :~-~~~.--~.-- -~ ,,"---' ~. :. - ~-,--.~"'::.~~....~.: - . Steve Malinowski continually broke ice to free his boat. COVER PHOTO: Mr. Malinowski started breaking ice from a little past Goose Island in order to reach his dock. . . ~ . .. -""", a '0;:1 a o ~ o -" .. " " , '" Spring 21J(J] . Fi.flrers Island Gazeue 35 ( ... . Fishers Island programs were in full gear this winter. (left) Molly Cypherd, 4, concentrates on Valentine crafts, while Andrew Edwards and Shelby Lusker, both 5, work at rear table. New Island resident Suselle King came up with the idea for the after school crafts program, which is sponsored by the PTO, with project funding by IPP. . (right. I-r) Mary Middleton and Mary Grebe enjoy the February 2003 Senior Luncheon. Decorations by Cookie Edwards. Taylor ~ Dan<:e Co...pany 10 Hold W orL;shops on F.t. This S........er Ten years ago, the famed Paul Taylor Dance Company, now in its48'h year, formed Taylor 2. The six dancers of this new com- pany bring many of the choreographer's mas- terworks to smaller venues around the world. Taylor 2 also teaches the Tayloe style in schools and work- places and at com- munity gatherings. Island Concerts has arranged for Tay- lot 2 to spcndJuly4'h weekend on Fishers Island performing and presenting a series of dance workshops. The company will offer workshops at the school gym Sat. July 5 between 10 a.m. and noon. Workshops are designed for dif- ferent ages and different levels of experience. There will be a class for young dancers be- tween the ages of five and 15. an adult beginner class, a family class, and a Master Class for students who already have dance expeflence. On Sunday evening July 6 (time to be announced) Taylor 2 will hold a dance recital on the O'Keefe lawn or at the movie theater ifit rains. According to The New York Times, Taylor 2 "hit the ground running" and has "won nearly undiluted praise from audiences. " Check the Island Concerts wehsite. http: !Iwww.geocities.com!fiislandconcerts/ ~ ). PAUL TAYlOR I DIN(( (D~PINr fishersislandconcerts.html for more details or to sign up for classes and reserve tickets for the recital. Island Concerts will round out its sum- mer 2003 schedule with the annual Fife & Drum Concert (co-sponsotcd with IPP) July 4th weekend; Arianna Quartet, July 25; and cabaret singer Mary Cleere Haran, Aug. 8. Polaroid ~ ~ , ~ . , m "0 ~ . . . , o u o "6 ~ ~ . Nine Island women joined some 8,000 walkers last September in the 2002 Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. More $4.3 million was raised for cancer research. (back row,l-r) Megan Murray, Sue Lusker, Tracy Brock, Gail Cypherd, Heather Ferguson, Carol Giles. (front row, I-r) Jennifer Sanger. Beth Stern, Debbie Doucette. 36 Fishers Island Gazette. Spring 20(}J C.B. Ferguson &- Art Colle<<:lion A bout 20 years ago, summer resi- dent Charles B. Ferguson and colleague Jeffrey W. Andersen began assembling an art collection for Hart- ford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company in Hanford, Conn. at the company's request. At the time, Mr. Ferguson was director of the New Britain Museum of American An in New Britain, Conn., and Mr. Andersen was director of the Florence Griswold Mu- seum in Old Lyme, Conn. The collection, which took about a de- cade to compile, concentrates on American artists who lived or worked in Connecticut from the late 18th to the early 20th cenmries, with a particular focus on Connecticut's role as a center of American Impressionism. Hartford Steam Boiler was sold, with a stipulation that the art collection not stay with the company. Instead the entire collec- tion of 188 paintings and two sculptures was donated last spring to the Florence Griswold Museum. At the turn of the 20th century, Miss Florence's Late Georgian home was a boarding house for artists and home to the Lyme Art Colony, which for three decades attracred noted impressionists such as Childe Hassam, Matilda Browne and Willard Metcalf. With 22 works, the museum now has the largest collection of Willard Metcalf paintings in the world. The first exhibition of80 selections from the new collection, entitled, "The American Artist in Connecticut: The Legacy of the Hart- ford Steam Boiler Collection," runs through June 23. "It is truly one of America's landmark collections, the kind that can put a museum on the map, "said Elizabeth Broun, director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. versity of tulips, I recommend Metro Books' Tulips, a ravishing collection of photographs with relevant quotations and an introduction by Scon D. Appell. Tu/ipomania by Mike Dash, published in paperback by Three Riv- ers Press, or in hardcover by Crown Publish- ers, offers a mesmeric account of the coveted flower and the extraordinary passions it aroused. Continued from page 25 Green Thoughts next year's blooming, and in the autumn, for root-making. Some gardeners treat tulips as annuals, planting them in the autumn, pull- ing them up and composting them the fol- lowing spring after the tulips have flowered. Other gardeners rely on generously amend- ing garden soil with nitrogen to prolong the life of their tulip beds. The season for tulips begins in March with the early-flowering species and is fol- lowed by the large cultivars that make a splendid display in April and May, especially if you underplanr them with clear or royal blue forget- me-nots (Myosotis) or with blue grape hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum}.Ifyou love tulips, you'll find your own way to plant and culti- vate them. Author Drew Riddle underplan ts his emerging tulips with leaf lettuce, not only a good com- panion to tulips, but also a source of fresh spring salad. Don't cut the leaves of your tulips until they become limp and yellowed, bur cut the seed pods because seed-mak- ing weakens bulbs. If ynu would like to know more about the history and di- Tulipo::il'ania ~_ OUR TSIlr ~~ ~ ' ~ "" ." " Topper's Ice Cream Join the celebration! "SPECIALS" ...all summer Don't miss out... ...the fun starts Fri. May 2 CATCH THE BOATING SPIRIT THIS SUMMER! 631-788-7528 OPEN MONDAY-FRIDAY 8:00-4:30 SATURDAY 8:00-4:30 "IN SEASON" Spring 2(}(}] . Fi~hers Island Gazelle 37 PlulD Island, Cross Sound Ferry &- Millstone Plum Island is due to become part of the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) in June. Under the new department, an upgrade to Bio- Safety-Level 4 (BSL-4) [see Gazette Winter 2000] can be ordered unilaterally by the president with IS0-days'notice to Congress. Plum Island's labs currently operate at an "enhanced" 13SL-3 level for research on infectious agents of low threat to humans. BSL-4 labs handle highly infectious, incur- able diseases potentially lethal to humans. Plum Island is the only facility in the U.S. equipped to deal with infectious foreign diseases, such as foot and mouth disease and equine encephalitis, in large animals. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture think.~ researching BSL-4 diseases in large animals is essential to protect the nation's livestock and $70 billion a year in agricultural exports. At the same time, some 76 Plum Island operati ng and maintenance workers continue their strike, begun Aug. 13, against private company LB&B A~sociates because of wage and benefit disputes. As of December 2002, 52 replacement workers had been hired. Strike supporters allege, however, that replacement workers are under-qualified and are responsible for ferry boat accidents, miss- ing vehicles and computers, and power fail- ures. During two December power outages, three generators failed to kick in causing the shutdown of air filtration systems used to Evans Realty Licensed Real Estate Btoker Sales . Rentals contain animal viruses. Workers had to use duct tape to seal doors when inflatable seals failed. A Plum Island spokeswoman insisted the incident posed no threat to the surround- ing community. Republican and Democratic legislators have been calling for an investigation of Plum Island operations. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Congressman Tim Bishop (D-Sollthampton) on Feb. 9 also co- hosted a Plum Island forum at Mattitllck High School, which drew an overflow crowd of 600. Many questions were raised at the forum, which addressed issues of safety, the strike and the DHS takeover. With regard to bio-safety levels, Ms. Clinton said there may be legitimate reasons for upgrading to BSL-4, but the public should be informed. "We cannot allow the challenge of security to create a secret government in the UnitedS[a[es," shesaid referring 10 DHS. Fatal Cross Sound Ferry J\c::c::ident A Stratford, Conn. man drowned Nov. 18, 2002 when his truck rolled off the stern of a Cross Sound ferty and plunged into the 100-ft.- deep waters of Plum Gut. The Susan Anne left New London at 9 a.m. and was about three-quarters of a mile from i[s Oriem Poin[ desdnation when wit. nesses saw [he 65-ft. truck "slowly slide ofT[he backofthc boat." Crewmen immedia[ely launched a rescue raft, bu[ i[ was too la[e to save [he driver, Michael Zuber, 53, a decorated Vietnam vc[eran and fa[her of [hree. Wedge-shaped blocks, called chocks, reporredly had not been placed behind the truck's wheels in violation of U.S. Coas[ Guard regula[ions. Questions were raised, however, about whether the chocks could have held the 100,OOO-lb. rig, which was a IF You ARE CONSIDERING... . A new dock in front of YOllr house . Rcconstnlction of an existing dock . A bulkhead or shorefronl protection . The permit starns of your existing dock . Erosion prolcction or tidal wetlands permit for your home or rdId improvement within 300' of the shore ...Cal] DOCKO, INC,)'o/lreomplete /I'aterfront development resO/lree. phone R60.S7l.8939 . fa~ 860.;71.7S6tJ ~~w.do(ko.com . t'mail docko@snet.nel Post Office Box 421. Mr;tic Connecticut 06355 tractor pulling an asphalt crushing machine. T tuckers a[ [he scene said [hey routinely sleep in their cabs for [he cmire trip, a prac- tice pcrmi[(ed under Coast Guard regula- tions, provided [he deck is adequ3[c1y venti- lated and [here is clearance to evacua[e the vehicle. There were no vehicles on either side of the truck driven by Mr. Zubar, who worked for Branford, Conn.-based Big Eas[ Equip- mem Co. Wi[h cold [empera[ures and a slight breeze, weadler was reportedly no[ a fac[Or in the accidem. Ferry company spokesman said [hey have provided reliable service for mil- lions of people over [he past three decades and have never had an accident of this na[ure. Millstone Reador One of two operating nuclear reac[Qrs at Mills[one Power Station in Waterford, Conn. shut down Mar. 7 after a switch malfunc- tioned and water was detected seeping from pressure-relief valves. The federal Nuclear Regulatory Com- mission (NRC), which dispatched a [earn [0 investiga[e, and Millstone officials said the shutdown was "rare and worrisome." The "unusual event" is the least serious emer- gency classifica[ion at nuclear facili[ies, and the radioactive gases released posed no [hreat to surrounding communi[ies, officials said. . Work continues at Malinowski Oyster Farm. 38 Fishers Island Gazette. Spring 2003 F.I. Girls' Ba.sL:eILa.1I Tea.... SeeL:s Funding: A.A.U To the Fishers Island Community: Over the course of the 2002-03 season, The Fishers lsland Girls' Basketball Team amassed a 10-7 record, with emphatic wins over Block Island and Bacon Academy. Led by three upperclassmen and two freshmen, we closed out the regular season with a sec- ond place finish at the Long Island Sound Women's Basketball Tournament, advanc- ing to the championship game for the first time. We expect greater things from the ream next season, as our leaders in scoring, assists and steals are both freshmen. Returning members of the team plan to attend basket- ball camp this summer. There are five mag- net students looking at Fishers Island School who could bolster our girls' basketball pro- gram and help to ensure cominued success from year to year. From December to February, we saw tremendous improvement in every player, but our primary weakness remains a lack of experience on the court. To give our players the opportunity to improve even more, we would like to play four AAU tournaments before the start of the 2003-04 season. "AAU" stands for Amateur Athletic Union, and pro- vides an organized league in which players can continue skill development after the end of the school season. We would like to play four tourna- ments, three in the spring and one in the fall, and request donations from the A.nnoun~e...enls Engagements Emily Rutherfurd and Loch Gallagher, wedding planned for July 19, Fishers Island. Weddings Sarah Strife and Michael Barnwell, Nov. 16,2002, New York City. Victoria Snabon and Adam Heath, Dec. 2, Tampa, Fla. Elizabeth Gosnell and Richard Miller, Feb. 28, Fishers Island. Births Peter Wainright Laughlin, July 13, 2002, to Nikki and Chris Laughlin, Waterford, Va. Bennett Hutchins Milliken, Aug. 29, 2002, to Logan (Mauldin) and Christopher Milliken Jr., Denver, Col. Cornelia Stewart Gaillard, Nov. 6, 2002, to Heidi and Peter Gaillard, Fairfield, Conn. Olivia Parsons, Nov. 30, 2002, to Leaand Charles Parsons, San Francisco, Cal. Grace Whitaker Taylor, Dec. I, 2002, to Betsy (Cameron) and Nikolai Taylor, New York City. Ellory Goss Gruner, Dec. 24, 2002, to Leslie (Goss) and Sam Gruner, Portland, Ore. Thyna Wesley Upson, Jan. 31 to Sarah and Peter Upson, Redding, Conn. Katharine Kean Strong, Feb. I, to Alexandra (Kean) and Benjamin Strong, Boston, Mass. Tyler Charles Thiel, Feb. 19 to Jessica (duPont) and Eric Thiel, Tampa, Fla. --.\~r-,...- ,r:-- -: _, ~o.,,-......__ ~ (I, ~ ! . '"------1-.1 :~~~ TI ;1t=i1~i.(-' , \ ~""'--~~"""" Wire 'equat (~hUl community. Any amount, no matter how large or small, would be more than welcome. With your support, we can take the first steps in establishing a strong standard for girls' athletics on the Island. If YOll have any questions, please call Trudi Edwards, 788- 7645 or Jennifer Seaee, 788-5596. Thank you, The F.1. Girls' Basketball Team IPP Summer Registration It's time to register for a summer of IPP fun! This year's morning program, open to children ages 4-11 , will run from July 7 through Aug. IS. Returning for her third summer, program director Meg Atkin is preparing a host of exciting activities for the children, including arts & crafts, sports and special events by Island guests. IPP also hopes to offer an afternoon swim program at Dock Beach. Registration ma- terials will be mailed in April to families already on the mailing list. If you did not register last year, then your name isnoton the mailing list. Don't miss out. Send your name and mailing address to Anne Burnham awburnham@aol.com or call her at 508.252.3442. Register early, space is limited!! Register for IPP's summer Basketball Clinic, with coach Dan Gillan. Ages 8-14, June 30-July 4, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., bring lunch. Registration forms available at school or Hair of the Dog Liquors. . Travel AM......... A~"",,-::: ~E55 ~-JJ ~ .Representa\twe - Travelers Checks Airline Tickets Cruises Hotels Tours Ell? 11 Bank St. New London 1-800-545-9154 . G.B. ERR. APPRAISAL COMPANY A real estate appraisal company serving Fishers Island NY STATE CERTIFIED Gregory B. Erb . 860-536-0721 Located in Noank, Conn. Spring 2003 . Fishers Jj;/alld Gazelle 39 I CCJ1A~~JIJFJIJE]])1 1~~ltJ~ltJ~~ltJltJ~ltJ~ ~ BOXWOOD INTERIORS ~ ltJ Interior Design Services ~ ~ ELLEN ~:'R':~l~ WHITE It ~ po Box 993 Old Lyme CT 06371 ~ (fJ 860.434.9763 ~ ~(f)(f)ltJltltJ~ltJltJltJlt~ FOR LEASE IN JULY: Charming two-story traditional, four-plus bed- rooms, two kitchens, short walk to Village. Air Conditioning units. Call 713.621-1611 or broker. 631-788- 7882. SWIM INSTRUCTOR & LIFE- GUARD: Certified Swim Instructor (WSI) and lifeguard (Class 2) needed for lPP Swim Program at Dock Beach, afternoon hours. Please call Trudi Edwards 631- 788-7645. o--5J OPEN AND CLOSE HOMES: Availableforseasonal home open- ings and closings. Call for local references. Please reply to Steven Robertson. 860-69'-1563. GAZETTE BACK ISSUES...are not filled with old news-they are packed with Island history. Issues available from 1992 to present, $5, plus shipping. Call or email the editor [see page 2]. Island Launch Service LLC Capt. Mark Easter. Operator ~~ter&Waymarine CAPTAIN ANDREW HEUBLEIN _t"y' ~- ""'lII.~_'t > courier service ..... "-.. > crew & equipment transport ::..... ~ > U.S.C.G. certified for 18 p~sengers - > ocean taxi Message center: 860.887.1844 Cell phone: 860.460.8864 fax: 860.444.0320 drfJflTtinJ{ from N(Jank, Si'Tvif'ifll{ lo.fmg IJlmul.:'ij()I(~l/l;;;. ..... -- - NeUROMUSCULAR THeRApY Spods Massage Repexologl' ~ KaIamian's ~ ~ RU\I Shop... M6.NA MORGAN LM.T. Wools. Broadloom. Patterns. Berbers. Sisals Hou.secalls by Appointment Lie. #4680 FINE HANDKNOTTED ORIENTAL RUGS Cleaning .Repairs . Binding. Serging 860-442-0615 963 Bank St.. New London Fishel"s Islaf'\d (631) 788-7387 cell ph: (860) 861-0208 EDWARDS LOBSTERS "The Best Tails in Town" Ivy Robichaux, Jr. GENERAL CONTRACTING SERVICES PO Box 167 Fishers Island NY 06390 631-788-7645 Home Improvement, Repair & Maintenance Shop 788-7732 Licensed & Insured #20.946-HI Since 1992 CHRIS & TRUDI EDWARDS Delivery Available c". ..._~ .~ It's all new for 2003, and inside you'll find the names and addresses of primary care physicians and specialists, information about the various specialties of medicine, and important phone numbers. If you would like a copy of this "must have" resource, call (860)444-5163, and leave your name and address. Or mail the coupon below. THE MORE YOU KNOW ABOUT OUR PHYSICIANS, THE MORE YOu'LL UKE L&M Name City State_ Zip Clip IItII! mail I<>day 1<>: MtYlicalStaffDirectory Public Relations-FIG Ulwrence & Memorial Hospital 365 Montallk Avem/C Nt"w umdtJIl, CT 06320 Address E-mail Address: L_______________________~ - . ~ . ~ Munnatawket, Silver Ee 2/03 Sea Stretcher, West Harbo 2/03 ~ ;~.. . \ ,. t , '" -" ~ -..,' 4~~ ~ -~, .. 10:-. ....~-....,.~ -..... ~. - ~ ~f...-'" - m ~ " ,\' -:0- -- ... ..... UzFUf '1 CynthIa Riley POO' FISHERSG" A ZEll E ISLAND Y;l Box 573 Fishers Island NY 06390 FIRST CLASS Ms Betty Neville South old Town Clerk PO Box 1179 Southold. NY 11971 '.. ~~CjE FIRST-ClASS MAll US POSTAGE PAID HARTFORD CT PERMIT NO 945 NOt:.xp <.;' APR 2 2003 \ \~UI~181Qwn Chic. ' Mobil Station, 2/03