HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003 Vol 17 No 2 Summer
. Vol. 17 No.2 Established in 1981 Summer 2003
.
2 Fishers Islalld Gazelle. SlIItlltler 2(}(}j
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To rhe Editor:
It was my great pleasure to join the
Fishers Island School District Mar. 1 as act-
ing superintendent and principal of Pre-K
through Grade 12. Dr. Margaret McKenna,
who preceded me as interim acting superin-
tendent, provided the necessary structure to
permit me to focus on my top priority: the
support of students, teachers, parents and
the program.
Just today, I sat with an understandably
tired pre-schooler and watched smiles emerge
as he "read" two of his [worite books and
engaged in a lively conversation about fish in
the sea. Later, I encouraged two seniors to
apply for a scholarship that was just waiting
for their applications. After school, there was
Fall 2003 Gazette
Deadline: October 20, 2003
The Fishers Islalld Gazette is an inde-
pendent not-for-profit publication initi-
ated with a grant from The Sallger Fund
and sustained with subscription ami ad-
vertising revenue. It is published three
times a year.
Editor
Betty Ann Rubino\\'
Contributors in this Issue
Faith Coolidge, Charles R. Ferguson
Leila Hadley Luce, RobertJ. Miller
Pierce Rafferty, Laird Reed
Carol Ridg;way, Barhie Riegel
Cynthia Riley, Melissa Ryan-Hubhle
Penni Sha'l)
Photog,Tapher Emct.itus
Albert H. Gordon
Controller
Su-Ann Scidl
Newsstand Sales
James Ilall
Circul:ttion Support
William C. Ridgway III
SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE $15 PER
YEAR. IT'S EASY, JUST MAIL A
CHECK TO THE GAZETTE!
Fishers Island Gazette, Rox 573
Fishers Island NY 06390
a conversation with parents about course
scheduling, and at home, I studied my two
lines for the school play, Kiss Me Kate.
It would be difficult to recount the
myriad and diverse activities of the past four
months that define the world of leadership
and governance in your school district. learn-
ing about the school's history and relation-
ships relies heavily on getting to know the
teachers, Board of Education members, the
program, state regulations and my staff. It
involves curriculum and grade level review,
facility and instructional materials review,
and assessment of student achievement data.
We have worked on budgeting. scheduling
andsraffingfor 2003/04. The Depattmentof
Homeland Security has asked us to review
our emergency plans to include alert plans for
nationwide and worldwide crises.
The next step involves collaboration
with the Board of Education to determine
the focus for the district. Board members
have already begun looking at "place-based"
education, an instructional focus that utilizes
Island culture. economics and maritime
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studies to make our curriculum and student
experience uniquely engaging and beneficial
to the protection of Island life. This investi-
gation coincides with the civic association's
study of the same objectives.
A potential instructional focus is Out-
ward Bound's Expeditionary Learning pro-
gram. Ken Dugas [special cd. Teacher], Carol
Giles [science teacher] and Stephen Scace
[president, Board of Ed.] joined Mike Posey
[originated idea] and me as we visited the
director of Mystic Seaport Education, as well
as an Expeditionary Learning School in New
London. We will be gathering information
to develop partnerships for future programs.
Beginning inJ uly, the Board of Education
and I will engage families and the community
in supporting the instructional focus, assessing
its progress and celebrating its success. I ask
that you join us in any way that you can.
I am very honored to be living in your
community and grateful to all those who are
helping to make it mine.
Thank you,
Jeanne Schultz
Superintendent
Fishers Island School
,
"
1.
. Judy and Mike Imbriglio have worked 24/7 preparing Peep Frogs, their new craft consignment
shop, for its July 4 opening. The shop is located in the lower level storefront of the former Rugg
house, now owned by Walsh Park Benevolent Corp., and will be open year.round. "We will display
the work of many talented Island artisans and offer classes," said Ms. Imbriglio, a native Islander
and "crafter'" pictured above, outside the shop. "We want people to come in and relax, read, knit
or just chat. My goal is to draw the community just a little closer together while I do something
I've always dreamed of doing."
~'~ Call or e-mail the editor for
J information about advertis-
~ ing or editorial content:
winter 860-633-8200; summer
631-188-1000; 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.
Summer 2003. Fishers Island Gazette 3
War... Wel.::o...e for Island' s Ne~ Posl...asler
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Gail Utterback-Mills of New Lon-
don, Conn., W(l'l named post-
master of Fishers Island May 28.
A former year-round Island resident
and former part-time flexible clerk at the
Fishers Island Post Office for 17 years, Ms.
Utterback-Mills replaces Mary Strunk who
retired after working 37 years for the U.S.
Postal Service (USPS).
Ms. Utterback-Mills lived on the Island
from 1980-1998 and began working at the
post office in 1982, receiving her training
from Ms. Strunk. After moving to New Lon-
don, Ms. Utterback-Mills continued work-
ing for USPS at the Ledyard/Gales Ferry Post
Office, which has about 25 employees.
"I loved working there," Ms. Utterback-
Mills said, "but when I heard that Mary
Linda [Strunk) was thinking about retiring,l
became very concerned about what was go-
ing to happen on Fishers Island when she left.
The next postmaster had [0 be someone who
kncw the people here."
Ms. Utterback-Mills loves a challenge,
and she will have her hands full this summer.
In addition [0 learning a new computer sys-
tem and mastering the numerous details and
responsibilities attendant to her new posi-
tion, she has no help behind the window.
"In 1982, there were three of us in the
office. Now, there are cutbacks and tightened
hours, especially in smaller offices, and USPS
has a hiring freeze," she said. "They are will-
ing [0 replace Lillie, but I haven't found
anyone yet." Longtime flexible clerk Lillie
Ahman also retired this spring.
"Lillie's replacement has to bc someone
from the Island. I have advenised, hut only
one person on the Island has taken the
civil service exam, and she is employed else-
where."
Recognizing that the postmaster's job
on Fishers Island is a difficult one, USPS has
given Ms. Utterback-Mills permission [0 hire
a 'casual', non-civil-service employee, who
would earn $111hr. with no benefits, and
could work for two 89-day sessions. If suc-
cessful. there could be an in-house civil ser-
vICe exam.
In the meantime, Ms. Utterback-Mills
hopes that people will understand it may take
a little longer at the window. "Everyone has
been wonderful, but it's going to get a lot
busier," she said.
"I hope people will be patient. This is a
very stressful
job in the
summer-
I'm not just
selling stamps
and filling PO
boxes. I com-
plete daily fi-
nancial re-
ports, prepare
mail for dis-
patch, order 0
stamps, deal :g
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with health!,
and safety is- ~
sues and bro- ~
~
ken ma- 0
chines ete. So . New postmaster, Gail Utterback-Mills (center) received a hearty welcome
'f I' from retired postmaster, Mary Strunk (I) and retired part-time flexible clerk,
1 get testy, Lillie Ahman. Ms. Utterback-Mills holds one of the pink plastic flamingos that
it's just the was mysteriously placed at the post office during the retirement festivities. The
job. I'll be fine flamingos moved around the Island in groups all spring but, as of June, no one had
the next day." claimed responsiblity.
M s
Utterback-Mills has been working at the job
since Ms. Strunk retired May 1. For the
months of May and June, because of extra
work and the ferry schedule, she had been
putting in many more hours than her salaried
eight-hour day, arriving on the 7 a.m. ferry
and leaving on the 6:45 p.m. ferry.
She was tempted to continue that pat-
tern, "because it is Fishers Island," but her
supervisor in Hartford, after seeing minimal
revenue coming into the office after 4 p.m.,
decided to cut back the hours of the Island's
post office [see box at right].
It lOok Ms. Utterback-Mills two full
weeks to complete the complicated applica-
tion for her new position. She also attended
every supervisor workshop she could find in
Hartford and New Haven to help make an
informed decision about whether to apply
for the job. She sometimes stays overnight on
the Island two nights a week, getting to the
post office at 6:30 a.m., again without pay, to
catch up on work.
Nevertheless, "I love being here," she
said. "I like what I do; I like the daily chit
chat with people and the challenge of
learning new ways of doing things. Every
morning at home, I'm up at 4:15 a.m. to do
one hour of yoga, eat and prepare for the day.
I ride my bike to the ferry in New London
and walk from Silver Eel Pond to the post
office. What's not to like?"
P.O. HOURS CUT BACK
& "LOCAL"
Window:
Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Sat. 8-11:15 a.m.
Lobby hours:
Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sat. 8 a.m.-noon.
Lunch: I-I :30 p.m.
All local mall must be
addressed to "Fishers Island
NY 06J90", not "Local".
Due to time constraints and
lack of personnel, the postmaster
cannot sift through two feet of
mail, especially from the outside
box, looking for uLocal" ad-
dresses when collecting and
preparing mail for dispatch.
"Local" mail sent to Hart-
ford will be left in its Dead
Letter area. (Fishers Island is
part of the U.S. Postal Service's
uConnecticut Performance
Cluster," administrated in
Hartford, Conn.)
The postmaster also requests
that people use box numbers
on addresses. UEventually, the
postal service will be sorting by
box number and mail will arrive
here pre-sorted," Ms. Utterback-
M.ills.s~id.
4 f"i.~hers blalld Gazette. Summer 2003
-
H.L. Ferguson Fatnily Legac:y 10 FisLers Island
H.L. Ferguson 1881-1959
By Charles B. Ferguson
My father, although a large man,
well over six feet, was humble
and shy. He would be over-
whelmed and embarrassed to see the "new"
museum. which is named for him.
"Harry" as his friends called him. lived
and worked on the Island his entire life. I
always thought that he was miscast as a
businessman. He and his brother,Alfred, had
inherited Fishers Island Farms from Edmund
and Walton Ferguson. the latter being their
father. The present Fishers Island UtiliryCo.
is the descendent company from Fishers Is-
land Farms.
Graduatingfrom Yale Engineering, class
of 1905, Harry spent five years ranching in
Wyoming and taking some exotic trips, one
across the Andes in Columbia, South America.
with his friend Lincoln Ellsworth. He also
traveled to Maine. Newfoundland and Brit-
ish Columbia. and was member of the Ex-
plorers Club of New York Ciry. Hand-writ-
ten diaries of his early adventures are in the
archives of the Ferguson Museum.
Just where his enthusiasm for ornithol-
Ob'Y, archaeology and history came from is a
mystery. He became a trusree of the board of
the Museum of the American Indian, Heye
. Charles B. Ferguson sketching on Isla Espanola. Galapagos Islands. Ecuador in March.
Foundation in 1932 and wrote a monograph
on artifacts that he and his friends had col-
lected both from surface "finds" and from
excavations in a number of Fishers Island
shell middens.
AI. early as 1918. my father's great inter-
est in ornithology appeared in his studies of
hawk migrations across the Island during
September and October. In May, for many
years there was "Warbler Weekend" on the
Island when Spring birds returned to, or
passed over, Fishers. Often. more than 100
species were listed in the bird count. His
scientific interest in hawks led to his writing
several articles for Auk Magazine. Those ar-
ticles are also on file at the museum.
If Harry Ferguson was a miscast busi-
nessman, he still found time to pursue his
true loves (besides his family, which he
adored). Always an avid outdoorsman, he
was one of the first to import English Spring-
er Spaniels from Scotland and wrote rhe first
definitive book on that
bteed, The English
Springer !-J'paniel in
America. He trained a
famous dog, Fleet. who
won three champion-
ships. When Fleet died
in ,be 19405, the New
York Times carried his
obituary!
I believe that my
father should have been
an author. Hewrote, in
addition to the Springer
book. the first history
of Fishers Island, ro-
mantic love stories
(which my mother de-
snoyed), and adogstory
as told by the Sptinget,
Tedwyns Tailagan.
My oldet btother
Lee lOok over Fishers
Island Farms until his
. Portraits of Henry L. Ferguson and his wife Marion Benner Ferguson are featured in a display tracing the history of the
museum. From 1960 until 1972, the museum operated out of a small rented space across from today's fire station.
Continued ml p"ge 7
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Slimmer l003. Fishers Isla"d Ga:.ene 5
H.L. Ferguson MuseulD Renoyalion COlDpleled
~
The "new" H.L. Ferguson Museum
has been thoughtfully, carefully and
professionally renovated with a
breadth and depth that will exceed the
expectations of even its most enthusiastic
supporters.
The elegant shingled structure, designed
by Alben Righter & Tillman Architects of
Boston, has literally raised the profile of the
museum within the Fishers Island commu-
nity. Light and airy, with moveable interior
walls, the museum can now confidently
house and protect Island artifacts, while cre-
ating an interactive experience for adults and
particularly children.
"The museum is no longer a Ferguson
family museum-it is a Fishers Island mu-
seum," said Heather Ferguson, great-
granddaughter of H.L. Ferguson. "It
means so much to my family, but it is equal-
ly important to so many other people on
Fishers, because it preserves the history of
this Island."
In recent years, there had been a threat
to historical preservation on Fishers Island,
because of the deterioration of the museum's
collection and the increasingly cramped quar-
ters of its building, expanded piecemeal every
10 years since originally constructed in 1972.
Rather than building yet another addition,
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. Newly renovated H.L. Ferguson Museum opens July 4th with an Island-wide reception.
the museum board opted for the renovation. museum to develop its various collections.
"We needed a space where things could Visitors passing through the hexagonal
be properly protected and stored," said Pierce entry and "airlock" will find a large room
Rafferty, museum coordinator. To that end, with hardwood floors and colorful walls.
new display cases have better seals, and the Hanging near the entry is an interactive map
museum is climate controlled, with a two- of Fishers Island, divided into sections. Vis i-
part entrance serving as an "airlock" to fur- tors can spin the different sections for scien-
ther protect the museum's interior. There is rific and historical information pertaining to
also a large storage area, which will enable the specific areas on the map.
Continuing the interactive theme, there
is a video monitor that features old home
movies and newsreels dating to the 1920s, all
donated by Island families. The archeologi-
cal section will eventually offer several activi-
ties that mimic an archeological dig. In the
same area, is a new reproduction hand-carved
dugout canoe.
After climbing imo and over the canoe,
children will likely dash to the outdoor view-
ing station to be completed later this sum-
mer, an IS-foot wide gazebo, modeled after
the bandstand that once stood at Fort Wright.
It is connected by a bridge to the new deck
that spans the rear of the building.
"The viewing station is a place for chil-
dren to bring'''messy' things for idemifica-
tion, like sand crabs, egg cases and shells,"
said curatorial con:sultanr Valarie Kinkade.
"The idea is to keep these things outside.
Dead bugs brought inside the previous
building, for example, were sometimes in-
fested with worms that ate away parts of the
collection. "
The museum has
H.L. FERGUSON MUSEUM GRAND OPENING
The "new" H.L. Ferguson Museum will officially open its doors to the public Fri.
July 4. All Island residents are invited to tour the new facility at a reception from
::~:'ER HOURS JULY '-LABOR DAY I "',I"
Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-12;30 p.m.; 2-5 p.m. :(
Sat. 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Sun. II a.m.-noon
Admission is free. The museum is also open by appointment. Off-season hours
will be posted.
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SPECIAL EXHIBITION
In addition to its fixed displays, the museum presents a new temporary exhibit
every year. This summer's special exhibition entitled, Island Portraits [see pictures
on pages 27 & 40), features the Island community at work and at play, primarily
through photographs, with a few illustrations and paintings. Most of the images
date from the 1880s to the mid-1950s. Museum coordinator Pierce Rafferty
selected the images from the museum collection, augmented by loaned material.
DOCENT PROGRAM
Pierce Rafferty is coordinating a docent program with assistance from the
museum's exhibit curators, There will be a sign-up sheet for prospective
docents at the July 4 reception. and individual curators will conduct a training
session the week following the museum's opening.
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five official subject
Cof/t;llued 011 p"g~ 30
6 Fishers Islalld Gazette. Summer 2003
HlF Museu," land Trust Properties and Trails
LAND
TRUST
TRAILS
I. H. Lee Ferguson, Jr. Wildlife Sanctuary
2. L.F. Boker Doyle Brickyard Sanctuary,
Brickyard Swamp and Clay PitTrails
3.TombariTrail (New Vartanian donation, on p. I)
4. Betty Matthiessen Wildlife Sanctuary
5. Matty Matthiessen Wildlife Sanctuary,
Millers' Point and Beach Pond Trails
6.Treasure Pond Trail
7. ChocomountTrail
The H.L. Ferguson Land Trust manages 170 acres,
through donations or conservation easements from 37 donors listed below:
1. H.LFergusan, Jr. Sanctuary; Museum Bldg, Equestrian Ave.
2. BetlyMatlhiessenWildlifeSanctuory-lslandPand
3. Middle Forms, Motly Monhiessen Wildlife Sanctuary
4. Bri(kyardWaads
5. Middle Forms, Motly Manhiessen Wildlife Sanctuary
6. Middle Forms, Many Manhiessen Wildlife Sancluary
7. Middle Forms, Many Matlhiessen Wildlife Sanctuary
8. KeyPastSanctuary-YreasurePand
9. BorlawPand
10. EquestrianAvenue
11. WeslHarbar
12. Middle Farms, Matty Matlhiessen Wildlife Sanctuary
13. Middle forms Pond
14. Middle Forms, Matly Matlhiessen Wildlife Sanctuary
15. WeslMansianHouseOrive
16. TheMr.andMrs.HarryCanIWildlileSoncluory-EasIEnd
17. Hay Harbor
18. West Street
19. ChocomounlCove
20. MiddleformsPond
21. BarlowPand
22. Middle Forms, Matly Manhiessen Wildlife Sanctuary
23. Middle Forms, Matty Manhiessen Wildlife Sanctuary
24. NorlhofMain Rood 01 Middle Forms
25. NorlhafMainRaodalMiddleForms
26. Fox Avenue
27. MiddleFormsPond/Blorklslondlound
28. MiddleFormsPond
29. (loyPils
30. .Slany Beo(h-at Hoy Harbor
31. ChocomountCove
32. ChocomauntBeach
33.lslondPondarea
34. Isabella Beo(h
35. WeslHarbar
36. Norlh al Moin Rood 01 Middle Farms
37. BorleyfieldWoods
3.76
B.OO
2.3B
II.4B
1.60
11.40
1.6B
6.41
1.6B
2.3B
.71
4.00
2.10
3.B5
1.36
6.7B
.25
.09
l.B2
2.30
3.16
5.14
22.02
1.06
1.46
4.03
20.20
3.52
1.45
5.20
.75
1.90
5.00
1.34
.B3
2.99
4.29
ErordA. Motlhiessen; Peler MOllhiessen
Otis Pike
LF. BokerOoyle
RobertJ.Miner
flDW
Allerlonand Ri1aCushmon
Roberll Geniesse, Jahn Colley and Mrs. Dun(an ElIswarlh
Bagley Reid
Alberlond Susan Sli(kney
DavidF.Harris
Jansen Noyes
JohnN.(onoy
Adrienne A. Miller
Regino S. Pyle
James ond Nan()' Newman, wilh assislan(e from Fred Homilton, Michael and Mary Wray and Peler Steil
Henry C. Osborn, III
ThomosA. Sargent and Allison D. Sargent
SomuelS. Polk and Anne H. Polk
John N. Calleyond Ali Ma(Graw
RobertS. Seorle
RobertJ. Geniesse/FlDCO
RabertJ. Geniesse/FIDCO
RabertJ. Geniesse/FlDCO
RobertJ. Geniesse/F10W
Jeanann Gray Ounlap
JomenNoyes,Jr.
RoberlandAdrienneMiller,wilhossiston(e fram Homiltan Potier and Her bertandSuzanneSchutz
McCall Fomily in memory of David B. M(Call
David R. Wilmerding, Jr., Horold P. Wilmerding ond Barbora W. Moclead
HorrietBoiley
Glenn Winnen Boa(a(k
PoulVartanion
Christo bel Vartanian
David F. Horris
Brenda 1 Essex (Collawoy)
AmmondaJ. Solzmon
10/IB/66
11/05/77; 01/09/7B
12/24/BI
12/21/B2; 07/05/B3
12/29/83Cnsrvln Esmnl
OB/23/B4(nsr'ln umnl
OB/24/B4(nsrvln &mnl
12/26/B5
12/1B/B6
02/27/90
09/05/90
12/24/91
12/30/93
12/30/93
12/31/94
01/31/95
OB/16/95
11/22/95
12/6/95
12/IB/95
02/29/96
04/01/96
04/19/96
04/IB/96
04/IB/96
05/01/96
12/10/99
12/20/99
07/05/00(nsr~numnl
09/14/01
12/22/01
OB/15/02(nsr,ln &mnl
09/10/02
09/IB/02(nsr,ln&mnl
09/19/02s10/16/02
12/20/01
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Summer 2003 . Fishers Island Gazette 7
HlF Museu... land Trust Expanding Holdings
Faced with the prospect of irrevers-
ible losses to the natural beaucy of
Fishers Island, a growing number
of Island property owners are donating land
and conservation easements [0 the H,L.
Ferguson Museum Land Trust. The Land
Trust is a museum committee dedicated to
preserving Fishers Island property in its
namcal state in perpetuity.
In 1994, the Land Trust managed to
parcels donated as open space, totaJingabout
64 acres. By May 2003. the museum had
received 37 donations of land or develop-
ment rightscoveringapproximarely 170acres.
"Donations to the Land Trust have dra-
matically accelerated in recent years, perhaps
as a function of increasing construction on
the Island," said Robert). Miller, head of the
museum's Land Trust and also a mcmberof
the Land Preservation Committee of the
Board of Fishers Island Development Cor-
pnratiol1 (FlDCO).
"Donated parcels range in size from .09
acres to more than 20 acres," Mr. Miller said.
"A donation of land of any size, particularly
if it represents a potential building lot and
particularly if it is contiguous to Of would
provide a 'bridge' co an existing sanctuary
area, would be enthusiastically welcomed."
Preservation of land in its natural state
on Fishers Island. through formal, defined
restrictions, began in 1972 with a gift by the
late Colby M. Chester III and the late
Gertrude S. Legendre to the Nature COl1ser~
vancy of almost 13 acres at the east end of
Chocomoum Beach. That property is in the
process of being transferred to the museum's
Land Truse
ErardA. "Matty" Matthiessen, who died
.
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Ferguson 1881-1959
C01ltinued from page 4
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untimely death in 1965. From 1941, when I
graduated from Williams College with a
major in Fine Arts, until 1946, I was an
officer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and
had plenty of time to choose my furure. Two
people were of enormous inspiration. One
was myfathcr, who I think saw me becoming
an artist, which he should have been, and the
other was Alice Joys, who even before we
were engaged, kept urging me to go to art
school. To those two who were so influential
to me in my career. thank you! Thank you!
Your instincts were right on.
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in 2000 and who facilitated numerous dona-
tions to the Land Trust, was the next to
donate land. In 1977, he and son Peter
Matthiessen donated the eight-acre Betty
Matthiessen Wildlife Sanctuary in Island Pond
to the museum's Land Trust in memory of
wife and mother, Betty Matthiessen. The
Crisp, FIDCO has not sold any property for
many years, although it has swapped several
lots where it was able to persuade property
owners to exchange a site with aesthetic
value for one where construction would be
less visible.
A staunch supporter of the Land Trust,
. Matty Matthiessen Wildlife Sanctuary, comprised of land donated (chronologically) by Otis
Pike, Robert Miller, FIDCO, Allerton and Rita Cushman, Jansen Noyes, Adrienne Miller and
Robert Geniesse.
Matthiessen donation was intended to give
the nascent Land Trust, formed in the mid-
1970s, a solid start in its mission to preserve
natural habitat on Fishers Island.
The Land Trust was created after a
group of museum trustees including Mr.
Matthiessen and his son Carey Matthiessen,
Charles B. Ferguson and Mr. Miller saw the
need to create a local organization that could
accept and manage Island land for conserva-
tion purposes. "We were spurred by FIDCO's
possible sale oflarge amounts of its undevel-
oped land." Mr. Miller said. "and we were
concerned that the character of the Island
could radically change if all potential build-
ing sites were developed.
"In fact, in the late 1970s, FIDCO did
sell much of its undeveloped East End prop-
erty. resulting in the transfer of over 100
potential building sites to private individuals.
In discussions with Island andSoutholdorga-
nizations, including the Fishers Island Con-
servancy. it was agreed that the museum's
Land Trust should assume responsibility for
the acquisition and maintenance of Island
property in its natural, undeveloped state."
According to FIDCO President Peter
FlDCO has been playing an increasingly
active role in land preservation. In 1996, it
donated land or conservation easements over
approximately 35 acres in the Middle Farms
area in order to preserve the view and protect
against immincnt development.
FIDCO is currently evaluating its port-
folio of propcrties and hopes to donate land
of aesthetic and environmental significance,
over several years, pending review and ap-
proval by shareholders at its annual meeting
Aug. 29.
"One purpose of additional donations
by FIDCO would be to complete the protec-
tion of three areas identified as critical habi-
tat in which the museum already owns sig-
nificant propcrties acquired from individual
donors," Mr. Miller said.
"An equally important purpose would
be toencourage. byexample, individual own-
ers to consider the future donation of land
that might otherwise be developed, particu-
larly owners of multiple building lots."
From a different perspective. the mu-
seum has had "very preliminary" discussions
with Fishers Island's Waste Management
Continued on page 4/
8 Fis"er.~ Isla"d Gazelle. Summer 2(}(J]
~
Henry L. Ferguson Museum
2003 Schedule:
Saturday July 5 through Labor Day
Tuesday through Fridar- 10 a.m. -12:30 p.m.; 2 p.m. -4 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Sunday: II a.m.-12 noon
Closed Monday
Call JOr special appointmCllts
Off-season hours to be posted
For Family Nature Walks: Meet at the Museum
Thursdays at 2 p.m. during the summer.
(631) 788-7239
t'_ OUR TEJV
~~ ~ ' ~
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c>
Topper's Ice Cream
What were you doing
10 years ago?!
"Specials" all summer
Join us while we celebrate!
'" It!
Private Collection
Red Barn Gallery
Fishers Island, N.Y.
Paintings' Etchings' Wood Sculpture
by Charles B. Ferguson
COMMISSIONS WELCOME
Open June 27- Labor day
Fri. & Sat. 9 a.m.-noon
Also by appointment:
631.788.7479 or 860.677.8056
Island People's Project
Arts & Crafts Show
ON THE VILLAGE GREEN
Sat. July 19 and Sat. Aug. 16
9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
(Rain Dale Following Day)
$25, one date; $40, both dates; $3, kids' table (arts & crafts
only, no games). Registration and set up: 8 a.m.-9 a.m. For
more information call Jeanine Edwards Kelly, 508-564-9937.
.1.
~~~
,.~.
7....."
House & Garden Tour
Sat., July 19
noon - 4 p.m.
Tickets on sale during craft fair
;
Slimmer 20(JJ . Fishers Isla"d Gazette 9
InYil.siye Plil.nl Spedes Oyerlil.king Nil.liye Growl"
1
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Pictures of Fishers Islands relatively bar-
ren landscape of the early 1900s stand in stark
contrast to today's choking vegetation that can,
at times, appear to be overtaking the Island A
significant portion of this densegrowth is caused
by invasive species.
Summer resident Penni Sharp. a botanist
and professional wetland scientist, has orga-
nized an overview of invasive plant species,
with special attention to plants tbat now domi-
nate tbe Fishers Island landscape.
By Penni Sharp
The Hurricane of1938 was a defin-
ing moment in the landscape of
Fishers Island. Storm winds essen-
tially leveled Island forests, leaving vast areas
of disturbed soils that became vulnerable to
colonization by aggressive plants.
Bare soil exposed by land clearing has
also contributed to the spread of invasive
plants. As a result, many plants now com-
mon to the Island do not represent native
pre-settlement flora. In fact, most, if not all
the species that now flourish here are from
Europe and Asia.
This problem is not unique to Fishers
Island. Biologists across the nation are con-
cerned about the loss in overall biodiversity
due to invasive species, which arc not limited
to plants. Zebra mussel, gypsy moth, Euro-
pean starling and Japanese green crab are
also considered to be invasive.
Connecticut, close enough to Fishers
Island to draw comparisons, has approxi-
mately 900 non-native out of 2600 plant
species growing without cultivation. Of the
900, 90 are listed as either widespread and
invasive, restricted and invasive, or poten-
tially invasive.
Man bears responsibility for transport-
ing into new environs many non-native spe-
cies that otherwise could not have crossed
natural barriers such as oceans, deserts and
mountains. While the majorityofexoticplants
introduced by accident or intention are eco-
logically benign, a small percentage has run
rampant.
Many common wildflowers such as
Queen Anne's lace, common buttercup,
bouncing bet and red clover, are species that
have been introduced from overseas, usually
arriving by ship or imported for medicinal
purposes. Fortunately, most have not be-
come invasive pests.
An invasive plant species is defined as
one that establishes readily, grows aggres-
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sivelyand prolifically, and tends to reproduce
in high numbers. It can readily escape from
cultivation and is able to persist in the natural
landscape without cultivation, crowding out
native species. In worst-case scenarios, it not
only drives out indigenous species but also
radically alters natural ecosystems.
On Fishers Island, one of the only areas
that appears to be free of invasives is the
Brickyard Woods. Elsewhere, there arc inva-
sivespecies in all plant categories: trees,shrubs,
vines, herbs and forbs.
TREES
Norway maple (Acer platanoides) is our
most conspicuous invasive tree and grows on
the West End. The most widely planted
street tree in North America, it is native from
southern Scandinavia to northern Iran and
was introduced as an ornamental shade tree
in Philadelphia in 1762.
SHRUBS
Autumn olive (Eleagnus umbellata) is a
small, spiny deciduous shrub that may grow
to 20' tall. In late May, the Island is perme-
ated with its sweet aroma, so potent that the
smell is noticeable from the water as one
. Pervasive invasives on F.I. include autumn
olive (top) and shrub honeysuckle.
HELP CURTAIL THE SPREAD OF INVASIVESI
>- Learn to recognize our most threatening plant pests. It is much easier to
eliminate invasive species when density is limited.
>- When landscaping, use native species or non-invasive ornamentals appropriate
for coastal habitats.
>- Be careful not to send or receive potentially harmful plants through the mail.
Use mail-order services wisely.
>- Attempt to minimize land disturbance and exposure of soils. These activities
increase an area's vulnerability to exotic plant invasions.
>- Never release aquarium plants into waterbodies. Popular aquarium plants such
as Eurasion watermilfoil and Brazilian elodea are choking many of the country's
waterways and reservoirs.
~ Spread the word by educating yourself and others about the problem of non-
native, invasive plant species. P. Sharp
approaches the Island by boat.
This shrub grows rapidly, often forming
dense thickets. A single plant may produce
200,000 seeds each year. Irs fragrant yellow
flowers mature to fleshy fruits, brown at first,
and larer red (occasionally yellow) wirh
minute silvery dots.
Autumn olive was introduced to America
from Asia for a variety of uses including soil
conservation and wildlife habitat enhance-
ment. In Connecticut, it was widely planted
along highways and may very well have been
transported to Fishers Island by birds feeding
aloog rhe 1-95 corridor.
Bush honeysuckles are also common on
the Island. They are upright, multi-stemmed
shrubs that range in height from six to 20 feet
and have oval, opposite branching leaves.
They can grow in a variety of habitats from
open fields, marshes, forest edges and forests,
and are native to Europe, eastern Asia, and
Colll;nu~d 011 pdg~ 33
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Summer 2(}(/3. Fishers Island Gazene I J
By Leila Hadley Luee
My mother was a horticultural
snob. Devoted to irises. del-
phiniums, peonies and other
perennials and bulbs, she disdained annuals.
She considered zinnias, sunflowers, petunias
and marigolds coarse and common, their
colors a vulgarity.
For years, I also had little time for any
flowers other than lilies, daffodils and pastel
perennials. The notion of pot-
ting seeds, thinning seedlings
and pricking them out to trans-
plant into the garden struck me
as a waste of time and effort.
That is. until I couldn't find
enough white impatiens at a
local nursery for a floral ex-
travaganza that I envisioned for a summer
party. Not wanting to take any chances the
following year, I began growing impatiens
from seed. The extravaganza has now be-
come an annual pleasure and an example of
my newfound pleasure in annuals.
An annual is a plant that lives for only
one season, from the time its seed is sown; it
blooms, sets seeds, and dies. Half-hardyan-
nuals are cold resistant. Their seeds can be
planted in mid-March in Zones 6 and/or 7.
(The average yearly minimal temperature in
Zone 6 is OOF to _IOoF. and in Zone 7, it is
OOF to IOOF) The seeds of hardy annuals.
those that self-seed reliably, can be planted in
the chill of autumn or in very early spring.
The seeds of many flowering annuals
and annual culinary herbs can be sown di-
rectly in the garden in full sun as soon as all
danger of frost has passed. Dill, cosmos.
zinnias and sunflowers are popular choices
for this method. Some annuals, like morning
glories, nasturtiums. sweetpeas and cilantro
(a culinary herb that sets its
seeds, known as coriander, in
hm weather) do better if you
give them a head start by pot-
ting them indoors in peat pots
or other biodegradable contain-
ers, such as newspapers or egg
shell halves with holes in the
bonom. so you can transplant them outdoors
without disturbing their fragile roots.
Peat pots are also effective for some
plants that you plan to bring inside for the
wimer. Dill. for example, which rarely toler-
ates transplanting, is best started in peat pots.
I plop them into an earth-filled terracotta pot
,
I
,
to bring indoors at the end of the
season wi th perennial herbs and other
kitchen herbs such as basil, borage,
cilantro and chervil, which is best
sowed in both spring and late sum-
mer. as it grows quickly and prefers
cool weather.
Prolonging the life of flowering
annuals by bringing them indoors
for the winter is called "overwintering." I use
terracotta pots to transform annuals into
wimer houseplants, which will be trotted
outside again in the spring. I've
had success with scented gerani-
ums. correctly called pelargoni-
ums (Greek for "stork," a refer-
ence to the shape of their stork-
billed seed capsules); along with
evolvulus, a low growing plant
with cobalt blue flowers, and
others. Among annuals you might like to
have outside or inside all year are begonias.
fuchsia, heliotrope, lobelia. snapdragons.
verbena, and bouvardia, a summertime
hummingbird magnet.
When starting seeds indoors, a com-
mendable economic practice, use a seed-
starting mix, not paning soil,
which is often too rich and doesn't
drain well enough for seedlings.
Set pots inside seed-starting trays
so that you can water seedlings
from the bottom by adding water
to the tray rather than disturbing
seeds by watering them from the
top. Plant two orthree seeds a pot. How deep
to plant? If the seed packet doesn't tell you,
a good rule is to plant a seed three times as
deep as its smallest diameter. Some seeds,
like deome/spider flower. need light to ger-
minate, and these you don't cover at all.
Simply lay the seeds on the surface of the mix
and gently tap them with your fingers to
settle them.
The seeds of sweetpeas.
morning glories and nastur-
tiums germinate more easily if
their hard seed coats are nicked.
or scarified, so that they can
soak up more water. To scarifY a
lot of seeds, put a card of coarse
grit sandpaper and the seeds into a jar, close
the lid and shake well until the seed coats
wear down, but still protect the embryo
inside the seed. When the seeds are scarified,
soak them in lukewarm water overnight be-
fore planting them.
After you have planted your seeds, cover
them loosely with transparent plastic to cre-
ate a humid atmosphere. At 650F to 70oF,
seeds should sprout without additional heat.
As soon as you see sprouts, take off the plastic
covers and set seedlings about two to three
inches away from standard four-foot-Iong
fluorescent lights, or "grow lights." As the
seedlings rise, lift the lights to keep the proper
distance. Adjustable light fixtures are afford-
able. easy to install, and should be left on
continuously for best results. Keep an electric
fan or two on low to keep air circulating to
ward off fungal disease and to encourage
seedlings to become strong and sturdy.
Before you transplant your seedlings
into the garden, begin taking the trays out-
side to a protected place near a wall or in a
cold frame for a few hours on mild days umil,
after about a week. you gradu-
ally wotk up to a full day, then
overnight. This "hardening
off" process is vital to assure
that your seedlings adjust to
our Island dimate.
If raising plants from
seeds sounds like a bother, you
can also direct-sow seeds outdoors in full sun
in late Aptil, early May. Try bachelor's but-
tons (they take six to eight weeks to flower, so
be patient); calendulas, California poppy(mix
their tiny seeds with sand for easy sowing};
cleome (remember not to cover them with
soil to give them light to germinate); cosmos,
forget-me-nots (they like constant moisture);
four-o'clocks, nasturtiums {their edible
flowers are decorative, their peppery leaves
delicious in salads and sandwiches}; rud-
beckia, snapdragons, sunflowers, beloved by
goldfinches; sweetpeas. zinnias. There are
annuals for the shade: begonias, caladiums,
ginger, impatiens. nicotianas, violas. among
others. Abe/mo5chm escu!entus is an ornamen-
tal okra. somewhat like a hollyhock, that is
an impressive player for one-upmanship
horticulturists. You can find many other
sophisticated delights at Oliver Nurseries,
1159 Bronson Road, Fairfield CT 06824,
tel: 203-259-5609.
Continued on page 42
12 Fi.~"er,~ Is/and Gazette - Slimmer 2003
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Summer }(J()] . Fishers /stalld Gaulle /3
F.I. Conser~an(;y Sponsors First "Nature Days"
The Fishers !sland Conservancy will explained in printed information available
celebrate its first annual "Nature on the Island in July.
Days" July 18-24. The special week A Sense of Wonder is about a woman's
of activities is designed to raise the level of love for the natural world and her fight to
environmental awareness on Fishers Island. defend it. Ms. Carson, a marine biologist, is
"Nature Days," sponsored by the R E portrayed as an extremely private
Conservancy, will be filled with A U D person thrust into the role of
lCCluresand acrivitiesand high- ~, ~J- controversial public figure.
lighted bya two-act play July ~'fo Kaiulaoi Lee has over
18. A Sense of Wonder. The ~ \f' than 20 years' experi-
play tells a story about encein the theater. She
Rachel Carson, who has starred in more
through her 1962 book, than 12 plays on and
Silent Spring, warned the rI) off-Broadway, has
world about the danger of ':;). ~ been nominated for
chemical pesticides, touch- "0 'b' the Drama Desk
ing off an environmental :J- . ~ Award on Broadwayand
revolution. X '< ' has won the aBlE Award
Kaiulani Lee, a stage, PrOtect o\,) for outstanding achieve-
screen and television actor, menrOff.Broadway.Ms.
wrote and stars in the one- . hid Lee has guest-starred in
FIS ers Is an Conservancy
woman play that she per- numerous television se-
forms nationally and internationally. Sum- ries including Law & Order, The Equalizer
merresidem Barbie Riegd attended Ms. Lee's and The Waltons. Her film credits include
performance in 2001 at the Stroud Water The Seduction of}oe Tynan, The Fan, Cujo,
Research Center in Avondale, Pa. Compromising Positions and The World Ac.
[The Stroud Water Research Center is cording to Garp, pan of which was filmed on
internationally recognized as the world leader Fishers Island.
in stream research, and ecosystem and water- Admission to all evems is free. The pro-
way restoration, protecting the earth's ulti- gram is being underwritten with special con-
mate namral resource--clean water.] tributions to the Conservancy earmarked for
"Mter seeing Kaiulani Lee's provocative "Nature Days."
performance, I immediately thought of
Fishers Island-with our special ecosystems
and the fragile nature of our shoreline, re-
claiming the osprey, the lobster struggle in
Long Island Sound, the stripers and bluefish,
egrets, seagulls and the cormorant overpopu-
Iation," said Mrs. Riegel, who serves on
Stroud's Board of Directors.
Mrs. Riegel presented her idea to fellow
members of the F.1. Conservancy Board,
and they enthusiastically endorsed the idea,
which was soon embraced by a large number
of volunteers from the Fishers Island com-
r
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muniry.
The Conservancy formed a steering
committee last summer to discuss bringing
the play to Fishers Island and also the possi-
bility of expanding to a full week of activities
focusing on the ecology of the Island, involv-
ing other Island organizations.
John F. McGillian, an imerested slim-
mer resident, offered to coordinate the entire
event. He and his committee have organized
activities [see boxat righr]. which will be fully
.
..
~
.
.
<
,
o
u
o
;;
~
~
. Rachel Carson (top) at her summer home in
Maine several years before she wrote Silent
Spring. . Kaiulani Lee (above) portrays Ms.
Carson in, A Sense of Wonder, a two-act, one-
woman play, written by Ms. Lee, that she per-
forms 30 times a year.
NATURE DAYS SCHEDULE
(venues to be posted)
July 18: A Sense of Wonder, written by and starring Kaiulani Lee, 7:30 p.m.
Reception following perlormance.
July 19: Andy Griswold and his Connecticut Audubon Society team will conduct
programs "Pond Life," "Bug Off' and....Beach Babies" between noon and 4
p.m.
July 20: Tumid Grady, director of Sound Seas, will speak at 6 p.m.; Steve Parker
will supervise the Ferguson Museum-sponsored "Starry Starry Night," 9 p.m.,
Rafferty Observatory.
July 21: IPP and museum will sponsor a nature treasure hunt for children. 10
a.m. to noon; Penni Sharp will conduct a nature walk, 2 p.m. Special 8 p.m.
showing of Winged Migration by Jacques Perrin, "courtesy of Sony Pictures
Classics." Nominated Best Documentary Feature for this year's Academy
Awards.
July 22: Roger Stone, director of Atlantic CoastWatch,lecture, 6 p.m.
July 23: Island Clean-up, 10 a.m., organized by Chris Rafferty. David Burnham and
others. in conjunction with school and IPP. Family entertainment night with
an environmental focus, 6 p.m.. organized by Cynthia Riley.
July 24: Tour of the oyster pond and hatchery. 2-4 p.m., led by Steve Malinowski.
Evening schedule to be announced.
14 Fi.~hers Island Gaune. Summer 2003
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Summer 2003. Fislrers /slalld Gazene 15
V olney "Turk" RigLler 100 Years Old May 2
Reprinted.from Bedford Pound Ridge Record Review
-
By Felix Carcall
Tall as a totem pole. nearly as slender
as a surfboard, with the wingspan
of a clothesline, Volney "Turk"
Righter clenches his fist and knocks on his
head. It's a hard head. he says. His size. his
healthy bone density. the fact that he's still
alive, still playing golf - still mostly by his
own rules - he owes to one thing in particu-
lar: the cod liver oil his mother spoon-fed
him from day one.
"Yuck," he says,
pursing his lips to re-
pel a bad memory.
"Yau ever taste that
stuff? What an awful
way to begin the
morning. "
So thank cod.
In the year Ford
released rhe first Model
A, when the first mes-
sage was sent over Pa-
cific cable, when he-
lium was discovered,
and the Wright broth-
ers took flight, that's
when Mr. Righter was !.
born. ~
,
He'll turn 100 on 8
o
May 2. He looks 30 ~
~
years younger.
"It's interesting.
When I was at
Harvard, I was blond,
skinny and looked very
young," he said. "I said, 'This is going to hurt
me in business,' and I said, 'But I'm going to
make it up on the other end. ,,,
It's safe to say, Mr. Righter has outdone
himself. Not only in terms of longevity, but
also in terms of business success.
He's sitting back in a couch in his house
built by Edward Larabee Barnes atop David's
Hill in Bedford, overlooking hills in the
distance that pull away as iffrom a big splash.
He recalls that fateful day in 1949 when
he sat in a meeting and listened as his boss, Ed
Petry, of the radio ad rep firm Petry Corp..
told his staff there would never be much of a
future in tdevision for advenising.
Mr. Righter, one of the early owners of
a television set, knew better, having wit-
nessed how his kids huddled around watch-
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ing Howdy Doody, glued to the glow. He
teamed up with fellow Petry executives Jack
Harrington and James Parsons and founded
the first TV-only ad rep firm, Harrington,
Righter & Parsons.
The rest is history - and money in the
bank.
Did he ever think he'd live this long?
"Well my father died at 61, my mother
died at 62, so when I got to be 55, I began
shipping my suits up to my son Jimmy in
..-:...J \ II' . I
.~_I
plays golfby 'Turks Rules. '" That is, if neces-
sary, kick the ball out of rough, the bunker,
whatever works.
"He's the last leaf on the local tree," said
Anne Miller, a neighbor and close friend.
"He's a great raconteur. He's lively. He's
generous. He has a great sense of humor. He
knows everybody. He's devoted to Fishers
Island, where he goes in the summer. He
writes endless letters - to the president, to
The New York Times - in what we call
'high dudgeon,' up
on his high horse.
He's a character.
He's a gendeman."
Born in Penn-
sylvania, Mr.
Righter lived in
Plainfield, N.J., un-
til he was 13. He
and his family then
moved to Green-
wich, Conn. He
graduated from
Harvard Business
School in 1928. He
went immediately
into advertising,
starting Out with
Y Dung & Rubicam.
By his own account,
he wasn't a huge
success. Dyslexia
held him back, he
said.
At the time, in
the 1920's, radio
was transforming from a novelty to a cultural
institution. He eventually took the job with
Petry selling advenisement.
After World War II when companies
such as RCAand Westinghouse turned their
attenrion to television manufacturing, Mr.
Righter bought what he calls his "giant,life-
size, 10-inch set."
After Mr. Petry's speech panning the
future of television, he and Mr. Harrington
and Mr. Parsons stepped out Onto the side-
walk of Manhattan, looked at each other and
said, "Who's loony now?" said Mr. Righter.
At the time they created Harrington,
Righter & Parsons, television was an industry
in its infancy. There were only 50 TV mar-
kets, and the stations were losing mOllcy,
. Volney "Turk" Righter celebrated his 100 birthday at a May 4 reception at the Bedford Golf &
Tennis Club. His son Jim (with microphone) and daughter-in-law Sandy Righter organized the event
attended by 200 friends and family. Mr. Righter is seated in front of a photo of himself as a boy.
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BoStoll, who's the same shape and size as
me," said Mr. Righter.
Years later, when Mr. Righter showed
no signs of dying - and when his remaining
suits became threadbare at the elbow - his
son began shipping the suits back.
Turk Righter walks with a cane that has
a small American flag taped at half mast. He
invites people to ask him why. "Didn't you
hear," he responds. "George Washington
died."
He's surrounded by devoted friends and
family. "He has a million friends," said Josie
Evans ofWaccabuc.
"He's still very quick at 100," said Had
Talbot of Katonah. "Totally sharp. He
knows a lot about a lot of things. He's a
devoted parishioner of St. Matthew's. He
Continued on page 42
16 Fishers Island Gazette. Slimmer 2(}03
FISHER)j~NO~N
l~.....%t6"4~ish7rs Island NY 06390
e .&,f;:.t . 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 (sland Civic Association exists to promote
the economic, civic and social welfare of the people
of Fishers Island. Quarterly meetings provide forums
for discussions of Island issues and reports from Island
organizations.
Annual dues: Individual $10; Family $1S
Subscribing $25; Supporting $50
Sustaining $100
EVERGREEN
LANDSCAPES,INC
PO BOX 219 FISHERS ISLAND NY 06390
631 .7 a a 7433 F A ~ 631 .7 a a. 7 4 0 9
RRIGATION INSTALLATION
AND MAINTAINANCE
BACKHOE AND DUMP TRUCK
SERVICE
GREG AND GAIL CYPHERD
G C Y PH E R O@FI 5 HERS ISLA NO. N ET
e'(S Island lit.
.~~ 'Q~
~ F.!. ELectric ~
F.I. TeLephone
F.!. Water Works
the beach plum
pO box 664
fishers island,ny
06390
(631) 788-7731
"
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Slimmer 21)(J3 . Fishers Island Gazelle 17
CLarles SlepaneL. Retires fro... F... S<<:Lool
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Most people know Charles
Stepanek as the man in a
brimmed hat standing sentry
over the ferry district's "20-minurc rule" at
Sily-er Eel Pond. A smile and quick glance at
the pink reser-
vation card,
and he is gone.
To count-
less sfudelHs at 0
the Fishers Is- l
land School, ~
~
however, he is ~
.
asocial studies/ ~.,~ J'
history/cul- ~ oii!'';;''-*'-T'"
rure/econom- . Charles Stepanek retir.
ics/govern- ing after 30 years.
ment teacher who has retired after 30 years at
the school.
"The time was right," hesaid in response
to the obvious question. "I am 70 years old
and have been teaching for 30 years. That
makes a perfect 100!"
Me. Stepanek was born and raised in
Chicago. He joined the U.S. Air Force at 18,
where he was an aerial photographer. While
in the Air Force, he "got the idea about
missionary work," and after his discharge,
joined Maryknoll, a Catholic foreign mis-
sionary group, in Ossining, N.Y. Me.
Stepanek was a brother at Maryknoll for
16 years, working in administration and
teaching.
After meeting his future wife, Lyn, Mr.
Stepanek decided to make teaching his pro-
fession. He has a BA from Fordham Univer-
sity in New York City and later earned a
master's degree from Connecticut College.
A call from a teacher placement agency
brought theStepaneks and theireight-month-
old daughter Carolyn to Fishers Island via the
OLINDA. Their closest previous association
with Fishers had been driving over the Gold
Star Bridge between New York and Boston.
"We fell in love with Fishers Island. It's a
beautiful place and beautiful community, a
wonderful place to raise children," Mr.
Stepanek said.
"Mary Pankiewicz was our first contact.
She showed us around and gave Lyn some
straight talk about living on an Island. Teacher
housing was filled by the time I signed on in
August, 1973, but fonunately Ricky Ahman
drove us around until we found a home in
what was then the Zangherri Apartments.
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About a year later, our daughter Susie came
into the picture."
Mr. Stepanek's first senior class included
Cheryl and Michael Doucette, Luis Horn,
Lynn Jenssen, Catherine Peishoff, Michael
Price and Phil Spinella. His students en-
dured "teaching experiments" in psychology
and sociology until the state mandated senior
year courses in economics and government
instead.
"Shorrlyafter I arrived, it was decided to
adopt Regents Exams for the district. I think
they keep teachers 'honest'. By that I mean,
for example, I love the French Revolution
and could teach it for two months. With the
Regents, however, teachers stay on task to
cover everything required."
Mr. Stepanek is unwavering in his teach-
ing philosophy and an admitted admirer of
nationally recognized educator, E.D. Hirsch
Jr. "Culturalliteracyis the idea," Mr. Stepanek
said. "At the high school level, it is better t<;l
give students a broad range of knowledge that
they can build on in college. Laying a broad
foundation means that it is also a shallow
one. But everything is global today, and I
would rather my students have a broad global
awareness than deeper knowledge in fewer
areas."
A discussion of teaching on Fishers Is-
land would not be complete without men-
tion of "10 oping", keeping students together
with the same teacher for more than one year.
"It has become fashionable lately to loop
studenrs for two years. We do it for six. The
disadvantage is that students are not able to
experience different teaching styles, bur there
are tremendous advantages.
"When 1 am working with students-
and it doesn't matter if they are bright, aver-
age or require special help--I know precisely
what they have had in previous years, so I
know where I'm going (0 he taking them.
There is continuity."
Of the many memories that come to
mind at retirement, Mr. Stepanek singles
out his pride in the school's Magnet Pro-
gram and his satisfaction working with Ibby
Sawyer, Roberta Elwell and Linda Bean
directing and supporting grade 7-12 stu-
dems in social studies research papers and
exhibitions.
The thought of long lazy afternoons at
the beach does not sit well with Mr. Stepanek.
He plans a future on Fishers Island with tyn,
working at the ferry and at school as a substi-
tute teacher and assisting with special pro-
grams. He will also continue his other signifi-
cant community involvement as an EMT,
member of the fire department and Ameri-
can Legion Chaplain.
"I am not going to pretend that I haven't
had difficult relationships with some of the
students," Mr. Stepanek said. "But we work
them out quickly. These kids, when they
graduate, are my sons and daughters."
. Cast of this Spring's school musical, Kiss Me Kate, stopped (or a picture on the way to rehearsal.
(l-r) Brittany Murray, Billy Bloethe, Camilla Spinola. Andrew Ellis and Alicia Cairns.
18 Fishers Island Gazette. Summer 1003
Reed Brol....ers: ., T allesl People in N. A.lDeric:;a
. (I-r) laird and Bill Reed relax in Talkeetna, Alaska after their successful
climb up Mt. McKinley.
Summer residents Laird Reed, 33, and his
older brother Bill, 35, novice mountain
climbers, climbed Mt. McKinley without a
guide in May 2000. Laird wrote and posted
on the Internet an 11,000-word journal of
the successful climb. Rather than cut the journal
to one-tenth its size. the following is a
chronological selection of excepts describing the
dramatic culmination of their journey.
By Laird Reed
... Once we arrived at 17k, the physi-
ological rules changed: experienced climbers
call anything around this altitude the "death
zone." Climbers' bodies start
falling apart, getting weaker
rather than continuing to
acclimatize.. .as they do moving
up through the lower altitudes.
Day two after our arrival at
17k there was a marginal win-
dow for a summit attempt. Soon
~
after hiuing the slope, we lost ~
the path and spent hours trying :g
to forge a new one lip very un- ~
"
friendly, crevassed terrain. When 1lI
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4 or 5 [p.m.] rolled aroond, "0
[onlyrnro-thirdsofthewayupl, :
we decided to turn around and g
o
try again another day. As it turns ~
out, only a few of the Spanish f
[climbers] that had a run at it
summiued, and all of these guys
lost parts of their toes and feet.
[Returning to camp], there was quite a
bit of slack in the [yellow climbing rope that
connected us whenever we weren't in the
tent.) What started out as a controlled
belay.. .quickly became a one man avalanche
down the most deadly parr of the mountain.
My goggles filled withsnowasI tumbled
down the face picking up speed. Thus,
blindly, I awaited the line jerking straight and
my harness pulling me up sharply. Around
30 or so meters of rope had uncoiled and
followed me down the 450 slope, when the
picket rook 250+ Ibs. of my mass moving
preuy fast. It snapped me onto my stomach,
'pun my head uphill, and jerked me quite a
bit... before tearing out.
... Billy, had watched me spinning down
the mountain and had had quite a few sec-
onds to get into a bomb-proof position to
ahsorb my fall... before he too was jerked up
and off the side of the mountain by my
momentum.
We tumbled down a few more seconds
before I found myself flying through the air
then landing hard on my back at the base of
a 15-ft. ice cliff. I realized the fall had finally
stopped... Billy peered over the edge and
suggested I move to the right, pronto. I had
crash-landed onto a crevasse's snow bridge
and half of my left arm was dangling over a 5-
fro wide, 50-ft.+ deep hole.
We continued.. .down to our camp at
17.200 feet where we climbed into our tent
for the next five days to rest and bide time for
the weather to clear. Conventional knowl-
edge had it that we'd need between five and
nine hours to do a round trip to the sum-
miL..
... While the walk from I 8k ro I 9k was
more or less uneventful, it was far from easy.
There was the omnipresent danger of a bad
fall. It was a long, bright, exhausting. cold,
windy slog. A few of the people we passed
had turned around before reaching the
summit. Even more depressing than their
morose faces were the perky, happy people
who had summited earlier that day and were
heading down when we still had another
1,500 feet to go.'
At a little over 19k, we reached the
Football Field, a nice flat spot where climbers
walk past Archdeacon's tower and the infa-
mous "Oriem Express." ...My head was
clear, but I was exhausted as we both finally
got to the other side of Football Field and to
the base of Pig Hill 20 minutes later. From
the maps, we expected this hill to be virtually
non-existent, and the books hardly men-
tioned it; instead we found Pig Hill the most
trying part of the day.
The snow was loose. and despite the
dozen or so climbers who had already gone
up this route, we "post-holed" down into the
soft powder beneath the trampled path half
of the time and were slipping backwards on
our snow clogged crampons the other half.
h took forever to get up this 700-ft. hill,
panting and wheezing the whole time and,
for the first time. the climbers around us
were moving faster. It seemed that our six
days at 17k, as predicted, had weakened our
bodies significantly. Nonetheless we arrived
at the top and were met by a
strong wind.
I waited for Billy to catch
up at the point where people
ditch their gear and make a
run across a sketchy ridge to
reach the summit. Here. I shed
the top layer of my Gore- T ex
suit and nearly got terminal
hypothermia in the 30 sec-
onds it took to add a down
jacket on top of my fleece layer.
My bare hands stopped func-
tioningand became numb, my
mouth was having trouble
putting words together and
Billy. arriving in the nick of
time. helped me put the wind
layer back un while I thawed
out my flash frozen hands
against my stomach.
We rested a bit from this episode, then
launched out across a very sharp, narrow
ridge to the summit one at a time. Trying not
to look down the 500 walls to either side, we
shuffied, baby-step style, across this exposed
edge and up towards the roof of North
America. As usual we were lethargic, trip-
ping over the rope and stumbling in our
crampons as we approached the lines of
Tibetan prayer flags tied to the roof of
Alaska... Bur we finally made it, gave each
other a handshake and crashed down for a
quick rest and a little snack.
Out came some ice-filled water that had
been up against my chest and a few rock hard
Snickers bars, and we had a picnic in our
mittens and balaclavas. Mtcr a few minutes,
another climber from New Zealand caught
up, and we asked him to take a few photos of
us before we turned over the mantel of
"tallest person in North America" to him
exclusively.
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Summer 1003. f'ishers Islmld Gazette 19
WLy Cli...L Denali' s ~o,3~o-ft. MI. M<:Kinley1
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Laird & Bill at
Summit
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Summer residents Bill and Laird
Reed are oUldoorsmen and adven-
turers.
They grew up on a beef cattle farm in
Virginia and, after homework and chores,
had full afternoons, with their brother
Philip. for animals, trees, firearms. sharp
things. go-kaets, tractors, trucks, bulldozers.
chainsaws, axes, horses, bulls in the field and
trees with limbs to climb.
"We did lots of things to inflict our-
selves on nature and the surrounding
environment," said Laird Reed.
From that childhood came a determined
environmentalism, learned from their father,
~Gi:m
0!I:w:ri:1D
the late William T. Reed Ill, an environmen-
talist "before it was fashionable" and a mem-
ber of the Environmental Defense Fund in
the 1960s.
"Mom dragged us to museums by the
scruff of the neck, while Dad was showing us
how to shoot and drive a tractor," Laird said.
"Dad encouraged us to respect and work
within the confines of nature. If there arc
wildflowers on the propeny, leave them,
work with nature rather than dominate it."
The brothers appteciate music and the
arts and each plays a musical instrument.
(Laird selected hagpipes, thinking it would
be too obscure for lessons, but within a week
~
.
Laird Reed Photos
his mother, Helen Scott Reed, had the bag-
pipes and a teacher.) They have all selected
jobs in the environmental sector. Bill is presi-
dent of New Leaf Paper, a national recycled
paper manufacturer and distributor in Cali-
fornia; Laird is in renewable energy private
equity, gasification technologies and wind
power; and younger brother Philip is an
environmental engineer.
The Reed boys all went to St. Mark's in
South borough, Mass. Bill, a "keen horse-
man," went on to University of Virginia
(UVA), where he majored in international
business and was captain of the polo team.
Cont;'lUed on page 39
20 Fishers Island Gazelle. Slimmer 2003
Peter Chaves, 43
Perer Chaves died April 19 of a sudden
heart attack at his parents' home on Fishers
Island. He was 43.
Born April 12, 1960 and raised in
Windsor. Conn., Mr. Chaves had spent part
of every summer on Fishers Island since
the age of 16. After graduating from North-
west Catholic High School in 1978, he re-
ceived a Bachelorof Arts degree from Charter
Oak College and worked at the Spencer
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PETER CHAVES
Turbine Company in Windsor for 22 years
as traffic manager.
Family and friends remember Me.
Chaves with admiration and affection:
"Peter loved Fishers Island and the Con-
necticut River Valley. He would walk every
day wirh his faithful black lab Onyx and
found great joy in all outdoor activities-
fishing, hiking. skiing. hunting. He enjoyed
them all, with the deepest respect for
nature and all the pleasures the great out-
doors could offer.
"Peter had two wonderful talents: help-
ing others in need and making friends. Usu-
ally the two went hand in hand. He was
modest about his accomplishments. either
on the softball diamond or in his professional
life. and especially regarding the unfailing
assistance he offered to friends and family,
helping with home improvement projects,
car repairs. yard work, organizing a party or
giving needed advice.
"Chaves's houseguests on Fishers soon
realized that Peter gave new meaning to the
term 'early riser.' Up with the sun, Peter
would have taken Onyx for a walk on South
Beach. started a big project and made a
second pot of coffee before the rest of the
house had shifted out of first gear.
"Carpentry and woodworking served as
a further outlet for Peter's talent and energy.
He loved to make furniture with his friends
in mind, made to their taste and to fit their
home. Pete always lit up a room when he
entered. He was genuinely interested in help-
ing all he came in contact with. As a natural
teacher, he shared his enthusiasm for life with
all his friends. Perer had just decided rhar he
could help odlers in yet one more way. as a
full time educator and was scheduled to
receive a Bachelor of Science Degree in T ech-
nology Education this June from Central
Connecticut State University.
"Peter will always be remembered for his
fierce loyalty to family and friends and his
uncanny talent for playing pranks on those
same friends. Pete leaves an entire legion of
friends who will remember his mile-wide
grin. his laughter and his sheer love oflife. He
helped everyone who needed help, encour-
aged all who needed encouragement and
gave from the goodness of his heart. He
exemplified the very best of what it means to
be a Fishers Islander and his spirit will never
leave the Island."
Mr. Chaves is survived by his parents.
Joan and Arthur Chaves of Avon, Conn.; five
sisters, Carol. Janet. Mary, JoAnn and Mar-
garet; two brothers, Artie and John; and 10
nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 11
a.m. July 12 at Our Lady of Grace Church.
Peter was buried in Riverside Cemetery in
Windsor. Donations in his memory may be
made to the American Heart Association.
2550 US Highway I, N Brnnswick NJ
08902 and the Parkinson's Disease Associa-
tion, 27 A1lendale Dr, North Haven CT
06473.
Mary E. Bohlen, Summered on F.I. 72 Years
Mary E. Bohlen, 93, of Dobbs Ferry,
died Dec. 3, 2002.
Mrs. Bohlen had a positive, upbeat spirit
and a good sense of humor. She was physically
and emotionally strong, decisive and deter-
mined throughout her life. She never thought
of herself as old, said daughrer Mary Bohlen.
Mrs. Bohlen first came to Fishers Island
in 1930 as governess to the children of
Franklin and Elizabeth Haines. Returning to
Fishers in 1932.still as the Haines' governess,
she met Capt. Walter H. Bohlen, whom the
Haines had recently hired to captain their
schooner, Marita. The Bohlens were married
in Dobbs Ferry, April 4, 1937 and
lived there for the rest of their lives.
Mr. Bohlen died in 1995.
In 1940, the Bohlens bought a
house in Middle Farms. Mr. Bohlen
always kept a boat at Fishers Island
and even though Mrs. Bohlen was
not an avid sailor. she encouraged
her husband and children to sail.
The Bohlen name on Fishers ~
Island is still strongly associated ~
with fine sailors. j
Mrs. Bohlen's connection to ~ .~. z-;
Fishers Island was immediate. "My ~ ~_, ~
mother loved Fishers Island and ev- ~ ~f",:'
erything about it from the very first ~ .~.
day she arrived," Ms. Bohlen said. ~
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"She waited all winter to go back in
the summer! She loved walking the
Middle Farms Flats and chasing rabbits when
needed. She also loved the quiet, the sunsets
and most of all. soaking up the summer sun
at the beach!"
In recent years. Mrs. Bohlen was a famil-
iar sight at the end of the path to Choco-
mount, sitting under a big beach umbrella,
and always wearing her white sun hat. From
1930 through 2002, MIS. Bohlen never spem
a summer away from Fishers Island.
Mrs. Bohlen was born Feb. 16. 1909 in
Castle Bar. County Mayo, a small town in
the west oflrcland. She came to the United
COlltillu~d 011 pag~ 21
MARY E. BOHLEN
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Edith du Pont Riegel Pearson of
Momchanin, Del. and Fishers Island died
peacefully May 31 at home after a long
illness. She was 90.
A commincd philanthropist, Mrs.
Pearson was steadfastly loyal to her family
and generous [0 numerous educational in-
stitutions as well as to local, national, civic
and cultural organizations.
Born Aug. 28, 1912 in Wilmingron,
Del., Mrs. Pearson was the daughter of
Lammor and Natalie du Pont and great-
great-grear-grcat-granddaughter of E.1. du
Pont. founder of the DuPont Co. She at-
tended Tower Hill School in Wilmingron,
Del. and, in 1930, graduated from the
Oldfields School in Glencoe, Md.
Mrs. Pearson first came to Fishers Is-
land in 1922, at the age of 10, with her
parents and seven brothers and sisters. The
family stayed at the Mansion House that
year, but in 1923. rented Mansion House
Cottages D&E, onc for the children and one
for the adults. In 1935, Mrs. Pearson and
her firsr husband, Richard Riegel, began
summering in the Mansion House
Cottages with their children. In 1949,
Edirh and Richard Riegel purchased
"Rncky ledge."
Mrs. Pearson loved life on Fishers Is-
land and spent every summer here until she
became [00 ill [0 travel. She had so many
favorite early memories of the Island. In
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COlltilluedfrom pagt' 20
States in 1925 and lived with an older sister
in New York City, which she found crowded,
busy, noisy and confusing with "heat coming
up out of the streets." She decided to leave
New Yotkaftervisitingothersisters in Dobbs
Ferry a few months after her arrival, and
began working as a governess on estates in
Ardsley Park.
Mrs. Bohlen enjoyed reading and gar-
dening, and was an avid Notre Dame football
fan for over 40 years. She was devoted to her
children, grandchildren and her first great-
grandchild born last summer. "My mother
was never happier than when the whole fam-
ilywas togetherevcn though the house would
be bursting at the seams!" Ms. Bohlen said.
"We will always remember her strong
particular, she enjoyed picnic trips to Choco-
mount Beach. These excursions took the
entire day as transport was by pony cart. She
also loved the July 41h fireworks over Hay
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EDITH DU PONT PEARSON
Harbor that her father set offfrom the beach
in front of the house now owned by Emily
Ridgway. Later, he used the beach in frontof
"Rocky ledge" on Wesr Harbor. Today, her
sons, grandsons and nephews continue the
tradition from Kathie Weymouth's beach
on West Harbor.
Mrs. Pearson and her fellow summer
~
faith and determination, her brilliant blue
eyes and expressive, smiling face, and her
love of family. She was a conStant presence
and an incredible force in all our lives,"
Ms. Bohlen said.
Mrs. Bohlen was a lifelong member of
the Sodaliry of Sacred Heart Church and a
former Girl Scout leader.
Mrs. Bohlen is survived by cwo daugh-
ters, Mary Bohlen of Dobbs Ferry and Audry
Gibbs of King of Prussia, Pa.; a son, Frank
Bohlen of Mystic, Conn.; a sister, Helen
McHale of Ireland; six grandchildren, and a
great-grandchild.
Memorial contributions may be made
toOur Lady ofG race Church, Fishers Island,
NY 06390.
Summer 2003. Fishers Island Gazette 2/
Island friends organized and funded rhe
Thursday Club, which benefited many
household staff members. Mrs. Pearson was
a member of the Fishers Island Club, Hay
Harbor Club, New York Yacht Club and a
longtime member of Fishers Island Yacht
Club, where she and Mr. Riegel kept their
boat, Blu( Hen.
Well-known for the extensive body of
needlework she completed during her life-
time, Mrs. Pearson was honored for her
significant workmanship of memorial
needlepoint choir kneelers and communion
cushions for Christ Church Christiana Hun-
dred in Greenville, Del. She was also one of
many contributors who created needlework
for kneelers at St. John's Church on Fishers
Island. Her choir seat cushion at Christ
Church is the largest piece of needlework in
the church. It took 1000 hours to complete
and required 393,000 srirches.
Mrs. Pearson was a member of the
Garden Club of Wilmington; Colonial
Dames of Delaware; Junior Board of the
Delaware Hospital; and Friends of
Winterthur and their Collectors Circle. She
was also active in the Delaware Red Cross,
especially during World War II, and in the
formative years of Wilmington's Flower
Market. Mrs. Pearson and Mr. Riegel were
two of the original founders of the Mill Reef
Club in Antiqua, WI.
Mrs. Pearson was predeceased by her
first husband of 30 years, Richard Eveland
Riegel in 1964, and by her second
husband of32 years, G. Burton Pearson,Jr.
in 1999.
She is survived by a brother, Willis du
Pont and his family; a sister-in-law, Mrs.
George T. Weymouth; a brother-in-law, Sir
John R.H. Thouron; five children, Skippy
Miller, Jerry Riegel, Sandy Riegel, Peggy
Weymouth and Boots Wright and their
spouses; two step-daughters, Beda Ryan and
Margie Pearson; 15 grandchildren and 21
great-grandchildren.
Gifts in Mrs. Pearson's memory maybe
made to St. John's Church or to the Fishers
Island Fire Department.
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Send Obituaries to:
Fishers Island Gazette
PO Box 573
Fishers Island NY 06390
22 Fishers Islalld Gazette. Summer 2003
J. Randolph "Ry" Ryan
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"RY" RYAN
Reprinted with pennission from the Boston Globe
by Robert L. Turner, Globe Staff
J. Randolph "Ry" Ryan, an international
crusader whose work as a journalist for the
Boston Globe won him a share of a Pulitzer
Prize in 1983, died Jan. 2 of a heart attack at
his Beacon Hill home in Boston. He was 61.
Mr. Ryan was a man of exuberant pas-
sions-in politics, people, and physical ac-
tivities. The statue of St. George the
Dragonslayer that decorated the mantelpiece
of the Myrtle Street apartment he shared
with his wife, Jasmina, was an apt metaphor.
By all appearances he had been in robust
good health and was planning to join a 40-
mile windsurfing excursion from Falmouth
to Nantucket with U.S. Sen. John Kerry
later this year.
Yesterday, Kerry lamented the loss of
the "indomitable spirit" that he said Mr.
Ryan applied equally to his recreational out-
ings and to world problems, especially disar-
mament issues, the fighting in Central
America in the 1980s, and the war in Bosnia
Cominued 011 page 37
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Fishers Island Union Free School Senior Class Graduation
by Ry Ryan, excerpted speech, June 23, 1978
I am truly proud and honored to be
your speaker here tonight. I am proud--
not only because this is the first time
anyone has ever asked me to give a
speech--but also because of where I'm
speaking and because of who I am speaking
to. Fishers Island has always been a very
important place for me. I don't live here
year-round; I wasn't born here and never
went to school here. But somehow, more
than any other place. Fishers is home to
me. It's the place where I feel most
comforrable...where my roots are.
Of course. it's notso much geography
that makes you feel at home in a place. It's
the people who live there that really count.
When I think of Fishers Island. most of the
faces who come quickly to mind are people
like you, Islanders living here year-round.
Some of the people who are impor-
tant to me are here tonight, and some of
them now are gone. [The late] Ed Hedge
was one old friend and teacher of mine
that I would like to mention. because,
more than anyone else, he represented
the values of Fishers Island.
Ed had a sense of history and a sense
of humor. He loved the sea and the
weather, and he knew how to work. Ed
also knew people-he judged people, not
by who they were or what they had
(or what they had been given)". but by
what they were and what they did.
Ed Hedge did me a great favor, be-
cause when I first arrived on this Island as
a kid of nine or I 0, I felt kind of outof place,
I didn't quite fit in. Many of the people I met
had already formed their own friendships;
I was shy, and it wasn't that easy for me to
break in.
I had to find my own Fishers Island
before I could be comfortable here, and Ed
Hedge was the one who helped me do it.
He let me hang around the fish market,
first just watching and getting in the way,
and after a while, wrapping fish, chipping
ice, and answering the phone when he
was busy.
I used to try to answer the phone the
same way Ed did. I can still hear him today.
He'd pick up the phone and sounding kind
of gruff and surly. he would growl, "Fish
Marked" I can't explain why, but for some
reason that made an impression on me,
and even now, once in a while the phone
will ring, and without knowing who is on
the other end. I'll say: "Fish Market!"
Alright, what's the point of that
story... ~ I am honored to be here, because
Fishers Island and the people who live
here year-round are important to
me.. .they're a part of my inner landscape.
In some corner of my mind and heart I too
am a graduate of this Island. I never went
to school here. but I did some important
learning here, and I am grateful for it.
I
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In Memoriam
Ry Ryan introduced the Bartels family to Fishers Island in the summer of 1980 after
I had a bad summer experience with my children on Nantucket. He flew me in his plane
from Hanscom Field in Lexington. Mass. to Fishers for a long lunch. and I rented his West
Harbor home on the spot. We have been coming to Fishers Island every summer since.
renting his home for the first eight years.
Ry also let me use his boat Froeken as part of the deal, before I purchased my own
boat, and marked an old Island chart with his "secret" spots so I would never miss a fish.
He taught me where to find oysters in West Harbor and introduced us to everyone, both
summer and year-round residents. all the same.
He was a caring man with an intense passion for life. He never shrank from the difficult
situation. Ry wrote a column on child abuse that was published annually in the Boston
Globe. yet another attempt to make a difference. Ry was always interested in environ-
mental issues and had recently contacted me to help find funding for a company that would
handle nuclear hazardous waste.
I will never forget his car dying on the other side of the tracks in New London, and
because the train was in, he missed the ferry. Not to be deterred from coming over to
make sure his renters, the Bartels, were well situated, he grabbed a windsurfer from one
of many piled on top of his car and windsurfed to Fishers and Page Waddell's dock in 40
minutes from the mainland. Ry was quite a character. and we will miss him.
Best regards, Rich Bartels
Summer Z(J(IJ . Pislrers Island Gazette 23
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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
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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, llrree Bedrooms plus Large Sleeping Porch. Hall
Bath and Powder Room. Basement Storage Space. $299,000
t:M\ Ginnel Real Estate
~ (631) 788-7805
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Thomas H.C. Patterson, Broker Associate
Box 258, Fishers Island, NY 06390
www.ginnel.com . e-mail: ginnell@aol.com
24 Fishers Is/mId Gazette. Slimmer 2003
rT.lJ's"tfc IsLe r<eaLt:;y fnc.
.J=fsbeRS Islaod, o.?J. 06390 631-788-7882
www.mysticislerealty.com
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Unique West End location. This 4-bedroom. 3-bath contemporary built in the early 1970s is situated on almost two acres ofland with
mature plantings and trees. The property overlooks Duck Pond and is contiguous to the approximate 3-acre H. Lee Ferguson Bird
Sanctuary and the new museum and enjoys incredible privacy, while having proximity to the village green and other West End facilities.
The first floor of the house contains a good-sized living room with working fireplace, an outside deck area, functional kitchen, dining
room with pantry. a generous master bedroom with bath and an additional bath/powder room. The second level has a central hall and
three bedrooms that share a generous bath. A two room "rower" addition affords two separate aerie-like office or studio spaces. In
addition, there is a separate laundry/utilty room off the kitchen with windows and good light. The grounds arc particularly well planted
and simply beautiful. There is a recently-built 2-car garage with storage and a separate garden shed. The house, owned by Jacques
Appdmans family since 1974, is winterized and is ro be sold mostly unfurnished. Taxes approx. $6000. A'iking price, $675,000.
This well-tended 4-bedroom, 2-bath cottage is situated on approximately 1/3 acre within the highly desirable Hay Harbor
Association. The cozy living room has a stone fireplace and large windows, and adjoins a very pleasant dining room and modernized
kitchen with lovely colorful ceramic tiles. The master bedroom on the second floor is quite large and has an adjoining bath. There is
an additional bedroom on the second level and two bedrooms and a bath on the first floor. The house is winterized and has been well
maintained with a new roof ete. It is to be sold partially furnished and is offered for sale at $575,000, with reas~nable taxes of $31 00.
BAGLEY REID. Broker SUE HORN. Salesperson
Slimmer 200.1. Fishers Island Gazette 25
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One of the most beautiful undeveloped lots on the Island, this 1 O+acre parcel affords grand views of Fishers Island Sound, Mud Pond,
Latimer Reef Lighthouse, the golf course and a seasonal osprey nest. Situated among beautiful oak trees, the proposed house site would
look over a beautiful, tranquil pond, full of bird life, out to the sound in an unsurpassed private setting. A small sandy beach is located
on the North side of the Mud Pond parcel along Fishers Island Sound. The property consists of two contiguous parcels of unimproved
land. The proposed building site of 2.55 acres is located immediately south of Mud Pond, while the other lot consists of 7.84 acres-
primarily Mud Pond itself-and is not a buildable lot due to wetland issues. Applications are being made for environmental and building
site approvals. This unique spot is being offered for sale at $775,000.
Built for the Lammot du Pont family in the early 19505 and locared on 6 acres with sweeping views of Fishers Island Sound, this brick and
cypress home was designed by Erard Matthiessen and 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 attached 3~car garage and an extremely attractive heated pool. A separate legal building site is part of the 6~acre parcel. $1,695,000.
(Ginncllisting)
rnd's"tfc IsLe ReaLL~ fnc.
26 Fishers Islalld Gaunl? Summer 2(}(}]
rDd'st:tc Isle Reali:&, fnc,
.J=fsner<s IsLand, n,'JI. 06390 631"'788-7882
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Delightful late 19th century shingled cottage on approx. 1/4-
acre in close proximity to all Island services and activities. Spacious
and rambling, the firsr floor includes a good-sized living room,
bright and sunny bedroom with adjoining small bed chamber or
sitting room, half bath and large kitchenldining 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 mosrly furnished. Asking price
$700,000, with reasonable taxes of approx. $3000.
A unique offering. Commerciallyzoned. The I/2-acre sire includes
a very comfortable, winterized and air-conditioned 2-bedroom, 1-
bath structure. There is a good-sized living area with large outside
deck and nice small kitchen. In addition, there are two commercially
zoned buildings on the property that afford much potential for a
small business operation. One of the buildings is heated with a
partial bath. Located in the Fort area, a two-story structure on the
site would have a wonderful warer view looking direcrly West with
strong views of Race Rock Lighthouse. Offered ar $425,000.
Extremely large shingle house affords views of West Harbor
from wrap-around porch. Original portion of house has living
room with sliding glass doors to porch; dining room, with porch
access, and kitchen. Second floor has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths; third
floor has 3 small bedrooms, I bath. Back portion of house has large
playroom area, 3 bedrooms, 2 modern baths and separate kitchen.
Basement has space for several cars; separate winterized one-
bedroom cottage with small outside deck. House needs some
cosmetic work, but has great space, is convenicnrly located in West
End and has a great deal of porenrial. $495,000, taxes $3800.
This two-bedroom winterized cottage has a great deal of potential.
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 wirh off-street parking. Recently reduced to
$225,000, plus commission to be paid by purchaser. Taxes approx.
$1,300.
BAGLEY REID. B~Oker
SUE HORN. Salesperson
www.mysticislerealtycom
Summer 2003. Fishers Islalld Gazene 27
"Island Portraits"
H.t. Ferguson Museum
. "Woman by Boat at Lifesaving Station at East Harbor," c.191 0, museum collection. Photograph by Lawrence D. Goodell. Donated by Pierce
Rafferty. This portrait is part of the museum's 2003 exhibition, Island Portraits, featuring the Island community in images from 1880s to mid.19S0s.
~
mift90 De/i9ft LLC
Formerly Brooke Services with over 12 years
of experience designing and landscaping on
Fishers Island is now available once again
for your seaside landscaping projects.
.
470 West End Ave.
New York, NY 10024
I fax
212.580.7748
mingodesign.com :
1'1 I
emal I
: kari@mingodesign.com l
28 Fishers Island Gazette. Summer 2(}(}j
ISLAND HARD~WARE
More than just locks and hinges
788-7233
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SERVI"TIIR@
'M 8enjami~-"'"
oore @
L PAINTS --'
FISHERS
I SLAN D
M@bir
FULL SERVICE Sl A liON
Official New York State
Auto Inspection Station
CARCO@ INSPECTION
Fuel Oil
Gasoline
Propane
Party Ice
Diesel
Service
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
Summer 2003. Fishers Island Gaz.ette 29
*
Important Medical Insurance Notice *
For Visits to Doctor's Office on Fishers Island
)
Sound Medical Associates (SMA)
and the Island Health Project (IHP) are
committed to filling the need for high
quality medical care on Fishers Island
and are asking for your help in enabling
the doctor's office to focus on that
function.
In order to make the financial end of
an office visit as convenient and painless
as possible, SMA & IHP have adopted
new and specific policies to ensure timely
payment for office visits and reduce valu-
able time now spent on patient billing.
SMA accepts only the following New
York and Connecticut insurance plans:
Aetna HealthCare'
Anthem BC/BS of CT'
ConnectiCare'"
Health Net (formerly PHS)'
Island Group Admin
Medicare NY
Oxford Health Plans'
Railroad Medicare
If you are not insured by an above plan
or have not made arrangements explained
in the asterisked paragraph below, the
office asks that you pay your bill in full at the
time of your visit. Patients will receive a
receipt, indicating the nature of the service
performed, in order to submit a claim to
their own insurer at a later date.
Upon arrival at the office, you will be
asked for updated personal and payment
information so a bill can be prepared
before departure. Please bring your
insurance card!! If a patient arrives in an
emergency situation, information and
payment may be made as soon as reason-
ably possible.
Also, if parents plan to leave the Island
while members of their household remain,
IHP asks that they equip their childcare
providers with proper insurance informa-
tion or other method of payment in case
medical care is required in their absence.
Additionally, parents should make sure
that their helpers have written permis-
sion to approve medical care for the
children under their supervision.
The doctor's office fee schedule is
consistent with rates charged in nearby
Connecticut communities. SMA accepts
cash, check or Visa<!l, Mastercard@ and
American Express@ credit cards.
"'These insurance companies offer
multiple plans to their members, which
may require patients to select an alter-
nate Primary Care Physician (PCP) in
orderto retain in-network coverage while
away from home. For many insurers.
changing your PCP takes no more than a
phone call. If patients have one of these
plans, they must change their PCP to Dr.
Hand prior to being seen or call their
insurance company to find out how their
medical claim can be covered. SMA is
unable to submit those medical claims
for processing. Please call the SMA billing
office with any questions, 860-445-6252.
It's all new for 2003, and inside you'll find the names and addresses
of primary care physicimls and specialists, information about the
various specialties of medicine, and important phone IIlllnbers. 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 LIKE L&M
I
I Name Clip tm4 nuail todAy to:
I Address Medifal Staff Direclll'Y
I Public Rcltllimls-FIG
I City Statc_ Zip ImI'T'I'IICt'& Mt'/!klrial H!~"ital
I 365 Mlmllluk Al~llU'
I E-majIAddft,ss: Nl'wL.1l1dltll, Cf06310 I
L_______________________~
. Osp,.ey stands gua,.d ove,. expanded sto,.age a,.ea in "new" Fe,.guson Museum.
30 Fishers Islalld Gazette. Summer 2003
Renovation Completed
Conti1Jut:dfrom page 5
areas including natural history, history, ar-
chaeology and small sections on weather and
geology. There is also an area for temporary
exhibits and a library that features a six-foot
map of the museum's Land Trust properties
[see story on page 7].
"In spite of the diverse subject matter in
the museum, someofit is 'mixed together' to
make the story lines cohe-
sive," said Ms. Kinkade, also
a summer resident. "For ex-
ample, when you first walk
in, you will see the lens from
Race Rock Lighthouse. This
is an historical object, but it
also deals with weather, so it
is in the weather area."
The natural history sec-
tion was curated by the
museum's curator Edwin
Horning and Carey
Matthiessen. This area in-
cludes four marine dioramas ~
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designed by Mr. Matthiessen i
and diorama specialist Peter ~
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Brady, with backgrounds ~
u
painted by museum presi- ~
dent, Charles B. Ferguson
[see story and picture on page
31]. The museum's birdcol-
lection, so familiar to regularvisitocs, will still
be on display, but some will populate the
dioramas, and others will be arranged accord-
ing to season and habitats, such as woodlands
and meadows.
Mr. Horning, with the help of a profes-
sional science writer, created individual la-
bcls describing each specimen. A naturalist,
Mr. Horning has been involved with the
museum since it was founded in 1960, serv-
ing both on the board and as curator for over
40 years. He is a botanist and former teacher
who developed a lifelong interest in birds
only after then-museum curator Lee Ferguson
first invited him to go bird watching on
Fishers Island.
The archaeology exhibir, which in the
previous museum included regional and ge-
neric items from Connecticut and Rhode
Island, has been pared down to showcase
artifacts exclusive to Fishers Island. "We've
taken every item and tied it toasiteon Fishers
Island," said Libbie Cook, who curated the
archaeology section.
"This exhibit attempts to depict the life
of American Indians on Fishers Island as they
hunted, fished and gathered food here from
6000 BC until the 1640s when the Winthrops
took over," Mrs. Cook said. On display will
be stone tools, ceramic pottery and projectile
points used as spear tips, the latter being the
earliest evidence of human occupation of the
Island 8000 years ago.
The museum's new ability to display
historical items will greatly aid Mr. Rafferty's
efforts to expand the historical collection.
"For the first time, there is a room dedicated
to the display of the museum's historical
artifacts, including for example, beautiful
wooden models of the original ferries," he
said. Still on permanent display will be Sandy
Gaston's popular electrified scale model of
the MYSTIC ISLE ferry that lights up at the
touch of a button.
The history section will also feature items
new to the museum, including a 1777 pow-
der horn, carved with scenes of Fishers Island
and the New London Harbor Lighthouse,
donated by Harry Ferguson, grandson of
H.L. Ferguson; and a one-of-a-kind 1870s
ledger, donated by Linda Lyles Goodyear,
which is the official record of every transac-
tion made as the Fox heirs sold off their land.
"I am hopeful that we will continue to
receive items from families on the Island and
from former residents," Mr. Rafferty said.
"Things come out of the woodwork when
you finally have a place to properly store and
display important historical artifacts."
A small retail area will sell reproductions
of historical maps, photos and books relating
to Island history, as well as the popular land
Trust trail map, recently revised by Carey
Matthiessen. Cynthia Riley will coordinate
activities and outreach programs to the Fish-
ers Island School, IPP and the Fishers Island
Conservancy, with a focus on children.
"The museum board was very forward-
thinking in designing and developing a flex-
ible interior space that will meet not only
today'sneeds burthosethatwill exist I Doc 15
years down the road," Ms. Kinkade said.
"This will be a vibrant,
changing place. Visitors will
really learn quite a bit, even
if they have lived on the
Island all their lives."
"Today's renovated
museum is the result of (he
work and advice of many
dedicated board members
and professionals," Charles
Ferguson said. "The
Ferguson Museum is now
an up-to-date institution,
according to modern mu-
seum standards.
"With heartycongralU-
lations for their profession-
alism, I especially thank:
Board member Bagley Reid,
for overseeing construction;
Harry Ferguson for moni-
toring construction expenses; J ames Righter's
architectural firm; Robert J. Miller and his
law firm, Day Berry & Howard;Janie Stanley,
chieffund raiser; curatorial consultant Valarie
Kinkade; exhibit designer Serena Furman;
interior designer Allie Raridon; Carey
Matthiessen and Peter Brady; Z&S Con-
tracting; and Pierce Rafferty, for his ongoing
research into Island history.
"Fishers Islanders now have an educa-
tional, state-of-the-art facility for all ages to
enjoy. It is their museum."
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. 1777 powder horn, donated by Harry
Ferguson, and pair of late 18th century
Winthrop family pocket pistols, courtesy of
Harry and Susie Ferguson. Henry L. Ferguson
acquired these matching flintlock pistols from
Dean Winthrop Pratt in 1925.
Summer 200] . Fishers Is/and Gazelle 3/
MuseulD Features LiLrary &. Four Marine DioralDas
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The H.L. Ferguson Museum's reno-
vation was sparked by an anony-
mous donation in 1997 to expand
the museum's library. Now part of a profes-
sional-level facility, the library is a corner-
stone of the new museum with hundreds of
reference books and thousands of historical
images and copies of Island-related articles
and news clippings.
The new 533-square-fool non-circulat-
ing library has approximately 600 volumes,
many of which are rare, covering archeology,
history, natural history and natural science.
The library will lend field guides and kits,
including binoculars and worksheets, to help
identify birds and plants. There will also be
specific books on a variety of topics from
ospreys to turtles and bats.
Museum coordinator Pierce Rafferty
found and purchased books, some from as far
away as New Zealand, after consulting with
exhibit curators Libbie Cook, Edwin Horning
and Carey Matthiessen, with special help
from botanist and board member, Penni
Sharp. In addition, he reviewed a list of titles
compiled by Valerie Wheat, a former librar-
ian at the Museum of Natural History in
New York.
John Winthrop of Charleston, S.C., a
descendant of John Winthrop J e., who first
settled Fishers Island in 1644, is also making
a donation that will pay for a number of
books abour the Winthrop family.
Curatorial consultant Valarie Kinkade
and her assistant Lindy Farneth catalogued
the library's collection of volumes, which can
be searched by subject on a computer in the
museum's library, while Me. Rafferty has
been archiving digital images about Fishers
Island that date primarily from the 19,h and
20,h centuries.
He and graphic designer John Wilton
have scanned into a computer some 3,000
images of Island photos, postcards, maps,
illustrations, rradecards and advertisements.
Within the next few years, these images will
be linked to text in an easy-to-use searchable
database in the museum's library.
"Visitors will be able to pull up a text
hisrory of the Mansion House Cottages, for
example, and also view 20 or 30 different images
of the cottages from the 1890s to the present
time," Me. Rafferty said. "You can imagine the
full range of topics and searches: lighthouses,
ferries, ospreys, the various farms, ete.
"This image database won't be ready
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in time for the July 4 opening, but it's a
high priority that I'm certain will be very
popular."
A totally separate project has been Me.
Rafferty's assembly of about 40 binders of
news and article clippings related to Fishers
Island. The New York Times (from its incep-
tionin the 1850s) and The New London Day
(beginning in the 1880s) have been system-
atically searched.
"I am focusing on the Times and George
Laughlin (F.1. School, '48) of Groton,
Conn., is focusing on The Day," Mr. Rafferty
said. "So far, the binders cover the 1850s to
1930s, but work is ongoing. Our goal is to
catch up to modern day and keep current."
There will be two sets of binders in the
library, one chronological and the other
organized by subject.
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. This salt marsh scene is in one of four Ferguson Museum marine dioramas. Devel-
oped by Carey Mathiessen, the dioramas were constructed by Peter Brady with
backdrops, painted from memory, by Charles Ferguson. Birds from the museum
collection, including the above whimbrel and Great Egret, appear in appropriate
habitats.
Diora...as Define Island Coastline
There will be four marine dioramas in
the natural history section of the "new"
H.L. Ferguson Museum.
"Since we are surrounded by water, 1
thought it would be a good idea to know
what is going on at the water's edge," said
Carey Manhiessen, who presented the idea
to the museum board as plans for the renova-
tion got underway.
Four Island shoreline habitats are repre-
sented: rocky shore, salt marsh, tidal flats at
low tide and eel grass beds.
Mr. Manhicssen, a Ph.D. biologist and
former longtime owner of an oyster farm on
Fishers Island, wrote a script for each di-
orama, which evolved into the selection of
birds, fish and vegetation representative of
the different habitats.
Peter Brady, an engineer with extensive
experience in diorama design and construc-
tion, built the interiors of the dioramas,
creating grass and seaweed. and molds of
fish, rocks, mollusks and crustaceans.
''I'd get ideas from Ed Horning about
what birds were available from the mu.<;eum's
collection, and was also lucky that people
gave me fish that I would freeze until I gave
them to Petcr to mold," Mr. Manhiessen
said.
Exhibit designer Serena Furman of A
Space Design in Stow, Mass., designed the
diorama cases and recommended Mr. Brady,
also of Massachusetts. Charles B. Ferguson
painted the diorama backdrops at his home
in Connecticut.
Other marine subjects addressed in the
natural history section, outside of the diora-
mas, will be the Island's oyster operation and
lobster fishery, and Long Island Sound ocean-
ography.
32 f'i.~hers Islalld Gazene . Summer 1003
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Invasive Plants
Summer 2003. Fishers Island Gazelte 33
.
Continued from pag~ 9
Japan. They were introduced as ornamentals
during the 18005.
Morrow's honeysuckle (Lonicera
morrow;;) has downy leaves and white flow-
ers that rurn pale yellowwirh age. The fruits,
many-seeded berries, arc normally dark red.
T atarian honeysuckle (L. tatarica), in-
troduced from southern Russia, has smooth,
hairless leaves and pink or white flowers.
Fruits vary from yellow to dark red.
Bella honeysuckle (L. belfa) is a hybrid
between T ararian and Morrow's. Birds, which
readily consume the ripened fruits. are prob-
ably responsible for the spread of these shrubs.
VINES
Fishers Island has three vine species that
are extremely prolific in both open areas and
our remaining woodlands. They are: oriental
bittersweet (Celastms orbiculatus), Japanese
honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), and porce-
lain berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata).
Oriental orAsiatic bittersweet (Celastms
orbiculdtus) is a deciduous, twining, woody
vine that is best recognized during the fall by
its three-parted yellow fruits that split [Q
reveal showy red berries. Many people con-
sider the berries anraC[ive and use them in
t.11l decoration. Vines can be over five inches
in diameter and reach lengths of 60 feet or
more. They climb up trees twisting arollnd
trunks and shading the leaves.
Asiatic bittersweet is native [Q Japan,
Korea and China. It was brought to the U.S.
in the mid 1800s, and by the early 1970s had
become invasive in 21 states. I ts primary
means of dispersal are birds and people who
use the plant in dried arrangements.
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera
japonica) spreads rapidly and is rampant on
Fishers Island. It is a woody vine with fra-
grant tubular flowers thar grow in pairs and
are white [Q yellow in color. Its fruits are dark
purple [0 black berries occurring in pairs
along the vine. The plant is native to Asia and
was brought to New York in 1806 where it
was introduced as a landscape plant. It has
,
.
spread throughout the easrern half of the
United States and will overtop and choke out
small trees and shrubs.
Porcelain berry (Ampelopsis brevi-
pedunculdta) is also a common vine on the
Island. It most likely escaped from garden
cultivation, as it was once a popular garden
plant used on estates in the East. Today, it is
most abundant in the Northeast coastal zone
between Boston and Washington D.C. Por-
celain berry closely resembles grape and has a
similar leaf shape. The flowers are incon-
spicuous yellow blossoms that appear in late
June. The plant is at its most showy during
autumn when the berries turn various hues of
turquoise blue to purple, sometimes monied
with gray and white.
Once this plant becomes established, it
is difficult to eradicate. The plant reproduces
readily by seed and vegetatively. The root
system is rough and almost impossible to dig
out. Porcelain berry will cover the ground,
trees and shrubs within woodland edges to
the exclusion of other plants. It entwines
around trees, making them susceptible to
wind damage. Control, but not elimination,
can be best achieved by repeated mowings.
Kudzu vine (Pueraria lobata). No dis-
cllssion of invasive species on Fishers Island
should be undertaken without mention of
the notorious kudzu vine. This invasive vine,
sometimes referred to as "the plant that ate
the South," is not common in New England.
On Fishers Island, it seems to be confined to
the West End in the former Fort Wright area.
My speculation is that the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers planted it when buildings were
torn down and the fort abandoned. The
plant was often used for erosion control
purposes umil its invasive habits became
understood.
On the Island, kudzu vine produces its
B
o
~
..
.
~
t
.
"
~
o
.
~
.
.
~
~
. Even the experts are not immune. Botonist
Penni Sharp calls this the "Battle of the Invasives"
in her West End backyard. In just two years,
porceline berry [white arrow] has climbed "from
nothing" up the black locust tree, itself com-
mon on F.I. and invasive in Connecticut.
flowers late in the season. It has deep purple
blossoms that smell like grape soda. The
blooms are late enough so that the plant does
not appear to produce fruits prior [0 frost.
This is probably one of the reasons that its
Island presence has remained somewhat stable
and confined. Where it does grow, it blankets
the ground and clearly demonstrates the f.."let
that no other plams could survive where this
prolific vine is presem.
34 Fisher.~ ldolld Gazette. Summer 10tH
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Summer 2003. Fishers Island Gazette 35
"TLere' ~ NolLing 10 Do on Fi~Ler~ I~land"
~
By Cynthia Riley
I would be rich if! had a dollar for each
time someone came up to me in the
summer and asked. "What do you do
on the Island in the winter, you must get so
bored?" I also hear year-round residents com-
plain that there is nothing to do.
The idea of being bored and havingnoth-
iog to do on the Island totally bailles me.
Trying to schedule a meeting during the win-
ter is a logistical nightmare. Everyone is so
busy, their schedules as complex as mine. Still,
the concept persists that there is nothing to
do, no social. educational or cultural outlet.
Berween Ocrober 1, 2002 and April 30,
the following events and activities took place
on rhe Island. As of February 15, we had a
total of271 year-round residents.
Social/Food
Free spaghcnj dinner. Pequot Inn; 9
community potluck dinners, Union Chapel; I
chili dinner (fund-raiser for confirmation class),
Union Chapel; 2 fish fry dinners, American
Legion; I prime rib dinner, American Legion;
I pasta night, American Legion; 8 NFL
Sunday night buffets, American Legion; I
New Year's Eve dinner, American Legion; St.
Patrick's Day dinner, American Legion, Our
Lady of Grace (OlOG); 7 Sunday morning
breakfaS[s, American Legion; 7 Senior
luncheons, Union Chapel, many ages
participate; Ed Riley's birthday community
potluck, American Legion.
""
Social! Athletic
Tuesday night adult badminton, school gym;
Wednesday night adult volleyball, school gym;
Monday night women's bowling; Thursday
night men's bowling; Saturday family bowling
(bowling alley serves food); home games for
boys' basketball; home games for girls'
basketball; home track meets; sledding; ice
skating; ice hockey; shumeboard [Ournaments,
American Legion.
Cultural/Educational
Two professional storytellers at the library,
funded by the library, IPP and OlOG; 7 adult
book discussions, library; 4 writer's circles,
library; 2 civic association meetings, Ocr. &
Jan.; 3 community action meetings re Island
Institute/EI.; "Play in a Day," EI. School,
funded hy Sr. John's Church, IPP, El. library.
OLOG, Island Concerts, PTO; digital camera
photography course, EI. School; EMT
training course; choral and instrumental
Christmas concert, EI. School, classical music
by our gold medal award winning school band;
Spring concert, El. School; Michael Zerphy,
professional storyteller and physical comedian
(senior luncheon), sponsored by IPI~ St. John's
Church, OlOG, Island Concerts; Tom
Cali nan, professional singer, storyteller and
troubadour (senior luncheon), sponsored by
Sr. John's Church, OlOG and IPP; slide show
lecture on Island history by Pierce Rafferty
(senior luncheon); Christmas concert by EI.
school band (senior luncheon); Ain't
Misbehavin'trip to the Garde Theater, New
t
.
. Bus begins to fill up for trip to Boston Bruins hockey game March 15. Tom Doherty arranged
for discount tickets, and the Sanger Fund paid $850 for the bus. Mr. Doherty was born in raised
in Boston and used to walk IS-minutes to the train that regularly took him to see the Bruins play
at Boston Garden. "We have some diehard Bruins fans on the Island, so I got 25 discount tickets,
but the demand was so great, that we ordered more." Mr. Doherty said. The trip was a huge
success: the Bruins won.
London, sponsored by Island Concens and
IPI~ initiated by and in cooperation with the
ferry district, which provided a late boat; slide
show and talk by Art Baue on Turkey, Union
Chapel; slide show and talk by Joe Brock and
Dave Burnham on Alaska, Union Chapel; slide
show and talk by Bagley Reid on Burma,
Union Chapel.
Extra Fun
11'1' Halloween parade; Srudem Council Spook
House; Srudem Council & Union Chapel
Christmas carol sing around the Island; fire dept.
christmas party, featuring musical performance
by Les Julian; Santa tours the Island in a fire
truck; IPP Spring Easter egg hullt.
~
"Going Postal"
by Cynthia Riley
There's been a change at the helm of
the Fishers Island Post Office, and
it's prompted the return of some
fond memories. My grandmother and great-
grandfather were postmasters of a small town
post office, in Hampton Conn. My father
and grandfather went nightly to the railroad
rracks and grabbed the mail bag with a hooked
pole, as it was flung off the train. During
WWII, my grandmother would hand-de-
liver mail to people waiting for a letter from
a soldier serving overseas.
Mary Linda Strunk and Lillie Ahman
retired from postal service this Spring,
stirring new memories of an old-fashioned
post office on Fishers Island:
.A note in my PO Box said, "There
wasn'[ enough postage, so I paid it. You owe
me 37cents. I figured you wanted it mailed
now and wouldn't want to wait until you
came back from Maine."
. I overheard Mary Linda asking some-
one at Christmas, "I know you' re going away
for three weeks. People send you fruit. What
do you want me to do with that?"
. I sent a package [0 my father in Arizona
and addressed it to Holly, Jim and Ann
Esrabrooks. Lillie took the package and said,
"I see the dog gets top billing." I thoughr ir
was cute and relayed the conversation to my
father, who said, "What's cute is that your
postal clerk knows the name of your father's-dog in Arizona!"
36 Fishers Islalld Gazene . Summer 20(Jj
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Summer 2003. Fishers Island Gazelle 37
r
J. Randolph "Ry" Ryan
Conti'lued from pngl' 22
in the last decade, where he worked for the
United Nations, among others, after leaving
the Globe in 1996.
In general, Mr. Ryan was critical of U.S.
efforts to prop up undemocratic regimes in
Nicaragua and other Cemral American coun-
tries, but encouraged early U.S. intervention
in Bosnia. "He was not doctrinaire," said
Kerry, a friend. "He had strong feelings about
what he saw."
Noam Chol11skyofMIT, who met Me.
Ryan in Nicaragua about 20 years ago, said
yesterday that through the 1980s, Mr. Ryan's
editorials and op-ed columns in the Globe
constituted "some of the most important
work on Latin America."
Among Mr. Ryan's frequent contacts
was Oscar Arias, the fanner president of
Costa Rica who won the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1987-not long aftet Mt. Ryan had
written that he deserved it. Arias said
yesterday that Mr. Ryan stood out as a sup-
porter in diplomatic solutions to Central
American conflicts.
BornJohn Randolph Ryan in New Yotk
City, he grew up in Connecticut where his
father, a Republican, was at one time presi-
dent of the state Senate. Mr. Ryan graduated
from Phillips Exeter Academyin New Hamp-
shire and from Yale University, where he was
on the ski team. In Spain for a period shortly
after graduation, he joined a ski club and
ended up winning a national championship.
Local newspapers heaped praise on him for
insisting that the cup he had won stay with
the club, rather than himself.
From 1964 to 1966, Me. Ryan was a
Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador where,
typically, he combined a university-level
teaching project with road construction.
For two years following, he was a re-
poner and feature writer for the Middletown
(Conn.) Press, then for eight years was an
assistam to the president of Wesleyan Uni-
versity.
Me. Ryan came to the Globe as a copy
editor in June 1978, but before long was
brought onto the editorial page staff by
Martin F. Nolan, then editor of the page. For
most of his time at the Globe, Me. Ryan
wrote editorials and a weekly column. Nolan
remembered the columns as an outlet for
points of view that were not adopted by the
full editorial board, including Mr. Ryan's
support fot the legalization of drugs.
~
~
But it was in reporting and writing about
Central America where Mr. Ryan first made
his mark. "He was really wrapped up in it,"
Nolan recalled yesterday, "and he was ahead
of the game. It turned out he was right."
William Goodfellow, director of the
Center for International Policy in Washing-
ton, said yesterday that in the early years, "Ry
was almost alone among journalists writing
for mainstream publications saying that what
we were being told about the war in Nicara-
gua was just not true."
Goodfellow recalled that Mt. Ryan was
not one to feign impaniality. When a U.S.
official in Managua tried to say that the
country's problems were caused by "an inap-
propriate macro-economic model, Ry
slammed his notebook down" and argued
that the culprit was more likely the U.S.
policies of mining the harbors and arming
the opposition.
In 1982, Mr. Ryan was a lead writer on
a Boston Globe team that produced a special
56-page magazine entitled, War fir Peace in
the Nuclear Age, which won the Pulitzer Prize
for national reporting the following year.
One of Mr. Ryan's articles in that supple-
ment ended:
"It's hard to overstate the challenge of
democratizing the national-security debate.
Without sustained attention and a tolerance
for complexity uncommon in mass political
discussions, one sort of primitivism may be
replaced by another.
"Einstein once said that the atom had
changed everything but the way men think.
Put simply, the movement's chosen task is to
change that, too."
Mr. Ryan also won other prizes, includ-
ing a Eugene Pulliam Editorial Writing Fel-
lowship in 1989.
After leaving the Globe in 1996, Mr.
Ryan worked in Bosnia first as a spokesman
for the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, then as a political analyst for the
private International Crisis Group, and then
helped to train Yugoslav journalists for the
International Research and Exchange Board.
In 2000, he helped plan the UN's special
session on social development, held in Geneva,
and he had since been a senior fellow at the
Center for International Policy. There, ac-
cording to Goodfellow, the center director,
the two teamed up to help derail the Bush
administration appointment of Otto Reich,
one of those they felt put out erroneous
information in Central America.
Mr. Ryan's recreational exploits were
legendary. The beat-up vans and station
wagons he favored were rarely seen without
some athletic contraption, frequently a
windsurfer, strapped on. He was also an
accomplished skier, sailor, mountain biket,
hunter and fisherman, and an excellent pho-
tographer. He was a licensed pilot who fre-
quently flew to his summer home on Fishers
Island, olT Long Island.
Mr. Ryan and Jasmina Teodosijevic',
one of Yugoslavia's leading print and broad-
cast journalists, were married in 1999. He
also leaves a son, T. Tack Ryan; a daughter,
Melissa Ryan-Hubble, of Milden Hall, En-
gland; fout stepchildten, Patrick Kilty of
Essex, Conn.; Katie KilryofGloucester, Mass.;
Tijana Vujosevic of New Haven, and Filip
Vujosevic of Belgrade; two sisters, Sharon
Ryan of Chapel Hill, N.C., and Saville
Ryan-Marsh of Santa Fe, N .M.; and one
granddaughter. Memorial contributions may
be sent to the Ry Ryan Fund, c/o Center For
International Policy, 1717 Massachusetts
Ave NW, Washington DC 20036-2000.
~.
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. Canada geese on 14th hole of Fishers Island Club golf course Memorial Day weekend..
*
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38 Fishers Isla/ld Gaz.ette. Summer 1003
r? c=- -0 ~ ---t"'7l
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Climb Mt. McKinley
Slimmer 2()(J.1 . Fishers Is/a"d (,ozelle 39
,
Colltilluedfrom pagt' 19
Laird went to Princeton, majorIng in art
history and psychology. He rowed for 15
years and won the Junior World Gold Medal
in J 987, the Henley Royal Regatta. setting a
course record in 1995, and various other
regattas in the U.S. and Europe.
"Rowing led to some intrinsic fitness
that enahled me to climb Mt. McKinley."
Laird said. "Bill was always strong and pre-
pared by climbing up and down the hills of
Half Moon Bay in California with a back-
pack filled with rocks and water."
The idea for the climb came after years
of sharing the landscape with a distant view
of Mr. McKinley from their log cabin,
which sits on about 30 acres, a sliver of
private property near Denali State Park in
Alaska. The three brothers. a cousin from
Richmond and a friend spent the summer of
1991 building the cabin, "except for two to
three weeks when my brother and I worked
at the salmon processing factory to earn
money for the tin roof. The only man made
things in the cabin are the windows and the
roof," Laird said.
About 40-50 Douglas fir trees make up
the walls of the 30x40-ft. two-floor cabin and
about as many trees were sliced up into
boards. The homemade construction crew
felled the trees and hauled them by hand.
The cabin has no nearby neighbors and
is a 30-minure plane ride northwest of the
closest town, Talkeetna (pronounced T aulk-
eat-na), which is about five hours by plane
northwest of Anchorage. Talkeetna is a pic-
turesque Alaskan town, with lots of tourists,
a main street that also serves as a runway and
plenty of44s packed on hips to scare offbears.
The only access to the Reed cabin is by
a special jet pump boat that can travel in a
three-inch depth of water due to severely
shallow areas in the river, or by airplane
fitted for landing on ice or water, depending
on the season.
"Planes dropped off letters, matches.
gasoline, tar paper for the roof, yeast for
making beer. Visiting friends would bring
supplies and leave with a list for the next
group planning ro visir," Laird said. Rush
planes not bothering to land would drop
newspapers or a choice bortle of alcohol.
Water is taken from a spring. which they
call Snapper Valley Aurhority, and meals are
dominated by berries and king, silver, red
and pink salmon.
~
r
"Over fresh salmon, homemade beers,
and whatever fell our of passing bush planes,
our group always talked about having a go at
the mountain, despite a complete lack of
climbing experience." Laird said. "When we
finally made our decision, we did not take it
lightly.
"We are experienced campers. We talked
to people. searched the Internet, read books,
planned the hell out of this. We knew what
we were doing. We got excellent advice from
a Richmond friend. Peter Stanley, a Harvard
grad and musician who built a cabin in the
woods and climbed Mt. McKinley 25
years ago."
Although the Reeds were novice climb-
ers, they made the decision to do it without
a guide. "Most people have guides, but with-
out sounding irresponsible or vain, most
guides look at all climbers alike. They assume
you are a neophyte and incompetent.
"Using a guide to climb Kilamanjaro or
for helicopter skiing always felt limiting. You
get less out of the experience, because it is
planned for you."
To help find their way without a guide.
the Reeds had photos of the mountain by
Bradford Washburn, famed 20,h century car-
tographer. explorer and photographer. They
climbed in May, because later in the season,
snow bridges over crevasses collapse, and it
would be too dangerous.
"You don't even know that you are
walking over the snow bridges. If you have
four climbers tied together and one falls in.
it's easier to get out. Burwith just two climb-
ers, if one fell in, he could pull the other one
down with him.
"While most people focus on the climb-
ing part of an expedition, we found that most
of our time involved many of the day-to-day
challenges trying to camp comfortably and
even survive for three weeks in a world of
snow and ice. at an altitude where commer-
cial airliners fly."
One of the most time-consuming chores
was preparing drinking water. "We would
dig snow where it didn't look yellow and
spend two to three hours a day melting water.
We liked it, though. It was something to do.
"For pitching our tent, we usually dug
out a hole, so the snow formed a natural
protection around us. But we sometimes
built walls with snow blocks cut with a big
aggressive snow saw.
"At high altitudes, it was very windy and
cold. Negative 200F and wind 40-60 mph.
Stick an arm outside the tent, and you'd get
frostbite within 20 seconds. Thar picture at
the summit hurt." [see picture on page 19]
The average climb takes 21-25 days.
The Reeds spent a week snowed in at 17.2k
camp and still made it up in 16 days and
down in two. They brought skis to hasten
their return to base camp.
After the climb, Bill went to work for
New Leaf Paper. Laird graduated from
UV A Business School and immediately went
to London to help found a software com-
pany, T ex Yard, which was sold in early 2002.
From then until now, hehas traveled through
South Africa. Thailand. Kyrgyzstan. India.
Nepal, Tibet, Western China, Argentina.
France, Germany and the USA.
. Twins Hadley and Isabel Stack were born May 22, 1996. The Stack family was the only one to
respond to a Gazette request for pictures of twins and triplets for a photo montage. The twins are
the daughters of David and Sarah Stack of Millbrook and granddaughters of John and Cyndy
Spurdle of Fishers Island and New York. Photos of "multiples.' are still welcome and will be
returned. The photo montage is planned for this Fall's issue of the Gazette.
40 Fishers Is/and Gazette. Summer 20(}3
"Island Portraits"
H.L. Ferguson Museum
"Fort H.G. Wright Pitcher:' c.1909, courtesy of Helen Best and
the Pitts family. This rugged pitcher's last name was Goode. His
record is not known.
July & Aug. Tide Calendars
.New london oreo. (West Harbor: highwaler -0:01 min.; lowwaler -0:06 min.)
JULY
SuNDAY IoIONDAY
,
2003
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
SATURDAY
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P.O. Box 230431, Encinitas CA 92023-0431
800-345-8524. www.tidelines.com
AUGUST
2003
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11.JESOJ\Y
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FIDCO Rea<:reational PatL Quiet
F lOCO has recently been focusing major efforts on its land
preservation initiative [see Land Trust story on page 7] and
reports a quiet winter regarding the recreational path.
"We've spoken with several landowners hoping to obtain permis-
sion to locate the path farther from the main road. in many instances
out of sight of the road. as opposed to using FIOCO's right of way
along the road," said PIOCO President Peter Crisp.
The recreational path brochure circulated to box holders in August
2002 will be updated and re-circulated this summer. FIOCO hopes the
updated brochure will prompt feedback from residents about concerns
"regarding safety on the road, and the overall desirability, genuine
enthusiasm or lack thereof for the proposed path."
FIDCO remains concerned about safety on the East End road due
to more and larger vehicles often exceeding the 30 mph speed limit.
Land Trust
Slimmer ](}(H. Fi~/Jers Islolld Gazette 41
~
COlltilllud from page 7
District (formerly Garbage & Refuse Dis-
trier) concerning the possible conversion of
the Pickett Landfill into a wildlife sanctuary
through the planting of indigenous,
noninvasive plants and grasses.
The museum owns, and the 1..1.nd Trust
maintains, virtually all Island sanctuaries,
which are complemented by a system of
nature trails, mainrained and monitored by
volunteers. Carey Matthiesscn has revised
the popular Trail Guide. which will be avail-
able for purchase at the museum's July 4
opening [see map on page 6].
"The purpose of the Land Trust is to
preserve and protect the natural habitat on
museum sancruary lands, nor to provide rec-
reational benefits," Mr. Miller said. "So. if an
area is used in a manner inconsistent with the
conservation purpose-such as intrusion by
cars, unauthorized clearing, excessive noise,
fires, panies, people wandering off the trails
and damaging flora, or simply too many
people using the trails-the museum would
be required to take action to stop the activity,
and a donor would have the right to require
the museum to do so."
To funher facilitate access to the trails
for "viewing, study and enjoyment," the Land
Trust supports the creation of FIDCO's
proposed recreational path, which it describes
as "environmentally acceptable."
A brochure outlining various techniques
for donating land or development rights to
the Land Trust, including a summary of
potential tax advantages will be available at
the museum's opening. The brochure also
describes how the donation of cash or
appreciated securities can provide tax ben-
efits to the donor and help subsidize Land
Trust activities.
In addition to the museum's Land Trust,
Southold has a land preservation program
and accepts donations and easements that
do not meet the museum's criteria for envi-
ronmental reasons. The town has collected
about $750,000 from Fishers Island
through a two percent real estate sales tax
dedicated to open space preservation. "We've
had a number of propenies that have come
up, but we haven't been able to bring them
to closure," said Island resident Peter Burr,
a member of Southold's Land Preservation
Committee.
. Land Trust parcels (top to bottom) are all
part of Matty Matthiessen Sanctuary, except
second picture from top, which is Betty
Matthiessen Sanctuary.
,
'1.,:'"~':;,,%;:+"~,, "
,~~,
.~
-
-
. .
-
.
.
42 Fishers Island Gazette. Summer 2()03
Volney Righter 100
ContirlUed from page 15
"No one even knew how to make commer-
cials for television back then," said Mr.
Righter.
That problem was soon corrected.
The turning point in his life, however,
was not business-related. he said. It was when
he met his soon-to-be wife, Sally Williams, a
Bedford native whose family owned a dairy
farm on hundreds of acres around Harris
Road, Bedford Center Road and The Nar-
rows. (Her mother hailed from the
McCormick family of Chicago; Cyrus
McCormick, who was Sally Williams' great-
grandfather, invented the reaping machine,
which revolutionized theharvestingofgrain.)
Twenty-eight years old, Mr. Righter
took a trip with friends to Virginia to ride
horses. Sally Williams, too, was on vacation
therewith friends. "I took one look at this girl
and I said, 'This looks pretty good to me,'''
recalled Mr. Righter.
Back in Greenwich, he clocked it. He
lived 19 miles away from her.
"I had a new Chrysler two-seater," he
said. He visited heroftcn. "We were engaged
in three months and married in six months."
They were married 67 years. She died
about five years ago, he said. Among other
endeavors, Mrs. Righter was a co-founder of
the Katonah Museum of Art.
They had two sons.
"When I got married to Sally Williams,
I think I grew up all of the sudden," Mr.
Righter said. "I realized this was the real life.
I began to work harder in business. Plus,
wh~n you're dyslexic, it knocks you down
and takes your confidence away. and by that
time I began to say, 'What the hell, even
Nelson Rockefeller was dyslexic,' and I
thought, 'Well, therc's a chance for me, too.'"
What does he want for his birthday?
"Some good scores at golf at this point,"
he said.
Family and friends are throwing a birth-
day bash for him Sunday, May4, at Bedford
Golf & Tennis.
His nickname Turk, or Turkey, in fact
was the nickname of his father, who was said
to have the running stride of a fowl.
Mr. Righter's hero? Mark Twain.
His favorite age?
"I think I was about 14 and I said I don't
want to be any older," he said.
He's always been a good dancer, he
insists.
The biggest indulgence of his life? Dur-
Green Thoughts
Continued from page 11
iog Prohibition he became an expert gill
maker.
The invention that most amazed him?
The automobile.
"I grew up in the horse and buggy times, "
he said.
He writes lots of I etters, and lots of notes
to himself.
In fact. Sandy Robinson Righter, his
daughter-in.law, has taken to compiling his
writings annually into what she calls Turks
Works.
"A chipmunk sat outside my window
for 15 minutes this morning without mov-
ing," he wrote sometime last year. "I won-
dered ifhe had arthritis, too."
Notes to the Wise
Remember not to fertilize nasturtiums or cosmos. They need lean. nitrogen~light
soil to starve them into more intense efflorescence.
Fragrant annuals, such as four-o'clocks, night-scented stock, jasmine tobacco/
nicotiana alata release their scent only after the sun goes down.
Although they need a regular supply of water until their root systems are estab-
lished, when mature. California poppies. cosmos, marigolds and zinnias are
remarkably drought-resistant.
If you're stuck with common rosa rugosa bushes with purply-red flowers, you can
improve the scene by planting cosmos casually around and about. Cosmos's
slender grace, delicate foliage and both pink and raspberry-colored flowers
make an amazing difference.
Propagate scented pelargoniums from cuttings, not seeds. Transplants, home-
grown or nursery-bought, are best for growing ageratums. Canterbury bells.
English daisies, heliotrope, impatiens, lisianthus, lobelia, pansies/violas,
petunias.
aaa
CATCH 1HE BOATING SPIRIT lHIS SUMMER!
631-788-7528
. f"OUL W'E/l,THERCEAR.' LfF!': JACKE'TS
.~ -
OPEN MONDAY-FRIDAY 8:00 - 4:30
SATURDAY 8:00 -4:30
"IN SEASON"
,
,
IPP
Jul. 7-Aug.15: 32nd annuallPPSum-
mer Program: Morning Program, M-F, 9
a.m.-noon at F.1. School, open to children.
ages 4-11. Meg Atkin. director. Register
Mondays at the school for attendance by
the week.
Dock Beach: Lifeguard on duty M-F,
1-5 p.m.
Jul. 6: "July 4th" IPP Bike Parade and
fife & drum concert on the village green.
July 15: Outdoor concert, Les Julian
and Tom Calinan, 5 p.m. on the village
green. Bring picnic. Co-sponsored with F.1.
Library and Island Concerts Committee.
July 16: Morning Program, "Crazy Hat
Day" (Create/wear your wackiest hat).
Jut. 19: Arts/Crafts Show, 9 a.m.-1
p.m. (Rain date. Jul. 20). Registration and
set-up, 8-9 a.m. $25/one date. $40/both
dates, $3/children's table (arts & crafts only.
no games). Call Jeanine Edwards Kelly.
508-564-9937, for further information.
Juf. 19: IPP House & Garden Tour.
noon-4 p.m. Call Molly Frank, 631-788-7984
to volunteer. Buy tickets at the Arts/Crafts
Show July 19 or at Hair of the Dog Liquor
Store.
Aug. 7: Morning Program pet show.
(Rain date: Aug. 8)
Aug. 12: Morning Program T-shirt
project. Bring clean white shirt.
Aug. 16: Arts/Crafts Show, 9 a.m.-I
p.m. (Rain date, Aug. 18).
Aug. 21: IPP Annual Meeting, 5 p.m.
at the library.
NOTE: Fishers Island has many tal-
ented residents. If you are willing to share
a special skill, such as painting, drama or
fishing in a short IPP workshop for the chil-
dren, please call Meg Atkin, 788-7469.
IPP owns and maintains Dock Beach
and the ballfield. Please clean up after use.
No dogs allowed on Dock Beach.
. . .
Annual du Pont family fireworks:
Fri. July 4.
,
ISLAND CONCERTS
Jul. 5: 10 a.m.-noon, Taylor 2 Dance
Company workshops. school gym. Adults
$10, children 6-12, $5.
Jut. 6: Taylor 2 Dance Company re-
cital, 5:30 p.m.. lawn of O'Keefe home.
Jul. 6: "July 4th" concert, noon, village
green. Essex Fife & Drum Corps.
July 15: Les Julian and Tom Calinan.
See IPP above.
July 25: Arianna String Quartet, 6
p.m., home of Mrs. William Ridgway.
Aug. 3: Eastbound Freight bluegrass
band, yacht club tent. FREE CONCERT.
Aug. 8: Mary Cleere Haran, cabaret
singer, 8:15 p.m. Fishers Island Club.
IE!!ImImm
FICA Meeting
Sat. Jul. 26, 4 p.m. at the school.
www.ficivic.org
Check FICA's website regularly for news,
information and calendar events.
Jul. 11-12: Jr. Safe Boating Coarse.
Required for motor boat operators under
18 and jet ski operators under 30. Required
for all operators of any age starting 2004.
Call or email FICA or yacht club.
Annual Southold Town Board Meeting:
Wed. Aug. 13. 1 p.m. at F.1. School.
There will be public hearing at this time on
Anthoine family application for village
center property zone change from
residential to hamleVsmall business.
.
.
.
P.O. & UTILITY HOURS
Post Office hours: See page 3
F.I. Utility Co.: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sat. 9 a.m.-noon. After Aug. 29: Mon.-
Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m., closed for lunch. noon-
1 p.m.
EI. LIBRARY
Visit the library often: Mon.-Sat. 9
a.m,-noon and Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri.
1:30 p.m.-5 p.m.
Story Hour: Tuesdays, 4-4:45 p.m.
16'" Walsh Park Open: July 26, noon
at Hay Harbor Golf Club, $65 per person.
The Open benefits Walsh Park Benevolent
Corp., which is devoted to increasing hous-
ing for year-round residents.
Dodor's OtTi<<:e
Office hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-noon;
Mon. 6-7 p.m., Jack Hand, M.D. F.A.C.P.
See p. 29 for important insurance notice.
. . .
CLurd. Thrift Stores
UNION CHAPEL
The Ladies Aid Thrift Shop: Thurs., 3
p.m.-5 p.m.; Sat., I 0 a.m.-noon. Donations
are appreciated. Please, no soiled or dam-
aged items.
OUR LADY OF GRACE CHURCH
The Rummage: Fri., 4 p.m.-6 p.m.;
Sat., 10 a.m.-noon. Donations may be left
on basement steps.
Summer 2003. Fishers lslalld Gazette 43
FERRY
Aug. 12: F.1. Ferry District election, 2
p.m.-6 p.m., firehouse (registered voters
and real property owners eligible to vote).
Aug. 22: F.1. Ferry District budget
meeting, 6 p.m., F.1. School.
Reservations May 1-0ct. 31, at ferry
annex: Mon.-Thurs., 9 a.m.-I p.m.; Fri.. 9
a.m.-I p.m. and 3-5 p.m., Sat. & Sun., 9
a.m.-I p.m. (Nov. 1-April 30. Mon.-Sat. 9
a.m.-noon. main building.)
Credit cards are accepted on ferries.
in reservation office, and manager's office
for books of tickets if res. office is closed.
ATM is installed on first floor inside
ferry office. Functions only when manager's
office is open, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Service
charge is $3 per transaction.
IUP Benefit Sale
A benefit sale is scheduled July 11-13
at the Hay Harbor Club. A portion of the
proceeds will be donated to the Island
Health Project (IHP). Vendors include:
Josephine Sasso. women's clothing; linens
by MaryJo Chapoton; Trillion. estate
jewelry; Marymac. ribbon and fabric belts;
Cocotier, 18k and semi precious bead
necklaces; and House of Neediepoint.
Bring guests and friends. everyone is
welcome.
Councilwoman/Justice Louisa
Evans' ferry annex office hours: Sun. 8-
8:45 a.m. or by appointment. Call Ms. Evans
at 788-7646, or at home, 788-7054.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
HAZARDOUS WASTE DAY...
...will be Sat. Jul. 26, 8:15-11 :15 a.m. at
Transfer Station. No regular dumping
during above hours.
~~~
Summer hours for Transfer Station:
Mon.. Tues., Thurs., Fri., 7:30 a.m.-12:30
p.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m.; Sat. 7:30-11:30
a.m. and Sun. 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Summer hours for compost facility:
Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-
4:30 p.m.; Sat. 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Charge for
dumping brush. leaves, logs, etc.: pick-up
truck, $7.50; small dump truck (3 yards),
$20; large dump truck (3 to 9 yards), $40;
double axle dump truck, $60. All compost
is free for residents.
Compost facility accepts wood.
metal, plastic toys, small appliances, insu-
lation, etC.-but no car or boat batteries,
which must be taken to gas station. Large
appliance fee, $10; mattresses. box springs,
sofas, etc.. $7.50; carpets larger than 6x9.
$7.50; humidifiers and air conditioners, $6.
44 Pi.fIJers I.fland Gazette. Summer ZOO]
SI.Jol.n'!!i Award!!i
S<<:l.olar!!il.ip!!i
The St. John's Episcopal Church
Scholarship Program and the Fish-
ers Island Scholarship "und, hoth
administered by St. John's Church. this year
awarded a combined total of $49,500 in
scholarships to members of Fishers Island
School's classes of2000-03.
Members of the school's graduating
classes, who are also Island residents, receive
$1,000 from each fund upon graduation and
throughout college.
"With the escalating costs of a college
education, graduates of the Fishers Island
School are the fortunate beneficiaries of these
two Island scholarship funds that cover ap-
proximately 10 percent of the cost of a four-
year degree," said Phyllis Shanley Hansell,
EdD, RN, FAAN, chait of the St. John's
Scholarship Committee.
The Fishers Island Scholarship was en-
dowed by an anonymous gift in 1996 and
benefits all graduates of the Fishers Island
School, plus graduates of off-Island high
schools with at least one parent living on
"ishers Island. In 2003-04, this scholarship
will award $28,000 to 28 students.
The St. John's Scholarship, funded
through the church's operating budget (an-
nual appeal), benefits all graduates of the
Fishers Island School. Island residents re-
ceive a sliding scale award of$1.000-$2,000
for freshman year through two years ofgradu-
ate school. Magnet students receive $500 for
each of four undergraduate years. For 2003-
04, St. Jol111's will provide scholarships to 25
students, totaling $21,500.
In order to qualify for both scholarships,
seniors must complete an application nam-
ing their chosen college and have an inter-
view with a member of the scholarship com-
mittee. They must send their college tran-
scripts to the F.I. School superintendent while
continuing their education. All students must
be enrolled in "an academic, engineering,
professional, vocational or technical program.
that is fully accredited and recognized by the
federal or any state government or agency or
by a duly funded licensing board at agency."
F.1. School Graduates & Colleges
Class of 2003
Rand Brothers, Baston College; Brendan
Conroy, Dowling College; Kyle Heath,
undecided; Graham Kuzia, University of
North Carolina Charla~e; Joseph Lamperelli,
Western Connecticut State University,
Megan Murray, Harcum College, and
Christine Ragan, SUNY Cobbles kill.
Curren~y Receiving Scholarships
Classes of 2000-02
Triston Belon '02, N.Y. Institute 01 Technology; Cory
Hollis '02, Georgio Institute 01 Technology; Mortin Korpel
'02, Doniel Webster College; Mo" Neilson '02, Univel5ity
01 Connecticut; Jone Sowyer '02, Lepre College, Kristen
Show '02, Mitchell College; Molly Molinowski '02,
Wesleyon Univel5ity; Corrie Seole '02, Wellesley College;
Soroh Beon '01, Univel5ity 01 New Hompshire; Kotie
Bloethe'01, Centrol Connecticut Stote College; Roseonn
Rondoll '01, Univel5ity of New Hoven; Bre" Flowel5
'01, New Englond College; Soroh Horning '01, Mitchell
College; Peter Molinowski '01, Vossor College; Chod
Beckwith '01, Northeostern Univel5ity; Ryon Brothel5
'00, Seton HolI University; Jonytro Corlisle '00,
Univel5ity 01 Hortlord; Belindo Colgon '00, Skidmore
College; Soroh Evons '00, Hobort ond Williom Smith
Colleges; Adorn McDermo" '00, Northeostern Univel5ity;
Dorren Seel '00, Rensseloer Polytechnic Institute; Nick
Molinowski '00, Wesleyon Univel5ity.
,
Sandra AI..nan
Wins A~ard
Sandra Ahman of Manhattan has
been recognized for over 10 years
of active and dedicated volunteer
service to the Children's Aid Society (CAS)
in New York City.
The New York Jets announced last No-
vember that Ms. Ahman was selected the
season's local NFL Community Quarter-
back. As the award winner. NFL Charities
through the New York Jets will provide a
$10,000 grant to the non-profit CAS.
Ms. Ahman is a direct service volunteer
and leader on the Associates Council, the
leadership and fundraising arm of CAS's
volunteer corps. Her favorite volunteer pro-
gram is UKARE (Uptown Kids Are Reading
Everyday). She has dedicated herself to one-
on-one interaction with children as well as
being present behind the scenes raising
money. providing leadership and recruiting
new volunteers.
Ms. Ahman is the daughter of Lillie and
Richard Ahman. She graduated from Fishers
Island School and State University of New
York at Albany and works in New Yark City.
The NFL Community Quarterback
Award recognizes outstanding volunteers in
the 32 NFL markers and awards nearly $1
million to the charitable organizations they
serve. This program honors individuals who
exemplifY leadership, dedication and a COIll-
mitment to improving the communiries in
which they live through volumeerism.
.. Annual Easter Egg Hunt drew youngest hunt-
ers to Susie and Robert Parsons's lawn.
.... Matthew and Nicholas Burnham ("Mateo"
and "Nico"), 4, sons of Mary and Brad Burnham,
in giant Easter basket on village green. The
basket was donated to IPP by Grace Burr. Liz
Furse (Topper's) took instant photos for par-
ents. Bunnywas lent to IPP by Brittany Murray.
Summer 2003. Fishers Island Gazette 45
Ferry Dislri<<:1
Prepares 10 Begin
N.L. Reno~alion
The Fishers Island Ferry Disrricr (FIFO)
plans to begin renovating its New London
terminal facility after Labor Day.
With over $5 million in federal grants and bond-
ing up to $4.8 million, FIFD commissioners expect to
complete the construction bidding process this sum-
mer, culminating in the expansion, which they began
planning over 10 years ago. At that time, the price tag
for the project was $5 million. The 2003 cost was still
being calculated in June.
The ferry district manages the la-acre New
London terminal property, which is owned by the
town of Somhold. Only two-thirds of an acre is
above water, however. The expansion, to be com-
pleted in two stages, calls for filling in another two-
thirds of an acre for staging vehicles, new docking
slips and a two-story terminal building.
An additional $300,000 was awarded to FIFO in
June under the Hnmeland Security Act. FIFD Man-
ager Tom Doherty applied for the gram in March,
because Fishers Island's New London terminal has
virtually no security, yet sits in a high terrorist target w
o
area in proximity to the Coast Guard Ac.1demy in ,g
~
New London, Electric Boat shipyard and U.S. Sub- !
marine base in Groton, and Millstone nuclear com- l!:l
.;
plex in Waterford. -g
"The grant will be used for better overall light- ~
.
ing, possible security fences for the non-manned ~
hours of the night, an emergency generator and to ii:
develop a secure area to inspect freight and vehicles
as necessary," Mr. Doherty said.
~
FOR SECrRITY AXD SAFETY PURPOSES_
-THE FISHERS ISLAXD FERRY DISTRICT
RESER\'ES THE RIGHT TO INSPECT
ALL PASSEXGERS. VEHICLES A:\D FREIGHT
PRIOR TO BOARDING.
PARTIES REFUSIXG SUCH INSPECTION \1'11.1.
NOT BE ALLOWED TO BOARD THE FEIUlIES.
- TH.m rou FOR YOrR COOPERATION.-.
. (top) A sign of the times at the entrance to the RACE POINT and MUNNATAWKET
ferries in New London. . Tight squeeze exiting ferry at Fishers Island.
.
2003 ZAGAT Survey rates
SOUTINE ''Tops'' in Pies/Tarts!
~
"...They do an amazing
job...A caring staff turns out
terrific cakes, including sophisti-
cated birthday and wedding
versions, gorgeous fruit tarts
that make you drool, pies,
cookies and other superb
baked gO~tine
Wedding and special o([osion cokes denvered to
Fishers Island in July and Augus'
104 West 70th Street. New York NY 10023
212.496.1450; fax 212.496.1791
www.soutine.com
Evans
Realty
IF You ARE CONSIDERING...
Licensed Real
Estate Broker
. A new dock in front of your house
. Reconstruction of an existing dock
. A bulkhead or shorefront protection
. The permit slatus of your existing dock
. Erosion protection or tidal wetlands permit
for your home or yard improvement "ilhin
300' of the shore
...Call DOCKO, me,your comPlete
u'atetfront development resol/rce.
phone 860.S7l.8939 . fax g(ll).S7l.7S69
W'o\w.docko.com . email docko@Sllct.net
Post Office Box 421, M~c C.ormecticut 06355
Sales . Rentals
631-788-7054
46 Pi.~hers Island Gazette. Slimmer 2(J(J3
Engagements
Nora S. Feeley and Coleman Brinckerhoff,
wedding planned for Oct. 4, Riverside, Conn.
Sarah Desrenines and Philip Reed.
Weddings
Anne Babyak and Christopher Thatcher, May
17, Bat Cave, N.C.
Margaret Lynn Smith and Robert Goodwin
Warden, May 24, Bermuda.
Ivette Velez and Christopher Bohlen, May 25,
Hampton, Va.
Katharine Lopez and Timothy Weymouth,
June 14, Wilmington, Del.
Births
Elizabeth Trippe Thorson, Oct. IS, 2002, to
Kristie and Bobby Thorson, Greenwich,
Conn.
~~~&~
..-S~
!tsltehS lS~and. n.y. . 788.7678
Wilson Clark Thors, Mar. 24, to Melissa and
Thor Thors, New York City.
Rowan Guinness Goss, Mar. 26, to Tessa and
Gerrit Goss, Santa Monica, Cal.
Ian RyderTirabassi, Mar. 28, to Karen (Reale)
and Keith Tirabassi, Fishers Island.
Hannah Richmond Macleod, April 24, to Ian
and Robin Macleod, Medfield, Mass.
Edith Sturtevant Thors, Apr. 27, to Lisa and
Rex Thors, Brookline, Mass.
Conrad Elwell Katzander, May 9, to Kari (Elwell)
and Andrew Katzander, New York City.
Bauer Ketcham Lynch, May 22, to Holland
(Goss) and K.C. Lynch, San Francisco, Cal.
Melanie Louise Macleod,June 5, to Morris and
Sue Macleod, Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.
I School Budget ApprO~ed, I
Fishers Island in June approved
a $2,374,840 budget for the F.I.
School District. The 2003-2004
budget has been increased by 3.05 '
percent over the previous year.
"Fishers Island is not affected by
the much-publicized cutbacks in
state aid to towns, because we a..e
so small and do not receive much
aid from the state.We do not qualify .
in terms of pove..ty level, school
lunches and transportation," said
School Supt. Jeanne Schultz.
~ -pICKETT FE1\;;
"\ A GIFT SHOP C'J:
ON THE VILLAGE GREEN
~I~~~~~~~~J
fishers island, ny . 631.788.7299
.Oaily pick-up and delivery allhe Fishers Island ferry.
. HAND FINISHED LINENS. SHEETS.
TABLECLOTHS. ETC.
. ALTERATIONS
. SHIRT LAUNDERING
. SUEDES & LEATHERS
. WEDDING GOWNS CLEANED
AND PRESERVED
. SHOE REPAIR
. DRAPERIES
. SMOKE. FIRE. WATER RESTORATION
2 Montauk Ave., New London
(Corner of Bank and Montauk)
EST. 1914
Specializing in Fine Garment Care
DRY CLEANERS
442-5316
fax 442-3318
QEj
0)
~
Call to arrange charge account and personal laundry bag.
m~e 'equot ~nn
. Travel
AM~~S Agency ~
-
.R~".~'II""'"
Travelers Checks
Airline Tickets
Cruises
Hotels
Tours
11 Bank St.
New London
1-800-545-9154
. G.B. ERn.
APPRAISAL CoMPANY
A real estate appraisal company
serving Fishers Island
Mon. thru Fri.. 4:30 p.m. to close
Sat. & Sun.. 12:30 p.m. to close
NY STATE CERTIFIED
631-788-7246
Gregory B. Erb . 860-536-0721
Located in Noank, Conn.
,
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I CCJ1A~~JIJFJIJEJ])1
SMALL APARTMENT OR ROOM
WANTED for July & August. Re-
sponsible adult wants to visit
with his kids. References avail-
able. 203-644-0564.
ATLANTIC FLY FISHING CHAR-
TERS: Fish the flats, Race and
beaches with Capt. Rich
Ludemann. Fly or light tackle
specialist. 631-788-7900. Call
for availability.
~
Alerts from N. Y State Troopers:
-Children under 14 must wear helmets when bicycling.
.Children under 12 must wear life vests (PFD) on boats.
.Seat belt law will be enforced.
.DWls will be arrested. No leniency.
'No.lflrge_bo~fires. Absolutely no more pallet fires.
Remove
Trash !!
Island Launch Service LLC
Capt. Mark Easter. Operator
\ I
NeIAROMlASCL-\LAR 'tHeRApY
Spods Massage
Repexology
M6-NA MOR~N LM.T.
Ho"secalls by Appointment
Lie. #4680
cell ph: (860) 861-0208
Fishe"$ Island
(631) 788-7387
Ivy Robichaux, Jr.
GENERAL CONTRACTING SERVICES
Home Improvement, Repair & Maintenance
Shop 788-7732
Licensed& Insured #20.946-HI Since 1992
Summer 2(}(IJ . Fishers Is/and Gaz.ette 47
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. Barge with heavy equipment awaited construction of new docks this
May at Fishers Island Yacht Club Marina.
~r"'l/}ter&Waymarine
CAPTAIN ANDREW HEUBLEIN
,"*'
'..
.~
... ~-:'t. L
> crew & equipment transport -=-=- ~
> U.S.C.G. certified for 18 passengers
> ocean taxi
> courier service
-
-
drj)([rlillJ{from So(/uk, v'n1icillJ!./.1fmg IS!!}J!.lSUlllld
-
~~
- .
ON CALL 24 HOURS > mobile 860.460.2462 > home 860.536.1310
I
~ ~ -I
- ~ I
~~ .
S" . '" ,
Si,." l'JIi"" .
"192S '
~ KaIamian's
f.Jl 'e RU\"I Shop....
Wools. Broadloom. Patterns. Berbers. Sisals
FINE HANDKNOTTED ORIENTAL RUGS
Cleaning .Repairs . Binding. Serging
860-442-0615
963 Bank St.. New London
EDWARDS LOBSTERS
"The Best Tails in Town"
PO Box 167
Fishers Island NY 06390
631-788-7645
CHRIS & TRUDI EDWARDS
Delivery Available
Jeanne Schultz Photo
. Students were called outside one day this Spring for an impromptu photo with retiring teacher Charles Stepanek. Nick Banas, Ethan Bean, Stephen Bean,
Earl Belen, Billy Bloethe, Lizzy Brogno, Alicia Cairns, Melanie Cairns, Brendon Conroy, Andrew Ellis, Jeremy Ellis, Sage Farrar, Zoey Feinstein, Hannah
Hirschfeld, Sam Horn, Brittany Murray, Megan Murray, John Norman, Matt Reale, Lauren Rogers, Conner Scace, Olga Solovyova, Camilla Spinola, Alex
Tirabassl, Keith Tripp and Anna Van Erven.