ONEONTA – She was born December 16, 1927 in Salem, N.Y., the daughter of Harry and Anna Currey.
She graduated from Washington Academy in Salem, N.Y., in 1945, from Oneonta Normal School (SUCO) in 1949 and St. Rose’s College, Albany, N.Y., in 1964.
She taught intermediate Special Education for 32 years for the Oneonta School District and Catskills Area BOCES in the Watkins House, the old Oneonta Jr. High School, Riverside School and Greater Plains School.
She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church since 1945. She was a member of St. Mary’s Altar Rosary Society, Young At Heart, Otsego County Retired Teachers Society and a life member of the Oneonta Elks Club.
In a previous essay, I asked; Why Do We Have Schools?
Parents and other family members took on the major responsibility for teaching children whatever it was they thought they should know. As in much of the animal kingdom, the adults play a very important role in teaching their young what they need to know to survive. We are born and eventually we die. Those who best learn how to survive, usually live the longest. But is that really true for us humans?
My mother used to say, “ignorance is bliss.” There are times that I believe her, but in most cases, ignorance will not get you very far in life. When settlers first came to the New World, they embarked on a bold adventure. There were new challenges and survival was just one of them. After living in relative freedom for over 100 years, the rule of the King began to take its toll on some of those freedoms. From this frustration came the words; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Where does that quote come from? If you cannot answer that question, then our schools have failed. The founding fathers realized that if each generation after them were not taught about the reasons for the revolution and the documents developed as a result of their frustrations with the king, then the experiment would fail. They knew the importance of teaching the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States to future generations. That is one answer to the title question.
In the early days of our country, our society had that role. Parents had that role.
READING – 7 – 8:30 p.m. English professors from SUNY Delhi share their creative writing in literary & speculative genres. Includes Q&A session after reading. Sponsored by Huntington Memorial Library. 607-432-1980 or visit www.facebook.com/hmloneonta/
Gretchen Sorin, director of the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies, reads from her newly published book “Driving While Black” at a reading at Roots Brewing Co. this evening. After an introduction from Jim Havener, owner fo the Green Toad bookstore, Sorin read from the prologue and the epilogue before taking questions from the audience. (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)
HOLIDAY WORKSHOP – 1 – 3 p.m. Children are invited to decorate their own Christmas bulb, sing along to Christmas carols on player piano. Oneonta History Center, 183 Main St., Oneonta. 607-432-0960 or visit www.oneontahistory.org/index.htm
Author Alice Lichtenstein, right, reads from an excerpt from her new book “The Crime of Being” at a reading hosted by Roots Brewing Co. this evening. The novel, inspired by the April 2010 shooting in Cooperstown has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. (James Cummings/AllOTSEGO.com)
CONCERT – 3 p.m. Stamford Friends of Music present Pegasus: The Orchestra performing American masterpieces Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland, others. Suggested donation, $12/person. Stamford United Methodist Church, 88 Main St., Stamford. Visit friendsmusic.org
FAMILY SATURDAY – 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Bring kids for fun tour featuring hands-on activities for kids. Enjoy family concert by Dave Ruch featuring sing-a-longs, movement songs, more at 1. Hanford Mills Museum, 51 Co. Hwy. 12, East Meredith. 607-278-5744 or visit www.hanfordmills.org/programs/events/family-saturdays/
WORKSHOP – 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Master Gardener Francine Stayter will co-host an interactive workshop, “Gardening for Health and Well-Being.” Free. Classroom One, FoxCare Center, 1 FoxCare Dr., Oneonta.
READING – 5:30 p.m. Author George Hovis will read from his work, “The Skin Artist” and sign copies at 6 p.m. Green Toad Bookstore, 198 Main St., Oneonta. Info, (607) 433-8898, www.greentoadbookstore.com
EARTH FEST – 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Annual Earth Festival features a clothing swap, an art contest, free paper shredding, workshops and more. Milford Central School, 42 West Main St., Milford. Info, (607) 547-4488. occainfo.org/earth-festival/
HARVEST FESTIVAL – 3-6 p.m. Celebrate the bounty of summer with the Butternut Valley Alliance and the Morris Farmer’s Market. Guy Rathbun Park (behind the firehouse), 117 Main St., Morris. Visit butternutvalleyalliance.org
NATURE WALK – 6-7:30 p.m. Walk through Riddell State Park with Patricia Riddell Kent and Steve Kent. Visit historic structures, fields, and forests along the Schenevus creek and learn the history of the land. Meet at the Main Entrance of the Robert V. Riddell State Park, Riddell Rd., Davenport. Call (607) 547-4488 or visit occainfo.org/calendar/nature-walk-robert-v-riddell-state-park/
AWARDS PRESENTATION – 4:30 p.m. Features the presentation of the Ford C. Frick award for baseball broadcasting excellence and the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing. Gates open 3 p.m. Followed immediately by the Parade of Legends Doubleday Field, Cooperstown. baseballhall.org/events/Awards-Presentation-2017?date=0
PARADE – 11 a.m. Celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence at the 103rd Springfield 4th of July parade. Followed by a party with live music, Brooks chicken bbq, 4th of July Quilt Show, a Revolutionary War display by the Fort Plain Museum, the Utica Zoomobile, a bounce house, games, raffles, and more. Free parking. Springfield Community Center, 137 Co. Rt. 29A, Springfield Center. wskg.org/event/springfield-4th-of-july-parade-and-celebration-2/
FREEDOM – Noon. Listen to Frederick Douglas’ famous “History is a Weapon” speech about what freedom means to a slave as performed by one of the Templeton Players. Followed by a reading of the Declaration of Independence on the Tavern Green at 1 p.m. The Farmers Museum, Cooperstown. www.farmersmuseum.org/Independence-Day-July-4th-Celebration
ONEONTA – She was born December 16, 1927 in Salem, N.Y., the daughter of Harry and Anna Currey.
