In 1800s, city held public executions The Daily Gazette is reprinting excerpts of the late Larry Hart’s long-running column, “Tales of Old Dorp.” Hart frequently wrote long pieces about Schenectady’s history, but occasionally settled for short takes on the city’s past. This column originally appeared Sept. 24, 1974.
This is one of those weeks when we don’t feel like sticking to one subject. So we will reflect on some of the tidbits of historical happenings and places in Old Dorp. In the 1880s, there was a volunteer fire department scandal in Schenectady. For a period of several years, there was an unusually large number of fires, many of them in churches and public buildings. Finally, someone noticed that a certain fire company was always the first on the scene and as a result had won several trophies offered to volunteer companies that were first to respond. Subsequent investigation proved that members of the prize-winning company had been setting the fires and then beating the opposition companies to the blaze. Several members of the company drew prison terms. There were several hangings in Schenectady during the first half of the 19th century, and most of them were in the courtyard of the present education building at 108 Union St. because after 1831 it was the jail and courthouse. One hanging for certain was held in the courtyard of former West College (now the Van Dyck restaurant parking lot at Union and North College Streets) and another on the Albany Street hill. There were always large public turnouts for the executions, as people traveled for miles by wagon or horseback to witness the grim events. Always there were speeches beforehand, including one by the condemned, and hawkers were invariably on hand to sell pamphlets telling of the prisoner’s crime, trial and repentance. The Ingersoll Memorial Home for Aged Men at the corner of State Street and Balltown Road is named after George Ingersoll, who for many years was superintendent of the city water works. It is on the site of an estate once known as Locust Grove, which was laid out by John Duncan in 1755. The original home was erected by Capt. Josiah Stanford, the father of Leland Stanford, founder of Stanford University and a governor of California. Old timers swore to the truth of a humorous incident about the Kittie West, a small steamboat that once carried Schenectady pleasure seekers for outings along the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal. The boat always came up the canal and docked at the foot of a pair of steps leading up to the State Street corner occupied by the Ellis Building. One Sunday evening, there was a sudden storm and the pilot was forced to dock on the opposite side of the canal, or at what is now the State Theater arcade. Many of the passengers had been enjoying a few nips throughout the day, and they failed to pay much attention to what had happened. When the boat docked, these passengers all stepped off the side they usually disembarked from and found themselves in the canal. They were pulled out by crew members and passengers who had refused to let habit guide their feet off the wrong side of the boat.
There were always large public turnouts for the executions, as people traveled for miles by wagon or horseback to witness the grim events. Always there were speeches beforehand, including one by the condemned, and hawkers were invariably on hand to sell pamphlets telling of the prisoner’s crime, trial and repentance.
Now we have Geraldo/Blitzer/OReilly/Tucker,,,,,and dont forget about Hollywood.....now we dont have to travel far to get to these,,,just turn on the tv, go to walmart, go to a theater or there is always special delivery right to our front door via netflix.....some things never change....the mirror is always right....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Women line State Street on Saturday, Oct. 9, 1948, waiting for free orchids at the H.S. Barney Co. The store celebrated its 115th anniversary by giving away flowers to the first 2,000 women shoppers.
Four killed in collapse of bridge framework BY JEFF WILKIN Gazette Reporter
Late afternoon had arrived, and men working on Schenectady’s western gateway could think about hearth, home and the evening hours of Monday, Sept. 17, 1923. Four would never see their families again. The wooden framework of the new bridge collapsed under the weight of 240 tons of concrete and sent about a Back in dozen men into the Mohawk River. Time Kenneth A. Da-SEPT. 17 1923 vidson, 30, of Scot-, land, the engineer in charge of the project, was among the men killed. Two others were Joseph Miller, also known as Joseph Janciekowski; and Joseph Masseco, 33, of 503 Weaver St. The fourth man, Vincent Polsinelli of 105 Gerling St., died Wednesday morning at Ellis Hospital. Davidson, assistant superintendent of construction for the American Construction and Dredging Co. and a former British Army engineer, was directing concrete placement when the wooden supports began to snap. QUICKLY GIVING WAY “I heard a crackling of the timbers, which I knew to be a warning that the span was going,” said James C. Bell of 23 Phoenix Ave., who was on site as a representative of the state Engineer’s Offi ce. “I yelled to the men to jump clear, and then the crash came. I grabbed one of the supporting stays [a piece of steel rod that had been laid in the forms for reinforcement of the concrete] and saved myself from being dropped into the river.” Bell climbed back to the end of the bridge, part of the structure that had not collapsed. He was not hurt, but two other men were: Charles Impellizi of 124 Romeyn St. needed help at Ellis for concrete in the eyes; Frank Lamendola of 117 State St. was treated for shock. Among the others on the bridge were carpenter Martin Longiaru of 8 Weaver St.; Angelo Parona of 142 Van Guysling Ave.; Patsy Farelta of 337 Romeyn; Leone Mazzini of 503 Weaver; Walter Baker of 16 Fuller St.; Tony Mussilo of Jay Street; and Joseph San Fillippo, 19, an offi ce boy who also lived at 117 State. During the afternoon, workers had been pouring concrete into “span 24,” the first span on the Scotia side of the bridge. Rescue efforts began quickly. “Only the men who happened to be around at the time were available for the work,” the Schenectady Gazette reported, “and slow progress was made.” As afternoon faded into evening, a crew from the Adirondack Power and Light Corp. set up spotlights to help men look for the lost. “The wreckage for the most part was about on the level of the water,” the newspaper said. “The river at this point is not greater than 12 feet in depth, and the fallen mass just about blocked the channel. A total of four arch rings, the entire span, went down, leaving only strips of concrete reinforcing and splintered woodwork on each side of the structure.” During the next couple of days, engineers tried to figure out what went wrong. Dwight B. LaDu, the state engineer, said the concrete piles adequately supported the bridge “falsework,” the temporary structure on which the main work was being constructed. James H. Small, president of American Construction and Dredging, disagreed. He thought the collapse was because of the piles’ settlement. Engineers on the job offered yet another theory, that a stretch of quicksand might have been under the piles, which caused a slippage. PAINFUL WAIT Joe Miller’s wife probably did not care much about the cause. She waited near the river as divers searched for her husband, and was on the scene Wednesday night when they found the man. She had been at the scene all day, holding her 14-monthold baby. The work on the $3 million project would later resume. The “gateway to the west” opened in 1926, and was replaced by the current bridge in 1973.
Train to victory Harry Truman made 1948 whistle in on to Back in Time OCT. 8, 1948 BY JEFF WILKIN Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Jeff Wilkin at 395-3124 or at wilkin@dailygazette.com.
Harry S. Truman couldn’t beat the rain on Friday, Oct. 8, 1948. But he was hoping to beat Republican Thomas E. Dewey in the coming presidential election. He also hoped people in Schenectady could help. The 64-year-old incumbent president rolled through New York — Gov. Dewey’s territory — on a special train. He had already spoken in Albany on this early fall day, and withstood drizzling rain in gray Schenectady. The Democrat wanted to soak the Republicans, whom he said wanted to operate government for the privileged few. Truman said Democrats backed labor, farmers and small business. The Grand Old Party, he claimed, wanted to put the farmer out of business and shackle labor. He also accused Republicans of killing the federal aid to education bill. A partisan crowd estimated at 5,000 were wild about Harry. Some were kids from city schools dismissed from classes for the event. About 200 workers at the American Locomotive Co. also got to play hooky, and were at the station when the rally began around 10 a.m. Members of Local 20544, United Steelworkers of America, also were at the party. Members carried “Labor Supports Truman” signs. Thirty Schenectady police officers were also around, to watch the audience. President Truman remembered another time in Schenectady, when as Sen. Truman he visited the General Electric Co. during World War II. He said he had also made a farm speech in the city, some years before, which he believed would still hold true in 1948. Truman wanted to make sure people had the opportunity to vote on Nov. 2. He asked people to register, and his request was timely; Saturday, Oct. 9, was the last chance people would have to sign up for the chance to choose their preferred candidates. “Let’s get registered to vote — your responsibility is the government of the United States and if you exercise it, you are bound to have good government,” the president said. BESS WAS ALONG Truman was not traveling alone. His wife, Bess, was also on the train and greeted new friends in Schenectady. While Harry was the leader of the free world, he introduced Bess as “the boss in my house.” Daughter Margaret, then 24, was in Missouri and missed the New York minutes with her parents. Mrs. Truman looked sharp; she wore an orchid corsage presented to her by Howe Elementary School fifth-grader Joan Kane, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Kane of 1503 Rugby Road. The president received flowers from Grace Santell and Roberta Donlan, who were representing St. Columba’s High School. The girls got Harry’s autograph. Some people got to hear Truman speak twice. Mayor Owen M. Begley, county Democratic Chairman Ernest G. Buhrmaster, vice-chairman William J. Sherry, County Clerk Carroll “Pink” Gardner and Democratic state committeewoman Edythe English Clark were in Albany and among the locals who got the chance to ride with the president into Schenectady. While at the Albany train station, Truman said the Democratic party had “taken the lead in working to create conditions of peace throughout the world.” The first requirements of peace, he said, were sound and prosperous free nations all over the world. Truman had a busy day ahead. A long day on the rails would end in Buffalo, where he would make a principal address and continue to hammer the Republicans. Dewey was not around to hear the president’s criticism, as he had business in New York City. But he was a good sport about his opponent’s campaign, and even gave permission for state employees to take time off if they wanted to see Truman in person. Dewey told reporters he hoped his adversary would receive “a warm welcome.” Maybe Dewey should not have been so gallant. On Nov. 2, in what historians consider one of the greatest election upsets in American history, Truman’s surprise victory kept Dewey in Albany. The Chicago Daily Tribune published one of the most famous front pages in newspaper lore, with a story declaring the Republican the winner and a big, bold “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline.
PHOTO COURTESY OF EFNER HISTORY CENTER AND RESEARCH LIBRARY, CITY HALL Thousands of Schenectady-area residents — most with umbrellas — gather outside the city’s train station on Friday, Oct. 8, 1948, to see and hear President Harry S. Truman. The Democratic incumbent was rolling west across the state, campaigning for a second term in office.
President Truman has a smile for Nancy Begley, daughter of Schenectady Mayor Owen M. Begley, and young Joan Kane on Oct. 8, 1948. The girls, too young to vote, were with adults rooting for Harry. They included, from left, state Democratic committeewoman Edythe English Clark, Schenectady County Court Clerk Carroll “Pink” Gardner and Begley. The man at far right is not identified. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO
Portrait of a family Pictures serve as reminder of fun times, togetherness shared by previous generations Capital Region Scrapbook BY JEFF WILKIN Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Jeff Wilkin at 395-3124 or at wilkin@dailygazette.com.
Catherine and August Glock watched their four children grow up. So did Schenectady photographers. Four studio photos from the collection of Catherine Zeh Grinter depict young people showing their ages. In one shot, they’re just kids. In another, they’re teenagers. Yet another shows young adults. The tradition continues today. Proud parents want pictures of their children as they grow up. Poses and photos are framed for walls or pasted into scrapbooks. Grinter remembers her mother, Laura Glock Zeh, her Aunt Augusta and uncles William and Arthur. Laura married Jay Harvey Zeh, who she had met at a church picnic, on Aug. 12, 1916. As adults, William and Arthur worked at the family store, Glock’s meat market at 313 Front St. “Every Friday night, we went to the store,” said Grinter, 85. “My grandmother lived upstairs, we called her ‘Ma Glock.’ ” Catherine and her sisters, Margaret Zeh and Augusta Zeh, had the store to themselves during the early evening hours. During the 1920s and 1930s, small stores closed around 5 p.m. “We played grocery store, just kid stuff,” Grinter said. “We ate cookies; we ate candy.” Grinter also remembers spending many holiday dinners with her grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins. Arthur Glock brought his wife and two children — Arthur and David Glock — to the gatherings. Augusta Glock Coffi n attended with her husband, daughter Catherine and son August. William Glock never married, but he and his longtime friend Elizabeth Kadel were always part of the proceedings. Charles Van Buren, an adopted son, also was part of the family. Grinter remembers her uncles William and Arthur as men who liked to keep their money. They would distribute some funds to their nieces, hoping the kids would choose sound investments. “Both of them were very serious, down to earth, I’d say penny-pinching,” she said. “Uncle Woolie — I guess when we were little we couldn’t say ‘William,’ it came out ‘Woolie’ and it stuck with him — would give us a nickel, we’d run to the ice cream store and get ice cream. He’d scold us and say, ‘You were supposed to save that money. That’s how you make money; you save it.’ ” Laura Glock Zeh played the piano during her adult years and belonged to the mothers’ club of Trinity Lutheran Church. She knew something about jabs and left hooks, too. “My mother loved to listen to the boxing matches on the radio,” Grinter said. “She would always listen if there was a major fi ght.” The family’s tragedy involved Laura. On Sept. 21, 1935, she was part of a family reunion at Central Park. A camp stove exploded, and 45-year-old Laura was injured. She died at Ellis Hospital during the early morning hours of Monday, Sept. 23. “The three of us girls took over the house,” Grinter said. “We kept home for my father. So I’ve been keeping house since I was 13.” Grinter married James W. Grinter Jr. on New Year’s Day of 1941. The couple had three children — Jim, Pat and Pam. “I tried to have my family the same way I grew up, being very close to aunts, uncles and cousins,” Grinter said. “There’s been a lot of sadness, but a lot of happy occasions, too.” Glock’s meat market is shown at 313 Front St., Schenectady. The building is still on Front, recognizable by its secondfloor bay window.
Now adults, the Glocks gathered for one more family photograph. From left, Augusta, Arthur, William and Laura smile for the camera. PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY CATHERINE GRINTER
Merry monsters Capital Region Scrapbook Halloweens of long ago marked by parades, visit from governor BY JEFF WILKIN Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Jeff Wilkin at 395-3124 or at wilkin@dailygazette.com.
Robert Alden wore white and looked like a ghost. Peter Coppola wore old clothes and played a tramp. Robert Hidkus wore a lump above his shoulders and became a hunchback. All three scored — and scared — as part of a monster party in Rotterdam on Halloween 1950. About 1,000 youngsters made the town's Poutre Park the headquarters for headless horsemen and other haunted souls. (Poutre Park is now Memorial Park, and is on Curry Road across from Sunrise Boulevard.) The spirited evening event, which featured a parade, bonfire, costume contest, song-singing and free eats, was sponsored by the Rotterdam Kiwanis Club. Guys such as Stanley Fox, who chaired the Kiwanis effort, knew a spooky symposium would keep kids away from other, more annoying nocturnal pursuits. He had help from Clarence Alden, Edwin Walters, Ted Smiarowski, Michael Romano, Jack Marra, Leo Dwyer, Jack Donnelly and Walter Banker. NEIGHBORHOOD PARTIES Other people from 1950 had the same idea around the Capital Region. Nearly 1,000 kids were in Scotia's Collins Park for a costume party. In Niskayuna, youngsters completed a march at Lexington Parkway and Clifton Park Road and were awarded popcorn and sweets by members of the Grand Boulevard Association. Firefighters in East Glenville hosted junior gypsies, tramps and thieves in their neighborhood. Earlier in the day, many kids wore their colorful autumn outfits to school, for parades and parties. There were still pranks after dark. A fire scorched a Little League baseball field on Michigan Avenue, furniture was taken from Rotterdam front porches and fences were uprooted in Schenectady. These were deeds that Catherine Zeh Grinter would have never considered during her Octobers in costume. Grinter, now 85, remembers dressing as a clown with her sisters and friends, and posing for a photograph in the backyard of the Zehs' Baker Avenue home. It was around the late 1920s. “My mother [Catherine Glock Zeh] made them; she was a great seamstress,” Grinter said. “She made all my clothes.” Jean Mangino Van Nest of Rotterdam also remembers homemade costumes. She was around seven years old in 1950 when she dressed as a fairy princess for a party at the Pine Grove Dairy on Erie Boulevard; the dairy was located in the general area of Boulevard Bowl and Morrette’s King Steak House. The bash was sponsored by Republicans of the city’s Third Ward. The state’s top Republican — and top executive — Gov. Thomas E. Dewey made a quick visit. Dewey would win his third term as governor the following Tuesday, defeating Democrat Walter A. Lynch. The governor, who had earlier spoken at the Hotel Van Curler, made friends with both kids and adults at the dairy. “Swarmed upon by costumed children and adults who wanted to shake his hand, Dewey spoke briefly before rushing to the county airport for his flight to New York City,” the Schenectady Gazette reported. Van Nest remembers the party. “It was packed full of kids and parents,” she said. “They had cider and cider doughnuts and they had dipping for apples.” BACK IN THE ’20S On Halloween of 1929, many young people were goofing off on State Street in downtown Schenectady. Girls posed as guys, and guys returned the favor by buttoning up long dresses and batting their eyelashes. “They tossed confetti, they blew horns, they carried on sly flirtations, they dashed through the crowds with rowdy yells,” observed a Gazette reporter. “But mostly they walked, aimlessly and seemingly tirelessly. It was a big time .. . everyone that was there would tell you so if you asked.” Even older folks got into the act. “Then there were those who really should have known better but somehow never do,” the Gazette reporter wrote, somewhat pompously. “Sensible people they appeared to be, but unable to resist the urge to put on a trick hat or a bulbous false nose and go out and be doing with the rest.” For mischief, Grinter's clown posse might have taken a bar of soap and decorated window panes. If people didn't answer door bells during the search for treats, there was another plan. “You had a pin and you'd put the pin [in the door bell] so it stuck in,” Grinter said. “And the bell kept ringing.”
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY JEAN MANGINO VAN NEST OF ROTTERDAM New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, far right, scared up a little publicity by visiting a Halloween party at Schenectady’s Pine Grove Dairy in 1950. The kids could not help Dewey by voting in the upcoming gubernatorial election, but gladly hung out with the governor for a few minutes. Among those in costume are Jean Mangino Van Nest, far left, as a fairy princess and Robert Lippiello as Uncle Sam. Photo submitted by Jean Mangino Van Nest of Rotterdam.
GAZETTE FILE PHOTO Schenectady School Patrolman J.W. Hooley guides young visitors from the spectral realm across Albany Street to nearby Woodlawn Elementary School on Oct. 31, 1950. The kids joined about 500 other costumed youngsters in a parade around the school grounds
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY CATHERINE ZEH GRINTER Not all children celebrated Halloween with sheets and scepters. Catherine Zeh Grinter remembers a time during the late 1920s when she, her sisters and friends dressed as clowns for a trick-or-treat tour. From left are Augusta Zeh, an unidentified boy, Catherine Zeh (center, front) Virginia Goodman (center, back), Bill Goodman and Margaret Zeh.
Political flip-flop Capital Region Scrapbook On Election Day, smiles and frowns usually mean victory or loss BY JEFF WILKIN Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Jeff Wilkin at 395-3124 or at wilkin@dailygazette.com
Red and gold leaves were falling around Schenectady in early November of 1949. The autumn powers were throwing chill into the air on a regular basis. Some men couldn’t wait for snowflakes, ice and January. They were ready to start working for the City of Schenectady. Samuel S. Stratton and Dr. James E. Smith were among that bunch. The Democrats were elected to the City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 8, as voters gave their party control of the government for the first time in 26 years. On Jan. 1, 1950, Stratton and Smith would be part of a 5-2 majority. There was more good news for the Democrats. Morris Marshall Cohn would soon be moving into the police justice’s chambers. The public liked Cohn for the job, and so did the American Labor Party. “A solid 922 ALP vote in his favor gave him an 848-vote edge over Republican Kelsie E. Mead,” wrote Earl Dunckel, who was covering races for the Schenectady Gazette. REVERSAL IN 1951 But the public often changes its mind, and its politicians. On Nov. 6, 1951, Republicans were once again the boss party. “A Republican tide engulfed Democrats in yesterday’s off-year election for control of the City Council,” wrote Gazette reporter Jack Dumas. “The GOP regained the leadership it lost two years ago by electing Archibald C. Wemple mayor and naming three Republicans to the council.”
GAZETTE FILE PHOTOS Schenectady Republicans had no reason to quibble with election results on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 1951 — several members of the Grand Old Party would return or begin government service. From left are Emmet J. Lynch, re-elected district attorney; Archibald C. Wemple, elected mayor; Thomas H. Moynihan, an incumbent councilman; Arthur R. “Whitey” Boehm, elected to the City Council; Kenneth S. Sheldon, re-elected to the council; and Dr. Frank P. Marra, elected as councilman.
Election Night 1949 was a night to remember for Morris Marshall Cohn. Voters picked the Schenectady attorney to serve as the first Democratic police justice in the city in more than two decades. Showing off their victory smiles are Cohn, center, his wife, Florence Wittlin Cohn, and his brother, Myron Cohn. Dr. James E. Smith, right, celebrates with his family on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 1949. The Democratic candidate had just been elected to Schenectady’s City Council and telephoned his daughter Maureen in Denver, Colo., with the good news. Also ready for the post-election celebration are, from left, Mrs. Anne Marie Kehoe Smith, James Smith Jr. and Sandra Smith
The Red and White won Election Day gridiron battle in ’63 Back in Time NOV. 5, 1963 BY JEFF WILKIN Gazette Reporter
Malcolm E. Ellis won a close one on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 1963, Election Day. Larry Mulvaney was another winner — with landslide numbers. Ellis worked in politics. Mulvaney was the well-known football coach at Mont Pleasant High School. And while Ellis, Schenectady’s incumbent Republican mayor, was in a close race against Democratic challenger Fred Isabella, Mulvaney was on the turf sidelines, calling plays and directing his Red Raiders against arch-rival Linton High School. The November game was an autumn tradition; General Electric employees were given the afternoon off and people decorated their cars with Pleasant’s red and white colors or Linton’s blue and white combination. Mulvaney’s 1963 campaign featured two hotshots in the backfi eld. Halfback Paul Della Villa and fullback Ralph Moore both were powerful runners and showed their skills at the big game, held at Linton High School (now Schenectady High School) before 7,000 fans. Both teams had been piling up wins since September. Linton was 5-1 with wins over teams like Albany, Middletown and Rochester’s Aquinas Institute. Mont Pleasant had posted a 4-2 mark with conquests of Amsterdam, Troy and Kingston. Linton scored on its first possession, a Marco Corvino touchdown near the end of the first quarter. Moore tied it late in the second quarter, sprinting 46 yards for the score. The redshirts recovered a Linton fumble on the next series of plays, and with less than 30 seconds left in the half, Moore was in the end zone again for a 13-6 lead. The Raiders scored two fourth quarter touchdowns. One of them was a thriller, with end Joe LaPorte scooping up a blocked punt and running 31 yards for the score. The fi nal was 27-6. “Ralph and Del [Della Villa] churned out all but 49 yards of MP’s total yardage, but their friends, a line which couldn’t block a hat or tackle an old woman at the outset of the season, helped turn the game from a nail-biter to a romp,” wrote Marv Cermak, covering the game for the Schenectady Gazette. Mulvaney gave his backs a lot of the credit. “Don’t forget, [Moore] scored two touchdowns . . . that was enough to beat ’em,” the coach told Gazette sportswriter Hal Buell. “Ralph is so strong he shatters kids. He must rattle teeth with his iron arm.” Mulvaney said Della Villa averaged five yards a carry and withstood plenty of contact. “His blocking and tackling were superb,” he added. Pleasant had beaten a good Linton team, which also had fullback Tom Wheeler in the backfield. Doug McManus had thrown seven touchdown passes. The series had started in 1932. The last Election Day match was held in 1976, a 14-8 Mont Pleasant win. The game was moved to Veterans’ Day for several seasons. And the series came to a close during the late ’80s, when the two schools combined forces to field one team. In September of 1992, after a full merger, the former Linton High School opened as Schenectady High School.
Larry Mulvaney had a big reason for a big smile on Nov. 5, 1963: His Mont Pleasant Red Raiders had just beaten arch-rival Linton High School in the two Schenectady schools’ 31st meeting. Also preparing to celebrate are Bill Jahnel, left, and Ted Sobieski.
Linton quarterback Doug McManus (15) picked out a friendly number — Al Diemer’s 91 — on the Blue Devils’ football field during the annual Election Day contest with Mont Pleasant in 1963. The successful strike was followed by Manny Adams’ (3 successful tackle.
Perilous missions Capital Region Scrapbook Rotterdam native’s dangerous bombing flights over Japanese air bases recalled by his brothers Reach Gazette reporter Jeff Wilkin at 395-3124 or at wilkin@dailygazette.com. BY JEFF WILKIN Gazette Reporter
Edward S. Ordon never walked with a chip on his shoulder. “He was never aggressive,” said his brother Stanley Ordon. “He always tried to avoid a fight.” Edward went looking for trouble during World War II — at his country’s request. And now, with the U.S. observing Veterans Day, Stanley and his brother Leonard — Rotterdam residents and service veterans — remember their older brother, who died Oct. 29 in Texas at age 83. Like thousands of other men and women, Edward Ordon joined the service to fight the Axis powers. The son of Stanley and Anna Ordon, he had attended John Bigsbee School in Rotterdam and graduated from the town’s former Draper High School in 1942. Edward was drafted into the Army Air Force, and became a radar and radio operator with the 499th Bombardment Group of the 20th Air Force. Missions in B-17 and B-29 bomber planes became part of his time overseas. ADDED SIGNIFICANCE The flights were always important. But in late April 1945, they took on added significance and became more dangerous: The 499th and accompanying groups were charged with knocking out Japanese aircraft and air bases within striking distance of Okinawa. These were volunteer missions, 1,500 miles away from Saipan. “Operating in this phase of the mounting air war against Japan, this group on the morning of 22 April sent 11 of its super fortresses [B-29 bombers] in a medium-altitude attack, hundreds of miles from its base on Saipan, to bomb the airfields and installations at Igumi on the home island of Kyushu,” wrote Col. L.H. Rodieck of the 20th Air Force in 1946. “Carrying heavy, high-explosive bomb loads, the group’s daring air crews flew through constantly variable weather and anti-aircraft fire. Without regard for their safety and determined to press home the attack, the 499th bombers covered the target areas with high explosives.” Kyushu’s Oita airbase was the target for the next mission, on April 26. Ordon and company were in the air once again on April 28, objective Miyazaki Airfield in Kyushu. The bombers dropped more than 250,000 pounds of explosives during the latter trip, heavily damaging both runways and airfi eld buildings. “Heavy anti-aircraft fire was accurate; one B-29 was shot down and three were damaged,” Rodieck wrote. Leonard Ordon, 76, can imagine what his brother and crew mates were thinking during the missions. “I think they all had a job to do. They just wanted to drop those bombs ... and get the hell out of there,” he said. WELL LIKED Leonard remembered his brother’s good nature. “He was just an ace all the way around,” he said. “He helped everybody; he was cooperative with everybody; he had a lot of friends. Everybody liked him, especially in school.” Leonard also said his brother knew signing up for the extra duty would expedite his return home. And Edward did return home early, showing up at the family home on Third Avenue in Schenectady’s Mont Pleasant section on V-J Day (Victory over Japan, Aug. 15, 1945, the day fighting with Japan officially ended). “I remember it plain as day,” said Leonard, who served in the Navy during the Korean War. “I was in the driveway; my father was cutting the hedges.” “He got out of a taxi when the bells were sounding,” added Stanley, 79, a World War II Navy vet. Edward attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Union College and Siena College for his education. He worked for the General Electric Co. for almost 40 years, and lived in California, Texas and Oklahoma. He left the Capital Region for good around 1971, but often returned for autumn hunting trips with his brothers. Edward retired from General Electric in 1984. The Ordon brothers say Edward never bragged about the harrowing times in the huge Air Force bombers. During the past year at a veterans’ medical center in Temple, Tex., he would talk about his experiences with younger veterans. During his time in the military, Edward’s awards included seven air medals and two distinguished flying crosses. Most recently, he received a long-delayed presidential citation for his duty in April 1945. Edward died Oct. 29 in Texas from pneumonia. A military funeral was held at Gerald B.H. Solomon National Cemetery in Stillwater. Today, his brothers will remember his bravery. “We might go back to the grave site,” Stanley Ordon said.
PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY LEONARD ORDON OF ROTTERDAM Edward S. Ordon (kneeling in front row, second from left), poses for a photo with his Army Air Force B-29 crew on Saipan during World War II. The decal “bombs” on the aircraft signify successful missions; Ordon’s military career included three dangerous flights to eliminate Japanese kamikaze airplane fields. The veteran died in Texas on Oct. 29.
From left, the Ordon brothers — Len, Ed and Stan — talk over old times in this 1993 photo.
Home on leave, Edward S. Ordon stands behind his family’s home at 1731 Greenpoint Ave. in Rotterdam.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Everyone likes two choices of pie on Thanksgiving. For this week’s Thanksgiving week history page, we’re offering two difference slices of “Capital Region Scrapbook.” The doubleheader means the “Back in Time” and “Classic Tales of Old Dorp” features will not be published today. Both will return next week.
BY JEFF WILKIN Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Jeff Wilkin at 395-3124 or at wilkin@dailygazette.com.
R.H. Macy liked giant balloons in his holiday parade. So did Irving Myers. While Mr. Macy’s rubber monsters were tethered in New York City on Thanksgiving, Mr. Myers’ colorful shapes roamed Schenectady around the same time. Myers was publicity director for the Union-Fern store chain, and his company’s daytime Christmas parades were big deals in downtown during the late 1940s. On Saturday, Nov. 27, 1948, 35 giant balloons impressed kids and adults who crowded into streets for closer looks. Among the big fellows were a 40-foot hippopotamus, a 60-footlong Chinese dragon, a giant cat, a 30-foot dachshund and other fairyland favorites. Santa Claus was also one of the stars. In those days, the man in the red suit kicked off the parade. He waved to fans from the lead car. “A special feature of the parade this year,” the Schenectady Gazette reported in 1948, “will be a giant mailbox in which letters to Santa will be posted. Santa’s helpers will go along the route of march and pick up letters from the children and drop them in the mailbox.” Myers was sparing no expense. He said more than $100,000 worth of equipment would be shown in the parade. Part of that cash helped operate “Sweet Lips,” a life-like puppet who talked to kids from the front seat of a convertible. The parades started near the Union College grounds at Union Street and Nott Terrace. Many of the nozzle-heads did not really “fly”; they sat on platforms and were slowly wheeled around town. The parade fi rst rolled along Nott Terrace, then turned right onto State Street and proceeded west to Erie Boulevard. Here, the merry marchers took a right turn and walked two blocks to Union Street, where another right turn put the gang back on course for a return to the starting point. Bands, such as the Western Gateway, Electric City and Mechanicville City outfits, provided musical cheer. Union-Fern, situated at 260 State St. in Schenectady, had enough stores to reward customers with the elaborate Christmas presents. The chain, which sold oak dinette sets for $98, restored sofas and chairs and offered Gilbert erector sets and assorted games in its toy department, also had outlets in Albany, Troy, Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls and Utica. In 1948, the parade was presented in Utica on Monday, Nov. 29. The 1949 Schenectady parade took place on Friday, Nov. 25, and put 150 boys to work as balloon escorts and holders, some dressed as clowns. A bloated balloon cat and 40-foot elephant helped entertain thousands of people along the route. “Spectacular among the floats was the block-long, 20-foot-high train that hummed along to the tunes of holiday music and brought up the rear of the march,” wrote the Schenectady Gazette’s parade correspondent. “Peering at the crowds were large, bulbous heads that nodded from the cars of the train.” The 1947 show featured a 40-foot whale, a 65-foot-tall Gulliver from “Gulliver’s Travels” and even Humpty Dumpty, who presumably did not fall down . . . and burst
PHOTO COURTESY EFNER HISTORY CENTER AND RESEARCH LIBRARY, SCHENECTADY CITY HALL Plenty of air — but no fire — came with this giant dragon balloon on State Street, near the old Hotel Foster between Lafayette and Clinton streets, in one of the Union-Fern classic Christmas parades of the late 1940s. Left, Santa Claus sits on the back of an open convertible to lead the way, and balloon letters spell “HELLO” announcing the start of the Union-Fern Christmas Parade on Friday, Nov. 25, 1949.
GAZETTE FILE PHOTOS
Below, a wide-eyed, well-dressed balloon cat — or is it a pig? — rolls down State Street near the former Woolworth’s department store at Broadway during the Union-Fern Christmas Parade in 1949
Celebrating the season Santa, snowmen, singers and candlelight bring joy to our corner of the world
Niskayuna volunteers stand in as “decorations” on a 35-foot Norway spruce they placed at the town’s Little League ball park in 1955. A committee of police officers, volunteer fi refighters and Little League officials hosted a Christmas party in the park for children that year.
The Velveteens, a Draper Junior High School sextet, slip into a chilly — and merry mood — during the winter of 1959. The girls, and a frosty friend, were preparing for a Christmas concert in the Draper High School auditorium on Dec. 13. Kneeling, from left, are Beverly Hubert and Francine Grande. Standing, from left, are Pat Whipple, Lynn Waddell, Sue Fairman and Deirdre Horan. Santa Claus — also known as Leo Martin — entertains Henry T. Hudson and Kathy Stone, both 3, during a Christmas party at Schenectady’s Liederkranz Club on Dec. 20, 1959.
SCHENECTADY Tours of five historic districts set Stockade isn’t the only place of interest BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
For a city with architecture dating back to the 18th century, Schenectady’s historical legacy is surprisingly hard to fi nd. Outside the Stockade neighborhood, there’s just one annual house tour in the city’s historic districts — and that’s in the GE Realty Plot. For the rest of the districts, there are no tour guides, organized events or even a brochure highlighting why certain neighborhoods have been preserved. It’s a problem city officials have been trying to solve, and they just got the money to make it happen. Schenectady has been named a Certified Local Government for its commitment to local historic preservation efforts. The federal CLG program also gave the city $8,873 to create walking tours for all five historic districts. The first one, focusing on the GE Realty Plot, is already done. City officials plan to do one more, encompassing the three Unionarea districts as well as the most notable sights from the more popular Stockade and GE Realty Plot districts. Can’t name all five districts? You’re not alone. “That is exactly the problem I’m dealing with,” said Zoning Enforcement Officer Cari Hourigan. “Nobody knows about Union.” The Union Corridor, stretching along Union Street from Erie Boulevard to Phoenix Avenue, is a historic district. Nearby are the Union Triangle and Morris Avenue districts. All three are often forgotten, Hourigan said. Part of that is because the districts don’t look like the Stockade, where blue and yellow signs seem to document every historic figure who ever visited there. But a few blocks away on Union Street, it’s not easy to fi nd historic markers and signs. Most of the historic houses are well-maintained, but there are so many of them that it’s difficult for passersby to determine what’s so unusual about the parade of architectural designs. And without any signs naming the original owners and their contributions to the city, the homes of inventors and scientists don’t stand out from their neighbors. Hourigan said Schenectady residents end up taking the city’s history for granted, and stop noticing what’s around them. “We have beautiful architecture here, we have a rich history, and lot of the time it gets forgotten about,” she said. “We forget we live in a city rich in history. This is to focus on the highlights of what’s here, revive a little pride.” The new walking tour brochure for the GE Realty Plot covers 17 buildings, from the homes of GE researchers on Lowell Road to the 16-sided dome at the Union College Nott Memorial. Residents can use the brochure and map to find the first electric house, at 6 Douglas Road, and the first all-electric house, at 1155 Avon Road. But descriptions of each building go well beyond a brief mention of historic significance. At 1161 Lowell Road, the brochure explains that General Electric built a laboratory at the back of the house for Chester Rice, who liked to work late in the evening. Rice was the son of GE President E.W. Rice, which may explain why the company was willing to go to such lengths for him. To keep Rice’s instruments from vibrating when the trolley passed by, builders sunk cement piers 18 feet into the bedrock to support the laboratory. The expense wasn’t wasted: Rice developed radar and one of the first speakers for radio, according to the brochure. Some trivia is also included. At the home of Dr. Irving Langmuir, who won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1932, the brochure mentions that the cherry tree in the front yard was a gift from the Japanese government. While city officials work on the next walking tour brochure, they are also writing a new flier for historic district residents. The current flier is “filled with inaccuracies,” Hourigan said. Among the most basic problems: it says residents should go to the city building department to get permission for renovations and other changes that can be seen from the sidewalk. They actually need to go to Hourigan, in the department of development. She’ll put their project on the Historic District Commission’s agenda. “The most important thing is to know who to ask,” she said. “When you tell people what they can and can’t do with their property, it makes them nervous. It’s just about educating the public — they think the commission is intimidating. It’s really not.” Persuading residents to go along with the historic district regulations could go a long way toward preserving the districts. Right now, some in the Union Triangle have successfully faked historic renovations, replacing rotten wooden porch columns with artificial material or putting up slate-like shingles to fi x their slate roofs. Original materials are preferred — although the commission can approve synthetics. To encourage residents to trust the commission, the city put each member’s biography on http://www. cityofschenectady.com. “That helps people, helps them know we’re not just pulling these people off the street,” Hourigan said. “The flier isn’t going to list allowable materials. I think what it’s going to do is give people a baseline, so they understand what being a historic district means.”
Larry Hart CLASSIC TALES OF OLD DORP March of time brings new names to streets
The Daily Gazette is reprinting excerpts of the late Larry Hart’s long-running column, “Tales of Old Dorp.” Schenectady has never been a place where the streets have no names. Today, Hart offers some strange street signs of the past. This column excerpt originally was published Feb. 10, 1981. People who are relatively new to this area or not yet in the category of “old timer” often ask about a Schenectady street that no longer exists. At least the name doesn’t. Usually, it is in connection with research into a building site or genealogy. Some of our street names have remained as they were originally given, such as Jay or Liberty streets in about 1800, but not a few have gone through several changes. The earliest examples of name changes have to go back to pre-Revolutionary days, when State Street was known as Lion Street, Washington Avenue was Handelaer’s (or Trader’s) Street, Green Street was Cow Street, College Street was Elbow Street, Union Street was Niskayuna Street. TIME FOR A CHANGE For some of the more recent changes, let’s go back less than a century. Here were some strange names in 1888. North Barrett Street, north of Union Street, was Romeyn Street until 1933. McClellan Street was called Clenor Street until about 1890. Dock Street was a wide dirt road that stretched along the east side of the Erie Canal from State down to what was known then as the “plank road.” Today, it’s part of the sidewalk along the east side of Erie Boulevard, from State to Edison Avenue. Engine Hill was the name given today’s Crane Street, from Broadway to the top of the hill. Villa Road was that portion of present day Broadway, from Weaver Street to the top of the hill at Bellevue. Fonda Street, today’s North Broadway, was from Union Street to Nott Street, cut off in 1903 when the railroad tracks were raised. White Street was the name given Clinton Street from State to Liberty streets, back of City Hall. Centre Street (later spelled Center) was the original name for Broadway, lasting until the turn of this century. Ramsay Boulevard (named after Henry Ramsay, the architect and surveyor who lived in that area) later was renamed Germania Avenue. Water Street, in the vicinity of the community college off lower State Street, ran from 29 State St. down to the river bank. The street was eliminated in the early 1920s, just prior to the widening of Washington Avenue and construction of the Hotel Van Curler (now the community college building).