Recently , I stopped by my old high school. Maple Hill High School in the town of Schodack NY 12033. The school was setting up for the graduation ceremonies that evening. Outside graduation is a tradition at the school. After I walked the track I was able to strike up a conversation with the principal , Ron Agostinoni. We talked briefly about the weather , class size. I happened to mention my old principal. Ron , said that he had heard of him. I mentioned that those were rougher days at the school as far as discipline was concerned. What he said next thrilled me. He said he did not believe in that sort of stuff. He wanted the students to respect him not fear him. Wow......what a concept. Respect not fear. So I wanted to just say that things can change for the better. Ed Psy research does make a difference , kinder and gentler can sometimes prevail.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Monday, July 4, 2016
Golden Farms Milk Bottle Found Schodack Landing New York
Well , it's not the Cup of Christ but it was an important find for me because it is linked to a part of my family and especially my earlier life as a kid and young teenager. My uncle owned this farm as did my great uncle Burt deeded later to his son and was only recently sold though my cousins and family still own property there. The bottle was discovered at my 87 yr old aunts home {Jeannie Harris} in her basement that we were rearranging and getting rid of some stuff. The bottle was a gift from her.
The bottle is from the 1920's or 1930's and trust me it is rare. Raised glass label , the label reads fully , Kenneth Golden Schodack Landing NY. An area in Southern Rensselaer County in upstate NY. Back 50 or so yrs ago this area was populated with well establishes family farms owned through multiple generations. Corn , Hay , Milk some other veggies in smaller amounts were the main farm staples. Those days are now somewhat of a foggy memory because many of those farms are gone. As are the days where this bottle used to show on peoples doorsteps delivered by people like my great uncle or his son.
By the way I spent time during summers helping during haying time at this farm. I helped stack hay bails. I was much younger then. By the way at that farm is where I learned to like my favorite drug.....strong morning coffee. So a piece of my family history rediscovered , some good memories added.
The bottle is from the 1920's or 1930's and trust me it is rare. Raised glass label , the label reads fully , Kenneth Golden Schodack Landing NY. An area in Southern Rensselaer County in upstate NY. Back 50 or so yrs ago this area was populated with well establishes family farms owned through multiple generations. Corn , Hay , Milk some other veggies in smaller amounts were the main farm staples. Those days are now somewhat of a foggy memory because many of those farms are gone. As are the days where this bottle used to show on peoples doorsteps delivered by people like my great uncle or his son.
By the way I spent time during summers helping during haying time at this farm. I helped stack hay bails. I was much younger then. By the way at that farm is where I learned to like my favorite drug.....strong morning coffee. So a piece of my family history rediscovered , some good memories added.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
RIP : The Cremated Cairstairs
Arrived last night from Belmont North Carolina around midnight. Over a twelve hr drive. Brought my Grandson Hudson back after a week long visit with grand ma & pa. One of the things I did was bury a handful of ashes in a beautiful botanical garden down there. Daniel Cairstairs , pronounced Carstairs. By request of him and his sister I was given 2 packets of cremated remains to bury somewhere in my travels. He wanted to be spread out. The other place he is "resting" is at a small wooded area next to Maple Hill High School in the Town of Schodack New York. Both places you might walk very near him close to rocks.
I knew Cairstairs when I spent one yr in boarding school. We met at a rowing event and we rowed against each other. We did not particularly like each other at first.....I thought him a snob. He thought me a jerk. Somehow in a complicated life we both came across each other in more accepting times. At Lime Rock race track in the late 70's. We kept in touch. We both like cars. He went into finance at first.....me.....education. He later became an adjunct professor in Connecticut. So I thought he might as a symbol of his life to be buried near a school. And so he is. His sister seems pleased with where I selected for both places. I know part of him remains in 06037 in an area known as Webster Ridge. So goodby DC. RIP
I knew Cairstairs when I spent one yr in boarding school. We met at a rowing event and we rowed against each other. We did not particularly like each other at first.....I thought him a snob. He thought me a jerk. Somehow in a complicated life we both came across each other in more accepting times. At Lime Rock race track in the late 70's. We kept in touch. We both like cars. He went into finance at first.....me.....education. He later became an adjunct professor in Connecticut. So I thought he might as a symbol of his life to be buried near a school. And so he is. His sister seems pleased with where I selected for both places. I know part of him remains in 06037 in an area known as Webster Ridge. So goodby DC. RIP
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Angry Elections 1968 , 1016
As I tend to do , I have been paying attention to this years Presidential Primaries and general politics in this year of 2016. Many commentators have remarked that this is as angry an electorate as they have seen. Well that may be so. But the angriest year I can remember was 1968. Let me take you back for a moment. to that time as I remember it.
A. The Vietnam war was raging on , every Thursday the body counts would come out telling us how many we had killed and how many of us were killed. The country was deeply divided over the conduct of that war. Families were often split , anti war protests were taking place on college campuses and the streets.
B. Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were both assassinated that year. My brother was sent into Washington DC along with troops across the country to help quell riots. I can still remember watching smoke rise from Albany NY from my hometown of Schodack. The police in Albany had to surround the Governors Mansion as rioting crowds began to push north towards that area.
C. There were counter culture riots at the Democratic Conventions in Chicago that summer. It was a bloody angry night.
D. Politics were consumed by Vietnam and angry push back from the 60's. It was a 3 way race that year but it is often forgotten that it was George Wallace who ran the 3rd party run . He was very angry over the entire civil rights movement and took out his outrage out on Federal Power. He won a couple of states. It was joked back then that he woke up angry.
E. We were a highly divided nation , over war & peace , social programs , young vs old. etc. People wanted blood . My hometown of Schodack was even angry. A small indication was at Maple Hill High School a janitor discovered in Mr Crosses room a Album of speeches by Adam Clayton Powell , a former Congressman and Black Activist. One evening in late September he took it out to the soccer field and poured some gas on it and burned it. He was quite proud of that act though he never admitted it at work. He did brag about it in the bars.
F. Finally in November Richard Nixon was elected to the Presidency. He ran on saying he had a secret plan to end The Vietnam War. I still am amazed he got away with that.
G. Finally as a Post Script a small story. At Christmas time we first circumnavigated the moon. We all watched as we saw earth rise over the moon for the first time. It seemed to truly move many people as we stumbled towards a new year. After the astronauts returned safely they received hundreds of telegrams of thanks and praise. One in particular caught the astronauts attention. All it said was "thank you ....you saved the year.'
So much for angry voters. , a rocky road ahead. But one advantage of being older is I been by this rodeo before. By the way , I still retain some of my anger from back then in case you care.
A. The Vietnam war was raging on , every Thursday the body counts would come out telling us how many we had killed and how many of us were killed. The country was deeply divided over the conduct of that war. Families were often split , anti war protests were taking place on college campuses and the streets.
B. Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were both assassinated that year. My brother was sent into Washington DC along with troops across the country to help quell riots. I can still remember watching smoke rise from Albany NY from my hometown of Schodack. The police in Albany had to surround the Governors Mansion as rioting crowds began to push north towards that area.
C. There were counter culture riots at the Democratic Conventions in Chicago that summer. It was a bloody angry night.
D. Politics were consumed by Vietnam and angry push back from the 60's. It was a 3 way race that year but it is often forgotten that it was George Wallace who ran the 3rd party run . He was very angry over the entire civil rights movement and took out his outrage out on Federal Power. He won a couple of states. It was joked back then that he woke up angry.
E. We were a highly divided nation , over war & peace , social programs , young vs old. etc. People wanted blood . My hometown of Schodack was even angry. A small indication was at Maple Hill High School a janitor discovered in Mr Crosses room a Album of speeches by Adam Clayton Powell , a former Congressman and Black Activist. One evening in late September he took it out to the soccer field and poured some gas on it and burned it. He was quite proud of that act though he never admitted it at work. He did brag about it in the bars.
F. Finally in November Richard Nixon was elected to the Presidency. He ran on saying he had a secret plan to end The Vietnam War. I still am amazed he got away with that.
G. Finally as a Post Script a small story. At Christmas time we first circumnavigated the moon. We all watched as we saw earth rise over the moon for the first time. It seemed to truly move many people as we stumbled towards a new year. After the astronauts returned safely they received hundreds of telegrams of thanks and praise. One in particular caught the astronauts attention. All it said was "thank you ....you saved the year.'
So much for angry voters. , a rocky road ahead. But one advantage of being older is I been by this rodeo before. By the way , I still retain some of my anger from back then in case you care.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Albany Products Company Inc Anti-Corrosive Castleton NY 12033
Recently discovered in an old storage barn in South Schodack NY a box of nuts and bolts and a post card and a sales brochure from a company called Albany Products Inc. As it said on the brochure , nuts , bolts and non ferrous fasteners. The address on the post card had the corporate address 351 Connecticut Avenue South Norwalk , Connecticut. This was at one time a fairly successful nearly nationwide company. They had offices in Norwalk , Boston , Chicago , Cleveland , Dallas and San Carlos. It was a consortium of manufacturing companies that produced hardware. In my hometown of Castleton NY 12033 a company called The Anti- Corrosive was part of this consortium. It was located on route 9J by the Hudson River. There was a large billboard sign next to the road which announced the company. It was well known in Castleton/Schodack because it had a super large representation of a nut and bolt screwed together on the billboard.
One might ask why if they had a corporate headquarters in New England , why would the company call themselves Albany Products. Well first of all it made them first in the phone book , which was important back in pre-www eras. Secondly , with the incorporation most officials and initial sales force came from the Albany , Tri Cities area. Hence the name , reflecting the origins. Two salesmen that I knew came from Castleton NY. One was a Jack Davis and the other one Henry Peters who started the New England office of The Anti Corrosive. Peters ended up selling many of the specialty items used on a once famous submarine called The Nautilus which was the first atomic powered submarine in the world and the USA fleet.
The oddest part of this company was their corporate logo which was on the post card. It was a picture of a man , dressed in a gray suit perhaps 1950's style with a bow tie with a } type symbol on the tie. He has a rather happy sublime smile. Protruding from his ears is a large nut and bolt. Truly one of the more unusual corporate logos I have ever seen anywhere.
You may wonder what happened to this once successful American Company. Well it was bought out in the mid to late seventies. Also as American manufacturing goes, it went , overseas to such countries as China.
As a post script , I knew Henry Peters , he was a favored uncle. Hence my limited knowledge of this company. He lived in Berlin Ct. 06037 on top of a ridge. Upon finding these materials I was flooded with rather fond memories of the 60's and 70's when I knew him best. By the way he was a top salesman in their workforce for many yrs. This blog is so dedicated to him.
One might ask why if they had a corporate headquarters in New England , why would the company call themselves Albany Products. Well first of all it made them first in the phone book , which was important back in pre-www eras. Secondly , with the incorporation most officials and initial sales force came from the Albany , Tri Cities area. Hence the name , reflecting the origins. Two salesmen that I knew came from Castleton NY. One was a Jack Davis and the other one Henry Peters who started the New England office of The Anti Corrosive. Peters ended up selling many of the specialty items used on a once famous submarine called The Nautilus which was the first atomic powered submarine in the world and the USA fleet.
The oddest part of this company was their corporate logo which was on the post card. It was a picture of a man , dressed in a gray suit perhaps 1950's style with a bow tie with a } type symbol on the tie. He has a rather happy sublime smile. Protruding from his ears is a large nut and bolt. Truly one of the more unusual corporate logos I have ever seen anywhere.
You may wonder what happened to this once successful American Company. Well it was bought out in the mid to late seventies. Also as American manufacturing goes, it went , overseas to such countries as China.
As a post script , I knew Henry Peters , he was a favored uncle. Hence my limited knowledge of this company. He lived in Berlin Ct. 06037 on top of a ridge. Upon finding these materials I was flooded with rather fond memories of the 60's and 70's when I knew him best. By the way he was a top salesman in their workforce for many yrs. This blog is so dedicated to him.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Simon Templar : RIP ?
I have been reluctant to write this blog. Being a fan of old style detective fiction and spy fiction , whether it be Phillip Marlowe or James Bond {he started in 1952} or Simon Templar The Saint.1928. I do think some interesting literature came from these authors , Ian Fleming , Leslie Charteris , Dorothy Sayers etc. But times and tastes change. The hardboiled Private Eye has given way to more technological or a more cultured type of agent. So after waiting for the new Saint pilot to be made and sold for production my actress daughter has informed me that this project is as dead as a door nail to use an old phrase. The expensive pilot did not appeal to those entertainment powers that be. So it appears this era of sleuth sainthood is over. After multiple books , movies , radio and TV shows it may very well be RIP for Templar. That stick figure with the halo is probably retired as a long standing logo. But the updated logo for the 90's movie of a lightening bolt with a halo remains my tattoo.
So I finally decided that this obit of sorts should now be written. Mind you my Aunt who socially knew the creator Leslie Charteris in Ocala FL and tried to convince my Mom to give me the middle name Templar is rolling over in her grave. It appears time to say good by.
So I finally decided that this obit of sorts should now be written. Mind you my Aunt who socially knew the creator Leslie Charteris in Ocala FL and tried to convince my Mom to give me the middle name Templar is rolling over in her grave. It appears time to say good by.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Dutch NYS Era Good Luck Stones
In my 87 year old aunts home in South Schodack NY is a stone by her fire place. On this stone is hand carved a small H. As she has explained it is not for say Hudson Hawk.....it stands for Hogaboom.. An old Dutch name and on my mothers side of ancestors. From what I have been able to glean from brief family oral histories and old tales from Great Aunts these were semi important stones to the old Dutch colonists. One of the uses for them were to be kept by the fire place and kept warm and brought to bed with you to help warm you on a cold winters night. I suppose they might also have been used as a simple tool of sorts. But what intrigues me is the use of them as a good luck charm of sorts. Apparently , these rocks were taken from stream beds or found while cultivating fields. They were most often egg shaped and smooth. Why egg shaped ? Some Dutch legends appear to say that was so that evil or bad luck could slide off them or could not easily attach.
My mother had one as well in her home she used as a door stop. I don't know how prevalent this belief may have permeated people back then in say 17th century New York but superstition has effected people throughout history. Just look at The Icabod Crane story. So , a brief bit of tangential oral history , a piece that I am told will some day be mine. I shall put it by my fire place.
My mother had one as well in her home she used as a door stop. I don't know how prevalent this belief may have permeated people back then in say 17th century New York but superstition has effected people throughout history. Just look at The Icabod Crane story. So , a brief bit of tangential oral history , a piece that I am told will some day be mine. I shall put it by my fire place.
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