by Bea Peterson
On Saturday, December 1, Norma Brenenstuhl distributed checks to various community organizations on behalf of the Weir Foundation.
According to a write-up from the Louis Miller Museum, Harry Weir was born in Cambridge, NY, in 1886. For most of his life he lived in North Hoosick. Weir started out at Noble and Wood Machine Company as a foundry foreman. He became Secretary of the company in 1918 and later became Treasurer, then President, then General Manager. After his retirement in 1960 he was named Chairman of the Board.
[private]He was principal officer of the Peoples Gas and Oil Company, on the Advisory Board of the National Commercial Bank and Trust Co. and on the Executive Committee of its predecessor, The Peoples First National Bank. He was Director and President of the Permanent Savings and Loan Association and Chairman of the Board at the time of his death. He was Director of the Mary McClellan Hospital, Treasurer of the Presbyterian Church and a Trustee when the Church merged to become the First United Church. He was Chairman of the Board of the Town of Hoosick Youth Center and Vice President of the Hoosick Falls Committee for Industry that brought Nancy Shoe Company to town. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club, the Elks, the Van Rensselaer Lodge F&AM, the Hoosick Falls Country Club and Treasurer of the Hoosick Falls Cemetery Association.
When he died in 1963 he left several bequests to local organizations and individuals. The remainder of his estate was set up as a trust fund to be given to organizations in the Town of Hoosick. Funds from the trust made it possible for the Town Pool to be completed. Today that fund still offers support to the community he loved and served.
The following area organizations benefitted from the Weir Fund this year. Receiving the checks on behalf of the organizations were Carol Gaillard for the Cheney Free Library, Phil Leonard for the Hoosick Township Historical Society, Debbie Lohnes for the Town of Hoosick Rescue Squad, Eric Amidon for the North Hoosick Fire Department, Norma Brenenstuhl for the Hoosick Falls Cemetery Association, the Hoosick Falls Health Center, Dianne Hosterman for the Hoosick Area Food Closet, Bill Gaillard for the Hoosick Falls Community Band, Joyce Brewer for the Girl Scouts Neighborhood, Barbara Bouplon for Boy Scout Troop 63, Debbie Tutor for the Cheney Free Library Children’s Room, Eleanor Calhoun for the Wood Park Seniors and Peg Bakaitis for the Fourth Ward Playground.
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