The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Hoosick Falls

JLS Foundation Finalists Attend Networking Day In New York

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In the photo from left to right: John Liporace, Jr., Laura Stevenson, Nicole LaCroix, Ben Taylor, Samantha Merwin, Mary Donohue, Sean Swarner.
In the photo from left to right: John Liporace, Jr., Laura Stevenson, Nicole LaCroix, Ben Taylor, Samantha Merwin, Mary Donohue, Sean Swarner.

 

Five students from the Class of 2009 at Hoosick Falls Central School recently attended a networking day in New York City where they met with four professionals who shared stories about their careers, offered advice on how to be successful and pledged to stay in contact with the students to help them plan their college and post-college careers. 

 

The five students – Mary Donohue, Nicole LaCroix, Samantha Merwin, Laura Stevenson and Ben Taylor – earned the trip to New York City after being named finalists for a scholarship offered by the JLS Foundation. The JLS Foundation which honors the memory of the late John Liporace Sr., was created to empower high school students at HFCS to realize their fullest potential by exposing them to a variety of career opportunities, connecting them to a network of career professionals and awarding them with the financial resources to pursue their careers. Each year the Foundation offers a networking opportunity to HFCS students entering their senior year. 

The networking day was hosted by John Liporace Jr., Managing Partner at Taylor, one of the country’s leading public relations agencies, at his office in the Empire State Building. Liporace arranged for the students to meet with four professionals, who included Matt Lalin, Founder, StarPower, who has negotiated $100 million worth of marketing deals for professional athletes, Dr. Joyce Liporace, one of the country’s leading neurologists specializing in concerns for women with epilepsy, Ken Kencel, CEO of Churchill Financial, and Sean Swarner, the first cancer survivor to summit Mt. Everest. HFCS teachers Isabel McGuire and Chris Marsh escorted the students to New York.

Each of the four speakers shared stories of how they started their careers and what they felt were keys to success. 

“Each of the speakers took different paths to success,” said John Liporace Jr. “The common theme was they were all chasing a dream to do something they love and the passion for their work helped them reach the top. Certainly, Sean’s story was a different one; it was more about survival and chasing your dream no matter what stands in the way.”

The 33-year old Swarner, who flew in from Boulder, CO, where he lives and trains, spent an hour with the students talking to them about the challenges he has faced including being a two-time cancer survivor, being twice told that he wouldn’t survive and then realizing his dream of being the first cancer survivor to literally reach the top of the world. Swarner, who co-authored the book Keep Climbing, signed copies of the book for the students and encouraged them to not lose sight of their dreams no matter what the obstacle.

Each of the students has been asked to write a 250 word essay about their experience in New York. One of the students will then be selected to receive a $1,500 scholarship and a matching donation of $1,500 will be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a national voluntary health organization dedicated to finding cures for Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and Myeloma and to improving the quality of life of patients and their families. The donation will benefit the Upstate New York/Vermont Chapter of the Society, which services the Hoosick Falls area.

For more information about the JLS Foundation, log on to www.thejlsfoundation.org.

Marion Lohnes Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

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On September 17 Marion Lohnes received the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award. A ceremony in which over 200 people attended was held at the Temple Beth Emeth in Albany, NY. The ceremony honored 40 seniors who were at least 85 years of age or older and recognized their activities and accomplishments over their lifetime, such as family, work, civic, career, religious activities, volunteer and fund-raising efforts, caregiving and community involvement. The ceremony was organized by the Capitol District Senior Issues Forum. The Forum is an interfaith and community initiative of individuals and organizations brought together to identify issues and advocate for older seniors living in a variety of settings. 

 

Marion was nominated by Kathy Bugbee, Director of the Hoosick Falls Senior Center. Marion is 98

Marion Lohnes. Photo courtesy of Kathy Bugbee.
Marion Lohnes. Photo courtesy of Kathy Bugbee.

years old and was raised in Blanca, CO. She was valedictorian of her high school class. At 17 she married Harold Lohnes and became a full time homemaker. She was married for almost 72 years. In Hoosick Falls, they had three sons – Alvah, Donald and Charles. Alvah recently passed away. Marion now has 14 living grandchildren, 40 great-grandchildren and 22 great-great-grandchildren. 

 

She has served as school tax collector, and she is a member of the Guild at All Saints Church in Hoosick and has been a member of the Hoosick Fire Auxiliary for 60 years. 

At 98 she lives in her own home with her sister, Laura. She stays active cooking and baking, crocheting and sewing and plays pinochle at the Hoosick Falls Senior Center. Marion Lohnes has nurtured and loved her family and cared for everyone she has touched. She expresses and shows love for her family in all she does. If she could, she would feed the world. Sharing her wealth of knowledge, whether it be cooking, sewing, making her delicious donuts or her values of life, she is a wonderful, patient teacher to all. She has many friends and always looks for the good in people. She stays active in all she does. 

Marion has always said that when you go to bed at night you should have a plan to do something the next day – bake a pie, play cards, fix lunch, etc. The secret to her longevity is three meals a day, on time! At 98 she is a truly remarkable woman and has touched the lives of everyone she has met.

Register To Vote!

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Town of Hoosick Supervisor Marilyn Douglas reminds everyone that there is still time to register to vote for the upcoming November election and that the times and dates set by the Rensselaer County Board of Elections  are as follows:

• October 8 – 5:30 pm to 9 pm – Voter registration in person at the New York State Armory in Hoosick Falls.

• October 10 – Last day to register in person at the Board of Elections in Troy and last day to register by mail – must be postmarked October 10.

• October 11 – 2 to 9 pm – Voter registration in person at the New York State Armory in Hoosick Falls.

• October 28 – Absentee ballot deadline by mail – must be postmarked October 28.

• November 3 – Absentee ballot deadline in person at Board of Elections in Troy.

Voter registrations forms are available at the Town of Hoosick Offices located in the New York State Armory at 80 Church Street, Hoosick Falls, for those who desire to register by mail.

St. Mary’s Soccer Splits With New Lebanon

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The St. Mary’s Academy Girls Soccer Team.
The St. Mary’s Academy Girls Soccer Team.

SMA Girls Capture Second Soccer Win 

The St. Mary’s Academy girls soccer team has started off the season 2-0.  Their first win was against Mt. Anthony in which the Eagles outscored the Patriots 7-0.  On Wednesday, September 17, St. Mary’s again held their opponent, New Lebanon, scoreless, winning 4-0.  In that contest, seventh grade goalie Olivia Schneider had 10 saves in recording the shut out. SMA goals were scored by Alice Hayden, Ashley St. Onge, Grace Delurey and Casey Legg. Mary Peters, Julia Baker,  Anna Restino and Erin Murdock shut down the Tigers offense all day long. Mauve McAuliffe and Maggie Murdock made their first starts at midfield and performed very well.

On September 17 the Eagles’ Boys team also traveled down Rt. 22 to play at New Lebanon. This first road trip resulted in a loss for the boys. The Eagles fought to a 1-1 tie at the half, but the undermanned Eagles seemed to lose their legs at the beginning of the second half. They gave up three unanswered goals in the first few minutes of the  half. They rebounded gamely over the last 15 minutes scoring another goal and only giving up a very late goal near the end of the game. 

Drew Phillips had an assist and a goal while Alex LeBarge netted another goal to bring his season total to two in two games. Ryan Toto and Evan Phillips played another awesome game in the fullback slots. Justin Lynch, Nate Winchester and Anthony Chapones tried to control the midfield under the constant pressure of the Tigers. Keenan Morioraty recorded 13 saves in front of a very busy goal.

Hoosick Falls Youth Football – Irish Romp Again

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Behind some great line blocking, Jake Bakaitis bursts through the Vermont Vipers defense for some big yards. Photo by Steve Bradley.
Behind some great line blocking, Jake Bakaitis bursts through the Vermont Vipers defense for some big yards. Photo by Steve Bradley.

The Hoosick Fighting Irish opened up a 30 point lead in the first quarter and coasted to a big win over the Vermont Vipers of Poultney, VT. The 3 – 0 Irish have now outscored their opponents 143 – 6. Next Sunday the team travels to Schuylerville with a 1 pm start at the Schuylerville High School.

Walter Wood Alumni Raise Money For The Veterans Memorial

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Janice Tate, Treasurer of the Walter Wood Alumni Association, wrote the following:

“The Walter A. Wood High School Alumni Association of Hoosick Falls has presented the Village Clerk with a very sizable contribution to the Village of Hoosick Falls toward the erection of the Veterans Memorial to be built in the Village park, These voluntary donations were given at the time of our annual Alumni Banquet held in June. Over 190 people attended the dinner, and the generous gifts were much appreciated. 

The Committee for the Alumni consists of Janice Tate, Marjorie George, Betty Kipp, Marion Cipperly and Ronald Seifert.”

HFCS PTA Fall Festival

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HFCS PTA is proud to announce its featured raffle items for the eighth annual Fall Festival being held on Saturday, October 18, from 9 am to 3 pm at Hoosick Falls Central School.

Each year, the featured raffle items are always an event in themselves, and 2008 will be no exception – and the public can get a sneak peek at them prior to the Festival on October 6 at the community-wide open house at HFCS beginning at 6 pm and from October 8 to October 17 at the Hoosick Federal Credit Union.

The fabulous prizes are: a Will Moses print entitled “Snow in the Hills,”

Fall Festival 2008 raffle items. Photo by Sharon Messersmith.
Fall Festival 2008 raffle items. Photo by Sharon Messersmith.

 custom framed by Peg Caron, a handmade quilt entitled “Split Decisions” by Sharon Messersmith, four prints by Warren Kimble called “Four Seasons,” framed in primitive Shaker black frames, and a Bennington Pottery bowl filled with dinner for a week (gift certificates from Bianca’s Pizza & Pasta, Falls Diner, Guiseppe’s Restaurant, Jean’s Place, John Street CafÄ, Olde Firehouse Tavern and Theresa’s Country Cuisine).

 

Take a chance to win any or all of the prizes, and enter as many times as you’d like!

Tickets are $1 per or $5 for six and are available for purchase prior to the festival at the community-wide open house on October 6 and at the Grand Union on October 4, 5, 11 and 12, from 9 am to 3 pm.

This fun-filled event features crafters and vendors, games and activities for the kids, a cake walk, a bake sale, food and beverages, several raffles for adults and kids and much more! And new this year are a tag sale featuring good quality, reusable products and Animaland©, a chance for youngsters to stuff their own collectible animals. All proceeds from the Fall Festival help the PTA host family-oriented events, volunteer time in support of classroom activities, offer funding for countless programs and events.

Please take a chance at one or more of these wonderful raffle items and come join the fun on October 18. If you have any questions or want to buy raffle tickets, you can call Shannon Wickenden at 518-686-7133 or Laurie Gormley at 518-686-9138 or, for vendor information, contact Margaret Stevens at 518-686-1648.

Cheney Library Story Time

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Cheney Library will host a story time for pre-schoolers and their caregivers beginning September 30 at 10 am. This story time will be held each Tuesday through November 4. We will be reading stories about animals and doing some simple yoga moves reflective of some of the animals. So come and experience the Lion’s Roar and Down Dog. We will have crafts and snacks as well. 

Cheney Library is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 1 to  8 pm; Tuesday 10 am to 5 pm, Friday 11 am to 4 pm and Saturday 8 am to 1 pm. Our phone is 518-686-9401.

Mona Marie Thomson

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Hoosick Falls – Mona Marie Thomson, 93, of Wood Park Lane, Hoosick Falls, NY, died on Thursday, September 18, 2008, at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, VT, surrounded by her loving family.

Born in Petersburgh, NY, on March 19, 1915, she was the daughter of the late Alton Thomson and Eva Smith Watrous. She was the step-daughter of the late James Watrous.

Mona was educated in Petersburgh, Hoosick Falls and Rensselaer. She was a graduate of the Ritter School of Floral Design in Boston, MA. Mona had an independent and adventurous nature, trying her hand at numerous occupations including window dressing, floral design in Mt. Vernon, NY, and narrator on Shoreline Cruise Lines in Sarasota, FL. She also bought and sold antiques. She enjoyed traveling, taking her grandchildren to Hershey Park, PA, visiting old friends and spending the holidays with her daughter’s family. She was pre-deceased by an infant brother, Malcolm.

Survivors include her daughter, Audrey and husband Ronald Bartus of Petersburgh, a son, Dennis and wife Patricia Moon of Berlin, NY, grandchildren, Anthony and wife Linda Wescott, Dawn and husband William MacVeigh, Randy and Jerusha Jarvis, Sara and husband Ronald Bierwirth, Tracey and husband Melvin Teal, Holly, Jessica, Dennis and wife Margie and Jason Moon along with 22 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandsons.

Funeral services were on Sunday, September 21, at the Thomas M. Barber Funeral Home, 66 Armsby Road, Petersburgh, where Rev. Trygve Tomlinson officiated. Interment followed in the Meadowlawn Cemetery.

Relatives and friends were invited to the funeral home on Sunday from noon until the start of the service. Memorial contributions may be made to the United Mitochondria Disease Foundation, 8085 Saltsburg Road, Suite 201, Pittsburgh, PA, 15239, or online at www.umdf.org.