HOMETOWN HISTORY, August 1, 2014

125 Years Ago
The materials used to construct the Normal School are described as follows: The materials of which the walls are composed are limestone, brownstone, hard red brick, pressed brick and common brick. The foundation throughout is of Cobleskill limestone of the best quality obtainable. The front and sidewalls are faced with pressed brick, the rear wall with extra hard red brick; and the interior walls are of a good quality of common brick. The corners, copings, and lintels are of brownstone from the Long Meadow quarries in Connecticut, and the ornamental work throughout is of terra cotta. The roofs are of slate and the basement is floored with concrete. The steps are of hard Oxford bluestone, chosen as best adapted to withstand our trying atmospheric conditions as well as the constant wear of many feet. The woodwork of the interior is entirely of oak, maple and spruce. Oak is used for the doors and casings of the lower stories, maple for the floors throughout, and spruce for the ceilings. The third story is finished entirely in spruce. The oak wood is of the finest quality obtainable, of forest growth, and takes a rich and durable finish. Much of it was cut in our sister Town of Davenport. Durability has been the consideration in the whole of the work and the result is a building whose simplicity in itself is the most appropriate ornament for a structure of this character.
August 1889

80 Years Ago
Miss Rhoda Tubbs, a graduate of the Oneonta State Normal School is doing a fine piece of educational work among the Indians of Nambe Pueblo, north of Sante Fe, New Mexico. Miss Tubbs, who graduated about 10 years ago, has devoted much of her teaching career to government service among the Indians. She started the first school at Nambe Pueblo, using part of the living quarters provided for her by the government. Twenty-one Indian children, ranging in age from six to sixteen, comprised the first class. One of Miss Tubbs’ greatest difficulties was the stimulation of interest in reading. This was due to the fact that the Indians with whom she worked had no written language, and there were no books printed in English dealing with life from an Indian point of view. An excursion to Albuquerque was arranged for children and parents. On this trip they visited the menagerie, parks, the railroad station, a restaurant, and other places of interest. On their return, the boys and girls used these experiences as a basis for writing and telling stories, making charts, and writing their own reading books. Music, pottery-making, weaving yarn from cotton, gathering roots for dyes, and making cotton cloth into ceremonial costumes are other phases of the training of the Indian children. Old Indians come to the school from time to time to teach traditional songs and dances.
August 1934

60 Years Ago
Lawrence “Butch” Gennarino, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Gennarino, 29 Grand Street, returned home unexpectedly late yesterday. Gennarino was one of the more than 200 seamen critically injured on May 26 when an explosion occurred aboard the U.S. Aircraft Carrier Bennington 75 miles off the coast of New England, killing 90 of his shipmates. Following the explosion Gennarino was placed on the critical list. With his family at his bedside at the U.S. Naval Hospital at Newport, R.I. Gennarino was given a 50-50 chance to live due to severe burns. Last night Gennarino “just walked into the house.” He graduated from Oneonta High School in 1952 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November of that year.
August 1954

40 Years Ago
Television Tonight: The Waltons – “The Cradle” Olivia Walton, mother of seven, appears to be in the family way again. Taking a door-to-door job to ease the Walton financial bind, mother Olivia falters. After having battled polio last season on the series, Michael Learned’s Olivia and the rest of the cast have the necessary histrionics down pat. 8 p.m. (Channels 5, 10 & 12). The Mac Davis Show – The entertainment is up a notch or two from the previous outing. Helen Reddy helps, singing “Love Song to Jeffrey,” and “You and Me against the World.” Reddy joins the host for “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me.” Thanks to Dick Shawn and Jimmy “Good Times” Walker and Fred Smoot, the comedy segments work better this week as the trio horses around with Mac Davis in bits about jail, cafeterias, baseball and amusement parks. 8 p.m. (Channels 2, 3, 6 & 40)
August 1974

30 Years Ago
Beware of nutrition quackery was Dr. Stephen Barrett’s advice to nutrition professionals during a seminar in nutrition education sponsored by the SUCO Home Economics Department and Dairy Food and Nutrition Council. Dr. Barrett was one of six leaders in the fields of nutrition, science, health and education who discussed current nutrition issues and research. Kim McIntyre, teacher at the Downsville Central School and Vicky Waisel of the Richfield Springs Central School were there to earn credits toward graduate degrees.
August 1984

20 Years Ago
Academic Honors: Judy Cannata of Oneonta has been named to the Dean’s List for the spring semester at the State University of New York at Albany. Victoria Foster, daughter of Lesley and Lenore Foster of Oneonta has been named to the Dean’s List of distinguished students at the State University of New York at Albany for the spring semester. West Oneonta resident Jennifer L. Fisler has been named to the Dean’s List for the spring semester at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. She is a 1991 graduate of Oneonta High School.
August 1994

10 Years Ago
The cat population at Messina’s Trailer Park is getting more manageable, thanks to the work of a local veterinarian and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. To try to control the number of kittens born in the park – as well as territorial behavior – Dr. Joan Puritz spent part of last week spaying and neutering about 70 cats from the trailer park for free. “There are lots of cats everywhere,” Puritz said. “It’s really quite incredible.
August 2004