Editorial of July 11, 2024

Celebrating Otsego’s Shining Stars

Much attention has been given of late to two of the most iconic portrait photographers of all time—Marc Hom and Dmitri Kasterine—and deservedly so. Well known on the world stage, both are Otsego County transplants of whom we can be proud.

In fact, we can be proud of many of Otsego County’s residents, for a variety of reasons. Some are your neighbors, or kids you went to school with. Most are two-legged, but some walk on all fours. Their accomplishments are as unique as they are, themselves, and all—in their own way—shine a little extra light on Otsego County.

For instance, this week’s edition includes an article on actor Cuyle Carvin, a graduate of Oneonta High School who was featured in “People” magazine earlier this year, alongside Robert DeNiro. Carvin plays the head of the secret service in an upcoming Netflix series, “Zero Day.” You can also catch him in episodes of such popular shows as “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Them” and even in an episode of “Stranger Things.” Who knew?

Actress Cheyenne Phillips also has connections to the City of the Hills. “I am very fortunate to have a property right in the heart of Oneonta where our film commission [Film Otsego, formerly Otsego Media] continues to thrive with bustling projects,” Phillips said in an e-mail from Australia, where she has been acting and modeling for the past two years. In fact, Phillips and Carvin have worked together. She played one of the lead roles in “Ouija Witch,” a horror film shot in Oneonta by Carvin’s production company, Salem House Films, and Otsego Media in 2022. You may not know this, but Oneonta doubled for Salem in much of the movie. Phillips played Mary Blackwood and the evil witch.

Then there’s award-winning author and Cooperstown native Lauren Groff, who was named to “Time” magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024 list and was the magazine’s Person of the Week in April. Groff is a three-time National Book Award finalist and won the Story Prize for her story collection “Florida.” She also earned the ABA Indies’ Choice Award, the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and France’s Grand Prix de l’Héroïne. All five of her novels, from her 2008 debut “The Monsters of Templeton”—set in a fictionalized representation of Cooperstown—to last year’s “The Vaster Wilds,” have ranked on the New York Times Bestseller list. In addition to her novels, Groff is the author of several short story collections. Her work has been translated into 36 different languages and enjoys worldwide popularity. In addition to writing, Groff recently opened The Lynx, a groundbreaking new bookstore in Gainesville, Florida.

There are countless others here in Otsego County whose accomplishments are no less impressive. Susan “Rabbit” Goody, owner of Thistle Hill Weavers in Cherry Valley, was featured in an article titled “A Stitch in Time” in the April/May 2024 issue of “Smithsonian” magazine. Author Rachel Dickinson said of master weaver Goody: “No one else produces short runs of textiles that so faithfully replicate the weave, texture, weight and color of historic fabrics.” Goody’s work has been featured in such films as “Master and Commander,” “No Country for Old Men” and “Lincoln.” Chief Master Sergeant Wendy York of Otego, a retired United States Air Force veteran, marched in the national Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. this year. And Cooperstown’s Henry Horvath is one of the youngest Americans ever to summit Mount Everest. Again, who knew?

As mentioned above, it’s not just the people of Otsego County that make us proud. Goldfish, a cat adopted from the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, appears in the 2023 award-winning indie film, “The Sweet East,” portions of which were shot in Franklin. Goldfish, who was adopted shortly thereafter, has retired from acting and is living his best life. No less impressive is “D” (aka “Dream Meadows Bayouland Positive Vibes Only”), an Australian shepherd bred and raised by brothers Owen and Ben Weikert in Middlefield, took third in the herding group in last year’s National Dog Show and was featured on NBC following the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Let us not forget our authors. This week, you’ll read about another graduate of Oneonta High School—Haabiba Rothenberg-Whitney—who recently debuted her first children’s book. Also with new books hitting the shelves are Iron String Press contributing writers Tom Shelby, The Dog Charmer, who recently released “Dog Training: It Ain’t an Accountant’s Job,” and Joel J. Plue, with “Welcome to Cultivating Mushrooms: A Comprehensive Guide.” Mark Simonson has a new book out as well, “From the Henhouse…to the House of Bar-B-Q: Over a Century with the Chickens,” about the history of—you guessed it—Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q.

Other Otsego County folks of whom we can be proud include William Jay Miller, who recently received accolades from the New York State Association of Counties. Miller was one of five winners of the 2024 NYSAC photo contest, for his photo, “National Baseball Hall of Fame at Night.” Miller’s photo will be featured in the upcoming NYSAC News magazine and in the 2025 NYSAC calendar. Congratulations as well to Thomas Hallock of Richfield Springs and Anne Sebeck of Gilbertsville, who were honored in May—Older Americans Month—by New York State’s Office for the Aging for their volunteerism and civic engagement efforts. Good to know.

These are but a few of the many shining stars in our communities. As friends, neighbors and family, we, too, can bask in the light of their achievements. Shine on, Otsego.