Photos from Yesterday's Historic Markers Dedications

Yesterday, June 4, 2016, I had the pleasure of unveiling two new historic markers for the Town of Bovina. At 11 am, we dedicated a marker at the Maynard School house. 

Picture courtesy of Amy Bathen. All in this photo either attended the Maynard school or are descended from those that did. L to R, Laurie Bathen Goebler (her grandfather James Boggs, as well as her brothers Jim and Artie attended), James Archibald and Linda Archibald DeAndrea (their mother was Esther Patterson Archibald, who taught at the school in the 1940s), Ray LaFever (my grandfather Benson LaFever, great grandmother Ella Burns and her father and grandfather all attended), Jason Bathen with his daughters Emma and Elizabeth (his dad Artie attended), Richard Parsons and Jean Parsons Merenberg (both attended the school), Rosemary Goedel Stewart, who attended, with her daughter Dede Stewart behind her, John Weber, who also attended and his nieces Shannon and Shirley Shoemaker (their mother Mary Weber attended).

Folks visiting the Maynard School. Included are former students Rosemary Goedel Stewart in the sun glasses and blue plaid top (talking to her daughter Dede in the blue tee-shirt) and Jean Parsons Merenberg, in about the center. The young man in glasses Jean is talking to is Jason Bathen, whose dad Art Bathen attended the last class in the school in 1959. Next to him is his aunt Laurie Bathen Goebler and next to her is Jason's wife Amy Bathen.

Four former students of the Maynard School, Richard Parsons, Jean Parsons Merenberg, Rosemary Goedel Stewart and John Weber after the unveiling.

At 2 pm, we unveiled the second marker of the day at St. James' Church at Lake Delaware, with a wine and cheese reception after.

Funding for the two markers came from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, founded in 2006 by Bill Pomeroy.  The Foundation's two main initiatives are to help diversify the Be the Match Registry by supporting bone marrow drives in diverse communities, and helps to preserve history by providing grants for historic signage in New York State.

Bill Pomeroy survived a very aggressive form of Leukemia in 2005 because of a perfect bone marrow match. The foundation he established after this experience conducts bone marrow drives and has registered over 22,000 people to the bone marrow registry, of which 33 have gone on to donate their bone marrow and give another patient a second chance at life.

The Foundation also addresses Bill’s love of history with its historic signage grant programs to help preserve history, including the Historic Roadside Marker Grant Program. The signage program is open to all municipalities and 501(c)(3) organizations in New York State.

The markers were manufactured by Catskills Castings in Bloomville.

Scholars in a Century Old Schoolhouse - the Maynard School in the 1950s

Today we'll be dedicating a historic marker at the Maynard School on Bovina Road. So it seems to be a good time to share this news article from the May 2, 1958 Oneonta Star. Thanks to Amy Bathen, daughter-in-law of the late Artie Bathen, for sharing this clip. The upper photo shows the building and if you look closely, teacher Ed Schneider is in the doorway. The lower picture shows the students in the classroom with their teacher. In case you have problems reading the caption, I've transcribed it here:

"Scholars in the more than century old one-room schoolhouse in District One, Town of Bovina, better known as the Maynard District, located five miles north of the Village of Bovina. It is reported to be one of the very limited number of one-room schoolhouses in the State. Front row: (L-R) George Easley, Linnell Trimbell, Byron Trimbell (he was listed in the article as Myron!), Karl Waterman, Clare Easley; second row; (L-R) Edward Schneider, teacher; Dawn Hobbie, James Bathen, Artie (Spike) Bathen, John Tinyes. Not present is Dorothy Bolduc. (Star Staff Photos by Harper).

The school closed a bit over a year after this picture was taken in June 1959. Amazingly, Ed Schneider still is with us at the age of 102, living in a nursing home in Oneonta.