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Milestones


photo Virginia Lawrence

 

In memory of Tim Foote

contributed by Peter Malik, January 10, 2016


Tim reading The Color Kittens to Blake.
Click on image to play movie.

Tim called the house one weekend last October, saying he had a few books for our Blake, then 18 months old. I started to discuss plans for a dinner or some such involved thing, but Tim interrupted me gently, simply suggesting to pop over right away. He stepped out of his car in our driveway 10 minutes later.

Blake, a naturally friendly fellow, took to Tim with particular ease. Perhaps to reward him, Tim proceeded to read to him from The Color Kittens by Margaret Brown, one of the books he brought.

Everybody enjoyed this pop-up book club. And one of the guests who were staying over even had the quick wit to catch it all on his phone.

I don't think Tim was even aware.

 

Tim’s Foote’s Final Project
A bridgehead into the kingdom of the past

contributed by Virginia Lawrence, January 9, 2016

 

During his years as a LIFE correspondent based in Paris, a Senior editor of LIFE and then of TIME, and finally at the Smithsonian, Tim Foote wrote hundreds of literary reviews and scores of articles on a mix of subjects.  In 2006 Tim decided he needed a website where he could post selections from his oeuvre, a bridgehead to the kingdom of the past.  He asked if I could set something up for him.  His website - www.footenotes.net - launched in the spring of 2007.  In all, more than 200 of his pieces are online.  More recently, on October 17, 2015 to be precise, Tim contacted me with a new project in mind.

"I came back [to Beaverkill] to die free from the let's have one more test poking & pinching  style, one more slice of radiation manner of modern medicine.  Ironically, it has just occurred to me that about a dozen of the footenotes pieces, artfully arranged back & forth chronologically (with bridgework) might add up to a readable, coherent look into the preoccupations of the 2nd half of the 20th century and a life sketch of one man negotiating it."

Within a few days Tim emailed a selection of 20 pieces he wished to include in the project.   At the end of November, I began to assemble them into book format.  However,  in  early December Tim called me to put the project on hold.  He had planned on sending a few more pieces and wanted to regroup them as a rough cross between the century's events and his own.   But he wasn’t up to the task, and then  time ran out.

As a remembrance, and In Tim’s honor, I’d like to share with you his selections for this final project.  

 

2016 Tim's Twenty
Pieces Selected for Final Project

1960

The Importance (to the French) of Being Malin
Esquire, October 1960

1962

The Neo-Realists
Time, Friday, July 20, 1962

1965

Opération Sourire (the French Smile)
The New York Times Magazine, June 20, 1965

1966

"But if Enough of us get killed, something may happen ... "
New York Times Sunday Magazine, November 20, 1966

1971

Khrushchev Remembered: A Characteristic Entrance
Harper's 1971

1973

Sisyphus in Washington
Time, September 3, 1973

1976

Modified, Limited Hangout
Time, May 31, 1976

1976

Sex and Tennis
Time, September 6, 1976

1978

Baraka and Bloodshed
Harpers Magazine, August 1978

1978

In Rhode Island: Rapture of the Shallows
Time, August 21, 1978

1981

In Oregon: An Adman's Call of the Wild
Time, February 9, 1981

1981

The Trouble with Harvard
Esquire, September 1981

1983

In New York: Be Kind to Your Mugger
Time 1983

1984

Getting a Grip on the News
Smithsonian, June 1984

1985

Years Later, An Inventor Wonders Whether He Tossed Away a Fortune 
Sports Illustrated, November 25, 1985

1992

Wellesley Remembered: Reminiscences of a Harvard Man
Wellesley Magazine Fall 1992

1998

"Like the Algonquin Round Table or the Old New York Yankees"
News from Friends Winter/Spring 1998

1999

Forget Y2K
Smithsonian, February 1999

1999

A Good Dog Knows What To Do
Smithsonian, October 1999

2005

Travels with Alfred:  On Assignment with One of the World's Great Photographers
The American Scholar, 2005

2007 Tim's website 
200 more pieces including 150 literary reviews
   
   

Mary Hall Remembers Tim Foote
posted January 8, 2016

Tim Foote’s participation in the Beaverkill Church was most faithful, while being a mix of cantankerous and tender at the same time.

Being a writer, he loved to offer critiques of sermons and messages that might be considered a bit abrasive, but at the same time, gave evidence that he had listened thoroughly.  His favorite hymns were those that had a defined rhythm and melody and often a defiant stance.  

He never addressed the congregation from the pulpit but, in conversation, it seemed clear that religion and religious philosophy was important and of concern to him.  He started a book group with church members and matters of faith as its subject.

Tim’s contribution to the church was muscular and meaningful and I think that it will not disappear because he is no longer in that seat in the rear on the right hand side.  But, we miss him very much.

contributed by Mary Hall, Lay Pastor, Beaverkill Community Church

 

Remembering tim Foote

1926-2015

Tim and Audrey Foote at Beaverkill, 2003.
Click on image to enlarge.


Timothy Foote died at home in Beaverkill on December 22, from mesothelioma.   He was the son of John Taintor Foote, a writer and film producer, and Jessica Todhunter, a stage actress from Canada.

Though born in London during the 1926 general strike, he spent his childhood in Beaverkill.   He was  sent in 1937 to the Bishop Ridley school in Ontario, joining his older brother Peter.  This initial foray into education was not congenial; subsequently he spent part of each school in Grammercy Park in NYC, attending Friends Seminary.   This was more fruitful, with memorable teachers and meeting Audrey Chamberlain.

Failing the eye exam for the Marine Corps, he entered the Navy in June 1944, immediately after graduating from Friends.   He served on the USS Block Island, an escort aircraft carrier, in the Pacific, including the battles of Okinawa and Balikpapan, and the liberation of British POWs.

Entering Harvard in 1946, he studied English Lit, graduated with prizes and high honors in 1949, and went to work for LIFE magazine in New York.   After a year off trying teaching in a prep school in Missouri, and another year at Harvard for an MA, he returned to LIFE, and was sent to Paris in 1954 as a correspondent.

For four years, he covered stories throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Near East.   Back in NY, he stayed with LIFE as an editor until 1962, then transferred to TIME as the Books Editor.

In 1982 he moved to Washington DC, to join the Board of Editors of the Smithsonian Magazine.  Retiring in 2000 at age 73, he continued to live in Washington, caring for his wife Audrey through 12 years of Alzheimer’s, before returning to Beaverkill after her death in 2012.   He much enjoyed the conviviality of the Beaverkill community.

He is survived by four children and five grandchildren.   A memorial service will be held next summer in Beaverkill.

posted January 5, 2015

 

Lee SiegEl

Former Town of Rockland Supervisor Lee Siegel, always Involved in the Community, dies at 95

For 10 years, Lee served as town supervisor.  During that time, he was also on the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors, where he promoted business development and projects in the region.

“Lee was a fixture in town. He was at almost every exhibit opening, every performance we had,” said Catskill Art Society Executive Director Bradley Diuguid. 

With so much accomplished, Lee's son says two of them standout the most -- bring a recycling center to Rockland and saving the Livingston Manor Covered Bridge.

Services for Lee Siegel will take place Sunday at Congregation Agudas Achim in Livingston Manor. 

 

details and video

Posted September 2, 2015

 

Wayne Anthony Sorce
Posted July 29, 2015

Wayne Anthony Sorce died on June 20, 2015 at his home on Berry Brook Road when he fell to the ground while working on his roof.

Wayne was born in 1946 in Chicago, IL of parents Joseph and Jennie Sorce who predeceased him. He received both his B.F.A and his M.F.A in 1969 and 1971, respectively, from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1972 Sorce had a solo show at The Art Institute of Chicago. His photographs have also been exhibited at the Renaissance Society, University of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. His photographs are in the permanent collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, the George Eastman House, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, the Armand Hammer Museum of Art, Los Angeles, the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Joseph Bellows Gallery in California. Wayne was also an accomplished inventor who had patents for devices related to the photography field. He was an avid and respected fisherman, hunter and also a member of the Anglers Club of New York.

Funeral services will be held at Colonial Bryant Funeral Home at 29 Pearl Street in Livingston Manor on August 5 at 1:00. Please no flowers.

 

William A. Sharpless
November 16, 1965 ~ August 21, 2014

 

February 2014

Billy Sharpless, son of Fran and Bill Sharpless and nephew of Sally Shea, died in a head on collision on Thursday, August 21 on Rt. 206.  Billy, who lived in Binghamton, helped Sally for years with Sally's son Tom who suffered from ALS, so Billy was a close member of this extended family.  The Sharpless/Gordon family have lived in the Valley for 4 generations.

The funeral service will be on Sunday, August 31 (This Sunday) at 4 O'Clock at the Beaverkill Community Church.

Obituary

 

Augusta Louise Ross

March 1, 1920 ~ July 22, 2014

Contributed by Stephen Ross, July 23, 2014

On Tuesday, July 29, at 11:30 am Augusta Louise Ross was laid to rest in the Beaverkill Cemetery. Born on March 1, 1920, Augusta was 94 when she passed away on July 22, 2014.  She was the daughter of William Banks and Edna Stickle.

The following details were provided by her son, Stephen Ross.

My grandparents, Frank and Julia Ross, and my father, Raymond Ross, are buried behind the Beaverkill Church.  They came from this area, and Dad was born in Little Ireland, Livingston Manor.  I have been told the Ross plot was the first deeded one in the Beaverkill.  They left the Beaverkill in 1926 when Dad was 12, but returned for the final resting place.   The Beaverkill will be our final resting place, too.

 

MARGO BANKS FISHEr

MAY 29, 1936 ~ July 13, 2013

Remembrances below from :
Sally Sharpless Shea and Janet Sharpless

posted July 15 and July 18, 2013

 

The Banks famlily: Janie, Bonnie, Mom (Marguerite) with Margo,
Dad (Fred) with Freddy, Jimmie
Margo and Freddy

  Remembrance from Janet Sharpless

Margo was at the Center of Beaverkill.  Her family ran Trout Valley Farm, a summer resort with golf course and fly frishing on the Beaverkill.  It was a haven for those of comfortability from NY/Nj area as well as notables from around the world.  We were privileged to be  there when Trout Valeley Farm was in its heyday.  Margo connected us to her family and many of the guest who came to the hotel  There were always romantic interests which spiced up our lives.!  Those days in Beaverkill were the happiest in my life.  Most memorable memories ranged from scavanger hunts throughout the valley in pairs of two's, two-ball-foursomes on the golf course, square dances in Turnwood for all ages, hiking up to Slide Mt with Tim L'oizeaus, with overnights in the leannnnnn-to, swimminjg in the Beaverkill and sunning on its banks& baseball with Beaverkill boys at Edgewood Inn
 
Margo was alway fun loving, a HUGE tease, mischievous, a magnet for attracting attentionof the opposite sex, whom we All loved too.  We had great times riding our horses (hers Nelly)and our three horses around "the block" on dirt roads, thru the campsites and visiting neighbors (the Hardenburg brothers and the Goat Man on Berry Brook Rd). When we played golf with her, she alway won, as she did many tournaments .
 
Many thanks to Margo for these great times and for the fun she instigated.

Janet Sharpless

 

   Remembrance from Sally Sharpless Shea

Margo Banks Fisher was a native of Beaverkill, NY, having been born there in her home at Trout Valley Farm on May 29th 1936, and living there, following her graduation from Livingston Manor Central School until her marriage to Francis “Loppy” Fisher (which lasted 57 years until her death). Margo’s parents purchased and operated Trout Valley Farm from 1922-1963, which offered trout fishing in the famous Beaverkill river, scenic views and a wonderful nine-hole golf course; the first in Sullivan County.

Margo loved her life in the beautiful Catskill mountains of NY. Her parents owned horses and she had her own horse, her beloved Nellie, which she enjoyed while riding with us, her neighbors, us (the Sharpless-Gordon clan) who also owned horses. Her love for horses was surpassed by her love for golf, an area in which she excelled. Margo competed in this sport winning the Delaware County Championship three times in 1970, 1971 and 1973. The tradition of passing the cup onto the next year’s winner was broken by Margo, when, after her third win in 1973 she was awarded the actual cup to keep forever.

Margo was a fun-loving person who enjoyed life to the fullest. Her love for her family (husband -Loppy, three children-Dawn, Marty and Julie, six grandchildren and her beloved brother Freddy and other siblings -Jimmy, Bonnie and Jane) was first and foremost in her life.  A close second was her enduring love for the Beaverkill Valley

She will long be remembered as my neighbor and more importantly, my dearest friend.

Sally Sharpless Shea

Gloria Shaver - january 23, 2013

Gloria Shaver who, with her husband, ran the Beaverkill Trout Hatchery for years and lived in Turnwood until Alzheimer's struck and she was moved to the Roscoe Nursing Home died on Wednesday, January 23, 2013.  She managed the Beaverkill Trout Club for years, too.  She was an extraordinarily vital, caring, intelligent, fun, and effective woman, and her loss is a loss to the valley. 

Funeral Monday, January 28 at 1:00pm at the Bryant Funeral Home in Livingston Manor.

Julie Allen - September 14, 2012

After a 23-year battle with cancer--most of which were very good years, Julie Allen died on September 14, 2012. She was a member of the Friends from the beginning and for many years Congressman Maurice Hinchey's liaison to Sullivan County.

Visitation is Friday September 21, 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. at the Harris Funeral Home in Roscoe, NY. Funeral Services will be Saturday September 22 at 11:11 a.m. at the Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Julie Allen Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Roscoe Central School, PO Box 429, Roscoe, NY 12776.

Don Allen, Julie's husband: P.O. Box 201, Roscoe, NY 1277

John Curtis - September 1, 2012

Friends of Beaverkill member John Curtis of Beaverkill Road died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack at home on September 1, 2012. John loved the Beaverkill Valley and the community.Denise, his wife says it was his favorite place on earth.  He is survived by his wife, Denise Leo (1032 Beaverkill Road, LM, 12758), his son Coltrane, daughter-in-law Lisa and grandson Ellington.

Mike Loizeaux - July 1, 2012

The Friends of Beaverkill Community are sad to inform you that longtime community and church member Mike Loizeaux passed away on Sunday, July 1, 2012.

On Thinking That Mike Could Be His Age

Soars he still in his mind's eye
And on the wings of friends as well.
Four score five, Time counts the knell,
Yet there is he, thinking to fly.

Time's toll tarries in Earth's Bordeaux,
A scent, a sip, a mellowing age;
Companionship, a turning page,
Dauntless grin, our Mike Loizeaux.

Ed and Sally Cerny, June 16, 2009

Ellen Loizeaux - May 21, 2012

The Friends of Beaverkill Community are sad to inform you that longtime community and church member Ellen Loizeaux died on Monday night, May 21, 2012  after a short illness.  Donations can be made to the Beaverkill Church  in her memory. 

In addition, flowers are welcome and can be (but not limited to) potted perennials that we can use to create a memorial garden in her honor someplace in the Beaverkill Valley.  In addition to a profound weakness for chocolate, ice cream and superb tenors - Ellen also was terribly fond of yellow roses.

Audrey Foote - April 3, 2012

Audrey Foote, Tim's wife of 63 years, educator, translator and ardent feminist, passed away on April 3, 2012 at 85.  Read about her here in the Washington Post.

In lieu of flowers, you can contribute to the Audrey C. Foote Memorial Gift Fund at the Animal Legal Defense Fund. You can donate online at www.aldf.org

Alice Hodge - March 1, 2012

Alice Hodge dies at 97Former Olympian passed away on March 1, 2012.  Read about her life here and here

Dick Shea - January 29, 2012

The Friends of Beaverkill Community are sad to inform you that Dick Shea passed away on January 29, 2012. 

Elizabeth Hamerstrom - November 30, 2010

Liz at 60 at the Vogels' house

Elizabeth Hamerstrom, 92, died November 30th, 2010, at the Roscoe Community Nursing Home. Liz was born February 16, 1918,  in Kansas City, Missouri to Ruth de Steiguer and Richard Beatty. Majoring in art history, she graduated from Radcliffe College in 1940. She moved to New York City and married Davis Hamerstrom, a young architect, in 1942. They were married for 51 years until Davis’s death in 1993.  They lived in New York and Old Greenwich, Connecticut before they moved with their two young sons to the Beaverkill area in 1954. They formed, with Tom and Dottie Benedict, an architectural partnership, which designed many businesses, school additions, and residences in the area. Liz managed the office for almost 40 years.

She was a founding member of Natural Resources Defense Council, an early supporter of WJFF, and a contributor to many other charities. She served as treasurer for the Beaverkill Community Church.

All her life, she appreciated beauty and art. She was an expert editor, proof reader, and cook, hosting many parties for her friends of all ages, many of whom consider her the matriarch of the community.  Fun-loving, unpretentious and practical, she had a dry, original wit.

Liz will be missed by her many friends; two sons, Ed and Eric Hamerstrom, daughter-in-law Mermer Blakeslee, of the Roscoe area; grandson, Hansen Bergamini, his wife Cecily Martin, and great-grandson Rafe, of Chicago, IL.

There will be a private gathering to remember Liz. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Catskill Mountainkeeper, PO Box 381 Youngsville, NY 12791.

Seth Sternberg - SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Seth Sternberg died suddenly and unexpectedly on September 6th at his home on Pelnor Hollow Road. Seth was a member of the Friends of Beaverkill Community and it was he who donated the organ to the Beaverkill Church. 

Services will be held at a cemetery in Glendale, NY on Sunday. He requested that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Roscoe Public Library in Seth's name. A memorial service will be held  Sunday October 10th between 2 and 4 pm at the Agudas Achim Synagogue in Livingston Manor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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