As a lead-up to John Donnelly's eightieth birthday party on January 29th, His children have started this blog as a way for all to add their reminisces. Please feel free to add comments and send pictures and I will be updating this regularly.
You asked for stories about John, and I don't know how much you know about his life. Of course, much of his life parallels mine, except that he was younger. He was born at Ideal Hospital in Endicott, New York, but we lived in Apalachin, and the house in which we lived is still there, almost in the same form it was when we lived there. We three boys shared the front bedroom, and our window is on the second floor of the house, over the front porch roof. I believe we often climbed out onto the porch roof and worked our way back to the garage roof. I don't recall any spectacular adventures there, but it was part of our lives. We had a garden out back and a cherry tree and chicken coop. Whether or not any of them are still there, I do not know, and I was too chicken to ask the residents if I could look around, We all attended the Apalachin Union School, which was at the top of the rise on what is now Pennsylvania Avenue until 1939, when a new law passed by the legislature allowed students in private schools to be transported if public transportation was provided to the area of the private school. In those days, the 10th, 11th and 12th grades were transported to the Owego Free academy. Because of this, we went to St. Patrick's School in Owego. In May 1940, we moved to the farm where Jim now lives. Because no provision was made for the increase in students to be transported to Owego, complaints by other students brought about John and Jim's transfer to the Sulphur Springs one-room school at the corner where the Smith Creek Road ends. This lasted for one year, and then John and Jim each went back to St. Patrick's. When he was in 5th Grade, I think, John was answering all the questions the teacher was asking the 6th Grade, so he was promoted to 6th Grade. The same thing happened to Jim, so they each moved up a grade on May and me. Like the rest of us, John attended the Owego Free Academy. During the summers, he worked with Jesse King at Alice Roper's farm. He ultimately bought a horse and carriage which he drove back and forth to work. I once rode the horse to Lounsberry, and could have gotten there faster by walking. One day, the horse just lay down and died, so that's the story of John's horse. At Cornell, John was a keeper living in a room in the Small Animals Laboratory with Jim Galway. I came to Cornell before his Senior year, so he, Gene Kemp, and I shared an apartment. I'll let it rest at this point. We'll see about the 80th Birthday Bash. Love to all! Jean & Tom Donnelly
You asked for stories about John, and I don't know how much you know about his life. Of course, much of his life parallels mine, except that he was younger. He was born at Ideal Hospital in Endicott, New York, but we lived in Apalachin, and the house in which we lived is still there, almost in the same form it was when we lived there. We three boys shared the front bedroom, and our window is on the second floor of the house, over the front porch roof. I believe we often climbed out onto the porch roof and worked our way back to the garage roof. I don't recall any spectacular adventures there, but it was part of our lives. We had a garden out back and a cherry tree and chicken coop. Whether or not any of them are still there, I do not know, and I was too chicken to ask the residents if I could look around,
ReplyDeleteWe all attended the Apalachin Union School, which was at the top of the rise on what is now Pennsylvania Avenue until 1939, when a new law passed by the legislature allowed students in private schools to be transported if public transportation was provided to the area of the private school. In those days, the 10th, 11th and 12th grades were transported to the Owego Free academy. Because of this, we went to St. Patrick's School in Owego. In May 1940, we moved to the farm where Jim now lives. Because no provision was made for the increase in students to be transported to Owego, complaints by other students brought about John and Jim's transfer to the Sulphur Springs one-room school at the corner where the Smith Creek Road ends. This lasted for one year, and then John and Jim each went back to St. Patrick's. When he was in 5th Grade, I think, John was answering all the questions the teacher was asking the 6th Grade, so he was promoted to 6th Grade. The same thing happened to Jim, so they each moved up a grade on May and me.
Like the rest of us, John attended the Owego Free Academy. During the summers, he worked with Jesse King at Alice Roper's farm. He ultimately bought a horse and carriage which he drove back and forth to work. I once rode the horse to Lounsberry, and could have gotten there faster by walking. One day, the horse just lay down and died, so that's the story of John's horse.
At Cornell, John was a keeper living in a room in the Small Animals Laboratory with Jim Galway. I came to Cornell before his Senior year, so he, Gene Kemp, and I shared an apartment. I'll let it rest at this point. We'll see about the 80th Birthday Bash. Love to all!
Jean & Tom Donnelly