CGP Community Stories

Items

• Patti Ashley, November 23, 2021
  Patricia Bensen-Ashley was born in Cooperstown, NY in the 1940s. She grew up in the village of Cooperstown, moving around from house to house for a time before her family relocated to Nevada for a short period. Her parents moved back, and she continued to live in Cooperstown until moving out to California with her oldest son, then age five. After living there for five years, she moved back to Cooperstown once more where she has remained ever since. Patti worked a couple of different jobs, from a secretary at Bassett Hospital to doing office work at the UCSF Medical Center. However, she has spent most of her time working real estate, opening her own business in 1989, Ashley-Connor Realty. The office is located right on Pioneer St. in the town of Cooperstown, and is where this oral history was conducted. Patti has also had a good level of community involvement, formerly serving in the Cooperstown Cemetery Association and on the board of her son's school while in San Francisco. Although she is too busy to attend meetings and does not currently serve on any boards, she still donates her money to good causes around town and supports them as best she can. Patti is a fourth-generation Cooperstown citizen, with her great grandfather working as the town blacksmith in the late 1800s and living to the age of 98. He was still alive for most of her childhood, and gave his blacksmithing tools to The Farmers' Museum in its early years. Patti has a great appreciation for her family's history, their stories, and the history of Cooperstown.
• Karen Streck, November 26, 2021 (video)
  Karen Toft Streck is a long-time Cooperstown resident. Born Karen Toft in St. Louis, Missouri in 1947, Karen received a Bachelor's Degree in Education from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. While at the university, Karen met her future husband, William Streck and married him shortly after college. Karen moved to New York State following her husband’s job appointments: first Rochester, then Cooperstown. Karen was introduced to Cooperstown during a friend’s wedding, and fell in love with the small-town feel and sense of community she felt in Cooperstown. She raised four children in Cooperstown, and has been an active participant in a wide range of community activities, including the League of Women Voters, local elections, and Saint Mary’s Catholic education program. Karen’s account includes a variety of reminiscences from her early life, as well as the move from her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri to Central New York. She discusses ways in which Cooperstown has changed and stayed the same since her arrival in 1978, and her thoughts on why that is. She discusses her work in local organizations and the school system, and her involvement with local arts and crafts. Karen also talks about her family life, and the traditions her family developed while living in Cooperstown. I interviewed Karen on November 26th, 2021, the day after Thanksgiving. Karen’s recollections of family Thanksgiving celebrations were fresh in her mind, as were a number of other memories of her children and grandchildren, whom she hadn’t seen for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The holiday also necessitated the interview being moved to the CGP Media Lab, as family made a quiet, private interview difficult to manage at home.
• Peter A. Deysenroth, November 13, 2021
  Peter A. Deysenroth was born in Norwalk, Connecticut on September 28th, 1966. He was raised in Weston, Connecticut and showed an early interest in mortuary science. Today, he is the funeral director for Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Inc., a funeral home located on 82 Chestnut St. in Cooperstown, NY. After working for a funeral home in Norwalk, Connecticut for many years he moved to Cooperstown in October 1994 and began working at the then Ingalls, Connell, & Dow, Inc. funeral home and became the sole owner in 2005. Deysenroth is involved with a variety of different groups around Cooperstown including the Masonic Fraternity, the Lion’s Club, the Mohican Club and First Presbyterian Church. He has been the organist for First Presbyterian for about 25 years. Mr. Deysenroth spoke about the many differing facets of his community engagement around Cooperstown as well as his experience raising a family. He was interviewed at his funeral home parlor on November 13th, 2021.
• Catherine Raddatz, December 10, 2021 (video)
  Catherine Raddatz has been an important part of the Cooperstown community and a beloved staff member at GGP for several decades. Catherine Raddatz, called Cathy by many, was born Catherine Morell on March 2, 1950 in New Rochelle, NY. Cathy moved to Cooperstown with her husband and children in 1981. She worked several jobs in town before beginning to work at CGP in 1995, where she has been ever since. Cathy has lived and worked in Cooperstown over a time of great change. She has seen both Cooperstown and the Cooperstown Graduate Program grow larger and transform. The village of Cooperstown has expanded in size, but it has also seen many businesses leave. During her tenure, the Cooperstown Graduate Program renovated its facility and added a Science Track option. In her interview, Cathy talks about family, education, and jobs, as well as her experiences living in Cooperstown. It is most interesting to hear Cathy talk about the various students and alumni that she has worked with over the years. I interviewed Cathy at her home in Cooperstown, NY, on the eve of her retirement from the Cooperstown Graduate Program. I enjoy a relaxed familiarity with Cathy as I have been working for her under a Cooperstown Graduate Association Alumni Office Support assistantship. Cathy often takes time to gather her thoughts. I have eliminated any false starts for clarity and flow. Cathy also uses fillers I have eliminated many filler phrases, such as "you know," only keeping those that were necessary to convey the meaning of the sentence.
• Carolyn Wolf-Gould, October 30, 2021
  Dr. Carolyn Wolf-Gould is a physician in Oneonta and the director of the Gender Wellness Center, a transgender healthcare practice that began working with transgender patients in 2007. She was born and raised in New York, attending Hamilton College and Yale Medical School for her education. After her residency in Rochester, Dr. Wolf-Gould settled in Oneonta and began a primary care practice with her husband, which evolved to include the Gender Wellness Center. At the time Dr. Wolf-Gould began treating transgender patients, transgender individuals faced significant disparities in both the availability and quality of healthcare. The Gender Wellness Center was one of only a few healthcare locations in New York State that could, or would, treat transgender people. For this reason, many transgender people were forced to travel out of state every time they needed to see a doctor, accept subpar medical care because it was the only option, or forgo medical care altogether. Particularly for working-class transgender people and transgender people of color, barriers to travelling for medical care were prohibitive. At the time of this interview, these disparities were beginning to be addressed, but were still a significant issue in transgender peoples' lives. In 2019, only approximately 50 multidisciplinary gender clinics/healthcare facilities were registered in the United States. In this interview, Carolyn discusses the evolution of her practice to include transgender healthcare, her personal history, her experiences in Oneonta, and the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. I interviewed Dr. Wolf-Gould at her home in Oneonta, New York. She was taking her first day off from work in many months, keeping very busy with the clinic amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, while also contributing to a book on the history of transgender healthcare in the territory now known as the United States. Dr. Wolf-Gould rarely meandered in conversation, so the majority of my edits have simply been removing repetition and false starts from the transcript. For syntactical clarity, I have broken some long sentences up into separate sentences. This is for the ease of clarity when reading the transcript—when listening to the audio recordings, these long sentences are meaningful and easy to follow.
• Catherine Raddatz, November 12, 2021
  Catherine Raddatz has been an important part of the Cooperstown community and a beloved staff member at GGP for several decades. Catherine Raddatz, called Cathy by many, was born Catherine Morell on March 2, 1950 in New Rochelle, NY. Cathy moved to Cooperstown with her husband and children in 1981. She worked several jobs in town before beginning to work at CGP in 1995, where she has been ever since. Cathy has lived and worked in Cooperstown over a time of great change. She has seen both Cooperstown and the Cooperstown Graduate Program grow larger and transform. The village of Cooperstown has expanded in size, but it has also seen many businesses leave. During her tenure, the Cooperstown Graduate Program renovated its facility and added a Science Track option. In her interview, Cathy talks about family, education, and jobs, as well as her experiences living in Cooperstown. It is most interesting to hear Cathy talk about the various students and alumni that she has worked with over the years. I interviewed Cathy at her home in Cooperstown, NY, on the eve of her retirement from the Cooperstown Graduate Program. I enjoy a relaxed familiarity with Cathy as I have been working for her under a Cooperstown Graduate Association Alumni Office Support assistantship. Cathy often takes time to gather her thoughts. I have eliminated any false starts for clarity and flow. Cathy also uses fillers I have eliminated many filler phrases, such as "you know," only keeping those that were necessary to convey the meaning of the sentence.
• Sharon Oberriter, November 10, 2021
  Sharon Oberriter was born Sharon Murphy in Utica, New York on October 13, 1942. After spending the beginning of her life moving around central and western New York, Sharon settled in Cooperstown, New York with her husband Don. The couple opened and eventually sold two successful and iconic local companies and Sharon continues to be an active member of the community through her church and the Cooperstown Food Pantry. Cooperstown is a small town that is constantly striving to find the balance between tourism and community, modernity and tradition. Blessed by its geography and unique in its history, the village has undergone many changes since its founding in 1786, but continues to maintain its status as a vacation destination and the holy grail for baseball lovers. Sharon is very in tune to the many facets of Cooperstown and has shaped the community just as much as the town has shaped her. Her love for the village is visible in her words, using anecdotes about Main Street’s numerous changes to illustrate a much larger point about the area as a whole. She emphasizes the importance of remembering the past while also embracing the future. I interviewed Sharon at her home just outside of Cooperstown. We talked about her experience moving around upstate New York, as well as attending college and settling in Cooperstown. In addition to her insights on a changing environment, Sharon included entertaining stories about running her businesses, specifically the Cooperstown Bat Company. My personal favorite is the story about Ted Williams. Some edits were made to the script for the sake of clarity. False starts were omitted and punctuation was added to create a clearer narrative. Additionally, Sharon’s words contain more passion and emotion than can be reproduced in words. To fully grasp the meaning of her story, it is encouraged to listen to the audio recordings
• Kathy Chase, December 13, 2021
  Kathy Chase was born on July 20, 1953 in New York, New York. Growing up Kathy was surrounded by a family that valued having an active role in their community. After moving her family to Cooperstown, New York, Kathy became involved in Meal on Wheels. This volunteer work ultimately led Kathy to pick up shifts at the Cooperstown Food Pantry. Kathy now runs the food pantry's Backpack Program, along with other programs relating to food insecurity, including Empty Bowls.
• Kathy Chase, December 13, 2021 (video)
  Kathy Chase was born on July 20, 1953 in New York, New York. Growing up Kathy was surrounded by a family that valued having an active role in their community. After moving her family to Cooperstown, New York, Kathy became involved in Meal on Wheels. This volunteer work ultimately led Kathy to pick up shifts at the Cooperstown Food Pantry. Kathy now runs the food pantry's Backpack Program, along with other programs relating to food insecurity, including Empty Bowls.
• Pat Spencer, November 3, 2021
  Pat Spencer is a Cooperstown, New York resident who has lived in the area since 1982. Pat is married to the former Chief Curator of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Ted Spencer. Pat has raised her children in Cooperstown with her husband, while being a part time RN [registered nurse] at Bassett Hospital. Pat is an avid painter and artist. She is also extremely involved with her community, which includes her church, the local food pantry, and the Cooperstown Art Association. Pat is also a highly devoted grandmother and very involved in her grandchildren’s lives. Her children and grandchildren reside in Cooperstown, NY as well. This allows Pat to pick her grandchildren up from school and attend extracurricular activities as well as school sports. I interviewed Pat in her home on Main Street of Cooperstown, New York. Her home was welcoming and beautiful. Pat is a brilliant woman who loves her family dearly. It was clear to me how much her family impacts her life in a positive way. Pat made it very clear that she new she wanted to be a mother since she was a young girl. This love and affection that she has still rings true today. Another one of Pat’s loves includes her love for art. She described that she took classes on how to make porcelain dolls. She loved it so much that she has a kiln in her home. Overall, Pat is a wonderful woman who has devoted her life to helping and giving to others as well as being a loving daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.
• Ted Spencer, November 20, 2021
  William "Ted" Spencer was born in 1943 in Quincy, Massachusetts. Ted grew up attending Quincy Public schools, where he developed a talent and passion for art. He obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design from Massachusetts College of Art in 1969. Ted went on to work in several corporate settings before becoming Curator of Exhibits at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York in 1982. Ted describes his journey from Quincy, MA to Cooperstown, NY, and details how his formative years and his early career prepared him for his role as Curator, and eventually Vice President and Chief Curator at the Baseball Hall of Fame. In addition, Ted provides insight into what Cooperstown was like when he and his family moved there in the 1980s, how it has developed, and what the community means to them. Despite having retired from the Hall of Fame in 2009, Ted continues to aid the institution in its research and is an active member of the Cooperstown community. I have placed quotation marks around remembered remarks to place them within the context of either inner thought or external dialogue. I have also removed redundant phrases and grammatical errors for the sake of readability while still preserving Ted's style of speech and narrative flow.
• Ted Spencer, November, 20, 2021 (video)
  William "Ted" Spencer was born in 1943 in Quincy, Massachusetts. Ted grew up attending Quincy Public schools, where he developed a talent and passion for art. He obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design from Massachusetts College of Art in 1969. Ted went on to work in several corporate settings before becoming Curator of Exhibits at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York in 1982. Ted describes his journey from Quincy, MA to Cooperstown, NY, and details how his formative years and his early career prepared him for his role as Curator, and eventually Vice President and Chief Curator at the Baseball Hall of Fame. In addition, Ted provides insight into what Cooperstown was like when he and his family moved there in the 1980s, how it has developed, and what the community means to them. Despite having retired from the Hall of Fame in 2009, Ted continues to aid the institution in its research and is an active member of the Cooperstown community. I have placed quotation marks around remembered remarks to place them within the context of either inner thought or external dialogue. I have also removed redundant phrases and grammatical errors for the sake of readability while still preserving Ted's style of speech and narrative flow.
• Veronica Pokorny, November 10, 2021
  Veronica Pokorny (nee Miranda) is an active member of the Cooperstown community. Veronica was born in 1974 and grew up in Lima, Peru. While growing up in Lima, Veronica attended a private Catholic school where she was taught English, with her typical school day being half in English and half in Spanish. As a young professional, Veronica had various opportunities and jobs, but around her thirties she decided she needed a change of scenery and moved in with relatives in Florida in 2006. Veronica has been successful in the United States and has taken advantage of all the opportunities that the country has offered her. In the interview, she emphasizes the great opportunities available in the United States as compared to those she had in South America. Veronica found her way to Cooperstown, New York in 2007. Shortly after her move, she met her husband, Tim, and they got married in 2008. She has made a life in Cooperstown and has given back to the village ever since. Since moving to Cooperstown full time in 2008, Veronica has become very active in the community. She has become an active member of Cooperstown First Baptist Church, helped start the Cooperstown Spanish Club, assisted in several Cooperstown Graduate Program events concerning Latin culture and the Latinx community, and taught both salsa and Zumba. Veronica offers a wide array of insights on what immigration to the United States from South America looks like and provides a perspective on small-town USA through the eyes of an immigrant. She also offers wisdom regarding the vast cultural differences she has experienced and how that affects raising her daughter and her actions within the community. Veronica lives by the words of “if you want to do it, go do it,” as she does what she wants and enjoys every moment of it, especially living here in Cooperstown. I interviewed Veronica at her church, Cooperstown First Baptist. During the interview you will hear her talk about many of the things mentioned above. As English is her second language, Veronica does have a Peruvian accent, but that does not hinder understanding her words through the audio recordings. The following transcription is not completely verbatim, but it does preserve most of the information shared by Veronica throughout the interview.
• Tim Iversen, November 21, 2021
  Timothy (Tim) Iversen is the current choral and former band director for Cooperstown Junior/Senior High School in Cooperstown, New York. Born in Oyster Bay on Long Island, Mr. Iversen moved to Cooperstown at an early age with his family and grew up in the community during the 1970s and 80s before moving for college and eventually graduate studies elsewhere. As a professional music educator and performer, many of his early memories involve interacting with classmates, family, and town locals learning how to play the piano from a youthful age and performing throughout school. Following a period of graduate studies that included multiple master's degrees in music theory and composition, and nearly finishing work on a PhD, Mr. Iversen spent time teaching at the university level in both Ohio and Wisconsin before spending time in the music publishing business. Eventually, Mr. Iversen came back to Cooperstown to teach in the K-12 schools of the Otsego County area and to perform and conduct music ranging from jazz to musical theatre throughout the area. Some of the most interesting parts of the interview take place at the intersection of comparing his childhood experiences to returning to Cooperstown, the power of music, and how involvement in small town affairs is meaningful. Iversen’s recollections range from small, humorous memories to commentary on how things have changed over the course of his lifetime in the makeup and personality of the local community, as well as how that reflects national moods in 2021. Focus is spent on describing the community now and how he hopes to be able to make a positive impact on the younger generation who live in Cooperstown now, though in numbers far smaller than when he was growing up. Much is also made about the changes in attitudes community members have made over the years with each other, highlighted by a conversation about Mr. Iversen’s role in the fracking debate that took place before a state moratorium was put in place. I interviewed Mr. Iversen at his home outside of Cooperstown, New York just after he had guided his students through both the annual fall musical and hosting an all-district music competition at the local secondary school, which helped to direct much of the discussion. As an incredibly active member of the local music and theatre community, Mr. Iversen has gotten the chance to interact with many Otsego County residents and this also plays a considerable influence on the conversation below. Further community involvement can be said to include organ playing at the First Baptist Church and taking part in the local Scouting troop.
• Kim Muller, November 3, 2021 (video)
  Kim Muller (née Kucharski) is a current Project Consultant and former Mayor of Oneonta, New York. Muller was born in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania in 1956. After studying Geology at Binghamton University, she moved to Washington, D.C. where she worked for the United States Geological Survey and entered public service in 1982 as a staff volunteer for Senator Paul Sarbanes. She moved to Oneonta, New York, and she was elected to the Otsego County Board of Representatives in 1985. She was the second woman ever elected to the County Board, and the youngest representative ever elected. During her time on the County Board, she was recognized for her work on solid waste management issues and as a proponent of recycling and was appointed by Governor Mario Cuomo in 1989 to the NYS Solid Waste Management Board. She served four terms on the County Board of Representatives. In 1997, Muller was elected Mayor of the City of Oneonta and re-elected Mayor for a second term in 2001. She was the City's first – and to date only – woman mayor. During her terms as mayor, her administration focused their efforts on improving the economic climate of Oneonta. Some of her economically driven initiatives include projects such as the Clarion Hotel, the Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway, the beginnings of a performing arts center called Foothills, and the "Water Street Initiative," a project to enhance Downtown Oneonta and improve public safety. She has been associated with the Democratic Party during her time in public service. Muller was involved in public service in Oneonta in a time before environmental efforts like recycling were widely adopted, and her reflections on her time advocating for environmental action as a County Representative reflect that. She also began her first mayoral term when areas of Oneonta had sat vacant and unmaintained for years, or in some cases, decades. Ms. Muller talks about her goals to incorporate strong environmental policies and the economic development of the City of Oneonta throughout her time in public service. She recalls tactics she used to garner public support for environmental initiatives, ways she built networks in order to enact economic development plans, and details some of the projects started and completed during her time in politics in Oneonta. She also recalls her experience as a woman in politics and shares insights into women's perspectives in public service. I interviewed Ms. Muller at her home in Oneonta, New York. I have attempted to transcribe her dialogue as accurately as possible but have made minor edits for clarity.
• Kim Muller, November 3, 2021
  Kim Muller (née Kucharski) is a current Project Consultant and former Mayor of Oneonta, New York. Muller was born in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania in 1956. After studying Geology at Binghamton University, she moved to Washington, D.C. where she worked for the United States Geological Survey and entered public service in 1982 as a staff volunteer for Senator Paul Sarbanes. She moved to Oneonta, New York, and she was elected to the Otsego County Board of Representatives in 1985. She was the second woman ever elected to the County Board, and the youngest representative ever elected. During her time on the County Board, she was recognized for her work on solid waste management issues and as a proponent of recycling and was appointed by Governor Mario Cuomo in 1989 to the NYS Solid Waste Management Board. She served four terms on the County Board of Representatives. In 1997, Muller was elected Mayor of the City of Oneonta and re-elected Mayor for a second term in 2001. She was the city’s first – and to date only – woman mayor. During her terms as mayor, her administration focused their efforts on improving the economic climate of Oneonta. Some of her economically driven initiatives include projects such as the Clarion Hotel, the Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway, the beginnings of a performing arts center called Foothills, and the “Water Street Initiative,” a project to enhance Downtown Oneonta and improve public safety. She has been associated with the Democratic Party during her time in public service. Muller was involved in public service in Oneonta in a time before environmental efforts like recycling were widely adopted, and her reflections on her time advocating for environmental action as a County Representative reflect that. She also began her first mayoral term when areas of Oneonta had sat vacant and unmaintained for years, or in some cases, decades. Ms. Muller talks about her goals to incorporate strong environmental policies and the economic development of the City of Oneonta throughout her time in public service. She recalls tactics she used to garner public support for environmental initiatives, ways she built networks in order to enact economic development plans, and details some of the projects started and completed during her time in politics in Oneonta. She also recalls her experience as a woman in politics and shares insights into women’s perspectives in public service. I interviewed Ms. Muller at her home in Oneonta, New York. I have attempted to transcribe her dialogue as accurately as possible but have made minor edits for clarity.
• Margaret Savoie, November 11, 2021
  Margaret Savoie is the broker and owner of Don Olin Realty in Cooperstown, New York. The interview took place in the Don Olin offices on Chestnut Street. The first section of the interview covers Margaret's experience working in the field of special education, as well as the early years of Margaret's marriage to Dennis Savoie. After many moves to accommodate Dennis' medical training, the couple and their two young children – Matthew, born while Dennis was in medical school in Vermont, and Benjamin, who was born in Cooperstown during Dennis' internship at Bassett Hospital – permanently relocated to Cooperstown in 1974, where their third son Jonathan was born a few months later. Margaret was a stay-at-home mom during much of her boys' early childhood. In the interview she discusses the strong community of families which formed among Bassett employees and in Cooperstown generally. Margaret was an early member of the Cooperstown Concert Series, of which she is still a board member, and a founder of the Cooperstown Youth Soccer program. She also joined the Rotary Club of Cooperstown around this time, in which she remains active and of which she has served as both secretary and president. The second half of the interview focuses on Margaret's real estate career, which began when she received her license in 1978. She discusses one of her early closings – with current Cooperstown mayor Ellen Tillapaugh – as well as how real estate has changed in the last four decades. Margaret also recounts her transition from realtor to broker/owner, as well as the effects of COVID-19 on Cooperstown real estate. The interview concludes with Margaret's hopes for the future of real estate in Cooperstown, which include a desire for more affordable housing as well as intergenerational living options. The following transcription reproduces the interview with minimal editing. False starts and repetitions have been removed, as have some interstitial remarks (e.g. "you know") in cases where they did not add meaning. Vocalizations such as laughter have been indicated where they were deemed significant to understanding.
• Karen Streck, November 26, 2021
  Karen Toft Streck is a long-time Cooperstown resident. Born Karen Toft in St. Louis, Missouri in 1947, Karen received a Bachelor's Degree in Education from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. While at the university, Karen met her future husband, William Streck and married him shortly after college. Karen moved to New York State following her husband’s job appointments: first Rochester, then Cooperstown. Karen was introduced to Cooperstown during a friend’s wedding, and fell in love with the small-town feel and sense of community she felt in Cooperstown. She raised four children in Cooperstown, and has been an active participant in a wide range of community activities, including the League of Women Voters, local elections, and Saint Mary’s Catholic education program. Karen’s account includes a variety of reminiscences from her early life, as well as the move from her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri to Central New York. She discusses ways in which Cooperstown has changed and stayed the same since her arrival in 1978, and her thoughts on why that is. She discusses her work in local organizations and the school system, and her involvement with local arts and crafts. Karen also talks about her family life, and the traditions her family developed while living in Cooperstown. I interviewed Karen on November 26th, 2021, the day after Thanksgiving. Karen’s recollections of family Thanksgiving celebrations were fresh in her mind, as were a number of other memories of her children and grandchildren, whom she hadn’t seen for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The holiday also necessitated the interview being moved to the CGP Media Lab, as family made a quiet, private interview difficult to manage at home.
• Betty Giffin, November 6, 2021 (video)
  Elisabeth Giffin worked for decades as an operating room nurse at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, NY. Giffin was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1929. She completed her education at Presbyterian Hospital in New York City before moving up to Cooperstown and accepting an Assistant Supervisor position at Bassett. Giffin performed many operating room nursing duties during her long career, including sterilizing instruments, handing instruments to the surgeon, and pre-op patient care. Healthcare evolved, improved, and expanded during the mid-20th century. Throughout her time in the operating room, Giffin witnessed cutting edge advancements in surgical techniques, some of which were pioneered at Bassett. Giffin also comments on the expansion of both the Bassett Healthcare Network, now comprising over five separate healthcare facilities, and the Village of Cooperstown itself. Giffin's anecdotes about the healthcare field demonstrate the transitioning role of hospital nurses. From initially being viewed as simple "handmaidens" to the doctors, many female healthcare professionals fought to establish nursing as a "free and independent profession" worthy of respect. In addition, some of the most fascinating points in the interview came from her humorous stories of life as a nurse, including a memorable incident during the 1960s where the Bassett Chief of Surgery performed an emergency operation on Giffin's beloved Sheltie to remove a steak bone from its esophagus. I interviewed Miss Giffin at her longtime home in Cooperstown, NY. Bassett Hospital lies almost directly at her doorstep, close enough that Giffin recalls frequently running across the street to respond to late night emergency calls. During our interview, the hospital served as an ever present reminder of her former profession. Miss Giffin speaks clearly and eloquently, and I have attempted to recreate her tone and cadence in the transcript. However, many of Giffin's anecdotes are punctuated with a dry humor difficult to reproduce textually. I encourage researchers to consult the audio recordings for a fuller sense of Giffin's humorous storytelling style. In addition, Giffin sometimes refers to her Bassett friends and former colleagues by solely their first name or last name. I have chosen to include these colleagues' full names and titles in brackets to prevent confusion with other local healthcare professionals who may share the same first or last name. *This interview is not authorized to be used in public programs or made available to other educational institutions for use in programs.
• Liane Hirabayashi, November 13, 2021
  Liane Hirabayashi was born September 17, 1965 in Poughkeepsie, New York. When she was two years old, her parents embarked on careers in the foreign service. Liane has lived in several places throughout the United States and abroad, before moving to the Cooperstown area in 1999. Since her time in college, Liane has been involved in multiple nonprofit organizations, including Opportunities for Otsego and the local chapter of the League of Women Voters. Her involvement in the community is something she attributes in part to the lessons she learned growing up overseas. This interview contains stories related to Liane’s family – many of whom became activists in light of their individual experiences as Japanese Americans during World War II. Liane discusses her own politicization and activism, beginning with some foundational events from when she was a teenager. Ideas surrounding identity and belonging are woven through the interview, at points highlighting the importance of accepting oneself as an outsider, but also recognizing the role a sense of community can play in one’s life. These themes of identity, being an outsider, and being a member of a community all relate to the work Liane has done at nonprofit organizations. The interview ends with a discussion of the village of Cooperstown as a 21st century village, diversity in the village, and the recent Otsego Rally for Solidarity with Asian Americans where Liane shared part of her family story about World War II.
• Betty Giffin, November 6, 2021
  Elisabeth Giffin worked for decades as an operating room nurse at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, NY. Giffin was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1929. She completed her education at Presbyterian Hospital in New York City before moving up to Cooperstown and accepting an Assistant Supervisor position at Bassett. Giffin performed many operating room nursing duties during her long career, including sterilizing instruments, handing instruments to the surgeon, and pre-op patient care. Healthcare evolved, improved, and expanded during the mid-20th century. Throughout her time in the operating room, Giffin witnessed cutting edge advancements in surgical techniques, some of which were pioneered at Bassett. Giffin also comments on the expansion of both the Bassett Healthcare Network, now comprising over five separate healthcare facilities, and the Village of Cooperstown itself. Giffin's anecdotes about the healthcare field demonstrate the transitioning role of hospital nurses. From initially being viewed as simple "handmaidens" to the doctors, many female healthcare professionals fought to establish nursing as a "free and independent profession" worthy of respect. In addition, some of the most fascinating points in the interview came from her humorous stories of life as a nurse, including a memorable incident during the 1960s where the Bassett Chief of Surgery performed an emergency operation on Giffin's beloved Sheltie to remove a steak bone from its esophagus. I interviewed Miss Giffin at her longtime home in Cooperstown, NY. Bassett Hospital lies almost directly at her doorstep, close enough that Giffin recalls frequently running across the street to respond to late night emergency calls. During our interview, the hospital served as an ever present reminder of her former profession. Miss Giffin speaks clearly and eloquently, and I have attempted to recreate her tone and cadence in the transcript. However, many of Giffin's anecdotes are punctuated with a dry humor difficult to reproduce textually. I encourage researchers to consult the audio recordings for a fuller sense of Giffin's humorous storytelling style. In addition, Giffin sometimes refers to her Bassett friends and former colleagues by solely their first name or last name. I have chosen to include these colleagues' full names and titles in brackets to prevent confusion with other local healthcare professionals who may share the same first or last name. *This interview is not authorized to be used for public programs or to other educational institutions for use in programs.
• John Ott, November 18, 2020
  John Harlow Ott was born in Canada before moving with his parents to the United States. In 1947, he and his family moved to Philadelphia. He was educated there at the St Peter's Choir School for Boys and Northeast High School prior to entering and completing a degree at Eastern Baptist College. He then entered the Cooperstown Graduate Program as a member of the Class of 1967. He entered the U.S. Army about two thirds of the way through his year at CGP since his being drafted to serve was a very real possibility and he had the rather prudent thought that joining voluntarily would give him a chance to have more of a say as to what he would do in the military. Mr. Ott then embarked upon his military career in which he completed three different lengthy training courses and came out the other side as a Second Lieutenant in the Ordnance Corps. After a period of stateside duty, Mr. Ott was then selected to be deployed to Vietnam. He spent a one-year tour of duty down range as the officer in charge of a maintenance section dealing with equipment for engineering units as part of the 29th General Support Group in Long Binh, South Vietnam. At the end of his tour of duty he decided, with counsel of one of the CGP faculty, a WWII veteran himself, to end his service career and return to finish the program at CGP where the professors made sure that his re-entry into the civilian world was as smooth as possible. Mr. Ott in his recollections herein speaks at length about the dining arrangements students came up with, the social milieu, the professors, and his deep love for and gratitude to CGP for all of the opportunities and experiences that he had. Mr. Ott also speaks a bit about the experience of being a returning veteran of the Vietnam War both in the United States and Australia, which provides valuable insight into the different ways that these men were treated by their nations upon their return from serving said nations. Due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic this interview was conducted using the Zoom videoconference platform. Mr. Ott was at home in Maine and the interviewer was at his apartment in Cooperstown, New York. The recording of the interview was taken by this service.
• J. Ritchie Garrison, November 19, 2020 (video)
  J. Ritchie Garrison is an esteemed alumnus of the Cooperstown Graduate Program, a member of the class of 1974. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts and grew up in Atherton, California before moving back to Worcester as a child. He attended Tilton School in New Hampshire, then Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, before his time at Cooperstown, then went on to the University of Pennsylvania for his PhD in American Civilization. Following his academic career, he worked as Director of Education at Historic Deerfield before moving to the University of Delaware and the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture. He became Director of the Winterthur Program in 2004 and served in that role until 2019, when he retired. Mr. Garrison's time at CGP involved intense study of the local region, from agricultural and economic history, to architecture, craft, and material culture. In addition to that, Mr. Garrison and his wife, Carla, faced an extraordinary event during their time in Cooperstown: a house fire. No one was harmed, but it was a life changing moment. In this interview, Mr. Garrison speaks about his early exposure to material culture, his academic experience in Cooperstown, the event of the house fire and the lessons it brought, and, finally, his observations about both the Winterthur and Cooperstown graduate programs. This interview was conducted over Zoom on Thursday, November 19, 2020. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic necessitating a virtual interview, it made little difference in the depth of what was shared.
• Cordell Reaves, November 20, 2020 (video)
  Cordell Reaves was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Reaves attended the Cooperstown Graduate Program (CGP) in Cooperstown, New York. In 2002, Mr. Reaves accepted a job as the Underground Railroad Coordinator for Heritage New York, a new program formed under the New York State Parks, Recreation, & Historic Preservation department. Cordell has continued to work for the New York State Parks, Recreation, & Historic Preservation department to the present. This interview occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in the interview being conducted remotely over Zoom during a video chat. Mr. Reaves had recently completed a drive from Brooklyn, New York to his office in Waterford, New York, where he took the video call.
• Cordell Reaves, November 20, 2020
  Cordell Reaves was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Reaves attended the Cooperstown Graduate Program (CGP) in Cooperstown, New York. In 2002, Mr. Reaves accepted a job as the Underground Railroad Coordinator for Heritage New York, a new program formed under the New York State Parks, Recreation, & Historic Preservation department. Cordell has continued to work for the New York State Parks, Recreation, & Historic Preservation department to the present. This interview occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in the interview being conducted remotely over Zoom during a video chat. Mr. Reaves had recently completed a drive from Brooklyn, New York to his office in Waterford, New York, where he took the video call.