Biographies and Updates

He served his residency with Light’s Funeral Home, Inc. in 1958, becoming a licensed funeral director in 1959. In 1962 Mr. Light moved to Ellenville and was Manager of Loucks Funeral Home, Inc. for one year.  In 1963 he was employed as a director for Havey’s Funeral Home in Yonkers, NY, where they sent him to the Order of the Golden Rule Management School Chicago.  Upon return, he became Manager of Havey’s Funeral Home until 1967.

In 1967 Mr. Light was appointed Secretary/Treasurer of Light’s Funeral Home, Inc. Schenectady until 1974 when he became owner and president of the funeral home.

Mr. Light is a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 201 and was elected the youngest Grand Knight ever for the years 1971 and 1972.

He has been a member of Schenectady Kiwanis since 1968 and has worked on many committees. He was a part of a group to start the first Auto Show in Schenectady at the Schenectady Armory.

He is a member of the National Funeral Directors Assn., a member of the New York State Funeral directors Assn., and past president for the years 1971 to 1973 of the Schenectady County Funeral Directors Assn.

He was a member of the Federated Funeral Directors of America 

He was a member of the former Schenectady County Deputy Sheriffs Assoc. and President in 1973 and 1974 and a Deputy Sheriff.

He was a chairman of St. Clares’s building fund drive in 1972-1973. Also a sustaining member of the New York State Chiefs of Police. Assoc.

He was a former member of the Schenectady County Chamber of Commerce. A member of the American Cancer Golf Day Committee in 1976, 1977, and 1978.  (Fund raising).
He is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Annie Schaffer Senior Citizens Center and past president for over 36 yrs retiring in 2000.  Mr. Light also served on the committee to build Schaffer Heights and  purchasing the former Sealtest Plant for the Senior Center.
He is presently on the Board of Trustees of the Heritage Home for Women. He served as President for two years.  He is currently serving on the board for his 44^th year.
Mr. Light is a former member of the Edison Club and a member of the 27^th Division association, Inc.
He is former member of the Lower Mohawk Club and a former member of the Board of Trustees.
Mr. Light has also served on many sub-committees for his church and many charitable organizations.
Mr. Light was elected to the Schenectady City Council in 1980 and served four years as a councilman. As a councilman Mr. Light was chairman of all claims brought against the City of Schenectady. He also served on the Parks and Recreation committee.
Mr. Light has been a funeral director for over 49 yr. serving the needs of Schenectady and their Families.
Mr. Light retired on Jan 1, 2004 from Light’s Funeral Home
He is married to the former Janet Kopec for 48 yrs.  They have three children and two grandchildren.

Robert "Bob" Mac Farlane

5 Acorn Drive
Burnt Hills NY 12027-9775
518-399-3719
E-mail:

My emotions are running high, where do I start. First of all thanks from the bottom of my heart. I can’t remember why I did not go/come to the reunion but I can now tell you, I regret that fact. It sure was a treat to read the various letters, to renew good and bad memories. As to people you were unable to find, Timothy Hughes, I believe, lived in Troy, I tried several numbers to no avail. James Phillips passed away many years ago sadly choking on a steak. Jon Willig, as I understand lives in Colorado.

Though I always felt I was considered from the wrong side of the tracks if you will God has been good to me, I often wonder what I could have been but quickly remember what I/we have been. My wife Mary Jane Todd Mac Farlane and I will be married 50 years next August, a little more on that later. I was blessed to go to Paul Smith’s College, the Guidance Counselor at Nott Terrace seemed to think that my love of nature, the woods, hunting, etc. indicated that I should attend Forestry School, my grades were not of a level to get into Syracuse but Mom and I went up to Smithies for an interview, the fact that Mom had the gumption to do that, I believe got me accepted, it certainly wasn’t my High School record! There I had a Professor, one Dean Rutherford that molded me into a what I am today. I found the profession of Land Surveying through him and it has boded me well throughout the rest of my life, I truly love my profession!

I took and passed an entry level Civil Service Exam at the end of my 1st year of College and went to work two days after I graduated. Again I was fortunate to end up with a supervisor that continued to educate me in the surveying field and other things, his name was James Dexter. I ended up after 9 ? years working in Lowville, N. Y. under a very lazy irresponsible supervisor and since there was nothing I could do about that at the time was fortunate enough to get an interview with Kenneth Male while in Schenectady for the Christmas Holidays, the Male firm was a great place to work; but I was in a hurry to get ahead. I entered private practice in April of 1971 and now am semi-retired. I truly love my profession. I have spent many years performing various duties for the Local and State Land Surveyors Society, Chairperson of the Local Ethical Practices Committee for many years, also proceeding through the various offices, serving as President of the Eastern New York Land Surveyors for the longest tenure of any one to date. I served as Chairperson of the New York State Land Surveyors 17th Annual Convention at Glens Falls, New York.

As I said Mary Jane and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary next August. Mary Jane and I met while attending Nott Terrace, would you believe we met via my tutoring her in Math, yes Bob Mac Farlane was good in Math but not good at keeping his head to the grindstone while in school. Mary Jane and I have enjoyed our partnership and the fruits of our labor. We have 3 children, Robert Todd, Heather and William. Todd works in Albany for the Correctional Services he and his partner Linda have a baby girl two years old by the name of Sarah; Heather is a Physicians Assistant in Dallas Georgia, Married to Eddie Finley, they have 3 Children, Kaitlin, Morgan and McKenzie; Our youngest, Bill manages a Hotel Complex in Edwards, Colorado and has 2 children, Natalie and Ian. We enjoy or times with all our children and grandchildren.

Serena Youmans Middleton

I married in 1958 to John Middleton who was, at that time, living in Delmar, a suburb of Albany. I met him after he graduated from Syracuse University. I had attended Russell Sage College in Troy, NY but did not graduate. We have lived in Hartford, CT, Long Island, NY and Chicago IL. During our child-rearing years we visited Delmar often to see John's folks. I also saw my school friends at those times.

Our longest stay was in Lexington, KY for 30 years. While there I earned a Masters of Social Work degree. I worked in various settings including Eastern State Hospital, the oldest mental hospital east of the Mississippi. I retired from Dialysis Clinics Inc. at age 62. We moved to a patio home in L'ville a few years ago to be nearer our nurse daughter. We have been going to FL in the winters for some time now. We stay near a son in Orlando. We have another son and family in Reno, NV and six grandchildren divided between our children.

Nancy Carlson Moss

Nancy Carlson Moss
85 Wild Cherry Rd.
Asheville, NC 28804-1726
828.251.1898

Ralph (Skip) B. Ostrander, Jr.

6 Saint Stephens Lane
Scotia, NY 12302
518-399-5703
e-mail:

Ralph “Skip” hates to write, so I’ll fill you in as he dictates. (Teddi Pereau)

He was born in Schenectady, NY in 1938 and went to Craig Elementary. He went to VAS until he went to Mount Pleasant Technical/Mechanical. The day he graduated from high school he went to work for his father, Ralph Ostrander Sr., at Arrow Glass. He made a career of installing glass for 44 plus years.

When he was in high school he worked summers in Schroon Lake at a resort, doing some water skiing exhibitions. His family had a camp there, and he spent summers there with his wife and children. Now the grandchildren also enjoy the camp.

Those who remember Skip will know of his interest in car racing. He never tells people, but I will, that he was pictured in “Car and Driver” (Dec. 1972) as a master mechanic for ice car racers on Lake George. Now he’s into model airplanes. He builds them for other people to fly, and he’s had one pictured in several magazines from the NEAT fair. In 1961 Skip entered the service in the Air National Guard stationed in Scotia, NY. He says he can still put those planes together with his eyes closed.

He married Corrine Evory, a nurse, in 1964, and they had 2 sons and a daughter - Jack, Tom and Abby. Corrine died in 1997 as a result of ALS. Together they ran an antique business in their spare time.

Later in life he started dating Teddi Pereau who owns a Christmas tree farm in Chestertown, NY. They have done a lot of traveling, especially on cruises in various spots around the world and are now doing the interior of the United States. More importantly, he keeps the tractors running.

Susan Jane Morris Pedersen

I was born August 17, 1938 at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, New York.

Although born in Schenectady, my Mother grew up in Scotia. She taught school in Albany. My Father’s parents were from Wales and my Dad was born in Vermont three weeks after his parents arrived in the States. My father worked for GE and died at the age of 61 from Cancer. My Mother died in 2002 at the age of 93. I spent that summer reliving my past as I cleaned out my childhood home.

We lived on Glen Wood Blvd. until I was three, at which point, we moved to 1556 Myron Street in Niskayuna. In 1943, my sister Karen arrived. Karen died an untimely death at the age of 49 from Cancer. She left behind a husband and four children.

After graduation from VAS and Nott Terrace, I attended Skidmore and graduated from Syracuse University with a BS degree in Education. I taught Third Grade in North Syracuse at Lakeshore Elementary School. Sally Reible taught in the same School System.

Harold “Pete” Pedersen and I were married on April 21, 1962. Pete was a fighter pilot in the Air Force and we were based in Rome, New York, Bitburg, Germany, Goldsboro, North Carolina, and Fort Walton Beach, Florida. While we were in Goldsboro, North Carolina, we met up with Bob Stote, as he was a Doctor the Seymour Johnson AFB Hospital.

Erick was born in 1963 in Rome, New York, John in 1967 in North Carolina and Paige in 1970 in North Carolina. Erick went to Andrew College in Georgia, Florida Southern and the University of West Florida. After two marriages and having lived in Pensacola, Florida, Austin, Texas, Birmingham, Alabama, and Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, Erick spent a few years living with me. I truly enjoyed the company. At present, Erick lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he designs and builds furniture. John went to Union College, taught at the University of Rennes in France, and now has a computer business in Manhattan, NY.

Paige went to Georgia College and teaches in a High School in Eatonton, Georgia. (The home of Uncle Remus). She is married to Keith, a publisher of the paper and they have two boys, Kevin 9 and Branden 4. They live in Milledgeville, Georgia. Before the Civil War, Milledgeville was the Capital of Georgia.

After Pete retired in 1973, he earned his Masters degree in Art and Administration. He enjoyed teaching Art in a School for the Gifted until his death from cancer in December 1996.

In 1974, I took some Graduate Courses to become certified to teach in the State of Florida. After substituting and tutoring for a couple of years, I took a job as The Coordinator for a Fine Arts Grant for the Gifted Students of Okaloosa County Grades 4-12. In 1983, I returned to the classroom and taught Kindergarten until my retirement in 2001.

I stay busy with PEO, Bridge, BUNKO, Church activities, Garden Club, Panhellenic, Grandchildren, Beach walking, swimming, and knitting. Dixie Arthur Jeffries lives four hours away from me in Covington, Louisiana. We get together at least once a year.

Since 1971, I have lived on Okaloosa Island, Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The Gulf of Mexico is across the Street and the Inland Water Way (The Sound) is a couple of lots behind my house. Many Hurricanes have damaged my home and we have spent a great deal of time having the destruction repaired. The last two years have been a blessing. We have four more months of Hurricane Season left and so far we have been spared this year.

I look forward to seeing all of you in October 2008. In the meantime if any of you are in North West Florida, please call or stop by.

Sue Morris Pedersen

Nancy Greenwood Percenti

I graduated from Nott Terrace High School in. 1956. From 1957-1964 I was a secretary at Atomic Energy Commission @KAPL. In 1960 I married Vince Percenti and our son Michael, who is a podiatrist in Houston, TX and has 12-year old twin girls, was born in 1964. Our second son, Mark was born in 1968 and is currently an engineer with GE Power Systems in Schenectady and has a 1 1/2 year old son. From 1976 to 1980 I was a library-secretary in So. Colonie Elementary School District. 1980-2001 I was a claims examiner with Blue Cross, and then I retired.

In retirement I am a volunteer meeter/greeter at Albany Airport, secretary to Board of Fire Commissioners at Stanford Heights Volunteer Fire Dept. in Colonie/Niskayuna, life member of Stanford Heights Ladies’ Auxiliary. Other interests are a pontoon boat on Sacandaga Reservoir, occasional trips to Houston, Florida or Arizona during winter, occasionally play golf, cards and enjoy dinners and lunches with friends. I hope to see everyone next year!!

Mildred (Millie) Mereness Pratt

115 Spring Rd.
Scotia, NY 12302
518-370-3458
e-mail:

The day after graduating from Van Antwerp School in 1953 I met a young Air Force man on a blind date. This came about because someone backed out of a date with him and the group of friends had to find a replacement on short notice. After I graduated from Mont Pleasant High School Rupert Pratt and I were married.

We lived in Huntington, West Virginia for a few years where my husband finished his college education at Marshall University (The “We Are Marshall” college). I took some classes at Marshall but then we moved back to the Schenectady area so that I could attend SUNY Albany to earn both my BS and MS degrees. We both had teaching careers in the Schenectady City School District. Rupert was in elementary education and I taught at Mont Pleasant High School and Schenectady High School after the two high schools merged.

Our son Gregory was born in 1970, and Jonathan came along in 1972. Many happy years were spent seeing our sons through Scotia-Glenville schools and off to college. Greg headed to Rochester Institute of Technology. With a degree in Information Technology, he now works as an Assistant Systems Administrator at Lehman Bros. in New York City. Jonathan graduated summa cum laude from Princeton with a degree in the Classics. After Princeton he spent a couple of years as a missionary in Bulgaria where he met and then married Boriana Stoytcheva. The wedding in Sofia, Bulgaria provided us with a good reason to travel to Eastern Europe. We also spent a little time in the UK. We figured we could at least understand the language there most of the time.

Boriana and Jonathan ended up living in Berkeley, California for several years while he worked on his Ph.D. They and their three young children have recently moved to Portland, Oregon where Jon is teaching at Reed College. Gives us a good reason to travel some more.

Back on February 5,1954, Rupert Pratt was one of six survivors of a C-47 airplane crash on Kesugi Ridge in Alaska. Ten men lost their lives in that crash. It wasn’t until 1996, that Rupert was able to contact the other five survivors and the families of most of the men who perished. As a result, we were all able to gather in Dayton, Ohio for our first reunion. This has been a wonderful experience for us all. Rupert and I have made several trips back to Alaska. Each time we go, we say “this will probably be our last trip up here.” Then, as we are flying home we are planning our next trip. Rupe has been back to the crash site several times. Not being a mountain climber myself, I was thrilled to get up to the crash site in 2004, via a helicopter ride.

After our first reunion in 1996, Rupert started writing about his adventures on Kesugi Ridge and the reunions that followed. What started out as a small project to pass along the story to our children and generations to come turned into a much bigger project. In 2006, Rupert’s book “Touching the Ancient One” was published. The title came about because “Kesugi” is a Native American word meaning “the ancient one.” The book is available on Amazon.com as well as in some area book stores. There is a lot of information about the book on his webb site at: touchingancientone.squarespace.com Pardon the commercial but the plane crash and the writing of the book has all been a very large and important part of my life.

Carol Pearce Schilde

7869 State Route 10
Sharon Springs, N.Y. 13459.
e-mail:  . Our home is in Sharon Springs, 50 miles west of Albany,  We own and operate a large greenhouse operation and a country gift shop. Our business is just across the driveway... we are open 7 days a week from Feb. to Dec. 24. Two of our three children are in the business with us. Our 3rd son lives nearby and is employed locally.

After high school I went to Albany Medical Center School of Nursing.. Three days after graduation I was married to Milton and moved to his family farm in Sharon.  We had a large apple orchard, a dairy with cows to be milked , hay to be made. What a shock from Via Del Mar.  I went to work at the local hospital and our life began.

In 1973 we went into the Peace Corps with our 3 children and spent 2 years in the Philippines..  Came back to Sharon Springs bought an existing small orchard and started all over again.    We are still here. Kids are grown, married and have given us 5 grandchildren.  

Linda Fisher Smith

66 Stony Hill Rd.
Amherst, MA 01002-2862
413-256-6020
e-mail:

Once upon a time there was a girl at VAS, Linda Fisher, tall and blond. And 55 years later, she is still tall, the blond has silvered - and it's been a good life in the meantime. Following are some highlights:

After VAS, graduated from Nott Terrace High School. Attended Smith College in Northampton, MA, graduating in 1960 with an AB in American Studies, minor in Music. Went off to New York City to 'seek my fortune' and worked in the city for nearly ten years, doing PR (writing, promotion, special events) for assorted firms.

I married Hubbard Smith (Hub) in 1964, an Amherst College alum who was working at Time Inc., which he did for 27 years. In 1969 we were transferred to Paris, France with Time and lived there 1 1/2 years. Our daughter, Alison, was born in 1968; and son, Stephen, was born during the Paris stint. Returned to New York and settled in Westchester County (Briarcliff Manor and Pleasantville), where we lived for 15 years and raised our family.

In 1985 Hub made a career change (at age 50), left Time Inc. and accepted a job as alumni director at Amherst College in Amherst, MA. It was a major change in our lifestyle and we've never looked back! Life in a college town is terrific, western Massachusetts is some of the loveliest countryside around and we are close enough to New York, Boston and our cottage on Canada Lake, NY to enjoy a great range of activities!

After 10 years as an at-home mom, I returned to working in the early '80's, doing freelance writing and editing, starting a small business doing event coordinating for corporations, non-profits, etc. After we settled in Amherst, I went to work for my alma mater, Smith College, in the alumnae/development department doing stewardship/special events/ fundraising and was there in two stints over a 15 year period, retiring from Smith in 2002 as Director of Donor Relations. In between, I spent seven years as Director of Development at Historic Deerfield, a historic house museum, raising $12 million to build a center for New England studies at the museum.

Like many of us, our children and their families are the focus of much of our lives these days. Alison lives in Orono, Maine with her kids (Matthew 9 and Claire 7) and, after a divorce, is about to be remarried to a great guy who is a professor of psychology at the Univ. of Maine. Stephen and his family have just moved to Brussels, Belgium, for a 3-year assignment with his company, Delhaize, which owns a worldwide network of supermarkets (Hannaford, Sweetbay, and Food Lion in the US). They and we are excited about living and traveling in Europe with their two girls, ages 6 & 8. The kids and grands visit for blocks of time in the summer at Canada Lake (near Caroga Lake, north of Gloversville, etc.), where we now spend our summers (ah, the joys of retirement!).

As for other interests, there are many. I still love music, play the piano, sing with a community chorus and church choir, learned to play the organ about 20 years ago. Since retirement I've taken the training and am a guide at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst which is most interesting. Hub and I do a fair amount of community volunteer work - with our college classes, church, literacy program, etc. Gardening, travel, hiking, tennis, exercise, book group, friends fill our days pleasantly and somewhat productively!

Our lives changed fairly significantly in 2003 when Hub underwent surgery for 3 abdominal aortic aneurisms. During surgery one of the aneurisms ruptured, causing all kinds of problems and resulting in a spinal cord injury that left him paraplegic, paralyzed from the waist down and near death (kidneys failed, pneumonia, 11 incisions to heal, etc., etc.) After a year and a half of remarkable grit, determination and good luck he was able to stand, walk with a walker or cane and resume an almost normal life. (He's kind of a miracle guy!) He continues to work at physical therapy to maintain his strength and range of motion. It wasn't exactly what we had planned for retirement, but we've found that life goes on and so do we! We've even begun to travel again, taking cruises through the Panama Canal and to Alaska (a very convenient way for us to travel). Best of all, two years ago he managed to climb the steep flight of stairs at our camp at Canada Lake so that now we can be there for blocks of time, as we are this summer.

Growing up on Grand Blvd. within sight of VAS brings back many happy memories and I am really looking forward to reconnecting with my classmates, old neighbors and friends.

Things I remember about Van Antwerp School - the May Fete, the coat rooms in the 1st and 2nd grade rooms, specific wonderful teachers, school assemblies where we marched in and I occasionally was asked to play the piano for marching or singing, the songbook we used in the those assemblies (anyone remember the name of it??), walking to Union Street after jr. high basketball games for ice cream at Kipps, school dances and all the stress of who (if anyone) would ask you to dance, the playground and tennis courts behind the school, the day Mr. Flahive's pants split in science class and Miss whateverhernamewas, the home ec teacher, taking him into her classroom and mending the pants, the time Bruce K kiddingly swung his foot at the back of Miss Kinnum in the art room and his loafer came off and sailed over her head, landing on the floor in front of her, etc., etc. Wonder what else we will come up with at reunion.

Many thanks to the stalwart committee putting together the weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in October!

Robert M. Stote

Address: 6210 Pasadena Point Blvd.
Gulfport, FL 33707
e-mail:

Married: Terry Stote, 2 children, 2 grandchildren
Nott Terrace High School 1956
Albany College of Pharmacy 1960, B.S. Pharm.
Albany Medical College 1964, M.D.
Internship-Los Angeles County Hosp. 1964-65
Residency-Stanford 7/65-9/65
US Air Force 1965-67, Rank-Captain, served in Dominican
Republic and Seymour Johnson AFB
Fellowships in Internal Medicine and Nephrology 1967-71, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

1972-1992 Positions Held
Clinical Professor of Medcine, Univ. of Penn. Chief of Nephrology, Presbyterian-Univ. of Pennsylvania Medical Center
V.P. Clinical Pharmacology-Smith Kline Beacham Corp. (major product-Tagamet)
World-Wide Medical Director- Smith Kline Beacham Corp.

1992-2008 Positions Held
Chief Science Officer and Medical Officer, Bentley Pharmaceuticals
Board of Directors-Auxilium Corporation
Board of Directors-Datatrak Corporation
Scientific Advisory Board-NuPathe Corporation

Current Position-Chief Medical Officer, CPEX Pharmaceuticals
Project-Development of NasulinTM, an intranasal spray of insulin

Author of 40 scientific papers and numerous abstracts

David G. Suits

After a stint in the Army and I worked for Chemical Bank for 3 years, I then flew for United Airlines for 33 years. I started in 1965 and ended my career with United in May of 1998. I started on the DC 6/7 and ended as a Captain on the Being 757 and the 767. I am now 70 years old, and Kris and I are both in good health. We have a son and a daughter, Mike Suits who lives in Lexington, OH and Nicole Suits who lives in Rutland, VT. My wife, Kris, Nicole and Mike all ski. This is in addition to myself.

In Ohio, we have 22 acres which is where our two horses stay. We also have two cats.

Our parents' ashes were spread in Lake George, NY. This is where our parents spent their lives after 1962. My father died in 1992 at the age of 87, and my mother died in 1993 at the age of 87. Lake George is north of Albany, south of Lake Placid and west of Rutland, VT in the Adirondacks.

We had a summer place on Jenny Lake at Gahada which is near Corinth on West Mountain which we built in 1946. This is an association made up of several families. Jenny Lake is one mile across. We rented from the Solberg's at first. We had electricity which was unheard of in those days. Keep in mind that I was very young since I was born in Schenectady on May 11, 1938. At the time we were living in Schenectady at 1317 Regent Street.

Gone from the Solberg's was the French Tub, an upside down hat, the ice house which was used with straw to store the ice we used in the refrigerator. We had a pump which was connected to Gahada. There was a washer/dryer, refrigerator and a telephone.

Now Jenny Lake is part of three lakes called Hunt, Jenny and Efiner. We had a Super Club which would pop in out of the water nicely. It was around 1960 that Jenny Lake had a rule that you could only use electric motors on the lake. Nobody thought of an Airplane which my father bought. We built a ramp for the plane and used it to fly in and out of Jenny Lake. There was a meeting, and three people objected to the plane. My father said that if there was not complete agreement on the plane, we would move to Lake George. At Lake George we had a Cessna 185 and a Wedgeon. We then lived in Lake George. My brother sold his place, since he is 6 years older than I, to Bill and Joanne Dunn. I kept the barn, guest house and the dock which is new.

I knew Roy Webber, his father, his sister very well. I also knew Jon Boucher (who now lives in Hawaii) very well who flew for United. I also knew Betty Jean (Ottaway) Jackson, Linda (Fisher) Smith, Melvin Burger and Johnny Schreiber. I know Susan Lowe married C. B. Lessor and they now live in Tucson, AR.

Carl Swanson

Robert (Bob) Trimmer

I was born in Orange County, NY where dad worked on the Eire RR. In 1944 the family moved to Niskayuna where we lived at our home on North Country Club Drive; Dad took a job at ALCO as a Professional Engineer (PE). Dad was a NYU graduate and Mom a graduate of Cooper Union. It turns out most of Mom's side of the family were from the Albany/Schenectady area, namely, Knickerbocker, Kirk, Dunbar, MacKillop, Knickerbocker, Bradshaw, Bartholomew, Winne, Fonda, Quackenbos, Vanderleer/deWanderleer/DeFondelac, Smith/ Smidt, Van Houten, Hosford, Wiard, Catlin, Joyces, Metcalfe, Muir, Spoor, Gilbert, Harssen (Hanson), Grosbeck, Marcelis to name "a few" families. And perhaps I may find a few cousins back there in Schenectady!

Because our next door neighbors were close friends and went to the local Reformed Church in Schenectady, we did too. Classmate, Bob Mielke, a long time friend, and a local school teacher and historian pointed out to me the book: Jonathan Pearson’s Genealogies of the Descendants of the First Settlers of the Patent and City of Schenectady from 1662 to 1800 (1873, Albany, NY) which named many of my local forefathers. I last visited Bob at his home on Stark Street in 2006 during the Nott Terrace class reunion. We were both avid gardeners and history buffs.

After leaving Van Antwerp Jr. HS in 1953 I attended and graduated from Nott Terrace. Then, having a strong interest in chemistry, I went to Hope College, Holland, MI in the fall of 1956 where they long had a strong chemistry program. I graduated there in 1960 with a chemistry major and biology minor. I left the field of agnosticism at Hope and became a Christian believer May 1958 in Grand Rapids (at a student IVCF Conference). After graduation in 1960, I worked as an Organic Chemist (June-December 1960) at the Schenectady Chemical Co. but was soon drafted into Army in December 1960, consequently I enlisted (3 year) for a better arrangement; US Army Security Agency (ASA); Basic Training was at Ft. Dix, NJ, then 6 months of training at Ft. Devens, Mass., then was stationed in Herzogenaurach "Herzo Base" (318th USASA BN, beginning in the fall of 1961 in Bavaria.

At the end of my Army tour, I studied at the Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg ("Friederichs Alexander University") where I took several courses in chemistry plus Deutsch für Anfänger in Erlangen/Bayern. After returning to Schenectady in January 1964, I took some refresher courses at the State Univ. of NY at Albany; this was followed up by a enjoyable position at the Sterling Winthrop Research Institute, as a Medicinal Chemist in nearby Rensselaer, NY 1964-69.

I married a Brazilian graduate student (at Russell Sage College), Telma, in 1965 at the Loudonville Community Church ; there our 2 children (Roberta in 1966 and Derek in 1969) were dedicated to the Lord. I left Sterling in 1969 to finish up my Ph.D. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, NY (1969-73). In Troy we lived at the married student housing called the Bryckwyck. While living in the area, I joined the St. Andrew's Society (Scottish) of Albany, NY (founded in 1801) and also the Knickerbocker Historical Society of Schaghticoke and still am a member to this day.

On graduation from RPI, I was offered a teaching position at the Albany Academy, where several of my forefathers had studied, but my wife nixed the offer as the salary was "rather low" for a family of four. I then took in 1973 a position at Miles Laboratories, (later Bayer AG), in Elkhart, Indiana where I worked as a Supervisory Pharmaceutical Development Chemist - then when the organic chemical division closed down, I moved to the Diagnostics Division.

While at Miles, I also was busy with the family and church and was long a President of the Elkhart Rose Society (founding member) - I had some 200 roses at one time plus a fruit orchard. We were members of the Elkhart Symphony Society as both my wife and I are classical music enthusiasts. I have been a State and local officer of The Gideons International from 1980. We were members at McCoy Memorial Baptist Church (CBA) where I was a Deacon and adult Sunday School teacher. I was also active in the American Chemical Society and am yet a member today.

In Maryland 1990 to 2004:
Miles Labs was bought out by the German firm, Bayer AG and began closing down operations in Elkhart, so I took a position with the FDA (position: Pharmaceutical/Expert Regulatory Review Scientist with Office of Generic Drugs May 1990 at Rockville, MD. There, besides reviewing pharmaceutical submissions from industry I was Chairman CDER Drug Substance Committee (1993-96); Chairman Office of Generic Drugs Impurities Issues Advisory Group (1992-5; Chair, CDER Ad Hoc Bulk Actives/Post-Approval Changes Committee (BACPAC) (1995-96; Vice Chairman Ad Hoc Residual Solvents Committee (1994-5). I gave several presentations in Buenos Aires and Tokyo and more in the US while on staff. Our home was located in Germantown, MD just north of Rockville. While in Maryland, I was also active in a few other things, namely, as a State and local officer of The Gideons International (President of the Montgomery West Gideon Camp in MD (2001-2004) (previously camp Secretary 3 years, Vice-President 3 years, State Church Assignment Chair 1 yr.).

I was an active member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) 1995-99, and Commander of the Antietam Camp #3 in Frederick MD (1997-98), member of the 20th Maine reenactment Infantry Regt. 1995-6, member of the 27th Indiana reenactment Infantry Regt./12th Corps 1996-99 (appointed 1st Lt. in 1997. As a reenactor, I also had the "pleasure" of suffering 2 heat strokes while "fighting" in heavy wool clothing at Gettysburg and Antietam; my forefather, Lt. John Kirk, of Albany, NY fought at Antietam with the 34th NY Infantry (organized in Albany in 1861) where in 1863 he suffered hearing loss and lung problems. I was also a member of the First Baptist Church (SBC) of Rockville, MD and deacon 2003-04. We also enjoyed membership in the greater Washington, DC Hosta Society and were active at the Kennedy Performing Arts Center. Fishing for Rockfish (Striped Bass) was another favorite sport of mine in the Chesapeake Bay along with eating lots of crab cakes.

Back to Indiana in October 2004:
I retired from the FDA in late 2004 to be closer to our two children and six grandchildren (Caitlin, Connor, Joseph Robert, Rachael, Samuel, and Grace). Our son is a statistician at Ely Lilly and our daughter, a Calvin College graduate, is married to a South Bend dentist. We purchased a home on a small lake in northern Indiana where I have a large garden and can fish for bass and bluegills and go canoeing. I'm a member of the nearby Kalamazoo [Michigan] Bonsai Society and Michiana Bonsai Study (I grow some 50 bonsai), the American Rose Society (growing some 40 roses which includes not only hybrid teas but species roses, antique roses, fluoribundas, a Portland rose, Hybrid Kordesii, Gallicas, etc. I am also a Purdue Master Gardener and VP of the St. Joseph Co. Master Gardeners and give tours and presentations. We are local community church members and I’m again a state and local Gideon officer in Indiana and give presentations in various local churches.

Do hope we can make the next gathering back in Schenectady County.

Alan Vinson

Remarkably, many events after leaving Van Antwerp in the summer of 1953 are in vivid recall. My family moved to Scarsdale, N.Y. and I spent the next three years finishing high school and developing remarkably shoddy study habits which would follow me well into college. During the summer of 1954 I lived with a family in Mexico City, and surprisingly learned enough Spanish that I still am comfortable with using the language today.

My undergraduate college education took place at Michigan State, a wonderful experience accompanied by some actual learning. After graduating with a B.A., I went on to the University of Florida and received an M.A. in Inter-American economics and history, with the goal of working in South America. As of today’s date I have yet to receive a nickel from any work “ south of the border”, however I have worked around the world practicing the efforts of all that education.

I have lived in 19 different locations since leaving Schenectady, mostly in the midwest, northeast, and south. I currently reside in Georgia, and have been here for nearly 20 years, far and away the longest stretch in any location. I have 3 wonderful children (Greg, who currently lives in Shanghai, China; Wendy, who resides in Atlanta, and Lisa who lives in Kernersville, N.C.). They in turn have provided me with 9 grandchildren, and when I married my wife Michele 2 years ago (February 2006), I acquired 2 more daughters (Tanya and Sue) and one grand daughter (Alexis). All of my children and grandchildren provide us with hours of pleasure.

My consulting practice was an outgrowth of my early industrial activities, punctuated by a fairly lengthy stint with GE’s Executive Development Operation which I left in 1986, to form Vinson Associates in Athens, Ga. The latter has allowed me to consult in China, Singapore, the U.K., France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany.

Of equal importance is the quality time that I spent on the golf course with John Schreiber during my formative years has not gone into hibernation. I still love to play (2-3 times a week) and carry my handicap currently at a 5. Michele and I also play organized tennis on several leagues. I teach English as a second language and enjoy gardening and photography.

Ed Wagner

I grew up in Niskayuna where I graduated from Van Antwerp Junior High in 1953, Nott Terrace High in Schenectady in 1956 and SUNY Cobleskill (1958). After Cobleskill I served in the U.S. Army during the late 50’s and early 60’s as a combat engineer specializing in atomic demolitions.

My father, Bernard Wagner, was Captain of the Niskayuna Police Department and my mother, Alice Wagner, was Niskayuna Town Clerk for decades and still resides in the Town of Niskayuna.

I am married to the former Joan Lawrence of Regent Street in Niskayuna and we currently reside in Clifton Park. We have six children and so far eight grandchildren.

When my children were younger I was very involved with their activities. I was a Niskayuna Little League coach, a Niskayuna Babe Ruth coach, a Bantam Basketball coach at the Schenectady Jewish Community Center (JCC) and a 4-H leader.

For relaxation and personal satisfaction I study early man (mostly Neanderthals) and spend most of my evenings researching the newest and most startling revelations concerning early migrations and life styles of our far distant ancestors. I just had my 7th book published – the title is “NEANDERTHAL-Truly Human” and it is based on 6 startling new facts concerning Neanderthals and how they lived. While the books are fiction, since no one knows exactly how people lived 25,000 to 55,000 years ago, the underlying facts upon which the various story lines are based is factual and well documented by numerous scientific finds and papers. 

Roy Webber