Chief Becomes U.S. Citizen

 On the Fourth of July, it's a pleasure to announce that Chief Kasibante, husband of Fieg cousin Laura Fieg Kasibante, became an American citizen on July 2, 2023.

We are so proud to welcome him into the family of U.S. taxpayers!

 

Fiegs Get Together in Florida

Fieg Cousin Sue Williams sent an email outlining a visit she and hubby Ed had with the families of their niece, Laura Kasibante, and nephew, Brian Fieg.  Says Sue, "Hi Judy - Ed and I went to St, Augustine on April 5, 2023 to spend the afternoon with niece, Laura, nephew, Brian, and families. Attached is a pic from the restaurant. We had a great time in the Florida sun at the beach……that’s why there are sooooo many red sunburned faces!

Laura and family will return to Uganda this summer so Laura can start a new teaching job in August.

 Starting on the left: Laura Kasibante, Chief Kasibante, Shemaiah (3/7/20) Kasibante, Brian Fieg, Emily Fieg, Caleb Fieg (8/14/12), Judah Kasibante (7/18/15), Nathan Fieg (5/27/16), Max Kasibante (9/18/13), Lily Fieg (6/30/14), Zionne “ZZ” Kasibante (3/20/17), Sue Williams, Ed Williams.

Thanks for the update, Sue, and for being such a super aunt!

Marsha and Bill Adams Steppin' Out

 

Fieg cousin Marsha Whiteside Adams and husband Bill recently attended a dinner for past chairmen of the American Concrete Pipe Association in Florida.  Bill is retired now, but formerly was very active in the family business making concrete highway forms such as drainage conduit.

New Life for Foti's Bakery

Foti's Italian Bakery, makers of Foti's bread, a family favorite for generations in Oneonta, closed when the family decided they had worked long and hard enough. The sound of wailing rang through the hills of Otsego County. The business was sold to an out of town bread maker but, rather than continue Foti's as such, they brought their own recipe into the old bakery. It was good bread, but it was not the same, and the bakery closed after a few years.

There is a family account of Uncle Bud Fieg driving from Missouri to Oneonta to visit his family, stopping at the grocery store to pick up a loaf of Foti's, and eating half of it before he reached the cash register.

Richard Fieg of Ste. Genevieve, Mo. had hopes that he had found a reasonable facsimile in St. Louis, and was kind enough to send a couple of loaves along to Greg Fieg in Oneonta for his birthday. It was good bread, but not Foti's.  The distinguishing characteristics of Foti's were in the crunchy crust, and the soft, very moist interior full of air bubbles - with the consistency of mashed potatoes but not mealy - just the right amount of leavening and a generous coating of corn meal on the bottom. And the taste....

The building at 42 River St., which will observe its 100th anniversary next year, recently was converted into an Italian bistro called Dazzo's Kitchen, run by a 30-year-old restauranteur. The restaurant has a wood-fired oven and has received positive reviews, but has made no attempt to revive Foti's bread. If they did, Oneontans would beat a path to their door. 

It is difficult to believe that a product so beloved could dry up and blow away.

Catch-up Word Paintings

 

CATCHING UP!

Happy belated birthday to Jean Davie Fieg - 94 years old on February 9! If you get the chance, send her a message via Phyllis at phyllisfieg@gmail.com. Jean was born in Greensboro, NC on Silver Ave. where her dad was manager of the A&P grocery store. Phyllis retired from the U.S. Postal Service and is now bookkeeper/landscaper/bathroom scrubber at 1405 Knightwood Drive.

Nancy Fieg Lynch, daughter of Ed Fieg and Karen White, and husband Dan had a baby boy named Sawyer, and what a cute kid! He has all the trappings of being an ingenious child  - bright, joyous, engaging and perceptive says his great-uncle Greg Fieg. 

He keeps on truckin' running a thriving business.  Cade Dangca's company recently was involved with the reconstruction of the Throgs Neck Bridge over the East River. Cade and Megan's son is named Weston but Cade calls him "my little excavator."

Editor Judy Kestner recently attended the winter meeting of the Texas Ornithological Society in Abilene, Tex. It was a wonderful event with speakers, birding field trips and fun with friends. No life birds, but Judy got a life mammal: a beaver! The organization's spring meeting was also held in Abilene. It was quite a bit warmer....

Judy's husband, Joe, is recovering from a stroke suffered in October 2021. He has stopped falling out of bed (haha) and we have seen other improvements. 

Eva Dangca gave up her career as a barista, chickened out, and is now working at Buffalo Wild Wings in Oneonta.

 

Russell K. Fieg, 72, Dies in Vegas

Cousin  Russell K. Fieg, who threw caution to the wind in the Midwest to pursue a career in show business in the entertainment capital of Las Vegas, NV, died Thursday September 15, 2022 at age 72. 

The cause of death is awaiting determination, though he had fought cancer for a number of years.

Russell was born November 15, 1949 in Rifle, CO where his father worked in industrial mining. Shortly after his birth, Russell's family moved to Virginia and Pennsylvania, but eventually settled in Ste. Genevieve, MO in 1955, where he spent his childhood. While in school, his love for music developed, and he was in the school band as well as a rock and roll group, The Mysterians, with four other talented musicians, who performed at various dance events.

Russell attended the University of Missouri from 1967 to 1971, earning a Bachelor's degree in business administration. After college, rather than following in his father's footsteps in the mining industry, he worked for 15 years for the university in various business offices at the Columbia and the Kansas City campuses.

In 1986 he ventured west to Las Vegas, hoping to join another rock band. He bought a baby grand piano and struck out on his own playing keyboard in places such as Sam's Town in Laughlin, NV, and Palace Station and California Hotel in Vegas.

He eventually fell back on his business degree and found employment in the payroll departments of several Las Vegas casinos including The Dunes, MGM Grand, Terrible Herbst, Horseshoe Casino and Affinity Gaming.  He retired in 2018.

While his dream of becoming a performer was not realized, he did find the joys of a more traditional life in the golden West, with a 30-year marriage and the ownership of his own home.

Russell is survived by his wife Heny Swantari Fieg of Las Vegas, sister Susan Williams (Edward) of The Villages, FL, brothers Richard Fieg of Ste. Genevieve, MO, Steven Fieg (Eleanor) of Pevely, MO, and Douglas Fieg of Collinsville, IL.

He was preceded in death by his father Lothar "Bud" Fieg and mother Catherine Shafer Fieg. His mother, coincidentally, died on September 15, 1976.

The celebration of his life will be held at his Las Vegas home, and his ashes will be spread on nearby 12,000-foot Mt. Charleston. 

Emily Fieg Publishes New Book

Emily Fieg, wife of cousin Brian Fieg, is excited to announce that her newest book/Bible study is available for pre-order. It will be available as a paperback and e-book on March 3rd. Says Emily, "Look for it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and more. It's perfect for a spring Bible study."

The title is "Effortless Fruitfulness: Living a Life of Supernatural Growth." Barnes and Noble describes it as "a thirteen-session individual or small group study and workbook that examines Jesus' parables and teachings in the Gospels about bearing fruit, abiding in the vine, sowing and reaping, harvesting, and other agricultural metaphors and reveals how many Christians have been trying to gain victory in these areas by self-effort without realizing it. Be ready to be set free and equipped for greater fruitfulness!"

Emily and Brian live with their three kiddos, Caleb, Lily, and Nathan in Acworth, Ga. This is her second book. She also penned "Pharisee Set Free: Abandoning Religion to Seek the Heart of God" in 2020.

Congratulations to the author!

Two Babies Born to the Next Generation

On Feb. 27 a 9-pound 3-ounce baby boy was born to Megan Brewer and Cade Dangca. Weston Allan Dangca, 21 inches long, was born at Cobleskill General Hospital in Cobleskill, N.Y.

This is the second infant born to this next generation.

Greg Fieg holding Melody Buff

Melody Celine Buff was born Nov. 2, 2021 to Maren (Corkery) and Thomas Buff, also at Cobleskill.The Buffs and the Dangcas all live in Schoharie, N.Y. where Maren and Megan are fast friends.

Melody, at three months, is able to hold up her head without assistance, reaches and grabs things, mimics singing, and babbles and coos of her own accord.  Her favorite song is "Annie's Song" by John Denver. 

On the Fieg family tree, Melody's grandparents are Sarah and Kevin Corkery of W. Oneonta, and Weston's grandparents are Anna and Allan Dangca of Laurens, N.Y.  The babies' great-grandmother is Jacqueline Powell McAdams and their great-grandfather is Greg Fieg of Oneonta, N.Y. who are proud as punch. 

J.R. Wells, Fiegs Observe Fourth Decade

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the introduction of J.R. Wells into the pantheon of professional stage, motion picture and television performers.

J.R., better known to the Oneonta Fiegs as Jimmy, has been a de facto brother to Edward Fieg of St. Louis, both Air Force veterans, since Jim and Ed literally escaped together from kindergarten, where neither wanted to be.  Among other episodes of rebellion and mayhem, they sneaked in to a candy store and stole various confections. Thank goodness the statute of limitations has expired on those criminalities.

In the old days, Jim, a dashing and athletic tennis player with ice blue eyes and a healthy shock of blond hair, initially marketed himself as a romantic lead and appeared as the star of such Off Off Broadway productions as Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Allegro," and Stephen Sondheim's "Company." 

These days he is more of an old guy, a "type" to play the grandfather, bank president, judge or maybe an old doctor. Jim, who lives in New York City, is currently on hiatus but looking forward to returning to his chosen career, which he has sustained with what he calls "survival jobs."

Having acquired his Screen Actors' Guild membership in 1982, he has appeared in about a dozen TV shows including "Law and Order," "Kate and Allie," and Saturday Night Live. He has been in more than two dozen movies including "Scent of a Woman" with Al Pacino and Chris O'Donnell, "Bullets Over Broadway" with Woody Allen and Chazz Palminteri, "Working Girl" with Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford, and "Wall Street" with Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen.

Jim says that Charlie Sheen was not the prima donna that some people think, and the secret to appearing in productions with these celebrities is "not be awed by the fact that they're super stars" and just treat them professionally.

In 1987 while making "The Secret of My Success" with Michael J. Fox, he and Fox sneaked outside to have a smoke where they were greeted by a crowd of screaming young girls. Fox turned to Wells and asked, "Are they here for you?"

Jimmy Wells driving to NYC with Lisa Fieg.

 

 

 

Kevin Still Elected Board Chairman of CoBank

Kevin Still, husband of cousin Anne Whiteside Still, was recently chosen to lead the board of directors of CoBank, a national cooperative bank serving various industries across the country.

Kevin has been on the board since 2002, and is very familiar with the types of companies that benefit from the association with CoBank such as agricultural retail cooperatives, electric cooperatives, and even Christmas tree farms!

A hearty clap on the back to Kevin for this well-deserved honor.

For more details, click HERE.

Kevin Still

 

Yogi's 50th Anniversary Observed

The year 2022 will mark the 50th anniversary of New York Yankees great Yogi Berra's induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., an event that was attended by Greg Fieg in 1972. 

Greg, covering the event as editor of the Freeman's Journal, was privileged to meet the man who was his favorite player as a boy, Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra, who began his major league career 75 years ago this year. Greg also met Sandy Koufax who was inducted on the same day, and spent time in the Yankees dressing room where he was asked to hold manager Ralph "the Major" Houk's "soda pop" (NOT!) while Houk signed autographs.

It was a touching scene when Yogi broke down and cried because his close friend, Dodgers stand-out Gil Hodges, had recently passed away and missed the happy occasion. 

Also inducted on that day into the Broadcasters' Wing was Joe Garagiola who grew up with Yogi in St. Louis.

Yogi, who won eighteen World Series rings as a player, coach, and manager, died in 2015 at the age of 90, at that time the greatest living Yankee.

His MLB batting average was .285, with 358 home runs and 1,430 runs batted in.

Beyond his stats he is best remembered for quotations known as Yogi-isms:

"Nobody goes there any more; it's too crowded."

"It ain't over till it's over."

"It's deja vu all over again."

You can observe a lot by watching."

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

(On Yogi Berra Day in St. Louis) "Thank you for making this day necessary."

"Always go to other people's funerals; otherwise they won't go to yours."

"A nickel ain't worth a dime any more."

"If you can't imitate him, don't copy him."

"Ninety percent of the game is half mental."

"I really didn't say everything I said."

"The Mick bats left, the Mick bats right; he's amphibious."

Cousins Greg Fieg, left, and John Roman meet New York Yankees great Yogi Berra, center, in Cooperstown, N.Y. in 2007.

 

 

Veterans Day 2021 Commemoration

On Veterans Day 2021, we honor of all the veterans in the Fieg family and say thank you for your devotion to protecting our country.

Cousin Doug Fieg put together this story about a mission flown by his dad, Lothar "Bud" Fieg, during World War II.  Four brave men set out on Feb. 8, 1944, but sadly only two made it back. How grateful we are that Uncle Bud was one of the two who returned from this harrowing mission! BTW, the names of his planes were in honor of Catherine Shafer, who was to become his bride after the war!

Here are the details from Doug:

I recently recovered the Army Air Force's file on the final mission of Lt. James Meagher and Lt. Harold C. Nussman on February 8, 1944.  These pilots, along with Lt. Lothar Fieg (age 24) and Lt. Raymond Phillips comprised the four pilots who flew a World War II mission to escort a disabled bomber.  Only Lt. Fieg and Lt. Phillips made it back to the home base alive.

Notes from the declassified document:

     On 8 February 1944, the 352nd Fighter Groupreturned from an escort mission at 1315hours.  After all the aircraft had been checked in and reports were received from forward fields, two (2) aircraft were found to be missing from the 328thFighter Squadron.

     LT. J. MEAGHER, TURNDOWN 55, Ship No. 5556LT. H. C. NUSSMAN, TURNDOWN 53, Ship No. 3419Ops "B" at Walcott was contacted and asked if they had any information on them.  They had not, but would let u sknow if anything was heard.  A check on our VHF log shows that the 328th Red Flight lead by Lt. Nussman, were jumped by five enemy A/C while they were escorting a lone Fortress.  Lt. Fieg who was flying with them stated that Lt. Meagher was shot down by enemy aircraft.  Nothing has been heard or seen of the other aircraft at 1800 hours, so it is assumed they were lost due to enemy action.

 

 Doug's annotated version of his father's report (above):

 8 February 1944 [This was just a 119 days, or about four months, before D Day. The German Air Force was still strong.]
SUBJECT: Pilot’s Statement on Missing Air Crew Report
TO: Commanding Officer, 352nd Fighter Group, Station F-141, APO 637, United States Army.
1. This statement pertains to Lt James Meagher.
2. I was flying Turndown red #4, escorting an abortive bomber. [As Dad’s flight flew over Mons, Belgium, they heard a radioed plea for help from a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber that had been forced to drop out of its formation because of damage and was being attacked by a German fighter. Red Flight winged toward the bomber. The B-17 had more range of flight than the fighters. The fighters would depart or abort and head back home (England) when they had half their fuel left.] An F.W. 190 [The Fokker Wolfe 190 was one of the two deadliest German fighter planes.] attacked the bomber from 9 o’clock [from the bomber’s left] which was out of the sun [In February the sun would have been in the south, so the F.W. 190 was coming from the south, probably higher than the bomber, in the sun, and the bomber was flying west.] and 6 o’clock to us. [Dad’s flight was also flying west, and was in formation ahead of and to the left of the bomber. Hence the F.W. 190 was directly behind Dad’s flight of four P-47 Thunderbolts.] We turned into him [flew toward the F.W. 190 and returned the attack] and as he broke off [stopped] his attack on the bomber he took a 90 degree deflection shot at me. [The F.W. 190 shot directly at the side of Dad’s P-47 Thunderbolt, by aiming ahead of Dad’s plane (a so-called deflection shot) so that the shot would hit Dad in the side by the time the shot reached him. The P-47 Thunderbolt was a long range fighter with heavy armor in the rear and belly, but not so much the sides, which means the enemy knew where to attack it (a 90 degree deflection shot).] The second [rear] element became separated from the first [lead] element, so we the second element, took up a course for home. [Dad’s pair, or element, got separated from the lead pair, which left the foursome exposed.] A few minutes later we bounced [shot at] a bogie [unidentified aircraft] which turned out to be a [friendly] P-47. [Apparently this P-47 was piloted by Lt. John H. Walker, Jr., who also died on this mission.] He joined us and the three of us took up a course for home at about 20,000 ft. [This altitude was likely the same altitude that the bomber was flying.] [Then] A flight of four F.W. 190’s bounced [shot at] us. [Dad’s flight aborted early and set course for home, just to be attacked by more enemy on the way.] They were in range [We were in their shooting range], dead astern [directly behind us] when I first saw them and called for the flight to break [break formation]. All three of us did a split “S” [a coordinated evasive maneuver]. I observed that Lt. Meagher, red #3’s engine was on fire. I got in the clouds [below the F.W. 190’s where they could not see Dad because of the clouds] which were 9/10 [90% cloud coverage and 10% daylight] at 4,000 ft [a very low altitude, which risked flying into a mountain] and came home in the clouds [where the visibility was low, but where he was safely hidden from the view of the F.W. 190’s].

Lothar Fieg, 0-666909
1st Lt., Air Corps,
328th Fighter Squadron.

NOTE: During World War II the Eighth Air Force was stationed in England in an area north-northeast of London called East Anglia. The Eighth Air Force was subdivided as follows:
Bomber COMMAND
Fighter COMMAND

GROUP Each group was operated from an airfield. Dad was part of the 352nd Fighter Group at Bodney, England.
SQUADRON There were three squadrons of 16 planes in each group. Dad’s was the 328th squadron.
MISSIONS All 16 of the (usually) Mustang P-51s within a squadron were put up for a mission.
FLIGHTS There were four flights per mission. Each flight was composed of four planes.
ELEMENTS There were two elements per flight. Each element had two planes.
Each flight of four planes was assigned a color. The color for the flight that is the subject of this report is red.
The red “flight lead” was Lt Harold Nussman, who was killed.
The code word to identify each of the aircraft in the 328th was “Turndown.”
For example, the absolute identifier for Lt. James Meagher's aircraft, when not referring to a mission, was "Turndown 55" Lt. Nussman's was "Turndown 53." But, in reference to a mission, the four aircraft in a flight were referenced as "Turndown 1," "Turndown 2," "Turndown 3," and "Turndown 4." Since the flight color was red, these are also referred to as “Red #1,” “Red #2,” “Red #3,” (Dad used this terminology to refer to Lt. Meagher’s plane.), and “Red #4.”
 

The two elements in each flight were designated the "lead element" and the "rear element." The two planes in each element were designated the "lead" and the "wing man." The code-word numbering system for the flight that is the subject of this report was as follows:
RED FLIGHT COMPOSITION
Turndown #1 - Lead of the first (lead) element (Lt. Harold Nussman, assuming that the lead for the flight would also be the lead of his assigned element)
Turndown #2 - Wingman for Turndown #1 (Lt. Raymond Phillips, who survived by making an emergency landing at Lympne, England.)
Turndown #3 - Lead of the second (rear) element (Lt. James Meagher, who was killed during this mission. Lt. Fieg was the last one to see him in the air with an engine that was on fire.)
Turndown #4 - Wingman for Turndown #3 (Lt. Lothar Fieg). Dad refers to himself as “Red #4.”
Dad was in the most vulnerable slot of the foursome as Turndown #4. His role was to protect the rear of the offensive plane Turndown #3 immediately ahead and left of him.
On this mission of February 8, 1944, the pilots were flying P-47 Thunderbolts, not Mustang P-51s.

From Lt. Meagher's obituary as published by Rolling Thunder. Inc.:

1 LT Meagher already had flown 40 missions and was well on his way to the 200 hours of combat flying time needed before a fighter pilot could be sent home for a month. But unlike many in the squadron, he hadn’t shot down any enemy planes.

1 LT Meagher and four other young Thunderbolt pilots — lieutenants Harold Nussman of Salisbury, N.C., flying a plane named “Dixie Boy”; Raymond Phillips of Newton, Iowa, in a plane named “Hildegarde”; and John Walker Jr. of Los Angeles and Lothar Fieg of Oneonta, N.Y., made up what was called “Red Flight” that day. 

As they flew over Mons, Belgium, they heard a radioed plea for help from a B-17 bomber that had been forced to drop out of its formation because of damage and was being attacked by a German fighter. Red Flight winged toward the bomber. Suddenly, from the direction of the sun, where pilots are blinded, four German FW-190 fighters came diving at the five Thunderbolts, each firing four 20 millimeter cannons and two machine guns. Lt. Nussman tried desperately to warn the others they were under attack even though an enemy fighter had perfect declination on him.

Thanks to Nussman’s self-sacrificing warning, Phillips and Fieg managed to break away from the fight, their planes shot up. They never saw what happened to Meagher, Nussman and Walker. But when those three failed to come home, they were declared missing in action. When the Germans failed to report that they had been captured, suspicion grew that they had been killed. But no one knew for sure.
 

TBT

Your editor received this photo from cousin Marsha Whiteside Adams in 2020.  The year may be 1973 or so.  Thought we could all do with a smile.

Back row, L to R:  Lothar (Bud), Dorothy (Doc), Maxine (Mac), Franklin (Frank).  Front row L to R:  Emilie (Em), Philip (Phid), Florence (Flo), Glimmerglass

Fieg Cousin Survived Brushes with Death

As the110th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is remembered that Henry "Hank" Fieg had a brush with death that included a common plot device in what otherwise would have been a melodramatic story: amnesia.

Hank, a passenger in a vehicle in Montclair, Pa. in the late 1930s, was hurt when the automobile crashed.  Several others were injured and one was killed.  Though he survived the incident with only a concussion and left the scene relatively unscathed, it was just the beginning of his mysterious saga.  

Some time after the accident, Hank went missing for three weeks.  His siblings, including Doris Holm, then age 10, asked their father Max Fieg where their brother had gone and when he would return.  

Max bowed his head in his hands and cried like a baby, not knowing the answer or what had become of his son.

Needless to say his family was very worried and puzzled as to whether he would ever show up again.  Had he run off to Mexico, joined the French Foreign Legion, been abducted by aliens?

We make light of it now, but it was a very painful experience at the time for them all.

Ironically, Hank finally turned up 1,800 miles away in Colorado with no explanation as to where he had been, how he got there, or what he had done during that time.  Hank had suffered a loss of memory, forgetting even his own name.  His whereabouts during his disappearance remains a mystery to this day. 

Hank, a smoker, had a heart attack at age 40.  He recovered and lived a full life with apparently no repercussions from the bout of amnesia.

He and his wife Carolyn built a house on Dodd St. in Milford where they kept two Siamese cats, and raised Carolyn's niece, Barbara Morgan, as their daughter, after Barbara's parents separated when she was three.

During World War II Hank, storekeeper first class, USN, served aboard a destroyer escort chasing Nazi U-boats in the North Atlantic.  Because he was born at the outset of World War I, he was no doubt among the oldest on the ship at the age of 31 -- even older than the captain.

During his lifetime, Hank worked as a comptroller for a hotel in New Jersey.  He later was employed as a salesman for The National Cash Register Co. and was transferred to Dayton, Ohio, rising to the rank of vice president.  

He traveled the globe in his capacity for NCR and by chance visited Pforzheim, Germany, the original hometown of his family.  Henry encountered an elderly woman there who remembered the Fieg family from the turn of the 20th century, and showed him the location of their homestead that had been flattened by allied bombers during the war.

Hank's nephew, the late Victor P. Fieg, and his wife, the former Jean Davie, also visited the site many years later and came away with a stone from the ruins of the building's foundation. 

Florida Cousins Meet Up

 Cousin Sue Fieg Williams shared two photos of four very tan and healthy-looking Floridians.  Looks like they are having a wonderful time (and don't we love the white tresses!).

Cousins Sue Williams and John Roman

John and Anne Roman, Sue and Ed Williams

Emilie Kestner Fully Licensed as Family Therapist

Fieg cousin Emilie Kestner, 27, recently was granted full licensure as a marriage and family therapist in Texas.

The process to be granted these credentials involved 3,000 client therapy hours and 200 hours of consultation with a trained supervisor in the field, as well as a Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Emilie received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Tex. and her master's degree at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Tex.

Always interested in a deeper knowledge of human nature, Emilie is fascinated by how our communication shapes our reality.  

Emilie is the daughter of Judy Fieg Kestner and Joe Kestner of Corpus Christi, Tex., and the granddaughter of Jean Davie Fieg of Greensboro, N.C. and the late V.P. Fieg, and the late Ernest and Caldonia Null Kestner of Virginia.

Congrats and best of luck in the coming years!

Fieg Cousin Graduates Summa Cum Laude

Colette Corkery of West Oneonta, N.Y. has graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York Agricultural and Technical College at Delhi with an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts. 

Colette, 19, daughter of Sarah Fieg Corkery and Kevin Corkery, has enrolled at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, a Catholic school, where she is seeking a degree in business management.  She will matriculate in the fall.

Colette has been cooking since even before adolescence, and has posted instructional videos on the Internet.  She has not yet decided what to do with her degree, but the culinary arts and business background will help her to hit the ground running when that time comes.

"Her cookies are a big hit in the family at holidays or any time," said proud grandfather, Greg Fieg.  Colette's grandmother is Jacqueline Powell McAdams.  Her great-grandparents are the late Frank and Marina Fieg and the late Mabel and James Powell.

In March 2020, Colette was initiated into the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society.

She is currently employed in the kitchen at Bella Michael's Restaurant, 57 River St. in Oneonta where she prepares Italian cuisine.

 

Nancy Fieg Weds Daniel Lynch

Nancy Fieg, formerly of Grimes, IA, married Daniel Lynch of Clifton Park, NY on Feb. 20, 2021 in Port Jervis, NY. at Cedar Lakes Estate.  The wedding took place outdoors overlooking a snow-covered lake.

Nancy, 34, is a registered nurse at New York University's Langone Hospital in Manhattan and Daniel, 36, is the executive chef at Del Frisco restaurant in Hoboken, NJ.  They will reside in Jersey City, NJ. 

Nancy is the daughter of Dr. Edward L. Fieg, Col. USAF (Ret.), of St. Louis, MO and Karen White Fieg of Des Moines, IA.  Her step-mothers are Ed's current wife Barbara Harris, and Dr. Terese Hennessey of Omaha, NE.  Daniel's parents are Marjorie Lynch and the late Joseph Lynch of Clifton Park, NY.  

The bride wore a ball gown with a chiffon skirt, lace bodice and three-quarter length sleeves, and a 12-foot train.  The finger tip-length veil had been worn by Nancy's sister Emilie at her wedding.

The couple had an eight year courtship having met at the American Doll headquarters in Manhattan where Nancy was a waitress and Dan a chef. 

Nancy is a graduate of the hospitality program at Iowa State and the nursing program at Rutgers University.  Dan is a graduate of the culinary arts program at Schenectady Community College.

Their honeymoon will be announced at a later date.

Nancy Fieg and Daniel Lynch

Close up:

JEAN DAVIE FIEG IS 92 YEARS OLD TODAY!

 On two-nine-two-nine a baby girl came into the world in Greensboro, N.C., the eldest child of Raymon G. and Marion Davie.  In a nod to the Davie family's Scottish roots, the proud parents named her Jean.

Two brothers followed - Raymon and Norman - and the Silver Ave. home was full of kids polishing pennies on the carpet and playing with their dog, with Jeanie Beanie in charge all the time.

Raymon Sr. managed the local A&P grocery store, but when the depression hit they went back to their roots in Upstate New York, and lived on Uncle Henry's farm.

Marion passed away when Jean was just 16 years old, and she had to shoulder the responsibilities of running a household, shopping and cooking, while finishing high school.  Her dad's sisters pitched in and taught her how to shop for the best prices, even if it meant driving to three or four stores to find it (LOL).

One day she went home to 10 N. Sixth St. in Oneonta with her BFF from high school, Dorothy Fieg, only to find Dorothy's older brother, Philip (a.k.a. Phid) lying on the couch reading, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts.  Up the stairs he shot, in great embarrassment, to don a pair of slacks, but the arrow had been released from Cupid's bow, and Jean and Phid were eventually married on Sept. 2, 1950.

On the heels of wedded bliss followed Judy, Dide, Phyllis;

A career in advertising soon he plied.

When at night his work was done, home he drove.  The

        setting sun

Lit the arms of his family open wide, wide, wide,

Lit the arms of his family open wide.

Phid took over a photo studio in Kane, Pa. where Judy was born, worked as a reporter/photographer for a newspaper in Sidney where Diana and Phyllis hatched, and eventually went to work for GLF in Ithaca as an ad man.  Jean was his partner in the many moves, making a cozy home for her family and becoming a wonderful cook (who doesn't remember humble apple pie??), while continuing to ply her passions for painting and poetry.

If you graduated from Ithaca High School in the mid-1950s your graduation photo may have been retouched by Jean, who worked from home for a local photographer, canceling out zits and wild strands of hair on the negatives.  (She wore reading glasses while working, and Phyllis burst into tears the first time she saw her mom with those, those.... THINGS on her face.)

Ithaca - Dryden - Ithaca - Syracuse - Pearl River - all the cities and towns where Jean set up housekeeping were in New York, until Phid took a position with Ciba-Geigy in Greensboro, and that is where we find Jean today, in her snug and cozy home, working in the Fiegenhof Gardens, reading insatiably, and enjoying cards and letters and now Google Meets with her daughters and only granddaughter, Emilie V. (who'd a thunk it?).

So if you will, raise a glass and toast Aunt Jean, or raise your phone to your ear and give her a birthday call - 336-299-1006.  You will most likely have to leave a message, but it will be gratefully received and probably acknowledged.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM - MUMSEY - GRAMAE - AUNT JEAN!  WE LOVE YOU DEARLY!

2021 Marks 40th Gallodoro Landmark

World-class clarinetist and saxophonist, Al Gallodoro, who played in sets with Sarah Fieg Corkery's drummer husband, Kevin, arrived in Oneonta 40 years ago next year.  His name can easily be spoken in the same sentence with Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and any other great clarinetists of the 20th Century.

A member of the Hartwick College faculty, and eponym of the H'05 Award for outstanding achievement in music performance by a student, he was notable for having played alto sax with the famed Paul "King of Jazz" Whiteman Orchestra in the 1930s and, later, bass clarinet for 12 years with the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini.

Fortunato Alfred J. Gallodoro (whose surname in Italian means "golden rooster"), had a career that spanned eight decades, playing until his death at age 95 in Oneonta on Oct. 4, 2008.  Fieg cousin Allison Bookhout officiated at his funeral.

Al Gallodoro

By any measure, he was one of the world's longest continually active performing musicians, having started his career in the city of his birth, Chicago, at the age of 13.  

In addition to Toscanini, Al was conducted by Leopold Stokowski, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Fiedler, Percy Faith, and Skitch Henderson.  

He appeared with George Gershwin, Victor Borge, Dinah Shore, Sid Caesar, Les Paul, Bob Hope, Edgar Bergen, Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Mario Lanza, Frank Sinatra, and Milton Berle.  Al also appeared in the 20th Century Fox 1952 production of Ernest Hemingway's "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Susan Hayward.

The Gallodoro Serenade was written for him by composer Ferde Grofe.  He was also the subject of a PBS documentary.

A member of the adjunct faculty and instructor, he trained numerous Hartwick College graduates to play the reeds, and was the recipient of an honorary doctoral degree from the school.

At the time of his death, he held the world's record for the most performances on the clarinet in Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," ten thousand.  He played both classical and jazz selections, and was arguably the greatest saxophone/clarinet virtuoso in history.

The Al Gallodoro Music Memorial Fund is named for him, as well as the annual Al Gallodoro music award at Hartwick.  

At the time of his death he had produced eight CDs and a music video, in addition to recordings with other artists.  His production company was Chmusic Productions/Golden Rooster Records.

Take a listen to Al Gallodoro and the Beau Hunks playing a 1931 hit, "The Hour of Parting."

Still Standing After 100 Years

In 1920, Lothar Fieg established his business, Fieg Builder, at 3 Lewis St. in Oneonta, N.Y.  He went on to build some of the most elegant residences in the city.  As this year marks the 100th anniversary of his entry into the business world, grandson Greg Fieg has put together a photo spread of some of the lovely places that remain standing today.

Still a citizen of Germany, Lothar had been fired as an "enemy alien" from his supervisory position at the Corbett and Stewart Acid Factory, which supplied components for the making of munitions during World War I.

"G" for Gardner

106 Chestnut St.

 Lothar found work with the then-booming  Delaware and Hudson Railroad in Oneonta, drawing from his similar experience as a young man with the Union Pacific in the Far West.  In 1920 he struck out on his own, building his first home, a 1,262-square foot revival Tudor-style at 106 Chestnut St.  The chimney was adorned with the letter G, for the Gardner family, owners of the former Gardner Music Store, who first lived there. 

Another neo-Tudor at 148 East St. was at one time owned by the head of the journalism department at the State University of New York in Oneonta.  It is a 2,180-square foot quaint and cozy home in an fairly affluent part of town.  Lothar built it at the height of the Depression in 1932.

148 East Street

 Because much of the economy was crippled, woodwork such as sashes, wood frames, windows and other pieces were very hard to come by, and the builder had to make do with odds and ends as he could find them.  A self-taught architect, he made the components of the house come together like a jigsaw puzzle.  It recently listed in excess of $200,000.

It's not difficult to imagine that once word got around about Lothar's old-world craftsmanship that he became much in demand by discriminating individuals with deep pockets.  Thus, he was contracted to build the elaborate six-bedroom, 5,200-square foot Thornwood mansion for Edwin W. Elmore, the founder of Elmore's Milling. Thornwood is now the residence of the president of Hartwick College.  

Thornwood

In an affirmation of the laudatory recognition that Lothar had achieved, one of his final homes was the relatively palatial Duncan Briggs residence at the mouth of the rugged Glenwood Gorge.

Briggs, owner of the Briggs Lumber Company, was the scion of a family whose history can be traced to the creation of hundreds of homes dating back to the 19th century.  As such, he had an acute, discriminatory judgment concerning every builder in the area and, from among them, chose Lothar to build his own personal home.

Lothar had previously constructed Woodchuck Knoll, the sprawling edifice on the grounds of Emmons Farms.  Woodchuck Knoll today is owned by Marty Patton, a multi-millionaire restauranteur and the founder of the Cooperstown All-Star Village, a travel baseball camp.

Another very large structure, with a more utilitarian purpose, was built on the campus of the Upstate Baptist Home, now Springbrook, an institution for people with mental disabilities.  

One of the more recent homes, the Russell House on Union St. was built to withstand an earthquake or tornado, with a steel I-beam frame. 

A house was built at 6 City View Dr. for Elizabeth Lewis, a dietician for Homer Folks Hospital.  It was the second of two houses of a planned development that was scuttled when Lothar died in 1958.

Woodchuck Knoll

The Russell House

6 City View Dr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE FARMER'S MUSEUM IN COOPERSTOWN

Todd's General Store

Never one to stymie his ambition, Lothar Fieg not only took on the construction of well-built houses and big mansions such as Thornwood and Woodchuck Knoll, he even tackled the piece-by-piece disassembly, transport and rebuilding of historic structures for the Farmer's Museum in Cooperstown.

Among them was Todd's General Store, which had been operated by Lemuel Todd of nearby Toddsville. Built in 1819, it was moved to Cooperstown at the end of World War II, with each joist, crossbeam, brick and sash painstakingly numbered for exact reassembly at the museum.

Filer's Corners Schoolhouse

 In a similar fashion, Lothar transported and reconstructed the Filer's Corners schoolhouse, circa 1829, from the town of Butternuts, and the blacksmith shop, built in 1827, from the New Berlin area.  He also built the original display for the Cardiff Giant, a hoax perpetrated by charlatans to be the petrified remains of a huge human being. 

Blacksmith shop