Shields Reunion Slated for July 10, 2011

The following was received from Midge McClenon.  The geneology to which she refers is reproduced below the story.  The information I received does not include progeny for David, Charles or Joseph Shields, children of  John and Elizabeth Kenraid Shields.

The 76th Annual Shields Reunion will be held on Sunday, July 10, 2011 at Nathaniel Cole Park, Harpursville, NY. Luch will be at 12:30 pm.


Please bring your own table service and beverage, and a dish to pass. Charcoal will be provided for those who wish to grill.

The genealogy is as up-to-date as possible from the information that has been received. Hopefully, it is attached to this e-mail. Please check it for errors and additions. If there are any errors or additions, please send notification of errors and all additions to midgemcclenon@lycos.com or petecollier@btinternet.com. Peter is actually the genealogist who has put this together for us from my notes.

Please, DO NOT send us corrected copies of the original or additions in the original (can you imagine how long it would take to go through each one???) Just send the necessary information and we will get it where it goes - I hope!

If you have any questions or need directions to Nathaniel Cole Park contact midgemcclenon@lycos.com or 607-441-0475.

John T. Shields b. 1842 d. April 4, 1896
Elizabeth Kenraid Shields b. May 01, 1840 d. Aug. 1, 1899
     Children:
I.       William J. Shields b. Aug. 08, 1863 d. Feb. 26, 1926
II.      James Shields b. Feb. 22, 1866 d. Mar. 23, 1901
III.     Elizabeth A. Shields b. Nov. 30, 1867 d. Apr. 19, 1894
IV.     Hugh Shields b. Nov. 20, 1869 d. Feb. 21, 1915
V.      John T. Shields b. Oct. 21, 1871 d. July 13, 1925
VI.     Robert Shields b. Aug. 29, 1874 d. Jan. 03, 1938
VII.    David Shields b. Mar. 30, 1876 d. Oct. 30, 1957
VIII.  Charles Shields b. Feb. 17, 1878 d. Sep. 17, 1947
IX.     Joseph Shields b. Dec. 15, 1880 d. Mar. 29, 1937
X.      Minnie b. Nov. 09, 1882 d. Jan. 06, 1902
XI.     Agnes Susan b. Oct. 30, 1864 d. Jan. 30, 1866

Family of I. William J. Shields b. Aug. 08, 1863 d. Feb. 26, 1926
Celestia (Newman) b. May 29, 1868 d. Mar. 22, 1945
     Children:
IA.     John W. Shields b. Dec. 14, 1887 d. May 20, 1945
IB.     Florence Fieg b. Jan 14, 1889 d. Oct. 03, 1964
IC.     William D. Shields b. Jun. 15, 1890 d. Oct. 23, 1975
ID.     Edith b. July 1891 d. (infant) 1891
IE.     Fred Shields b. July 12, 1892 d. Oct. 21, 1970
IF.      Marie b. Apr. 20, 1894 d. Oct. 30, 1918
IG.      Jane Rowland b. Aug. 08, 1895 d. Jan. 19, 1990
IH.     Jessie Stanbro b. Apr. 10, 1897 d. Nov. 30, 1974
II.      Charles Shields b. 1898 d. (infant)
IJ.       James Edwin Shields b. Dec. 30, 1900 d. Mar. 28, 1982
IK.      Nettie Gregory b. June 10, 1905 d. Dec. 21, 1994
IL.     Grace Goodnough b. Jan. 14, 1910 d. Sep. 07, 2002

Family of II. James Shields b. Feb. 22, 1866 d. Mar. 21, 1901
Grace (Perry) b. Dec. 19, 1865 d. Feb. 17, 1895
     Children:
IIA.   Mable Shields b. July 03, 1887 d. 1953
IIB.   Ruth Rickard Robinson b. Mar. 17, 1889 d. Dec. 25, 1959
IIC.   Ray Shields b. June 25, 1891 d. Jan. 22, 1925
IID.   Earle Shields b. Sep. 23, 1893 d. July 24, 1913

Family of III. Elizabeth died at age 25
     No children

Family of IV. Hugh Shields b. Nov. 20, 1869 d. Feb. 21, 1915
Mary (Oestrich) b. Feb. 27, 1881 d. Mar. 11, 1959    
     Children:
IVA.   Lawrence Shields b. July 10, 1911 d. Dec. 24, 1975
IVB.    Harold Shields b. Aug. 20, 1908 d. Sep. 08, 1995
IVC.    Ted Shields b. Oct. 21, 1902 d. Jan. 16, 1959

Family of V.  John T. Shields b. Oct. 21, 1871 d. July 13, 1925
Jessie (Richard) b. Jun. 14, 1874 d. 1949
     Children:
VA.    Grace Bodle
VB.    Sherman Shields b. Mar. 10, 1894 d.
VC.   Ralph Shields b. 1897 d. 1941

Family of VI.  Robert Shields b. Aug. 09, 1874 d. Jan. 03, 1938
Grace (Boggs) b. Aug. 09, 1883 d. Jan. 12, 1969
     Children:
VIA.   Bernald Shields b. July 15, 1906 d. Apr. 04, 1992
VIB.    Fenton Shields b. 1908 d. 1908
VIC.    George Shields b. Aug. 20, 1909 d. May 06, 1980
VID.    Lyle Shields b. May 15, 1911
VIE.    Kenraid Shields b. Mar. 12, 1917 d. Mar. 25, 2003

Can you Feature That? Word Paintings from March, 2011

The late Lothar Fieg's still stately and beautiful Woodchuck Knoll mansion, dark, vacant and all but forgotten in the chill winter air on the extreme east end of Oneonta.... Emilie Kestner shouting in glee as she opens her acceptance letter to Stephen F. Austin University....  Col. Ed Fieg sleeping in his tent on the Afghanistan/Russian border, happy that it was only 5 degrees Fahrenheit making it too cold for the Taliban to fire rockets into the camp, which they do two to three times a week in warmer (15 degrees?)weather.... Greg Fieg finding snow piled as high as the rooftops with dozens of shops, eateries and lodgings with darkened windows in the remote Yellowstone National Park village of W. Yellowstone, MT....  Dave Boggs contemplating the inevitable sale of the Bookhout homestead on Woodside Ave. in Oneonta, the family abode for over 50 years....  Four-ounce coffee cups being exchanged for 3.5 oz. cups at the Neptune Diner in Oneonta, a sign of impending inflationary doom....  Steven Fieg on his way to the gym to maintain his boyish figure....

World Wide Web Deems 'Fieg' a Four-letter Word

By Greg Fieg


Word has reached the Fieg family that the web address "Fieg.com" is among millions of web domains across the universe owned and protected and "parked" by an individual or individuals who are offering it for sale.


Along with not only every four-letter word in the dictionary but every four-letter combination in the alphabet, the Fiegs no more can own the web address "Fieg.com" than we could any other four-letter word of interest, such as "Fish.com," "Cows.com," "Golf.com,"  "Flag.com" etc.

Not that anyone should be interested in the web address "Fieg.com," but whether you are a member of the Italian organization F.I.E.G. (Federazione Italiana Editori Giornali) or whether you are someone selling Ronnie Fieg shoes, you have no more claim to that name than anyone else.

Every four-letter configuration is claimed and at last count every five-letter combination was at or near exhaustion plus every word in the dicionary of seven, eight, nine and ten or more letters is also under controlled ownership.  That is to say, if you want to create a web domain called "Egomania.com" for instance, forget it.  It's taken.  One wonders how long it would have been before the world got around to claiming the address Fiegfamily@blogspot.com.

To extrapolate the astronomical number of these combinations that have been taken over by various Internet domain owners would likely take a greater mind than has any Fieg, considering that if you start with the letter "A," and combine it with "B," "C" and so on, there would have to be 26 possibilities at every turn.  It is safe to say that there would be millions upon millions.

If anyone has the formula, please advise of the final tally.  We await with bated breath.

Bookhout-Morgan Dog Rescued from Death's Doorstep

Annie Bookhout and Bob Morgan of Brooktondale, NY are $6,000 poorer but at least they have rescued their poor Chesapeake Bay retriever, Brutus Morgan, from a certain death.

Brutus, one of three Chessies in the household, discovered a large bag of artificial sweetener and decided to sample a bit, make that sample the whole bag.  It wasn't long before Brutus's kidneys shut down forcing him to undergo extensive rescusitative veterinary procedures, which may yet result in the new wing at the dog and cat hospital being named in his honor.

To say the least, Bob and Annie are relieved.

Annie is very attached to all her dogs, especially Jake Bookhout, who she describes as her service dog.  Jake miraculously has a special doggy sense that he can draw upon when Annie, a diabetic, has an adverse insulin reaction in her sleep.  Fortunately this does not happen often but when it does, Jake immediately wakes Bob up and Bob brings her orange juice to balance her sugar and insulin levels and prevent insulin shock. 

Chesapeake Bay retrievers are an American breed of hunting dog with a love of water, having webbed feet to aid in swimming and powerful chests to break the ice when duck hunting.  They have a bright and happy disposition, courage, willingness to work, alertness, intelligence and an unyielding devotion to their masters.

Bob and Annie have another Chessie, Madeleine, who was rescued from a Chesapeake retriever sanctuary in nearby Watkins Glen, NY.  

Bob continues to run his trucking company and Annie maintains a large boarding stable with a 60 x 120-foot indoor riding ring and stalls to house dozens of horses.  She currently has pared down the number of her own horses from 18 to 14 but still looks after eight boarders of varying descriptions.

Annie recently observed her 63rd birthday and reports she has greatly improved vision after cataract surgery in December.



A Chesapeake Bay retriever



Whiteside Women Honor Bride-To-Be

By Marsha Adams

On March 12 the Whiteside women met in Chicago to honor Andrea Whiteside (Jeff Whiteside's youngest daughter) with a bridal shower.  Andrea will be married in Appleton, WI in June. After the shower, Andrea's Aunt Anne Still took her parents, Dr. Bob and Maxine Whiteside, for a visit to Indiana to see Anne's new home.


While in Chicago, Anne's sister and brother-in-law, Marsha and Bill Adams, visited their son Bob and his family, mostly to get some hugs from their 17-month old granddaughter, Flicka.  (Some awfully cute pictures of Flicka can be seen at http://www.highfiveababy.com/.)

The cutest thing she says: ask her what the Count says (from Sesame St.) and she replies "Ah ah ah."




Flicka Adams waiting for Daddy to come home -- and counting the stairs??



John Roman Upgrades Police Command Center

By Greg Fieg

March finds John Roman working on the video system upgrade of the New Jersey State Police emergency command center in the Trenton area that will enhance the ability of state officials to react to unforeseen calamities.


An expert in video technology, John is the account manager for the project, which will implement the replacement of the large video wall in the operations room where the state police coordinate the efforts of many departments in the case of fires, floods, storms and other emergencies.


John took on a new position in January, and now finds himself traveling extensively across the state from his offices in Clifton, which is about an hour from his home in Somerset.


A graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts, John is a former NYC IATSE Local 644 motion picture assistant cameraman.

Fieg Relatives Safe in Japan

Lisa Fieg forwarded this message from Winky and Akemi White, the uncle and aunt of Eddie Fieg Sr.'s children, who live near Tokyo, Japan.

We thank everyone for their concern for us and others here.

 

Akemi and I had just gotten on the train for Tokyo to see the musical "Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and had just entered the first tunnel when the announcer came on to say an earthquake had been detected and we would be stopping.

 

As the train rolled to a stop we could then feel the back and forth of the quake. It lasted about three minutes. The announcer said that there was a blackout but the train still had lights. I was amazed at how everyone was so calm. Akemi and I were also very calm because we are somewhat used to these.

 

Then an aftershock also rocked us.  I have an earthquake app on my iPhone and I realized that we had been hit by an 8.8 magnitude.  We were there for 50 minutes when they told us they would pull forward to the next station because it was dangerous in the tunnel. Duh!!!!!!  

 

When we got to the station we were told to get out and then to leave the station altogether. We got our car from the base and drove home. As we went to get the car some friends were passing us and told us they were told to go home because of fear of tsunami.  So we were happy to get home to find only one small bag had fallen from a shelf. Everything else was fine. Cell phone, land phone, Internet does not work. TV didn't work for about two hours but we had power (while) others did not.

 

As bad as this quake and tsunami were, the building codes really kept destruction far less than it could have been.

 

That's about all for me to report. I must say that this has given all of us pause to consider how quickly things can change. We really need to be ready because "no man knows the hour or the day."  Our love to you all.

 

Winky and Akemi

The Singing Stars - a Short Story by V.P. Fieg

By Judy Kestner

When we were little Dad would tell us bedtime stories that were, well, different.  In fact we called them "Different Stories."  For example there was Jack and the Beanstalk Different, where the giant's wife cooked roast beef for supper every night.  "Roast beef??" the giant would groan when she served him.  (Of course every time Mom fixed roast beef we all had to shout, "Roast beef??")

From those stories rose the idea for his one and only published book -- which many of his nieces and nephews have in their libraries at home -- called "Why There Aren't Many Witches and Other Stories."

Here is another story he wrote, typing it out on the old Underwood manual typewriter.  I think it would have made a wonderful Little Golden Book.

It was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, Bartholomew thought.

He stood and watched them pass along the road until the man and the woman on the donkey faded into the night, then turned to climb the hill beside the road.

He looked under shrubs and behind boulders that were still warm from the sun's heat, hoping to find the lamb lying down with its forefeet tucked under itself. When he reached the top of the hill he turned slowly all around. He tried not to blink, so that if the lamb moved he would see it.

The lamb would want to find its mother, he knew. If he had a mother, he would want to be near her at night.

Then he lifted his eyes and gazed into the silent sky filled with stars. So many stars. Little, faint stars; big, bold, bright stars; some that twinkled like a distant campfire; some that shone with a steady brilliance.

And as he looked out at the stars, he began to hear a sound. It was a sound he could not describe, but it gave him the same kind of feeling he had when the woman on the donkey smiled. Only now the feeling grew inside him until he was filled with it. And at first he stood still, with the sound in his ears and full of the wonderful, warm feeling. And then he started back toward his father's fire. He was running when he came within the light of the fire. His father was there and Bartholomew called out to him.

"Father, father! Do you hear it?"

He was running so fast and so lightly only his toes seemed to touch the ground. His father turned toward him.

"Father! Do you hear it?" Bartholomew called out, and he was running, oh, so easily. "Do you hear the stars? The stars are singing!"



                                                                               The End

Letter From Aunt Millie Sheds Light on Fiegs in America

By Judy Kestner


On April 5, 1966 Emilie Fieg Case – known as Millie to her family – wrote a letter outlining our family's history in America. The letter was sent to my father (her nephew), Victor Philip Fieg, upon his request. On first glance it is simply a litany of dates and names but the small, personal details Millie includes make it a page-turner (especially if you are a relative of hers).


In a recent e-mail, Doris Holm, Aunt Millie's niece and daughter of Millie's brother Max, wrote that Millie's nickname in Milford, PA, where she raised her family, was The Old Timer, and that she led the Milford hiking club throughout the woods. Said Doris, "She was so remarkable (in) her memory and knowledge of the woods and wildlife there.  (They) could find their way over all the old Indian trails in the Poconos.  She knew where to find a rare wild orchid." Emilie Case was a renaissance woman!

The original hand-written letter was transcribed by my father on his typewriter. My own comments (some of which now seem like the musings of an old lady -- ok, Phyllis, I am older than you ...) are in italics.


A letter from Emilie (Fieg) Case – Aunt Millie – April 5, 1966
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1      If I knew how much your father told you of the family history, I'd know where to begin! (The exclamation mark inserted here is, for those who have never used a manual typewriter, created thus: the author typed a period, backspaced and topped it with an apostrophe. Perhaps the exclamation mark was perceived to be an unnecessary emphasis back in the dark ages and therefore not part of the original typewriter's keyboard.)

2      Our father Carl Fieg (According to genealogical research into the lineage of the second wife of his son, Max, Carl was known as Philip.  That may have been a middle name, but the middle name Victor is also attributed to him in other family literature.) was one of four brothers, Herman, Lothar and Frederick. The last (i.e. Frederick) came to America about 1890. Herman went to Australia and illustrated that book, Das Buch von Pferde.

3      I don't know what became of your great uncle Lothar but Frederick worked at publishing in Newark, N.J. and fathered six daughters and two sons. Only one daughter, Helen Griffith, is left. A retired school teacher, she lives in Milford and I wish you could talk to her. Her nephew Frederick Fieg is living in California – retired from the Army. His address: 118 N. Ost, Lombac (sic), Calif. 805-RF6-3661. (There were no ZIP codes back then and also, until the late 1960s, telephone exchanges began with two or three letters as a mnemonic device. The letters represented the exchange, or center, where the phone lines interconnected, such as PEnnsylvania 6-5000 -- i.e. 736-5000.)

4      The other son, Otto, of Frederick, Sr., went to South America under a cloud, did well there for Esso and died not so long ago. He had married a Portugese (sic) girl.

5      No one knows how or where Herman died.

6      Beta (Bertha) says our name was originally Fiegen. I didn't know that, or why they dropped the en.

7      Our father had a crooked partner in Germany, in the jewelry business and he had to go bankrupt – a terrible disgrace in Germany in 1898 or '99. So he slipped away to America ahead of his family and later sent for his family in May of 1899. We sailed on the ship The Pennsylvania, and arrived in New York in July. My mother Emilie Böhler (or alternately "Boehler," and pronounced "bailer."  The umlaut over the o here is hand-written.) was born in Baden Baden on Aug. 23, 1857. My father on July 11, I think also in 1857, or maybe before 1857. They were married in February, I think in 1879. (It is interesting to read that Aunt Millie was unsure about these dates. Birthdays and anniversaries are big business nowadays and people are supposed to make a big deal and spend lots of money on them. Steven Fieg researched the origin of birthdays and found that "when ancient peoples began taking notice of the moon's cycles [they began to pay] attention to the changing seasons and the pattern that repeated itself over and over and so they began to mark and note time changes. That's the start of birthday history." He also mentions that kings and nobles were originally the only people to have big birthday celebrations, "explained by a theory that nobility were the only people wealthy enough to throw such celebrations, and quite possibly were the only ones thought to be important enough to have been written about or remembered." Democracy – or socialism?? – at work!) I have a wedding ring home with the date on the inside. Our father died in 1906 – the year your father was still out west. How much do you know of his riding the rods out west? How did my mother ever let him go? (Millie is here referring to my grandfather Lothar who, as a young man, went west to work on the railroads.)

8      Martha was born May 7, 1885 and died Feb. 5, 1918. Max was born April 3, 1888. I've heard Max say that famous blizzard even occured (sic) in Germany; that when my mother was waiting for him to arrive the narrow streets – die Gasse – were filled with snow.

9      Beta was born May 5, 1890, and I on Dec. 7, 1894, tho people think Beta is younger than I.

10      (Dad was born Aug. 11, 1886 in Pforzheim.) (This parenthetical comment was inserted by my father. "Dad" is his father Herman Lothar Emil Fieg, who was called Lothar. Aunt Millie assumed details about my grandfather were already known by his son and thus she did not include them in her letter.)

11     We lived first in Yonkers in America; moved to Washington Ave. (in the Bronx; it runs from north to south between E. Fordham Ave. and E. 163rd St.), then to Park Ave. (which parallels Washington Ave. one block west. It follows the path of the railroad and continues as far south as the Major Deegan Parkway at the Harlem River.), then to Igleslock (Eagles Lock) at 173rd St. in the Bronx in the midst of a lovely cherry orchard. (173rd St. runs across the Bronx east to west from the Bronx River to the the Grand Concourse. Crotona Park interrupts its flow at one point and the street is also one block north of the smaller Claremont Park. Maybe the orchard was located in one of those parks. Interestingly, at the Bronx River, 173rd St. tees into W. Farms Rd.!) In March 1903 we moved to Schocopee in Pike County, Pa. Victor used to raise the most wonderful vegetables. He died in 1907, in March, of a kidney infection.

12     I'm afraid this letter is very disjointed.

13     Martha married George Daumann in April 1910. No children. Max married Nettie Newman at Christmas in 1909. (A hand-written asterisk is inserted here to indicate that Max's children are listed at the end of the letter.) Beta married Lester F. Bonardel May 19, 1914 – two sons, Victor, married Lois Proctor June 30, 1936. Lester Francis (Chick) married Roberta Vollmer in Nov. 1941 – six children: Robin, married to Fred Dunn July 1963, expecting a baby now; Linda, working for Lord & Taylor as a buyer in junior clothes: Diane, working as (a) secretary; Jeffery in high school, an ardent ballplayer; Dale; David.

14     Now my sons. Stanley – married Emily Porter Sept. 1, 1940 – (They) have two daughters, Judy, married to George Smith (teaches history at Whippany, N.J.). (They) have a baby Sharon born Aug. 9, 1965; Patricia, engaged to Rich Paetzold, and Jimmie, a senior in High School, hopes to go to Rider College next fall. Tim – or Thomas, May 10, 1917, married Alberta Krape of Naples, N.Y., July 8, 1944 – one daughter Shelby, 1947, going to York Junior College. Gifford – married Susannah Waggoner Aug. 29, 1940, four children, Richard, Nov. 18, 1941, Gerald, June, 1943, Lorraine, Aug. 11, 1945, Danny, May 3, 1949, in high school. Giff's home is at Maywood, Calif. but just now he is at Niles, Ohio, automating a Fisher Body plant. (Gifford was named after Pennsylvania governor Gifford Pinchot, the first American to be trained in forestry. He served as Chief Forester of the U.S. Division of Forestry under President Theodore Roosevelt and became governor of Pennsylvania in 1922. He was a tireless worker, often making himself available for citizens to walk into his office to speak to him. He established the first state budget and erased the state's debt. Governor Pinchot was a close friend of Aunt Millie's in-laws, the Cases.) All but Danny are married.

15     Richard, my #4 son, married Amelia Thomas in Nov. 1945. Four children: Richard, Sandra, Ronald and Debbie. #5 Walter married Betty Sittler May 15, 1954. Three daughters, Linda, 8; Suzanne, 6 and Beth, 2. My #6 son (Arthur) (named after Aunt Millie's husband) married Cathy Weeks Aug. 16, 1952. Two boys, Michael, 7 and Steven, 4.

16     I married Feb. 28, 1915.

Added in what I presume to be Aunt Millie's hand-writing is the following:

* Max & Nettie had 4 children

EUGENE CARL JAN. 6, 1911

HENRY DAVID MAR. 5, 1913

JANET MAXINE JAN. 3, 1916

EMMA MAY MAY 12, 1920

Nettie died Nov. 1921. Max remarried to Louise Voorhees March 23, 1923.

Born to them DORIS ANNE OCT 1, 1931.

CARL        M.      GERALDINE DALTON – 1936                         EUGENE JR.
                                                                                                         KAREN
                                                                                                         DAVID

HENRY     M.      CAROLINE HANNA – 1935                            (No children)

JANET      M.       RONDOLPH GREGORY – 1936                      RONALD
                                                                                                        DAVID
                                                                                                        GEORGE
                                                                                                        STEVEN

EMMA      M.       FRED WALTER – 1941                                    CAROL
                                                                                                        F. JOSEPH JR.
                                                                                                        NORMA
                                                                                                        TIMOTHY

DORIS      M.        ROBERT HOLM – 1949                                 JANET
                                                                                                       NANCY
                                                                                                       PETER
                                                                                                       ROBERTA
                                                                                                       MATTHEW

Guess Who This Is?

There are no prizes, but if you can guess the identity of this young man, you will be rewarded with a warm feeling in your heart.

Stay tuned!

Lisa Fieg Finds Big Apple is her Oyster

By Greg Fieg and Judy Kestner


Unable to locate yoga toe socks for three years, New Yorker Lisa Fieg was delighted to learn how easy -- to a New Yorker -- it was to get to Target to buy the long-sought items.  All she has to do is go downstairs to Vernon Blvd., cross the street, go down into the subway and take the number 7 train to Queens, get off at 74th and Broadway at the Indian enclave of Jackson Heights, climb five levels to the R train to Grand Ave. at the Latino enclave of Elmhurst and walk one block.  Voila -- Target at Queens Blvd. and 56th Avenue and socks galore!

That reminds me of a joke:  A man from Mexico, speaking no English, came to Corpus Christi over the Easter holidays last year to go to the cathedral and decided to also do some shopping.  He went to the men's department at Dillard's.  The sales clerk, who spoke no Spanish, offered his assistance.  They went to the shirts, the man shook his head no.  Underwear?  No.  Ties?  No.  Finally they came to the footwear.  "Eso si que es!" exclaimed the customer.  "Well if you knew how to spell it," said the salesman indignantly, "why didn't you say so??"

Jajajaja!

Fiegs To Mark NYC Founder's Death

Next year will mark the 350th anniversary of the death of Wolphert Gerretse Van Kouwenhoven, tenth great-grandfather of a number of Fiegs and Fieg cousins. 

According to genealogical research begun by distant Fieg cousin David Kipp Conover of West Jordan, UT, Grampa Wolfie, who died in the spring of 1662, arrived in the New World as part of an initiative headed by the Dutch West India Company.  He disembarked near Albany in 1625 but soon after established himself in Manhattan operating a farm for Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, one of the founders and directors of the Dutch West India Company.  The farm in the Bowery adjoined other agrarian enterprises including that of Peter Minuit, the governor general of the New Amsterdam colony. 


The Plumb Beach Channel in Gerritsen Beach



Wolfert later crossed the East River and purchased land the Lenape Indians called "Kestateuw."   He established a plantation there, the first known European settlement on Long Island, which he dubbed "Achterveldt."   His estate, commanding a view of Sheepshead Bay and Rockaway Point, became the focal point of the village of New Amersfoort, later called Flatlands.  The original location of his farm sits near the intersection of Flatbush Ave. and Kouwenhoven Pl. in Brooklyn.  The Gerritsen Park neighborhood and park on Sheepshead Bay are also named in his honor.



"He played an active role in laying the foundations of the communities of Manhattan, Albany, Rensselaer, and Brooklyn," Morton Wagman wrote in the 1979 Journal of Long Island History.  In addition to the Fiegs, other notable descendents of Wolphert Gerritse Van Kouwenhoven include presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt, 48th New York governor William Averell Harriman and actor Michael Douglas.



Crest of the Van Kouwenhoven family



Doris Fieg Holm is related to Grampa Wolfie through her mother, Louise Stewart Voorhees Fieg, wife of Max Fieg and granddaughter of Carl and Emilie Fieg who immigrated from Germany in 1899.  The Voorheeses are direct blood relations of Grampa Wolfie.







Kathy Whiteside Helps Kids Cope With Cancer

Dr. Robert Whiteside, via his daughter Marsha Adams, has shared an article published in The Daily Iowan about daughter-in-law Kathy Whiteside. 

In her role as senior child-life specialist at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Kathy brings laughter and respite to children being treated for cancer there, and to their families as well.  She has worked there for almost 27 years.

The entire article can be viewed at http://www.dailyiowan.com/2011/02/01/Metro/21023.html. 

Kathy, wife of Robert Whiteside II, originally planned to be a teacher but in college the newly created position of child-life specialist caught her imagination, and her heart, and she now is able to ensure that these kids have some fun times to remember from their hospital stay, not just sad or painful memories.

Uncle Bob also proudly mentions that Kathy has run in several marathons, including the Boston Marathon! 
That's enough to make you put down those Girl Scout cookies....

Kathy and Bob II have two girls, Molly and Annie Mig, and they live in West Branch, IA.

Can You Feature That? Word Paintings from the End of February, 2011

Diane Bookhout's kitties enjoying a snooze on her favorite recliner ("How did they know I wanted to sit there?").... Keenan Murphy, son of Jennifer and Don Murphy of Cooperstown, taking second place in the winter carnival sled races at Lake Front Park in the 6 and under category.... Carol and Bob Ramagosa in Florida preparing their boat for a trip north in the Intracoastal Waterway as soon as it thaws...!  Jean Fieg admiring a lovely birthday bouquet from nephen Steven Fieg....  Maxine and Robert Whiteside enjoying homemade chicken soup, and they weren't even sick....  Two-year-old Frances "Frankie" Corkery saying, "Thanks, Mommy!" to her mom, Sarah, after being breast-fed.... 

Bobby McGonigal Visits Diana Monaco

By Judy Kestner

Diana Monaco, middle daughter of the FFN founder V.P. Fieg, sent this message (lightly edited) about a visit from her first cousin Bobby McGonigal, youngest son of Emilie Fieg McGonigal, Philip's sister:

Just wanted you to know I had a nice visit from Bobby McGonigal yesterday. Bob's son Tyler lives with his wife about 20 minutes from me in Ft. Montgomery, NY.  Bob is dog-sitting for them while they take a vacation in San Diego, California.

He took the train from Rochester, NY to Croton-on-Hudson NY and was in awe of the sea of cars in the station’s parking lot.

Bob brought some pictures of his family -- wife Mary and sons Kyle & Tyler -- along with some Fieg & McGonigal photos that he had inherited from his mother. I showed him the photos that Steven Fieg had emailed me months ago and, when he saw the picture of his mother, Emilie, at the Fieg picnic he noted that her outfit was green. He said all her clothes were green and she didn’t wear any other color. Do you suppose it was because of her vibrant red hair?


Bob is retired from Eastman Kodak and spends his time hunting and fishing. Mary just got a job in the SUNY Brockport library where they did a background check on her and came up with Uncle Jim, or as they called him, J.J., McGonigal. Uncle Jim had been the head of all maintenance for SUNY Oneonta back when the McGonigals lived in Milford Center, NY., so they said she seemed to be very well connected.


Bill (Doyle) came home while Bob was here and they talked about Rochester, NY where Bill grew up, identifying places they both recognized. Bill spent much of his childhood with the LaVigne family in a cobblestone house on Ridge Road in Spencerport, NY, just outside of Rochester. The LaVignes had 10 children so I guess it was one of those, ‘What’s one more?’ kind of attitudes that Grandpa & Grandma had with Bob Wood in Oneonta at 10 North Sixth Street. The difference was that in Bill’s story, his father died and his mother had a hard time dealing with things whereas Bob Wood’s parents had divorced and Bob was living with his aunt. Bob McGonigal said he passed by that cobblestone house every day on his way to work from Kendall, NY to Eastman Kodak.


Bob was upset that there were no Wegman’s supermarkets in the Croton area but was amazed that we still have an A&P.

Here is a photo of Bobby in his younger days...

Can You Feature That? Word Paintings from the Week of Feb. 2, 2011

By Greg Fieg and Judy Kestner

Air Force Col. Edward L. Fieg sleeping in a tent at Camp Bullis, Texas, while waiting for snow as temperatures plunge to 15 degrees.... Ed and Greg Fieg enjoying fresh oysters on a half shell with horseradish and cocktail sauce in San Antonio.... Ed Williams digging out in Chicago, and digging out and digging out and digging out.... Janet McHenry readying to leave the Sierras for Berkeley to take daughter Bethany to a George Strait concert in Fresno.... Pete Holm bracing for 20 inches of snow in Buffalo, MO.... Doris Holm, 84, playing nine holes of golf in the Sacramento area's 60-degree weather while the rest of the nation is hammered by the third worst blizzard in 100 years.... Unusual Allen's Hummingbird banded in Judy Kestner's front yard.... John Roman now working at home after finding a new job.... Steven Fieg awaiting receipt of DVDs of Fieg family home movies.... Marsha Adams receiving a heretofore unknown childhood photo of her mom, Maxine Whiteside....

Cindy Harris, Doug Fieg Featured on CNBC

By: Greg Fieg and Judy Kestner

Keying in on a government investment promotion, the international financial news network CNBC on Feb. 2 featured a television broadcast from the Alpacas at Windy Hill ranch at Somis, Calif., where owner Cindy Harris gave broadcasters a guided tour. 

The three-hour interview, pared down to two minutes for airing, was taped on Jan. 27.  The producer's tour of the farm held a surprise for all:  the birth of a male cria! 

Cindy, a former teacher and musician, runs the operation with her partner and husband, retired electrical engineer Doug Fieg, formerly of Ste. Genevieve, MO. 

In an e-mail, Doug said, "We finally made it [the live portion] after being delayed…not because of the 20 mile-an-hour winds that we had at the originally planned time, but because of the happenings in Egypt. The live portion was done today [Feb. 2] at about 1:50 PM local....  It looks like it turned out to be pretty good!" He included the following link to the story: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1777352649&play=1 (Check out Cindy's dimples!)

Cindy and Doug at Windy Hill

Cindy explained to TV reporter Jane Wells that she initially went into the alpaca business to find a tax deferment for acreage she was using as horse pasture. Now the business provides their prime source of income, as the ranch is home to about 400 alpacas, half belonging to Cindy and Doug and the rest to various ranchers and other investors.

Their 25-acre spread is an ideal setting for alpacas because of its largely level turf, lush green foliage, dry climate, plentiful, year 'round, warm Southern California sunshine and refreshing breezes coming off the nearby Pacific Ocean. It is the largest such operation in the Golden State.

The llama-like creatures are native to South America, and a single, young, mature male can be valued as high as $25,000. To maintain the integrity of the herd, only about one percent of males are acceptable as breeders, Doug said.

Cindy and Doug have become attached to some of their animals over the years, such as Torbio, their star import from Peru, who has sired some 200 offspring. Doug admires him for his productivity, yes, but there's something more.

"It's also affection," Doug explained. "He's just the nicest guy to handle. He's cool. I work with him every day. He's 20 years old, which is pretty old, like 100 years old in human years." 

(X-rated video at http://www.alpacalink.com/Torbiovideo.html.)

Torbio "Al" Paca

Windy Hill also has four herding dogs:  three Anatolian shepherds and a large half-Anatolian/half-Great Pyrenees, a sizable and especially effective defender when muscle is required to fend off predators such as coyotes. The dogs are bred to be protective of the herd, but are friendly to the humans.

As pointed out by the CNBC report, the government wants to promote development of alpaca wool for domestic and export use, and thus allows investors to deduct their entire investment. Investors can participate at Windy Hill with as little as 20 percent down, with competitive terms.

Cindy and Doug, doing their part to reduce the nation's trade imbalance, provide stock, veterinary consultation, sales promotion and breeding and boarding services for ranchers throughout the country, in addition to other investors. (Animals rejected as breeders occasionally be can be purchased inexpensively, or can be had for free as novelty pets and automated, environmentally friendly lawn mowers!)

More than 15 ranchers currently have stock at Windy Hill, according to a recent count, where introductory seminars and workshops conducted with participation by Windy Hill's live-in veterinarian are also offered. The classes are offered for both novices and journeymen.  The whole story is laid out on their website:  http://www.alpacalink.com/mainpage.html. 

Judy Spots Truly Rare Birds in Subtropical Texas

By Greg Fieg

The year 2010 marked a milestone for Judy Kestner, your intrepid editor, as she spotted two highly unusual birds to add to her birder's life list:  the Northern Wheatear and the Amazon Kingfisher.

Both were spotted within a two-hour drive of her home in Corpus Christi, Texas, which is situated in a lush, subtropical Gulf Coast savannah where hundreds of bird species spend the winter, from the huge, endangered Whooping Crane to tiny, flitting hummingbirds, which though rare in the coldest months do over-winter often. It's sort of an ornithological heaven.

Judy has counted 387 species since she began logging them about 10 years ago, but rarely has had an experience like 2010, when she spotted the wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) thousands of miles out of its habitat and migratory path. Normally the bird, a type of thrush, can be found on the fringes of the Arctic Circle in Greenland and Alaska during its summer breeding season and at the edges of the Sahara Desert in West Africa in winter when its nesting territory is uninhabitably icebound, with temperatures as low as 50 degrees below zero Fahrenheit and sometimes colder. Among birds of the world, its seasonal flight paths are some of the longest, traversing desert, ocean tundra and ice.

"They think maybe it got blown off course during migration," Judy said, noting that the gray and white insect eater, named because of a wheat-colored ear patch, was located on an Amish farm outside Beeville, TX where bugs are plentiful because insecticides are not used. Birders from all over the United States flocked to the Borntrager farm to ogle the bird and purchase delectable homemade pecan and peanut brittle. Coincidentally, another (or the same???) wheatear had been spotted on an Amish farm in Ohio earlier that year.

The Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona), spotted along Zacate Creek in the Rio Grande community of Laredo on the Mexican border, was nearly 1,000 miles north of its usual territory which stretches from the southern extreme of Mexico south as far as the hot and semi-arid Gran Chaco region of northern Argentina.

The Amazon Kingfisher is a shimmering emerald green with white belly and collar and looks much like its South Texas cousin, the Green Kingfisher, but is some three times larger, measuring more than 12 inches long from the tip of its bill to its tail.

Both rare birds were American Birding Association regional sighting records:  the second wheatear record in Texas and the first for the kingfisher in continental North America.

Judy has been fascinated by birds most of her cognitive life, following the lead of her mother, Jean Davie Fieg, who recorded that one of Judy's first words at age 14 months was "robin" (pronounced "ah-boon") .

Judy is a member of the Texas Ornithological Society, recording secretary for the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi and a founding member of the Monte Mucho Audubon Club of Laredo. Occasionally she leads field trips for both clubs and was a field trip leader for the TOS at their annual spring meeting in Rockport, TX in 2010.

Judy also participates in two to three annual Christmas Bird Counts near her home, counting as many live birds (seen or heard) in one day as she can identify. The National Audubon Society established CBCs early in the twentieth century in the early days of conservation in response to a tradition called the Christmas "Side Hunt" when hunters sought to shoot as many birds as possible.

Lisa Fieg Admires Jodi Applegate's New 'Do'

By Greg Fieg

Transplanted New Yorker Lisa Fieg joined WPIX anchorwoman Jodi Applegate for side-by-side hairdos at Liz Russell's Third Avenue salon and looked on approvingly as the 46-year-old beauty had her hair specially prepared for her upcoming nuptials.

Applegate, who will marry New York Yankees Yes Network broadcaster Michael "See ya!" Kay just in time for Michael's 50th birthday on February 2, is having an updo created to accommodate an elaborate headpiece requiring what she described as an open forehead. This is the first demonstration of the cut which can be modified after she models her gown in advance of the ceremony. The hairdo cost well over $100.

This is Applegate's second marriage and the first for the elusive, man-about-town groom. A native of the boroughs and a Fordham grad, Kay proposed on Montauk Beach in July with the presentation of a stunning emerald-cut four-carat diamond ring. The wedding will take place at the renowned Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.

Jodi sports a thick mane of hair which has to be carefully thinned by the stylist to ensure the headpiece will stay in place throughout the ceremony.

Lisa has met a number of celebrities as she makes her way around town, including Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Woody Allen and wife Soon-Yi, Warren Beatty, William Hurt, Matt Dillon, Ringo Starr.




WPIX Anchorwoman Jodi Applegate

Dorothy Fieg Roman Receives Visitors

By Greg Fieg

Dorothy Fieg Roman, 82, received family visitors, including two of her three sons, at her Bridgewater, NJ home over the past weekend.

Having been retired for a number of years, Dorothy cheerfully greeted No. 1 son John Roman, nieces Lisa Fieg and Diana Monaco and nephew Greg Fieg. Earlier in the day she was paid a visit by No. 3 son Mark Roman and granddaughter Jessica Roman.

Dorothy vividly recalled her days as a girl growing up in Oneonta, describing in colorful detail the day of her wedding and her entry-level job as a legal secretary for the late multi-millionaire attorney Al "il avvocato" Ferone and his partner John Steidel. (Steidel's offices are now occupied by another of Dorothy's nephews, William R. Bookhout, of Oneonta and Cazenovia.)

She was misty remembering the funeral of her dad, Lothar Fieg, the moving eulogy of mayor Roger G. Hughes and the Stars and Stipes lowered to half staff over city hall in memorial.

Dorothy told of her father's unsuccessful endeavor to manufacture brass-lined garden boxes which lost him thousands of dollars. She remembered passenger service at the train station in Oneonta and the flag man at the grade crossing at Gas Avenue.

Her guests heard about Tony Molinari, the wealthy former bootlegger who lived across the street, and the tiny Pine St. apartment, rented from Wilmer Bresee, that she shared with her husband, the late Robert Roman.

Also among Dorothy's recollections were the conversion of her parents' homestead furnace from rock coal to pea coal, which could be fed into the fire automatically instead of hand stoked. She remembered ice being delivered by horse-drawn wagon and the return of her brothers Bud, Frank and Philip after World War II.

She confirmed a story that had been disputed about Uncle Bud who, sitting at the kitchen table, had a momentary Pavlovian response to the sound of the commonplace Oneonta noon whistle. At its sound he leaped up and bolted outside, the screen door clattering against the doorjamb, as if the whistle signaled an impending air raid. Bud retired from the military as a captain at the end of the war, having flown the P-51 with the Army Air Corps.

Lisa, Diana, Greg and John later repaired to John's 2,000 sq. foot luxurious garden home in an exclusive gated community in Somerset, NJ. Mark and Jessica also stopped by to visit John and his wife, Anne, who set a marvelous table for the entire group.

Those in attendance also decided, a quorum being present, that the next Fieg family reunion will be held in July 2012 in Cooperstown. Susan Williams, who heads our ad hoc accommodations committee, was consulted by telephone.

Aunt Dorothy at the Roman home in 2008 - computer generated graphic renderning. Cute, huh!

Marsha Adams Celebrates The Big 6-0

By Judy Kestner

Marsha Whiteside Adams, the first-born child of Dr. Robert and Maxine Fieg Whiteside, recently celebrated her sixtieth birthday with an adults-only get-together at the vacation home of her brother and sister-in-law, Jeff and Kathi Whiteside.  Marsha's siblings and their spouses, Anne and Kevin Still and Bob II. and Kathy Whiteside, and her hubby, Bill, joined the festivities.

Marsha writes, "Too late in life my sibs and I have discovered the joy of getting together with our spouses--but not our parents or kids--to spend a few days celebrating whoever is having the big birthday.


"In early August we had a birthday rendezvous for my 60th, and that began my month long party. We met in Door County, WI, the peninsula of Wisconsin, on the Green Bay side. Jeff and Kathi have a darling 100 year-old cottage and a beautiful power boat there and graciously hosted us for a long weekend. We had a hot day (yes, they do have a few in Wisconsin) and spent the day at a beach on an island pigging out on sweet corn and Jeff's famous ribs. The next day was cool and a bit rainy but didn't stop us from taking a long cruise on their boat.

"One memorable moment--champagne and cake for dinner. Don't tell Mom! "

Here is a photo of the Whiteside kids on the "yacht."  Nice looking crew!

Sonja Davie Passes Away

By Judy Kestner

Sonja Thorsland Davie, sister-in-law to Jean Davie Fieg, died in Cooperstown on December 13 at about 3:00 in the afternoon from complications of a lung disease.


Sonja and her husband, the late Raymon Davie, are remembered as gracious hosts, opening the doors at their lakeside camp and their home on Pioneer Street not only to members of their immediate family but also to friends, acquaintances and friends-of-friends alike.  The conversation was excellent, the food superlative and the love palpable.

Jean Fieg, whose late husband V. Philip Fieg is founder of the Fieg Family Newsletter, said, "I always think of Sonja as being 39," and that young-at-heart attitude was her signature. 

Sonja's niece Diana Monaco said she was laughing and joking almost right up to the end.  I can hear her now.

Sonja is survived by daughter Lori Price, her husband John and son Jack of Leesburg, VA, and son Stephen Davie, his wife Sharon and their children Kyle, Ryan, Peyton, Dylan and Keelin of Chittenango, NY.

There will be a memorial service in the spring of 2011.

Photographer Adams Posts Asian Trip

By Greg Fieg

Bill Adams Jr. this year finished posting the results of his Southeast Asian photographic excursion, adding shots of Viet Nam to an online collection which previously included pictures of Egypt and various domestic locales.

The former Iowa Hawkeye, 30, who used his business degree with a heavy computer science emphasis to land a job as a psychiatric genetic research data base designer, is attempting to step into the photographic field full-time.

Billy traveled to Viet Nam's Mekong Delta in January with two Vietnamese-American friends whose acquaintance he made in his city of residence, Iowa City, IA.  The trio traveled for more than a month by bicycle, motor scooter and automobile from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Hanoi as Billy immersed himself in the culture.  He was welcomed with open arms as he visited the homes of his friends' relatives, who presented him with a dinner of roasted rat.  (Yum yum.)  During the trip he also tasted wild boar, squid, snails, snake, fried pig intestines and other local "delicacies." 

Often the food was purchased from street markets where there is no refrigeration, so everything was prepared fresh.  The Vietnamese also eat dog meat, but as far as Billy knows he didn't have any.  (Whew.)

Bill's pictures can be seen at http://www.billadamsphoto.com/, which features a broad collection of his work, and at http://www.billadamswedding.com/, which specializes in matrimonial subjects.  He also has a sideline as a rock and roll drummer. In fact he says, "I got my start (in photography) in college around 1999 shooting photos and video in the local punk rock scene."



Billy is the son of Marsha and Bill Adams Sr. of Dakota Dunes, SD and the grandson of Maxine and Dr. Robert Whiteside of Sioux City, IA.  He contributes free-lance work to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, the Chicago Pioneer Press and the Cedar Rapids Gazette.




Viet Nam Haircut -- Billy was waiting his turn....



Col. Edward L. Fieg Assigned to Middle East

By Greg Fieg

Col. Edward L. Fieg, who has been serving as deputy chief of medical staff at Travis Air Force Base in northern California, has received another assignment in the Middle East.  Dr. Fieg has been named director of Joint Combat Casualty Research in the Afghani and Iraqi theaters of war and will depart April 10, 2011.  This will be his fifth overseas assignment and his third in the Middle East.  The positions he has held include acting surgeon general for the Afghani government, a post which earned him the moniker "Edward of Kandahar" and a Bronze Star for service above and beyond the call of duty.

Ed is the son of the late Franklin W. Fieg and the former Marina Pizano, and grandson of Lothar Fieg Sr.

Family To Observe Carabelli Centennial

By Greg Fieg

Next year Cleveland will mark the hundredth anniversary of the passing of noted sculptor and state legislator Joseph Carabelli, co-creator of the President James A. Garfield mausoleum there.

Carabelli, great-grandfather of Ed Williams, husband of Susan Fieg Williams, was the founder of the Lake View Granite & Monumental Company which continues today under new ownership as the Johns-Carabelli Co. 

Carabelli immigrated to the United States from Italy in 1870 to work his craft in New York City where he created a number of sculptures including some commissioned for the Federal Building.

President Garfield, felled by a madman's bullet as he stepped off the train in Washington, died on Sept. 18, 1881.  He is honored with an elaborate Carabelli monument at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, which is considered to be the country's first mausoleum and is grander than the tombs of both Lincoln and Washington.  

The exterior of the 180-foot tall crypt is comprised of a sandstone terrace, five bas relief panels of Garfield's life and an observation deck.  The interior with its stained glass windows, mosaic tiles and marble stairs is equally elaborate and amazingly, includes a ballroom!  A marble statue of Garfield stands in the center of the hall.



Known as the "Father of Little Italy" in recognition of his many civic endeavors and contributions to the Italian-American community in Cleveland, Carabelli was also a pillar of his church.

"He was a devout Catholic," said 91-year-old Eleanor Carabelli Williams of Youngstown, Joseph Carabelli's granddaughter and Ed's mother.  "He was instrumental in bringing a number of Catholic priests to the United States from Italy."  Ed and Susan, who reside in the Chicago area, visit the cemetery often on their way to visit Eleanor.

Carabelli, who died on April 19, 1911, was elected in 1908 as the first Italian-American state representative.  In 1910, he capped his political career by pushing through the legislature a bill proclaiming Columbus Day an official state holiday.


He was personally acquainted with the late oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller who made a key contribution to a settlement house founded by Carabelli.  Rockefeller's monument, also in Lake View Cemetery, was created by Joseph's son, also named Joseph, after Rockefeller's death in 1937.   It is a 70-foot tall obelisk where, reminiscent of Rockefeller's habit of offering dimes to the people he met, visitors often leave their own dimes in hopes of having their wealth increased like Rockefeller's.

Rumor has it that the Garfield mausoleum is haunted.  Unexplained lights have been seen inside at night and some claim that the ghosts of Garfield and Rockefeller engage in an on-going chess game using the cemetery's tombstones as chess pieces!



Ed's mom sold her interests in the monument company to the Johns family in 1970.  Ed is a retired electrical engineer and Susan operates Good BuyTravel in Chicago.

James A. Garfield Mausoleum, Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, OH



McGonigals Relocate to Virginia

By Judy Kestner

Marilyn McGonigal, wife of Jon McGonigal, dropped your editor a lovely note the other day, which I have copied, lightly edited, below.  She also kindly enclosed three photos that I will attempt to insert as well.

Dear Judy -
.... The move was very hard but we are here now and settling in and love it here.
     Our new address is 1500 N. Coalter St. #E-4, Staunton, VA 24401.  We live in an apartment complex (5 buildings) and outdoor swimming pool in the middle.  We have 3 bedrooms, kitchen, small dinette area and 2 full baths! (I love that!)
.... I am taking line dance lessons one hour per week and helping in an after school program two afternoons.  Have made three new friends - play cards and go walking and to church with them.
    Jon and I go to this beautiful park and feed the ducks.

Also enclosed is a photo of the Blue Ridge Mts.  We have gone across Sky Line Drive twice since we've been down here.

    Hope to visit in N.Y. around Thanksgiving.

    Love to all,

          Marilyn

Also enclosed was this photo of Jon's mother, Emilie Fieg McGonigal (b. June 29, 1915, d. January 15, 1984), taken in the '60s.  I was amused to see my mother's handwriting on the back -- what goes around etc....!

Greg Fieg Talks With William Shatner on Radio

By Greg Fieg

Anyone looking for a modest diversion today can hear Greg Fieg speaking with television icon William Shatner as a guest questioner on the daily NPR radio talk show "On Point" hosted by Tom Ashbrooke.

Shatner, appearing on the show to promote his new CBS TV series "$#*! My Father Says," took questions from Greg and other listeners regarding his long, varied and stellar television and motion picture career. Greg recalled that Shatner, at the beginning of his career, appeared on the late Rod Serling's classic television show "The Twilight Zone" playing a former World War II pilot on a commercial flight who, while looking out the window, spots a gremlin sabotaging the jetliner. The episode is one of many classics and is well remembered by fans of the program that ran on CBS from 1959 to 1964.

Shatner, relatively unknown at the time, was among a number of future stars who appeared on various episodes on the series, including Robert Redford, Julie Harris, Burt Reynolds, Telly Savalas, Cliff Robertson, Barry Nelson, Cameron Mitchell and Claude Aikens to name just a few. Greg asked Shatner how it was that so many undiscovered stars appeared on the series, and whether that was because top talent competed for the roles or whether the producers sought out top talent.

"I got a call asking me to play a part and I accepted it as a workaday project," Shatner said.

He called series creator Serling, the producer and the casting director "prescient" in finding actors with potential, but said the key was that those hired should be willing to work for very little money.

He remembered that the entire cast of his episode was comprised solely of him, "some guy in a monkey suit" and a handful of bit players and extras, which enabled the producer to hold the budget to a minimum. He also explained that there were many other individuals of enormous talent who might have been as big or bigger show business successes than he, but were not in the right place at the right time and thus not as lucky.

The radio program will be replayed on NPR throughout the day in various cities and time zones and will be accessible in the archives on the NPR website for some time to come, or on the WGBH Boston website.

"The Twilight Zone" program continues to run in syndication throughout the country.

Russell Fieg -- Four Years Cancer Free!

By Judy Kestner

Sue Williams, only daughter of the late Lothar "Bud" Fieg, reports that her brother, Russell, recently underwent a biopsy to investigate "spots" in his bladder and received the excellent results that they were not cancerous.

Says Sue, "This is the 3rd time since 2008 that he has had the "scare" and the 2nd time that it has been very good news! ... Let's hope the good news continues in the future w/frequent check ups!"  I will add an "amen" to that cheerful report.

Kevin Corkery Plays Drums for 'Rent'

By Greg Fieg

Kevin Corkery, husband of Sarah Fieg Corkery, has been selected to play drums as part of a five-piece rock ensemble in a presentation of the Tony winning Broadway show "Rent," being produced by the Orpheus Theatre group in his hometown of Oneonta, NY.

Simultaneously it will be staged Sept. 18-20 at Goodrich Theater at State University of New York at Oneonta, featuring a cast of largely local talent including theater majors from the school.

The original Broadway production, featuring musical and dance compositions by Jonathan Larson, opened in New York in 1996 with current primetime television staple Jesse L. Martin of NBC's Law and Order, and continues its run to this day.

The musical is based on the story line from the Italian opera La Boheme by Puccini, but updates the setting from 19th century Paris to New York's contemporary Greenwich Village, where struggling artists and musicians deal with the challenges of urban life. Admission is open to the general public. Tickets range from $15 to $25.

Kevin, father of five girls, is a graduate of State University of New York at Potsdam, where he majored in economics. He is a professional financial adviser, with offices at 15 South Main St. in Oneonta.

http://www.orpheustheatre.limewebs.com/Website/index.htm