Years Ago
This column is a revitalized weekly addition to the paper. The following moments in history are selected, researched, and edited by Skaneateles High School students enrolled in Kate Hardy’s 10th grade Honors English class. For the next school year they hope to celebrate the past and remember the days from years ago. Thank you to the Skaneateles Library and the Historical Society for providing the Press archives.
20 Years Ago
… an article was published on septic tank safety. The article addresses the fact that without proper maintenance, a septic tank can cause serious health problems. Proper maintenance can prevent those embarrassing backups that one may experience. If you do get one of these backups they can be very expensive to fix so the article gives the people of the town the option of four workshops to teach them how to properly maintain a functional septic system. Today it is speculated that improper septic maintenance in Skaneateles may have contributed to the algae bloom problems in our lake. In order for Blue-Green Algae to form there must be two key factors in a body of water. One is high temperatures, which explains why the algae blooms have occurred during the summer months. The other is the amount of available nutrients in the water, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus. These are two elements that are released in human waste, which normally isn’t a problem but for people with faulty septic systems near the lake, the runoff of human waste creates a surplus of nitrogen and phosphorus in turn creating the algae bloom. The writers of this column urge you to inspect your septic tanks and to take the precautions necessary to keep it functioning properly. This is larger than an issue of faulty septic systems, this is our lake, our town, and our home and we urge you to keep it clean.
40 Years Ago
…the Skaneateles Press advertised that the Red Cross was offering classes to willing participants. The classes were offered at the Central New York division and gave volunteers the opportunity to receive certification to teach some safety classes usually taught by the Red Cross. At this program they offered classes like basic swimming, sailing, and canoeing as well as water safety and first aid, with no fee. Today, if you go to the Red Cross’s official website, you can type in your address and sign up for a class nearby that interests you. Red Cross programs are very beneficial because they can provide you with the training and skills needed to respond to emergencies. Today there are also many jobs that require these skills in order to help and deal with any kind of emergency. According to the Red Cross, even jobs like babysitting can benefit from the training provided by the Red Cross when handling children who might require aid in unlikely moments. The Red Cross now teaches more classes than ever before and you could be better equipped to deal with emergencies if you sign up today.
60 Years Ago
… the town of Skaneateles was preparing for their second Junior Olympics. Athletes from all over Onondaga County were welcomed and encouraged to showcase their skills. Ribbons were awarded for the first five places in each event, and a medal to first place winners. Trophies were awarded to the first place relay team of the 880 yard relay, and 1600 (mile) relay, as well as an “outstanding performance” award for the overall most achieved athlete after the completion of all events. In 2018, Waterman Elementary School held their very own “Winter Olympics” complete with an opening ceremony! Second grade students had been working on mock models of various Olympic tools such as a curling stone, bobsled, and hockey goal in their STEM lab. In reward for their hard work, and in spirit of honoring our past, all participants were awarded a medal handed out by our former superintendent, Mr. Slentz, and former elementary principal, Mr. Casler-Goncalves. This tradition has strengthened the appreciation for athletics and sense of community like it did 60 years ago.
80 Years Ago
… the Skaneateles Press published an article acknowledging the local senior class. The paper announced there would be 74 seniors graduating from Skaneateles High School in 1939. The article also noted that the previous year of 1938 had graduated a record of 86 students. Furthermore, the article informed readers that the ceremony would be held in the high school auditorium. This June, there will be over 120 students graduating from Skaneateles High School. This number seems exceptionally higher than that of the 1939 class, but 80 years is a long time and through all of them the class sizes in Skaneateles have fluctuated. This year our seniors will be celebrated and honored in the annual graduation ceremony on June 23 in Clift Park at 1pm. As always, our small town is very proud of these students who will be representing their hometown wherever they go and in all that they do.
100 Years Ago
In 1919, a Virginian man named Dr. Frederick C. Martin had served 22 and a half years in prison of his 67 year sentence for stealing $70 worth of goods. He was given 1 year for every $3.10 he stole. According to usinflationcalculator.com, $3.10 in 1919 is equal to $45.79 now for a total of $1,034.01 stolen. This might seem outrageous to serve 22 and a half years for stealing $1000 dollars’ worth of goods. However if a thief doesn’t have any prior crimes, and stole about $1,000 worth of goods, it is considered a presumptive probation crime according to Roth Davies LLC, a trial law firm. This means that an individual could avoid jail time all together if it were their first major offense. Instead they would pay a fine and go on probation. Dr. Frederick C. Martin had earlier served a total of 16 and a half years for prior thefts before he served his most recent 22 and half year sentence. Following his time served, the judge sentenced him to a $50 fine and 30 days in a workhouse.
