Question: This photo was in the Rotogravure section of a Syracuse newspaper several years ago. As you can see from the lettering on the front, the double-decker trolley was part of the Syracuse, Lakeside & Baldwinsville Railway. What do you know about it and its route?
Last week’s answer: The collage from last week shows images of most of our eight schools’ namesakes.
The one on the upper left is Charles W. Baker, who served the school district as a teacher and administrator. He joined the faculty of the South Side Grade School (Canton Street School) in January of 1915 and was made principal there in September of that same year. He later became Baldwinsville principal (there was only one). He retired in 1946. He also was instrumental in founding the Baldwinsville Public Library. When the current high school opened in 1954, it was called by our school district’s long time name: Baldwinsville Academy and Central School. In December of 1960, the named changed to honor Mr. Baker and today we call it C.W. Baker High School.
The next photo to the right is of former Baldwinsville school superintendent Donald S. Ray, who was recognized at the school’s dedication in 1976. He served as Baldwinsville’s chief school administrator from January 1956 to July 1971. This building, Donald S. Ray Middle School, was the school district’s second junior high and is located on Van Buren Road.
The photo on the top right is of Theodore R. Durgee. He is the namesake of Theodore R. Durgee Junior High School which was dedicated in 1960. He devoted his life to the education of children, including 37 years of active service in Baldwinsville as a classroom teacher, junior high school principal, high school principal, acting district principal and assistant superintendent in charge of instruction. He also served Baldwinsville youth in many other capacities, most notably the formation of Boy Scout Troop 80.
Bottom left is a photo of Catherine McNamara. Catherine M. McNamara Elementary School on O’Brien Road was dedicated to her in 1962. She grew up in Cold Spring and was educated in Baldwinsville schools, graduating in 1911. She also started her teacher training in Baldwinsville as a member of the training class. For many years she taught fifth grade in the South Side Grammar School on Canton Street.
The middle picture on the bottom row is that of Harry E. Elden. He started his career in Baldwinsville by teaching at the Northside Grammar School, which was located on the corner of Virginia and Elizabeth streets. He was supervising principal of the Baldwinsville School System for 19 years, retiring in 1938. A quote from the newspaper at the time of his retirement says, “He built the Baldwinsville school system into one of the most highly regarded school organizations, not only in the county, but in the state.”
L. Pearl Palmer is pictured at the right on the bottom row. She grew up in Baldwinsville and was descended from Lysander’s earliest settlers. She graduated from Baldwinsville Academy in 1913 and joined the Baldwinsville faculty in 1923. After many years as history teacher in the academy, she became a curriculum advisor in 1955. She retired in June 1960. Her love of history led her to become the official historian of the town of Lysander. Her extensive writings are readily available.
You may notice that there are only six photos, but there are eight school buildings. Mae E. Reynolds Elementary School in Village Green, was named after junior high English teacher Mae Reynolds. Her first year of teaching was in Red Creek after which she obtained her position here. She taught English in Baldwinsville for over 35 years. She also was advisor to the Junior High Student Council and started a junior high newspaper. Her photo is not included because she was noted as being camera shy. No previous yearbooks have a good image of her. If anyone has a good photo of her, please let Bonnie Kisselstein know so that she can make a copy of it. Drop it at the library so that she can copy it and return it to you.
The last building, Van Buren Elementary on Ford Street, was not named after an individual, but after the township in which it is located, the town of Van Buren.
Email your guess to [email protected] or leave a message at 315-434-8889 ext. 332 with your guess by noon Friday. If you are the first person to correctly identify an element in the photo before the deadline, your name and guess will appear in next week’s newspaper, along with another History Mystery feature. History Mystery is a joint project of the Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse and the Baldwinsville Public Library.
