Brookdale residents are best buddies

TOWN OF MANLIUS – If the search was on for one trio to embody International Friendship Day when it came across the calendar late last month, Harvey Hosford, Dan Murphy and Bob Haas would’ve been your guys.
Though they met after being assigned to a table and “stuck with each other” as they like to joke, the three residents of the Brookdale Manlius living facility have grown closer ever since, enriching one another’s lives with their shared sense of humor.
Nowadays, it’s gotten to be that they gladly choose to sit with each other, and when you find one, you frequently find the other two.
“We have a great group here,” Murphy said. “The dining room is always wondering, ‘What are these guys talkin’ about? They’re always laughing and carrying on.’ They always say our table has so much activity and so much going on.”
Known as “The Three Musketeers” around Brookdale and self-described as “The Chairmen of the Board,” Hosford, Murphy and Haas share gossip and talk about the weather, politics and the state of the world, but they also look to boost each other’s spirits and ask about how they’re feeling day to day.
“All the troubles get settled at our table,” Hosford said.
Overall, though, they said they like to maintain positive attitudes and not get too serious or down about anything, treating their conversations to some degree as therapy sessions that keep them going.
At 97, Hosford is the oldest of the three. A longtime Onondaga Hill resident prior to his move into Brookdale two and a half years ago, he previously worked for New York State Parks for 40 years as a laborer and then as a park ranger and park supervisor before retiring in 1985.
“What I hope to do is be retired for as many years as I worked,” Hosford said.
Trailing close behind him in age is Murphy, 96, who had already been living in Manlius when he came to Brookdale four years ago. He worked for about 50 years as a financial planner for New York Life Insurance, the same company his son and grandson work for now.
A former Eastwood resident, Haas was employed as a shop teacher in the East Syracuse Minoa school district from 1960 around the time of its consolidation until 1990.
Haas, who’s 88 years old and referred to as the “add-on” who made it a trio of friends two years ago, said he’s trying to catch up to the other two in age, though he has accomplished that goal of being retired longer than he worked.
In addition to being able to “touch all the bases” when conversing having come from different career backgrounds, “The Chairmen of the Board” are also active at the monthly meetings of the Brookdale Manlius resident council, for which Murphy is the president.
That council is a committee of residents that gathers to discuss recent happenings at the facility on Flume Road, anything they determine to be in need of improvement, and people they wish to recognize.
Pointing to the rapport he has with them, Hosford said he only wishes he could’ve met Murphy and Haas years earlier. Still, he’s thankful they got along so quickly on their way to becoming close friends.