Indian River Central School - Ojequack Yearbook (Philadelphia, NY)

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Mrs. Reed'' She has been the Cafeteria Manager for 10 years now and President of the lefferson County School Food Service Associ- ation (S.F.S.A.). 8 of her 20 employees work here in the high school. They are great people. They work their tails off and put up with a lot of gruff Those people are Mrs Bushaw, Mrs. Hewitt. Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Demel, and Mr. Colwell, also Mrs. Laidlaw who has worked here 18 years, Mrs. McFarlan who has worked here 17 years, and Mrs. Currier who has worked here 15 years. Helen Mack, who works at the Antwerp Elementary School, has been employed since 1959. Mrs. Reed still looks forward to her job and hopes to be here another 10 years. She says there is a certain satisfaction in knowing that you help feed 75% of the students. Generally everyone is co- operative but, there is always a few who ruin it. The more you give them the more they want. When Mrs. Reed first came here she remembers being scared to death but, not for long. Besides making the menus, ordering the food, preparing the food, overseeing 20 employees and feeding 2000 students, 9 administrators, teachers, and custodians, Mrs. Reed has made some outstanding accomplishments. In 1981 she was the hostess for the New York State S.F.S.A. Conference. It was held in Nevele, a resort area in the Catskills. 700 to 800 people attended Mrs. Reed said that she enjoyed it and met many people. When she first came to work here the cafeteria had a serious problem-a $6,000.00 debt One of her most memorable events was when we didn't own any more money. The cafeteria was Mr. Donald Currier and Mr. Royce Picked? They are just 2 of the custodians that keep the school running during the day Mr Grant Hall. Mrs. Doris Gibson, Mr. Jim Lapme and Mr. Mark Zygadlo also work in the building during school hours. Mr John Traufler and Mr Dwayne Schawl work after school and Mr Lester Petty is the night time custodian not affected by this years budget cuts because it is self sufficient (Perhaps she could give Reagan a lesson or two) . . others? The Survivors Staff would have liked to include many more people to this Do you know? section but. we ran out of time and space. So, see if you can get to know these individuals yourself. Mrs. Waite, Mrs. Thorton, Mrs. Linkenfelter, Mrs. Mills, Mrs. Miller OPENING page 11

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Do you know . . .? Mr. Francis Leeson f Mr Leeson is the Head Mechanic at the bus garage He has worked here for 25 years, since the schools centralized. His close employees are Victor Delles, Mechanic and Driver. Richard Patchen, Mechanic, and Rocky Slate, Mechanic. Mr Leeson also works closely with 27 bus drivers. Mr Leeson mechanics says that the main job of the is preventative mainte- nance of the buses. We try to stop problems before they occur'' This preven- tative maintenance program includes a 1,000 mile inspection and a 10,000 mile inspection of all vehicles During an inspection the wheels are taken off, the brakes are checked etc. Mr Leeson also works with Mr. Campany assisting with routing and making sure that things run safely and efficiently. Mr. Leeson is thankful for the mild winter we have had The snow and cold weather only mean trouble.'' While on a snow day you may get up and look out the window and go back to bed, its not quite that simple for Mr. Leeson. When the snow is hazardous Mr Leeson is up at 4 am and talking to Mr Zygadlo by 6 am. He also must know what is going on with snow removal efforts. Besides Mr Leeson, Victor Delles and Ray Peron. a bus driver have worked here for 25 years and have witnessed many changes. Mr. Leeson lived in Phila- delphia at the time of the centralization and felt that he could do a service to the community by taking this job. His duty, he recalls, was gather- ing the buses from all over the district He had to bring them from garages and the homes of the bus drivers to the new garage which wasn't complete. We have no electricity. At that time there were 17 drivers and no spare vehicles. If a bus broke down it had to be worked on all night or another bus was hired. Presently there are 3 or 4 spare buses available for athletic events and breakdowns. There has been changes now and the height of the seats has changed, That change has been difficult on discipline. The biggest change came with Article 19A. Article 19A is a series of government regulations on maintenance and requirements drivers must meet All drivers must be between the ages of 21 and 65 and must have a class 2 license A class 2 license is for bus operation only. They must keep a log. During their first year they must attend a 20 hour safety course and each year they must attend 2 more 2 hour refresher courses, one in the fall and another before February. Mr. Leeson said that the Bus Garage was affected by the budget cuts. Besides not being able to buy new equip- ment. the purchase of 4 new buses was defeated. Mr Leeson explained that to keep the fleet in good condition 3 new buses should be bought and 3 old buses should be sold each year. An average bus covers 15,000 to 18,000 miles per year. Because of the defeat more money is being spent on the old buses. When asked how the students could help make his job any easier, Mr Leeson answered that, very few stu- dents give us trouble just be prompt and cooperative. Mr. Leeson says that his field is busy and expanding There is always a need for transportation He recommends this occupation to any young man or woman who is serious about mechanics. It is very fulfilling to have things work on a hectic or hazardous day and to know that you've accomplished something in the community. Mr. Leeson's major concerns are providing safety for the chil- dren and economical savings for everyone He has done well, there have been no serious accidents in the history of the Indian River Bus Garage Rocky Slate Richard Patchen working on a bus Victor Delles in the driver's seat while a state inspec- tor takes a look around OPENING page 10

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| Good bye (Dr. Bowles John will be best remembered for his wit and sense of humor even in the face of a lingering illness that eventually claimed his life. —Jim jnd Nancy Hunter John C Bowles was born in Potsdam on August 7. 1925. Most of his life was spent in poor health but, that never seemed to hold him down Mr Bowles graduated from the Evans Mills High School, attended Albany Law School, received his Bachelor's degree from Syracuse University in Library Science. He worked in the Indian Riv- er School Library, the J.C.C. Library, and the North Country Library System. He also taught in many North Country Schools. During his life time Mr Bowles was active in numerous organizations such as the Evans Mills Fire Department, the Indian River Lions Club, the 10 Point Hunt Club, the Evans Mills Lodge, the Coin Association, and many others. In his spare time he wrote poetry, collected stamps and coins, and loved to hunt and fish. The story of his life can best be told by his close friends and rel- atives. “John was born with a congenital heart defect, his own childhood was affected by the limits the heart disease put on him In October 1960 he took a gamble that at 35 years old he could beat the disease and survive open heart surgery. In those days it was a new treatment and the success rate was not what it is to- day His damaged heart was repaired and he was for once in his life free from illness - But not for long! His cancer was discovered in 1970 and he fought it for 12 years. He took every treatment— ev- ery chance at recovery He was full of hope up to the end —that he could beat the disease. He once joked to me that I beat heart disease and I'll beat the cancer Not everyone can say they fought the two killer diseases and won I think that is why he survived so long. He had hope and faith in his doctors. He had a sense of hu- mor that took over and helped him through great physical ordeals and he never complained or was full of self-pity. He had a lot of OPENING page 12 courage and quick wit that made him someone special to all of us — Lynne Bowles Martin Most of all he loved teaching and all the children he taught through the years. - Joanne Bowles Fowler When I was going through his things I found these. He had them put aside so I know they meant a lot to him They are messages of Good Luck and caring from his students written on the blackboard at the end of the school year That was their way of saying thank you on the last day They had no way of knowing it was to be the final Good bye. —Lynne Bowles Martin