RBK A1 RBK A1 RBK A1 RBK A1

Cyan Magenta Yellow

Black

Clinton Vineyards,
30th anniversary and much more...

Proposed sex offender legislation

Page A8

RAIDERS WIN!
Page B1

inside

Gazette Advertiser
Covering the towns of Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Milan and Clinton, the villages of Rhinebeck, Red Hook and Tivoli, and the Rhinebeck and Red Hook school districts Thursday, September 27-October 3, 2007 Vol. CLX, No. 39 www.gazetteadvertiser.com Single Copy: 75 cents To subscribe call 845-677-8241

Whats Inside

Park-and-ride is collaborative effort

By Christopher Lennon
Editor RHINEBECK Plans are currently in the works to construct a 50-space park-and-ride lot at the intersection of Routes 199 and 9G, about a mile and a half from the KingstonRhinecliff Bridge. The decision to pursue the park-and-ride came as a result of commuters parking on a vacant rock and dirt patch at the entrance to Kalina Drive, a residential road on the border of Rhinebeck and Red Hook. The dirt patch falls within Rhinebeck borders while most homeowners on the street are residents of Red Hook, according to the town. When Kalina Drive residents complained about the abundance of cars that would fill their neighborhoods gateway, the Town of Rhinebeck posted No Parking signs along the dirt patch. The New York State Department of Transportation was then contacted about the (Continued on Page A4)

Blessed animals
Local pets to receive blessing. Page A3.

Jewish studies
Students learn to make Shofars. Page A3.

NO PARKING FOR NOW: A park-and-ride lot is planned on state land at the intersection of Routes 199 and 9G (left). Until recently, commuters were leaving their vehicles on a dirt patch at the gateway to Kalina Drive (right), a residential neighborhood on the border of Rhinebeck and Red Hook. (Photos by Christopher Lennon)

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

A Rhinebeck firefighter who perished in a 1932 fire will always be remembered, thanks to the efforts of a volunteer
By James J. Skeggs

Lotto winners
Staatsburg couple Win for Life. Page A8.

Staff Reporter RHINEBECK For some time now, Henry A. Campbell, safety officer for the Rhinebeck Volunteer Fire Department, noticed a lone plaque on the wall paying tribute to the only Rhinebeck firefighter to ever die in the line of duty. The only problem with the plaque was that it only said the fallen firefighters name and the years he lived. The plaque read: Thomas Hugh Geraghty, 19071932. According to Campbell, no other information was readily available about Geraghty, so he took it upon himself to find out just who Geraghty was and how he met his untimely death. After searching through microfilm at the Starr Library for a few days, Campbell finally found two Gazette Advertiser articles from 1932 that gave some insight into what exactly happened to Geraghty. I was able to secure his death certificate from the information on the plaque and then I was able to find two stories from the Gazette Advertiser that gave a little more detail about the events surrounding his death, explained Campbell.

Pastabilities
Melissa Swart tries out some new pasta recipes. Page B8.

clothing having been seared from his body in the flames of the burning gas. According to Campbell, Geraghty held on to his life for about 10 days, but due to the severe burns and lack of medical technology, he did not survive. According to the old Gazette articles, Geraghty was born in Rhinebeck on April 3, 1907, the son of Hugh Geraghty and Helena Sheak Geraghty. He attended Rhinebeck schools and was married to Emma Hoff, a trained nurse from Highland, on Dec. 31, 1931. He was survived by his parents and his wife.

Dr. Elliot Sussin

Finally recognized
Campbell, who has been active in fire departments for over 50 years, sent the information he gathered about Geraghty to the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial Committee. Each year since 1998, the New York State Fallen Firefighters Committee has conducted a ceremony honoring the firefighters who have died in the line of duty. The NYS Fallen Firefighters Memorial, located at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, includes a sculpture and memorial wall inscribed with the names of firefighters who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The 2007 memorial ceremony will pay tribute to seven firefighters who gave their lives in 2006. It will also pay tribute to five additional firefighters who had been previously neglected. Ive attended the memorial ceremony since its inception, so after discovering the addi(Continued on Page A4)

Chiropractor takes a crack at tennis

By James J. Skeggs
Staff Reporter RHINEBECK Whether its treating back problems at his Rhinebeck office or crushing ferocious backhands on the tennis court, Dr. Elliot Sussin is always at the top of his game. Sussin and his local tennis team recently qualified for the USTA senior mens national competition at the 4.0 level. Over the past few weeks, Sussin and his teammates won a regional match at West Point and ultimately the sectional finals in Albany to earn the right to represent the tri-state area section at the USTA National Finals. The team will take on sectional winners from all over the country in Tucson, Ariz. at the national competition on Oct. 12, 13 and 14. Ive been playing tennis competitively for about 15 years now and it is certainly an honor to be able to represent (our area) (Continued on Page A4)

GirlDriverUSA
Running with flat tires. Page A7. Sections A and B
Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B6 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A5-7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B1-2 Corrections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A2

NEVER FORGOTTEN: A plaque honoring the memory of firefighter Thomas Hugh Geraghty, the only Rhinebeck fireman to be killed in the line of duty, is hung at the fire department. Geraghtys name was recently added to a memorial in Albany that recognizes the states fallen firefighters. (Photo submitted)

The truth discovered

According to a Gazette Advertiser article from Aug. 5, 1932, Geraghty, 25, died at Northern Dutchess Hospital the previous Monday evening at about 8:30 p.m. as the result of burns he received in a gas explosion at the home of John King on Oak Street on Friday, July 22. The article says Geraghty

Section C Weekend

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Sudoku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Service Directory . . . . . . . . . . . .55

and other volunteer firemen were severely burned when escaping gas from a poorly connected tank exploded while they were investigating a fire. According the Gazette article from a week before dated July 29, 1932 the hospital claimed that four of Rhinebecks valiant firefighters were still receiving treatment for various injuries they sustained in the gas explosion on Oak Street.

The firefighters were identified as Chief John L. Williams, Thomas Geraghty, Virgil Lattin and Lewis L. Briggs. The condition of Geraghty, by far the most seriously burned of the seven men injured was extremely serious throughout the week, but he is reported as having rallied and showing some slight improvement at this time, the article reported. He sustained severe burns on the whole of his body from the waist upward, his