There are truly some interesting and unusual firsts and lasts about Oneonta.
Sometimes, these are things you'd never find on a printed page if you go searching for them, as much as I do each day.
Ever wonder who was among the first student crossing guards in Oneonta, before the actual school safety patrol program was started? Or how about the last baby born at the former Parshall Hospital on Myrtle Avenue?
Actually these two people found me with stories to tell, and were seeking information. In recent years, I've had the opportunity to meet them while in Florida, where they now live.
Bob Hawkins spent his early years growing up in the Sixth Ward, attending the River Street School. That site is now occupied by the Oak Square apartment buildings.
Hawkins said he was possibly the first student crossing guard in Oneonta, but definitely the first for the River Street School.
Scarlet fever idled many students during the late 1920s, although antibiotics were being formulated to treat it at the time. Such was the situation with Hawkins, who was in fifth grade. He missed so much time that he repeated fifth grade in 1928-29.
The school safety patrol program was still in its experimental stage before it got started in Oneonta in 1929.
Mrs. Patrick was Hawkins' teacher. Hawkins said that going through fifth grade a second time meant some repetition, and since he was a good student, there were a few boring times for him that school year. So Mrs. Patrick let Bob run errands for the school.
Police Chief Frank Horton was looking for a student to be the crossing guard. Fifth grade was as high as you'd go at River Street before moving on, so the oldest students were given responsibilities. Hawkins said that likely through a conversation with Mrs. Patrick, Chief Horton chose Hawkins to be the student crossing guard.
Looking back on the job, Hawkins said, it wasn't really hard: "You put your hand up to stop the cars. I was very serious about it, as I hadn't had that kind of responsibility before. I felt proud to go out there, to help the kids, and I was honored that they chose me." Hawkins said the job only lasted about 10 minutes at the end of the school day, and there still weren't many cars on Oneonta's streets at the time.
Hawkins lived in the Oneonta and Otego area, and moved to Ormond Beach, Fla., in 1995. During his career, he worked for the D&H Railroad, the city of Oneonta and the Homer Folks Tuberculosis Hospital, site of today's Job Corps. As a youth Hawkins also vividly recalled being an usher at the former Palace Theater, now part of Wilber National Bank on Main St., and Sidney Levine was his supervisor.
Sometimes babies can be impatient and will just not wait at the time of birth, no matter the plans Mom might have for delivery.
Meet Gail Fowler, born as Wilieta Gail Barker in 1946, the last baby born at the Parshall Hospital, 5 Myrtle Ave., now apartments. This was a very popular birthing hospital from around 1920 until the mid-1940s.
Once Mary Parshall passed away in 1944, births at the hospital began to decline and stopped by 1946. The hospital remained open for people with long-term illnesses.
Gail's mother went into labor, so the parents rushed to Parshall Hospital.
One problem, the doctor forgot to tell Charlotte and William Barker that Parshall was no longer delivering babies.
Once arrived at Parshall, the couple was instructed to wait in the waiting room while the hospital staff decided where to send them.
Gail wasn't about to wait. The labor pains were constant, so they rushed Charlotte upstairs and a doctor on hand delivered Wilieta Gail Barker on June 5.
Gail Fowler was indeed the last baby born at Parshall Hospital. A sale of the building became effective July 1 to Hartwick College, to be used as a dormitory for male students entering that fall.
After a short time around Oneonta, the family moved to Kingston. Later, Gail moved to Washington state. In more recent years she relocated to Tarpon Springs, Fla. From time to time, she returned to the Oneonta area to visit relatives.
Gail Fowler raised a family. Interestingly, given how she started in life, she is now training to become a medical assistant, a career she plans to begin in 2009.
This weekend, as Oneonta was becoming a city in 1908, part of the celebration was a brand new high school on Academy Street.
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City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.
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