Days of Thanksgiving #16: I am thankful for where I grew-up, Webster/Rochester NY. At the time, when I was younger, I always had my eye on NYC as I born there, most of my relatives were in Long Island and my beloved Aunt Mary and Uncle Vincent in Hoboken. We were there at least once if not three times a year making the 7 hr trip back and forth. Id look at the NY Skyline and think about all the greats at the time living there within their hallowed skyscraper caverns (Bernstein, Robbins, deMille & countless others I truly admired.) I took little Webster/Rochester for granted. Envying my cousins who were within an hours drive from Manhattan. Why do we live so far from such excitement with Broadway, Lincoln Center, Subways, Macys..even the thrill of the White Noise when you reached street level. Well to quote on of my favorite shows, BRIGADOON, Why do you have to loose something only to find how much it means to you. I very gifted in growing-up in a technological city and suburb. More innovative than I ever gave it credit for at the time. It was the home of Kodak, Bauch & Lomb and of course Xerox where my Dad was an Engineer and transplanted us from NYC. It was an extremely innovated, open minded, intellectual city. Webster, a suburb, and home of the main manufacturing/design of the company was in this small village surrounded by cornfields, dairy farms...and a very rural surrounding. My public School upbringing so ahead of other places Ive lived. It was well subsidized in the arts, and truly The Arts were beautifully equal to the sports programs. The Educators didnt have to worry bout buying their supplies...they were seemingly endless learning sculpting, ceramics, painting, textile to name but a few and the music programs were phenomenal. Music Rooms designed just for the art complete with acoustical ceilings, sound proof booths and full student orchestras, bands and choirs. I the school buildings were also innovative in their designs. The Theatre productions were completely self-suffient..through ticket sales and fundraising. A Booster Club for the theatre almost, yes, as important as the football team. How may can say they wore an original Cecil Beaton design for MY FAIR LADY in HS (rented, of course, from Eves-Brook. It may have been pit-stained and showing their wear, yet, on prep for the dress rehearsal pulling these treasures out of their crates was rated up there with Christmas Morning! A Full 30 piece orchestra was a given...several players, teachers, who had previously studied at The Eastman School Of Music always supplemented the strings. Well, Im rambling as usual, but I cant express enough how blessed I was to have grown-up in such innovative, creative, free thinking surroundings. The city started the Womens Rights movement & became the home of Frederick Douglas to name but a few of its laurels. The brutal winter weather was a huge set-back and snow drifts over 6 were expected (I think the main reason the Walters clan has all moved to the south.) Even my favorite things (I thought it was all Hollyland) in film would be over-nighted to Kodak to be processed over night. Many of those wide screen 50s/60s films have a credit Lenses by Bauch and Lomb At the time I never realized what was in my own back-yard. Yes, I still love NYC yet I am so grateful for where I grew-up. Extremely innovative, forward,yet, at the time, still rural enough where you could still live your own versions of Tom Sawyer in the woods or cornfields with your brothers and childhood friends. I am very thankful for all these memories and the good friends my family made, many Scottish Like the McKennas who also were re-transplanted from Staten Island To Webster. Do I miss the weather, NO! Do I miss the innovative, open-minded, intelligent outlook? .HELL YES! Though I didnt truly appreciate it at the time, I am extremely thankful I grew-up there (though my heart is still in NYC also:) youtube/watch?v=6v5x6qIy4Xc
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 14:37:33 +0000
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