I’d like to start off today’s mailbag with a sweet item from Mary Alice Moore about a friend of hers, Eleanor Scott, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday.
Eleanor wanted to mark the occasion by going to Nick Tahoe’s. So she and her group of girlfriends — who often do things together — headed downtown last week to the restaurant. The group, as you might imagine, attracted the attention of Alex Tahoe himself, who came over to talk with the ladies. Upon learning it was Eleanor’s birthday, he gave her a t-shirt, facilitated photos in front of the sign (behind the serving counter!) and even walked them to the parking lot.
There’s a good chance you might know Eleanor; she’s very involved in the Webster Presbyterian Church and Young Life, and has taken several mission groups to Kenya. Make sure to wish her a happy birthday if you see her around town!
Thank you to Mary Alice for providing this story and photos. She’s in Florida right now and couldn’t attend the party, but was there in spirit, and the “girls” kept her updated throughout the entire event.
Blood donors critically needed
This recent spate of bad weather hasn’t just made driving difficult and closed schools. It’s also meant that the Red Cross has had to cancel blood drives. And that’s dealing a tough blow to the national blood supply, which has already been at crisis levels since early January.
The need for blood is constant and only volunteer donors can fulfill that need for patients in our community. Nationwide, someone needs a unit of blood every two to three seconds, and most of us will need blood in our lifetime.
Your next opportunity to donate in Webster is coming up on Tuesday March 1, in the recreation room at the Lighthouse Baptist Church, from noon to 5 p.m. The church is located at 48 South Estate Drive (that’s near the Summit Knolls apartment complex east of Webster Schroeder off of Shoecraft).
They’d love for you to make an appointment to assure social distancing. You can click here to do so. I also recommend you get in the habit of filling out the RapidPass on the morning of your donation; it saves a lot of time.
I’d ALSO recommend you download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, available on the App Store and Google Play. It’s a great tool to help schedule appointments, view your blood type and results of your mini-physical, and track your donations.
EXTRA EXTRA from the library
On Tuesday Feb. 23, the Webster Public LIbrary will host Deanne Quinn Miller and local author Gary Craig for a discussion of their new non-fiction book, The Prison Guard’s Daughter, and the events of the Attica Prison Riot, which marked its 50th anniversary last Sepetember.
Miller is uniquely qualified to tell this story. She’s the daughter of Correctional Officer William Quinn, the first casualty of the Attica Prison Riot. She’s also a member of Forgotten Victims of Attica, which provides counseling, has established an annual memorial at the prison, and in the last 20 years has secured $12 million in reparations for its members.
Here’s part of the book synopsis taken from Amazon.com:
On the 50th anniversary of America’s deadliest prison riot comes a prison-guard daughter’s quest to uncover the truth about her father’s murder during the uprising―a story of crossing racial divides, befriending inmates and correctional officers alike, and challenging the state to reveal and pay for its malfeasance.
Deanne Quinn Miller was five years old when her father―William “Billy” Quinn―was murdered in the first minutes of the Attica Prison Riot, the only corrections officer to die at the hands of inmates. But how did he die? Who were the killers? Those questions haunted Dee and wreaked havoc on her psyche for thirty years. Finally, when she joined the Forgotten Victims of Attica, she began to find answers. This began the process of bringing closure not only for herself but for the other victims’ families, the former prisoners she met, and all of those who perished on September 13, 1971―the day of the “retaking,” when New York State troopers and corrections officers at the Attica Correctional facility slaughtered twenty-nine rioting prisoners and ten hostages in a hail of gunfire.
The discussion will be held via Zoom on Tuesday Feb. 23 from 7 to 8 p.m. Registration is required, and once you do so, you’ll be sent the Zoom invitation. There’s no charge.
Penfield’s Annual “Indoor Hike” Scheduled for March
The Penfield Trails Committee will host its annual “Indoor Hike” on Saturday March 12 from 10 a.m. to noon at Penfield Town Hall, 3100 Atlantic Ave.
This unique event, held each year during the deep cold of the winter when the weather for outdoor hiking can be unfavorable, is a chance to explore and learn about nature and hiking-related topics in a lecture-style setting, with discussion time following the lecture.
This year’s topic is “Rewilding Local and Global Natural Habitats – A Sustainable Conservation Remedy,” presented by Penfield Trails Committee Chairman Nelson Carman. Mr. Carman will discuss ideas from environmentalist, author, and activist Paul Hawken on large-scale, practical remedies for reversing our climate crisis, as well as the concept of repairing and rewilding natural habitats on a global level from American biologist, naturalist, and writer E.O. Wilson. Discussion time will follow the lecture.
Hiking groups from other area towns and organizations will also be present with information about their groups and their 2022 schedules and events.
This event is free and open to the public. Participants are asked to please register here or by calling Penfield Recreation at (585) 340-8655.
* * *
email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@missyblog)
You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.
webster on the web 