Monday, October 5, 2009

Utica male persons asked to help clear snow from Railyards

Seems like only yesterday when, in winter time, and especially after a Big Snow, there was an announcement through the media asking for eligible males to assist in the clearing of snow from the rail yards at Union Station, Main Street, in downtown Utica. These men were asked to sign in at the Utica City Hall which, at that time, was located at the corner of Genesee and Pearl Streets. They were also supplied with a snow shovel which each male person carried on their right shoulder (as if carrying a rifle) and this "army" would march down Genesee Street to the Union Station where they were assigned an area to shovel and clear the snow so that rail traffic would not be hampered. This was a time when rail travel was the main method of traveling. I recall the newspaper photo which appeared on one occasion which showed about 200 men walking from the Utica Hall location to the Union Station. I presume the Railroad paid for these services and the City Hall used for its convenient location. And I also presume the railroad provided the shovels. I'm going to attempt to obtain a newspaper photo about this. I see I have my work cut out for me. Does anyone have aphoto to share?

Monday, September 28, 2009

Downtown Utica NY memories

Been a lot of changes in Utica NY downtown but the most memorable, of course, was the season of Christmas shopping. Throngs of people were elbow to elbow on the sidewalks and crossing the intersections. Remember when the Boy Scouts of America stood on both sides of the intersection holdng bamboo poles to restrain the shoppers when they arrived at the intersection. And, although there were traffic signals, the Boy Scouts synchronized their bamboo poles raised up and down with the traffic light. The boy scouts took their jobs seriously. They stood ramrod straight, always looking ahead. Reminded me of the Guards at the Buckingham Palace in London.
There was one person who also took his job to heart. And that was Johnny Martorella, an elevator operator of one of the three elevators in the First National Bank Bldg, now named the Adirondack Bank Building. In its heyday, the elevator operators were required to wear uniforms. And John, although an endomoph, was extremely kind and considerate of his passengers. I recall once when I was in his elevator, a mother and child were also there. Once the elevator began its ascent, the child began to cry and complain the elevator was going too fast. Johnny stopped the elevator, turned to the child, assured the child he would drive very slowly, not too worry. And he did. What a guy. At Christmas time, Santa Claus was extremely generous in the presentation of Christmas gifts. Santa was representing the tenants of the building. Then automation reared its ugly head, Johnny obtain employment in the Mayro Building, Genesee St and Bank Place, then that place installed automatic elevators, then to the Gardner Bldg where England and McCaffrey Drug store was on the ground floor. That buildng used an odl clunker but the die was cast and Johnny was forced to retire. Johnny was a small person but had a gigantic heart. You can visit my website, Uticaamradio.org to view a black and white 16 MM movie on Utica, 1941.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Famous landmakrs in downtown Utica 1945

Posted recently was a photo (shown in Blogspot.com) taken by an Od Photographer in August of 1945 when the announcement was made the Empire of Japan was suing for peace in the Pacific after two atom bombs were exploded over Hiroshima and Nagaski.
Uticans and others thronged to downtown Utica to celebrate the end of World War II.
Checking the photo renews interest in the downtown Utica history. At the corner of Genesee and Oriskany Street, southeast corner, was an office building named the Foster Building. I recall that's the location of the City's Justice of the Peace.
Yeah, remember. Later, that location, known as the Foster Building, was acquired by Interstate Department Stores, owner of the Boston Store, the Foster building demolished and the Boston Store added construction to its famous store, increasing the size of the famous downtown Utica store. Travelng east on the sotuh side of Oriskany Street is the locatin for a famous Diner. The Diner was situated bedhind the Colonial Theater. The Theater itself fronted on Bleecker Street. Can you name the famos diner on Oriskany Street. This should be an easy one for you. And, lastly, agan travelling east on Oriskany Street was located another diner, located on the southwest corner. Yes, please give us the name of that diner on Oriskany and Burnet streets. I hope we never forget of what was located in downtown Utica during the golden years of a very busy downtown Utica, New York. Awaitng your responses, I remain your most humble servant.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Frederck T. Proctor Park in East Utica

There's a green belt in Utica, New York which starts at Bleecker Street and Culver Avenue and continues to Oneida Street and the Memorial Parkway. One piece of this green belt is the Frederick T Proctor Park at Rutger Street and Culver Avenue.
Here are 50 acres of God's paradise. It has been referred to as the "NEW" proctor park to contrast with the park to the south -- the Thmas R Proctor Park which was known as the "OLD" park. The FT Proctor Park. No park in Utica has been more popular for picnics than the FT Proctor Park. And most recently, the City of Utica Council passed legislation to exclude all vehicular traffic so as to provide a safe haven for the vast numbers of walkers in the morning, afternoon and evening. The park closes its doors at 9:00 PM. In my research of the Park, I find there was a caretaker's cottage where a husband and wife, Mr and Mrs David Williams, resided in the cottage; they took great pride to keep the Frederick T. Proctor Park in the best condition. They also attended to the beautiful shade trees of which there were more then in the early 1900's than today and caring for the velvety lawns on the higher level. The lower level was a babbling brook with lovely looking swans.
I have marvelous memories of the FT Proctor Park. My parents and my sister and I visited this place often in the summer. When in grammar school, I joined Troop 47 of the Boy Scouts of America. My friends and I, and our Scoutmaster, enjoyd an overnight stay. We pitched our tents on the corner of Redfield and Ludlow Streets.
A newspaper photographer visited and snapped my photo standing in front of the tent.
When my mother was alive, during the hot days of summer, I would drive to the Park, take two lawn chairs from my auto, find a comfortable, shady spot under a tree and we would discuss the current events of the day in Italian. I was so pleasantly surprised at the absence of traffic noise from Culver Avenue.
I have met persons from all over the area who converge on the FT Proctor Park for their daily stroll. As in days of old, the FT Proctor Park attracts hundreds a people each day. And more recently, the Central New York Conservancy has been instrumental in having placed Utica's ark System on the Federal Register of Historic Places. The members also created a Butterfly Sanctuary on the lower level.
The Frederick T. Proctor Park at Rutger Street and Culver Avenue was deeded to the City of Utica in 1923. The Utica Common Council received a deed to the property on August 21, 1923. Mr and Mrs David Williams were allowed to live in the cottage until January 1, 1924 with expenses paid by the Proctor family.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Jobs report

The government defines mass layoffs as those that involve "at least 50 persons from a single employer."

Jobs eliminated the week starting 4/13/2009
Hallmark - 750
UBS - 7,500
Linear Tech - 130
Teradyne - 350
Smart Modular - 3%
Xilinx - 200

Jobs eliminated the week starting 4/06/2009
Isilon Systems - 10%
FARO Technologies - 7% (7% announced in Feb 09)
Olympic Steel - 21%
John Deere - 160
Whirlpool - 600
Constellation Brands - 5%
Capstone Turbine - 22

Jobs eliminated the week starting 3/30/2009
Dyax - 60
KLA-Tencor - 10%
KHD Humboldt Wedag - 50%
Quidel Corporation - 31
Frozen Food Express Industries - 150
Computer Associates - 3,100
Cascade Corporation - 20%
LMI Aerospace - 60
Sparton - 970
Opnext - 10%
Internap Network - 10%
Cardinal Health - 800
Wausau Paper - 7%
AllianceBernstein Holding - 237
Vitesse Semiconductor - 12%

Jobs eliminated the week starting 3/23/2009
Hospira - 10%
Entropic Communications - 55
Arbitron - 10%
IBM - 5,000
Agilent - 2,700
Plantronics - 670
Key Technology - 7%

Jobs eliminated the week starting 3/16/2009
Caterpillar - 2,354 (20,000 announced in January with 2,000 voluntary retirement)
Ramtron - 119
Cerus Corp - 31
LeCroy - 6.5%
Cintas - 9%
Cortex Pharmaceuticals - 50%


Jobs eliminated the week starting 3/9/2009
The McClatchy Company - 1,600
Eastman Chemical Company - 200-300
United Technologies - 11,600
Medis Technologies - 50 (Israeli office)
Mercury General - 360
Belo Corp - 150
PGT - 100
PPG - 2,500
Advanced Energy Industries - 330
Sunoco - 750


Jobs eliminated the week starting 3/2/2009
Timken - 400
HSBC - 6,100
WTVH - 40
RF Micro devices - 100
Finisar - 17%
Marvell Technology Group - 15%
Deere & Company - 325



Jobs eliminated the week starting 2/23/2009
iPass Inc - 70
Verenium Corporation - 15%
Micron - 2,000
PPL Corporation - 200
Spansion - 3,000
Elan Corporation - 230
Interface - 290
Macerich - 142
Kulicke and Soffa - 215
Nortel - 3,200
Cisco Systems - 250
Armstrong World Industries - 10%
Sotheby's - 15%
J. Crew - 95

Jobs eliminated the week starting 2/16/2009
Smithfield Foods - 1,800
State of California - 20,000
Goodyear - 5,000
General Motors - 47,000 (over course of 2009)
Agilent - 600
Celera - 20
Anglo American - 19,000
iGo - 20%


Jobs eliminated the week starting 2/9/2009
KV Pharmaceutical - 700
Nissan - 20,000
FedEx Freight - 900
GM - 10,000
IntercontinentalExchange - 55
UBS - 2,000
Walmart - 800
Zenith National Insurance Corp - 100
Grainger - 400
Toro - 100
Oscient Pharmaceuticals - 97
Netgear - (TBD)
Rackable Systems - 15%

Jobs eliminated the week starting 2/2/2009
Macy's - 7,000
Morgan Stanley - 1,880
Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals, Inc - 20
King Pharmaceuticals, Inc - 760
PNC Bank - 5,800
Rockwell Collins - 600
Liz Clairborne - 725
Redpoint Bio Corporation - 12
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated - 500
Northstar Neuroscience - 64%
Electronic Arts - 11%
ArvinMeritor, Inc - 1,500
Panasonic - 15,000
Allergan - 460
Estee Lauder - 2,000
Domtar - 185
Harman Int'l - 1,100
THQ - 600
Finisar - 200
Brown Shoe - 12%



Jobs eliminated the week starting 1/26/2009
Caterpillar - 20,000
Home Depot - 7,000
ING Financial - 7,000
Pfizer - 19,000
Sprint Nextel - 8,000
GM Ohio, Michigan - 2,000
Royal Philips Electronics NV - 6,000
Tata Steel - 3,500
Barnes Group, Inc - 800
Lincoln National Corp. - 540
Brooks Automation Inc. - 350
Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc - 140
Texas Instruments - 3,400
Quiksilver - 200
LECG Corporation - 72
FirstFed Financial Corp. - 62
Corning - 3,500
United Stationers Inc - 250
Baker Hughes - 1,500
Target - 1,500 (600 full time, 400 open positions, 500 Dist. unit)
Boeing - 5,500 (total of 10,000 as 4,500 were announced 1/9/09)
Analogic - 140
AOL/Time Warner - 700
Pacific Sunwear - 57
Sepracor - 530
Starbucks - 700 (In November '08 they announced closing 300 stores which will affect 6,000)
Jabil Circuit - 3,000
Skyworks Solutions - 150
Ford Motor Credit - 1,200
Allstate - 1,000 (over next 2 years)
Abbott Laboratories - 200
Kodak - 3,500 - 4,500
Teradyne - 504
International Game Technology - 200
AstraZeneca - 6,000
Cessna - 2,000 (announced 2,600 jobs earlier this year)
Bon-Ton Stores - 1,150
Oshkosh - 1,050
Schwab - 500-600
Conexant - 140
Eddie Bauer Holdings, Inc - 193
ZYGO - 7%
Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - 52
Broadcom - 3%
O'Brien & Gere, Syracuse, NY - 40
InBev, B'ville, NY - 15
Lee Memorial Hospital - 200
MKS Instruments - 10%
Pep Boys - 50
Baldwin Technology Company, Inc - 80
Chico's - 180

Jobs eliminated the week starting 1/19/2009
AMB Property - 22%
Artic Cat - 100
BHP Billiton - 6,000
Bridgestone - 543
Clear Channel Communications - 1,850
Eaton - 5,200
Employers Holdings - 14%
Ericsson - 5,000
FiberMark paper - 100
Harley Davidson - 1,100
IBM - 1400
Intel - 2,950
John Deere - 702 (692 prviously announced restated that 10 additional at its Davenport location)
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals - 102
McQuay - 60
Microsoft - 5,000
Pall Trinity Micro - 80
Polaris - 460
Rohm and Haas Co - 900
Schlumberger - 5,000
Sonic Solutions - 75
UAL Corp - 1,000
Viacom - 850
Warner Bros. - 800
Williams-Sonoma - 1,400


Previous weeks 2009
Advanced Micro Devices - 1,100
Alcoa - 13,500
Autodesk - 750
Barclay's - 2,100
Barnes & Noble - 100
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan - 1,000
Boeing - 4500
Borg Warner - 200
Cessna - 2,600
Cigna - 1,100
Circuit City - 30,000
ConocoPhillips - 1,300
Corus - 3,500
Crouse Hinds - 39
Cummins - 800
EMC Corp - 2,400
Ethan Allen - 350
Google - 100
Hertz - 4,000
Honda - 3,100
Huntsman Corporation - 1,175
Lee Memorial Hospital - 36
Logitech - 500
Macy's - 900
MeadWestvaco Corporation - 2,000
Motorola - 4,000
Neiman Marcus Group - 375
New York & Co - 350
Penn Traffic (P&C foods) - 207
Saks Fith Ave - 1,100
ShopNBC - 11%
Stature Electric - 17
TDK Corp. - 8,000
Walgreen's 1,000
WellPoint - 1,500
World Wrestling Entertainment - 60
Wynit - 61