from the Post-Journal, December 20, 2009:

Robert K. Werner, 55, of 1429 Trask Road died Friday, December 18, 2009, at the Hamot Medical Center in Erie.

Funeral arrangements will be announced by the Lind Funeral Home.

From Laura Robie (Harry’s wife):

It is finished.

Ha​rry W. Robie died peacefully at 11:30 last night, Dec.3, with Steven and me at his bedside.

“De​ath is not extinguishi​ng the Light; it is extinguishi​ng the Lamp because the Dawn has come.”

Steve​n and I are feeling a calm sense of the rightness of all this, of “the peace that passes understandi​ng.”

The Robie Men:
Steven, David, Jonathan, Harry, Thomas (Sarabeth’s husband)

Knowing that you would get information from on our CB JOURNAL was so helpful to me and it would be impossible to overestimat​e what your GUESTBOOK entries have meant to Harry and to me and to the rest of our family and friends.

I will meet those of you from WNY in Lakewood, NY in the springtime to tell tales of the Harry Robie we knew and loved.

Plans are for a memorial service in the manner of Friends
on Monday December 7 at 2 pm at First Christian Church,
206 Chestnut Street, Berea.

Before and after the service, there will be some of Harry’s favorite music, with a finger food potluck following.

You may reach my family and me at 102 Peachbloom Circle, Berea KY 40403. (859)986-26​05

Memorial contributio​ns may be made to

Berea Friends Meeting
300 Harrison Road
Berea, KY 40403
www.be​reafriendsm​eeting.org

C​aringBridge​
PO Box 131447
Houst​on, TX 77219-1447
w​ww.caringbr​idge.org

Hos​pice Care Plus
208 Kidd Drive
Berea, KY 40403
www.ho​spicecp.org​

Mennonite Central Committee- US
21 South 12th Street
PO Box 500
Akron, PA, 17501-0500
www.mcc.org​

Mike Fitzgerald, Class of 66, posted this: http://classof66.blogspot.com/2009/12/swcs-english-teacher-harry-robie-dies.html

Also, here’s a picture Mike posted on his website:

A classmate sent this photo… I won’t tell you who just yet…

Who do you recognize?

This bus was just burnt at the airport near my house for practice by the fire dept.. It used to be the Blue Goose from the Blue Room and I road on it to some Bills games in the 80’s. And I’m pretty sure it was the SWCS Booster bus before that.

July 15, 2009

Dear SWCS Alumni,

Time is of the essence and we need your help!!!!!!
 
The Southwestern Schools Education Foundation (SSEF) was established in 2004 for the purpose of enhancing the programs, initiatives, and capital projects of the school district and for additional support of items in the annual school budget that could not be initiated or maintained without private sector funding or charitable giving. The Foundation works under the umbrella of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation as a 501 C3.
 
Over the past few years, the SSEF Board has focused much of its time and effort on a plan for a new Athletic Complex for the Southwestern Central School District.  The school’s sports facilities were in desperate need of replacement and its track was rendered unusable.  In 2004, the track was condemned by NYS track officials and the students of Southwestern have been unable to hold any sanctioned meets since. 
 
In December 2006, the voters of the Southwestern Central School community approved a capital project for a new $ 2.7 million Athletic Complex for the district. (See attached flyer) Completion of this initiative is contingent upon the Southwestern Schools Education Foundation (SSEF) raising a total of $590,000, which represents the local taxpayer’s portion of this project (20 %) and additional monies for future field turf replacement.  This project is now complete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
This new facility is open to the local community for walking, jogging, and hosting community events.  It would also be available for hosting regional and statewide sporting events, which in turn would help to positively impact the local economy. 
 
At the present time, the SSEF has set a goal to raise more money through an annual raffle at this year’s Homecoming festivities (October 9, 2009) to help do more projects. First prize is $5,000.00 CASH.
 
In order to reach our goal, we need your help!  We are writing this letter in hopes that you would consider buying a $50 raffle ticket (make payable to SSEF) towards this very worthwhile cause.
 
Please feel free to contact Michael Wellman (716-763-7681), Tim Shults (716-487-0047), Vic Tarana (716-763-1717), Cindy Baglia (716-488-1666), Christy Brecht (716-763-1653), Joe Hoose (716-763-1311), Tom Priester (716-484-9495), Lori Radack (716-763-5359), Jan Salter (716-763-0849), Daphne Thurnau (716-763-2941), Terry Turner (716-763-6620).
 
Thank you for your consideration. 
                                                                       
Southwestern Schools Education Foundation
P.O Box 103, Lakewood, NY  14750

Back Row:
Deb LeRoy, Lori Niebank, Beth Arrison, Cindy Aizkalns, Katie Ebersole, Sue Koterass, Marilyn Osborne, Dave Denn, Shane Farnsworth, Jeff Nelson, Rick Sales

Middle Row:  Edna Anderson, Emily Erickson, Kristin Olson, Kevin Mosher, Dave Page, Tim Klenk, Walden Donelson, Steve Bush, Randy Fletcher

Front Row:  Jennifer Scott, Nancy Aldrich, Terry Algren, Kevin Loomis, Brian Kepple, Wendy Peterson, Cathy James, Holly Hutchinson, Bruce Robbins, Steve Blake

Someone sent this to my brother, who sent it to me, and now I’m passing it along to you all:

Remembering the 70’s in Jamestown

You were a kid in the 70s in Jamestown, NY if you remember:

1. There were 2 hospitals in town: WCA and General, and there were 2 movie theaters downtown that really showed movies: The Wintergarden and the Palace
2. King Karl Gustaf of Sweden coming to town in 1976
3. You went to Evans Skateland when it was in Celoron and were shocked when it burned down.
4. Riding your bike on the bumpy brick streets and trying to avoid hitting holes left by missing bricks.
5. You watched Rocketship 7 with Dave Thomas* with Promo the Robot every morning before school.
6. You watched Commander Tom (Tom Jolls) and Dustmop the dog puppet every afternoon, and the Flintstones.
7. You watched Davey and Goliath every Sunday morning – not because you really liked it but basically because you only got 4 channels and nothing else was on.
8. You remember when they built Chautauqua Mall and everyone was upset because it would take business away from downtown Jamestown .
9. You remember downtown: Carnahans, Bigelows then Argersingers, Grants, Murphys, and Hush Puppy Shoe Store, Beneficial Finance, Robert Hall clothes, Day’s Stationery, Shea’s Cleaners, Busty’s Shoe Repair, The Humidor, Arthur Treacher’s.
10. You remember riding the elevator at Bigelow’s, the man or woman who manually stopped it on your floor, and opened the door for you with a crank and the cool payment system where the cashiers put your money into a vacuum tube and sucked it down to the mezzanine; then ladies made change and sent it through the tube back up to you.
11. You remember going to pay bills with your parents at the old City Hall before they built the new one next door with the huge fountain.
12. You remember eating out at Lums, The Red Barn and Colonial Whip
13. You remember buying groceries at Loblaws, Super Duper, Bells and A&P.
14. You shopped in Brooklyn square for shoes at Arcade Shoe Store (under the viaduct), and you ate at Sambo’s
15. On Fairmount Ave. You remember Zayre before it became Walmart (and always had to say the letters as they blinked on: Z-A-Y-R-E), Jamesway, and the Red Coach
16. Your parents took you shopping at Big N on Fluvanna Ave before it became Ames
17. The Mall: York Steak House, National Record Mart, The Front Porch, the big fountain in the middle, Orange Julius, Woolworth, Quality Market with the bins and conveyor belt that took your groceries outside (and we all wanted to ride), Red Baron, Chess King, Wilson’s Leather, The County Seat, Hot Sam Pretzel, Blue Danube,
18. The freaky huge Indian statue near the bridge all shot up with arrows
19. The Midnight Brotherhood Motorcycle Club
20. Marshall Dillons, then Generations, Mickey rats, Gatsby’s, The Big Tree, 2001, Top Hat, Pilly’s Harbor, The Stein, The Villa Capri, Jokers Wild, PDQ, The Chadakoin, The Bee Hive, The four O’Clock Club, Dugan’s, Melody Inn, The Muskie Lounge, The Roadhouse, The Other Side, Third Base Lounge, Trader Jack’s, The Ranch, The Swamp, The College Inn, The Inner Echo, Aardvarks $.10 wings and $.50 pitchers. Nuff said!

* Betcha didn’t know: Dave Thomas’ real name is David Robert Boreanaz and he is the father of David Boreanaz, TV Star (Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Bones).

Are you on Facebook?  If you are, join the group “SWCS 1974!”

Suzette Fischer Paduano’s photos are on display at the Prendergast Library now through February 6th. Read all about it by clicking here.

From a story by Scott Kindberg in the Post-Journal, November 30, 2008:

SYRACUSE – When Southwestern High School football coach Jay Siranni was a young assistant at Maple Grove in 1998, he often heard his boss, Curt Fischer, talk about how the best players perform their best in the biggest games.

They both got to see that first hand on Saturday at the Carrier Dome.

On the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s biggest stage, the Red Dragons and the Trojans proved to the rest of the Empire State that the best Class D and Class C teams do, indeed, reside about 12 miles apart in Chautauqua County.

Maple Grove junior Chris Secky, the most valuable player, tossed three touchdown passes to senior Joe Caporale and ran for two others to lead the top-ranked Red Dragons (13-0) to a 55-7 rout of No. 2 Moriah (12-1) in the Class D final.

Meanwhile, Southwestern junior Zack Sopak, who also earned MVP honors, threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another to lift the No. 1-ranked Trojans (13-0) to a 35-7 throttling of Croton-Harmon (11-2) in the Class C championship.

The title was the second for Maple Grove – it earned its first 10 years ago – while Southwestern earned its first.

”It’s truly overwhelming,” Fischer said. ”I told our team before the game that there are two (Class D) teams on top of the mountain here today. Who’s going to push the other one off to be on top? Fortunately, we’re standing on top of the mountain today.”

Well, as it turned out, the Red Dragons are happy to share a place on the summit with the school on the other side of Chautauqua Lake.

”Chautauqua County should be proud of these two teams,” Sirianni said.