Through much of the 1980s and 90s, the phone lines between Walden and Cornwall would often light up sometime around 4 p.m. on Wednesday afternoons.
The Wallkill Valley Times and the Cornwall Local had gone to press and were out on the newsstands and in the mailbox. There was a little time to unwind before starting the weekly routine all over again the next day.
I’d be on the phone with Joe Gill, my friend and Cornwall counterpart. Joe ran the Local and the News of the Highlands, and might have been the one person who truly understood everything we had just been through.
When I first started the WVT in 1983, Joe was the first neighboring publisher to reach out to offer friendly advice. Listening to that advice was usually a no-brainer. Our operations were similar and in close proximity, but non-competitors. For much of the past four decades, we followed the Local on and off the press at the printing plant: first in Walden, then in Port Jervis, and finally at the Ballard Road printing plant of the Times Herald Record.
I could ask him to try to explain the latest postal regulations, share horror stories about delinquent customers or discuss assorted human resources questions. On or about October 1 every year, I could expect to get a call reminding me to file my annual Statement of Ownership with the post office.
Joe, as they say, had ink in his blood. As a teenager, he worked in the print shop of the News of the Highlands, before duty called. He entered the U.S. Army, serving in the 6th Battalion, 31st Infantry, of the 9th Infantry Division, in the Mekong Delta. He received numerous military decorations during his tour of duty, while engaged in active ground combat, including two Bronze Stars (one for Valor), two Air Medals, five Army Commendation Medals (three for Valor) and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
He came home to Highland Falls after his tour of duty and eventually found his way back to the printing office of the News of the Highlands.
When the parent company (The News of the Highlands Inc., owned by the Sidamon-Eristoff family) purchased the Cornwall Local Joe moved to Cornwall and over time rose to the position of Vice President and General Manager of the two newspapers and commercial print shop.
In 1986 he became a Board Member of the New York Press Association, following the footsteps of Fred Brennan, his mentor in Highland Falls. Joe was elected to the position of President in 1992. I went along for the ride (with a little coaxing from Joe) and followed him as president two years later.
Several years ago, with retirement approaching, he first suggested to the heirs of the late Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff that I should take over the operation of his newspapers. I am sad that Joe is no longer with us, but forever grateful for that vote of confidence. As he believed in the power and importance of local journalism, I hope he’s looking down at us and guiding us through this transition and beyond.
While I owe much of my professional career to Joe, I may very well owe my existence to another journalist from Cornwall. In the 1930s, my mother Catherine came to Cornwall to live with her aunt and uncle, Lena and Sebastian Scrivani. There she met Vincent Connolly, a reporter for the Newburgh News, who told her about a nice co-worker named Ralph from a Maybrook Italian family. The rest is history. Vince became godfather to my older brother Richard. Both of my parents cried in November of 1973 when Vince collapsed and died while covering the funeral of William Robinson, a City of Newburgh Police Officer who was killed in the line of duty.
There are Highland Falls connections as well. My sister Cathy was a math teacher in both Highland Falls and Cornwall. She was Miss Aiello at James I. O’Neill High, where she also coached the cheerleaders. By the time she arrived at Cornwall High School, she was known as Mrs. Cahill.
The name O’Neill brings another connection. Cathy’s godfather was James I. O’Neill Jr., an educator in his own right and husband of Mary Totonelly, daughter of Kate Totonelly, another of my mother’s aunts.
The pages of these storied newspapers record our history as it happens. They bridge the past and present. The paper you are holding today may look vastly different from prior issues, but the mission remains the same. We believe that local newspapers are essential for keeping communities informed, fostering a sense of identity, ensuring public accountability, promoting civic engagement, and supporting the local economy. As the media landscape continues to evolve, it is imperative to recognize and support the vital role that local newspapers play in our society. Their continued existence is not just a matter of preserving a tradition, but a fundamental aspect of maintaining vibrant, informed, and engaged communities.
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