Broadcaster Fall 2000
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NYSAC 2000 Fall Conference click here
A Message From The President click here
Preserving Your Past for Tomorrow: A Lesson Learned click here
A Simple “Luxury” is Realized! click here
Dedication of Rachel’s Garden click here
I.C.F.A. – Cemetery Customer Service Counsel click here
News from MCA click here
Before You Cut It Down, Check This Out click here
Government and Legal Affairs Update - Fall 2000 click here
White Haven Memorial Park Mausoleum Construction Begins click here
Cuddling Angels New from Matthews click here
New Religious Features from Matthews click here
Sloane Joins Woodlawn in The Bronx click here
Webster Union Cemetery Vandalized click here
Ciulla Awarded Certified Catholic Cemetery Executive Status click here
New Statue Style from Biondan & LP click here
NYSAC 2000 Fall Conference
The 2000 Fall Conference held at Resorts Atlantic City on September 10-13 was a complete success! The weather was perfect and almost 130 NYSAC members, spouses and vendors attended. Old friendships were renewed; new friendships were made; and the networking and informational flow was in high gear!
The conference meetings began on Monday morning with the Annual Meeting. Committee chairmen updated the attendees on the various activities throughout the year. At the end of the meeting, the new officers for 2000-2001 were elected. Allan Vittum was elected President; Roberta Gerdus, 1st Vice President; Chester Day, 2nd Vice President; Richard Touchette, Secretary and Richard Moylan, Treasurer. In addition, G. Richard Bruns, Joseph Dispenza and Dolly Lancaster were elected to three-year terms on the Board and John Toale was elected to fill a vacancy on the Board when Mr. Touchette moved to Secretary.
The afternoon was relaxing for everyone. Some of the group took a tour of historic Cape May while the remaining people played golf at the Tom Fazio designed Harbor Pines Golf Club. At the reception that night, everyone felt that they had made the right decision in their choice of afternoon activities!
The key-note speaker on Tuesday was nationally known Patricia Fripp. Her presentation was filled with high-energy and high-content and she kept everyone on the edge of their seats as she told the audience how to provide better customer service while taking on change in a positive way. Many said that she was the best speaker that we have ever had at a NYSAC conference. Her fast moving presentation really did “fly” and the morning was over before anyone knew it!
In the afternoon, Gary Miller, Executive Director of the New Jersey Cemetery Association addressed the conference and told about the challenges facing cemeterians in that state. It was interesting to see the similarities between our two states.
The meetings finished with the presentation of the Government and Legal Affairs Committee and the Division of Cemeteries. In general, it was a very successful year for legislation affecting cemeteries and the crowd thanked Frank Giglio and the committee for a job well done. Richard Fishman, Director of the Division of Cemeteries, made a presentation and fielded questions on a variety of issues.
The final banquet was held on Tuesday night and the evening ended with the installation of the new officers. It also gave the assembled crowd a chance to thank Dominick Tarantino as the outgoing president for a job well done.
Each break and reception was held in an adjoining room where suppliers had booths and had an opportunity to demonstrate their new products to the group. Before the afternoon session on Tuesday, the entire group spent a half hour going to each individual booth for a special presentation by each exhibitor- a new idea that was met with great enthusiasm by both attendees and suppliers. Valerie Geasor from the Treiber Group was elected President of the Suppliers group for the upcoming year.
It was a very successful conference in every aspect. If you didn’t have a chance to attend this year, mark your calendars for next year. It will be at Queen’s Landing, Ontario Canada from September 9-11.
A Message From The President
Greetings from Rochester! It seems like it was a long time ago since I was installed as President at the Atlantic City meetings in September. I’d like to first thank Bob Ilasi and Paul Grassi for all the work that they did to make the Fall Conference a great success.
Those of you who were at the Fall Conference heard me talk about “support” and how important it is for any organization to achieve success. I told the audience that the support that I will receive from the Board as well as the entire membership of NYSAC would help make this year be a very successful one. One of the biggest reasons NYSAC has been so strong throughout the years is because of the support given by everyone when asked for it.
I am now asking each and every member of our great Association for a personal favor. As you are well aware, legislative actions can build up (or tear down) any organization and NYSAC is no exception. Last year, several bills were passed which directly affected our industry. More legislation is scheduled for this year, and that is where YOU come in.
Our membership is currently over 500 and we represent many counties throughout New York. Most legislators know very little about the cemetery industry and many legislators probably don’t know too many cemeterians. If each one of us would take the time to personally contact their local legislators and introduce themselves, it would be most beneficial for both the legislator and our Association. WE are the experts in the cemetery industry and it is up to each and every one of us to pass that knowledge on to our lawmakers as bills are being passed in Albany. Won’t you please take some time this week and introduce yourself to your state legislators?
Thanks for the support!
Al Vittum, President
Comments from a cemeterian:
“The conference, as usual, presented the attendees with new ideas and products as well as pertinent legislative updates. The keynote speaker, Patricia Fripp, was outstanding. The Government and Legal Affairs Committee report by Frank Giglio, along with comments from Richard Fishman, Director of the Division of Cemeteries, were very informative. The accommodations, programs and food were very good. Thanks to Bob Ilasi and Paul Grassi for a job well done.”
William Hauck
Director of Operations
Mount Calvary Cemetery Buffalo
Comments from a cemeterian’s wife:
“All this is a new experience for me and having no expectations, everything was exciting. The open workshops offered much information with a fresh way of looking at old situations. The side trip to Cape May was a long awaited wish come true as we savored a little bit of history, sun and seaside. It is nice that when the members were occupied at meetings, the spouses had free time. It was during one of these times I had the opportunity to see the fabulous Fabérgé collection on display at our hotel. I’m already looking forward to next year!”
Molly Hauck
Wife of William Hauck
Mount Calvary Cemetery, Buffalo
Comments from a supplier:
“I attend many conventions each year and, quite honestly, not all of them are very productive for us. At this one, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who stopped by my booth to ask for information. I am very glad that I came and I will look forward to getting back in touch with all those who asked for information.”
James Graham
Intera USA
Las Vegas, Nevada
By: Chester S. Day
Note: Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York is a not-for-profit membership organization established in 1889 to serve the burial needs of families in the New York metropolitan area.
It all started with our plans to celebrate our 110th anniversary. Pulling together facts, figures and photographs from the past to be used in commemorative exhibits, publications and reports turned out to be a greater challenge than originally anticipated. To our disappointment consistent care had not been given to chronicling the history of Kensico Cemetery in pictures, text and artifacts. It was a scramble to assemble what we could from public records and private collections. There is a lesson to be learned here for any organization expecting to be in business for the long haul——hang on to your treasures. And since you may not even recognize the treasures you have, here are some things to look for, protect and save for the future.
Photographs—there’s no substitute for a visual record of your cemetery’s activities, facilities, personnel and growth. Both color and black-and-white stills, plus videotape and digital renditions that are identified, dated and stored properly provide an ongoing documentary of your cemetery through the years.
Blueprints, Drawings, Sketches—unlike photographs these visuals depict the inner workings of your organization and growth over time. Make a note of the architects and illustrators involved.
Logotype—keep a running file of the evolution of your logo, symbol or emblem. It tells a story about the style of the day, the look of the decade, and the culture of your cemetery. If there is a history behind the selection of a color, the use of a graphic or icon, be sure to write all of this down.
Architectural Details—if a building is scheduled for demolition or even just moderate remodeling, check for unique features that can be salvaged and re-incarnated as a tribute to the past. Intricate moldings, leaded windows, bronze plaques, all deserve preservation.
Publications—believe it or not, at some point in your organization’s growth and progress someone is going to be tempted to dump all the boxes of outdated brochures, annual reports, maps, sales brochures, ad reprints and other assorted print material. Keep at least a half dozen of each piece, date them if they do not have a visible date, and then preserve them in archival containers.
(We ended up bidding for one of our own annual reports on e-bay—and lost the bid!).
Newspaper Clippings——maintain a file of all the press coverage received by your organization over the years. Your name in print is a valuable and visual testimony to the activities and accomplishments of your cemetery.
As for our celebration here at Kensico, we did manage to create an account of our 110 year history that, from all reports, readers found entertaining, informative and visually interesting.
Our annual report was twice its normal size in order to provide a decade-by-decade account of Kensico’s good times and not-so-good times since the turn of the last century. A timeline of accomplishments by some of the famous people buried at Kensico accompanied the text. But most important of all were the precious photographs of the Kensico grounds, Train Car, the Administration Building/Train Station and quotes from founding directors taken from the earliest annual reports. There is no way we could have captured the look, the language and the point of view if we did not have those original records.
What happened to the Kensico Train Car? We never did find out. So, take a word of advice from a 110-year old organization: keep records, take photographs, preserve the past. Your directors, employees, visitors and lot owners to come will all be the richer for it.
Chester S. Day is President of Kensico Cemetery and has served as an officer of the Cemetery since 1974.
A Simple “Luxury” is Realized!
By: Dolly Lancaster
Fishkill Rural Cemetery is located in the scenic Hudson Valley on 130 acres of land, which has rolling hills and a long 3-4 foot high wall along one hillside. There are several sets of steps along the wall, which give our plot visitors access to a large section of gravesites. The wall and steps are old and were not particularly made to the highest degree of craftsmanship and over my first few years as Office Manager I received complaints about the wall and steps. Our budget had no room for the “luxury” of repointing or redoing anything that seemed safe but just needed some work to improve the looks of the area, so, the project was put on the back burner to wait for funds to come from somewhere.
Casual conversation with Ed Hand of the Division of Cemeteries educated me to some smaller cemeteries that had annual mailings to raise funds to complete a specific project each year. I took the idea of such a fundraiser to our Board of Trustees and members of the Board helped me coordinate a fundraiser for repointing the steps, installation of handrails and reconstruction of one part of the wall that was leaning. We raised a total of $2,200 in small donations and ended up with a much larger donation to reconstruct one 100 foot long part of the wall! We had covered our expenses! All of the steps now have railings and were repointed wherever necessary. Our visitors are safer and much happier with the appearance of the area. It did take a considerable amount of my time but was well worth the effort to complete the project and it also created an atmosphere that showed the community that the Trustees and staff of the cemetery really do care, which is sometimes doubted when things are unable to be kept up due to the lack of financing or staff. The complaints were far less after the completion of the project.
Our plan started with developing a mailing list for the sections involved. That took some time since we were not at all computerized and the records were not very current. We checked with Mike Itzo of the Division of Cemeteries, our accountant and our attorney before we mailed letters in May. There were 209 plot owners involved and we had 161 (77%) good addresses. We kept our hopes high and within a short time 25% of the letters were returned undeliverable. BUT of the total deliverable 29% donated with an average donation of $45! We had acquired several estimates for the work to be done and by the end of the summer the work was complete.
Only a couple of plot owners wrote or called to voice their negative opinions on the project but I have since learned they are the same people who voice negative opinions on many subjects. The plan ended with thank you letters to all who donated and a memorial bronze plaque installed in the long part of the wall which was reconstructed. The overall response from the plot owners, visitors and the local community was excellent! The project acted as a blueprint for future fundraisers in our cemetery and the response has been even better!
I humbly suggest that any not-for-profit cemetery use some variation of this project to improve their cemetery and bond with the plot owners and community.
Dolly Lancaster, Office Manager since 1987
Fishkill Rural Cemetery
Dedication of Rachel’s Garden
Most Reverend Howard J. Hubbard, Bishop of Albany, celebrated the annual Diocesan Respect Life Liturgy in the chapel of the St. Agnes Mausoleum in Menands, NY on September 30, 2000. Following mass, Bishop Hubbard dedicated Rachel’s Garden, a place of prayer and reflection for those touched by the death of a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, or infant death.
As the New York State representative of C.C.S.C. I received only three complaints which were minor. All three complaints were due to the customer not wanting to accept the facts from the cemetery. All in all I am pleased that there were only three minor complaints for all New York State.
Robert J. Ilasi
NYSAC - CCSC
News from MCA
The Metropolitan Cemetery Association held their annual fall business meeting on September 7, 2000, at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Updates on legal affairs were given by Richard J. Moylan, MCA legal representative, and Richard D. Fishman, Director, Division of Cemeteries.
The one hundred and twenty attendees were given a guided tour of the spectacular garden then had lunch and door prizes.
Thank you’s to co-chairman David C. Gigler & Richard J. Moylan.
Robert J. Ilasi
NYSAC - MCA
Recently, some cemeteries have learned the hard way that you can’t simply take down shrubs or trees on a family plot without following proper procedures. In one case, a cemetery was fined $1,000 each for removing 23 shrubs in the cemetery.
Cemetery Law 1510 (g) states that, among other things, if a tree or shrub is to be removed and is on a family plot, the cemetery must first give written notice to the family via registered or certified mail to the last known owner at least fifteen days prior to the removal of the shrub. The letter should state that the family has the right to correct the situation by themselves. If there is no response, the cemetery may remove the shrub, at its own expense, and then must notify the family within twenty days after the removal that the work was completed.
Although it is more common to use 1510 (g) for dilapidated fencing or structural situations, it does also include plantings and plant life. So make sure that before you pull out any overgrown or dead shrubs or trees that you follow the law, or you could be fined for breaking article 1510.
Government and Legal Affairs Update - Fall 2000
The 2000 legislative session has been an extremely active one. The Government & Legal Affairs Committee along with our legislative counsel, Featherstonhaugh, Conway, Wiley & Clyne, have been working diligently towards the passage of the New York State Association of Cemeteries’ legislative agenda.
As of September 23, 2000, the following three (3) bills had passed the Legislature and were signed into law by Governor Pataki:
A.6556-C/S.4458-C: The bill authorizes the repair or removal of monuments or other markers not owned by the cemetery corporation that have fallen into disrepair or are dilapidated; makes provisions for the replacement of such monuments or markers; provides notification provisions; provides for the funding of such replacement. This bill becomes effective 30 days after the Governor’s signing.
A.7638-B/S.3605-B: This bill requires an additional $35.00 of the proceeds from the performance of an interment or inurnment to be deposited in the Permanent Maintenance fund. This bill is effective January 1, 2001.
A.1461/S.8223: Requires establishing uniform standards for a consumer pesticide use information sign in retail establishments and requires 48 hour advance notice to property owners within 150 feet of such commercial lawn application of pesticide through the air; establishes requirements for such notice; provides for one week’s written notice to schools and day care centers; requires residential and commercial applicants to affix markers prior to application; provides for penalties for violations. EXEMPTS CEMETERY CORPORATIONS. This bill is effective March 1, 2001.
In order to accomplish our goals for the 2001 Legislative Session, we continue to need your financial support. NYSAC appreciates your contributions and will continue to promote NYSAC’s legislative agenda.
Sincerely,
Frank F. Giglio
Chairman-Gov’t. & Legal Affairs Committee
White Haven Memorial Park Mausoleum Construction Begins
Construction is underway at White Haven Memorial Park (Pittsford, NY) for a new chapel mausoleum. On May 16, 2000, cemetery and community leaders along with representatives from Gibraltar Mausoleum Construction Company broke ground for the park’s All Seasons Chapel and Mausoleum.
The building includes 864 crypts, 1,680 niches and a 2,000 square-foot chapel. It will feature corridors representing each of the four seasons as well as a community room where families can gather following a service. The structure will be poured-in-place reinforced concrete with a laminated wood beam and deck roof system.
“This chapel mausoleum will serve the diverse memorialization needs of the Greater Rochester community while creating an atmosphere of warmth and tranquility,” said Dan Majestic, president of Gibraltar.
Matthews is introducing two cast bronze Cuddling Angels statues that add greater beauty to mausoleums and garden areas.
The full-round Cuddling Angel with Baby figure depicts a guardian angel cradling a finely-detailed baby in its arms. The Cuddling Angel with Pet statue features a child-like heavenly spirit holding a tiny dog.
Both statues are offered in 19” and 40” sizes.
New Religious Features from Matthews
Matthews captures the beauty and purity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas, in three new features. The image of the Blessed Mother with an angel at her feet is depicted in a 28 ½” x 72,” cast bronze, bas-relief sculpture.
The image, which has special significance to Catholics of Mexican decent, is also represented in full-round, cast bronze statues measuring 24,” 36” and 72.”
Matthews also offers an 18 ¼” full-round figure in composite marble.
For information about these features or Matthews’ complete line of religious, patriotic, veterans or general use features, contact your Customer Satisfaction Representative at 1 (888) 838-8890.
Sloane Joins Woodlawn in The Bronx
The Woodlawn Cemetery is pleased to announce that Steven G. Sloane has recently joined the company as Executive Vice President.
Sloane’s duties will include overseeing the sales and marketing programs, development and special projects, information technology, and supervision of all operation and administrative departments. Sloane, a fourth generation cemeterian, brings to Woodlawn over 14 years of experience in all aspects of cemetery operations. Most recently, Sloane worked as a consultant with L.F. Sloane Consulting Group, in Albany, NY.
The Woodlawn is a not-for-profit Historic Rural cemetery established in 1863 with 400 acres in Bronx, NY. John P. Toale, Jr., President of The Woodlawn, states, “with the addition of Steven to our company, and the experience and talents he brings, we are able to grow and enhance the cemetery for the mutual benefit of its property owners and the citizens of New York City and surrounding suburbs.”
George Baker, Vice President of Webster Union Cemetery (a suburb of Rochester) returned from the Fall NYSAC Conference in Atlantic City to discover that Webster Union had been hit by vandals who overturned 33 stones. The cemetery has roughly 2,000 burials on twelve acres. Some of the monuments are hundreds of years old and are those of the town fathers of this quiet upstate community.
“It has been quite a learning experience”, said Baker. “I hope that nobody has to go through what we have gone through in the past month.” He did have some things to tell others, if they should have the misfortune to go through an attack by vandals.
Expect the media- not just the day after, but for several days or weeks later. George has had repeated requests for interviews from the local TV and radio stations.
Make sure that there are several cemetery personnel available to be at the graves and to answer questions from affected families the day after the story hits the media. Have a plan to explain to the family what steps are going to be taken to correct the damage. Baker said that Webster Union was “swamped” with families the first day after the news hit the airwaves wanting to see if their loved ones’ graves were among those vandalized.
Apply to the Division of Cemeteries for financial help from the vandalism fund. He points out that you will need two estimates and a police report. The estimated damage so far is $14,000 and if it weren’t for the Fund, an amount of that magnitude could seriously hurt the overall operations of the cemetery.
Tragedy often brings out the best in people, and George says that he couldn’t believe the outpouring of love and support from the community. Two other Webster cemeteries, Webster Rural and West Webster Cemetery, both offered their help in cleaning up the debris. “It’s like a family,” he said. “The two cemeteries helped us as if it were their own that had been hit.”
Community residents also filled the cemetery with offers to help. One group volunteered to plant flowers to “spruce the place up” while others offered their services, on a volunteer basis, to do anything they could to bring the area back to normal. A local stone worker offered his time- for free- to help rebuild some of the monuments.
The vandals have been caught, and Webster Union is pressing charges. In the meantime, George Baker hopes that nobody will ever have to go through what he did, but he did confirm that it was heart warming to see the support of the local community after such a tragedy.
Ciulla Awarded Certified Catholic Cemetery Executive Status
The Cemetery Director of Mount Calvary Cemetery in White Plains, NY, Anthony C. Ciulla, CCCE, is also a CCE (Certified Cemetery Executive) with the International Cemetery and Funeral Association (ICFA) since 1997; and a CM (Certified Memorialist) with Monument Builders of North America since 1985. He is the first individual to hold these three designations in the cemetery/monument industry. He is also an honorary member of the American Institute of Commemorative Art (AICA) since 1991. A veteran of Vietnam, Ciulla served in the U.S. Air Force. He is a graduate of Westchester Community College with a degree in Art, Drafting, and Design; and attended New York University. Ciulla is also a freelance Cemetery Design Consultant, and has won numerous awards for his designs. He is a certified Bereavement Counselor with the Catholic Archdiocese of New York; a life member of the Institute of Memorial Counselors with the ACA; a member of the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture; a member of the Thanatology Foundation; and a former member of the NCCC Design and Construction Committee. He is a life member of: the American Legion, the Forty & Eight,(the American Legion Honor Society) the VFW, the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Air Force Association, and Am-Vets.
New Statue Style from Biondan & LP
The beauty of hand-carved marble statuary is experiencing a resurgence in cemeteries throughout North America.
This phenomenon is occurring because of the combining of the craftsmanship and expertise of two of the world’s leaders in cemetery accessories. Kosmolux and affiliate Biondan & LP have made Bonded Carrara Marble Statuary available and affordable to North America.
It’s fitting that the Italian-based Kosmolux produced the statues that now adorn Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
The secret of their success is using hand-crafted master statues to produce a master mold into which a mixture of finely crushed white Carrara marble and a small amount of resin is poured. The resulting work is referred to as “reconstituted marble statue.” Thus Kosmolux combines fine craftsmanship with applied technology to design statues, which are beautiful and durable.
They are so durable, in fact, that Kosmolux and Biondan guarantee that their statues are of the highest quality. Clients are provided with products that are easy to maintain, exquisitely designed and economically priced.