Broadcaster Fall 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

New Laws for NYS Cemeteries and Crematories click here
President’s Message click here
The Woodlawn Cemetery Donates Archives to Columbia’s Avery Architectural AND Fine Arts Library click here
Foxwood Memorial Park Dedicates Bronze Statue click here
Help for the Rising Cost of Fuel click here
The Light of Hope Community Mausoleum at All Faiths Cemetery click here
“ANGELS AND ACCORDIONS” A TRIUMPH AGAIN click here
News from the Division click here
It’s Better in Bronze click here
NYSAC 2007 Regional Maintenance Seminars click here
Save the Dates click here
CMS Mid-Atlantic’s Outpouring of Generosity Benefits Vestal Hills Employee click here
Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Designated National Historic Landmark click here
White Haven Hosts “I Saved A Tree” Day click here
INTERNATIONAL CEMETERY AND FUNERAL ASSOCIATION CHANGES NAME TO INCLUDE ‘CREMATION’ click here
Fall Conference a Complete Success click here
10 SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE click here


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New Laws for NYS Cemeteries and Crematories
This has been an active year for cemetery legislation. The NYS Government & Legal
Affairs Committee has been hard at work this session on the agenda set by our Association. Special thanks goes to David Fleming for his dedicated work on our behalf.

As you can see with the information below, we have had a successful year. Four bills that directly affect cemeteries have been passed and signed by the Governor. The full text of these bills is available to NYSAC members in the “members only” section of our web site and will be printed in the NYSAC membership directory next spring. In the meantime, here is a summary of the contents of these bills:

Winter Burial Bill
A.6529-Destito/S.3305-Wright provides that cemeteries shall not refuse or deny the right of burial due to closure during the winter months. The original bill contained severe penalties. After much effort by our Association, the bill now carries the exact same language as the current Cemetery Directive 201.8. Cemeteries in New York State are required to perform interments on a six-day basis throughout the year. They are exempt, however, from performing burials in the event of “severe weather conditions” or other similar conditions.

In essence, a cemetery can’t arbitrarily say that it is closed from one specific date to another. If it is a mild winter, and the ground hasn’t frozen yet, no matter what the date, the cemetery would have to accommodate a family’s wishes for interment. If, however, the severe weather has caused a deep frost in the ground or the snow is extremely deep, the cemetery would not have to make a burial until the weather permits. The weather will determine whether a burial can be done - not a calendar date.

The bill was signed by the Governor on August 16 and takes affect 180 days later on February 12, 2007.

ECI Bill
A.10876A-Brodsky/S.7713-A-Leibell simply codifies the current “ECI” rate approval process. Nothing changes from the existing New York State Cemetery Board practice to streamline application procedures for standard review of individual cemetery rates and charges. Now that this application process is a matter of law, it cannot simply be revoked or revised at the discretion of some future Cemetery Board. Editor’s Note: You’ll find the new ECI rate on the back cover of this issue. (The new ECI rate is 3.3%) The bill was signed by the Governor on September 13 and became a law on November 12, 2006.

Cremation Bill
A.6327-Brodsky/S.4547-Leibell is an act to amend the not-for-profit corporation law, in relation to the creation, operation, and duties of crematories as cemetery corporations. Essentially, this bill codifies existing regulation and expands on requirements for stand-alone crematories. One major change is that, with the passage of this law, all crematories will be subject to inspection by the New York State Division of Cemeteries, including those operated by municipalities and religious entities.

The bill outlines a number of consumer protections relating to the handling of remains; provisions for approvals by a decedent’s next of kin; and required record keeping and inspection by the state. Additionally, this legislation provides clear direction to cemetery corporations as to their requirements for incorporation and regulation.
The bill was signed by Governor Pataki on August 16 and became law on October 15, 2006.

Rules and Regulations Bill
A.10774-A Weisenberg/S8105-A Flanagan concerns the disclosure of cemetery information to the public. Our Association was successful in drastically amending this bill which would have required all cemeteries to provide copies of all rules, regulations and prices to potential customers without adequate reimbursement. The final version merely requires a cemetery to provide a price list if requested, and then at cost. This bill became law on October 24, 2006.

Finally, a bill that we are advocating, but hasn’t yet been made into law is A.6209-A-Brodsky/S.4537-A-Leibell. This would permit a solvent cemetery Corporation to assume responsibility for the maintenance of an abandoned cemetery and make funds available from the state cemetery Vandalism Fund. Currently, state law provides funds and allows for towns to take over a cemetery but does not provide the opportunity for a cemetery to seek the same compensation and support. The last action on the bill was that it passed the Senate but is currently being held in the Committee on Ways and Means in the Assembly. We will keep you posted on further activity regarding this and other legislation affecting your cemetery.
It’s been a good year, and we are hoping for another successful one in 2007. As always, your support in contacting your legislators, as a member of NYSAC and as a contributor to the NYSAC Legal Fund, is critical to our continued success.

For further information, contact Frank Giglio, Chairman of the Government and Legal Affairs Committee at 718-326-1280.

President’s Message
Dear Cemeterians,
This special edition of The Broadcaster is being sent to every cemetery in the State. It is filled with lots of information about the recently passed legislation that will affect every cemetery. There are other informative articles that should be of interest to all cemeterians. We invite everyone to become a member of the New York State Association of Cemeteries (NYSAC). There is more information and a membership application form inside this issue of The Broadcaster. I invite everyone to join the over 500 members from cemeteries of all sizes.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the honor and privilege of serving as president of our Association. I would also like to congratulate our elected officers and directors and welcome our newest director, Linda Mayo-Perez of Maple Grove Cemetery in Queens. I look forward to working with all of the officers, directors and committees and with my predecessor, Harry Caretsky, whom I thank for his continuing service to our Association - particularly for his most recent year of service as our president.

The 78th Annual NYSAC Conference at the Hotel Hershey was a tremendous success and I would like to express my great appreciation to Joe Dispenza for all his effort and energy in chairing an outstanding program at such a wonderful venue. Thanks also to Beth Seme, our executive director, and her staff, particularly Jill Cyr, without whom NYSAC’s seminars and conferences would not function. I would also like to express my appreciation to all the members (and their guests) who attended the conference with particular thanks going to our supplier members especially those who were kind enough to generously sponsor various conference events.

Please remember that in 2007 NYSAC will conduct: 1) two regional maintenance seminars in conjunction with the New York State Turfgrass Association (NYSTA) on January 31 at the Suffern Holiday Inn and on March 5 at the Buffalo/Niagara Marriott; 2) its 30th Annual Public Affairs Seminar on April 30 and May 1 at the Desmond Hotel in Colonie; and 3) its 79th Annual Conference on September 9-12 at the Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown.

Finally, each year presents new and interesting challenges to our Association and 2007 will be no different as New York has elected a new governor and attorney general. These changes will likely usher in a new regulatory environment which your Association’s officers and directors, working through the Government and Legal Affairs Committee and with the assistance of its legislative counsel, Featherstonhaugh, Wiley, Clyne and Cordo, will closely monitor.

Again, thank you for the trust and confidence you have placed in me and my fellow officers and directors. I pledge that we will do everything that we can in the coming year to reward your faith in us as we do our best to meet the needs of our Association.

Very truly yours,
Kevin M. Boyd, President

The Woodlawn Cemetery Donates Archives to Columbia’s Avery Architectural AND Fine Arts Library
Columbia University’s Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library will acquire a vast archive of architectural designs, maps, photographs, mausoleum blueprints, correspondence, maintenance records, and other historical documents donated by the Woodlawn Cemetery and spanning 140 years of the cemetery’s operations.

The collection includes documentation on mausoleums and memorials designed by John Russell Pope, McKim, Mead, & White, Tiffany Studios, and other accomplished artists and architects. It also features documents related to memorials for many of the prominent figures in jazz, theater, literature, business, and politics who are buried on the cemetery’s 400 acres, which include Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Coleman Hawkins, W. C. Handy, Milt Jackson, King Oliver, George M. Cohan, Herman Melville, Joseph Pullitzer, Robert Moses, Fiorello LaGuardia, William Whitney, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the Woolworths, the Belmonts, and the Juilliards.”

“The Woodlawn Cemetery Archive documents the development of one of the greatest of all American cemeteries” said Gerald Beasley, Director of the Avery Library. “It is also a fundamental part of New York’s collective memory, and as such complements one of Avery’s established collection strengths. This gift adds an invaluable resource for the national and international communities of architects, planners, historians and preservationists that our Drawings and Archives collections are primarily designed to serve.”

The Board of Trustees of The Woodlawn Cemetery donated the collection to Columbia to help researchers and students access a valuable chronicle of New York City and United States history. The collection includes a database of burial plots, owners, maintenance schedules and other relevant information, as well as cemetery maintenance records, advertising materials, maps and ledger books collected over the years.

Lot owners at Woodlawn have always been required to provide designs for memorials in advance, so the cemetery can assess their appropriateness and maintenance feasibility. These designs, records, and other materials were kept in the cemetery’s downtown office until it was closed in 1982; for over twenty years, the records were kept in boxes and file cabinets located in various storage areas on the cemetery grounds.

The Woodlawn Cemetery will begin to transfer the archive to the Avery Library immediately and the formal transfer of title will take place on June 15.

The Woodlawn Cemetery will retain all records associated with burial and lot ownership and those associated with the ongoing operation of the cemetery. Researchers who wish to photograph or copy drawings or correspondence related to mausoleum interiors, stained glass windows, and sculpture for the purpose of publication will be required to obtain permission of the cemetery.
“Woodlawn has over 100,000 monuments and 1,300 private mausoleums. As Woodlawn is still a very active cemetery, we are required by state law to maintain and preserve certain records,” said Butler. “In addition, we feel it is important to protect the privacy of our lot owners while honoring those in our care.”

Images from the Woodlawn Cemetery Collection are available at: http://www.columbia.edu//cu/lweb/news/libraries/2006/2006-06-15.woodlawn_gallery.html

Foxwood Memorial Park Dedicates Bronze Statue
Ogdensburg, NY- Foxwood Memorial Park recently announced a memorial gift of a bronze statue depicting a small girl standing next to her pony. The statue stands 4 feet high and is featured in a flower garden located outside the mausoleum near where the girl is entombed. The deceased young person owned a pony when she was a child.

The statue was donated by the family of this teenage girl who died tragically two years ago. An outdoor dedication ceremony was held on an evening which marked the second anniversary of the girl’s death. A local priest led the service attended by 40 relatives and friends. The staff at Foxwood hosted a wine and cheese reception following the service in the mausoleum’s new Solarium Hall of Flags for the guests who attended the function.

Foxwood Memorial Park is a small cemetery in northern New York which is strictly a mausoleum/columbarium building providing interment options to traditional ground burial in the harsh climate of the north country of New York State. Founded in 1983 by the Fox family, cemetery president and co-founder, Richard Fox said, “it has seen steady expansion over its 24 year history with Phase IV completed in May 2006. Phase V expansion is planned for 2007-08.”

Help for the Rising Cost of Fuel
Has your cemetery incurred a significant rise in gas, diesel or heating oil? Richard Fishman and the Division of Cemeteries want to help. As many cemeteries are preparing rate applications for approval in the beginning of 2007, the Division is offering cemeteries the option of requesting a new charge entitled Fuel Surcharge.

In an effort to not have hundreds of cemeteries applying with different formulas, the Division is suggesting the following: Take the combined fuel costs for calendar year 2006 and subtract the combined fuel costs for 2005. Divide this difference by the number of interments in 2006 and this is the surcharge amount. An example is as follows:

2006 Combined Fuel Costs $25,000
2005 Combined Fuel Costs $20,000

Subtotal $5,000
Divided by Number of 2006 Interments 250

Requested 2007 Surcharge Fee $20.00

The above calculation (along with copies of your 2005 and 2006 fuel bills) should be forwarded to the Division to support the fee request.

The fee will be effective only for one year from the date of Division approval and you must apply each year for this fee. If there is a decline in fuel costs from year to year, you may not get approval of the next application.

This fee cannot be folded into your interment charge. It must be listed as a separate line item on your price list and when charging it to families. Cemeteries who wish to fold the charge into their interment fee may have to use the long form price approval as the increased cost may be more than the annual ECI automatic rate approval percentage.

For cremation fees in the State, the Division has already notified crematory operators of the opportunity to increase their rates based on increased fuel costs. For those crematories who have not done this, you may still take advantage of this opportunity.

For questions on this, please contact the Division of Cemeteries office in your region.

The Light of Hope Community Mausoleum at All Faiths Cemetery
By Dan Austin

Construction is well underway on our newest Community Mausoleum “The Light of Hope” which contains 3,000 crypt spaces and 120 custom glass niches. Consisting of 3 chapels, statuary and stained glass, over 80 % of its crypts are within a fully enclosed environment. The “Light of Hope” Mausoleum compliments the “Eternal Light” Mausoleum and was developed with the community in mind with over 85% of our interments being of the Roman Catholic Faith.

With a projected completion date of January 2008, this 3000 crypt community mausoleum was designed by one of the country’s leading mausoleum architects. After exhaustive research into European styled community mausoleum design and in an attempt to emulate the historic charm and character of the All Faiths Cemetery, while still keeping the community’s needs in mind, the Light of Hope Community Mausoleum was envisioned. The Mausoleum also has three Chapels. 85 % of the crypts are located within a fully enclosed environment thus protecting our visitors from the elements. The Light of Hope Mausoleum is one of the Metropolitan area’s most sophisticated and elegant buildings.

Sales are scheduled to begin January 1, 2008.

“ANGELS AND ACCORDIONS” A TRIUMPH AGAIN
On October 7, once again the hills of Green-Wood Cemetery came alive with dancers, singers, and accordionists. For the third year in a row, the Green-Wood Historic Fund hosted Angels and Accordions, a site specific performance and walking tour designed by choreographer Martha Bowers of Brooklyn’s Dance/Theatre/Etcetera. This year’s program featured live accordion music composed by Guy Klucesvek and Bob Goldberg.

This event was presented as a part of Openhousenewyork (OHNY), a celebration of New York City’s best architecture and design. Green-Wood Cemetery has been one of OHNY’S most popular sites since its inception, and 2006 was no exception: more than 1000 visitors took advantage of the opportunity to see the cemetery in this different way, as a joyous background for music and dance.

Jeff Richman, the cemetery historian, led two tours of the cemetery, answering questions and sharing the cemetery’s history with its guests. It was particularly gratifying that most of the visitors were discovering the wonders of Green-Wood Cemetery for the first time. And, on each tour, the crowds enthusiastically greeted the news of Green-Wood’s recent designation by the Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark with rousing applause. Positive feedback abounded—it was hard to tell whether the audience or the cast was happier with the performance. And the cemetery, thanks to the work of Superintendent Art Presson and the men and women who work on the grounds, never looked better.

The choreography reflected the resurrectionist themes of Green-Wood’s architecture and statuary. Several tombs, including the cemetery’s largest, that of the Steinway (piano) family, were opened for the occasion. And the cemetery’s Catacombs, dating from the early 1850’s, were the venue for a slide show of portraits of some of Green-Wood’s permanent residents, by visual artist Alex Heilner. The Catacombs also featured accordions as well as actors ringing bells and reciting the names of the deceased interred there. Dancers dressed in white as 19th century angels posed in tableaux vivants with statues, creating a poignant dialogue between past and present, stone and living flesh. The event concluded with a spectacular dance to the music of an accordion band on the hills of the natural amphitheater above the Historic Chapel.

News from the Division
Here’s what Richard Fishman, Director of the NYS Division of Cemeteries had to say at the NYSAC Fall Conference on Tuesday, October 17, 2006.

Prepaid Service Fees
Some cemeteries have collected service fees on a pre-need basis. Instead of escrowing the money, they have used it for current expenses. As a result, when it comes time to perform the service, they do not receive any revenue. To prevent this from happening, it is the current policy of the Cemetery Board that 100% of all prepaid service fees must be placed into an escrow account. This policy will be strictly enforced.

Merchandise Prices
As a reminder, merchandise prices have been deregulated. It is no longer necessary to request approval from the Division to increase your prices of merchandise, such as urns, grave-liners, etc. All that is required is that you notify the Division whenever you increase your merchandise prices.

Fuel Surcharge
Many cemeteries have requested approval of a fuel surcharge. The formula to determine the amount you may request is as follows: Subtract your total cost of gasoline in the last year from this year’s total cost. Divide the increase in fuel cost by the total number of interments you performed this year. The result is the amount of the surcharge per burial that you may request. If approved, your surcharge will be valid for one year only before you must recalculate and reapply. For further details, please see the separate article on page 17 Note: All cemeteries are allowed to purchase gasoline at “State Bid” prices. If you are not taking advantage of this discount to get the lowest possible price, your fuel surcharge request may be denied.

Winter Burials
If you need to provide winter burials in accordance with the new Winter Burial Bill (see cover story) and incur additional costs, you may pass them on to the family. “Additional” costs do not include your own men and equipment. They only include the costs you pay to outsiders to get the job done.

Crematories
The Division will be working with the DEC to determine proper implementation of the operational requirements of the new cremation law (see cover story). Also, the Division will be conducting more thorough inspections. In particular, they will examine the maintenance of the retorts. New requirements may include the establishment of a maintenance schedule and maintenance funding mechanism. Details will be available soon.

Also regarding crematories, the new law states that funeral directors can ask cemetery employees for assistance in handling bodies. We are not required to do so and may decline to handle a body outside of a container.

Auditing Procedures
The Division generally audits each cemetery in the state every 3-4 years. Due to staffing shortages, it can be as long as 6 years between audits for some cemeteries. Circumstances that can trigger more frequent audits are:
• Selling expenses that are high relative to total sales
• Administrative expenses that are high relative to maintenance and care costs

For further information, please contact the NYS Division of Cemeteries at their Albany office or the office nearest your cemetery.

It’s Better in Bronze
The time for mourning may pass, but the time for remembering never does.” Those words, spoken by President Bush during the June 10, 2006 dedication of the first large-scale 9/11 monument at Ground Zero in New York, accurately reflect the true nature of memorialization.

The memorial dedicated in June was a 56-foot bronze relief honoring the firefighters who gave their lives in the rescue efforts on September 11, 2001. When selecting a material for this firefighters’ monument, the designers and planners were wise to choose bronze.

A Brief History of Bronze Memorialization
Up until the early part of the 20th Century, granite was the most widely used material for memorials. However, the introduction of the memorial park created a demand for flush bronze memorials. Matthews cast our very first bronze memorial in 1927 at the request of Oaklawn Cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida. At that time, we were primarily manufacturing bronze identification plaques. We entered the memorialization business when a representative from Oaklawn came to Matthews and asked us to cast a bronze “marker” to memorialize one of the town’s leading citizens, Thomas Barnes. We manufactured a plain bronze memorial and the rest is industry history.

The Introduction of Trinity
Ten years after the introduction of the Oaklawn memorial, when the bronze memorialization industry was still in its infancy, Leonard Grosse, the art director for the Chicago Tribune and Frank O. King, the creator of the “Gasoline Alley” comic strip, set up a foundry to cast small figurines. One day while visiting Mt. Emblem Cemetery, Mr. Grosse’s wife, Ruth, noticed the bronze memorials and immediately became interested in the products envisioning them more embellished with added background detail and floral ornamentation. Ruth convinced her husband and his partner that bronze memorialization would be a profitable business for them to pursue. Together they developed Trinity memorials.

By the late 1950s, cemeteries were including Trinity memorials on their displays. In the mid 1970s, Trinity’s appeal was so strong that the small foundry could not keep up with the demand. The King family, who owned controlling interest in the company, would not consider moving to a larger more efficient facility and Trinity was headed for bankruptcy.

In 1985, Trinity was purchased by the Colonial Guild, which was known throughout the industry as the Williamsburg Companies. Later that year, the Chicago foundry was closed and the patterns were moved to Williamsburg’s Kingwood, West Virginia plant where the memorials were then produced. When the York Group purchased the Colonial Guild in 1998, Trinity memorials were considered premium artistic pieces.
When Matthews purchased the York Group in 2001, we assumed production of the Trinity memorials. Matthews continues to manufacture Trinity memorials at the Kingwood plant in the time-honored tradition that was established by the Grosse family nearly three quarters of a century ago.

Today, Trinity memorials are differentiated by their unique manufacturing and finishing process that involves immersing the memorial in a chemical solution that activates an oxidation process that brings out the natural radiance of the bronze. This process creates a memorial that is never painted. Everything you see is bronze.

Bronze: The Three D’s
Bronze memorials offer the highest value – to both the family and the cemetery. First and foremost, bronze is extremely durable. It will never chip, crack or stain. Even after years of exposure to industry chemicals and extreme weather conditions, a bronze memorial can be restored to its original finish. Over time, it will form a beautiful Verdis Gris patina, which is a natural protective coating. If the family prefers, the memorial can easily be refinished to its natural luster.

Detail is the second “D” that relates to bronze memorialization. Because the letters are raised from the surface of the memorial and buffed to a high polish, even the smallest letters are readable. Likewise, the level of detail with bronze emblems is unparalleled. There are more than 9,000 emblems available to personalize bronze memorials including religious icons, fraternal crests and symbols that represent careers, interests and hobbies.

For people who want to include a portrait or favorite photo, the options include finely-detailed sculpted portraits, four-color reproductions of personal snapshots or professional portraits on steel-backed Cameo porcelain ovals and Lasting Memories™Portraits which are exact reproductions of favorite portraits in the durability of cast bronze. For people who want their entire memorial to be a “biography in bronze,” there are Lasting Memories™Montage memorials.

The third “D” is design. Because bronze memorials are hand cast in foundries, the design options are endless. Families have a choice of size, shape, border, decor and finish.

Summary
A memorial is the last visible symbol that a life has been lived. As industry professionals, we have a responsibility to offer a variety of choices to help people commemorate the lives of their loved ones. By becoming familiar with the benefits of cast bronze memorialization, you will find that these memorials will exceed the expectations and needs of the families you serve.

NYSAC 2007 Regional Maintenance Seminars
T he New York State Association of Cemeteries (NYSAC) will again convene regional maintenance
seminars in conjunction with the New York State Turfgrass Association (NYSTA) regional conferences
on Wednesday, January 31, at the NYSTA Southeast Regional Conference at the Holiday Inn in Suffern and on Monday, March 5 at the NYSTA Western Regional Conference at the Buffalo/Niagara Marriott in Buffalo.

Both seminars will feature three sessions: 1) Innovations in Cemetery Operations, 2) Grave Opening, Closing and Restoration Practices, and 3) Employee Management Practices. Unlike the initial seminars, these sessions will devote the full time allotted to the one topic identified in the session title so that those attending can more fully explore the different methods different cemeteries employ to manage common problems. Like the initial seminars, these sessions will continue to feature a direct exchange of ideas between superintendents and managers as attendees can learn how their operations are both similar and different.

As usual, attendees will be welcome to participate in the early morning general session featuring an industry legislative and regulatory update (including a DEC report), the NYSTA breakout sessions, the trade show, and lunch.

So please be on the lookout this winter for a NYSTA and/or NYSAC mailing regarding program and registration information and be sure to encourage your staff to attend.

Save the Dates
April 30 – May 1, 2007 for the 30th
Annual NYSAC Public Affairs
Spring Seminar to be held at The Desmond in Colonie.

Returning sessions include the always interesting “Ask the Lawyer” session. Please forward any questions you face that may be addressed by our expert panel for the benefit of all.

We would also like to bring back our insurance panel. Again please forward any topics/questions you would like to see addressed.

I would like to encourage all members to attend as so many important issues are discussed at this informative seminar. Hear directly from our lobbyists, the Cemetery Board, the Division of Cemeteries, and have your concerns addressed by experts on many issues facing Cemeteries including law, investments, liability, governance, etc.

Please contact me with any questions/ suggestions.

Looking forward to seeing you at The Desmond.

Respectfully submitted,
Terry Joyce-
Spring Seminar Committee Chair

CMS Mid-Atlantic’s Outpouring of Generosity Benefits Vestal Hills Employee
Imagine being awakened to learn that storms were causing flooding in your home – and not just inches of water – nearly 14 feet of murky water. That’s the reality that Dan Bates faced in late June when excessive storms inundated his two-story house on Metz Avenue in Endwell, New York with water.

“When representatives from New York State Electric and Gas knocked at our door at 5 o’clock in the morning telling us that they were shutting off the power and we should evacuate, my wife, Linda, son, Danny, and I gathered our three dogs and went to my mother-in-law’s house about 45 minutes away,” Bates explained.

“When we returned home to survey the damage, we were saddened to learn that we lost everything,” he said. “The walls, carpets, furniture, furnaces, appliances – everything was destroyed. It was amazing how quickly mold began to grow.”

He continued, “I’ve lived in that house for 25 years and never had any significant water damage. My neighborhood is not in a flood-prone area so flood insurance was never a necessity or consideration. That’s why I didn’t have any.”

When Bates’ co-workers at Vestal Hills Memorial Park, in Vestal, learned of his situation, they immediately mobilized and rallied support from CMS Mid-Atlantic, Inc., a New Jersey-based company that provides financial, marketing and consulting services to cemeteries in New York and New Jersey.

“At CMS, we are like a large extended family,” explained Tricia Antonucci, benefits coordinator for CMS. “We sent an email to each of our affiliated cemeteries and memorial parks advising them of the flooding devastation in the Binghamton area. In the email, we stated that it would be a wonderful act of compassion to collect monetary donations to help those affected by the flooding. The generosity of CMS employees was inspiring. On behalf of CMS, Vestal Hills Memorial Park and our employees we gave the Bates family $2,645 to help restore their home.”

According to Bates, his family anticipates returning to their home in early September. He credits the efforts of caring friends, family members, co-workers and even his son’s football team with the progress they have made so far in restoring his home.

“Right now, we are working to make the house livable,” Bates said. “Once we get back in, we can do more.”

Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Designated National Historic Landmark
The United States government has formally declared what friends and supporters of Green-Wood Cemetery have long known: Green-Wood is a national treasure.

U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne recently made it official when he announced Green-Wood’s designation as a National Historic Landmark. In doing so, he recognized our significance in preserving and interpreting the heritage and history of early New York.

Landmark designation is an honor bestowed on fewer than 2,500 sites nationwide. It is the highest recognition accorded by our nation to historic properties that hold exceptional value in representing or illustrating an important theme, event, or person in the history of the United States.

In its announcement, the Department of the Interior noted that Green-Wood is “the largest and among the most influential of the early American rural cemeteries, carefully sited with dramatic views of the city and harbor below.”

“It is outstanding for its cohesive, picturesque character, integrated Gothic Revival architecture, and high integrity,” the Department said.

The announcement pointed out that Green-Wood is the most extensive and intact landscape created in alignment with the principles of Andrew Jackson Downing, the most prominent landscape architect of the American antebellum period.

Green-Wood is the first still-operating cemetery in New York State to receive the federal landmark designation. Founded in 1838, it has remained a popular tourist attraction since the 1850’s, when it attracted 500,000 visitors per year.

To qualify for historic landmark status, Green-Wood had to successfully complete a rigorous 18-month process that included submitting an application, preparing extensive supporting materials, and testifying before the National Park Service.

National Historic Landmarks can be actual sites where significant historical events occurred, places where prominent Americans worked or sites that represent the ideas that shaped our nation.

White Haven Hosts “I Saved A Tree” Day
On Saturday August 26, 2006, White Haven Memorial Park in Rochester, New York, hosted “I Saved A Tree” Day to dedicate the newest section of its Nature Trail for Cremation Burials. The new section, called “The Forest”, actually meanders through a natural, hardwood forest.

The event was called “I Saved A Tree” Day because individuals who had purchased burial property along White Haven’s Nature Trail were invited to the event and inducted into the “I Saved A Tree” Club. White Haven chose to honor their customers in this way because their purchase of this new type of burial property allowed the cemetery to continue the Nature Trail into the forest, thereby saving its trees from elimination to create more of the lawn burial areas traditionally seen in cemeteries.

Members of the “I Saved A Tree Club” received a gold lapel pin in the shape of a Maple leaf. They will also receive newsletters from White Haven telling them about future development of the Nature Trail and other nature-related projects and activities at White Haven. White Haven is a fully certified member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program sponsored by Audubon International.

One of the many customers sold on White Haven’s Nature Trail is N.Y.S. Assemblyman, David Koon, whose daughter Jennifer is buried along the trail. Jennifer was murdered in a tragic, widely-publicized incident a few years ago. It was the inability of local 911 operators to find her and respond to her desperate calls for help on her cell phone that led her father into politics. Assemblyman Koon was the featured speaker at the “I Saved A Tree” event. After his remarks, Assemblyman Koon led all the visitors on a hike along the Nature Trail.

Burials along the Nature Trail are marked by bronze plaques attached to artificial rocks or tree trunks. The Trail begins by a large gazebo which is frequently used for memorial or committal services. It passes by a koi-filled pond, crosses a babbling brook and winds through two groves of mature pine trees and across a meadow area before entering the hardwood forest. The entire forest occupies about 80% of the cemetery’s remaining 80 acres of undeveloped property.

According to Andrea Vittum, president of White Haven, sales in the Nature Trail now account for approximately 25% of the cemetery’s total property sales. “We expect this percentage to increase over time,” Vittum said, “because everyone benefits. The customers benefit with an attractive alternative to scattering, the environment benefits with the preservation of a beautiful forest and the wildlife it supports, and the cemetery benefits because we have no grass to mow or markers to trim in this natural area. That really makes it a win-win-win situation.”
For further information, contact Andrea Vittum at 585-586-5250 or andrea.vittum@choiceonemail.com.

INTERNATIONAL CEMETERY AND FUNERAL ASSOCIATION CHANGES NAME TO INCLUDE ‘CREMATION’
On October 4, the International Cemetery and Funeral Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to change the name of the association to the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association. The name change will take effect on January 1, 2007.

According to ICFA President Tom Roberts, CCE, the change is part of a natural progression for the organization, which changed its name from American Cemetery Association to International Cemetery and Funeral Association in 1996. “Just as many of our members have added ‘crematory’ or ‘cremation garden’ to their company names, the ICFA Board felt it was time to add ‘cremation’ to the association’s name.”

Along with the name change, the ICFA plans to expand its already broad range of cremation-related benefits and programs. For more information on the ICFA and its programs and benefits, visit www.icfa.org or call 1.800.645.7700. As of January 1, 2007, the association’s Web site domain name will change to www.iccfa.com.