SALISBURY, Conn — The inaugural Estabrook Community Leadership Award was presented to the Harney family by The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News on Oct. 6.
The Harneys earned the award for their tireless commitment to improving and serving the community. The award, named for the longstanding Lakeville Journal owners Robert and Mary Lou Estabrook, was created to recognize individuals who embody the community spirit and leadership in the same way the Estabrooks did.
“We are thrilled to present this award for the first time to the Harney family. A family that has given so much to our local community,” said James Clark, CEO and Publisher, at the Jubilee Luncheon.
Board member, Brian Ross, presented the honor to the family and Elyse Harney addressed the crowd of more than 200 people at the Town Grove lawn overlooking Lake Wononscopomuc.
Harney spoke of the dedicated volunteers and organizations that keep the community alive such as the Jane Lloyd Fund, the Housatonic Youth Service Bureau, Salisbury Winter Sports Association and local emergency responders. John Harney Sr. was a founding member of the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service, which today is one of the few all-volunteer corps left in the state.
Harney urged the audience, “From the bottom of my heart I would ask you to join this wonderful family of volunteers that made this community such a blessed oasis in this very turbulent world. Keep Salisbury a strong, caring community.”
Applause carried over the lake as leaves rustled and cascaded through the air. Guests then enjoyed Harney Tea and a buffet lunch on the Grove lawn as the Salisbury Band Senior Quickstep Hot Shots played.
Adding to the festive occasion, Sharon Playhouse’s Youthstage put on a charming rendition of “Consider Yourself” from the show “Oliver” with customized lines referencing the Harneys.
“Nobody tries to be lah-de-dah or uppity. There’s a cup of ‘Harney Tea’ for all.”
Anne Day
The Sharon Playhouse Youthstage actors perform a charming rendition of "Consider Yourself" from the show "Oliver" during The Lakeville Journal and Millerton News Jubilee Country Luncheon, Oct. 6.
Ralph Fedele sits at a desk in the historic Irondale Schoolhouse, which he led the effort to relocate to downtown Millerton.
Fedele moved to Millerton from New York City 37 years ago, in 1988, and has since worn many hats — volunteer, historian, advocate, elected official — yet he still doesn’t believe he’s earned that title.
“I’m a transplant,” he said matter of factly. “I’m from the city.”
Before settling in Millerton, Fedele spent 25 years working in merchandising at JCPenney.
His roots, however, trace back to Rhinebeck, where he grew up on a 97-acre farm and enjoyed what he describes as an idyllic childhood.
“It was marvelous,” he said, with a twinkle of nostalgia in his eyes. As a boy, he climbed apple trees, spent hours in the family barn’s hayloft, played with neighbors until sunset, and helped his Sicilian grandmother — his nonna — in the garden. Today, Fedele wears her ring. “Any time I’m a little depressed or I want to remember,” he said, “I can talk to her.”
Growing up with an Italian grandmother sparked a lifelong love of history and culture. That curiosity eventually took Fedele to Italy, where he visited the church in which his grandmother was baptized. “Because I love history so much, I wanted to know where my grandmother was from, so I traveled to her village in Sicily.”
Along the way, he uncovered another piece of family history. His great-grandfather, Giovanni Nicolini, was a noted Italian sculptor whose work still stands outside Palermo’s Teatro Massimo, the largest opera house in Italy. Fedele later made a pilgrimage there and photographed his ancestor’s name on the bronze plaque outside of the theater.
Ralph Fedele sits at a table in the historic Irondale Schoolhouse in downtown Millerton. Fedele led the effort to renovate and relocate the schoolhouse to the center of the village.Photo by Aly Morrissey
The Irondale Schoolhouse
Years after settling in Millerton full time, Fedele was driving north on Route 22 when he spotted an old, classic building and couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“It was in dire straits,” he recalled. “Right on the road, but beautiful. I remember thinking, ‘Wouldn’t that be a great building to move into the village?’”
That moment would eventually turn into Fedele’s lasting legacy.
He left his post at the North East Historical Society to found Friends of the Irondale Schoolhouse, leading an eight-year effort to “move, restore, and repurpose the building.”
Supervisor Chris Kennan said the project remains inseparable from Fedele’s name. “Every time I pass by the Schoolhouse, I think of Ralph,” Kennan said. “It was his vision and persistence that enabled this dream to become a reality.”
Fedele joked that people may have thought he was crazy during the lengthy restoration. “I was a tyrant,” he said with a laugh. “I really made sure that we were able to get it done.” The effort required coordination with the state, the county, village and town officials, and his newly assembled nonprofit board.
As a self-proclaimed history buff, Fedele didn’t stop at the restoration. He found a list of students in old records and did what any determined historian would do. He opened the telephone book and started making calls.
Eventually, he tracked down one of the schoolhouse’s original students — Mary (Mechare) Leitch — who, at the age of 101, returned to the building after renovations were complete.
“It was a marvelous time,” smiled Fedele. “I was so happy to see her.”
‘Trust is earned’
Today, even though he won’t call himself a local, Fedele is a familiar fixture in town. You can find him each week enjoying conversation and a cup of coffee at Talk of the Town Deli, or getting stopped in town by neighbors and friends for a chat.
“I have gained the trust and confidence of a lot of people,” Fedele said. “It comes a little bit at a time. Trust is earned.”
Not only has Fedele served as a town board member, he has volunteered for Townscape and served as the president of the North East Historical Society. He was also one of the first advocates of preserving history by fixing toppled gravestones at the Spencer’s Corners Burying Ground.
His service was formally recognized at his final Town Board meeting through a resolution commending his three four-year terms as councilman, citing his “good humor, kindness to all and deep concern for the community’s senior citizens and for those living on fixed incomes.”
An emotional Fedele addressed the room with a mantra he often repeats. “When you leave, leave this place a little bit better than you found it,” he said. “That’s what I have always tried to do.”
Neighbors react
During the public comment, several residents stood to thank Fedele.
Claire Goodman, a member of the village Zoning Board of Appeals and Townscape volunteer, said Fedele was among the first to welcome her to Millerton.
“Whether we’re standing out in the cold, scrubbing tombstones at Spencer’s Corners, or ringing the bell at the schoolhouse, you always have such grace and you’re such a gentleman.” She added, “The way you laugh, it opens my heart.”
Kathy Chow, who serves on the Conservation Advisory Council and the Climate Smart Task Force, referred to Fedele as a “pitbull,” adding, “We all have hard things that we do, and we keep pushing at it, but you’re the one who makes me think I can keep going.”
Fedele describes his retirement from the town board as bittersweet. “I’m going to miss this,” he said. “I really am.”
