MILLBROOK — Greer School alumni, spouses and friends gathered in the auditorium at the Fountains on Wednesday, June 7, for what they said was their last reunion. The school has been closed for many years and the youngsters who attended it are aging.
Greer School started life as Hope Farm in 1906, founded by David Hummell Greer, who had been an Episcopalian bishop of New York. The school housed and educated disadvantaged children of Dutchess County, and many of its students came from single-parent families.
Greer, Dr. Russell A. Hibbs and Florence Rapallo purchased the property from the Brothers of Nazareth, who had a boy’s school there called Priory Farm. Already on site was the large main house, which was built in 1896 and served, in the beginning, all the needs of Hope Farm.
Thomas Hazzard, also an Episcopal clergyman, was named the director, and he was responsible for many of the original buildings erected after Hope Farm began. He retained that position until 1917.
Les Greene is not an alumnus, but his father was, and so was his uncle. “The law in New York state at the time said that there could only be a certain number of homes with no man or father present,” Greene recounted. “Many of the children were put on what were called ‘orphan trains’ and sent out West.
“My father and uncle were going to be sent on one of those trains, but my aunt knew someone on the board at Hope Farm. She got them sent there instead. That was around 1913. They went in as Baptists, but came out as Episcopalians. But they had a wonderful experience, and even though my father isn’t here, I come to some of the reunions, maybe half a dozen times in the past 20 years.”
At the Fountains auditorium, food was served, speeches were made, and after lunch, alumni President John Hudnor showed a film and photos of the Greer School, the students over the years, and past reunions.
“We had dances,” said Hudnor. “We had Friday night movies. We played sports, competing with local teams from the area, Millbrook, Pine Plains, Pleasant Valley, and some further away. We won championships. We didn’t miss out on anything.”
Jim Anderson, who now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, attended with his wife, Barbara. He also had many fond memories of Greer School, although he was in the first class of Greer students who graduated from Millbrook High School, after the students began attending public high school, in 1964.
The last Greer High School yearbook was published in 1963. Information on exactly when the school closed is unclear, but by the 1980s, it was under the direction of Greer-Woodycrest Children’s Services, a nonprofit, and in the 1980s, received many Haitian refugees.
Later, Watermark Retirement Communities bought the property and it became the Fountains, which has hosted the many reunions of Greer School over the years.
Many of the event’s participants were sad to think that this reunion would be the last one, and they walked the paths and visited Child’s Chapel and the cemetery, storing the memories for a time when there would be no more visits to the site of their old home and school.
With four urgent care centers and an emergency room, there are a number of options for immediate care in Torrington.
Emergency rooms are intended to treat severe conditions such as major trauma, chest pain, difficulty breathing, stroke, head trauma, neck or spine injury, severe bleeding, seizure lasting longer than 3 minutes, severe burn, vision loss, choking, electric shock or struck by lightning.
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital emergency roomRiley Klein
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, part of the Hartford HealthCare system, operates an emergency room in its main location at 540 Litchfield St. Live wait times can be checked online at charlottehungerford.org/services/emergency-room
Urgent cares often treat conditions such as colds, flu, fever, asthma, allergies, emphysema, minor skin lacerations, cuts, burns, urinary tract infections, sport or occupational injuries, sprains and strains. Many locations offer x-rays, drug screening, biometric testing and physicals.
Hartford HealthCare GoHealth on East Main St.Riley Klein
Hartford HealthCare GoHealth operates two urgent cares in Torrington: The location at 996 East Main St. is open Monday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Phone: 860-866-5809; the location at 112 South Main St. is open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 860-387-4365
Hartford HealthCare GoHealth on South Main St.Riley Klein
Concentra urgent careRiley Klein
Concentra operates an urgent care at 333 Kennedy Dr. Suite 202, which is open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 860-482-4552
American Family Care (AFC)Riley Klein
American Family Care (AFC) operates an urgent care at 1171 East Main St., which is open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 860-407-5048
In the event of an emergency, dial 9-1-1.
Hudson Valley Hospice House in Hyde Park is the first freestanding hospice to serve Dutchess and Ulster Counties.
If you or someone in your care are approaching end of life, Medicare’s hospice benefit provides comprehensive, coordinated care for people with a life expectancy of six months or less, as certified by a doctor who can prescribe hospice services. The goal of hospice is to improve quality of life by providing support rather than curative treatment.
Hospice care under Medicare is delivered by a team that typically includes doctors, nurses, home health aides, social workers, chaplains, counselors and trained volunteers. Hospice nurses can manage symptoms and medications; aides assist with personal care such as bathing and dressing; and trained volunteers may offer companionship, run errands or provide respite for caregivers. Drugs related to the terminal illness, as well as equipment such as hospital beds, oxygen, wheelchairs and wound care, are covered at no cost by the program.
The hospice benefit is available in a patient’s home, a nursing facility, an assisted living community or an inpatient hospice center. Patients can continue receiving hospice as long as they remain eligible, and they may stop hospice care at any time if they choose to pursue curative treatment again.
The Hudson Valley Hospice in Poughkeepsie (phone: 845-485-2272) covers all of Dutchess County including the northeast corner. Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Litchfield County provides care in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut (Phone: 860-379-8561, Winsted office). In addition, your doctor or nursing facility may recommend private hospice services, which are also available at no cost.
Elizabeth Wing, ND at Violet Hill Naturopathic Clinic in Sharon
“The body’s natural state is health and if it’s not healthy, we always ask: why not? We’re trying to help the body heal itself.”
— Elizabeth Wing, ND
Perhaps you’ve driven by the house on route 41 in Sharon that is undergoing a paint job transformation, blooming slowly into a deep, resonant purple. This is Violet Hill Naturopathic Clinic, run with deep care by Elizabeth Wing, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, who is devoted to tending to the whole person — body, mind and spirit. At Violet Hill, medicine is a conversation and a return to balance.
“Naturopathic medicine approaches the body and healing differently,” Wing explained. “The body’s natural state is health and if it’s not healthy, we always ask: why not? We’re trying to help the body heal itself.”
Originally from Rhinebeck, the purchase of her new home and business at 40 Gay Street was serendipitous. “We moved here in the height of COVID,” said Wing. “We didn’t have housing worked out, and by some miracle, we got this house.” The building, formerly a doctor’s office, seemed meant to be.
A graduate of naturopathic school in Seattle, Wing brings extensive experience to her practice. She primarily treats endocrine disorders, digestive issues, and autoimmune conditions, with a particular focus on reducing inflammation and improving overall health.
“New patient appointments are anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours,” said Wing. “We go through a full health history and there’s a lot of time for education around how certain things in the body are connected. For example, why your gut problems could be connected to your eczema, or how gut problems can also end up with some hormone dysregulation.”
The clinic offers unique services, including quarterly CT thermography imaging and constitutional hydrotherapy, which every new patient receives for free. “It helps calm the nervous system and helps with detoxification,” Wing explained. “This treatment has been shown to increase white blood cell count for several hours afterwards.”
Wing is accepting new patients and the wait time for an appointment is generally less than two weeks. “I’m personally pretty committed to trying to be as accessible as possible,” she said. “I try to be really good about responding to messages. That old kind of country doctor feel is kind of what I have in mind.”
“I meet people where they are. When someone is on a different ‘train’ of reality, I get on that train with them.”
— Lolly Schroeder
Lolly Schroeder, a self-described member of the “caregiving mafia,” describes elder care as nothing short of a profound calling of compassion. Growing up on her family’s farm, Silamar in Millerton, Lolly discovered her unique talent for caregiving almost by accident, starting with her friend John Masters’ mother, Polly Jo.
“Her doctor gave her two years to live,” Lolly recalled. “She ended up living seven years. What a hilarious ride.” Polly Jo, a writer for the Roe Jan Independent and active in the Democratic Party, left an indelible mark on Lolly. Her approach to caregiving is deeply intuitive, drawing from her background in gardening and a Buddhist-inspired perspective on life and death.
“When you watch someone losing their ability to live life the way they’re used to, there’s a freedom in it,” she explained. “I realize now that I don’t see old age, sickness, and death as something to fear.” Her specialty is working with dementia patients, an area she approaches with remarkable humor and compassion. “I have to confess, I have a blast with dementia,” she said. “I meet people where they are. When someone is on a different ‘train’ of reality, I get on that train with them.” This approach allows her to create meaningful connections with her clients.
Currently managing four caregiving cases, Lolly maintains a diverse income stream by continuing her gardening business. She sees her work as part of the “Berkshire Shuffle,” maintaining multiple skills in a rural community. “At the end of the day, it’s about observing and tracking what matters,” she noted, describing her meticulous approach to tracking patient care through detailed graphs of food, fluids, and medical output. For Lolly, caregiving gives her a deeper appreciation for life, with all of its difficulties and all of its beauty.
“The relationship goes on,” she said, reflecting on the lasting impact of her work with clients. “There’s something beautiful about witnessing someone’s final chapter.”
