
Misty stillness on an October morning in Smithfield found Frank Stella observing a few of his horses. The image was captured by Stella’s visiting friend, Martin Francis.
Martin Francis
Misty stillness on an October morning in Smithfield found Frank Stella observing a few of his horses. The image was captured by Stella’s visiting friend, Martin Francis.
Aprofound commitment to the notion of rural life and farm ownership centered Frank Stella in the Smithfield Valley in Amenia, New York. His artistic talents, spanning 60 years, brought renown first as a pioneer minimalist and later as an abstract painter and sculptor, earning him numerous awards. His decades at his Amenia farm allowed him to pursue the breeding and racing of his horses.
In 2009 Stella was one of ten recipients of the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama, awarded in a White House ceremony.
Stella’s rural Smithfield Valley community and The Smithfield Church mourned news of his death that had occurred on Saturday, May 4, at his home in Manhattan. He was 87, just short of his 88th birthday. The following day, on Sunday, the little congregation gave thanks to God for all in Frank Stella that was good, kind, and faithful, imbuing him with an extraordinary imagination that poured into his art, his deep sense of color, and his unique gifts brought through paint to canvas.
When in residence at his Smithfield horse farm, Delahanty Stock Farm, neighbor to The Smithfield Church, Stella and his wife, Harriet, would happily attend concerts or suppers, enjoying conversations with the locals. The Smithfield Valley Association events were also likely to attract their attendance and relaxed participation.
Noticing that Stella was in the audience for a solo organ concert being performed by Kent Tritle, organist of the New York Philharmonic, Director of the New York Oratorio Society, and organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Rev. Douglas Grandgeorge, pastor of the church, seized the opportunity to introduce the two to each other. As the pastor reached for superlatives in praise of both giants in the arts, Stella interrupted with his own self-introduction. “Here, I am a farmer,” Stella said simply.
Stella’s local friendships were long and significant. During an interview on Wednesday, May 15, Nan Cassidy spoke of her own decades of association with Stella, firm admiration, and Stella’s enduring friendship with her mother, Ethel Doshna, until her death at 104.
“He was always kind, always made Ethel feel special, always bringing a present to remember her birthdays, Cassidy recalled.
“He was just the sweetest person,” Cassidy said. “He always made people feel special.”
They met in the 1970s, nearly 50 years back, when Cassidy and her husband, Jim Cassidy, were managing the farm that at that time was owned by a partnership. Frank Stella went on to buy out the other partners, and the farm became Delahanty Stock Farm.
“He was a wonderful person, so kind. He just loved coming to the farm,” Cassidy said.
A favorite story that has endured describes the Cassidys’ first encounter with Stella. In the early years, Nan and Jim Cassidy were living at the farm and Nan was busy inside making dinner while Jim and Ethel’s husband, Mike, were outside waiting for someone who was coming to see about painting the barn. A young man arrived, clothing and shoes splattered with paint.
“The painter is here,” Mike called in to the kitchen, but it wasn’t the barn painter, it was Frank Stella, owner of the farm and a different kind of painter.
“On one occasion, we met at one of the Amenia restaurants and Frank gave Ethel a gift of a tiny titanium sculpture that he had fashioned, Nan Cassidy recalled. It wasn’t clear to Ethel how the little piece should stand. “Think of it as a puzzle; you can put it together any way you want,” he told Ethel.
“What you see is what you see.” Frank Stella said in 1966 of his art. The directness of the saying has lasted.
In remembrance of two of his paintings that had hung in corporate offices at the World Trade Center, but been lost on 9/11, Stella installed a stainless steel sculpture at 7 World Trade Center Plaza in 2021, a piece titled “Jasper’s Split Star.” The sculpture was inspired by his own 1962 painting titled “Jasper’s Dilemma,” a tribute to Sharon, Conn. artist Jasper Johns.
He nurtured the passion for thoroughbred racing and breeding of horses, a passion pursued at his Smithfield farm. He enjoyed the excitement of turf racing and had earned stature in the racing world as a breeder of winning New York-thoroughbred horses.
Stella’s horses raced at notable tracks including Belmont, Arlington, and Saratoga. Stella’s preference was turf racing and he always put the welfare of the horse first, according to the New York Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association.
Warriors left-fielder James Singleton, no. 4, made it to base on all four at-bats he had Tuesday at Beekman Park.
AMENIA — The Pine Plains boys baseball team travelled to Beekman Park in Amenia to face off against the Webutuck Warriors.
The game ended with a Pine Plains win of 13-7.
The Bombers' Austin Mielich, no. 35, only made one hit in three at-bats, but it was productive. Mielich secured two runners batted in and a run himself in a later play.Photo by Nathan Miller
The Bombers racked up an early lead in the first two innings, scoring four runs in the top of the first and a fifth in the top of the second before the Warriors managed to score two runs in the bottom of the second.
Webutuck defenders held back the Bombers in the third inning and scored another run, bringing the score to a manageable 5-3 Pine Plains lead going into the fourth inning.
Then the Bombers let it rip. Six more runs in the fourth inning brought the score to 11-4 Pine Plains going into the fifth.
Webutuck managed to score another three runs before the end of the game, but the Bombers nearly matched with two more of their own for a finishing score of 13-7.
Bombers catcher Matthew McGhee, no. 10, put out six batters, including Webutuck's Albert Bailey as he tries to cross home plate on Tuesday, May 13, at Beekman Park in Amenia.Photo by Nathan Miller
The Bombers’ pitchers — Warren Lounsbury, no. 11, and Luke Blackburn, no. 4, only gave up four hits to Warrior batters through the game. Between the two pitchers, the Bombers struck out 13 of Webutuck’s batters. The Warriors’ pitchers — Zach Latrell, no. 1, Gabe Domingez, no. 9, and Pearse Williams — managed to strikeout 11 of the Bombers’ batters.
Mickey Stringer of of North East, left, checks in with Chris Virtuoso, volunteering on Saturday, May 12 at the Old Town Garage on South Center Street as a Climate Smart Task Force member. Stringer’s loaded pickup was part of a long line of vehicles along South Center as residents used the opportunity to dispose of air conditioners, mattresses, lumber, and other bulk items. Town Supervisor Christopher Kennan said he didn’t recall seeing such a long line of vehicles in past years.
Elm Drive Elementary School in Millbrook.
MILLBROOK — Preparing for the village-wide vote on the proposed 2025-26 school budget scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, the Millbrook Central School District held a public hearing on Tuesday, May 6, to review the budget and hear residents’ comments.
The CSD proposed 2025-26 budget to be voted upon as Proposition 1, showed total expenditures of $35,649,651, an increase of $1,074,576 (3.11%) over the current year.
“We’re trying to trim as much as we can,” said Elliott Garcia, Assistant Superintendent for Business, during his budget summary.
Two additional propositions are included on the ballot, both anticipating a bond issue to fund repairs, renovations and improvements to school buildings.
Proposition 2 would bring repair to the Middle and High School buildings, with more work at the middle school estimated to cost $37,381,383. Work would include HVAC, electrical, window replacement, roof and ceiling repair, elevator service and doorway improvements.
The high school work would include HVAC at a total estimated cost of $1,883,099.
The total amount would, however, be reduced by $12 million in currently available funding, so that a bond issue would be needed to cover a total of $27,264,482, to be repaid over a number of years. Taxpayers would need to pay the annual interest on the bonds during the life of the bonds.
Separate funding of energy efficiency improvements at the middle school and high school would carry at total estimated cost of $3 million that would also need to be bond-financed, but that funding would return to the school budget in the form of energy cost savings.
Proposition 3 would bring HVAC, electrical and window replacement at the elementary schools at an estimated cost of $21,779,259, also to be financed by bond issue.
Students from the Middle School Student Council presented a report on a recent survey they conducted and analyzed. Their report was titled, “Repair Our School.”
For their building conditions study, the nine students conducted an in-school survey of students, teachers and staff, receiving 228 responses.
Interpreting the responses as percentages, the students reported that 90% indicated that the middle school does not look as good as it could; more than 80% said they were concerned about the state of the building; 67% had classes interrupted by roof leaks; 75% said it was difficult to learn because of the roof leaks; and 94% said that if the school were their home, they would not stay.
“Our student government never stops working,” said Principal Steven Cabello, adding that the students’ efforts have been invigorating.
School superintendent Caroline Hernandez-Pidala praised the students’ project, the time and care invested in their survey study and their reporting of the results.
“I’m super impressed,” Hernandez-Pidala told the students.
The May 20 polling location is at the Middle School, in the Band room adjacent to the auditorium. Polls will be open between noon and 9 p.m.
The proposed budget, details of the propositions and a copy of the ballot are posted on the CSD website at www.millbrookcsd.org.
Voters in two other school districts will decide on higher spending plans for the coming school year on Tuesday, May 20.
Webutuck Central School District and Pine Plains Central School District propose higher K-12 budgets for the 2025-2026 school year.
The proposed budget for Webutuck, with an enrollment of 637 students from K-12, shows a 5.96% increase from the previous year to $28,665,850. Pine Plains proposes spending $38,712,336, an increase of 2.71%.
Ray Nelson, Earthwise Architecture, requested two variances for 7-9 Main St., one to allow a 9-unit floorplan and another to waive the parking requirements for the building, at a public hearing held by the village Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday, May 6.
MILLERTON — Ray Nelson of Millerton presented two possible updated floorplans for the apartment building at 7-9 Main St. to the Zoning Board of Appeals at a public hearing on Tuesday, May 6.
Nelson, on behalf of the building’s owner, is seeking two variances for the property: one allowing a density increase and another waiving the parking requirements for the property.
Village code requires at least 5,000 square feet of lot space per unit for multi-unit properties and 1.5 parking spaces per unit.
The building was configured with 12 units under previous ownership, a non-conforming use.
Nelson submitted a 9-unit plan and a 6-unit plan. He argues the 9-unit plan, which would house one fewer total bedroom than the 6-unit layout, would not require additional parking because the smaller units attract tenants that use fewer parking spaces — young couples, single people and very small families.
“There’s a need for apartments that are in the village,” Nelson said.
The submitted 9-unit floorplan is a reduction from a previously declined 12-unit plan that sought to maintain the current number of units in the property.
Zoning board members concluded the public hearing after brief discussion with the three Millerton residents that attended the meeting.
Zoning board members could not reach a final decision on the variances that night, citing required further deliberation, but they indicated a positive attitude to Nelson’s new plans.