Stephen S. Myers

LAKEVILLE — Stephen S. Myers, 82, of Lakeville, (formerly of New York City, Almond, New York, Kane’ohe, Hawaii, and Fair Oaks, California) passed away peacefully at his home on Nov. 30, 2024. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth “Betsy” (Phelan), his two sons Matthew and Shepherd, two nephews and three nieces.
Stephen was born in Elmhurst, Illinois, on Oct. 29, 1942, the son of the late Elwood Mosman and Donnie Marguerite Myers. Growing up in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Stephen struggled with dyslexia in multiple high schools, ultimately graduating from Avon Old Farms High School in Avon, Connecticut.
Before attending Pratt Institute, he lived in a beach shack Shelter Island for a year and remembered this as a time when “you could walk the beach and eat the fish.” At Pratt he met his wife, Betsy, and helped to establish photography as a major there with the assistance of his friend Robert Mapplethorpe. As one of the first wave of artists to move to the Cast Iron District in Lower Manhattan, he and Betsy renovated a 3,200 square-foot loft and became one of many artists illegally living in the Soho loft spaces. They ran a photo studio for commercial clients, as well as doing street photography, including a role as the club photographer for the Alien Nomads’ MC or Motorcycle Club (which later became the New York City Hells Angels Chapter). He was a major contributor to New Journalism in New York City with Milton Glaser and Clay Felker during the 1960’s and 1970’s. His investigative photojournalism was featured in major stories about media figures along with current events in New York City and upstate New York. He documented multiple artists, musicians and notable persons (including Jim Morrison and The Doors, Sly and The Family Stone, Eddie Egan, Russell Means, Dennis Banks, John Lee Hooker, and Count Basie) from the Sixties to the present.
In the late 1970’s Stephen and Betsy relocated to Western New York where he continued his photography work full time, including becoming a field tester for Eastman Kodak’s pre-production professional films and papers, as well as photos in the ad campaigns to introduce the product to the marketplace. His North Coast Native American mask photography for the American Museum of Natural History was used extensively across dozens of publications. He was a runner-up for the 1998 Ellie National Magazine Award for his LIFE Magazine article about his plant photography in which he was featured.
In 1988 Stephen and his wife led a grassroots resistance campaign, with the help of physicist Theodore “Ted” Taylor and the local community, against the New York State government over a proposed low-level radioactive dump. Rallying everyone from hardscrabble farmers, the sheriff, political leaders, academics, media, and even the members of the local Mennonite community, they were able to increase their ranks and bring many disparate groups together. At one point Stephen read the Declaration of Independence to an audience of over 5,000 at a county-wide meeting. He considered this day, and the fact that the entire campaign remained a form of nonviolent protest, to be among his greatest accomplishments. This activism led to a U.S. Supreme Court challenge, New York v. United States, 505 U.S. 144 (1992), which is the first enduring challenge of states’ rights under the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. They were able not only to stop construction of the dump, but also to change how the federal government would handle the disposal and containment of such waste for future generations.
His work was published in LIFE Magazine, New York Magazine, Esquire, Playboy, Fortune, A.D. Magazine, New Times Magazine, Harper’s Magazine, Natural History Magazine, VIVA Magazine, Seventeen, Audience Magazine, Working Woman, National Lampoon, The Saturday Review, and NOVA. Prints of his work can be found in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Fenimore Art Museum, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, George Eastman House, the Robert L. Pfannebecker Collection, the Almond Historical Society Archives, American Museum of Natural History, Robert Sobieszek Collection, Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, George Eastman House, the Sidney Clark Collection at Avon Old Farms, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) Collection, and Kroch Library’s Rare Manuscript Collections at Cornell University.
After raising his children in Western New York State, he and Betsy lived in various places before returning to the Northeast. Stephen had a lifelong passion and love for woodworking, painting (oil & watercolor), restoring antiques, attending estate sales and flea markets, listening to music, and riding his bicycle with his sons.
WINSTED — Gilbert Kenneth Schoonmaker, of Monroe, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on July 24, 2025, at the age of 77. Born on Jan. 18, 1948, in Winsted, Connecticut to Gilbert and Alta (Bierce) Schoonmaker, Gil spent four decades enjoying life on Highland Lake before settling in Monroe.
He is lovingly survived by his wife of 56 years, Sally (Gustafson) Schoonmaker, and his two daughters, Lynn Sindland and her husband Lee of Lead Hill, Arkansas, and Deb Pikiell and her husband Tim of Bristol, Connecticut. Gil was a proud grandfather to Ozzie, Tommy, Betsy, Katie, George, Lucy, Maddie, Joey, and Julia, and he cherished his time with his eight great-grandchildren. Gilbert leaves behind his siblings Ann, Gary, Gail, Jan, and Tim.
Gil met Sally, the love of his life, while attending Housatonic Valley Regional High School.He went on to attend Northwest Community College before serving in the United States Air Force. Professionally, he was the longtime owner of Universal Business Equipment in Bridgeport, a role he held with pride for more than 20 years.
Gil had a lifelong passion for the outdoors and was an avid golfer and fly fisherman. He also enjoyed birdwatching and gardening. Perhaps more than anything, Gil will be remembered for his love of cooking. He took great joy in preparing meals for family and friends. Right up until his final days, he was finding joy in discovering new ways to cook the vegetables he grew in his garden.
Friends and family are invited to attend a funeral service at Stepney Baptist Church, 423 Main Street in Monroe on Tuesday, July 29at 11:00 a.m.
To leave an online message of condolence, please visit Gilbert’s tribute page at www.OBrien-FuneralHome.com
The Millerton Village Offices on Route 22 north of the intersection with Route 44.
MILLERTON — The anticipated follow-up to the May 21 special meeting regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement will take place Tuesday, July 29, at 6 p.m. Legal counsel for the village is expected to attend.
At the May meeting, nearly 20 residents and community members urged the village board to adopt a local law limiting cooperation between Millerton’s police and ICE, aiming to protect immigrants, including undocumented individuals. While no resolution was reached, Mayor Jenn Najdek committed to holding a follow-up meeting where village legal counsel would be present to help clarify questions and explore the proposal in more depth.
The May meeting featured passionate community input stressing the moral and legal importance of clear local guidelines on ICE cooperation, balanced against concerns from officials about potential budget strains and the risk of losing federal infrastructure funding.
According to the agenda released by the village, the ICE discussion is slated to occur early in the meeting. Other key items include a public hearing on Local Law X — intended to expand eligibility for planning and zoning board positions to residents of Dutchess County — and a resolution to approve a recreation contract with the Town of North East.
The meeting is open to the public and will take place at the village offices at 5933 N. Elm Ave.
Author and cartoonist Peter Steiner signed books at Sharon Summer Book Signing last summer.
The 27th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon will be held Friday, Aug. 1, from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 3, at noon.
Friday’s festivities will honor libraries and the power of the written word. In attendance will be 29 locally and nationally recognized authors whose books will be for sale. With a wide array of genres including historical fiction, satire, thrillers, young adult and non-fiction, there will be something for every reader.
The event will include a selection of hors d’oeuvres and drinks, followed by eight festive author dinners where writers will read and discuss their work one-on-one with attendees.
Saturday will feature a new Page to Plate program that merges the literary and culinary worlds. Just as writing is a practice of patience and love, so too is the art of cooking. Cookbooks and food writing make cooking teachable to those excited to learn and celebrate the art of a perfect meal.
Through a combination of demonstrations and conversations, acclaimed cookbook authors and chefs will cover a variety of delicious topics. Highlights include a discussion with Chris Morocco, food director of “Bon Appetit” magazine and “Epicurious.” Sharon resident and chef Jessie Sheehan will demonstrate recipes from her cookbook “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy, Savory Recipes for 24/7 Deliciousness.”
With the combination of vetted recipes and thorough discussion from food experts, attendees are sure to leave knowing how to cultivate the ultimate act of service: the gift of a full stomach.
Sunday will be brunch at a private Sharon residence hosted by Graham Klemm and Cody O’Kelly to celebrate author Carolyn Klemm and her cookbook “Culinary Collection: Favorite Country Recipes.”
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit hotchkisslibraryofsharon.org
All proceeds support the programs at The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon.
Ukraine Emergency Fundraiser at The Stissing Center in 2022 raised over $120,000 for Sunflower of Peace.
The spirit of Ukraine will be on display at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains on Sunday, July 27. Beginning at 5 p.m., the “Words to America from Ukraine” fundraiser is set to showcase the simultaneous beauty of Ukrainian culture and the war-time turmoil it faces, all the while fundraising in support of Ukrainian freedom.
“Words to America from Ukraine” aims to remind and spread awareness for the suffering that often gets forgotten by those who live in comfortable worlds, explained Leevi Ernits, an organizer for the event. “We are trying to make an attempt to remind people that we are human, and we are connected with human values,” she said. “With very few words, poetry can express very deep values.”
Sponsored by the Town of Stanford, Friends of Ukraine, L.E. Design LLC, Bartelby & Sage, Oblong Books and Borshch of Art, the fundraiser will host the recitation of war-time Ukrainian poetry. Readings will include the works of Vasyl Sagaydak, Oksana Lutsyshyna, Serhiy Zhadan, Victoria Amelina, Marjana Savka, Ostap Slyvynsky, and Mariana Harahonych.
“Poems are fishhooks into our souls,” added Mark Lagus, another event organizer, explaining why poetry was chosen for the main event.
Guests will also enjoy a performance by Ukrainian Village Voices, a New York City- based band dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional Ukraining Folk music. The evening will also feature speakers Jed Sunden and Maria Genkin, along with a live auction. Food and drink will be provided by Bartelby & Sage, a sustainable, local and female-owned company.
All ticket proceeds, bids, and donations will go directly to Razom for Ukraine, a U.S.-based nonprofit. Razom, meaning “together” in Ukrainian, has the mission of “contributing to the establishment of a secure, prosperous and democratic Ukraine,” through “creating, inspiring, and collaborating on initiatives that motivate people to think, partner and do.”
Tickets, donation opportunities, and more information are all available by visiting www.wordsfromukraine.org