Schaghticoke forum draws interest in regional history

Gregg Osofsky, left, of Watershed Center in Millerton, chats with Sachem Hawk Storm at a roundtable at Pine Plains Free Library on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Photo by Deborah Maier
PINE PLAINS — The Schaghticoke First Nations (SFN) Roundtable at Pine Plains Free Library on Saturday, Dec. 3 brought up a wealth of genealogical information, current projects, dreams for going forward, and a host of questions from the audience that reflect the complexities of this moment in our nation’s history. About 60 people were in attendance.
Dyan Wapnick of Little Nine Partners Historical Society began the program with an acknowledgement of the unceded land known as Shekomeko, and a hope that the erasure of its indigenous peoples can be rectified to ensure fairness for their living descendants.
Though the Pine Plains Bicentennial scheduled for March 2023 will celebrate its “discovery,” she noted, it was already inhabited by a complex and sophisticated indigenous culture.
Valerie LaRobardier, SFN Tribal Genealogist, presented a series of slides outlining the difficulties of drawing upon sources from the earliest colonial days. Questions of perspective, of oral versus written sources, alternate name spellings, and similarly named individuals who were numbered for convenience (‘Gideon 33’) made for a good introduction.
Of special interest were the Praying Towns set up in western Massachusetts to Christianize Indians, with British families installed as ‘models of civility’. To a modern eye, it is noteworthy that they were led by “a speculator in Indian lands”, one Ephraim Williams. In the ensuing decade, thousands of acres of Mohican lands were “secured” — many if not most without compensation.
The role of the Moravian Missionaries was a fascinating exception to this phenomenon: they were allies to native Americans; they socialized with them, advised and protected them, when necessary, from the actions of some of the colonists. Their careful documentation, while not always flawless, affords us knowledge that would otherwise be lost.
The post-break presentation by Sachem (Chief) Hawk Storm began with a reminder that the indigenous peoples of the United States were “not as isolated and separate as some would have us believe”. While conceding that there are differences among tribes, he stressed that all in this region were under one governing body, led by those who called themselves simply the Algonquin word for ‘Easterners’.
Sachem Hawk highlighted his group’s many efforts at building the dream of a world where clean food and water, as well as satisfying livelihoods connected to the land, are available to all.
Caskoak (‘place of the herons’), their 73-acre parcel near Copake, has already begun its transformation into an Agro-Food-Forestry paradise, with 3000 new trees planted, all of them fruit- or nut-bearing. Plans are afoot to build “a Conservation and Cultural Center where we can host workshops and conferences, bringing indigenous voices from around the world to share their knowledge and experience.” An Indigenous Exchange Program would bring others into Indigenous Peoples communities for “full immersion training”.
What is planned is future-focused stewardship of both land and communities: “Our goal on this land is ecosystem restoration, reconnecting communities with the land, and providing a real-time example of a food-focused initiative that is based on the use of Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge.”
As the meeting drew to a close, audience members raised the thorny issue of recognition by state and federal authorities; and the question of how to deal with historically objectionable artifacts, mascots and other representations — like the head of Sassucus, a Pequot chief, in a local high school’s logo — elicited some spirited responses. The image in question was the side wall, recently painted over, of the former Pine Plains Platter restaurant, depicting Indians in a way that some found offensive. As a counterpoint, Sachem Hawk cited John Gast’s 1892 painting, “American Progress”, with its suggestion that American Indians fled willingly from the new technology of the age. Conversations, he holds, are more educational than obliteration.
Millerton attorney and historian Ed Downey likely spoke for many in the audience when he praised Valerie LaRobardier’s impressive research and commended Dyan Wapnick for giving us the opportunity to understand our world more fully. “That’s the primary reason we study our history”, he said. “To better understand who we now are as a community, we need to know more about those who preceded us here.”
LAKEVILLE — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at her home. She was the beloved wife of George R. DelPrete for 62 years.
Mrs. DelPrete was born in Burlington, Iowa, on May 31, 1941, daughter of the late George and Judy Meyers. She lived in California for a time and had been a Lakeville resident for the past 55 years.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, George, include son, George R. DelPrete II, daughter, Jena DelPrete Allee, and son Stephen P. DelPrete. Grandchildren; Trey, Cassidy, and Meredith DelPrete, Jack, Will and Finn Allee, and Ali and Nicholas DelPrete.
A Funeral Mass was held at St. Mary’s Church, Lakeville, on Saturday, Oct. 4. May she Rest in Peace.
Ryan Funeral Home, 255 Main St., Lakeville, is in care of arrangements.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com
SHARON — Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti, daughter of George and Mabel (Johnson) Wilbur, the first girl born into the Wilbur family in 65 years, passed away on Oct. 5, 2025, at Noble Horizons.
Shirley was born on Aug. 19, 1948 at Sharon Hospital.
She was raised on her parents’ poultry farm (Odge’s Eggs, Inc.).
After graduating from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, she worked at Litchfield County National Bank and Colonial Bank.
She married the love of her life, John, on Aug. 16, 1969, and they lived on Sharon Mountain for more than 50 years.
Shirley enjoyed creating the annual family Christmas card, which was a coveted keepsake.She also enjoyed having lunch once a month with her best friends, Betty Kowalski, Kathy Ducillo, and Paula Weir.
In addition to John, she is survived by her three children and their families; Sarah Medeiros, her husband, Geoff, and their sons, Nick and Andrew, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Shelby Diorio, her husband, Mike, and their daughters, Addie, Lainey and Lyla, of East Canaan, Connecticut,Jeffrey Perotti, his wife, Melissa, and their daughters, Annie, Lucy and Winnie, of East Canaan. Shirley also leaves her two brothers, Edward Wilbur and his wife Joan, and David Wilbur; two nieces, three nephews, and several cousins.
At Shirley’s request, services will be private.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Sharon Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 283, Sharon, CT 06069.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
MILLERTON — Veronica Lee “Ronnie” Silvernale, 78, a lifelong area resident died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. Mrs. Silvernale had a long career at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, where she served as a respected team leader in housekeeping and laundry services for over eighteen years. She retired in 2012.
Born Oct. 19, 1946, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Bradley C. and Sophie (Debrew) Hosier, Sr. Following her graduation from high school and attending college, she married Jack Gerard Silvernale on June 15, 1983 in Millerton, New York. Their marriage lasted thirty-five years until Jack’s passing on July 28, 2018.
Ronnie is survived by her daughter, Jaime Silvernale (Wm. MacDaniel, Sr.) of Millerton, her beloved grandson, Wm. MacDaniel, Jr.; two special nieces, Shannon and Rebecca and a special nephew Sean Hosier. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brother, Bradley C. Hosier, Jr. and her dear friend Ruth Fullerton of Millerton.
Visitation was private. A celebration of Ronnie’s life will be held in the future. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Ronnie’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Christine Gevert, Crescendo’s artistic director, is delighted to announce the start of this musical organization’s 22nd year of operation. The group’s first concert of the season will feature Latin American early chamber music, performed Oct. 18 and 19, on indigenous Andean instruments as well as the virginal, flute, viola and percussion. Gevert will perform at the keyboard, joined by Chilean musicians Gonzalo Cortes and Carlos Boltes on wind and stringed instruments.
This concert, the first in a series of nine, will be held on Oct. 18 at Saint James Place in Great Barrington, and Oct. 19 at Trinity Church in Lakeville.
For those unfamiliar with Crescendo, the award-winning organization was founded in 2003 and brings lesser-known works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods — along with contemporary fusion pieces — to new life. Its performances often blend classical composition with nontraditional instrumentation for a refreshing new take on an established body of work.
Gevert, who is German, Chilean and American, is a conductor, keyboardist and musical scholar. As the multi-national, multi-lingual (German, Spanish and English) creative director, she is a veritable whirlwind of talent, professionalism and inspiration who conceives of new musical treats for her audiences. She also hires and nourishes local talent, sources internationally known vocal and instrumental professionals, and provides her audiences with well-researched program notes for each concert, packaged in lush, full-color programs that resemble illuminated manuscripts.
“It is the excitement about and dedication to the music, along with the prerequisite vocal and instrumental talent, that characterizes a Crescendo member,” said Gevert. “I don’t care about things like how old or young you are or where you’re from — it’s all about bringing these performers together to provide unforgettable musical experiences for its audiences.”
“Traditional audiences for classical music performances tend to skew older,” Gevert continued. “For that reason, I’ve embarked on an effort to reach younger listeners, and have done things like taken a Crescendo choral group to perform at Housatonic Regional High School. I’ve also launched an effort to recruit and train young singers in Baroque singing techniques so they can perform with our existing choral group.”
The upcoming 2025-26 season includes, among other performances, a solo recital and benefit concert on Nov. 22 by the international Baroque opera star and countertenor Nicholas Tamagna. The curated program will include works by Handel, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi.
Two dazzling Christmas concerts follow: on Dec. 6 and 7, Crescendo presents J.S. Bach’s “Sweet Comfort” cantata and Mass in G minor, featuring the full chorus and soloists with a period instrument orchestra. On Dec. 21, the annual Holiday Concert will be presented: “A Tapestry of Traditions: Unraveling the History of Christmas Carols,” with the entire Crescendo vocal ensemble and Gevert on organ.
For the full schedule, concerts details and ticket information, visit: www.crescendomusic.org