River rafting offers insight into art, literature

AMESVILLE — David Albano was standing on a picnic table with a paddle and issuing instructions about what to do in the event of a dunking. “Don’t panic,” he said. “Try to get around to the back of the boat.”He was talking to a group of about 15 students from Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y., who were about to take three rafts from Clarke Outdoors down the swollen Housatonic, from below the Great Falls to the Housatonic Meadows park. Albano, an English teacher, offers a course called “Philosophy of the Wild” as an English department elective. Most of the students are seniors.All of them were pumped up about the rafting trip — Albano had to do a little shepherding to make sure everybody shoved off at more or less the same time.He said his course offers a look at nature and wilderness through literature and art.The catalog description reads, in part: “The course will look at the changing cultural attitudes toward the environment as defined by the concepts of nature and wilderness. Students will survey various definitions of ‘wilderness’ and explore the relationship of the individual and the community to the ‘wild.’”Some of the rafters were optimistic in T-shirts and shorts. Other, more experienced rafters, wore long pants and layers. Everyone wore a life jacket.

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Robin Lee Roy

Robin Lee Roy

FALLS VILLAGE — Robin Lee Roy, 62, of Zephyrhills, Florida, passed away Jan. 14, 2026.

She was a longtime CNA, serving others with compassion for more than 20 years before retiring from Heartland in Florida.

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Marjorie A. Vreeland

Marjorie A. Vreeland

SALISBURY — Marjorie A. Vreeland, 98, passed away peacefully at Noble Horizons, on Jan. 10, 2026.She was surrounded by her two loving children, Richard and Nancy.She was born in Bronxville, New York,on Aug. 9, 1927, to Alice (Meyer) and Joseph Casey, both of whom were deceased by the time she was 14. She attended public schools in the area and graduated from Eastchester High School in Tuckahoe and, in 1946 she graduated from The Wood School of Business in New York City.

At 19 years old, she married Everett W. Vreeland of White Plains, New York and for a few years they lived in Ithaca, New York, where Everett was studying to become a veterinarian at Cornell. After a short stint in Coos Bay, Oregon (Mike couldn’t stand the cloudy, rainy weather!) they moved back east to Middletown, Connecticut for three years where Dr. Vreeland worked for Dr. Pieper’s veterinary practice.In Aug. of 1955, Dr. and Mrs. Vreeland moved to North Kent, Connecticut with their children and started Dr. Vreeland’s Veterinary practice. In Sept. of 1968 Marjorie, or “Mike” as she wished to be called, took a “part-time job” at the South Kent School.She retired from South Kent 23 years later on Sept. 1, 1991.Aside from office help and bookkeeping she was secretary to the Headmaster and also taught Public Speaking and Typing.In other times she worked as an assistant to the Town Clerk in Kent, an office worker and receptionist at Ewald Instruments Corp. and as a volunteer at the Kent Library.

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Rafael A. Porro

Rafael A. Porro

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Rafael is survived by his sister, Chany Wells, his nephew Conrad Wells (Gillian), and by numerous cousins in North Carolina, Florida, Wyoming, Arizona, Cuba and Canada. He was the eldest of the cousins and acknowledged family historian. He will be greatly missed.

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Roger D. Ovitt

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Roger had worked for 36 years as a crusher operator for the former Pfizer Corporation in Canaan. After retiring from Pfizer in 1992, Roger joined his brother, Brian, and began a new career as a house painter. Roger enjoyed this venture with his brother.He was an avid fisherman.Roger also loved to garden.He took great pride in the flowers and vegetables that he raised.

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