The Hollow - Part Three

I asked a select group of people (my class of '72 classmates and relatives on my mother's side, many of whom graduated in the '40s and '50s) their opinions on the Clarence Hollow posts. My thought was that those who had stayed in Clarence their entire lives would have experienced changes gradually and therefore have a different viewpoint than those who have moved away - even if only a few towns over, where they now spend most of their time.

I also thought that age might come into play. Those of the Parker generation would have seen more changes over time, while those of us in the middle are still hanging on to the images of our youth. The youngest generations more than likely haven't been hit by that "change" thing - yet. If our grandparents could weigh in, I'm sure there would be yet another angle - "Changes? Let me tell you about changes..."

As expected, most people may have thought about it but chose not put their feelings into words. However, Parker alumna ('49) Janice Donner Hartwig did take the time, and here is her viewpoint:

"I'll comment on the recent things in the Bee about Clarence Hollow because I don't agree with them.

Perhaps some of the buildings are run-down but I'm sure in time someone will work to improve them. Maybe the writer didn't happen to be here during the time Main Street was torn up due to the installation of the sewers and things really were a mess. I think the work the N.Y. Dept. of Transportation or whoever did it has turned out beautifully from the East Hill to the West Hill. The brick walkways and the lampposts now give it a quaint look and it's neat and clean.

Perhaps it's not as he remembers it but that's life; the only thing that's for sure is that things change.

If he'd like to hear laments, he should talk to someone from one generation back who remembers when we went to school at Parker up on Academy Hill -

"Far above the busy humming, on a hill so high,
stands our Parker Alma Mater,
reaching toward the sky"

"In those days" the guys would sneak out of school and go to the bottom of the hill to "Ma Hummel's" (Mysterious to me, I don't know if I was ever there) but it always sounded like many things transpired there.

It made many of us sad to see Parker torn down.

Thinking about it, I suppose the writer probably went there for his early years of school but that's not the same as when it was high school with 45 - 75 students per grade."

Agree or disagree with the posts on Clarence Hollow? Truthfully, I don't think that there is a right or wrong answer. It's all in our perceptions, and in our memories.


(The top photo is of Hummels's located at Main & Academy; It was a service station in the early 1900's, but it seems to have gone through various incarnations. Both it and the Parker School photo are from the History of the Town of Clarence)

The Hollow - Part Two

To recap, the following opinions (in 2 parts) are those of two Clarence alumni, members of the Massaro Family (and also of Massaro Cleaners, then located in the Hollow). This will be broken up by writer for emphasis and also ease of reading.

On a recent visit home Alec Massaro ('75) was dismayed at the conditions he witnessed and wrote a letter to the Clarence Bee (published May 14 2008). After reading the letter, sister Cathy Massaro Fisher ('72) added some sentiments and memories of her own in an email.

The Massaro viewpoint is more than valid in that they grew up in Clarence, as opposed to moving there at a later date. Their memories are real, rather than an attempt to recreate nostalgia.

From Cathy:

"Alec has such strong, romantic memories of Clarence "in those golden years". I think many of us do. I have told my mother often how I cherish our childhood, and how they truly were "the wonder years", for me anyway. No bicycle helmets, no rapes, parades down Main Street, concerts in the Town Park, and true town pride.

My father fussed endlessly over the bedding plants in front of the store (Massaro Cleaners), and the chores we had as children included shoveling the sidewalks in front of the house and store (BEFORE we opened), keeping the big front glass windows clean and anything that said we were proud of our home, business and town.

We belonged to the larger community and that was important to our parents. They taught us by their actions and instilled in us why it mattered. So I know why Alec is so disturbed, and when I visit his home on Long Island, I see everything my dad ever taught him about being a good neighbor and home owner reflected in his yard.

Now my visits back to Clarence include trips to the cemetery on Ransom Road. This last trip, which revolved around burying my stepfather, happened at my favorite time of year...spring. I love spring because of the lilacs which grow wild across the street from that cemetery...a long row of white and pale purple bushes. I took clippers and made an enormous bunch to take over to my father's grave.

My father would be the saddest of all to see what has happened to Main Street.

That enormous bunch of lilacs looked so beautiful on his headstone."