Summer 2003 - Northeast Health

Tribute/Memorial gifts
For the birthday of
Mrs. Alice T. O’Brien
In honor of
Mr. Robert A. Bosworth
Dr. Mary Colfer & the
Albany Memorial Hospital
Emergency Department Staff
Ms. Susan Coreno
Dr. Martin P. Echt
Miss Amy Marschilok
Mr. David Marschilok
Mrs. Rose O’Neill
Dr. Kirk R. Panneton
The Marjorie Doyle Rockwell
Center DayBreak Staff
The Speech Therapy
Department at Eddy Cohoes
Rehabilitation Center
In memory of
Ms. Janice Slocum Agopovich
Mr. John D. Bennett, Sr.
Mr. Alexander Berdar
Mr. Clark D. Briggs
Mrs. Joan M. Briggs
Mr. Tom Bushnell
Ms. Kelly A. Carner
Mrs. Mary Emily Charette
Mr. Kuan I. Chen
Mr. Anthony Cicchinelli
Ceylon DeLorenze
Mr. Frank DeSantis
Mr. Paul E. Diamond
Ms. Lisa A. DiBacco
Mrs. Lillian Dingley
Mrs. Antonietta DiPalma
Mr. Arthur Druba
Mrs. Anna K. Fallon
Mrs. Caroline Familiar
Mrs. Hazel Folmsbee
G.G.
Mr. James F. Gavin, Jr.
Mr. John Gaynor
Mr. Arthur E. Gifford, Jr.
Mr. Carl A. Graziadei, Sr.
Mrs. Marion Grimm
Mrs. Mary T. Grimm
Ms. Jacqueline Heath
Mrs. Jean G. Heeder
Mr. David W. Heer, Sr.
Mrs. Sadie Hermann
Mr. Edward Johnson
Ms. Bonnie Rowe Jones
Mrs. Gail K. LaBelle
Mr. Lee Ladouceur
Mrs. Leona T. Lewis
Mrs. Irene M. Lucas
Mr. George Mardigan
Mr. Joel Meader
Mrs. Leola M. Mernit
Ms. Isabel W. Miller
Mr. William Monagle
Ms. Irma Norton
Ms. Mary Celine O’Brien
Mr. Luigi Panetta
Mr. Natale M. Provo
Mr. James Quest
Mr. Andrew Rainone
Mrs. M. Elayne Rainone
Mr. Alton W. Reedy, Sr.
Mr. Ralph H. Rose
Mr. Casper E. Schaffer, Jr.
Ms. Paula Sheffer
Professor William W. Shuster
Mrs. Estelle L. Sokol
Mrs. Eleanore Sweeney
Mrs. Nancy Talbot
Mrs. Mary Anne Tonkin
Ms. Josephine A. Vitillo
Mr. Cornelius W. Whalen
Mr. Alexander W. Zak
A Promise to Care: The Eddy Celebrates 75 Years of Rich History
One of the most important things for children
growing up is to know that they’re loved
and that they’ll always be cared for, no matter
what ... But the promise of care is ageless and
carries with it comfort beyond our childhood
years. In fact, it’s something that comes full
circle as we age.
For 75 years, The Eddy, a not-for-profit
network of senior services, has been keeping
that promise of care. Through three-quarters
of a century, we’ve been there quietly offering
innovative, compassionate and high-quality
care services — for seniors and for the community.
But did you know that The Eddy actually
plays a part in the rich history of the Collar City,
and in fact, has a footnote in American history?
The Eddy began in 1928 as a 19-bed nursing
home for the ladies of Troy, but the story of the
Eddy family and its origins begins a century
before that ...
James A. Eddy, for whom The Eddy’s first
nursing home in Troy was named, was the son
of Titus Eddy, who moved to Troy in the 1820s.
A shrewd businessman, Titus established a
successful printing and ink manufacturing
business off Oakwood Avenue in the city —
on what is still known today as Eddy’s Lane.
Titus invented the formula that eventually
produced all the ink used to print United States
currency. He also experimented with other types
of engraver’s products and soon sold two common
inks to the U.S. Treasury — a yellow ink
for printing gold certificates and a green ink
for silver certificates.
It was said that Titus would lock himself in
a room for two weeks every year to manufacture
the ink for the U.S. currency, mixing enough
during that one sitting to supply his annual
$50,000 government contract. No one knew his
secret formula, including the six men he hired
at the business. Titus would even purchase
different ingredients under different names
to help preserve the secret.
As a result, Titus accumulated a considerable
fortune in Troy and lived in what was one of the
city’s showplaces, a huge colonial home also on
Eddy’s Lane overlooking the Hudson Valley.
When Titus died, son James inherited his father’s
business, along with the secret ink formula.
A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
James ran the family business successfully
for more than a quarter of a century, and the
business grew as Uncle Sam printed more and
more money. James continued his government
contracts until 1908. When James died in 1918,
the secret formula died with him, and his $1
million-plus estate went to his wife, Elizabeth
Shields Hart Eddy and daughter, Ruth Hart Eddy.
In memory of her husband, Elizabeth Shields
Hart Eddy, who herself was a descendent
of the very prominent Hart family of Troy,
provided the funds to establish the James A.
Eddy Memorial Foundation in 1925. With
a vision of caring for the aging community,
the generosity of The Eddy family led to
the construction of a nursing home in Troy
intended “primarily for gentlewomen.” And
it is here where the history of The Eddy,
as a network, begins.
Today, that home, the James A. Eddy
Memorial Geriatric Center, is located on
Burdett Avenue, the heart of The Eddy’s
Troy campus. And The Eddy has grown
into a comprehensive not-for-profit network
of services, including skilled nursing and
rehabilitation centers, home care, independent
retirement and assistive living, Alzheimer’s
and dozens of other innovative, nationally
recognized programs.
Eddy services span 15 counties and touch
thousands of lives, everyday. Our 1,600 professional
caregivers help more than 19,000 people
annually, from active older adults in our retirement
communities, to those living in need of
home care services, to the frail or chronically ill
who require skilled care.
This year, The Eddy marks its diamond
anniversary with a year-long celebration, filled
with exciting events at each of the network’s
affiliates across the greater Capital Region. We’re
pleased to share the history of the network and
the community as we celebrate 75 years of
growth, innovation and the promise of care.
Thank you for putting your trust in our care.
We look forward to continuing our promise for
coming generations. Here’s to the next 75 years ...
2 • Summer 2003