A trip to the Adirondacks on a very special anniversary

I spent yesterday in the Adirondacks outside the village of Newcomb. An estate near there, known as the Santanoni Preserve, is home to one of the Adirondack Great Camps. On July 10, 1971, a little boy named Douglas Legg was vacationing at the estate with his family. At some point that day, Douglas went missing and was never found. There is still a lot of mystery about his disappearance. Shortly after the search for Douglas (over 1,000 people, most of them unfamiliar with land search techniques, traveled to Newcomb to help try to find him), the Oswego County Land Search and Rescue Team formed. They have become a highly respected search team throughout New York State. I am currently researching the history of the team for an upcoming book.

Since the Oswego County team started as a result of the Douglas Legg search, I decided to visit the location on the 45th anniversary of his disappearance. I walked the trail where Douglas was last seen. I talked with some locals who remember the search. They were pleased to know that a professional rescue team was formed in response to the unsuccessful search for Douglas. This photo was among the paperwork on display. It's a sketch of an aerial view of the Santanoni estate, which was designed to resemble the shape of a phoenix. The phoenix, according to its mythology, never dies.

Announcing my new book project!

I have begun research on my next book, which will tell the story of The Oswego County Pioneer Land Search & Rescue Team. The story starts in 1971, before the days of 911 and organized emergency support systems, when a local boy was lost in the Adirondacks and never found. A Fulton man was following the tragic story and vowed to do something so that no family would ever have to suffer such a loss again. Within weeks of the boy's disappearance, the man had reached out to the Central New York community and the first search and rescue team in New York State was born. Today it is one of the most respected teams throughout New York State and beyond.

I'll be writing the full history of the team, now in its 45th year, by profiling the heroic men and women who started it and the many accomplishments they achieved along the way. To facilitate my research, I'll be hosting a series of programs at Oswego County libraries, where I'll tell some of the group's history and ask for audience reactions, hear stories of any connection they may have to the search and rescue team and any storiesof the group's work. To see where I'll be presenting the program, please click on the "Readings" link above and review the list of my upcoming appearances. You can contact me for more information by using the "Contact" link above.

This writing project has been made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by CNY Arts. I am proud to be a 2016 recipient of the CNY Arts' Individual Artist Commission.