Uplands Farm Celebration and other Recollections

[Sharon Bense]

RECOLLECTIONS

There is not one memory that stands out over the last 15 years but many. The week I had started working they had a farewell party in Blackford for the girl I was replacing and I thought hmm, not such a bad place to work! We would always look forward to the Uplands Farm Celebration which was held to celebrate the beginning of the planting season. Tim and Mary Mulligan are the hosts with the most. They would fire up the barbeques and most people would bring dishes to share. It was always fun to try out a new recipe to share with everyone. Some people would bring food reflecting their heritage. Some years we'd be standing under a tarp in the pouring rain but most years the weather would be good and the party would last until it was dark. There would always be the Uplands Band where a lot of the attendees could showcase their talents.
The Lab used to hold an End of the Season party on Blackford lawn. It was a nice way to socialize with your co-workers and make new acquaintances. They would have games and activities, now they have the Annual Picnic for all of us.
I used to see Barbara McClintock once in a while. She lived in a little apartment in Hooper. She was always friendly and willing to talk. She would be walking down Bungtown Road or in Blackford. Such a petite woman with an amazing presence.
I was here for the Centennial Celebration. There is a great picture of some of the employees dressed in period costumes on the steps of Jones. It was a rainy day but they still lit the fireworks. We watched the fireworks explode in the clouds.
In 1991, the year of the Perfect Storm, the Harbor overflowed the seawall right up to the steps of Jones and then some. It was amazing to see waves where the road should have been. There has never been a Nor'easter like that since!
Summers here at the Lab means lines of kids walking like ducks in a row down Bungtown Road with their nets in hand for Nature Study. They would go out into the Harbor at low tide to catch whatever little creature they could.
It's not just the parties and social gatherings I have memories of, but also the grounds. I love to see the change of seasons on the hill on the other side of the harbor. From brilliant colors, to the grey of winter and the slow greening with the promise of spring. I will always remember the hush that comes over the Lab when it snows and all you hear is the crunching of your feet in the snow.
So it is hard to pick out just one memory of my life here at the Lab. It is still an ongoing experience. I do miss the Lab as it was, when everybody knew everyone. There were perhaps 400 people working here. It is our extended family that we shared happy times and sad times with.

[Timothy Mulligan]

When they have the in house symposiums at CSHL the PI’s have 20 minutes to tell everybody what their research is and everyone of them in their acknowledgements will say “thanks to Tim Mulligan.” Even though it’s a little blip, it’s out there and they know the small part that I do. When one of my researches will be published, on the very last page of their manuscript, there will be one little sentence “thanks to Tim Mulligan for help with plant care.” That to me is like a million dollars, they acknowledge my part in the making of the final product.

[Danny Miller]

The first one was just a few guys. It was an unsanctioned party, the lab had nothing to do with it. Clandestine, but it blossomed from there. But we did go through a spell when it rained for several years straight. The band would set up and as they would play their first note...it would downpour. But it is something to look forward to always.