By JoAnn R. Walter —
As summer winds down, we pause to reflect on the good times we had. Perhaps you visited Hickories Park in Owego for a picnic, took in one of the summer concerts or another special event, enjoyed a walk or bicycle ride, or set up camp.
In June, a new remembrance stone with a plaque attached was placed and is located adjacent to the park office and campground.
The sentiment on the plaque reads, “In Memory of Forrest Hall, for his hard work and dedication to establishing the Hickories Park facilities from 1964-1972.”
If you are a native of the area, the name Forrest Hall most likely rings a bell with you. OPD Officer Forrest Allen Hall, Jr., was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call on North Avenue on Oct. 13, 1969. Officer Hall, just 23, had served two years with the OPD.
A memorial was dedicated in 2019 at the entrance to the OPD station in memory of Hall and another OPD officer who was killed in the line of duty on July 17, 1869, Isaac Wiltsie.
Pictured is the Hickories Park, Owego office, located inside the park near the campground, and to the right of the office is a remembrance stone with a plaque attached. The stone remembers Forrest Hall, Sr., who was involved in the early creation of the park. (JoAnn R. Walter photo)
Officer Hall’s father, Forrest Allen Hall, Sr., was instrumental in the initial construction of key features within Hickories Park. He finished the first boat ramp in July of 1965, now 60-years ago. At the same time, Hall, Sr. was also busy constructing the first pavilion along with its concrete floor.
The father and son, Forrest Allen Hall, Sr. and Jr., both rests at Evergreen Cemetery in Owego. Hall, Sr. passed away in 1994.
The Hall family relocated to the Owego area in the 1930’s from Knob Noster, Missouri, to seek a better life due to the devastation created by the Dust Bowl across the Great Plains.
Hall, Sr.’s good friend and neighbor in Campville back in the day, Grant Short, is now 98 and lives in Owego. Short is a U.S. Marine veteran who served at the end of WWII and the post-war period.
Grant recalled how hard Hall Sr. worked while at the Hickories and shared, “Forrest worked night and day, sometimes seven days a week,” and chuckled, “I remember when he asked my brother and me to test out the new boat ramp for the first time; that was fun.”
Hall’s daughter, Arlene Steller, who now lives in Florida, explained that her father was a humble, hard-working man who took direction from Charles S. Hills, the Town Supervisor at the time. Arlene said her father was a jack-of-all-trades, as he ran the bulldozer, leveled dirt, and cleared brush and trees, among other tasks.
Arlene reminisced, “My father took much pleasure from the fruits of his labor, and he felt he made a difference,” adding, “The park was one of his proudest achievements.”
Later, Hall, Sr. also served in the role of Town of Owego Highway Superintendent.
It was Grant and Arlene who worked together to have a memorial made for Hall, Sr., and both thanked the MacPherson Funeral Home for their assistance.
Grant, who expressed his determination to get the memorial made, is happy with how it has turned out.
To understand Grant’s determined nature, he shared a story about his desire to join the military. One day he awoke in the wee hours of the morning, crawled out of a window, and made his way to Binghamton with a buddy to sign up, all without his parents knowing. Since he was only 17, though, he needed parental approval. He said that after days of persistence, his father finally signed the paperwork.
In the near future, with the help of the parks department, a red maple tree will be planted behind the stone and plaque in memory of Forrest Allen Hall, Sr. The family has provided the funding for both.
Arlene shared, “My father loved nature, and he especially liked maple trees; he planted many of them.”
If Hall, Sr. were here today, he would see that the park has expanded to include a band shell, several pavilions, a large campground, the 9-11 memorial, and more.
And perhaps, too, Hall, Sr. would have been delighted by the trees planted near the 9-11 Memorial. An eastern hemlock, a sugar maple, and a flowering dogwood were planted in memory of the victims of the 9-11 attacks in Shanksville, Pa., the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, each tree representing the state trees from each of the three locations.
Arlene concurred and said, “He would be thrilled to know that people really enjoy the park.”
A previous marker had been installed years ago to remember Hills, and it reads, “Town of Owego Hickories Park 1969: Planned, acquired, and developed during the administration of Charles S. Hills, Supervisor 1962 through 1971.”
Forrest Hall, Sr. is remembered as being integrally involved in the creation of the beauty of the park that we all enjoy today.
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