Senate Resolution No. 37
BY: Senator GRIFFO
COMMEMORATING the 60th Anniversary of the Pratt
Northam Foundation
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commend those
illustrious organizations of the State of New York whose focus and
intent have made a substantial impact on the quality of life in their
communities; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Pratt Northam Foundation; and
WHEREAS, The Pratt Northam Foundation was established in 1962, and
is named for the late C. Walter Pratt of Boonville, New York, and his
cousin, the late Hazel Northam of Brooklyn, New York; and
WHEREAS, Named after his father, C. Walter Pratt was born on March
6, 1888; educated in Boonville and Carthage, he defied his father's
efforts to keep him out of the military ranks and volunteered for duty
in World War I, serving as an ambulance driver in France; and
WHEREAS, After his discharge from the military, Walter Pratt
returned to the Black River Valley area to join his father in the
management of the Moyer & Pratt Mill in Lyonsdale, the Deere River Power
Company in Copenhagen, the Island Mill in Carthage, and the family's
extensive timber tracts in the Adirondacks; and
WHEREAS, Walter's father, Charles W. Pratt, acquired large tracts of
land in the Adirondacks and Vermont, from which the Pratt family built
their timbering, paper-making and related business empire; together with
Gordias HP Gould and John E. Haberer, Charles W. Pratt formed the Gould
Paper Company in Lyons Falls in 1892; and
WHEREAS, Under his able leadership, the Gould Paper Company was
later known as Georgia-Pacific Paper, then Lyons Falls Pulp and Paper,
until it ceased operation in 2001; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Pratt also owned the Island Paper Company in Carthage,
which was incorporated on November 16, 1898, and operated until 1932;
and
WHEREAS, The Island Paper Company purchased the Deere River Power
Company plant, and Mr. Pratt and John Moyer formed a corporation, Moyer
& Pratt, for the manufacture of paper on the Moose River at Lyonsdale,
New York in 1923; and
WHEREAS, The Moyer & Pratt Mill later operated for many years as the
Burrows Paper Company; a lifelong bachelor, Walter Pratt continued to
operate the various family businesses until his death at his home on
Schuyler Street in Boonville on June 13, 1961; and
WHEREAS, Hazel Northam was born to Wallace and Margaret Frazier
Northam on December 11, 1887, in Watertown, New York; after attending
the Simmons School of Embalming and Mortuary Science in Syracuse, she
became associated with her father and the late Charles Fox in the
undertaking firm of Northam & Fox; and
WHEREAS, Relocating to Brooklyn, New York, Hazel Northam worked for
the late Walter B. Cook Funeral Home, Inc. where she enjoyed a
successful career; and
WHEREAS, With a steadfast and unwavering commitment to her
community, Hazel Northam gave tirelessly of her time and energies to
several local organizations, including faiths of all denominations; an
avid Brooklyn Dodgers fan, she always had a season box seat and took
time off work to see the team play; and
WHEREAS, After the death of Walter Pratt in 1961, it was determined
that his cousin, Hazel Northam was the sole heir to his estate; it was
during this time that she established the Pratt Northam Foundation; and
WHEREAS, The Pratt Northam Foundation, created at the direction of
and funded from the estate of Hazel Northam, was officially incorporated
on August 22, 1962; and
WHEREAS, Today, the Pratt Northam Foundation continues to serve as a
catalyst to projects which improve the quality of life in the
communities of the Black River Valley from Boonville to Carthage; the
Foundation provides financial support to not-for-profit organizations
and government agencies with an emphasis on projects which provide
opportunities for young people and other innovative initiatives; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, over the past six decades, the Pratt Northam
Foundation has distributed over $8.25 million dollars for community
projects, college scholarships, career internships, summer recreation
programs and school-based advocates; and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body that when
individuals and organizations of such noble aims and accomplishments are
brought to our attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by
all the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Pratt Northam Foundation; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Pratt Northam Foundation.
