Objectives
As I began working on the site I had three basic objectives:
The first was to preserve and share family history and documents that have been saved over the last several generations. The goal was to find a way to organize and make available these documents that would maximize viewership and be easy to access. Developing a website was the most logical path. But why? The simple answer is that over time many of these items would be lost and, in turn, the legacy they represent. Regardless of which family or point in history you reference on the site several themes are recurring: they include love of family, country and heritage, hard work, perspective and humor, and commitment to community. The fact that we have these items after so many years states the obvious: that previous generations wanted to preserve and pass on their story. So, in effect, the first objective has been accomplished.
The second objective was to create a forum to allow current and future family events to be memorialized and shared. Weddings, births, graduations, promotions, and many other meaningful activities are taking place and the website offers an opportunity to easily and instantly share events with immediate and extended family. For now, items appropriate for the site can be submitted and posted quickly by simply sending a letter or email. (See the Tips to Use Website for procedure.) If the concept catches on we will look to other family members (read: younger!) to administer the site. The accomplishment of this second objective will depend on those who visit the site and the level of participation.
Finally, in all honesty, this project was very personal for me. Over the last several years my father sent items to his children, as well as grand and great grandchildren. These items included his toy truck collection, insulators which he and my mom collected, letters, coins, books, and family mementos that had little monetary value but had meaning to him. He often included a note that would say that he was hopeful that when they looked at these items from time to time in the years to come that they would think of him and know how much he loved and cared for them. He also expressed on many occasions how important it was to him and my mom for family members to stay in touch and help each other out when needed. Nothing made him happier than to hear stories of his grandchildren interacting or his kids communicating with each other or our cousins. If this website helps these things to happen than I know that I helped to honor a man who meant so much to me and so many others.
Sincerely,
Art Mahony
September, 2012
Appreciation
There are several people I would like to thank for their contributions to the development of this project.
Kevin Doyle: Kevin is a long time friend and co-worker who gave me the idea to develop the site. Over a beverage at a local establishment, I was explaining to Kevin that I had significant number of old family photos, documents, obituaries, newspaper articles, letters, videos, etc. and was struggling with a plan to memorialize this information. My initial plan was to place them on DVDs, make copies, and distribute them to family members. Kevin was excited about the project but knew immediately that DVDs was not the way to go. “You should do you own website” was his next statement. After a moment of thought I started to laugh: I thought he was busting me with that suggestion as I was noted at work as one on the low tech guys in a very high tech company. But he wasn’t. “You can memorialize and publish all the photos and documents with no limitation on viewership AND you can continue to add to it”. No more laughter. That meeting took place in early April and by the end of the month I had found a wonderful person to help me develop the site and we were on our way. So, thanks Doyle for the great suggestion!
Mary Lennon: Jan and I have known Mary for many years through her friendship with our son Ryan. When I explained the concept to Ryan he suggested I contact Mary as she was doing website development for her living. I am glad I made that call. She is very knowledgeable, always flexible, and great to work with. Her listening skills and suggestions made the process enjoyable and productive. Early in the discussions she understood what I was trying to accomplish and made a personal commitment to getting it right. Thanks so much Mary!
Kerby Saunders: I refer to Kerby as my brother/cousin as he is very generous, has a big heart and happens to be one of my favorite people. He pulled together a shopping bag full of Saunders and Kaesemeyer memorabilia. Great stuff and a huge contribution to the Saunders page.
Lizanne Ciccone Gruber: Lizanne is my cousin and great friend and been supportive of the project from day 1. She assembled photos, letters, and narratives on the Ciccone family and placed them on a CD to make the process so much easier. In addition to providing great information her emails made me truly laugh out loud.
Carol Ciccone Gardner: Despite her full time work at NYU Carol manage to forward some great photos, letters, and documents. The only deal I made with Carol is that in return for some of the great items she provided I would sneak an occasional photo of her husband Gerry’s family onto the Ciccone page.
Special thanks to my wife Jan for her support. She always took time to check on the progress of the project and give some encouragement.
Finally, I want to thank my family members who responded to my requests for yearbook, wedding, and family photos. I know you’re all busy (well…most of you are busy!) so thanks for the help.
Art Mahony
September 2012
Tips for using this site
-Each page contains a search bar which will help you to find posts by name or location. For example, if you search a particular person by name every post which contains that individuals name will appear.
-There is also an archive search tool on each page which sorts each post by the month it was entered. If you check into the site in mid-October you can review all posts entered during that month.
-Posts are entered on each site by date with the most recent posts appearing first.
-Each family page listed at the top of the screen (Ciccone, Saunders, Mahony, Rafalowski) has a screen that summarizes the content of the page. Double click on the family name to access that summary.
-The home page provides family photos that rotate every few seconds. You can advance the slides at your own pace by clicking on the arrows on the right or left side of the image. You can also stop the rotation of the slides by leaving the cursor on the slide. These photos will be changed and updated on a regular basis.
-After each post is a box for comments. Provide your name, email address and your comment which will appear on the site immediately.
-The long term prospects for our site depends on the participation of friends and family members. To submit items for the site (photos, letters, articles, documents, etc.) simply email or mail them to:
Art Mahony
37 Abbott Road
Towaco, NJ 07082
Thank you