Dryden community remembers Gina, Bard Prentiss

Six months ago, the Dryden area lost two prominent figures in back-to-back months.

Bard Prentiss died Nov. 20, 2021. His wife, Gina, died Dec. 8 of the same year. Both were 82 at the time of their death.

Six months later, Gina and Bard’s youngest daughter, Mariah Prentiss, knew she had to honor them in some way. Gina and Bard had four children: Mariah, Jared, Marcie and their late son, George.

Mariah organized a celebration of life event on May 21 at Dryden Lake Park. When word got out that Mariah was planning to put the event together, the message was clear: Dryden needed this, she said.

“There was a need for some sort of community event for Dryden folks,” said Mariah, who noted the event was a time to share some laughs and stories and come together for closure.

“I would be surprised if there are places to park [at Dryden Lake Park],” said Trish Strague, a friend of Gina and Bard for over 20 years, who spoke the day before the event.

Strague added that Gina and Bard “knew everyone in Dryden.” Mariah noted she also picked Dryden Lake Park for the event due to her parents’ “bird-watching on the lake” and owning a property that overlooked it.

“Bard was very involved in bird-watching,” Strague said. “They did the bird count every year.”

According to Gina and Bard’s obituaries, the couple moved to the village of Dryden in 1966. Once there, they “fell in love with the area and its people.” Gina and Bard were married for 61 years.

Strague credits Gina with the creation of the Dryden Town Historical Society in 1981.

“Gina devoted four decades to preserving and promoting Dryden’s heritage through education and architectural preservation,” Gina’s obituary states. Gina held multiple positions in the historical society, from committee member to president.

Gina was also a member of the Board of Directors for the DeWitt Historical Society, now The History Center in Tompkins County, and Historic Ithaca. In the village of Dryden, Gina was a member of the Planning Board and the exhibit and program committees.

“My mom was a firm believer in supporting the community and the place she loved the most,” Mariah said.

Gina’s support, Strague said, stretched to creating a pamphlet that described the different farms and barns in the town of Dryden.

Bard, an avid bird-watcher, conservationist and much more, was an art teacher at DeWitt Junior High School in Ithaca. In 1972, he joined the faculty of the art department at SUNY Cortland.

“[Bard] was an inventor, a gardener, a sculptor, a boat builder and a furniture maker,” as Bard’s obituary describes.

Strague noted Bard also published writing on photographing wildlife and the countryside.

Bard was a member of the Town of Dryden Conservation Board and the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council. He also provided assistance in the development of the Jim Schug Trail in Dryden.

“My dad was outside more than he was inside,” Mariah said. “He was a naturalist. He did amazing things.”

As Mariah described it, Gina and Bard were “encyclopedic.”

“They were both amazing teachers,” Mariah added, saying she “thought of them as resources.”

Deb Fisher, the village’s deputy mayor and the president of the Dryden Town Historical Society, noted that Gina and Bard “cared deeply about the community.” The community felt the same way about them, Fisher added.

“Gina strongly believed in doing things properly,” Fisher said. “That’s why our elections and archives [at the historical society] are in such good shape.”

Strague said Gina and Bard “wanted what was best for the community,” with Mariah adding that “Dryden was important to them.”

“Bard and Gina were wonderful neighbors,” Strague said. “They knew all of the people in the neighborhood. They had good relationships with a lot of people.”

Mariah said Gina and Bard’s influence will continue to be felt in the community.

“My parents were loved by many and respected by even more,” Mariah said. “They were pretty amazing people. They were very involved in the community and had quite the impact on it. They had more interest in things than most people.”

Dryden Dispatch appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.

In brief:

Community approves Dryden Central School District’s 2022-23 budget, propositions

The Dryden Central School District’s (DCSD) proposed 2022-23 budget and other propositions were all approved by community members May 17.

DCSD’s proposed 2022-23 budget of $45,311,906 was approved 946 to 350. The second proposition, which was for a school bus bond, received approval at 955 to 340.

The third proposition, which was the proposed upgrades to corridor doors, wire glass and the kitchen at Freeville Elementary School, was green lit by a 979-to-318 vote.

The fourth proposition pertained to the Southworth Library’s request for $50,000 annually from the community. This proposition was approved 996 to 315.