NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (July 10, 2007) – When Adolph Glemb pulls out his wallet to show someone a photo or news clipping, it’s almost impossible to know what story he’s about to tell.
After thumbing through his wallet he might pull out a picture of the building that used to stand where the Top of the Falls Restaurant now offers diners a splendid view of Niagara Falls State Park. Or, he might stop and explain a newspaper clipping congratulating
him on his 80th birthday. After all that, he might just flip right to the back of his wallet and show you a picture of his bride, Mary Glemb.
Then again, if he really wants you to meet his wife, he’ll put the wallet away and point to his co-worker in one of the Niagara Falls State Park gift shops. Adolph, 87, and his wife Mary, 85, have worked together in the state park for 35 years. They’ve been married for 62 years and still love showing up three times a week for their six-hour shifts.
Part of the reason they love working together so much is they’re actually not the oldest associates working at the gift shops and concessions operated by Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts in the beautiful park. Their good friends Carol Piscotty, 84, and Zetta Bauer, 90, also help out at the gift shop below the Top of the Falls Restaurant.
“We really enjoy working here. The people are nice to work for and you meet so many different kinds of people,” says Mary Glemb. “The stores are just beautiful and they get better every year. It’s just a nice place to work with the park and the people.”
With their work at the state park only seasonal, the foursome has truly come to cherish the warm-weather months and the time they share together.
“I’ve just had so much fun working here the past 19 years,” Zetta Bauer said. “I hate winter because I’m not able to come to work.”
While Zetta is the oldest current employee, Adolph is quick to remind her that he has worked at the park longer than the rest of the foursome. In the early 1930s, at only 14, he began working at Louis’ Snack Bar. He’s held a variety of positions at the park over the past 73 years, even working part time for the 41 years he spent working full time for Prestalite in Niagara Falls.
“When I started in 1934, two grilled hamburgers, potato salad, a large Coke and an ice cream soda cost just $1.45,” he says, pointing to another clipping in his wallet. “A lot of things have changed over the years, but I still love working here.”
Listening to the four of them recall their favorite moments and memories becomes a history lesson. Adolph talks fondly of the times Gov. Nelson Rockefeller would visit the state park to hold meetings in the parking lot. Carol Piscotty is quick to remember the day the building that housed a gift shop where the Top of the Falls Restaurant is now burned to the ground.
“I was here the day it burnt down and I closed the shop,” she recalls. “What’s ironic about that story is they didn’t even know it burnt down until someone from the Canadian side of the Falls called and told somebody. The next day a janitor came to clean the building…but it wasn’t there.”
The fire was eventually traced back to a gas leak. Carol remembers that everyone yawned a lot during the day and she even had to take a walk outside to keep from falling asleep.
“We didn’t think anything of it at the time, but looking back that had to be because of the gas leak,” she explains.
While the foursome has come to know each other well over the years at Niagara Falls State Park, they actually come from different backgrounds. Adolph and Mary were both born and raised in Niagara Falls while Carol hails from Pennsylvania and Zetta from Elmira.
“I remember visiting the park years ago as a child and there were Native American women selling beads in the park,” Zetta recalls. “There were so many trilliums you couldn’t step anywhere without crushing one.”
To be sure, each of them has seen a lifetime of change occur at the Niagara Falls State Park. While Adolph leads the way with 73 years of experience, Mary is in her 35th year while Carol and Zetta have each worked 46 and 19 years, respectively. They’ve been able to see the development of the Canadian side of the falls while still enwrapped in the beautiful natural environment that is Niagara Falls State Park.
“When our kids were young and Adolph worked here there were times I hated the state park,” Mary explains. “But after the kids grew up and moved away I decided I might as well join him. I’ve loved it ever since.”
Over their tenures at the park, they’ve also built up a wealth of memories with one another. On a dime, Zetta can conjure up many of her favorite images of Carol.
“I remember maybe eight or 10 years ago when Carol saw a man stealing batteries and she just took off and chased him until the cops caught him,” she laughs. “Now, Carol’s no bigger than a minute but ever since then we’ve called her our fearless leader.”
While it’s easy to see Adolph, Mary, Zetta and Carol love working in the state park, it’s also evident Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts loves having them there.
“I love all of the people who work here with me and I value their effort,” says Michael Barnes, Delaware North’s general manager at the park. “But, there’s something special about these four. They’re a living link to the park’s history. I love seeing them everyday and I love to learn from them.”
The respect is mutual. Watch any of the four of them interact with Barnes and it’s clear you’re watching two friends just as much as you’re watching a boss talk to his associates.
“Michael’s a great, great guy to work for,” Mary says. “This whole place is just a great place to work and be…they’re nice to older people here.”
If there is one thing greater than their respect for Barnes, it must be the foursome’s respect for their park. When they hear stories about the park’s history and the daredevils who challenged the falls, they’re actually listening to stories about their own lives. The tales of Adolph and Mary Glemb, Zetta Bauer and Carol Piscotty are forever intertwined with the stories of Niagara Falls. And, because of that, the four are welcome to work at the park as long as they’re willing and able.
“When he came in to work at the start of the year he told Michael he might be a little slower than before,” Mary says jokingly of Adolph. “Michael always jokes that the only way he’s going to get him out of here is with a pink slip and I always tell him even that might not work.”
About Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts
Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts is a subsidiary of Delaware North Companies, a leading hospitality provider with significant experience in hotel, retail, food service, recreation and transportation operations. The company’s portfolio includes historic properties in North America, such as Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex; Yosemite, Sequoia, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon National Parks; Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds; Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite; Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa; Niagara Falls State Park; Jones Beach; Old Town San Diego; The Lodge & Conference Center at Geneva State Park; The BALSAMS Grand Resort; and The Resort at Glacier. To learn more about Delaware North Companies expertise in the hospitality industry visit http://www.dnchospitalitymgt.com/
About Delaware North Companies
Delaware North Companies is one of the world’s leading hospitality and food service providers. Its family of companies includes Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Delaware North Companies International, TD Banknorth Garden, and American Park ‘n Swap. Delaware North Companies is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States with revenues approaching $2 billion annually and 40,000 associates serving half a billion customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit http://www.delawarenorth.com/.
For more information, contact:
Christopher Whitcomb, Delaware North Companies
716-858-5773
cwhitcom@dncinc.com
http://www.delawarenorth.com/
