Honoring Fran Gotcsik
Retirement parties can be bittersweet affairs. They often require that perfect mix of cheerfulness for the retiree with the sadness for their departure. The former prevailed on January 21st at Albany’s Restaurant Navona where nearly thirty colleagues, staff, and friends joined together to honor Francis Gotcsik and her years of dedication to preserving trails and greenspaces throughout New York State.
Attendees were provided glimpses of Fran’s career while anecdotes were shared from her sixteen years at Parks & Trails New York. These were complemented by accounts from previous endeavors such as the Genesee Valley Greenway. Specific references such as her "burning the midnight oil" one weekend in order to make a grant application deadline, and Fran admitting her knowledge of practically every mile of the NYS Thruway between Rochester and Albany painted a vibrant picture of the dynamic and dedicated individual standing before us. Fran was presented with a print of a streetscape paining of Albany's Center Square neighborhood to honor the time she spent while working in the city. (Left image: Robin Dropkin presents Fran with the J.C. Parker print.)
In her appreciations to everyone, Fran repeatedly mentioned how much she had learned from all of us and how thankful she was for the knowledge she had gained from her colleagues over the years. What makes Fran so special is that she had the knack to take that knowledge and successfully apply it to projects that will touch an innumerable amount of people for many years to come.
It was not a solemn goodbye, for Fran will periodically work with Parks & Trails New York on a consultant basis.
