Big pharma 100 years ago Today, Tuesday, March 19, 2019, Bob Cudmore with a 10 minute Historians Podcast including "Stomach Globules" From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-Celebrating Women’s History Month-Pastries helped with popularity Daily Gazette, 07-24-10
When Virginia Vidulich O’Brien was attending high school at St. Mary’s Institute in Amsterdam during the Great Depression, she had an in with the basketball team.
Her father John operated Vidulich’s Bakery at 63 Guy Park Avenue and would give his youngest daughter the key to the shop when St. Mary’s played at home.
After each game, “Vidge” led a parade of ball players and girl friends to the bakeshop where they enjoyed the many treats inside.
“It helped with my popularity,” said O’Brien, who now lives in Saratoga Springs.
Her father was a native of Austria who came to America with his parents at age 14 in 1898. Born into a family of seven, he and his wife Josephine Guiffre Vidulich also had seven children. Josephine was a native of Genoa, Italy.
According to his obituary, Vidulich was baking in Amsterdam by 1919. In 1930 John and his brother Anthony opened the bakery at 63 Guy Park Avenue. Eventually John became sole proprietor.
O’Brien recalled that Izzy Demsky, who became the actor Kirk Douglas, came in all the time for his favorite doughnuts. Doughnuts were cream filled, jelly filled or plain—plain doughnuts were three for a nickel. Vidulich’s also featured charlotte russe, pumpernickel and other breads, sticky buns, coffee cake or kuchen, plus special kuchen for Christmas and Easter.
In addition to Vidulich’s shop on Guy Park Avenue, near the former junior high, John Vidulich operated a second bakery for some years on Market Street. His brother Nicholas was proprietor of a bakery at 300 Locust Avenue.
In 1953 John Vidulich’s health declined and the bakery was taken over by his son John, Jr. The father died that year. John Jr. relocated Vidulich’s Bakery to the corner of Glen and Lincoln Avenues on Market Hill, also in 1953. A popular item in newspaper ads from the 1960s were Vidulich’s chocolate doughnuts.
The bakery closed March 6, 1971 and John Jr. went to work at Dan Dee Donuts at 169 Market St. The matriarch of the family, Josephine Giuffre Vidulich, died that year.
In addition to his baking skills, John Jr. was a well-known local golfer. His brother Larry Vidulich was golf pro at the Antlers in Fort Johnson, Amsterdam Muni and ultimately at the North Shore Country Club in the Chicago area.
Virginia Vidulich O’Brien, now 91, married her late husband Richard when he was a student at Dartmouth College. Virginia worked for many years in press relations and other jobs for the Saratoga Harness Track. She conducted tours for school children in the morning hours. She received kudos from Amsterdam sports columnist Art Hoefs in 1968 for her role in Howard Tupper’s television coverage of the harness track on WRGB. She is the only woman inducted into the National Harness Racing Hall of Fame.
Amsterdam resident Diane Hale Smith recently visited O’Brien and took her sticky buns from Amsterdam’s newest bakery, Dolci on Bridge Street.
“They got her personal seal of approval,” Smith said.
O’Brien recalled Smith’s mother—Dorothy Bennett Hale—who used to work at Morrison Putman’s Music Store on Market Street and oversaw listening booths where O’Brien and others could enjoy music of the day for free. Episode 258 Friday, March 22-Episode 258-Michael Davi recounts his 40-year career as a General Electric engineer in his book “PrivileGEd: Experiences From My Unusual 40-year Career With One of America's Most Iconic Companies." https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Davi/e/B07JY6WSJJ?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1552898321&sr=8-1 Jason Subik Facebook Feed Amsterdam Mid-Morning Talk Show https://www.facebook.com/jason.subik Jason Subik Show, WCSS Radio Amsterdam 106.9FM and 1490AM Monday, March 18, 2019 Live this morning at 9 The Broadalbin-Kennyetto Historical Society will host Sandy and Dennis Malcolm from the Ames Museum at the society’s meeting, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. A presentation about their town museum, which is housed in the Historic Ames Academy. Sandy and Dennis Malcolm will share the challenges and rewards of operating a local museum in rural New York state.
The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church community room. The Albany County Historical Association (ACHA) has announced an Easter Egg Hunt in the Garden of the Ten Broeck Mansion has been set for April 13, 2019, at 11 am. NYHB https://newyorkhistoryblog.org/2019/03/easter-egg-hunt-in-the-garden-at-ten-broeck-mansion/
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