by Leisa Strabel
Former Brockport Mayor and village businessman Jim Stull was honored in 2008 with the dedication of a conference room at the Sweden/Clarkson Community Center. File PhotoWhenever a tree is removed, another one must be planted. That was the policy of 20-year Village of Brockport Mayor James Stull during his tenure 1973-1993. On April 26, Arbor Day 2013, the Village honored that policy and the man by planting a tree in Stull’s memory at Remembrance Park. The former mayor had passed away earlier in the year.
Remembrance Park (in the triangle on Park Avenue) is a fitting location for a tree in his memory, feels Stull’s widow, Neala. “It’s close to the family business (Stull Lumber) and close to where his father and grandfather lived on South Street.”
“He had a deep and abiding love for the village,” Neala continued. “He always wanted it to be the best it could be … in every way.”
Stull passed that torch on to the mayor who followed him into office, Mary Ann Thorpe. “Jim appointed me to the village board when there was a vacancy. He became my mentor and my friend. I knew nothing about village government but Jim instilled in me the importance of putting the people of this community first. Quality of life was primary.”
Young horticulturists finish off the planting of a Stellar Pink Dogwood in Remembrance Park in the Village of Brockport; the tree was planted in honor of former Mayor and hardware store owner James H. Stull, who died in January, 2013. The planting was initiated by the College at Brockport’s Facilities and Maintenance crew and the children pitched in to complete the process. The tree was selected by Ian Blount, Chairman of the Brockport Tree Board, owing to it being a tougher variety of this dogwood hybrid. When full grown, it will have a maximum height of 15 to 25 feet. The planting was a part of the 8th Annual Arbor Day celebration. The Stull family had been in Brockport for several generations and owned a prominent village business when Jim became mayor at the age of 27. “He was always available to the public and village staff at the lumber yard,” Thorpe said. “The store was his second office.”
Stull’s time in office was also known for fiscal prudence and a focus on the care of infrastructure and village services, Thorpe said. “He ran a really tight ship.”
When Stull was interviewed by this newspaper upon his retirement as mayor in 1993, he noted the biggest changes during his tenure as the loss of industry as a local employer and important component of the tax base; and the decrease in state and federal revenue sharing.
He was most proud of the renovation of the downtown business district and expansion and improvement of village parks during his administration. One of his pet projects was completed shortly after he left office – the South Avenue extension to Owens Road.
In 2008, Stull was honored by the Towns of Sweden and Clarkson for his commitment to recreation by the dedication of The James H. Stull Conference Room, located at the Sweden/Clarkson Community Center.
Members of the Stull family, along with Ian Blount, fifth from the right, gathered together after the tree was planted. Widow Neala Stull, fourth from the right, exclaimed: “It makes me so happy. The dogwood tree is perfect for the area and it’s in the right spot. My husband’s father and grandfather lived on South Street, in sight of the planting, and the tree is just down the street from his hardware store.”The three communities – Brockport, Sweden and Clarkson had developed one of the first intermunicipal agreements in Monroe County establishing the Joint Recreation Commission. For 40 years, the commission developed, organized and operated recreational programming for the community; Stull was mayor of the Village for half the commission’s life span.
“It’s not hard to figure out that without Jim’s support, the recreation commission could not have existed, succeeded, flourished,” said then-Sweden Supervisor Nat O. Lester, III in 2008. “There surely must have been tight budget years during his 20-year term when it was tempting to cut the recreation budget. But he didn’t. He allowed, even encouraged the recreation program to grow each year.”
Stull’s retirement as mayor in 1993 wasn’t a true retirement. He continued to operate Stull Lumber and was involved in various community activities. He was a doting grandfather to a growing family and a fixture in daily village life. The tree at Remembrance Park will serve not only as a memorial to Stull but as a reminder to future generations of Brockport residents to work together to make Brockport a quality place to live.
NOTE: The Village of Brockport’s Tree Board is accepting donations on behalf of Jim’s family and friends that wish to honor his legacy with this living memorial and the dedication plaque that will accompany the tree. Checks can be mailed to the Village of Brockport Tree Fund, 49 State Street, Brockport, NY, 14420, made payable to the “Village of Brockport Tree Fund,” note “Jim Stull” in the memo line. Cash donations can be given to Leslie Morelli at the Village Hall, 49 State Street, Brockport.
