Town of Gouverneur Council holds moment of silence in memory of Deputy Supervisor Eldon Conklin

by Rachel Hunter

The Town of Gouverneur Council held a moment of silence and remembrance at the town flagpole in memory of Eldon Conklin before its May 10 town board meeting. Pictured (from left): Town of Gouverneur Highway Superintendent, Town of Gouverneur Data Collector Phyllis Shaw, Town of Gouverneur Councilman Curran Wade, Village of Gouverneur Mayor Ron McDougall, Town of Gouverneur Assessor Sherry Geer, Town of Gouverneur Supervisor Dave Spilman, Jr. Village of Gouverneur Trustee Troy Besaw, Town of Gouverneur Councilwoman Jaimee McQuade, Gouverneur Dog Control Officer/Beaver Control Specialist Dan Moyer, Town of Gouverneur Bookkeeper Diane Kelley, Gouverneur Town Clerk, Town of Gouverneur Councilman Jay Bowhall. (Rachel Hunter photo)

The Town of Gouverneur honored the memory of Eldon Conklin, elected town councilman and appointed deputy supervisor, at the May 10 council meeting with a moment of silence and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance at the Town of Gouverneur flagpole.

Eldon Conklin passed away at his Depot St. home in Gouverneur at 3:45 p.m. on Friday, May 6 at the age of 92. (See the full obituary inside this edition.)

At the start of the town council meeting, Town of Gouverneur Supervisor Dave Spilman, Jr. urged all in attendance to meet at the town flagpole adjacent to the Town of Gouverneur parking lot.

Supervisor Spilman told the crowd gathered that it was Eldon Conklin’s vision to have a 50-foot flagpole installed so the American Flag could be properly displayed at the Town of Gouverneur Offices building, 1227 US Highway 11, Gouverneur. And that vision became a reality in 2021. The Town of Gouverneur Highway Department worked in cooperation with the Village of Gouverneur Department of Public Works to install the 50-foot flagpole, and it was designed to be a daily reminder of the ultimate sacrifices that the 9/11 victims and our American servicemembers have given in the name of freedom. It was dedicated in a special ceremony to Eldon Conklin “for his many years of community service and never-ending commitment to our community.”

Town of Gouverneur Supervisor Dave Spilman, Jr. arrived at the Town of Gouverneur Offices Building on the morning of Saturday, May 7 and lowered the American Flag to half-staff. Supervisor Spilman at the May 10 town board meeting said he saw no more fitting tribute. The crowd gathered then, with eyes raised toward the American Flag and hand over their heart, recited the Pledge of Allegiance: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

The Town of Gouverneur Council then returned to the Town of Gouverneur Offices building and a moment of silence was held in Eldon Conklin’s memory.

Those in attendance included Town of Gouverneur Supervisor Dave Spilman, Jr., Town of Gouverneur Councilman Curran Wade, Town of Gouverneur Councilman Jay Bowhall, Town of Gouverneur Councilwoman Jaimee McQuade, Gouverneur Town Clerk Marion Bowhall, Gouverneur Town Bookkeeper Diane Kelley, Town of Gouverneur Assessor Sherry Geer, Town of Gouverneur Data Collector Phyllis Shaw, Town of Gouverneur Highway Superintendent David Perrigo, Gouverneur Dog Control Officer and Beaver Control Specialist Daniel Moyer, Village of Gouverneur Mayor Ron McDougall, and Village of Gouverneur Trustee Troy Besaw.

The next regular meeting of the Town of Gouverneur Council will be held on Tuesday, June 14, 6 p.m., at the Town of Gouverneur Offices Building, 1227 US Highway 11, Gouverneur. For more information on the Town of Gouverneur, call 315-287-2340.