LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 130th Anniversary of the Bath
VA Medical Center

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to acknowledge those
occasions when a community asset within our midst celebrates an impor-
tant milestone; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 130th Anniversary of the Bath VA Medical Center on Monday, May
25, 2009; and
WHEREAS, The Bath VA Medical Center is located in the scenic Finger
Lakes Region of upstate New York; as a secondary care medical center, it
is also responsible for providing support for two national cemeteries,
one located at Bath and also at Woodlawn in Elmira, New York; and
WHEREAS, Establishing the Bath VA was a long process; in 1863, former
governor Edwin Morgan made the first attempt and the State Legislature
passed an act for the Soldiers and Sailors Home, but the project was
abandoned due to lack of interest; and
WHEREAS, In 1872, a second effort was made, this time by the Grand
Army of the Republic (GAR); another act was passed, incorporating the
New York State Soldiers and Sailors Home to be built and maintained by
the state; and
WHEREAS, Ironically, no funds were appropriated for the project and
GAR then made an appeal directly to the public; this appeal brought in
donations and a committee was formed and potential sites were evaluated
in Watkins Glen, Penn Yan, Lake Keuka, and Bath; and
WHEREAS, Bath was chosen because residents of the community had raised
significant funds for the project which was more than any other single
community in the area; the first cornerstone was laid on June 13, 1877,
and the streets of the small village of Bath were congested with over
20,000 visitors; and
WHEREAS, The first residents of the home, Civil War Veterans, sat down
for Christmas dinner in 1878; the grand opening of the facility actually
took place on January 23, 1879; and
WHEREAS, Between 1878 and 1929, the home served wounded combat veter-
ans of New York State; a peak population of 2,143 was reached in 1907,
but due to increased age and deaths these ranks were reduced to 192 by
1928; and
WHEREAS, The Bath Chamber of Commerce requested that the United States
Government take responsibility of the home and admit veterans from the
Spanish-American War and World War I, thus opening it up to veterans
from outside New York State; in May of 1929, the Home came under the
Board of Managers, National Home for Disabled Veteran Soldiers; this
federal agency was abolished when the Veterans Administration was estab-
lished in 1930; and
WHEREAS, Today, the Bath VA Medical Center currently serves over
12,000 of the 39,000 veterans in its catchment area, providing over
139,000 outpatient visits per year; it operates a Community Living
Center and a Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program,
as well as providing challenging careers for the 650 employees who take
great pride in serving America's veterans, a tradition that has been
ongoing for 130 years at the Bath facility; and
WHEREAS, It is not possible for us to do enough for those who served
us so well, and who have asked for so little in return, as have our
Nation's veterans; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 130th Anniversary of the Bath VA Medical Center; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Thomas W. Sharpe, Director, Bath VA Medical Center.