by Doris B. Scott, 
Chairman of the Town of Owego Bridge Committee

 The Town of Owego Bridge Committee has received and counted the votes for the name of the new bridge.  The "Apalachin/Campville Bridge" was chosen by a majority of community members who submitted an entry with a vote of 162 for Apalachin/Campville to 65 for Millennium Bridge. 
 After further discussion and review of the many life stories that this committee has been honored to review, the committee decided it would be fitting to add the word "Memorial" to the bridge name.  Therefore the name that will be submitted to the Owego Town Board for consideration will be "The Apalachin/Campville Memorial Bridge" with a recommendation that the dedication plaque reads as follows: "Dedicated to the memory of the Town of Owego Veterans of the Armed Forces, Fire Departments, and Law Enforcement in gratitude for their service, dedication and sacrifice."

 Three entries received by the Bridge Committee had petitions totaling 871 signatures.  We'd like to share with you the stories of these three who served this community and their country, as provided by our Town Historian, Emma Sedore.
 Wayne L. Carlson - Wayne was born August 2, 1950 and raised in Campville. He graduated from Owego Free Academy. Shortly after graduation, he entered the Marines and was sent overseas. He was killed in Vietnam on August 26, 1969, at the age of 19. He is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Carlson, who have resided in Campville seventy-one years, and by his sister Judith and two brothers, Barry and Carl Carlson.
 Millard (John) B. Fowler - Born in Johnson City, NY May 16, 1923, he was a resident of Apalachin since the age of three. John was a veteran of WWII and the Korean War, having served in the U.S. Air Force from 1942 - 1946, and again from 1948 - 1953. He trained and served as a B-24 bombardier, radio and radar operator. While on his second tour of duty, he served as a radar instructor for the ROTC Program at the University of Detroit. He was discharged from the service as a Staff Sergeant in 1953. He was a member of the Apalachin Fire Department. for more than 50 years, serving until his death at age 76. His community service included leadership roles in the Boy Scout program for over 60 years, Tioga County Chamber of Commerce at the Tourist Information Center in Nichols, Meals on Wheels, and was an IBM retiree. He and his wife, Jeanne, were the parents of one son, Fred.
 Delmar D. Sibley - He was the first Tioga County resident killed on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor.  Mr. Sibley was Seaman First Class, U.S. Navy. He was the son of Harry and Ethel Sibley, born December 30, 1917, in Mount Vernon, South Dakota. He attended high school in Rapid City, and was attached to a CCC unit for a while after he left school. When Owego Police Chief Earl Sibley visited relatives in South Dakota in 1936, Delmar came back with his uncle to live in Owego. He was employed at the EJ shoe factory until he enlisted on October 9, 1940.
 We'd also like to mention the other worthy individuals whose names were nominated for  this bridge.  They are:  Benjamin F. Tracy, Bruce Bryant, Col. Asa Camp, Don Davis, Edward Jackson, Hugh Gardiner, Roger Maloney, George Bush, Jr., Henrietta Whitney, Joseph Brant, Joseph and Julia Marzo, Ross McNeil, Robert O'Brien, Sr., Rose M. Garrity, Susanna Loft, Allen Hall, Fred and Lolita Waterman, William. Englehard, William Pearsall and Ransom Steel.
 This committee's work on a recommendation for a name is completed. This recommendation goes to the Owego Town Board who then makes a recommendation to the State Legislature.  The State Legislature has the final say as to the name of the new bridge. It may be some time before the name of the bridge is finalized due to the need for legislative action.
 The new bridge's ribbon cutting ceremony will be in late June, but the date and time have not been finalized.  Please watch in the local daily media for the exact times or call the Town Hall later in the month.
 We thank everyone for their input and help in this name suggestion process and we look forward to you joining with us as we celebrate the opening of our new bridge.