From: Nicholas, Douglas (MC1964)
Date: Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 11:38 PM
Subject: “Hank” Noguera obit

Hi John,

I’m up here in upstate New York, near Woodstock, and I was reading the Woodstock Times, when I came across Enrique “Hank” Noguera’s obituary. I only knew him slightly–introduced by a mutual friend, we had a couple of conversations in Plato’s Cave, but I remember him quite clearly. Never heard of him thereafter, until the obit. Seems to have been quite a nice guy. I attach two PDFs: one a 2009 letter from him to the Woodstock Times, in regard to his work at Family of Woodstock, a charitable agency; the other is his obituary.

Regards,
Douglas Nicholas
Arts ’64

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[JR: Thanks, Douglas. Much appreciated. This went under the radar. He sounded like an interesting fellow. Wish we could have captured more of his story. Demonstrates how little we do know about our fellow Jaspers.]

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Enrique Benard Noguera   

SAUGERTIES- Enrique Benard Noguera died Monday, July 25, 2011, after a brief second episode of metastic lung cancer. He was 69. Mr. Noguera was an area resident since 1975, relocating upstate from Brooklyn, N.Y.

As a young man he loved tennis, and played every day possible. At annual tournaments at Kissena Park in Flushing Queens, he came in first in the state of N.Y. in 16-year old boys’ singles, and 3rd in N.Y.S. in 18-year old boys’ singles. He later learned that the big tournaments were held elsewhere, and most of the good players went there. He graduated from St. John’s Prep H.S., Lewis & Willoughby Aves. in Brooklyn, this was the time when Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash. Music was always a part of his life, he was in several duets, made some single demos which he took around throughout the Brill Bldg. in Manhattan, to no avail, and sang tenor in street corner doowop. ‘Tear Drops’ by Lee Andrews and The Hearts was one of his signature tenor leads.

He previously worked in federal anti-poverty programs at Colony South Brooklyn Houses and at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. As a N.Y.S. licensed driving instructor, he taught defensive driving to students & other instructors, and specialized in the ‘nervous and elderly’. he was a U.S. Army Vietnam-era vet, ’63-65, a Medical Specialist qualified to replace an M.D. killed in battle. Stationed in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Munich, he also functioned as the Medic for a 90-day Czech border assignment staffed by U.S. & French military. He was the language liaison between American & French commanding officers & troops. Nighttime visits to the border encampment by Fraulein Rosie resulted in significant outbreak of venereal disease. He traveled hours to get a supply of penicillin, sufficient for initial treatment of one million, five-hundred thousand units in the upper right quadrant of the buttocks of each infected individual. He secured permission for Rosie to also be treated, by a female nurse in the French contingent. He transferred out before knowing if Rosie ever agreed to be treated.

He took a European discharge, and worked at Berlitz language schools in Europe as an instructor. He was married briefly in Munich to an East-Prussian woman born in Konigsberg, later renamed Kailiningrad following Russian occupation.

He attended Manhattan and Brooklyn colleges with Liberal Arts concentration. He was conversationally fluent in four languages, and had three years of Latin and classical Greek at Loyola College High School in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. he was born March 10, 1942 in Philadelphia, Pa., son of the late Enrique Noguera Vallejo, Consul General of Mexico, and the late Albertina Benard, daughter of Nicaraguan two-time presidential candidate. As his father’s diplomatic assignment evolved, as a child he lived in Philadelphia, Chicago, Montreal & New York.

He began human services work in the Hudson River Valley in the later 1970′s. He participated in Hudson River Valley ‘consciousness exploration research’ in the mid 1970′s. He functioned as a mentor to new participants. he worked with Family of Woodstock, off and on, from 1978 to the present. He was director of three different programs over 14 years. This beginning work at Family of the late 70s/early 80s was especially challenging, exciting and creative. He worked as an outreach family therapist with HALT at the Children’s Home of Kingston. During the heyday of family therapy in the 1980s, he received training via Jay Haley, Chloe Mandanes, Rosemary Whiffen, and Joseph Eron of the Family Studies had one-way mirror rooms, for team training purposes while working with families. He considered this one of his greatest, most satisfying learning/training experiences.

He also worked as a N.Y.S. licensed bilingual/bicultural behavioral health clinician, in two outpatient treatment clinics. He was the bilingual member of the Dutchess County Dept. of Mental Hygiene Trauma Team. Since mid- 2006 he was Friday daytime supervisor at Family’s Woodstock Hotline/Walk-in Center, served on the FOWCS committee, and volunteered when needed at Family’s domestic violence shelter, with Spanish/English facilitations.

From 1982 to the present, he researched and documented Hudson valley megalithic calendar sites with solstice & equinox sunrise/sunset alignments. These sites exist in the surrounding woods of Westchester, Putnam & Dutchess counties. He and fellow researchers believed that this work will rewrite the history of American, as a growing body of literature already assets, His work included New England sites as well. For almost 10 years he led all-day field excursions named Megalithic Journeys in the Hudson Valley. These featured slab-roofed stone chambers, mehirs, cairns, cyclopean walls and other lithic structures. Several hundred people witnessed winter solstice and vernal equinox sunrise alignments. Numerous memorable presentations to historical societies were very popular and well received. His research was featured as the keynote presentation at the 2010 NEARA (New England Antiquities Research Assoc.) Spring conference in Kingston, N.Y. See NEARA.org; Conferences: Archive NEARA conferences. Some early work was cited in ‘Stone Circle’ and Celtic Mysteries in New England’.

He had a lifelong passion and love for literature & writing, and often said “I am my bookshelves, and my bookshelves are me”. This passion began in preadolescence. His specialties were the European existentialists of 1900-1935, Latin American literature including all the works of Julio Cortazae, Jorge Luis Borges, and assorted esoterica as well. Over the decades he initiated and supported “Reading Aloud’ primarily in participants’ homes. His well-annotated volumes will be offered to members of the community. He wrote a number of 5,500 word short stories, and had numerous files of writings-in-progress over many decades.

He was an accomplished pistolero adept with all six calibers in his modest collection. He was a member of two local sportsmen clubs, and went to the range regularly. He trained at several internationally-known academies in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, as well as a 60-hour training course with THT of N.Y. in 2002. He was impeccable in his practice of safety & security protocols, and subscribed to the dictum, “the safety is between the ears”. He was a member of the Second Amendment Foundation and NYSRPA, and believed that self-defense is a personal responsibility. He resonated aesthetically with the exquisite beauty and precision engineering of the various handguns and long guns, each of which he admired & treasured for their unique details and features.

He is survived by his sister, Tina, brother-in-law Michael, nephew and niece Christopher and Daniella of Flushing, N.Y., as well as many dear friends and colleagues. He was predeceased by his father Enrique and mother Albertina Benard. A memorial gathering will be held at this home. Saturday, August 6 at 11 a.m. Donations may be made to Family of Woodstock. Arrangements are under the direction of Lasher Funeral Home, Inc., 100 Tinker St., Woodstock

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FAMILY AND COMMUNITY

Greetings from that little house at 16 Rock City Road – Family of Woodstock’s 24-hour Hotline and Walk-In Center. One might not suspect that inside is a hub of activity which has county-wide ramifications. We answer nine telephone lines, provide after-hours crisis and suicide intervention services, under contract with Ulster County Mental Health (a decades-long affiliation). Our domestic violence services encompass both residential and non-residential; we interface with ongoing issues involving emergency housing, legal, financial, employment, food, clothing, substance abuse, loneliness, depression, adolescent services, child care, etc. This, incredibly, is only a partial list! After almost 25 years of working at Family in various capacities, the scope and breadth of our helping services still amazes me. The levels of creativity, spirit and caring which staff members muster on a daily basis is poignant and vibrant. We try to help people help themselves. I am continually inspired and energized by the special work we do here, and I love our name, and I love Family.

We are understaffed in this challenging yet exciting time. There are more calls and requests for assistance than ever before. Other hotlines have closed and we are getting those calls, too. We need help. If you did a shift here 30 or three years ago we would love to have you back. Please call to discuss what kind of time you might have available, and what reinforcement and/or retraining we might offer to get you current again. We are beginning a new training cycle for telephone shift volunteers on February 21. This is an opportunity to participate in our vital work in the community, and to truly make a difference. Call 679-2485 or 338-2370 as soon as possible to register. There won’t be another opportunity to take this training until autumn. This is an opportunity to participate in Community, more crucial now perhaps than ever before.

Enrique Noguera,
Family of Woodstock

Woodstock Times,
Feb. 19, 2009

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[JR: p.s., thanks for retyping these for our benefit.]

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