Douglas Mcintyre 'Doug' Preston

New Hartford- Douglas McIntyre Preston, 67, of New Hartford, local historian and railroad enthusiast, wrote this while waiting to catch his last train, which occurred on Saturday, March 14, 2015. He died after more than four years of treatment for colon cancer. Doug Preston was born December 6, 1947 in Cooperstown, NY, the second son of Robert E. Preston and Winfield McIntyre Preston. He graduated from Cooperstown Central School in 1965, Syracuse University with a BA in History in 1969, and the Cooperstown Graduate Program in History Museum Training in 1970. Doug married Margaret L. McMahon on August 23, 1969 in Rochester, NY. Margaret and their two sons and families survive. John Daniel Preston, Caroline Rohner-Preston, and their daughter Julianne Frances live in Columbia, MD. David Winfield Preston and Sarah Preston DVM, reside in Watertown, NY. Other survivors include nephews Robert and Sean Havens, brothers-in-law John (Joan), James, Andrew (Jeanie), and Robert McMahon; sisters-in-law Mary Beth McMahon and Priscilla "Pat" Preston, half sister-in-law Hannah Gandy, and half brother-in-law Paul McMahon. Of several cousins, Doug was closest to Nancy Balstad. Many friends and former colleagues from places where he worked and groups to which he belonged survive as well; to attempt to single any out would do a disservice to countless others. Doug's parents, his in-laws, Betty and John McMahon; his uncle Durland Preston, his aunts Frances McIntyre, Elmore Hendon, and Loretto Emigh; his brother William D. "Bill" Preston, and Bill's son, Scott Havens all predeceased him, as did two first cousins on his father's side and many more on his mother's. Doug's family imbued him with a love of history from the time he was a small boy. He worked most of his life in museums, beginning with summer jobs at the former Woodland Museum, the Farmers' Museum, and the New York State Historical Association. Doug served 1970-1973 as assistant curator of the Fort Pitt Museum, Pittsburgh. He and Margaret moved to Utica in 1973 when the Oneida Historical Society (now Oneida County Historical Society) appointed him director. When Blessed Marianne Cope was canonized in 2012, he recalled when the director of Mother Marianne's cause for sainthood came to the OHS in search of information on her early days in Utica. In the late 1980s, the historical society had to search for a new home, and in 1991 moved to the former First Church of Christ, Scientist. As director, Doug was deeply involved in all aspects. In 1997, he decided to move on to new endeavors. Over the next five years he worked part-time in adult education, tourism, and transportation. Doug found his second calling in 2002 when he joined Birnie Bus Service as a school bus driver - and after 2004 a driver trainer - in Utica. Until he became unexpectedly ill on the eve of the first day of school, 2010, he was the first and last "member" of the Utica school system encountered each day by Jefferson Elementary and John F. Kennedy Middle School students from parts of East Utica. He described his big yellow bus as "a little United Nations" with its mix of African-American, Bosnian, Burmese, Hispanic, Russian, Somali, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, and other students who made each day a learning experience. While cancer-free for a time, he returned to training and finished his driving career at Birnie in 2012. In 1974, Doug became a charter member of the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica. In 1978, he and Margaret bought the historic Butler-Hoffman "gingerbread house" on Oxford Road, New Hartford. In 1977, Doug joined other area railroad buffs to form the Utica & Mohawk Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. He served on the chapter board from the start until ill health prompted him to retire. Steam locomotives were Doug's first love and in 1999 he led the effort to purchase the one on display at Union Station. He worked toward the day when the chapter's rail equipment at the Children's Museum will once again be open to visitors. In 2014, he arranged for the NRHS to honor the Utica station on its 100th birthday as a National Historic Railroad Landmark; it shares this distinction with such other sites as Grand Central Terminal. Doug volunteered as a car host on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad. He co-chaired early plans for the 2015 Utica convention of the New York Central System Historical Society. Other memberships over the years included the Cooperstown Graduate Association, Debonairs, and the Rotary Club of Utica. He was an honorary member of the old Mechanics Hook & Ladder Company of the Cooperstown Fire Department. Doug and Margaret also enjoyed travel, mostly to visit family, from the Mohawk Valley to Marseille, France, daughter-in-law Caroline's home city. They attended every Great American Irish Festival. They enjoyed dining out, and in recent years made the Broadway musicals at the Glimmerglass Festival their anniversary "date." Among Doug's fondest travel memories was a "bucket list" trip last spring to Connecticut to take the throttle of a steam locomotive; a chance to drive a trolley car was an unexpected bonus. Other favorite places to relax over the years included Otsego Lake; Puzzle Lake and Kingston, Ontario; Cooperstown, Old Forge, and the back porch at home. Doug and Margaret and their family appreciated the excellent care by Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, and the Bassett Cancer Center, Herkimer. Considering that his prognosis in early 2011 was for two years at best, they did a fine job. Special thanks to Doctors Monzon, Leonardo, Grethlein, Anderson, and Canary. Thanks to Secretaries Reggie and Lisa, Nurse Practitioner Donna, Pharmacist Mike, and Nurses Arlene, Beth, Candace, Kriss, and especially Michele. They made a dreaded experience far more bearable. Thanks also to the American Cancer Society, and to the nurses from Lincare. In January, a host of other nice people - paid staff and volunteers - came into our lives through Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc. Thanks to all of them for their service and support as we waited for that train to arrive. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2015, at 3:00 P.M. at Dimbleby, Friedel, Williams & Edmunds Funeral Home, 13 Oxford Road, New Hartford, where a visitation will be from 1-3 p.m. prior to the service. Burial will follow later in Lakewood Cemetery, Cooperstown. In lieu of flowers, Doug asked anyone wishing to make a donation to consider the American Cancer Society, 100 Lomond Court, Utica, NY 13502; the Friends of Bassett, One Atwell Road, Cooperstown, NY 13326; Hospice, 4277 Middle Settlement Road, New Hartford, NY 13413; or the Utica & Mohawk Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, PO Box 455, New Hartford, NY 13413. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Doug's friend and fellow Utica & Mohawk Valley Chapter member, Carl Trainor, of Trainor Funeral Home, Inc. 143 Schuyler Street, Boonville. For an on-line message of sympathy, or to share a memory of Doug, please go to www.trainorfuneralhome.com