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Disabled American Veterans honor Lake George Mayor Bob Blais

Post-Star - 3/29/2023

Mar. 29—LAKE GEORGE — The Disabled American Veterans honored Lake George Village Mayor Bob Blais on Wednesday, as his final week in office draws to a close.

Commander of the DAV Department of New York, Scott Stephenson and his wife Sherry Wymer Stephenson, the local commander of the Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties chapter were joined by DAV's Chaplin Emeritus Sid Gordon.

"I bet you've been working 70-minute hours, the last few months," Gordon chuckled as he greeted Blais. "It's a long time you've put in and when you look back now, you're gonna say 'where the heck did the time go?' but it's gone. You can't bring it back."

"You can't get back time and I don't want to get back time," Blais replied to Gordon, before meeting the Chaplain's wife, also in attendance.

Commander Stephenson presented Blais with a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the veterans, to which he said "you guys do such great work and you deserve all the credit, not the old mayor."

"It says 'the Disabled American Veterans New York Chapter #158 would like to recognize your service to the community over these many years. Your efforts leading the Village of Lake George has made the area a true destination for many. The veteran community has benefited from your steadfast leadership and we would like to express our appreciation,'" Stephenson read as he presented the plaque to the mayor.

Blais recalled a time when he encountered a group of U.S. Marine Corps veterans in the village, alongside Sgt. Eddy Ryan, of Lake George.

"We had all these protests going on in Glens Falls and we heard they were coming to Lake George. So, I wanted to go down and greet them and make sure they were going to be peaceful and when I pulled up in front of the fountain in Lake George, there were eight people sitting there," Blais said. "It was Sgt. Eddy Ryan in his wheelchair with seven other Marines and when I asked what they were doing there, they said 'we're here to protect you.'"

Stephenson also gifted the mayor with two keepsake items including a coin, which represents medallions worn by U.S. soldiers in World War I, and a pin with the skyline of New York City from Sept. 10, 2001, the day before the attack on the World Trade Center.

Blais said the items will live on forever in an exhibit in honor of him at the Lake George Historical Museum, which will include special gifts given to him in his 52 years as village mayor.

Jana DeCamilla is a staff writer who covers cops/courts, Queensbury, Warren County and Lake George. She can be reached at 518-903-9937 or jdecamilla@poststar.com.

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