Every day we likely come across those who are making a difference, large and small. Hopefully, we thank them for their good deeds. Though the best of them look not for that. Their reward is just knowing that they have done something positive. As someone who knew Betty Hasting Palega for more than two decades, she ranked up there with that model of not wanting accolades. She took joy in making others lives' better and making a difference in our community.

Betty Palega was a remarkable woman for many. Not because she headed up the Women, Infants and Children's Program; one of the first females to head a county department. Nor her active involvement in the State WIC Association, after her retirement, meeting with members of the state Legislature and with Congress for this valuable program, lobbying for change. She was also an active member of the controversial Community Services Board, trying to untangle the still, for some, chains of command, over the county's mental health operations. She tried hard to make sure that not only were the many citations against the county resolved, but that excellent services went to the consumers they were responsible for.

She may have been best known, for nearly the last decade as a board member and often chairwoman of Options For Independence, a local center that addressed the needs of those with disabilities. In that capacity she was a tireless, hands on, volunteer, helping to make that agency a strong community player. She came on the board when the state was ready to shut the agency, which served Cayuga and Seneca counties, down. Her strong willed determination and leadership helped to keep that agency viable. For the record, I was hired by she and the board as their executive director.

All of this may not seem remarkable, unless you know that Betty had macular degeneration and was legally blind, for most of these two decades, as well as partially deaf. Yet, she managed to have one of the best attendance records of any of her peers. She wrote out by hand, in large print, quarterly newsletter articles and helped to re-write several organizations by-laws.

Betty died somewhat unexpectedly last month. “Somewhat” is used only because her husband and biggest cheerleader, Chester Palega, died nearly a month to the day before her. As a friend said upon hearing of her passage: “How could there be a Betty without Chet?” They were inseparable, not only as a husband and wife team, but he was the man who got her where she needed to go so as to allow her to do her good works.

Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com