closures

Last Wednesday, I learned of two closures that are significant to me, one local and one further afield.

McCoy’s Chophouse closed abruptly due to health issues with long-time restauranteur Jim McCoy. McCoy had had a number of restaurants in the area over the last fifty years, most notably Number 5, housed in a renovated Binghamton (NY) fire station, complete with fire pole, which operated from 1978-2020. When Jim sold the Number 5 building in 2020, Lampy’s, the Endicott Italian restaurant Jim owned, became McCoy’s Chophouse, merging Number 5’s fine dining and Lampy’s Italian specialties. Of course, given that it was 2020, a lot of business was takeout at first due to the pandemic. As cases eased, more people chose to eat in the dining room or the bar/lounge, which featured its own, less formal menu.

While we splurged on the fine-dining menu for special occasions, we most oftened visited McCoy’s lounge on Wednesday to enjoy the $10 signature burger deal each week. The kitchen ground the trimmings from the prime steaks they prepared on the fine dining side for the burgers, topped with cheese, bacon, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles. You could leave off certain toppings; I usually asked for no onion, no pickle. The burgers were served with freshly-made potato chips. If we had room, we would order luscious desserts from the always-tempting tray.

Everyone knew that Jim had been trying to sell the restaurant so that he could retire but no buyer materialized. Apparently, a health issue arose that caused McCoy to decide to close this week. Everyone was surprised at the news. We will miss going there but have many happy memories, including B’s retirement luncheon, held in McCoy’s private dining room.

That same day, I learned that Hampshire College will close at the end of the fall semester this year. When I enrolled at Smith College, Hampshire was less than ten years old. While also a liberal arts college, it followed an alternative curriculum where each student designed their own course of study. It was part of the Five College Consortium with Smith, Mount Holyoke, Amherst, and UMass. I had several Hampshire students in my classes at Smith.

Apparently, low enrollment and high costs combined to lead to the closure decision. Seniors will be able to finish their degrees in the fall semester and Hampshire will help other students find placement. The hope is that many of the remaining students will be able to finish their degrees by transferring to one of the other Five Colleges. I know that Smith has long had a process for self-designed majors which could be helpful for Hampshire students. Another option might be to transfer into a traditional department major with the major project that Hampshire students pursue becoming an honors project. These options would be more restrictive than Hampshire’s model and would involve grading, which Hampshire famously did not use, but would keep students in the familiar and beautiful Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts.

I’m sorry that Hampshire College will be closing and that US higher education will lose their unique approach. I am also concerned that so many fail to recognize the value of liberal arts education. Liberal arts institutions are dedicated to fostering the ability to think critically and creatively. These skills can then be applied to all aspects of one’s life, in work, personal and public life. It helps people adapt to change. One of the dangers that I see of using college as primarily job training is that too many jobs disappear. Many people work in different fields over their lifetime. Liberal arts colleges aim to educate the person rather than the worker, making their graduates more versatile and resilient.

My liberal arts education at Smith has been instrumental to my life, something that continues to bear fruit over the decades. I’m saddened that fewer of today’s students have the same opportunity that I had to learn and grow in this way.