Sonny Smith, an Original!

Photo by Carol Montana, The Catskill Chronicle

If you lived in Sullivan County and listened to WSUL Radio during the 1980's, you surely must remember the unique voice of Sonny Smith, shouting "Staaaanley" in all of their ads. Sonny and her husband, Stanley, were the owners of Smith Shoes for as far back as I can remember.  Their mom and pop store was located on Main Street in South Fallsburg and remained in business with their special customer service for as long as they could, up against the big box stores and chain places in the Middletown malls.

I had the privilege of hearing Sonny Smith speak of her beloved Stanley all day this past Saturday.  One of the many, many roles this busy lady has is a volunteer instructor for a Defensive Driving Class, which is conveniently offered in South Fallsburg at the local Senior Center.  Your insurance agent will tell you that it is very good for you to take the course from a certified instructor at least once every three years.  Not only does it help you to be a safer driver but it also reduces your insurance premium by 10%.  You may ask, what Stanley Smith has to do with Defensive Driving, and the answer would be nothing.  Yet Sonny has the knack of making the class so much more interesting by peppering it with the occasional anecdote and personal observation.  At a spritely 85 years young, Sonya "Sonny" Smith has a great many observations and stories to keep the packed class moving.  She is also extremely civic minded and these courses help to support the Fallsburg Fire Department, an organization she has been passionately dedicated to for many years.  She is also community minded and had menus from a local restaurant on hand so that the course participants could easily patronize a local Main Street business.

For more information about a Defensive Driving Course in New York, please visit  the New York Safety Council.  Or, better yet, take the class with Sonny Smith but don't ever, ever make her sing to you while out driving in traffic!  It means you've been naughty.