George M. Swift, 93, of Baldwinsville, NY, peacefully passed away on June 3, 2021.

Swift was partly responsible for the creation of Higley Flow State Park, which opened to the public in 1969. Today the park is one of the gems in the NYS Park and Recreational System hosting camping, hiking, boating and cross-country events throughout the year. In October 1984, Swift was honored by the Colton and St Lawrence County Historical Associations for his vision and perseverance in promoting the Higley Flow State Park.

Swift was elected Town of Colton supervisor in 1959, and was re-elected four times, retiring from office on December 31, 1969.

During that period, he also sat as a member of the St. Lawrence County Board of Supervisors. As Supervisor, his accomplishments were many and long lasting. They included a retirement pension system for all town employees and he was the leading proponent of the water and sewage system in the hamlet of Colton. George helped create a summer recreational program that included baseball and swimming lessons for town children as well as ice skating rinks in both Colton and South Colton for all to enjoy during the winter.

In 1965, a NYS DOT project to widen Rt. 56 traversing South Colton threatened the existence of Sunday Rock, a multi-ton glacial boulder now on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Swift organized an effort to move the glacial remnant across the street onto property donated by his mother, Hilda Swift, where it sits today in a small park prior to entering the Adirondacks.

To read Swift’s obituary, click here.