ELLENVILLE � Longtime residents of Ellenville know well the name "Resnick." For decades the Resnick family was an institution in the Ellenville area. Joe Resnick, for whom the Ellenville airport is named, was for many years a U.S. Congressman for the 22nd district, as well as the founder of Channel Master, an important employer that at one time provided as many as 7,000 jobs. This past week, Harry Resnick, the last surviving brother of a generation that included Joe and another brother named Lou, came back to Ellenville to visit, and to get together with old friends.

The Resnicks came from humble beginnings. Harry's father, in the early part of the 20th century, owned a farm on Oak Ridge Road just south of the village. Harry says that it was tough to make a living in those days.

But things changed significantly for the family after WWII. Joe, who had served overseas, got the idea that television was going to be the next big thing. He figured that if people were willing to spend hundreds of dollars to buy a television set, they would need a way to pull in the signal.

"He [Joe] invented an antenna that folded like an umbrella," Harry says. "This made it easier to put up [than antennas made by other companies]."

The company got off the ground down in the city, but eventually outgrew its facilities there. It was at that point, in the late 1940s, that Joe decided to move the factory up to Ellenville. What followed was the kind of success story that is deeply woven into the American tapestry, as brothers who come from humble beginnings have a vision, and see this vision pay off.

Now, the company known as Channel Master is still in business, though it is no longer owned by the Resnick family. It still produces items related to television, such as set-top boxes, HD antennas, and other various components. Unfortunately, after the Resnicks sold the company, the new owners moved the manufacturing facility out of the Ellenville area, taking many well-paying jobs with it.

And it's not just these jobs that are now gone. Harry says that he remembers "500-600" bungalow colonies and hotels, all of which at one time provided well-paying jobs in the community. He says that, before air conditioning came in, working folks from the city would come up here.

"It was an inexpensive way to avoid the heat," he says.

Now, people can stay put in the summer time without being quite so uncomfortable, and we no longer see images of people sleeping on fire escapes.

Harry also remembers a time when in the village nightlife was booming.

"I remember there used to be six or seven kosher delis open at two or three o'clock in the morning," he says.

Despite the fact that Ellenville's business community has been suffering some hard times, Harry feels that the old place still looks good. There are empty storefronts here, he acknowledges, but this is true all over the country. Even in Florida, where he now lives, the local economy has been suffering. He feels strongly that Ellenville, like the rest of the country, will bounce back in time.

But for now, Harry is in a celebratory mood. He'll be hosting a dinner on Wednesday evening, June 23, at the Honor's Haven Resort and Spa.

"It's going to be a dinner with some old friends," he says. "Eighty or ninety of them."