Buster Major was a remarkable character, a private person who spent much of his adult life as a public servant, five terms as mayor of the village of Solvay, NY.

He was a star athlete, first at Solvay High School and later at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse. He played basketball, but his best sports were football and baseball. From the newspaper clippings I've read, my father came across as a high school version of Jim Brown. He was a running back who was bigger than most of the linemen he played against. And like Brown did at Syracuse, my father kicked extra points. There was even a mention in a Syracuse newspaper of a game in which Buster Major dropkicked a field goal.

But his dream was being a major league pitcher, but that dream died with an arm injury when he was 20. Perhaps the injury was inevitable. He often pitched two games on the same day, for different teams in leagues where he might be playing under another name. That was never the case on two of his teams – the Solvay Tigers and the Major All-Stars (comprised mostly of Major cousins from Skaneateles).

Buster Major also was a prankster whose antics inspired a comic strip character in a Solvay Process Company publication. (See Buster, the cartoon character.) Like many pranksters, Buster Major loved to perform. Sometimes he did it on stage, along with other Solvay residents in the annual minstrel shows produced by St. Cecilia's Church. However, he did it most successfully during his 1949 mayoralty campaign. He campaigned almost playfully, believing he didn't have a chance of winning, but his style proved popular. Most memorable were his song parodies, especially the campaign song he wrote to the tune of The Missouri Waltz, chosen because Missourian Harry S. Truman had pulled a stunning upset the year earlier in defeating Thomas Dewey for president. (For a look at the Buster Major Election Songbook, click on Campaign '49.)

Buster sang those songs at the several rallies – i.e., free beer, everybody! – that the Democrats held at various clubs. Buster and his running mates were perhaps the first Syracuse-area candidates to use television, buying time for (I believe) two programs in 1949. He won the election, and two years later was re-elected by a convincing margin. (You'll find the results below.) Onondaga County was – probably still is – overwhelmingly Republican. So Buster quickly became the county's most successful Democrat. The party wanted him to run for Congress, but he declined. He did, however, make a bid for the State Assembly, but lost.

Being mayor of Solvay was a part-time job. His full-time job for many years was at the Solvay Process Company. For the 12 years he was mayor he was busy for at least part of almost every weeknight. He made it a point to attend every wake in the village and several in nearby communities.

He was an avid sports fan who attended almost every Syracuse University football home game for many years. My favorite memory was when he rushed to the field after a game in order to intercept a player for a remarkable performance. I don't recall the opponent or the score, but the game was during that period of the 1950s when colleges briefly returned to one-platoon football. The player on the receiving end of Buster's handshake was Ted Kukowski, a center and linebacker who seemed to be in on every tackle.

Buster also was a huge boxing fan, which is why my childhood Christmas gifts included boxing gloves and a punching bag. Occasionally he met with his political cronies at our house. The meetings always adjourned in time to catch a televised fight.

As much as he enjoyed the spotlight, he may have been just as happy alone. He looked forward to our vacations and being able to escape for hours to go fishing by himself. (See To Sandy Pond, with love.)

He was a notoriously fussy eater who wanted his food super hot. Not spicy. Hot! Needless to say, he also ate his food quickly. So while our family was together when dinner started, there was one member missing before the meal ended. Buster's love of fish got him through the meatless Fridays that were part of Catholic life for many years. However, he preferred meat. So as a late-night person, Buster could be found at the stroke of midnight (sometimes a minute or two earlier) in the kitchen making himself a ham sandwich to eat while watching Jack Paar, then later Johnny Carson.

He had strong opinions, but seldom tried to force them on his children. He did, however, enjoy a good argument, particularly about politics. For a politician, he was refreshingly candid, though his remarks sometimes resulted in a lecture from his wife, Helen, who always waited until they were home before she delivered it.

As a St. Cecilia's parishioner, he came to appreciate Rev. Carl Denti, who is probably listed in the Guinness Book of Records for saying the world's fastest mass. So when, as mayor, Buster was introduced to a priest who had recently been assigned to the church, he greeted him with, "Pleased to meet you, Father McCarthy . . . you know, your masses run a bit long."

Buster in his Solvay
High School baseball
uniform (1919 or
1920)

 

This photo apparently
was taken at home
sometime in the late
1930s. In the family
scrapbook, Buster
wrote this caption for
himself: Clark Gable.

More on Buster:

Buster's paternal grandparents were William Major and Mary Anne O'Neil, who married in Ireland in 1865, connecting the Major family with the famous O'Neil clan and The Legend of the Red Hand. The couple emigrated to the United States shortly thereafter and settled in Skaneateles, NY.

His maternal grandfather was John McLaughlin who married Mary McGrorry. They emigrated from Ireland in 1851, settling in Skaneateles, but moved to Louisville, KY, in 1858. Mary McLaughin and the couple's child, William, died in Kentucky. John returned to Skaneateles in 1868 and later married Mary Casey, also a native of Ireland.

Buster's father was John W. Major (1870-1940), one of 10 children of William and Mary Anne Major. His mother was Rose McLaughlin (1872-1943), one of four children of John and Mary (Casey) McLaughlin. John and Rose had five other children: Emmet Leo Major (1894-1906), Margaret (Maggie) Major Nicholson (1896-1987), Viola (Lola) Major Kane Cullen (1898-197?), William (Billy) Major (1900-1972) and Irene Major Rand (1905-1962).

Buster was a star, 3-sport athlete, first at Solvay High School, later at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse. He was a good-hitting pitcher in baseball and a bruising fullback in football, bigger than most linemen, faster than most backs. He also made extra points and an occasional field goal by drop-kicking the ball.

He married Helen Smolinski in 1929 and for most of their life together they lived at 104 Russet Lane. They had two children, John Stanley Major (1938- ) and Mary Elizabeth Major Chard (1943- ).

Buster Major worked more than 30 years at Solvay Process Company as a welder and expediter. He was mayor of Solvay for 12 years (1949-61) and in 1967 was appointed deputy commissioner of elections for Onondaga County. He died in 1985.

Buster's election results: