Robert Gale Skinner, who taught art at Southampton College from 1966 until he retired in 1996 as a professor emeritus, died on Oct. 4 at home in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He was 94.    

On the East End, we hear a lot about invasive species in the plant world, but the house sparrow was one of the original invasive species. House sparrows are bullies. They fight over dirt baths. They are nonmigratory, colonize habitat, and then profusely breed. When native migratory birds return to nest in the spring, these pugnacious birds force them away. 

Christine Yuska Cullum, a native of East Hampton, died on Oct. 9 from complications after a fall. She was 93.

The Rev. Benjamin Shambaugh will be back in the pulpit at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church this week after returning from a 10-day stint as chaplain aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous as it traveled from Panama to Virginia, part of an effort by the Coast Guard to help personnel reintegrate smoothly at home.