— 1 —

OFFICERS

PRESIDENTPeter Marcus

VICE PRESIDENTBernhard Preisser

TREASURERPeter Marcus

SECRETARYRick Palladino

DIRECTORSGeorge F. CalviBea CaporaleJoann D’EmilioPierre FontaineHenry Groth Mary KeehanRobert M. PellegrinoWalter M. SchwartzSteve Wittenberg

EDITORGeorge F. Calvi

PHOTO EDITORRick Palladino

GRAPHICS EDITORBarbara DeAngelo

GUEST CONTRIBUTORSWalter M. SchwartzMatt AroneGary S. RappaportPeter A. BaynesRobert M. PellegrinoKen Stahn

Although every attempt is made to maintain accuracy in the newsletter, the editor and the Society assume no responsibility for errors. The editor also reserves the right to edit where necessary.

NewsletterP.O. BOX 523, ARDSLEY, NY 10502 ARDSLEYHISTORICALSOCIETY.ORG VOL. 33, NO. 1 SPRING 2020

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK:

Though delivered decades ago, no truer words were ever spoken, particularly in this age of a thousand channels and streaming options with very little of interest to watch. Someone once told me that nostalgia is the product of

a faulty memory. It remains unclear to me whether or not that person was being cynical, but as human beings we tend to remember the good times, and strive to repress the bad times as best we can. History on the other hand is supposed to be based on raw fact. An event either happened or it didn’t. The dilemma though generally revolves around the person charged with putting pen to paper. Some tend to be meticulous with the facts. Some are sloppy. Others embellish, and yet others may intentionally leave facts out either to fit a personal agenda, or simply to improve the flow of a narrative. Molding a story to suit one’s goals and needs is common practice. One has only to flip the cable channels from MSNBC to CNN to FOX during any evening news broadcast to observe how a single event can be portrayed several ways depending on one’s view of the world. Take the origin of the Ardsley Public Library for example. Recently, our Ardsley Historical Society (AHS) President, Peter Marcus asked me to review a timeline of Ardsley’s history that needed some updating on the society’s website. For the most part, the timeline expertly prepared by former Village Historian Walter Schwartz initially looked pretty comprehensive to me. Upon a second reading, however, two entries leaped out at me:

“May 10, 1923: Ardsley Public Library established on second floor of Municipal Building”“April 27, 1971: First organizational meeting of the Ardsley Public Library”It occurred to me that anyone reading this timeline for the first time with no prior knowledge of Ardsley history might conclude: “Gee, it takes Ardsley’s movers and shakers a long time to get their act together!” Of course, having worked for the village for many years I knew that was rarely the case. Moreover, few have researched Ardsley history as extensively as Walter Schwartz and I highly doubted he had made an error. Yet I sensed something vital was missing, but what? Additionally, gnawing at the back of my brain was a vague recollection that someone told me years ago that the books were given away at some point, but why? And so, I commenced my journey to unravel the mystery of what occurred in the 48 years between the “establishment” and the “first organizational meeting” of the Ardsley Public Library. continued on page 2

“I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go into the library and read a good book.” - Groucho Marx, vaudevillian, comedic screen actor, author, radio star, pioneer television game show host (1890 – 1977)

— 2 —

My first instinct was to re-visit the grand three volume opus of that doyen of Ardsley’s history, Arthur Silliman, sitting on the shelves of the village library. But before I paid a visit to 9 American Legion Drive, on a hunch I dug out the royal blue 100th anniversary journal of the

Village of Ardsley, released in 1996, sitting among my personal collection of Ardsley memorabilia. At which time I struck gold! Flipping through the pages, I stumbled upon a section called Public Library, drafted by my old friend and regular visitor to Village Hall the late Jeanne Dolgin, a Library Trustee, where it states “According to Arthur Silliman, an Ardsley historian, the entire book collection was donated to the war effort during World War II.” I wondered, what became of the books? Were they sent to the local American Legion? The V.A. Hospital? Were they shipped overseas to military bases? Or were they ground into pulp and re-purposed? In the next section of Dolgin’s report labeled “1942-1972” she further states that “for almost thirty years, library service did not exist in Ardsley.” [See related story on page 3.] Armed with this new information, I felt it was now prudent to suggest the re-wording of the above entries from the timeline as such:

“May 10, 1923 - The first incarnation of the Ardsley Public Library established on the second floor of the Municipal Building.”

“March 19, 1971 - The Mayor & Village Board vote to re-establish the Ardsley Public Library.”I was satisfied with my findings. That is, until I received an email from Robert Pellegrino, the current Village Historian, who unwittingly muddied the waters once again! Attached to Bob’s email was an article from the New York Times, dated December 7, 1934 with the headline screaming “Ardsley to Close Library, Few Read its 3000 Books.” The article poses a few conflicts with the 1996 Jeanne Dolgin report. The newspaper clipping states the local library was founded in 1921. Dolgin says it was 1923 based on the remarks of Silliman in his tome.

The article further states the library had 3000 volumes in 1934; Dolgin infers, based on Silliman’s remarks, the entire collection of 800 volumes were donated in 1942. Where did the other 2200 volumes go b e t we e n 1934 and 1942? Even though libraries hold book sales from time to time, it’s not even plausible that the Ardsley Public Library would weed out or sell 73% of its collection over an eight-year period, or did it? Lastly, the 1934 article says the library is closing down because the public failed to use the library, and subscriptions, a major component of the library’s revenues at the time, were not meeting the costs of running the place. Of course, 1934 was in the midst of the Great Depression, and it should come as no surprise to anyone that subscriptions were down. But did the library actually close? And if the closure did occur, was it temporarily? I find it odd that a man as pedantic as Arthur Silliman would fail to report it in his history of Ardsley. Or am I giving the old Gray Lady (nickname for the New York Times) too much credit for getting the facts straight in the article?History can be so frustrating! Moreover, I concluded my investigation with more questions than I started out with, and I vowed not to expend any more energy on the subject. Alas, the Fates had other plans in mind for me. Shortly after making my possibly premature decision, I found myself in receipt of yet another email from Bob Pellegrino with the subject heading

“Almost there”. This time he has attached a clipping from the October 28, 1928 edition of the Dobbs Ferry Register wherein it states, “The librarian, Miss Ethel Zotz, reported the library has grown from 50 volumes when it began in 1922 to over 2000 volumes at present.” 1922 she says? Hmm! The highly respected Arthur Silliman said it began in 1923. Our so-called National Newspaper of Record said 1921. As a big fan of primary sources, I’m inclined to believe Ethel Zotz who diligently worked in the library on a daily basis in the 1920s. After all, it’s been my experience that librarians thoroughly know their stuff. As celebrated Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling says, “When in doubt, go to the library.” I believe Groucho would have agreed with her viewpoint. Perhaps we all should as well. Now, if only we could find out what happened to those 2200 missing volumes. . . .

George F. Calvi

continued from page 1FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK:

— 3 —

100thMRS. FREDERIC C. OLIVERUNSUNG LIBRARY HEROINEBy George F. Calvi, Acting Editor

As reported earlier in the “From the Editor’s Desk” section of this newsletter, I stated that the late Jeanne Dolgin documented in the Ardsley 1996 100th Anniversary Journal that “for almost

thirty years, library service did not exist in Ardsley” referring to the years 1942-1972. And technically she was correct. There was no publicly funded library operating within the corporate boundaries of the village. However, as Victoria Road resident, Gary Rappaport, pointed out to me at the February 25th meeting of the Ardsley Historical Society there was a library of sorts operating on Glen Road for a while. In fact, it was known as the Glen Road Library, and it was operated by one Mrs. Frederic C. Oliver as reported in the October 13, 1966 issue of The Ardsley Recorder, a local newspaper of the time. In the clipping provided to me by Mr. Rappaport, Mrs. Oliver (curiously her first name was not provided), a former librarian in Reading, Massachusetts, relocated to Ardsley with her family in 1960, and upon settling in became shocked to discover no library functioning in the village! Not allowing her multiple sclerosis to get in the way, in June 1961 she proceeded to experiment with the idea of establishing neighborhood library services at her home located at 5 Glen Road. As Elizabeth Eidlitz of The Recorder indicates “Mrs. Oliver served as head supervisor, but it was neighborhood boys and girls of all ages who staffed the operation as sweepers, sorters, stampers, collectors, carriers, cataloguers, pasters of pockets, and patchers of pages.” Initially, the makeshift library, stocked with 200+ volumes donated by friends and neighbors, was open on Thursdays from 2-4 pm during the months of July and August in the family garage. The contents of the garage, namely the books and the reading room furniture, were returned to the basement at the end of each Thursday by the neighborhood children so that the Oliver family car could be stored each evening. The library was a big hit, and frequented by many! Spurred by his wife’s success, Mr. Oliver built shelves in their basement and tiled the floor, for expansion, and by 1964 the Olivers decided to increase hours by opening the library on the second Saturday of each month through the winter. Mrs. Oliver, as reported in The Recorder, “proved her conviction that children love books and will develop good reading habits if given the opportunity.” Alas, the library did not re-open the summer of 1966. The Olivers were getting prepared to move to Arkansas where Mr. Oliver had been transferred by his employer. The nearly 1800 books from the basement were donated to OLPH school library, the Ardsley Methodist Church nursery school library, and the Ardsley Recreation Department. Several years would pass before Ardsley would see another library, this time a storefront on Center Street. I can’t say for sure but I would like to think that it was fond memories of the efforts of Mrs. Oliver, “The Lady on Glen Road,” as she was affectionately called, that sparked an idea that encouraged the Village Board to re-establish the public library in 1971. Thank you, Gary Rappaport, for having uncovered this lost piece of Ardsley history!

TO LIFE LONG AREA RESIDENT

ALETA REID Contributed by Ken Stahn as reported to George F. Calvi, Acting Editor

HAPPY

Birthday

Ken Stahn of Ardsley Road recently recalled, “Brenda and I met Aleta in late 1982. We had just moved to Ardsley and were looking for a church to attend. Since the first Sunday we attended [the Ardsley Methodist Church] Aleta has always welcomed us. When our three sons came along she was always delighted to see them.” Ken further recalls that when the children were small and their birthdays rolled around, they could always look forward to a card in the mail and a small toy or candy when they saw her in church. Ken describes Aleta as “the true epitome of a gracious lady: GOD BLESS HER ON HER 100th BIRTHDAY!!!!” {Editor’s Note: Ken also contributed a clipping from the November 23, 2016 edition of The Rivertowns Enterprise on the occasion of Aleta’s 96th birthday where she describes how Ardsley and the area has changed in her lifetime. That clipping will soon be posted on the historical society’s website. Oh, by the way, Aleta’s birthday is Friday, May 15. Plans are underway to hold a celebratory motorcade in her honor with banners and balloons passing by her house in Dobb Ferry on Saturday, May 16 at 11:00 am! – GFC]

— 4 —

DANIEL LAWRENCEHaving taken the oath of office on Valentine’s Day, 1896, Daniel Lawrence was the first President of the newly incorporated Village of Ardsley. Elected to a one-year term on February 11, 1896, he was re-elected to a two-year term in 1897. Lawrence had served as chairman of the Incorporation Committee in 1895, and was subsequently nominated by William Glover for Village President. He headed an unopposed Independent party slate, and received all 31 votes counted (4 votes were disqualified). An Ardsley resident for a quarter century prior to his election, he resided on Nepperhan Street in a neighborhood that vanished when the NYS Thruway was later built. A butcher by trade, Lawrence died in 1901, leaving his widow and a son who eleven years later became the third village President. Along with his fellow original Trustees, William Odell, D.J. Bill, and L.D. Quimby, President Daniel Lawrence’s administration enacted the village’s first ordinances, by-laws, and police regulations on April 27, 1896.

WILLIAM I. ODELLWilliam I. Odell served 13 years as Ardsley’s second President (1899-1912), after having served 12 years as one of the original village Trustees since 1896. He was a prominent businessman who owned and operated W.I. Odell & Co., Coal, Flour, and Feed Business at the side of the railroad tracks for many years. He resided on Daisy Avenue (now Heatherdell Road) and later in a large house still standing on Lincoln Avenue with his wife, and daughter, Ruth King Odell (who later married Benjamin Emerick of Ardsley). During his administration he was active on the Methodist Church Building Committee (1903) and the Ashford Avenue School Building Committee (1912). He died at the age of 62 in 1924.

WILLIAM C. LAWRENCEHaving sat on the Village Board as Trustee since 1903, William Lawrence became the third Village President in 1912 and served until 1923. He was the son of former President Daniel Lawrence, and he also lived on Nepperhan Street. Nicknamed “Butch” because he and his father owned a butcher shop, he held several offices with the Ardsley Board of Education until his death in 1944 at the age of 84. At one point he also served as Superintendent of the County Poor House in Eastview. According to Arthur Silliman, he was a Republican with liberal views who often wore a brown derby and a flower in his jacket’s button hole, was “a friend to all, especially the school children” and was “active to the end.” During his tenure, a new schoolhouse was completed (1912), the Great Fire of 1914 decimated a large portion of the business district, a new Municipal Building was opened (1915), and he witnessed the granting of Woman’s Suffrage in New York State (1917).

THE FOUR PRESIDENTS OF ARDSLEYDerived from a program originally presented by former Village Historian Walter M. Schwartzadapted for this newsletter by George F. Calvi, Acting Editor

FRANK H. ADDYMANAddyman was Ardsley’s fourth and final President (1923-1927) and also its second Mayor (1931-1934). His tenure was sandwiched around the two terms of Mayor Clifford Smith. Described as an Independent Republican, he defeated longtime President William Lawrence, then retired after two terms only to return again in 1931. A man of many talents, he was President of the Ardsley Lumber Company on Saw Mill River Road at Carriere Avenue, and owned a dog breeding and kennel business on his fifteen-acre property at 601 Ashford Avenue. He was a Major in World War I, and a Lt. Colonel thereafter in the reserves. After the war he also became the first Commander of American Legion Post #458, and his wife, Ethel, became head of the Women’s Auxiliary. He was also Vice President of the First National Bank in Ardsley, and one of the founders of the first Ardsley Public Library. Sadly, he suffered an untimely death having succumbed to pneumonia while in office at the age of 50 in 1934, leaving behind his wife, a son and a daughter. He received a military funeral, and was honored posthumously when Ardsley Square was renamed Addyman Square. A plaque with his profile adorns the façade of Ardsley Village Hall near the front door. [Editor’s Note: The New York State Legislature changed the title of the chief executive officer of villages throughout the state from President to Mayor in 1927 presumedly to eliminate confusion with the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue who at the time was ( John) Calvin Coolidge. If anyone knows another reason, please share it with us at the historical society. By the way, during my tenure as Village Manager one afternoon I had the unexpected pleasure of hosting a visit from the descendants of Frank Addyman in my office. The family was on a road trip from their home in North Carolina and they thought they’d stop by and visit the former hometown of their ancestor. After showing them his official portrait in the Village Board room, his plaque on the façade of Village Hall, and then taking a walk down to Addyman Square to point out the street signs bearing his name, the family expressed how pleased they were that the Village continued to maintain their progenitor in such high esteem. I was equally pleased to meet the family of one of Ardsley’s most distinguished citizens! - GFC]

— 5 —

THE PRESIDENT AND THE POORHOUSEBy George F. Calvi, Acting Editor While growing up in Yonkers, my mother was always fond of saying that wasteful spending would land us all in the poorhouse someday! As a youngster I always thought she was speaking figuratively. Thus, it was much to my surprise when I learned there literally was a poorhouse - - and it was operated by a former Ardsley elected official! According to the virtual archives of Westchester County, in 1824, the New York State legislature mandated each county to institute a poorhouse, thereby transferring care for the poor from individual towns to the county. Westchester’s first almshouse, as it was called, opened its doors in Knapp’s Corner (later Eastview) in Mt. Pleasant in 1828. In 1900, Westchester purchased the nearby Grasslands Farm in Eastview and built a hospital and a new home for the poor, which it operated as the County Home until after the Great Depression. As indicated earlier in this newsletter, Ardsley’s third President, William C. Lawrence, was the Superintendent of the County Home or poorhouse. The site is not far from the current Westchester Medical Center. According to the website “Findagrave.com,” the county also operated an adjacent cemetery known as “Potter’s Field’ where the county’s poor were buried, along with persons whose identities were unknown, as well as people from nursing homes and the nearby penitentiary. In 1935, the land where the cemetery was located was given over to make way for the construction of the Saw Mill River Parkway extension north of Elmsford. The old cemetery would’ve been located somewhere in the vicinity of the present day off-ramp of Exit 23. Instead of disturbing any of the existing graves, the cemetery was covered over with 20 feet of dirt and the parkway was then built over it. Influenced perhaps by far too many horror films seen in my youth, I imagine it can be an uncomfortably eerie thought to ponder next time one travels that portion of the road on a moonless night when the mist is thick, and all nearby is quietly at rest – or is it?

90% OF LIFEIS SHOWING UPBy Peter A. Baynes,Executive Director of NYCOMI find myself using this simple but powerful expression more and more these days. With my kids, to my employees, while looking in the mirror. I used to think it was a cynical aphorism that encouraged lethargic attendance at events you didn’t want to participate in. It has come to mean much more. To me, “showing up” is being present in a positive and engaged way. It’s taking your ear pods out and raising your eyes up from your phone. It can be as simple and civil as exchanging pleasantries with, or holding a door open, for a complete stranger. Showing up doesn’t require a social media post to prove it happened. Showing up is being there in body and mind. A larger even more impactful form of showing up is volunteering in your community. . . serving the public is the ultimate form of showing up.[Editor’s note: The preceding important message is reproduced from Vol. 3, No. 2, 2020 of the NYCOM Municipal Matters magazine with permission from Peter Baynes, long time Executive Director of the New York Conference of Mayors. The Ardsley Historical Society is always looking for good people to show up in body and mind at our meetings and programs, of course, after this scourge that has afflicted much of the country comes to an end. If you think you can make a contribution towards the preservation of Ardsley’s history, please contact Ardsley Historical Society President Peter Marcus today at 914 393-3222 or email him at pmmarcus@optonline.net. - GFC]

THE MYSTERIOUS STAIRCASEContributed by Matt Arone

Matt Arone poses the following question, “Where is this hidden staircase located and what historic Ardsley site is it a remnant of?” Submit your guesses to Ardsley Historical Society president Peter Marcus at pmmarcus@optonline.net. The first correct response receives a free annual family membership to the Ardsley Historical Society. The winner will be announced in the next edition.[Editor’s note: If you would like to offer your own local mystery photo for the next edition of the Ardsley Historical Society newsletter, please submit it for consideration to Peter Marcus. – GFC]

— 6 —

Many comparisons have been drawn in recent months between the Spanish influenza pandemic near the end of World War I

and the current COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic. However important these comparisons are, these discussions have over-shadowed the fact that Ardsley residents have struggled with and endured other infectious diseases over the decades most notably scarlet fever and polio.As an examination of the archives of a few local and metropolitan newspapers by Village Historian Robert Pellegrino revealed, the scourge of infantile paralysis or polio pre-dated the Spanish influenza pandemic by a few years. According to the New York Herald of July 16, 1916, a wave of polio infection was already in full-swing, though the rate of new cases were starting to fade in at least one largely populated place, Brooklyn. Nevertheless, a rigid quarantine for children remained in effect for all in New York. In fact, according to the New York Times of July 18, 1916, under new Federal rules, all children contemplating leaving the city, particularly for upstate sleepaway camps, had to be fully examined and cleared for departure. Conductors on all trains were required to ask for and review papers. Not surprisingly some vigilantes, or perhaps better described as scam artists, attempted to take matters into their own hands. A resident of Manhattan traveling with his family reported that two men representing themselves as “health officers,” threateningly equipped with clubs, boarded a train-bound trolley in Peekskill and demanded $50 for each of his children so they could obtain health certificates from a local doctor to proceed to New York City. The NYC resident refused, and the so-called heath officers refused to let the children pass. Thus, the NYC resident did the only thing he could do. He returned his wife and the children to their vacation home, proceeded to Manhattan, and reported the hold-up to authorities. It’s not known if the law ever caught up with the two heavy-handed club-wielding “health officers.”

POLIO, SCARLET FEVER, AND THE LOSS OF A PROMISING YOUNG DOCTORBy George F. Calvi, Acting Editor

A decade and a half later on May 8, 1931, The Dobbs Ferry Register reported ten cases of scarlet fever in the Ardsley School District. Fortunately, all the cases were deemed mild. The school health officer was contemplating allowing the fourth grade to

resume classes if no new cases were reported over the weekend. However, it seems the school health officer’s thoughts may have been a bit premature because the headlines of the May 15, 1931 edition of the Dobbs Ferry Register screamed “Fever Spreads, Advice Given.” Ardsley Principal Arthur Silliman stated “the disease had spread in two ways. First, through several light unrecognized cases, and secondly, through violators of the quarantine.” The language may be different but the message remains the same in the 21st century. Almost as if channeling Dr. Anthony Fauci, the current Director of the National Institute

of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, Silliman asked that the “children of quarantined families not be allowed to run around. Nor should adults make visits to homes of the quarantined. The cooperation of the entire village on these two points will do much good.” By 1953, Dr Jonas Salk was ready to publish his findings on the polio vaccine. In April 1955 it was announced that the vaccine was effective and safe, and a nationwide inoculation campaign began. Unfortunately, it was too late for one Ardsley resident.On July 14, 1954, the New York Times reported that a 25 year old man had died of infantile paralysis, also referred to in the article as acute anterior poliomyelitis, aboard an ocean liner, the Queen Elizabeth, only days before arriving in New York City. The deceased, Robert Arone, was a medical student for three years at the University of Rome, and on his way home to pay a visit to his family at 13 Lincoln Avenue for the first time in two years. He was the son of Columbus Arone, a Dobbs Ferry druggist and former president of the Ardsley Board of Education. The photo of Robert was supplied by the daughter of his surviving

— 7 —

HISTORY IN THE MAKING: SPOTLIGHTON ONE OF ARDSLEY VILLAGE’S VERY OWN

TRISH LACYBy George F. Calvi, Acting Editor

According to the October 11, 2019 issue of The Rivertowns Enterprise, the Ardsley High School Sports Hall of Fame announced its inaugural class of eight members. More than 200 people were reported to have attended the induction ceremony dinner on September 26, and prominent amongst the honorees was Patricia Phillips Lacy, or as we like to simply call her, Trish. As reported

in the local paper, “Lacy, AHS Class of 1988, was the first girl to play with the boys in the [Ardsley] Little League. She went on to star in three high school sports – volleyball, basketball, and softball. On the diamond, she put together four unbeaten seasons as a pitcher, leading her team to the state tournament twice. Lacy may be best remembered for shooting 19 of 19 at the foul line in a 49 point effort against Eastchester. At Ardsley, she was the first basketball player to exceed the 1000 point mark for a career.” Her professional colleague, Matt Arone, recently shared with me that the Ardsley basketball team retired her uniform number! While catching up with Trish, she advised me that her jersey still fits after all these years, that her Eastchester record still stands, and that she never struck out in softball in four years of high school and four years of college. What a sports legacy! Or as the immortal Phil Rizzuto would have said -- Holy Cow!In this year of 2020 as we mark the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage it is important to note that not all women’s milestones have to be decades old. Women are making history each and every day, and Trish Lacy is just one fine example on how that tradition continues, and most assuredly will continue for decades to come. Thanks for making us all proud Trish![Editor’s Note: Trish, a native of Ardsley, attended Concordia College in Bronxville, and resides in nearby Hastings with her husband, Patrick, and her son, also Patrick. She has been Director of Parks & Recreation for the Village of Ardsley since March 2007. - GFC]

brother, Richard. The daughter, Marguerite Arone Corona, resides and teaches in Dobbs Ferry. Former Ardsley Parks & Recreation Superintendent Matt Arone says “When I was a young child, I was shown pictures of Robert and told that he was a family hero. Then as an adult, I met older residents who knew him growing up and told me he was going to be an incredible doctor and local legend.” Robert Arone was first cousin once removed of Matt whose grandfather was Ferdinand, brother of Columbus.Curiously, once the ship arrived, none of the 1,826 passengers aboard the ship was detained for medical reasons, even though three other occupants of the sick passenger’s stateroom had been placed in confinement for three days in the ship’s infirmary. The ship’s surgeon stated that there was a seven day incubation period and that he felt “very certain everything was under control.” Under control? Tragically, for one Ardsley family it was anything but under control! According to the website “History.com,” today there are just a handful of polio cases in the United States, and those are often contracted by Americans exposed in countries where the polio vaccine is not regularly administered. The website “Healthline.com” explains that a vaccine for scarlet fever, a bacterial infection that can occur after strep throat, still does not exist, but at least the disease can be treated with antibiotics. The rapid decline of scarlet fever cases has been attributed to improved nutrition and public health particularly in the area of hygiene. As for a vaccine for COVID-19, no doubt it is at the top of everyone’s wish list; a wish that the diligent women and men of science will hopefully fulfill in the near future. Until such time, stay safe. Follow the health recommendations. Let’s avoid the boomerang![Editor’s Note: All the archival newspaper research was conducted and provided to me by Village Historian Robert Pellegrino who doubles as the Village’s Planning Board chairman. An attorney, he and his wife, Lisa, an active member of The Friends of the Library, have lived in the village since 1983. They raised two daughters who attended Ardsley schools. Lauren is a nurse practitioner, and Dana is an attorney like her Dad. - GFC]

— 8 —

The website of the Library of American Broadcasting at the University of Maryland contains a section highlighting the careers

of sixteen female pioneers in American radio and television. One of the featured women is Elizabeth Irene Beasley. Although little known today, Miss Beasley was one of Ardsley’s most notable residents during the latter part of the twentieth century. During the years of 1946 through 1953, Beasley was the radio emcee (and designer, writer and producer) of a musical quiz show heard coast to coast on the CBS radio network known as “Grand Slam.” The show was the first to allow radio listeners to compete along with the studio audience on equal terms. A book cataloging old radio programs described the format of Grand Slam, which was a form of audio bridge game as follows:

“A question, submitted by a listener, was divided into five parts (each part was called a “trick”). If a contestant could answer each part correctly, he had a Grand Slam and won a $100 savings bond. If, at any time during the questioning, the contestant responded incorrectly, he was disqualified and the listener who submitted the question won $5. The game segment was coupled with music and songs.” The Museum of the City of New York’s website has 126 pictures of this live radio show demonstrating the industriousness of Miss Beasley as she supervised every aspect of the production including a staff of 35. According to her publicist Jane Barton, a trailblazer herself for women in broadcast journalism, and later a partner with Edythe Meserand (another female radio pioneer listed on the Library of American Broadcasting website who with Barton created AWART (American Women in Radio and Television - now the Alliance for Women in Media), Grand Slam received 30,000 letters a week from its national audience.Irene’s radio career was long and varied. Beginning in Memphis, like a riverboat, her professional career ladder traveled up the Mississippi River to St. Louis and then to Chicago before she arrived in New York City. As a composer and singer, she can be seen performing on YouTube and other online “Old Time Radio” sites. She is credited with being the inventor of singing commercials for, among others, Proctor and Gamble. In 1947, Barton landed her a coveted spot in an Arnold Constable window display in Manhattan. Arnold Constable, until its demise in 1975, was the

oldest department store in the country and known as the Palace of Trade. Litigation is an unfortunate cost of doing business in show business. Miss Beasley did not escape this as she was sued for advertising commissions allegedly earned by Victor Sack under an oral contract in connection with Grand Slam in a case that lingered on for several years beginning in early 1950 and ending in 1953. While she lost at trial and the first appellate level, she prevailed at the Appellate Division, First Department, which sits in Manhattan. The case dealt with what is known as the statute of frauds which requires contracts whose performance will exceed one year to be in writing. Specifically, the appellate court held that a contract to pay commissions for radio programs “as long as a program is on the air for that particular sponsor” was held barred by the statute of frauds because the contract “did not mention or contemplate any event which might cause performance to be completed within a year from the making thereof.” The entire trial transcript from 1950 inclusive of the original letters pre-dating the litigation which were written by and

IRENE BEASLEY – ARDSLEY’S FIRST LADY OF SONGBy Gary S. Rappaport

— 9 —

to “La Beasley” (as she was derisively referred to by Mr. Sack), can be found on Google books. An attempt by Mr. Sack to appeal the adverse decision to the Court of Appeals in Albany was denied. After her twenty-five year career as a composer, singer, master of ceremonies and radio personality, in 1951, Miss Beasley (who was professionally known as the “long, tall gal from Dixie” as she was nearly six feet in height and born in 1904 in Whitehaven, Tennessee), moved from her apartment at 320 East 53rd Street and purchased The Captain Honeywell’s Estate in Ardsley. Located at 133 Heatherdell Road and set back at the end of a long driveway on the southerly side of Heatherdell between Windsong and Hilltop Roads, the building on the Captain Honeywell Estate is the oldest and most historic house in Ardsley (being nearly 270 years old having been built in 1750). Its namesake, Israel Honeywell, was a Captain in the First Regiment of the Westchester County Militia during the American Revolutionary War. Parenthetically, Whitehaven, now part of Memphis, Tennessee, is the location of Elvis’ former home, Graceland.What drew Miss Beasley to Ardsley is not known. The late Ardsley Department of Public Works highway foreman Louis Pascone said she discovered Ardsley while attending various parties held by friends who worked at CBS Radio which she was long affiliated with. However, as a songstress, throughout the 1930s and 1940s, she was often in Westchester County performing at the American Legion’s annual sports charity event in Bronxville alongside sports luminaries like Babe Ruth or visiting with friends in the “country” as Westchester was perceived to be. A 1949 article in the Bronxville Reporter noted, “Grand Slam’ radio star Irene Beasley was seen dining at the Hereford House (the “Ruth’s Chris” of its day) at the Hotel Gramatan in Bronxville. Her nephews (Tom and Jim Connors) believe with the advent of television, Rene (as she was known in the family) and tiring of the grind of professional life in New York City, was ready for the next chapter of her life. The Captain Honeywell Estate (which was once owned by J.P. Morgan) in the country-like environment of mid-century Ardsley probably reminded her of her southern roots. According to Irene’s 180-page memoir written in Ardsley in 1973 (entitled “As I Remember Them”), her maternal family lived on a homestead in Plum Point which is in DeSoto County on the Tennessee/

Mississippi border (and not far from Whitehaven where Irene was born). Purchased by Irene’s maternal great grandfather (Francis Holmes) in the 1830s from the Chickasaw Indians, it was occupied by the Holmes family for nearly a century until 1936 when it was sold. The large colonial house on the property (which was hand-built by slaves using timbers from trees on the property) and the surrounding plantation was known as “Valley Grove.” When she was six years of age, Irene’s father fell ill, and it was recommended he move to Texas. However, when summer came, the family left the arid plains of the Lone Star State and traveled by rail to Valley Grove where she bonded with her maternal grandparents and her cousins. When she was eleven, her mother passed away and after her father remarried, Irene, as the oldest child of three, became a titular parent. These events were probably the source of the strength and drive she exhibited in her adult life. Shortly after Valley Grove was sold in 1936, after having been in the Holmes family for nearly one hundred years, it was destroyed in a massive fire. With memories of her time at Valley Grove close to her heart, Rene visited the old Holmes family homestead sometime in the 1940s and met the new owners who lived on one of the outer brick buildings (which had been built from bricks fabricated in kilns on the plantation) that escaped the fire. Because of the way the wind sang in the trees, they had changed the name of the property from Valley Grove to “Windsong.” Because she loved the name, when she bought the Captain Honeywell Estate, she called it “Windsong.” As part of her real estate development project, she gave a portion of her estate to the Village of Ardsley to create Windsong Road and specified in the deed “for

Windsongpainting by James J. Connors, Jr.

— 10 —

all time to come” the road would be named “Windsong Road.” Preternaturally, the house at the Valley Grove homestead (which is depicted on the Holmes family genealogy site maintained online by Emeritus Professor at the University of Charleston, Paul W. Homes. PhD, and Irene’s second cousin), looks nearly identical to Windsong! The gal from Dixie had found her home in the North. An unusual feature of Captain Honeywell’s house (which is a private dwelling), is a large mural depicting hundreds of years of the property’s history ending with its then-latest chapter of Miss Beasley heralding it as Windsong. The grounds were patrolled by her dog Caesar, who the Connor nephews described as the biggest, meanest, German Shepherd they ever encountered. They never worried about her safety at Windsong. The old Village of Ardsley property assessor’s card (now online) contains dimensions of the lot size with the following words: “figures supplied by Miss B.”On one of her sister’s family’s early visits to Aunt Irene in Ardsley, her brother in law, James J. Connors, painted a watercolor of The Captain Honeywell house and gave it to Irene as a housewarming gift. It is currently displayed in the living room of his son and Miss Beasley’s nephew, Tom Connors, who lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In addition to the land that came with The Captain Honeywell Estate, Beasley ultimately acquired an additional 35 acres of nearby property (for a total assemblage of nearly 50 acres). Beginning in the mid-1950s, Ms. Beasley developed a portion of her property and created Agnes Circle (which was initially a full circle – the opening to Abington Road came later) and Windsong Road. Agnes Circle was named for her sister Agnes Connors (who donated Beasley’s archives to the Library of American Broadcasting portions of which can be seen on its website). Although the original houses on Agnes Circle and Windsong were small as compared to today’s grander homes, the distinguishing feature of the neighborhood are the one-acre lots they occupy which were laid out by Miss Beasley. Outside of perhaps the Twenty-One Acres development at the end of Orlando and Park Avenues, it cannot be disputed the neck of the woods created by Miss B on her former estate over six decades ago contain the premier residential addresses in Ardsley.Likely as part of her real estate development project, Irene opened a real estate brokerage office at 486 Ashford Avenue which she operated until 1977. Beasley’s real estate ads, for the Ardsley homes she was the agent, were imbued with the press release flair of

her former life as an entertainer as demonstrated by these examples which appeared in the classified section of the Herald Statesmen: JUST PICTURE YOURSELFin a gracious stone Colonial on a cold winter’s day with a log fire going and the fragrance of Sunday dinner in the oven and the dining table set with lace in silver, and children coming with their sleds across a lovely yard! There are 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and there’s a playroom. Just picture yourself in such a lovely place — then call and let me show it to you.

ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE PEOPLEwho bemoan the fact that you were not around to buy property years ago before the values rose to make a tidy profit for those who did —? Well here’s your chance to “catch up” for we have just such a piece of property for sale right now! It is presently occupied as a charming home but zoned for business and offers a beautiful opportunity for some individual with an eye to the future. It’s priced at $40,000 and we do not think it will be on the market very long. Better give me a call.

Nor did Ms. Beasley confine herself to real estate matters. A 1957 article in the Herald Statesman relates how she and a group of prominent Ardsley citizens met to plan community events in the areas of dramatic arts, dance, and music activities for adults and youth. She was also not opposed to protecting her interests as when the developer of Huntley Estates started construction in the area west of her historic home. Ms. Beasley sued to recover for alleged blasting related damages sustained to the Captain Honeywell house and its adjacent stone walls. She was also active in the Ardsley Republican Club and participated in fundraising events for Village of Ardsley candidates for Mayor (Reidy) and Trustees (Townshend and Britt) at the annual “Cherry Tree Cotillion” held at the Ardsley Country Club. Curiously, Miss Beasley lived at Windsong for only a decade. A 1911 Steinway previously gracing Windsong is now owned by her great niece. In 1960, a local Dobbs Ferry newspaper reported she had broken her leg while walking her dog along the woods of the Old Croton Aqueduct, was taken to Dobbs Ferry Hospital while observing she was a recent former resident of Ardsley. However, she did return to Ardsley in the early 1970s and resided at 486 Ashford

— 11 —

Avenue. Her obituary stated she was a member of St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Hartsdale. The current owner of 486 Ashford acquired the building from her estate in 1981. In the middle of the 1960s, the New York State Department of Transportation proposed installing a “cloverleaf ” style interchange at the intersection of Route 9A (Saw Mill River Road) and Ashford Avenue. A February 1965 newspaper article entitled “Irene Beasley Heads Chamber; Strives to Save Landmarks” contains the following:

“Proprietor of a real estate business at 486 Ashford Ave, Miss Beasley can recount numerous memories of the Ardsley countryside she encountered in the spring of 1951 when she bought the old Capt. Honeywell Estate on Heatherdell Road. Then she assembled an adjoining 35 acres to protect the area and engineered the development of what is known today as ‘Mockingbird Hill.” She is interested along with other merchants of Ardsley in attempting to preserve the historic hub of the village which the State Highway Department is threatening to destroy in the relocation and reconstruction of Saw Mill River Road. Miss Beasley and the chamber members will be helped in this effort by the other new officers Charles Engleman vice president, Mrs. Helen Townsend, secretary, and Dexter Ritz, treasurer.”Miss Beasley, as head of the Chamber of Commerce and as part of the Citizens 9A Committee, successfully defeated the State’s ill-conceived plan which would have destroyed what was left of the Ardsley business community after the toll it had taken after construction of the Ashford Avenue Bridge and the New York State Thruway. In 1966, Irene was selected as the Easter Seals campaign chair for Ardsley. A program entitled “Ardsley’s First Lady of Song” about the remarkable life of Irene Beasley was sponsored by the Ardsley Historical Society on April 6, 2014. At the end of the event, a specially obtained live recording of Ms. Beasley’s original 1928 composition

“Choo Choo Train” (which was inspired by her rail trips from her then home in Texas to Sweet Briar College in Virginia) where she majored in music as arranged and performed by the Black Swan Classic Jazz Band was

heard. According to her nephew Tom, the Southern Railroad had a train stop on the college’s campus which he compared to having a private airport today. Class pictures from the time Rene (as she was known to the family) attended college show her as the tallest member and in fact, she accentuated her natural height by always wearing high heels. Undoubtedly, this personal predilection served her well in standing out amidst the crowded world of early radio let alone as a woman. Copies of the live recording of Choo Choo Train were raffled off to attendees and several Beasley historical artifacts (some of which were provided by the Library of American Broadcasting to the author) including a SoundCloud snippet from Grand Slam, were donated to the Ardsley Historical Society’s archives. A video of the entire historic presentation made by then Concord Road Elementary School student Blake Rappaport was sent to Aunt Irene’s relatives. Choo Choo Train is still part of the repertoire of the Oregon based Black Swan Classic Jazz Band who perform at numerous Dixieland, old-time gospel, early jazz and ragtime music festivals and community events in the mid, south and northwestern states of the United States and British Columbia. Their live recording of Choo Choo Train can be heard on their year 2000 CD “Mama ’s Gone …. Goodbye! That Miss Beasley’s song is being sung nearly

a century after its composition is emblematic of her enduring creative impact. Ms. Beasley died in 1980 in Ardsley at the age of 75 after a long illness and is buried in Texas near her father, James Neel Beasley (the first Mayor of Amarillo, Texas) and mother (Bertha Holmes Beasley), who was born at Plum Point in 1881. Her ongoing influence on Ardsley is undeniable most particularly at Windsong Road and Agnes Circle where long before there were efforts to preserve open space, she did it right in the heart of Ardsley. Not surprisingly the online Library of American Broadcasting exhibit about her life and career is entitled “Taking a Leading Role,” as that was always the way Irene Beasley rolled. A formal tribute by the Village

of Ardsley to this important figure in its history is, according to this author, overdue. [Editor’s Note: Gary Rappaport, a practicing attorney, resides on Victoria Road along with his wife, Jill, and son, Blake, a student at Ardsley High School. - GFC]

— 12 —

ARDSLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETYP.O. BOX 523ARDSLEY, NY 10502-0523

ARDSLEYHISTORICALSOCIETY.ORG

Non-ProfitU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 2023White Plains, NY

OR CURRENT RESIDENT

M E M B E R S H I P A P P L I C A T I O NA generous way to show your support of the Ardsley Historical Society is to become a member. Your support allows us to share Ardsley’s history through our newsletter, our special programs, and our newly expanded website. Your support is especially needed this year as we work to complete our digital archives and continue our mission of collecting, preserving and presenting Ardsley history. With membership, you receive the newsletter three times a year filled with Ardsley reminiscences, as well as our calendar. So join or renew your membership for the coming year. We welcome you and appreciate your sponsorship. If you have any questions or suggestions write to us or contact us at 914.393.3222.

MEMBERSHIP TYPE New Renewal

Name ______________________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________________

City ____________________________________ State_______Zip Code _______________

Telephone ____________________________ e-mail ________________________________

MEMBERSHIP LEVEL Senior $10 Supporter $50 Individual $15 Sponsor $75 Family $20 Patron $100 I would like to make an additional donation to the Ardsley Historical society in the amount of $____________Please make your check payable to the ARDSLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY and return with this for to:

Ardsley Historical Society, P.O. Box 523, Ardsley, NY 10502-0523