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Behind the Scenes Scoop with Andrew Jupin at The Jacob Burns Film Center

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Bo Burnham and Andrew Jupin in Eighth Grade
PHOTO BY ED CODY

Creating A Local & Cultural Mecca for Film Lovers of All Ages

Back in the day when I lived in the city and was child-free, I had plenty of options to see independent or foreign films. I could traipse downtown to the Angelika Film Center to catch the latest Merchant Ivory film or head crosstown to Lincoln Plaza Cinemas to immerse myself in the latest Pedro Almodovar release. There were a few other art houses and independent movie theaters that I could go to but the Angelika and Lincoln Plaza still stand out vividly in my mind.

Fast forward to a decade later and as a suburban mom with kids, I am lucky enough to live mere miles from the Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC), a five-screen cinema offering a full range of programming from films, events, community screenings, visiting artists and special guests. I like to think of it as an art house theater with 92 Street Y caliber lectures and classes all rolled into one. And although I don’t get to go there as often as I like, I have been known to sneak in an early movie while the kids are in school or plan a date night to catch an indie film with my husband. I’ve even taken my kids to Family Saturdays at the Media Arts Lab just a stone’s throw away where they’ve made amazing hands-on projects.

Programming Reigns Supreme

“The breadth of programming is what makes us so unique,” explains Andrew Jupin, a Senior Programmer at the JBFC who started working there in 2006 as a projectionist. The movie theater landscape has changed significantly in Westchester in recent years with the Saw Mill Multiplex in Hawthorne shutting down and an anticipated closing of the Greenburgh Multiplex in Elmsford later this year. In addition, new players such as ultra-luxe iPic in Dobbs Ferry and a recently renovated Bedford Playhouse have been attracting moviegoers.

But Jupin argues that seeing movies at these places is an “anonymous experience.” And he’s right. It is not uncommon to see people milling about in the JBFC lobby post-screening discussing a film they just saw. As a programmer, Jupin also works on planning director Q & As and curating films that engage moviegoers throughout Westchester. Each year more than 200,000 people visit the JBFC to see more than 400 films from over 40 countries. Since it opened in 2001, three million people have walked through the doors of this Spanish mission-style theater to see cutting-edge cinema.

Carefully Curated Series

One of Jupin’s responsibilities is programming an ongoing series called Retro Revival sponsored by Wine Enthusiast. It is now in its third year and Jupin is passionate about selecting the films that become part of the series. We discuss a recent showing of I Am Cuba and Jupin’s excitement about the movie which he dubs a “lost treasure” is palatable. “This movie from the former USSR was virtually unseen here.” Martin Scorcese and Francis Ford Coppola were champions of the film and Milestone Films had to fight legal battles to get it shown here.” Jupin loves introducing something like this to an audience. “They [the moviegoers] trust us and our selections.” Jupin likes to choose tried and true classics like It’s a Wonderful Life to offerings that are for “adventurous hardcore cinephiles.”

And Jupin is well-qualified to make those selections. He’s an adjunct professor at the School of Film and Media Studies at Purchase College and also teaches at Westchester Community College. In his spare time, he also hosts a popular weekly podcast called We Hate Movies with several friends where they discuss terrible movies. He’s seen hundreds of “trashy films” and likes the dichotomy of working at JBFC where he gets to “bring worthwhile films to an audience.”

Jupin laments that sell out crowds for a screening are often viewed as a barometer of success. “I’ve been to film screenings where there are ten people but those ten people are blown away and they want to see more films by that director or on a certain subject and they then tell their friends.” Jupin, along with other programmers at the theater, finds it incredibly rewarding when they can open their audience to new ideas or new films not seen in a mainstream moviehouse.

Two other ongoing series at the Burns include Global Watch: Crisis and Social Action and Remix: The Black Experience in Film, Media and Art. “The films in these series are often not the most easiest to watch,” Jupin says but they hold true to board member and curator Jonathan Demme’s vision of the JBFC “as a force for social change disguised as a movie theater.”

Thought-Provoking Q & As and Lectures

As part of his programming responsibilities, Jupin also conducts Q & As with filmmakers, actors or other movie industry veterans. This past year he particularly enjoyed meeting first time director Bo Burnham of Eighth Grade and Alex Winter, the director of the documentary film, The Panama Papers. “The Q & As were so different. Burnham was a former comedian and the discussion was funny and light-hearted. With Winter, we spoke about journalism ethics.”

An Economic Engine for 10570 and Beyond

Having worked in Pleasantville for more than a decade, Jupin loves the tight-knit community aspect of the neighborhood. The Inwood resident enjoys the restaurants, book store and small local shops nearby. The JBFC has strong relationships with several local businesses offering discounts to JBFC members through a program called Reel Partners. This past summer, the JBFC released a study The Economic Close-Up showcasing how it is a cultural magnet and economic driver in the region. As we look out the windows of the Media Arts Lab, there are several multi-unit condos being built within walking distance of the JBFC. In 2018, 80 units of transit-oriented housing were under construction in Pleasantville and six new restaurants had opened within the past year.

Senso Retro Revival

An Exciting Future

It is an exciting time for the JBFC with a recent Regional Economic Development Council initiative from Governor Cuomo providing $506,500 to the JBFC for capital improvements. The theater requires a lot of upkeep and they hope to use some of the funds for new seating and other things that will continue to make coming to the JBFC a top-notch experience. “A flat screen TV or a film being screened on Netflix still can’t compare with seeing a film on the big screen.” Throw in the fact that the JBFC is a true cultural and community hub and you’ll know why this five-screen theater continues to be one of the most successful suburban art houses in the country.

Jacob Burns Staff

Edie Demas, Executive Director

Edie joined the JBFC as executive director in May 2014. Previously, she worked with the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles and was Director of Education at New York’s New Victory Theater, where under her direction, its education programs were honored with the Americans for the Arts award for Arts Education. She also spent several years in Ireland, where she worked as an education officer with Graffiti Theatre Company, founded UnReel, an international film festival for young people, developed scripts for children’s film and television, and served as an Associate Artist for Education and Outreach at The Abbey Theatre. Edie holds an MA and PhD from NYU’s Program in Educational Theatre.

Dominick Balletta, Managing Director

Dominick joined the JBFC in May 2008, following seven years as General Manager of NYC’s Film Forum. Since 2011, he has served as an advisor to the DeVos Institute of Arts Management. As a producer his credits include Another Telepathic Thing and I’m Carolyn Parker, both directed by Jonathan Demme, and Moisés Kaufman’s 33 Variations, starring Jane Fonda (Tony Award nomination). He has served as a grant panelist for NEA, NYSCA, ArtsWestchester, and CEC/ArtsLink.

Brian Ackerman, Director of Programming

Brian joined the JBFC as the Founding Programming Director in 2001, which followed several years in an advisory capacity assisting the planning and development of the theaters. He designed the programming template that presents over 400 films annually to include special events, new releases, documentary, foreign-language, retrospective films, as well as thematic series, under one roof. He has worked for over 30 years in the New York cinema arts scene–building, programming, and operating art houses. He also serves on juries at film festivals including SXSW and Full Frame.

Judy Exton, Director of Development

Judy joined the JBFC as Director of Development in December 2001. Prior to this, she raised money for a number of nonprofits, including New York City Ballet, Caramoor, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Judy holds a B.A. in Communications from The College of Wooster.

Emily Keating, Director of Education

Emily has overseen the JBFC education programs since their inception in 2001. She has consulted for non-profit film centers on the development of their school programs, and has presented at many national education and literacy conferences. She is an adjunct faculty member at Pace University’s School of Education.

Sean Weiner, Director of Creative Culture

Sean received his M.F.A. from Hunter College in Integrated Media Arts and a B.A. in Cinema Studies from SUNY Purchase, where he is now a faculty member. At the JBFC, Sean is the director of Creative Culture, an initiative connecting emerging makers to creative careers through fellowship opportunities and residency programs.

Westchester Jewish Film Festival

Mark your calendars for one of the most popular film series featured at JBFC- the 18th Westchester Jewish Film Festival. The festival from April 2-17 features 42 entertaining, thought-provoking, and engaging film from documentaries to narratives. Plus, the festival will continue its tradition of bringing some of Israel’s fantastic television programming – 12 episodes of the hit comedy series The New Black (Shababniks) and all five episodes of the dystopian drama Autonomies.

The New Black (Shababniks)

This year for the first time, the festival will kick off with not one but two unique programs. One theater will showcase the New York premiere of award-winning Israeli filmmaker Yair Lev’s You Only Die Twice, a suspenseful documentary thriller with splashes of humor at just the right moments. At the same time, in another theater, we’ll screen the first four episodes of The New Black (Shababniks).

Goldas Balcony

Continuing to feature stunning new films from around the world, we’re also showing Shoah: Four Sisters by the late Claude Lanzmann, which reveals stunning footage not used in his epic 1985 masterpiece Shoah. The festival centerpiece is Golda’s Balcony, the Film, a cinematic event about Golda Meir’s extraordinary life and legacy, featuring a stellar performance by Tovah Feldshuh, who will appear at a post-screening discussion on April 6.

All this, plus a very special tribute to the Carl Reiner!

“This is our most popular series and several shows sell out, so book early,” advises Jupin.

Opening Night with RECEPTION

April 2

6:30 p.m. You Only Die Twice

7:00 p.m. The New Black (Shababniks)

Malcolm Pray Achievement Center Inspires Youth

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Housed within three nondescript white clapboard buildings resembling an old country church at the end of a long driveway at 16 Bedford Banksville Road is a magnificent collection of vintage cars at the Malcolm Pray Achievement Center. This is more than a car museum and serves a greater purpose that was both envisioned and executed by its entrepreneurial founder Malcolm Pray. It is both a celebration of success and an opportunity to visualize oneself reaching one’s dreams.

The Malcolm Pray Achievement Center is a non-profit organization that offers programs that inspire visitors towards success through a tour of an impressive automobile collection and the story of Malcolm Pray.

Malcolm Pray was an entrepreneur in automotive sales. He started as a car salesman in 1955 in Greenwich, Connecticut and eventually bought his own dealership and grew the business to six dealerships. After an amazing career, he sold his business in 1999 and conceptualized a place to showcase his collection to motivate kids to work hard just as he was motivated as a child when he first saw his dream car at the 1939 World’s Fair, a 1937 Delahaye, a car he later purchased. He passed away in 2013. The Pray Family Foundation continues running the center.

Inside the main building, besides the 1960 MG Model A Roadster just beyond the entryway, it feels as if you have stepped into someone’s grand living room. There are couches, a fireplace, a library off to the right, console tables and walls adorned with civic and humanitarian honors, “Best in Class” awards from car shows such as Concours d’Elegance, photos of Mr. Pray with ex-US presidents and well-known politicians, and framed family photos.

The Armonk Chamber’s Neal Schwartz inside the Malcolm Pray Achievment Center which recently hosted a Chamber meeting and included a fun tour.

Owning Your Handshake

Over seven thousand visitors have come to the center and each is personally greeted at the door with a handshake. As a former car salesman, Mr. Pray recognized the importance of a welcoming handshake and this was his first lesson to his guests. He taught them to own their handshake so that they would be treated seriously.

After visitors are welcomed into the center, they watch a two-minute video about Mr. Pray that talks about his passion for cars, his imperfect school record, and about his road to success after serving in the Air Force.

“My message is clear,” he says in the video, “There is nothing in life that you cannot achieve. No matter what you do you will be in the people business…and never forget–your reputation is the greatest asset that you have.”

That message is just one of the different steps to success that Mr. Pray hoped to teach his visitors. Some other steps include consider a career, educate yourself, respect your body, learn the value of money, and be organized.

Success Despite Struggles

The circumstances of his life lend special weight to his tips for success. A child of the Great Depression, he struggled in school and had a mild dyslexia, undiagnosed in his youth. Most tragically, he lost one of his four children, his 17-year old son, in a car accident in 1986. Achieving success despite these challenges makes an impression on young visitors, particularly those with their own struggles.

Executive Director Marikay Satryano tells visiting teens that have trouble relating to Mr. Pray’s ultimate success and wealth that his life only appears to look linear if you look at him working his way up from being a car salesman. “What you don’t see between those milestones are tough decisions, hard work, personal tragedy, and struggles. Not every path is linear. You have to make the moment and take that first step,” she says.

While Mr. Pray’s original intent was to inspire youngsters, his achievement center has hosted families, senior citizens and veterans. The life principles offered are relevant to anyone going through transition.  Seniors grappling with what they will do in retirement, veterans trying to find their way after active duty, and adults seeking good advice to pass on to their children can benefit from a visit here.

After spending time in the main building, watching the video and discussing the steps to success, guests are led into the first garage where they experience their “aha” moment. In that first garage, they are met with some of the most significant American, British and German cars ever built. Ms. Satryano takes visitors through a fascinating twentieth century history lesson intertwined with a history of cars. Her props just happen to be rare world class automobiles.

Visits to the Malcolm Pray Achievement Center are free and by appointment only.  “It’s a resource,” says Ms. Satryano, “and we want the community to know that we are here for them.”

Area Teens Head South Together for an Eye Opening Civil Rights Trip

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A view of the Edmund Pettus Bridge: site of the “Bloody Sunday” march
Last month high school juniors and seniors from Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester in Chappaqua and Antioch Baptist Church in Bedford Hills went on a three-day trip to the south to learn more about the civil rights movement and social justice. The leadership of both Antioch, a predominately African-American church, and Temple Beth El decided to make this trip together with the hope of sharing experiences and creating more conversations about this country’s history on civil rights and continued need for equality and justice. This trip was the first of its kind for both congregations, as teens joined hand-in-hand to visit, explore, and develop an even deeper understanding of civil rights.

Trip participants in Alabama

Upon arriving in Atlanta, the teens were introduced to Mr. Billy Planer, the head of Etgar 36, the organization responsible for planning the details of the trip. Etgar 36’s mission is to empower trip participants “to get involved politically and socially to create change in the world.”

The first stop on the itinerary was  Montgomery, Alabama. There the teens met an attorney from the Equal Justice initiative (EJI) and learned about the injustice that exists for those on death row. Students were then invited to view the result of the EJI’s “Community Remembrance Project,” an archive and display that contains samples of dirt from different lynching sites. As a trip participant, I found this deeply moving and a wake up call that racism was widespread, had inflicted so much pain and touched the lives of so many.

An Emotional Journey

The trip had so many different layers of history and emotion. For lunch that day, trip participants ate at a local restaurant named Martha’s Place and dined on classic southern fare. The group later met Martha, the inspirational owner of the restaurant, who talked about how she bounced back from depression, suicide attempts and poverty, overcoming tremendous adversity and making a positive life for herself.

The next stop on the trip was the Rosa Parks Museum where the group learned about the bus boycotts and the use of nonviolence against violence. The group then headed to a nearby synagogue to spend Friday night Sabbath services with the local Jewish community.

Following in the Footsteps of the Bloody Sunday Marchers

The next day the group drove to Selma, where they learned about the historic march in which police and state troopers beat and used tear gas against peaceful marchers who were advocating against racial discrimination at the voting booth. Ms. Joanne Bland, an activist who marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday in 1965 met the group and talked about her experience. The group later walked towards the infamous bridge and suddenly, more than 30 students were following in the footsteps of the brave marchers who were attacked and beaten in their quest for freedom. The mood was somber and emotions were high at this pivotal moment of the trip.

Birmingham: A Hot Spot of the Civil Rights Movement

The journey continued to Birmingham, Alabama with a stop at the 16th Street Baptist Church, the site where four young girls were killed in a racially motivated bombing in 1963. After heading to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the group had the opportunity to meet Rev. Calvin Woods, a civil rights leader who was a close colleague to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Rev. Woods led the group in song and in words of healing.

The final stop of the trip was Atlanta where the group saw the AIDS Quilt and learned about the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community and the struggle for quality healthcare and education. The group then ventured to Dr. King’s resting place to pay their respects and concluded the trip with Sunday services at Dr. King’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church.

An Eye Opening Experience

Max Brickman, a junior from Greeley and a member of Temple Beth El said, “The trip was a very eye-opening experience. I feel that the stories (that were told) really gave us a clear understanding of the severity and violence of segregation.” Josh Agee, a senior from Greeley who attends Antioch Baptist Church explained, “The reason I decided to go on this trip is because I felt that I needed to know more about my history. I felt that what we were learning at school did not really describe the struggles of African Americans during the civil rights era, and I thought that this trip would provide a greater insight into my history.

“The trip was far beyond my expectations. Traveling to the historic sites made me truly feel blessed. Experiencing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Martin Luther King’s historic church and the Rosa Parks Museum were informational and eye opening experiences that I will never forget.”

Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe from Temple Beth El commented, “My expectations for this trip were easily surpassed. I was deeply impressed by the way in which our students integrated with their counterparts from Antioch Baptist Church and the seriousness and maturity they displayed throughout the trip. Our students posed thoughtful questions and took every opportunity to soak in the learning and meaning of each site and encounter. I was slightly worried that the trip would be overly scheduled and academic, but these fears were easily assuaged and I came away inspired by the students.”

A stop at the Equal Justice Initiative

Civic Lessons from Chappaqua’s Historic Women

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Gabrielle Greeley Clendenin (1857-1937) & Carrie Chapman Catt (1859-1947)

2017 marked the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New York State.  The New Castle Historical Society celebrated this centennial with an exploration of the women’s suffrage movement and the life of Carrie Chapman Catt, a leading suffragist and former New Castle resident.  Visit the Horace Greeley House to view this special exhibition with displays of photographs and artifacts until May 26, 2018.

In honor of Women’s History Month, The Inside Press focuses on the contributions of these two historic Chappaqua women residents.

In her book What Happened, Hillary Rodham Clinton reflects on “the roles that gender, race an class play in our politics and the importance of empathy in our national life.” This commitment to equality and moral dignity connects her to two other famous women in our town whose civic actions years ago required fortitude, then as now. Like Secretary Clinton, Gabrielle Greeley Clendenin and Carrie Chapman Catt each shared a hope for future generations and harnessed her creative and emotional power in different ways to make tangible differences during her lifetime.

Source: New Castle Historical Society

Gabrielle Greeley Clendenin: A Generous Citizen

When Horace Greeley and his wife Mary both died in 1872, their youngest child, Gabrielle, was only 15. In 1882, her sister Ida died suddenly from diphtheria and Gabrielle became the sole owner of all 78 acres of the Greeley farm in the center of Chappaqua. Gabrielle lived as an independent, educated woman who chose to live in Chappaqua from 1881 until her death.  She resided first in the Side Hill House which burned down in 1890 and then moved to a small house where the New Castle Town Hall is now.  After she married Rev. Dr. Frank Clendenin, the rector of St. Peter’s Westchester (now in the Bronx) in 1891, they remodeled the concrete barn that Horace Greeley had proudly built 35 years earlier and gave their permanent home a biblical name, Rehoboth.  Located on Aldridge Road, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Gabrielle could have had a socialite’s cosmopolitan lifestyle in New York City or capitalized on the celebrity legacy of being the attractive daughter of Horace Greeley, the influential New York Tribune founding editor/statesman/presidential candidate.  Instead, Gabrielle was a charitable and generous neighbor, particularly to young women “in trouble” who were shunned by others, and personally aided her fellow citizens. She gave open house barn parties featuring traditional games and dances, held outdoor Sunday afternoon readings and book sharings under her father’s beloved evergreen grove and volunteered at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Pleasantville.

“Unlike her father, Gabrielle appears to have never involved herself in politics,” says Gray Williams, the town historian of New Castle. Gabrielle’s civic actions were aligned with her strong moral values and she concentrated her efforts to benefit the community where she lived.  Starting in 1883, she donated part of her land for a right-of-way to connect Pleasantville and downtown Chappaqua along what is now South Greeley Avenue. In 1902, she provided the site for the current railroad station and its adjacent town park (Woodburn Avenue is named for her paternal grandmother). She supplied the four-acre property for the Church of St. Mary the Virgin to be the first Episcopal Church in Chappaqua after the 1903 tragic death of her 5-year-old daughter, Muriel, from tubercular meningitis. A Celtic cross commemorates both Gabrielle and her husband in the family’s burial plot at the back of the Church, just north of the grove of majestic evergreen trees that her father planted a half-century earlier.

Creating A Strong Educational System

Gabrielle’s commitment to local affairs influenced New Castle’s transformation from a farm town to a suburban commuter hamlet with a prized school district where students are encouraged to think critically and actively engage in the community.  Most significantly, in 1926, Gabrielle either donated or sold on easy terms 10 acres of land which fundamentally changed the “common school” system of small one and two room buildings that only offered up to 8th grade instruction into a comprehensive school for elementary to high school instruction. Completed in 1928, the Horace Greeley School was a visual centerpiece of the town, built in native fieldstone like the Church of St. Mary the Virgin next door.

Source: NYS Museum http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/biographies/carrie-chapman-catt

Carrie Chapman Catt: A Leading Women’s Suffragist

Carrie Chapman Catt came to New Castle seeking a less hectic lifestyle as President of the National American Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA) following its greatest success, the passage of the 19th amendment by Congress. Having relentless determination and perseverance with the women’s suffrage movement since 1887 in Iowa, Catt was a leading activist, a dynamic organizer, fundraiser and a brilliant strategist. Catt founded the League of Women Voters in 1919, to provide women with the tools and knowledge for meaningfully exercising their right to vote. Believing that the political process should be rational and issue-oriented and dominated by citizens, not politicians, the League of Women Voters remains true to her ideals and promotes issues of public interest over partisan politics.

In 1919, Catt purchased Juniper Ledge, a 16-acre estate between North State and Ryder Roads in the west end of New Castle and was able to pursue her great love of gardening. An article in the New York Times on June 21, 1921 described a tradition Catt had established at Juniper Ledge of dedicating certain trees to famous suffragists. One tree, for example, was dedicated to Esther Morris, a leader in the passage of the Wyoming suffrage amendment. Another was dedicated to Maud Wood Park, who was instrumental in securing the passage of the 19th Amendment and the first president of the League of Women Voters. Juniper Ledge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a town landmark in 2011.

While 2017 did not bring the inauguration of a first female U.S. President, lessons from 1915, when a proposed suffrage amendment to the NYS constitution was defeated, remind us that the struggle for equal rights up through the present day requires active participation of countless individuals at local, state and national levels. When women gained the right to vote in New York State in 1917, Catt said, “I regard the New York victory as the very greatest victory this movement has ever had in any country.” Catt’s successful “Winning Plan” of a state-by-state approach used New York’s win to propel the federal amendment forward.

“It’s a great connection for New Castle that such an important figure in the suffrage movement lived here. As the leader of NAWSA, Catt was instrumental in putting political pressure on President Wilson to support the 19th Amendment and then mobilizing support for ratification in three-fourths of the states. She is part of a long tradition of women’s rights leaders from New York from Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Betty Freidan and Gloria Steinem,” says Mary Devane, Horace Greeley HS Social Studies Department Chair.

Pursuing Justice and World Peace

Though she enjoyed her country retreat, Catt remained politically active and pursued her twin interests of women’s rights and world peace. In 1927, to be closer to the regional headquarters of the League of Women Voters in New Rochelle, Catt left New Castle and moved to a home on Paine Avenue in New Rochelle where she continued to garden enthusiastically. In her last years, she founded the National Committee on the Cause and Cure of War, actively supported the League of Nations and championed the newly formed United Nations.

Elevating Women

Knowing how our lives connect to Gabrielle’s civic actions and Catt’s activism can help us, as current residents, to cultivate a new generation of informed citizens in Chappaqua who combine passions with actions against prejudice and inequality. As these notable women recognized the societal issues in their contemporary culture, today we can speak up, stand firm and act generously each in our own way. Their legacy in civics gives us templates for how to build a better world and elevate the status of women.

Getting to Know Gray Williams: Town Historian Extraordinaire

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Gray and Ike Kuzio, Town Superintdendent of Recreation & Parks at Millwood’s 200 Year Anniversary celebration PHOTO BY ROB GREENSTEIN
Town Historian Gray Williams is a master at painting a vivid picture of history. Quaker, Haight, Sarles, Kipp, Pines Bridge, Greeley, Commodore–the names of these local roads impart a legacy of almost three centuries of history. Other names around town–Stone Road, Hardscrabble Road, Stony Hills, Turner Swamp, Roaring Brook–suggest that the countryside, while perhaps full of natural beauty, was not entirely ideal for agriculture.

Gray’s principal duty as town historian is to serve as chair of the town’s Landmarks Advisory Committee, established in 1990. Jill Shapiro, Town Administrator, says his presentations on properties recommended for landmark status are legendary. “They are so well researched but not dry. He always finds a spark–something interesting and unique–about a property or its former residents that makes it special.”

The Town Historian and the committee, all unpaid volunteers, also makes recommendations whenever an application for significant alteration of a landmark comes before the Architectural Review Board, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, or the Building Department so that the historical significance of the site will be taken into account. Some New Castle landmarks are also listed inside the National Register of Historic Places.

Much of Gray’s work as an historian is devoted to writing. His most recent publication is a short illustrated history, Horace Greeley and the Greeley Family in Chappaqua. In addition to research reports, histories of landmarks and exhibitions at the Horace Greeley House and Museum, Gray has a special interest in the eight graveyards in New Castle–the Quaker graveyard, Fair Ridge Cemetery, and six abandoned family burying grounds. While preparing for the recent 150th Anniversary Tour of Fair Ridge Cemetery, Ken White, Jr. a former New Castle Historical Society (NCHS) trustee and current docent, recalls, “In the true spirit of Tom Sawyer, Gray presented me with my own scrub brush and spray bottle to start on a row of headstones and also convinced me that this endeavor was really great fun.”

Gray, an ex-officio trustee of the NCHS and a trustee of the Westchester County Historical Society, states, “The monuments in these graveyards embody the history of Chappaqua from the time it was first settled.” Ken adds, “Almost all of the town’s abandoned cemeteries now lie within private property and have long been neglected. Gray is the consummate statesman in negotiating for access and managing care. Some of the graveyards are on steep hillsides and are badly overgrown, but Gray also is undaunted by bees, brambles or a challenging climb.”

Gray grew up in Chappaqua and, with his wife, Marian, raised a family here. His neighbors have enjoyed the pleasure of Gray’s sense of humor and his intellectual spark. Jamie Comstock, a current NCHS trustee, says “When I moved to Marcourt Drive in the early 90s, Gray and Marian threw a wonderful party to introduce me to my other neighbors. I have valued his warmth and kindness over the years more than I can say. Running into him around town always gives me the same kind of feeling as suddenly remembering there is ice cream in my freezer – such a pleasure!”

Until the 20th century, New Castle was primarily an agricultural town, with grist and saw mills, cider and vinegar works, a shoe factory, and a pickle factory supplementing its dairy farms and apple orchards. Given our town’s origins, Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein says, “It is beyond dispute that in order to know where we are going, we must know where we’ve been. Gray’s endeavors in searching for and memorializing our Town’s history benefits us all.”

Kids love to probe Gray’s vast knowledge of the homes and neighborhoods of New Castle and learn about their own houses. And Gray never disappoints with his stories during the Q &A following the middle school presentations, when kids ask about where they live.

For example, Pierce Drive (right on the border of Chappaqua and Pleasantville) is named for the farm of a Quaker farmer, Moses Pierce, who operated a station on the Underground Railroad before the Civil War. Gray says of Pierce’s farm, “Perhaps this stop was right before the Jay Homestead in Bedford, which is also believed to have sheltered escaping slaves. The Jay family, from John Jay on, steadfastly opposed slavery.” The Pierces were members of the Quaker Meeting, whose meetinghouse was built in 1754, making it the oldest recorded building in Chappaqua. The Quakers who settled here embraced not only non-violence but also the equality of all human beings, regardless of race or sex. From as early as 1775, the Quakers denounced slavery though few went so far as Moses Pierce in defying the law for their beliefs. He and his wife, Esther, together with several others of their family, are buried in the Quaker graveyard.

Along with all of the other NCHS volunteers and the Landmarks Advisory Committee, Gray has preserved and interpreted local historic artifacts, documents, and stories to truly serve broad cultural and heritage goals in our community and beyond. Gray’s professional life as a writer and editor comes through in quality and details of the captions he writes for the rooms and objects at the Horace Greeley House. Suzanne Keay, a current trustee of the NCHS says, “At a recent lecture at the Horace Greeley House about runaway slaves in the mid-Hudson Valley, Gray seemed to know the names of almost every family mentioned by the lecturer. I don’t know what we’d do without Gray and his deep knowledge and dedication.”

NCHS is dependent on volunteers and membership to support its programming and activities, such as the annual Tree Lighting and Carols and the Victorian Valentine Tea Party. Georgia Frasch, NCHS Trustee, thoroughly enjoys going to scout potential old homes with Gray for the annual “Castles of New Castles” house tours. “I learn so much. Gray has spent countless hours looking at foundations and crawl spaces, all to preserve the rich history that has made this town so special. The names–Haight, Taylor, Washburn, Bristol, Quinby–are people who lived here and gave their properties a distinct sense of time and place. We love showing homes that demonstrate how our present is rooted in our past.”

It may be hard to imagine that our suburban homes were once heavily forested hills and valleys occupied by local Wappinger tribes whose totem was the Enchanted Wolf. Gray’s publications, stories and anecdotes keep us remembering and respecting our unique hamlet’s 300 years of significant events, persons, businesses and buildings.