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Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

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Cherishing Family

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Family life is and always will be many things to many people, but the powerful connection and bonds forged within our family units–and for me and many that includes our friendship circles, too–is the common denominator. Family is love. Cherishing family, and the children I raised, grown and flown they may be, will always be central to any love I feel, and more so in challenging times.

I also like to recognize the larger family who touch us all–our local and county officials, caring neighbors, health care personnel and first responders who provide resources and actual lifelines in this most unusual year, and every year. Such community resources include the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry, now planning a 30th year celebration feeding Westchester, and the Mount Kisco Child Care Center which advocates so successfully for families. You can read about both these terrific organizations here too.

Please enjoy all the stories, photography and artwork; our freelance contributors work hard to assemble the mix of stories you find every time, and I have a lot of fun sharing them on the web too, with some help from the Play Nice Together team, and always feel humbled by all the excitement around that. I have a feeling, for example, Lyssa Weiss’s savvy weight loss strategies, as conveyed by Ella Ilan, will be eaten up, with zero calories incurred. Our blogger series continues too highlighting writing by talented writers Kat Nemec, Rich Monetti and Deb Raider Notis.

A huge thank you to Congressman Mondaire Jones for carving time out of his packed schedule to speak with our writer Jennifer Sabin and for later visiting Chappaqua for an Inside Chappaqua & Millwood  cover photo shoot by Carolyn Simpson. I loved the opportunity simply to greet and meet him, and his district director, Joan Grangenois-Thomas, too. 

I also want to thank the lovely John Diaconis for a personal tour of the historic Miller House, and for sharing his inspiring story, our Inside Armonk cover story, by Christine Pasqueralle. Gratitude to Donna Mueller for the photographs of John and his family, and also those of Drew Bordeaux, a mega talented musician/artist, both solo and with his bride and fellow artist Tammy (story by Stacey Pfeffer), and of Adam Stone and his comeback team! at the Examiner Media (story by Andrew Vitelli).  Also, please don’t miss the following story gems (and photos by Carolyn too): Stephanie Spiegel of Centerpeace (story by Shauna Levy), Ian and Lauren Karr (story by Ronni Diamondstein), and Wendy Craft and Evan Echenthal (story by Anna Young). We are also thrilled to include stories by Robin Chwatko. These include one of Emma Freeman’s rising star. And a second highlighting the offerings at the amazing Armonk Tennis Club.

So bottom line: please enjoy all the stories presented by our hard-working contributors–you will find wonderfully warm and accomplished people and families to ‘meet’ and in the print editions, inviting page designs by art director Lisa Samkoff.

Finally, we hope you will read Ronni Diamondstein’s touching tribute to Lawrence Otis Graham; the reminisces and thoughts conveyed come from many corners of New Castle and beyond.

Wishing you well and time to enjoy spring’s glorious holiday and milestone celebrations. 

These being ‘double editions,’ wishing you much joy this spring at your Passover or Easter gatherings, perhaps, and/or for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day too. As an aside, you might wish to take some of those celebrations ‘outside’ on your deck or patio, so do check out Marianne Campolongo’s feature about trends in backyard living too!  We are continuing a quarterly schedule and will see you again in mid-August! Truth be told, I have a little trip planned, and some memoir writing to do with the precious extra time, too. Stay well.

P.S.  Sometimes a single person you’ve never met can make you feel awash with love and appreciation. A celebrated resident ‘vaccine fairy’ for example, reached out to help me with my vaccine appointment. She has helped innumerable others. For anyone who’s having trouble making an appointment to get a COVID vaccine, Christina is happy to help! She has booked almost 600 appointments for eligible NYS residents. Please email her at vaxfairy@gmail.com. 

P.S.S.  The Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center’s “Memory Keepers Story Hour” (see below) continues with three additional April virtual presentations. They always hit close to home. April 5, 2020 marks two years since my own survivor father’s passing. I have told his story in bits and pieces on social media, and hoping to convey a more complete tale of ‘Poppy’ one day, too. Please consider registering for one of these events.

Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center Spring 2021 ‘Memory Keepers Story Hour’ Continues

A virtual online platform created by the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center and that features Holocaust Survivors, Liberators, and GenerationsForward speakers–a second and third generation group that includes children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors–continues through April with Kathy Grosz-Zaltas on April 15; Wendy Sandler on April 22, and Michelle Gewanter on April 29. All virtual events begin at 7 p.m. To register, email Millie Jasper mjasper@hhrecny.org for Zoom log-in information or call the HHREC at 914 696-0738.  The Memory Keepers Story Hour series launched in 2020 supports the HHREC mission to teach the lessons of the Holocaust, to promote the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect, and to encourage speaking up and acting against all forms of hate, bigotry, and prejudice. Its Bureau includes 26 Holocaust Survivors, three Honorary Holocaust Liberator Speakers, and 36 GenerationsForward Speakers who tell their stories from a “next generation” perspective, adding new meaning to the survivors’ powerful stories. Visit www.hhrecny.org for more info.

Spotlight on Lila and DeWitt Wallace: Chappaqua’s 20th Century Powerhouse Couple of Modern Media

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2019 marks the 80th anniversary of the Reader’s Digest headquarters in Chappaqua. Lila Bell Acheson Wallace and her husband, Dewitt Wallace were co-founders, co-editors and true partners in their powerhouse media business enterprises for generations, which included the enormously successful magazine, condensed books, direct mail-order books, trade/retail books, children’s books, music and international editions.

They started Reader’s Digest in 1922 with borrowed money and no subscriptions. Within a year of the Digest’s launch from their apartment in Greenwich Village, the Wallaces moved the company office to a garage in Pleasantville but quickly spread to 14 different overflowing offices throughout the village as circulation surpassed one million by 1935. In the late 1930s, they acquired 80 rolling acres of woodlands in Chappaqua to establish the headquarters’ campus but retained “Pleasantville” for its postal address as they liked the name of the town. Visible for miles around when it opened in 1939, the original three-story red-brick structure, had a white cupola featuring a carillon and four flying Pegasus sculptures, symbolizing writers’ inspiration.

Lila Wallace oversaw every aspect of the interior and exterior construction of the headquarters, which was modeled after buildings in Colonial Williamsburg, with the intention of creating a beautiful campus for their growing workforce and rapidly expanding publishing business. She felt that a positive and stimulating environment was important for employees. With her patrician style and love of culture and arts, Lila chose to display her valuable collection of Impressionist art in the headquarters’ hallways, offices, conference rooms and cafeteria.

“Lila Wallace was a huge supporter of the natural world. The property had its own apple orchard, and employees could take home as many apples as they wanted. We were also able to rent, for $10 a year, a fenced-in garden plot up at the top of the property, with free water. Many of us spent our lunch hours up there tending our gardens.” – Mara van Fleet, Former Readers Digest employee

“Rather than just surrounding themselves with all this great art in their Bedford home, High Winds, they shared it with employees by lining the halls and principal rooms on the first floor of the office building accessible to all every day,” remembers Ellis Cousens, a Bedford resident who was a Finance Director at the headquarters in the 1990s.

Former Reader’s Digest senior editor and Chappaqua resident, Suzanne Chazin, recalls, “Lila’s office had French glass doors and a Modigliani right outside. It felt amazing to work in the office that had been hers. And Dewitt’s office was the editor in chief’s office when I was there so I was in it all the time for editorial meetings. I remember the Chagall on the wall.” Chazin continues, “For the people who were there, it was daily life. Now, it seems sort of amazing but we were around this decor every day, with all this art on the walls that you could just walk up to.”

The photos were displayed on panels at the New Castle Historical Society.

Creating charming “outside rooms” with clipped hedges, neat lawns and flower beds was as important to Lila as the antiques and art collection within the buildings and as the back-cover artwork that she selected for each issue. Chappaqua author and illustrator Mara van Fleet, who joined the Reader’s Digest art department in 1999, remembers. ” Cousens adds, “During my time there, many employees maintained vegetable gardens, designated by Lila, behind the auditorium towards Cowdin Lane. She instituted early Friday closure during spring and summer with the explicit intent to give employees several hours of paid time off to tend their gardens, either at the Digest or at home.

While Reader’s Digest publications may be looked upon as a conservative repository of American values, the company had progressive employee policies, including five day work weeks and vacation days, liberal pension plans, life-insurance policies, profit-sharing plans and even a program to encourage employees to volunteer in community organizations. Although the Wallaces did not have children, they ran their internationally successful media company with a family feel that included free trips to Williamsburg, VA (which the Wallaces helped to restore) and free turkeys at Thanksgiving.

Long after they retired in 1973, employees still felt the couple’s nurturing touch. Jennifer Bancroft Payne, a Chappaqua resident, remembers how her father, Norman Bancroft, said that “he always felt like family rather than an employee” at Reader’s Digest. As van Fleet attests, “It was really one of the last old-fashioned companies where you felt you like you like working with your large extended family. Everyone walked down the halls with smiles on their faces and genuine warmth.”

Today, along Reader’s Digest Road, Chappaqua Crossing’s transformation of the former headquarters’ grounds has been stark. However, the new development’s “incomparable array of amenities designed to create a work environment that is both enjoyable and efficient” fittingly continues the Wallace’s original idea of providing many perks for employees on the campus. “Employees of the publication were treated to a large dining hall, gym facilities, a laundry room, a garage onsite for repairs, and even a small medical office where they had MKMG dermatologists come in for free skin screenings.” says van Fleet.  “There was even a subsidized company store with different vendors who came every day.”

In our age of 24/7 news and media, podcasts, Netflix and Youtube, it may be hard to imagine the expansive influence that DeWitt Wallace’s original idea of a magazine with diverse content aimed “to interest and at the same time to widen one’s outlook, to increase one’s appreciation of things and people in the world” had on our global, popular culture. Golda Meir praised Reader’s Digest as “A publication which helps its huge public understand the complex issues of our time.” Pushing for legislation and social reform, Reader’s Digest had a way of presenting complex medical issues in an understandable form and its top articles were on drinking and driving, tobacco/smoking, sex education, drugs and on taboo subjects such as sexually transmitted diseases (1930s), birth control (1960s), pornography (1970s) and AIDS (1980s).

With a worldwide readership with over a 100 million subscribers in 163 countries, 48 editions and 19 languages at its height, the Wallaces sent their optimism around the world through Reader’s Digest’s humorous articles, innovative features and inspiring stories. Chazin recalls how Reader’s Digest was content-driven when she wanted to write about Dr. Barry Marshall who had “discovered a potential cure for ulcers back when ulcers were considered incurable. He was a very controversial figure but Reader’s Digest ran the the piece. When Dr. Marshall won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2005, he thanked Reader’s Digest as being one of the very first publications to spread his ideas far and wide.”

The philanthropic programs that Wallaces started have brought benefits to our community, the nation and the world. Much of their fortune went to establishing four private foundations, which then merged into the DeWitt Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund and the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund. Early in the 2000s, the funds sold the last of their Reader’s Digest stock and merged into a single national philanthropy with a name reflecting its roots: The Wallace Foundation. With assets of about $1.5 billion in 2015, The Wallace Foundation still stays true to Lila and DeWitt Wallace’s passions for education, youth development and the arts.

Horace Greeley Sophomore Anna Zhang Builds Publishing Powerhouse

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Anna Zhang has spoken at three TEDx events, including TEDxNavesink, one of the largest TEDx conferences along the East Coast. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANNA ZHANG
Anna Zhang has spoken at three TEDx events, including TEDxNavesink, one of the largest TEDx conferences along the East Coast. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANNA ZHANG

Anna Zhang travels a lot for work. That may not seem like a big deal, but the Chappaqua resident is 15 years old.  The sophomore at Horace Greeley High School is the founding editor of Pulse Spikes, an online and quarterly print magazine covering travel, lifestyle and entertainment. She was just 13 when she launched a music blog, which she rebranded to Pulse Spikes a year later in 2015.

Anna Zhang, 15, is fluent in Chinese and volunteers every Sunday at a Chinese school as a teacher’s assistant.
Anna Zhang, 15, is fluent in Chinese and volunteers every Sunday at a Chinese school as a teacher’s assistant.
“And the magazine is made by young people for young people, meaning that many of our contributors [writers, photographers, makeup artists] are under the age of 25, which is the age of our target audience,” the young entrepreneur says with the poise of a seasoned publisher.

Anna is out to show her peers that young people are “capable of much more than what a number suggests.” With recent cover stories featuring actress Lauren Elizabeth and former “Dance Moms” star Chloe Lukasiak, she’s off to a hot start.

“She developed all her websites, designed issues, edited, managed social media. Those are only a few of the things she’s pushed herself to learn the skills to do,” Anna’s mom, Qun Zhou, wrote in an email.

But, how does a teenager start a magazine; not to mention attract celebrity interviews for each of her four issues so far? One word – Instagram.

“I became interested in photography a few years ago and the social media platform Instagram was the outlet I used to display my work,” said Anna, whose passion for music makes concert photography her favorite subject matter. “I started by posting images from my everyday life and my travels especially.”

Anna’s travels started with visiting her father in China, where he lives for work. She, her mother, and sister spend their summers there, even traveling within the country and around Asia.

“They really encouraged me to go to new places with them and to open my eyes on certain issues that I don’t see in Chappaqua or in New York,” she said, crediting her parents, who immigrated to America not knowing anyone or even much English, for her passion to exceed boundaries.

Anna Zhang (center), reviews photos with former “Dance Moms” star Chloe Lukasiak.
Anna Zhang (center), reviews photos with former “Dance Moms” star Chloe Lukasiak.

While walking through a park with her family in China one summer, Anna used her mother’s smartphone to snap a picture of a butterfly landing on a flower and post it to Instagram – her account name is @colorflame. Since capturing that small moment, Anna has grown a big following, with more than 12,000 Instagram followers.

“And the amount of time my followers took to comment on my work shocked me,” she said. “So, that helped me and pushed me to pursue the passion further.”

Anna, who spent many days during the last few years at the Chappaqua Library teaching herself photography, drew more than just comments from her growing Instagram audience. Companies reached out to her to be a “social media influencer,” meaning someone who posts social media content about a company to help it reach consumers that it otherwise may not reach in order to grow awareness.

Starting with a small bracelet company, Anna has now worked with Dunkin Donuts, Walgreens and other large companies to share photographs promoting their brand to her followers on social media. Her favorite project so far was with the tour company Walk About Venice.

“I was doing a photo campaign on Instagram where I went to Italy and shared my experiences with my audience,” she said, adding that the company flew her, her parents and family friends out for this project. “I brought my [Instagram] followers through Rome and through Florence and through Venice. It was kind of showing my point of view at each of these locations and highlighting certain things that I found interesting that I thought my audience would find interesting.”

For that project, Anna used a hashtag that connected people with Walk About Venice.

“Thanks to Anna, we were able to travel off the beaten path and get a local’s point of view,” Qun said.

Before taking on any job, Anna said she makes sure it’s something that will ring authentic to her young audience, “because I don’t want to be promoting something that is not appropriate for the age group or not coinciding with my own thoughts,” she said.

The Pulse Spikes editor, photographer and writer uses the same litmus test when selecting bands, actors or others to feature in her magazine. Lukasiak’s anti-bullying message is the reason Anna chose her as the cover story for the third issue of Pulse Spikes, released this past summer.

“These are talents that I look up to because of what they’re able to do with their influence and how they do it for social good,” Anna said.

Her contributors – writers, photographers, makeup artists – also appreciate the mission and sense of belonging it creates.

“Sometimes we, those below 25, get looked at differently or put in boxes,” said Kyle Sheehan, a makeup artist in New York. “Pulse spikes has really given young people a place to work, be creative, and have a ‘home’ in the industry.”

Anna Zhang uses a Nikon D810Zto take photos for her Instagram account, @colorflame, Pulse Spikes magazine and the forthcoming Ignite project.
Anna Zhang uses a Nikon D810Zto take photos for her Instagram account, @colorflame, Pulse Spikes magazine and the forthcoming Ignite project.

Qun said her daughter’s success has both surprised her and shown her how Anna defines success. “She doesn’t focus on gaining a profit,” she said. “She believes success is doing what she loves and helping the community.”

The latest example of that is Ignite, a social good campaign organized by Pulse Spikes and Covenant House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping homeless youth. A book featuring a compilation of short stories by young talents will be released on Thanksgiving and all profits will benefit Covenant House. In addition to Lukasiak, singer and fashion icon Alli Simpson will contribute stories to the book.

“Ignite delves into the most creative adolescent minds to talk about issue that aren’t normally covered by the general media,” said Anna, who is also curating and editing the book, as well as doing the photography. “So, topics such as self-love and breaking stereotypes to name a few.”

With all her success, Anna is still just a high school sophomore and said she hasn’t made up her mind on what she wants to do for the rest of her life. For now, she’s happy studying assistive technologies for her science research program at Horace Greeley, playing tennis and music – flute, guitar, piano and clarinet – and, of course, making every issue of Pulse Spikes bigger and better.
“Because it’s all volunteer I think people do the work for their passion rather than just getting a paycheck,” she said. “So, I think that’s what sets us apart. Everyone is passionate about their work and we’re working together to meet that one goal to create that revolutionary product.”

Brian Donnelly was born and raised in Westchester. He is a freelance reporter, videographer and social media specialist, whose hobbies include riding bicycles, waves and rooftop hammocks.

After the Party

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CREDITS: Gold dress by Pesavento Couture at Elephant’s Trunk in Mount Kisco (thank you Susan Ward, Robert and Rafael!); earrings by Jolie B. Ray at ROCKS in Armonk; at Aura Salon, kudos to Lu Camarena Meshulam for makeup and to hairdresser Dawn Hiller for the cascading curls–and to Ana for nails. Special thanks to ICD Contemporary Jewelry for a gorgeous bracelet and to March Boutique for a stunning black and gold cover up. Whispering Pines sent over a fabulous bouquet with the 10th anniversary issue of IC cleverly tucked inside the vase. Chappaqua’s Joy’s Balloons decorated the tables. Beascakes Bakery in Armonk created the “CQ,” multiple layer strawberry shortcake. Finally, The Flower Pot in Larchmont supplied the single stem roses for all. I so appreciate everyone’s TLC on this special day. Photo by Amy Kerwin
CREDITS: Gold dress by Pesavento Couture at Elephant’s Trunk in Mount Kisco (thank you Susan Ward, Robert and Rafael!); earrings by Jolie B. Ray at ROCKS in Armonk; at Aura Salon, kudos to Lu Camarena Meshulam for makeup and to hairdresser Dawn Hiller for the cascading curls–and to Ana for nails. Special thanks to ICD Contemporary Jewelry for a gorgeous bracelet and to March Boutique for a stunning black and gold cover up. Whispering Pines sent over a fabulous bouquet with the 10th anniversary issue of IC cleverly tucked inside the vase. Chappaqua’s Joy’s Balloons decorated the tables. Beascakes Bakery in Armonk created the “CQ,” multiple layer strawberry shortcake. Finally, The Flower Pot in Larchmont supplied the single stem roses for all. I so appreciate everyone’s TLC on this special day.
Photo by Amy Kerwin

Pulling together a May issue in the midst of 10th year party planning and festivities was no small feat…but of course, I’m sure glad I did. I’m thrilled to be prominently featuring one of my best friends in Chappaqua…Jodi Levine, owner of Jodi’s Gym… After 30 years of bringing gymnastics into the lives of families in the city, northern Westchester and beyond, she is a good friend to many, and beyond that, an incredible business woman and mentor. Happy Mother’s Day, Jodi!

A past IC cover girl, Chappaqua’s famous “good enough mother,” Rene Syler, is featured again…with all that she’s up to, sorry, but “good enough” just doesn’t begin to describe her!  And there’s also a spotlight on Dawn Greenberg.  If you haven’t heard about all the various initiatives Dawn seems to singlehandedly take on–including the spearheading of the October 5 Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, you’re either not on social media or you’re not shopping local nearly enough!

Toward that end, we’ve produced a first time ever  pull out “Mother’s Day Must Have/Must Do” guide highlighting our sponsors best suggestions.  Carine Feist and her son Mike went all out especially in spotlighting Mother’s Day dining delights, in words and in so many pics, so very grateful for their efforts.  We also used the guide as a vehicle to support the Neighbor’s Link Festival de Primavera on May 11.  Check its back cover for details!

Here’s hoping you find this issue filled with at least half as much love that I felt at my party at Crabtree’s Kittle House on March 14.  While I churn out these issues year after year, it can sometimes be hard to tell how Inside Chappaqua is received.  So now, well after the party, let’s just say I can happily embark on a second decade of publishing with renewed confidence that this little magazine is still appreciated, internet options and all.  Have a very happy Mother’s Day.

For highlights from IC’s 10th, click here