• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

  • Home
  • Advertise
    • Advertise in One or All of our Magazines
    • Advertising Payment Form
  • Print Subscription
  • Digital Subscription
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Login
  • Contact Us

Pace University

A Gutsy Grand Finale

December 20, 2019 by Inside Press

During a final stop on a book tour promoting “The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience” (Simon and Schuster), Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton–in a discussion moderated by Vanessa Williams–addressed everything from Donald Trump’s impeachment to the role faith plays in their lives to several of the role models their co-authored book  portrays. 

Story/Photos by Grace Bennett

Pleasantville, NY, December 18–Excitement at Pace University was palpable both inside the sprawling Goldstein Fitness sports arena and afterwards too when staff and volunteers from both Pace and the Chappaqua Library (from where the event had been moved following a weather-related cancellation to the library weeks earlier) were all smiles helping attendees, from groups of Pace University students to hundreds of Westchester residents, pick up their copies of Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton’s ‘Book of Gutsy Women.’ 

Chelsea Clinton, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Vanessa Williams

Before introducing Vanessa Williams to the stage to moderate a discussion with Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, Pace University President Marvin Krislov, noted that Pace has been co-educational since its founding 100 years ago. “We’ve educated many gutsy women of our own,” he noted, mentioning a host of Pace graduates and impressive ‘firsts’ including: Lillian F. Anstie and Charlotte Osann, among the first women to pass the CPA exam in New York;  Florentine Goodrich, appointed first treasurer of the Tennessee Valley Authority; Dr. Susan Merritt, founding dean of Pace’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems; and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins—with two degrees from Pace: the first person of color, and the first woman, to lead a legislative chamber in New York. His final mention, to much applause, was of recent Pace grad Sydney Mesher, “who was born without a left hand, and became the first-ever Radio City Rockette with a visible disability.”

Krislov then invited everyone to welcome Vanessa Williams, “a multi-platinum recording artist… a star of television, film and the Broadway stage, and a lifelong resident of Westchester County.”

Vanessa Williams described The Book of Gutsy Women as Hillary and Chelsea’s portrayal of more than 100 women (103, it was later noted) who have inspired them throughout their lives (Chelsea described the challenge for she and her mom to pare the book down from at least 200 women they had hoped to include).

“They are fascinating profiles and also a playbook for anyone looking for courage… for their own gutsy life,” said Williams. “It is full of personal reflection filled with anecdotes from a mother and a daughter from two different generations but who share a lot in common.”

She introduced Chelsea as “a champion for girls and women, advocacy, writing, and work at the Clinton Foundation, and adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.” She introduced Hillary as “the first woman in U.S. history to history to become a major party’s presidential nominee,” also outlining her key roles in public service, and her roles as “also a wife, mother and proud grandmother.”

After that, reading the audience correctly on the night of historic deliberations, Vanessa Williams launched into a question about the impending impeachment of Donald Trump.

Vanessa Williams: “…What do you think is going to happen to Donald Trump?”

Hillary Clinton: “Well, let’s just jump right in!”

Volunteers and staff at Pace University and the Barnes and Noble Bookstore on Pace’s campus
Representing the Chappaqua Library and Scattered Books of Chappaqua

But first she thanked Pace University, the Chappaqua Library, “Pam (Pamela Thornton), who keeps the Library going”,  Scattered Books, “our local store in Chappaqua,” Barnes and Noble on the Pace campus-and Vanessa Williams: “She’s local, she’s Westchester, she’s Chappaqua… but talk about a gutsy woman!…”

And then it was on to the impeachment proceedings:

Hillary said: “I have to say I thought Nancy Pelosi did a really extraordinary job… of delivering a somber, deliberative debate about whether or not the impeachment clause in our Constitution should be applied to our current president…”

She explained that “way back in 1974, she had been on the staff that investigated President Nixon, and able to watch the debate that took place in the House Judiciary Committee then. One of the members of Congress, in particular, who summed up what was at stake was Barbara Jordan, and she delivered, one of the great speeches of the last 100 years. I remember being taken and moved by the seriousness by all the members of Congress to the point when the Judiciary committee voted and Republican House members had voted for at least one of the articles of impeachment, putting country over party..”

At another juncture, Hillary added that Senator Mitch McConnell will aim for an acquittal but also noted “that many in the polls are in favor of conviction…While I don’t think that’s likely with the current state of affairs at least it shows that the American people have really understood why this is such an important moment in our history.”

Throughout the book tour for The Book of Gutsy Women, Hillary and Chelsea shared memories of the women who had the most profound impact on their lives and life choices. Chelsea referred to Geraldine (Gerry) Ferraro, and her historic nomination as a first woman vice president on a Democrat ticket, and of her mom “taking me to see her…. getting all dressed up… and what a big moment that was.”

The mother/daughter co-authors discussed the big gap in women role models between their generations with Hillary noting that she “didn’t know any women who worked outside the home except for my teachers and librarians. I was constantly looking for other ideas of what women could do.” 

She described her upbringing as a typical post World War II experience in an outside of Chicago ‘hood.  Her mother, Hillary said, was “intent on opening my eyes and expanding my horizons.”

A popular comic book character of the day had made a huge impression on Hillary: Brenda Starr was amazing… she had this flaming red hair, she was an international correspondent who fell in love with the guy with the eye patch. It was so romantic, and exotic.”

Hillary mentioned other larger than life influences, including Anne Frank, Helen Keller… “women i met in the pages of Life magazine…,” she said.  “Not many women were held up as heroic figures in elementary school… maybe Joan of Arc and Queen Elizabeth.”

In stark contrast, she added, “most of Chelsea’s friends mothers worked… an interesting distinction.”

Chelsea referred to her pediatrician, a woman, and hardly the only women in her life who were powerful figures and role models.  “It was an entirely different world for me to grow up in.” 

At one point, Hillary Clinton asked Vanessa Williams, after referring to her as a “pathfinder” and “pioneer” who her own role model was. “Who did you look up to?”

“The support of my parents for sure,” Williams said, noting her mother’s presence (Helen Williams) in the audience too. “She told me you are going to have to do better than everyone else just to be considered equal.  I knew in a white environment, I had to be excellent… as a Girl Scout, in a marching band, choir, theater… I did all those things to be a multi-talented performer to allow me the skill set to achieve things.”

Williams also mentioned ‘trailblazers’ including Lena Horne and Diahann Carroll  “who I had the luxury of working with in my lifetime” and who had “opened the door” for her.

Next it was on to a discussion of the critical influence of faith in both Hillary and Chelsea’s lives.

Hillary: “Having faith that connects me to a larger world is an instrumental part of understanding who I am. It is a source of resilience to know that you can be knocked down, but you can get back up, to know that love is the most powerful force of the universe.”

She noted being lucky that her parents “set high expectations but were there for me unconditionally” and mentioned “ a great minister” who took me to see Martin Luther King, Jr. when i was in junior high school, opening my eyes and my mind in ways that i have never imagined.” Hillary said she linked that to her faith: “how you’re supposed to be, how you’re supposed to treat other people… it became major motivator in my life.”

“A lot of the women in the book are women who have been knocked down, marginalized, who have been criticized, beaten, sometimes brutally for what they believe, terribly assaulted, left to die, exiled, or been in prison. The common characteristic they hung on to is their faith, not just in faith in themselves…”  but more, she elaborated that they “were part of something bigger and greater than themselves…  “they were part of greater sense of possibility and hopefulness.”

“It’s hard to keep going in face of all sorts of challenges unless you can dig deep down and think I really have to do this because it really will help someone else because it really will make a difference.”

Chelsea tied a die-hard optimism she said she teaches her children to her own faith and emphasized that “optimism is a moral choice: you have to make a moral choice to be optimistic… that the forces of darkness I believe are relying on us to become exhausted, less optimistic and to lose our faith.”

“That connects me more to my faith, to my journey and gets my determination going to get up every day to do whatever I can for our world and for our shared community,” Chelsea said.

Both mother and daughter weighed in on the voter registration controversy in Georgia. Chelsea offered: “Stacey Abrams has been so gutsy and extraordinary in how she dealt with her I think illegitimate defeat but also with what she is building through her organization ‘Fair Fight Action’ to help ensure that the right to vote is protected in Georgia. Look at what she is doing and learn from what she’s doing and see if you can support her in Georgia and how to expand it outward and extend it throughout the country.”

The women in the book are not all political figures, but all historical figures who have made a difference, whether social activists, writers, Olympians…or scientists.

 Vanessa Williams asked about including astronaut Sally Rider in Gutsy Women, first commenting: “She started as a tennis player… before she was an astronaut. When asked why she decide to become a scientist, she answered: ‘a bad forehand.’”

Hillary explained that Sally Rider had been one of Chelsea’s heroes growing up, and that the Clintons had sent her to Space Camp as a young girl “because she was fascinated by space and astronauts. That was poignant to me because when President Kennedy had announced the Space program, I had written to Nassau, and asked how I can get to be an astronaut, and they wrote back: ‘Sorry we are not taking girls.’”

Chelsea, for her part, said that during the first time she met Sally Rider (at Space Camp graduation!), she “was so overwhelmed that I tripped over my own feet and fell in front of her… mortified, was 12 or 13, and turned a beet red, but she could not have been nicer to me.” But most importantly, Chelsea noted Riders advocacy for young girls in science, and Rider making efforts throughout her busy career to nurture that.

In the course of a little over an hour, the discussion ran the gamut, from the Howard Stern interview, the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, and a defense of Title IX and health care. A handful of audience questions were posed including a nine year old boy’s question about their favorite baseball teams. Chelsea: The Eagles (“because marriage requires compromise”), and Hillary: the Yankees (because she’s a New Yorker now).

Grace Bennett, Publisher and Editor of the Inside Press, appreciates gutsy women, too.

 

 

Filed Under: Inside Westchester Tagged With: Book Tour, Chappaqua library, Chelsea Clinton, courage, Goldstein Fitness Arena, Gutsy, Hillary Clinton, Influence, Martin Krislov, Nancy Pelosi, Pace University, Resiliance, Role Models, Sally Rider, Stacey Abrams, The Book of Gutsy Women, Vanessa Williams, Westchester

Festivities Galore in Store at ‘Hudson Valley Fermented’

March 8, 2019 by The Inside Press

The Pleasantville Rotary Club will be holding their wildly successful charity fundraiser, Hudson Valley Fermented, again this year. This tasting event of New York craft beverages and samplings from the best Hudson Valley restaurants will take place Saturday, March 16. The Rotary Club raises funds for local and international charities; last year alone, $30,000 was raised and hopes are high to top that this year. Major beneficiaries of Hudson Valley Fermented 2019 will include Team Fox for Parkinson’s Research, Pleasantville Fund for Learning, and Break the Hold (suicide prevention and mental wellness).

Hudson Valley Fermented will be held at Pace University’s Kessel Student Center in Pleasantville. This upbeat, festive event will feature over 30 cutting-edge breweries, wineries, distilleries, cideries, as well as delicious food offerings from over a dozen of the finest restaurants from the greater Hudson Valley region. In addition, there will be live music, dancing, raffles, auctions, and more.

For more info, visit hvfermented.com

Filed Under: Happenings Tagged With: beer, Event, Hudson Valley, Hudson Valley Fermented, Pace University, Pleasantville Rotary Club

Feeding Westchester Celebrates 30th Anniversary

December 2, 2018 by Stacey Pfeffer

& Launches Mobile Food Pantry in Partnership with Pace University This Fall

It’s been a busy fall for Elmsford-based nonprofit Feeding Westchester (formerly known as the Food Bank for Westchester). The non-profit just celebrated 30 years with their fundraiser “An Evening in Good Taste” this past October. The event featured cocktails and cuisine from more than 30 Westchester-based chefs including local favorite Beau Widener, the Executive Chef at Crabtree’s Kittle House Restaurant & Inn.

Beau Widener Executive Chef at Crabtree Kittle House Restaurant and Inn and staff delight fundraiser attendees with their delicacies at “An Evening In Good Taste” Photo by Stacey Pfeffer

This fall also saw the introduction of a new Mobile Food Pantry in partnership with Pace University. Pace President Marvin Krislov attended the first mobile food pantry event on September 27 and spoke with student volunteers who participated by passing out produce to students and local residents.

Noelani Rivera, a first-year student at Pace said, “It was a really great experience to be able to help others, especially people so closely tied to our community.”

Tyler Kalahar, program coordinator at Pace’s Center for Community Action and Research in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, said the new mobile food pantry was in keeping with Pace University ‘s position as a leader in economic mobility in higher education. “Addressing hunger with the mobile food pantry program is simply another way to give students, particularly our first generation and students from low-income families, the resources they need to succeed in college,” Kalaher explained.

The mobile pantry visited the Pace campus on Halloween and November 27th. The next visit is scheduled for December 13th from 12:30-2:30 p.m. The program hopes to provide nourishing, stigma-free food in a location that is accessible to both students and the wider Westchester community.

The mobile food pantry is located at Pace University, 861 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, entrance 3, North Hall parking lot.

(L-R): Cornell Craig (Assistant Dean and Director, Multicultural Affairs and Diversity Programs at Pace), Zikomo Barr (Coordinator, Leadership Programs at Pace), Olivia Wint (Pace student volunteer), Natalie Holguin (Pace student volunteer), Marvin Krislov (Pace President), Tyler Kalahar (Program Coordinator, Center for Community Action and Research at Pace), Nicole Dobson (Feeding Westchester), Noelani Rivera (Pace student volunteer)
PHOTO COURTESY OF FEEDING WESTCHESTER

The Power of Feeding Westchester

1 in 5 Westchester residents do not know where their next meal is from.

Feeding Westchester provided:

  • 8.4 million lbs of food = 7 million meals
  • 2.2 million lbs of food provided to nearly 200,000 people through mobile food programs
  • Distributed over 432,000 lbs of food to over 3,000 seniors through their Senior Grocery Program
  • Grew local produce at 13 farm sites through their Food Growing Program
  • Partnered with more than 290 agencies across Westchester to feed the hungry

Source: Feeding Westchester 2017 Annual Report

Filed Under: Armonk Cover Stories Tagged With: community, Feeding Westchester, Food, Food Bank, fundraiser, help, hungry, Mobile Food Pantry, Pace University

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • $86K State Grant Awarded to 2023 Phoenix Festival Signals Growing Focus on Tourism
  • Scarsdale Music Festival Gearing Up for a June 3rd Event: Sponsorships, Performers and Vendors Sought
  • Governor Hochul Urges: SHOP SMALL to Help Small Businesses Which Make Up 98% of New York State’s Economy
  • Chappaqua’s Always Magical HOLIDAY STROLL on December 3rd: Ice Sculpting, Tree Lighting, Horace Greeley Encords… and More!
  • Harvest Moon Farm Presents a Longer, More Spectacular LUMAGICA Holiday Light Experience this year
  • Send Me A Sign

Please Visit

White Plains Hospital
Boys & Girls Club
Compass: Goldman and Herman
Compass: Generic
Desires by Mikolay
William Raveis – Chappaqua
William Raveis – Armonk
Dodd’s Wine Shop
Houlihan Lawrence – Armonk
Houlihan Lawrence – Chappaqua
Lumagica Enchanged Forest
Compass: Miller-Goldenberg Team
Compass: Natalia Wixom
Eye Designs of Armonk
Stacee Massoni
Club Fit
Beecher Flooks Funeral Home
Houlihan Lawrence: Harriet Libov
Play Nice Together
Compass: Aurora Banaszek
World Cup Gymnastics
Dr. Briones Medical Weight Loss Center
Amy Singer – Houlihan Lawrence
First Congregational Church
Breathe Pilates and Yoga

Follow our Social Media

The Inside Press

Our Latest Issues

For a full reading of our current edition, or to obtain a copy or subscription, please contact us.

Inside Chappaqua Inside Armonk Inside Pleasantville

Join Our Mailing List


Search Inside Press

Links

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Subscription
  • Print Subscription

Footer

Support The Inside Press

Advertising

Print Subscription

Digital Subscription

Categories

Archives

Subscribe

Did you know you can subscribe anytime to our print editions?

Voluntary subscriptions are most welcome, if you've moved outside the area, or a subscription is a great present idea for an elderly parent, for a neighbor who is moving or for your graduating high school student or any college student who may enjoy keeping up with hometown stories.

Subscribe Today

Copyright © 2023 The Inside Press, Inc. · Log in