The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Publisher

Moms of the World

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A ‘selfie’ before the Chappaqua Library author talk. I was ‘hair ready’ too thanks to Carolyn Vento and Miranda at the King Street Salon!

A picture of strollers left on the Poland/Ukraine border to greet the massive influx of refugees pulled heartstrings internationally. So many good moms of the world, parents & non-parents alike, are reeling from what has befallen Ukraine especially knowing that children have been killed and in harm’s way. One child victim is one too many. As I wrote this column while closing editions on March 19th, I hoped by the time you read this, a peace, however imperfect, would have arrived. But here in my update, I’m sad to state this brutal war goes on. However, no surprise to me, local moms and non-moms alike are stepping up to do what they can.

I was especially grateful to hear about an effort by two area humanitarians–Ivana Denniston (an aesthetician formerly of the Chappaqua Wellness Center) and Kristen Salomon–who were with an on the ground team working furiously at press time to help Ukrainian refugees into Slovakia. I shared their efforts online in case you missed it.

Meanwhile, strolling along Armonk’s Main Street one day, I came upon two young ladies, both freshmen at Byram Hills High School, selling baked goods on behalf of the Ukranian Crisis Mission Relief. Adrianna Zawojek had asked her friend Ariana Foreman to join her in baking some 200 items to sell. Adult friends also dropped off coffee & cake to their table. They raised close to $3000!!!, including what was donated to their Venmo, @helpingukraine914

The girls offered this statement: “When you have no political power (for example, high school freshmen), and the world is in dire need, you often feel helpless. You think, ‘Oh, I’m not a politician, I’m not a huge business owner, what influence can I have to make this better?’ It is humanity’s obligation to help each other when the time calls for it. When we heard the appalling & terrible news of what was happening in Ukraine, we knew that we had to do something!”

‘Mom’s World’ happened to be a theme developed months ago before this war began. Of all the issues published each year in the last 19 years, preparing Mother’s Day editions is always my favorite. After all, nothing has brought me more joy in my own life than being a mom, even with its challenges sometimes. I loved gathering the heartfelt essays and stories you’ll find in the current editions and here online from talented contributors who I count as dear friends now too.

For our Mother’s Day coverage, I was thrilled to include a touching cover love story about two Chappaqua Rotary Citizens of the Year, the indomitable Frank and Suzanne Shiner! Plus, please check out our more up close and personal interview with New Castle’s dynamic new Town Supervisor Lisa Katz. Please also don’t miss the spotlight on the Chappaqua School Foundation and consider supporting their efforts for innovation in education at the upcoming Tacos & Tequila night on April 29! It’s sounding like a rollicking great time is in store. In Armonk, we were struck by the enthusiastic response to the Armonk Fire Department’s CPR education offered free to local residents, thanks to the department’s awesome Julie Gallagher, assisted by Rich Greenwald. We were also delighted to learn about the return of the Fol-de-Rol!

A side note: while producing these editions, I thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from my interview with author Dorothy Wickenden during a Chappaqua Library Author Talk: Dorothy Wickenden Sheds Light on the Strength & Perseverance of Three Women Who Fought for Abolition & Women’s Rights (theinsidepress.com)  For  the next edition, I’m looking forward to sharing future events the library has planned to celebrate 100 years of serving the New Castle community; indeed, we plan to explore the future of libraries in general!

All three editions offer a substantial nod to the considerable gardening and beautification efforts around town–a maternal endeavor if ever there was one considering the many moms involved. Their efforts are spotlighted in each edition, and the upcoming Mother’s Day Plant Sales, but we also ‘packaged’ them altogether for a special Mother’s Day floral celebration of sorts in Inside Pleasantville & Briarcliff Manor. In that edition, you’ll also find info about the upcoming Pleasantville Day, an animated conversation with two key community leaders about all things spring and summer in Briarcliff Manor, plus a colorful ‘mom profile,’ Stacey Winnick, a compassionate local volunteer and businesswoman.

We have additional articles for your reading pleasure as always. We have also been actively promoting the idea of subscriptions in print and/or online if you’d like to support our efforts! Finally, the balmy weather arrived early, so we spotlight three fabulous locales for spring strolling on Mother’s Day, or any day! Enjoy!

 

Publisher Pride

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We are officially in our 17th year, and I couldn’t be prouder of this company launched in 2003, and especially of our team whose mission is to create features which shine a light on all the wonderful, big hearted people living here and all the fun and vital happenings in this area–and also to give our sponsors an effective place to share their news too! We have two terrific new additions to our team: Robin Chwatko, as advertising manager, and Sherry Topel, who is managing accounts, too.

If we missed your story or sponsorship ‘in print,’ remember to contact me about our online edition, insidepress.com, for possible publication and/or advertising options, too. In the meantime, I invite you to enjoy just one of 11 springtime ‘Inside Press’ editions–Inside Chappaqua & Millwood, Inside Armonk and the new Inside Briarcliff/Ossining/Pleasantville Magazine (which we are calling ‘BOP’ Magazine) that we produce. We love sharing the joys of your hometown and supporting local efforts to protect our precious environments. I love hearing from readers, too. Drop me a note anytime: grace@insidepress.com

Enjoy!

Enjoy Our Debut Edition

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Grace’s cut and blow dry by Lisa Koebbe Bevan, owner and Master colorist at BELIEVE Beauty Lounge, a full service salon on 95 Manville Road in Pleasantville, believebeautysalon.com Makeup (and photo!) by Kara Delfino, karadelfino.com.

Please know that a lot of heart and soul went into producing this first issue of Inside Pleasantville! If you have lived in the area long enough, many of you may already have seen an Inside Press publication in a neighbor’s home, or perhaps at a real estate office–where the magazines make a giant impression (I’m told!) with area visitors considering a move here.

I’ve been publishing for 16 years after launching the first edition of Inside Chappaqua, The Magazine for New Castle and Beyond in April 2003. Five years ago, following that success, I decided to get two Castle pubs underway and produced our first Inside Armonk. And now here we are delighted to be covering your vibrant Mount Pleasant communities too with this first edition of an Inside Pleasantville!

I’m always grateful to my Inside Press team, including Caroline Rosengarden who lives ‘Inside Pleasantville’ with her beautiful family. She is positively a most enthusiastic proponent for the community.

Also, enjoy the work here by Lisa Samkoff, our consummate professional designer who brings a special flair to every page. Wonderful Stacey Pfeffer edits our Chappaqua and Armonk editions from which you may see some relevant articles appearing here too. First and foremost, as a publisher, I understand no community’s residents live in a bubble, so I do share from other communities, and will continue to as much as I can.

I also so appreciate Ryan Smith and Rick Waters, who designed and maintain our site theinsidepress.com. You can find all the stories here online too, a downloadable edition, along with other ‘in between postings,’ all as much as time and energy permit! Behind the scenes, we have Analia Boltuch, our invaluable account manager, and always a rotating group of talented ‘regular’ freelance writers and photographers. This issue’s cover work plus the photos for the Pleasantville Music Festival, for example, are from Pleasantville’s very own Lynda Shenkman, who shot many of my first Inside editions too.

Ultimately, this pub comes to you after 22 years of happy Westchester living, having raised two terrific children: my daughter, Anna, 26, and son Ari, 22, both living in the city. I also visit my dad a lot in Yonkers. He’s going on 97 and still in good health at a senior residence. Being empty nest, and having this amazing Inside Press team in place, I’m expanding our publishing efforts.

Chappaqua’s also is just a hop, skip and jump to Pleasantville. In fact, when I think of ‘fun times’ in Westchester, Pleasantville elicits those feelings enormously, whether it’s at gorgeous Rockefeller Preserve, or enjoying countless movies at the incomparable Jacob Burns Film Center, or even acting classes I discovered with Rachel Jones at the Howard Meyer Acting Studio/Axial Theater! In the meantime I can live vicariously enjoying others performing in stellar shows such as those at Arc Stages, or setting aside a day to dance or sing along with the mega talented musicians at the Pleasantville Music Festival.

All these places and institutions and more – don’t miss a terrific story on Cycle for Survival! – are covered in this debut edition, which I hope you will treasure and keep as a collector’s item. We will be ‘back again’ with a back to school September/October 2019 edition arriving in your home by late August too. Remember, you can read us online too at theinsidepress.com and follow our assorted musings primarily on Facebook and Instagram.

I am aiming for at least four editions in 2020, so stay tuned for more fun and meaningful coverage in which we will keep on ‘Sharing the Heart of Your Community.” And I’d be remiss if I didn’t also communicate a resounding THANK YOU to all the generous sponsors and contributors who made this edition and future ones possible. ENJOY!


Grace Bennett
Inside Press Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

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.

Goodness Grace-ious – A Tenth Year Anniversary Tribute

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graceatdesk
‘Grace’

You know her magazine, Inside Chappaqua (IC).  You’ve probably seen her around town, picking up coffee, having lunch with a friend, or visiting her sponsors with “hot off the press” editions of IC. But who really “is” Grace Bennett?

“Well, I’m really kind of a ham and I like to make people laugh,” Grace smiled. She’s not just talking about friendly conversation, either; Grace studied acting in her 20s (“You know, in the 1990s?” she quipped)  at Manhattan’s Lee Strasberg School and has studied locally with Rachel Jones of the Howard Meyer Acting Program. At one point, she appeared as the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz by Music in Chappaqua and the Saw Mill Summer Theater Group. She enjoys free nights out supporting local arts and musicians and finds karaoke “a great outlet” too.

With the demands of her company, “The Inside Press, Inc.,” ever present, Grace said she has placed any theatrical yearnings on perhaps a permanent hold. Yet, during publication crunch time, her “on with the show” drive is still evident. Just as at any major publishing house in NYC or elsewhere, everyone works nonstop during the two weeks before an issue goes to press. But Grace runs the operation as a “single mom shop,” juggling the publication of IC with raising two children: Anna, now a college junior, and Ari, a Greeley junior, sharing custody with her ex-husband, Neil. “My rule has always been that pre press, I only stop to feed the kids,” she laughed.

Her office is a sunny den off of the living room–a study of organized disorganization. “I produce the magazine out of my home, a perfectly comfortable condo at Old Farm Lake right here in town, a great modern day arrangement,” Grace noted. While her doors may not be technically “open” to the public, Grace is an exceptionally accessible and approachable publisher.

For and by the Community

Contrary to what some might think, publishing IC is a full-time job and how Grace earns a living too. “The magazine is quite solvent, thank you very much,” said Grace, who relies on a small part-time staff and freelance contributors to get each issue to print.

For the magazine’s first four years, Grace built up the house accounts together with Sales Associate Giselle St. Vincent, a former accountant and also a Chappaqua mom. Lisa Salerno, a graphic designer in Croton-on-the-Hudson, created many of the first ads and prepared the magazine’s pages. Over the years, other sales representatives also helped filled the advertising space, the backbone of any publication.

In more recent years, Grace, together with the assistance of a “wonderful, right hand” part time associate editor Carine Feist, tracks the accounts from issue to issue. Dina Spalvieri, of Kent, CT, is her current designer, and Annette van Ommeren, is in charge of web maintenance and design.

“The magazine was lucky to have built an early strong base of a variety of house accounts,” said Grace. She and Carine do seek out new advertisers, and word of mouth helps too. Readers, she told me, love to see their favorite merchants represented in the magazine. In the meantime, contributors to the magazine seem to universally love their association with Grace.

“First as a writer, and then as Grace’s associate for the past four years, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with her every day,” said Carine, whose husband Arnie and son Mike too have pitched in with everything from tech support to picture taking and additional editing.  “She is incredibly bright, witty, caring, generous, always has a smile, and she routinely gives a big thank you to all those who work with her. In addition to being the very best boss and colleague one could ever imagine, she is a true friend.”

Dina Spalvieri weighed in equally effusively: “We have developed not only a great business relationship, but a friendship as well. I call her ChappaQueen or CQ!”

“I am so proud and fortunate to be working with her and have a blast doing it,” continued Dina. “The work is very intense at times, but we always manage to find time to have some fun and a few laughs.”

“I’ve worked with Grace for almost five years and have found her to be a unique combination of real person and genuine professional,” said frequent contributor Vicki de Vries.  “She has strong opinions and welcomes yours. There’s always a wonderful give-and-take with Grace.”

Longtime IC editor/writer Debra Hand, who met Grace on the “mom circuit” a decade ago, recalled that “Grace roped me in as a contributor from that very first issue.  She had a phenomenal vision–and I respect the gumption it took to singlehandedly create a town publication and fill a void,” she added.

IC reader Karla Shepard Rubinger graciously provided feedback too.  “Inside Chappaqua has helped build community,” she said. “It helps us connect to the wonderful pieces of Chappaqua we might not otherwise see. It covers the famous and the everyday; the worldwide and the local; the young and the old, things to think about and things to do.”

Generous Merchant Support

Her clients are quick to spot the publisher’s strengths. The real estate community, in particular, has been steadfast in their support: “Grace Bennett: clever, smart, sassy, soulful, warm, go-getter,” stated Sena Baron of William Raveis Real Estate.

“With the broad access to information and media today, Inside Chappaqua brings relevant news to our local community in a unique way,” related Barry Graziano, Brokerage Manager at Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate. “Grace Bennett has been an integral part in creating this voice, as it speaks directly to the needs, passions, and interests of everyone throughout the area.”

“In a very positive way, Grace revived the community,” stated Varda Singer, owner of ICD Contemporary Jewelry. “She reconnected the town, neighbors, businesses and community. Most people here are isolated even in this new era of gadgets and the Internet. People get off and on the train and go to their homes. We are all fortunate that she created Inside Chappaqua. Hope she continues for many more years.”

Survivor Instincts

Perhaps some of that drive and gumption is the result of being the child of Holocaust survivors. “Children born to traumatized survivors develop a unique perspective,” said Grace. “It instilled a work ethic and the concept that as a person you have a legacy to uphold,” she continued, “so I became a survivor by default.”

Grace’s parents met in Israel after World War II and emigrated to the U.S. in 1957.  Grace was born in Detroit, Michigan, but the family soon settled in Washington Heights, New York City, a high crime precinct. “Washington Heights was a challenging place to grow up in the ‘60s and ‘70s,” she related, which perhaps also added to her mettle.

Though she may have “made it” in a life odyssey from Washington Heights to Chappaqua, Grace’s roots propelled her to become a good friend to the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center in White Plains. “They actually discovered me,” she said. “Longtime Chappaqua resident Richard Laster encouraged me to get involved.” At first, Grace was on the advisory board, but for the last two years has served on the Board of Directors.

Board Chairperson David Alpert sings her praises. “Grace is fantastic; she has helped us by informing the public about our needs and gets excited about helping, too, on top of putting out a high quality publication. I don’t know when she sleeps,” he wondered.

Being a Chappaqua mom herself keeps her “in the know” and naturally supportive of school district and community charitable organizations. Her generosity and good citizen stance has her regularly assigning articles about virtually every public service organization in the area, including “save the dates” on her covers, or acting as a sponsor for benefits, including ones this year for the Chappaqua School Foundation and for Evan’s Team.  During Sandy, Grace’s social media updates via her early contact with Town Hall were highly valued as was an “emergency gift” to the Food Bank of Westchester.

Grace explained she gets things done by making quick decisions. She trusts her instincts.“I can ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ a story in five seconds, but I like to say yes more than I say no,” she said. Despite her drive, Grace admitted to being sensitive and vulnerable at times. “I’ve developed a somewhat thicker skin, but I still have that need and want for people to like me. I realize, however, that not everyone will. That’s part of what goes with being publisher,” she added.

A Surprised Entrepreneur

Grace never imagined herself as a self-employed businesswoman. She attended the Bronx High School of Science and Boston University and later the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. This led her to work at newspapers and magazines, most notably Woman’s Day, McCalls and Sesame Parents. She recalled that her loftiest goal had been to get as far up the masthead as possible. Momhood took her off the track.

In 2002, with her family needing a solid second income, Grace embarked on a serious New York City job hunt, but found she “wasn’t happy about taking on a full-time job again in New York City publishing.” She explored other options including a career transition to law or teaching. While teaching reading to kindergartners at the Westorchard Elementary School, she missed journalism and the idea of being her own boss started brewing.

For advice and support, she tapped local successful businesswomen, including buddy Jodi Levine, owner of Jodi’s Gym, who encouraged her from the start.

“Grace and I go back quite some time. I knew she had the journalism expertise, the energy, the work ethic and the many talents it would take to launch what has become such a jewel for Chappaqua residents.”

Jodi stated that on many long walks together, Grace talked about her ideas for IC, but also expressed some fears about such an ambitious undertaking. “I let her know how fun and exciting it would be to have a business to call her own. I am very proud of her and have been a supporter of her from the very first issue….In fact, Jodi’s Gym has not missed one issue in ten years!”

Co-Communications owner Stacey Cohen was impressed with her passion, knowledge and drive.  “I recall when Grace came to my office 10 years ago to discuss the launch of Inside Chappaqua.  We discussed publishing, the local media environment, the virtues of business ownership and more,” Stacey recollected.  “I knew that Grace had the “it” factor starting a new business requires.”

Highs and Lows

Not that there haven’t been challenges along the way. First there was her mom’s passing. After that, separation and divorce… And then the economic recession hit just as Grace was launching her next big idea–Single and Smart, a magazine positioning itself to be a source of advice and tips for singles in Westchester. The economy bottomed out just as the first edition went to press, but she still got it off the ground.  It was a sobering experience to say the least. “My June ’10 issue took a big financial hit too and I concluded I really am not Superwoman or Rupert Murdoch,” she noted, vowing that it wouldn’t happen again. She jumped ship but also quickly integrated Single and Smart as a regular, rotating department in the magazine and on insidechappaqua.com.

Fortunately, there have been many more “highs,” culminating in an extraordinary trip last summer. Back in 2006, Grace sat down in Lange’s Deli to interview then-Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton before Clinton marched in the town Memorial Day parade, a tradition for Clinton since she arrived in Chappaqua. “Little did I know that six years later this interaction would lay the groundwork of establishing all important trust,” said Grace.

In May 2012, Grace again ran into then-Secretary of State Clinton before the Memorial Day parade and, with her usual gumption, asked for another interview. When Clinton regretfully told Grace that her travel schedule left her with little time for a local interview, Grace joked, “then you’ll just have to take me with you.”  Incredibly, before she knew it, Grace was added to Clinton’s press corps and on a plane heading to Africa and Turkey to share news of the historic trip with the Secretary’s hometown readers.

Grace laughed when asked about her relationship with Clinton. While she would love to be “best friends,” Clinton already has a tight circle that surrounds her. I do like to think we  have a professional relationship.” And she holds out hope that one day she can also have former President Bill Clinton on IC’s cover.

Loyal IC readers might enjoy meeting  Grace (that is, if you haven’t yet), at the Chappaqua Library in June. She is scheduled to talk about last summer’s travels with Hillary Clinton on June 12 at 7 p.m. “I’ll be open to any and all questions both about that and about the magazine in general.” Stay tuned for a reminder in the May
and/or June issue.

Onward: A 21st Century Publication

Grace does not only champion human rights around the globe; friends and associates say she is a champion for her peers as well. She is supportive of her contributors, and wants to see them succeed “whether they are contributing to IC as a springboard for other opportunities or enjoying a regular gig.”

Grace has also reached across generations, inviting local “cub reporters” to take the reins of IC’s September/October 2011 issue. HGHS junior Lindsay Hand, a frequent IC contributor who served as Guest Editor-in-Chief (and writer) of that issue, said that she and her fellow Class of 2014 staffers were incredibly grateful for the invaluable experience that Grace provided. “The community was so supportive of that student-driven issue that Grace has generously asked us to produce a second issue this fall as we enter our last year at Greeley,” she said.

Grace said she also experiences joy when her sponsors prosper. And they, in turn, have enjoyed supporting her–from the very first issue. Grace recalled too that Bill Holmes, at the time head of Prudential Holmes and Kennedy, provided business advice that included a “good number” for a mailing and the tip to add a “value” to the cover of the magazine even if it was being mailed free.  Today, Bill’s son, now Douglas Elliman Real Estate broker Ted Holmes, noted that “It’s good to see the magazine thrive in an age when technology is threatening print. Its coverage is relevant and a good resource for the community.”

Grace continues to move forward, in print and online. Last year, she increased her mailing from 6,000 to 10,000 area residences, so IC now reaches many more residents in Armonk and Briarcliff Manor too. Very involved with social media, Grace is delighted that IC has some 1700 “Likes” on Facebook which she links to her Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.

While the magazine continues to be mailed free of charge to residents, print subscriptions are always welcome. And readers do send in their dollars from time to time, either voluntarily to support a print publication or as a gift. “I gave my parents a subscription so they could keep up with what the town and their grandchildren were up to–they love reading it!” said Lisa Jacobson of Chappaqua.

Longtime “Rick’s Last Licks” humor contributor Rick Reynolds perhaps summed it up best: “Somehow, through all the uncertainty of life, politics and publishing, Grace has landed on her feet; a testament to her determination, her loyal business patrons, and her readership.”

Jean Sheff is an editor, writer, and long time contributor and huge fan of Inside Chappaqua.