December 20, 2013 Briar Crier

BRIARCRIER

 Dec. 20, 2013, Friday, 12:15, The Briar's Restaurant, Briarcliff Manor Rotary Club.

                                                                                                                                     

 TODAY IN HISTORY

1799: Former President George Washington eulogized by Col. Henry Lee as first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.

MEETING LEADER: President Anne Cargill

PLEDGE: Anne Cargill      SONG: Sy Yuter      PRAYER: Paul Rosen

HAPPY THOUGHTS:  Paul, gave dictionaries to third graders and they put their names in them and were very happy to get them; Anne, fell again but will have left shoulder fixed, next week meeting to be led by Eric; Ken for granddaughter spending time with him; Sean wished all a happy holiday. Other happy thoughts but not correctly recorded.

ROTARIANS PRESENT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: 18 Rotarians present. Rachel, Francis Chu is  back in Phelps hospital and keys to her house are with Sy; Rachel, need canned food for Food Pantry; Eric for Ernie, grapefruits are sweet and delicious and cartons at Recreation Building lower level, and each member responsible for at least five cartons. Zen had to return paintings lent for art auction. Our own art auction scheduled for March 14 and, hopefully, paintings will be back. Kristen Holmes Linder may offer her fruit oil paintings at auction.

GUEST: Christine Cosentino, niece of Etrusca. 

SPEAKER AND SUBJECT: Kristen Holmes Linder on her Jacobi Project.

SUMMARY OF TALK

Kristen Holmes Linder is a  Briarcliff artist and the granddaughter of a  Briarcliff Mayor, Harold Holmes.  She grew up in the Chilmark section and so went to Ossining schools. She is a graduate of Hampshire college and spent time at Columbia Teachers College before she decided to be an artist and not a teacher. She was able to help deprived children at Jacobi, some with HIV, via painting walls with murals.  She showed many slides of the children being helped, many with an increase in self esteem. Painting is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. She is an artist who has painted many fruit oils, some of which were shown on slides together with her other paintings.

This Friday Dec. 27:  Supt. Ed Torhan on Briarcliff Public Works.

Elinor Yuter, Reporter

Rachel Leihbacher, Expedite

Dec. 13, 2014 Briar Crier

BRIARCRIER

 Dec. 13, 2013, Friday, 12:15, The Briar's Restaurant, Briarcliff Manor Rotary Club.

                                                                            TODAY IN HISTORY

1769: Dartmouth College in New Hampshire receives its charter.

MEETING LEADER: President Anne Cargill

PLEDGE: Anne Cargill      SONG: Sy Yuter      PRAYER: Rev. George Higgins

HAPPY THOUGHTS: Anne, we made $1600 on auction; Mark, sorry for repeated emails. Other happy thoughts but not correctly recorded.

ROTARIANS PRESENT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: 16 Rotarians present. Ernie, grapefruits in Monday at Recreation Building lower level, and each member responsible for at least five cartons.

GUESTS: Rev. George Higgins, Rachel's dad; Karen Smith, co-president of Briarcliff-Scarborough Historical Society. 

SPEAKER AND SUBJECT: William Sharman on Old Briarcliff.

SUMMARY OF TALK

Bill Sharman came to Briarcliff when he was four and here another 83 years. He is the oldest living resident of Briarcliff Manor. He is an architect and graduate 1950 of Cornell University, School of Architecture. Bill remembered his memories and antics as a youngster living in Briarcliff, walking or bicycling to many places. He sewed buttons on laundered jackets by the Briarcliff Laundry. The history of Briarcliff Manor is given in Mary Cheever's book, which is available for sale by The Historical Society. The area was first known as Whitson's Corners. Walter Law, the founder of Briarcliff Manor in 1902 with only a small number of residents, did not like street names. So the only street in Briarcliff is Stratfort Street near Macy Road. In early years there was only one traffic light in the village, near the Sleepy Hollow Country Club. Also, Briarcliff was a speed trap, especially on Route 9A. There were three other ways to get to the village: by North State Road, Route 9 (the Albany Post Road) and via the railroad. The Fire Department was started before the village and was always voluntary. He mentioned the old timers, Police Chief Arthur Johnson, Village Inspector Max Vogel and some of the old Fire Department chiefs. The Ambulance Corps was and still is part of the Fire Department. He went to elementary and high school where Atria is today. He remembers attending dancing class in sixth grade. There were sports for boys and girls. He played in the orchestra. During World War II most Briarcliff men served in the army. Some things never change, like the Memorial Day parade. He remembers skating on the village pond (then much larger than the pond at Law Park). There was also a skating pond on the golf course. There were apple orchards, and on Long Hill Road a pump for fresh water. The village pool was the first municipal pool in the county. The tennis courts are still there. He remembers playing ball on donkeys.

This Friday,  Kristen Linder on Art

Elinor Yuter, Reporter

Rachel Leihbacher, Expediter

Dec. 6, 2013 Briar Crier

BRIARCRIER

 Dec. 6, Friday, 12:15, The Briar's Restaurant, Briarcliff Manor Rotary Club.

                                                                            TODAY IN HISTORY

1790: Congress moved to Philadelphia from New York City.

MEETING LEADER: President Anne Cargill

PLEDGE: Anne Cargill      SONG: Sy Yuter      PRAYER: Paul Rosen

HAPPY THOUGHTS: Sy, sent to Brian Lehrer talk show a summary of his distant cousin, Dr. Percy Yutar of South Africa, who was the state's prosecutor of Nelson Mandela and who said he saved Mandela's life by charging him only with the life-conviction of sabotage rather than the hanging-conviction of treason; Eric, that Mike Risko donated the mike and amplifier for use at the Saturday Auction at Briarcliff Library.  Other happy thoughts but not correctly recorded.

ROTARIAN PRESENT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: 22 Rotarians present. Ernie, grapefruits will be in and each member responsible for at least five cartons.

GUESTS: None.

SPEAKER AND SUBJECT: Patrick Raftery on Westchester Cemeteries.

                                                                             SUMMARY OF TALK

Patrick is the historian for the Westchester County Historical Society. The earliest cemetery in Westchester was  created in the 1600s when there were few residents of county. Early on, mostly with morbid thoughts and represented by embedded rocks. Fire and brimstone were reminders of mortality. Later on, positive ideas of going to heaven became popular. An early burial site was St. Paul's Church in now Sleepy Hollow, where the Dutch settled. Then the cemetery at St. Peter's Church in Mount Vernon. Tombstones were carved in sand stone which deteriorated with rain. Today, granite is more popular. Headstones and footstones gave dates of  birth and death. Sometimes the time of death was reported. Words were not always spelled correctly. Family cemetery plots were popular but families moved away and no one took care of the grave sites. Children's tombstones of all religions tend to show lambs and angels. There is a small Jewish cemetery in Mount Vernon. Candelabra's were carved into the stones. The Frenchman known locally as "The Leatherman" was buried in the Sparta Cemetery in Ossining. In Ferncliff is Judy Garland, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Gravesite genealogy is popular with many looking for birth and death dates. The deceased from the Ossining Prison were buried nearby if the relatives did not pick up their bodies. The gravesite was later moved and only shoes remained.

This Friday,  Bill Sharman on Old Briarcliff.

Elinor Yuter, Reporter

Rachel Leihbacher, Expediter

Briarcliff Rotary's Art Auction: Get Something Special For That Someone Special!

The Briarcliff Rotary has organized the answer for you: An Art Auction this Saturday, December 7 at 7 p.m., at the Briarcliff Library!  The Auction will offer a variety of gift opportunities: Artwork by prominent artists for art lovers.  Sport and music memorabilia for sports fans and music lovers.  And there will be a silent auction for unique items donated by Rotarians and well-wishers.  Marlin Art, nationally renowned auctioneers who will be conducting the auction, has exclusive relationships with many prominent artists including Fazzino, Borelli, Neiman, Lui, and Holland.  In addition to these, Marlin may bring for this auction selections from its collection such as Agam, Chagall, Delacroix, Tarkay, Rockwell, Boulanger, Moses, and other well-known artists.    See the announcement in Briarcliff-Patch HERE.