Monthly Archives November 2016

Meet Josh Carlson

Meet Josh Carlson

As the new manager of Youth Services, Josh Carlson wants a “Fandemic” to spread through White Plains. In his former position as Youth Services director at the Utica Public Library, the SUNY Geneseo (BA, cum laude, in history) and SUNY Albany (MS in information science) alumnus created Fandemicon, which he described on the website as “a family friendly celebration of all things fandom–from comics and superheroes, to games and gaming, to anime and manga and cosplay, and everything else fanboys and fangirls enjoy. “I was inspired by Comic Con becoming a phenomenon in large cities. At the Utica Library, there was ‘down time' for
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November 29, 2016 10:44 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Library News.

People & Stories Oral History Project: Jack Harrington

People & Stories Oral History Project: Jack Harrington

Jack Harrington arrived in White Plains in June 1951. He moved here on assignment from the insurance company he worked for. During his long residency in White Plains, Jack has done a tremendous amount for the preservation of historical resources and the conservation of green spaces. Barbara and Rod Carlson, two active members of the White Plains Historical Society and knowledgeable students of local history, conducted these oral histories over a period of months. The creation of the Greenway, the politics of urban renewal, the character of White Plains, and the importance of historical preservation are some of the topics
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November 29, 2016 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History and Oral History.
Tags: conservation, good counsel, greenway, jack harrington, local-history, oral history, People & Stories, preservation, purdy house, Urban Renewal, white plains historical society, and white plains history.

Local History: Contentious Politics

Local History: Contentious Politics

Political battles are a near-ubiquitous part of our history. White Plains was the site of numerous political dramas in the late 19th- and early 20th-century. As the seat of the county and the home of many individuals who fancied themselves powerful and important, what happened in White Plains was news throughout the state. Rather than have you read two blog posts, I will direct you to a highly informative article written by local history expert Cliff Blau. The political cartoons in his article are by John Rosch, and can be seen in Rosch's scrapbooks or in Historic White Plains. The picture
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November 26, 2016 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: democrats, elections, historic newspapers, hopkins, hopper, John Rosch, local-history, moran, politics, republicans, scrapbooks, village board of trustees, village president, white plains argus, white plains daily argus, and white plains history.

Local History: 1960 Thanksgiving Day Parade

Local History: 1960 Thanksgiving Day Parade

Here are some pictures of a Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25, 1960 in White Plains. The parade route ran along Main Street, Martine Avenue, and Mamaroneck Avenue. These photographs are from the Peter Kanze Collection, detailed in a previous blog post.                                                                                
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November 18, 2016 10:00 am | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: Alexander's, city hall, isaac leven, local-history, Main Street, Mamaroneck Avenue, Martine Avenue, parades, peter kanze, thanksgiving, and white plains history.

Paying for College

Paying for College

Sunday, December 4 , 2016  @ 1:00 p.m. Need help completing the FAFSA Application? The FAFSA is the first step needed to apply for financial aid.  Completing it early is key to receiving financial assistance for college! Latino will provide you with free help and individual assistance to complete your application. Students with DACA can apply. Spanish speaking volunteers will be available to assist you and your parent if needed. For more information please cal 914 729.1023 Hope to see you there!
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November 16, 2016 4:28 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Uncategorized.

People & Stories Oral History Project: Johnnie Pantanelli

People & Stories Oral History Project: Johnnie Pantanelli

Colonel Johnnie Pantanelli knew two things when she graduated from Scarsdale High School in the early 1940s. First, she wanted to fly airplanes. Second, she liked driving motorcycles even though her mother and aunt tried to tell her riding was not a proper hobby for girls. As you will hear in this oral history, Johnnie (her given name is “Joan”) did not listen to anyone who tried to discourage her and charted a determined, adventurous course from an early age through her 90s. Johnnie joined the Civil Air Patrol during World War II. The CAP is the official auxiliary of
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November 15, 2016 10:00 am | by | 2 Comments
Categories: Oral History.
Tags: airplanes, civil air patrol, local-history, motorcycles, oral history, People & Stories, westchester county airport, and white plains history.

Local History: Urban Renewal Collection

Local History: Urban Renewal Collection

The Urban Renewal Collection is a set of documents, photographs, newspaper clippings, and publications that tell part of the story of urban renewal in White Plains between the mid-1950s and the late-1970s. All of the information in this post is drawn from sources in that collection and the White Plains Collection more broadly. In White Plains we throw around the phrase “urban renewal” rather casually, but it actually first referred to a specific set of laws, projects, and changes. The phrase “urban renewal” was codified in the Housing Act of 1954. Ironically, the Housing Act of 1954 actually increased the
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November 11, 2016 10:00 am | by | 4 Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, city planning, local-history, Urban Renewal, urban renewal collection, white plains collection, and white plains history.

People & Stories Oral History Project: Karen Smith

People & Stories Oral History Project: Karen Smith

Dr. Karen P. Smith is multi-faceted. Before her career as a professor, she served as principal of two schools in Yonkers and the Director of Integration for the district. She was handpicked by a superintendent for the Director of Integration job, an honor that came during Yonkers' conflicts with the federal government over racial inequalities in the city. As principal to children whose schools were transformed over the course of the summer of 1986 and ambassador to their (sometimes angry) parents, Smith faced numerous challenges. Interestingly, she recalls few conflicts between students and says she spent most of her time
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November 8, 2016 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Oral History.
Tags: children's literature, education, greenburgh, library school, local-history, oral history, People & Stories, white plains history, and yonkers.

Board Meeting Documents for November 09th, 2016

Board Meeting Documents for November 09th, 2016

11-09-16 Combined Agenda Documents 11-09-16 Library Board Agenda Agenda Item #1 – 10-13-16 Regular Library Board Minutes Agenda Item #2 – Budget Report – November 2016 Agenda Item #3 – Claim List 6 Agenda Item #3 – Claim List 7 Agenda Item #4 – Adult Services Report October 2016 Agenda Item #4 – Assistant Directors Report October 2016 Agenda Item #4 – Childrens Services Report October 2016 Agenda Item #4 – Collection Management Report October 2016 Agenda Item #4 – Community Outreach Report – October 2016 Agenda Item #4 – Library Systems Report October 2016 Agenda Item #4 – Teen
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November 4, 2016 4:58 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Trustee Documents.

Local History: Peter Kanze Collection

Local History: Peter Kanze Collection

Next time you come across old photographs at an estate sale or garage sale, stop and take a closer look to make sure someone is not discarding valuable historical records! Thanks to Peter Kanze's visit to an estate sale in White Plains some years back, we have an incredible collection of photographs of White Plains from the 1950s through the 1970s. Kanze can't remember now where the sale was or who owned the pictures, but it is likely they are the work of someone in the insurance business who was employed to document the condition of various businesses and locations
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November 4, 2016 10:00 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History.
Tags: fore n' aft, home savings bank, local-history, loew's theater, parking history, peter kanze, photographs, Reporter Dispatch, Urban Renewal, white plains collection, and white plains history.

Sensory-Friendly Show

Sensory-Friendly Show

On Sunday, November 13 at 2 :00 p.m. Autism Friendly Shows and Turtle Dance Music will present a Sensory-Friendly Music, Comedy and Bubble Show in the Trove's Galaxy Hall at the White Plains Public Library. The event is for children ages 2 years and up with their families. This 60-minute program will will be a “turtle-riffic musical experience designed to engage children through songs, movement, stories and interactive music technology. It is crafted to be inclusive for all children, including children on the Autism Spectrum, and a great time for parents and caregivers. Each song is accompanied by hands-on, visual,
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November 2, 2016 7:40 am | by | No Comments
Categories: Events, Featured, and Kids.
Tags: children, families, music, sensory-friendly, and The Trove.

People & Stories Oral History Project: Aurelio Saiz

People & Stories Oral History Project: Aurelio Saiz

Did you know that Juanita Castro, Fidel's sister, spent a night in White Plains? That story and many others come from Aurelio Saiz's oral history in which he describes moving with his family to White Plains from Cuba. The Saiz Family lived in a building on the corner of Main Street and Mamaroneck Avenue at a time when dozens of businesses had elaborate storefronts and narrower streets still accommodated two-way traffic. His bedroom windows were directly across from the marquee of RKO Keith's Theater! Saiz is a great storyteller. He conveys a vivid version of growing up on the streets
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November 1, 2016 3:25 pm | by | No Comments
Categories: Local History and Oral History.
Tags: cuba, Cuban-American History, Hispanic-American History, local-history, Main Street, Mamaroneck Avenue, oral history, People & Stories, RKO Keith's, and white plains history.