John F. Kennedy Years in Bronxville
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TA Publicatiohn of The Beronxvil le HiC storical Conshronervancy i Sc pring/leSummer 2017 Commemorating Bronxville’s President: Large crowd enjoys history of Kennedy John F. Kennedy years in Bronxville by Marilynn Hill by Eloise Morgan Bronxville celebrated the centennial before village residents could have a ssumed birthday of its own hometown president, what the historic value might be. John F. Kennedy, on Memorial Day With oversight by the Conservancy’s Monday, May 29, with the projects committee, chaired by dedication of a bronze Peter Hicks, who plaque on the lawn of appointed Marilynn Village Hall. e Hill to spearhead unveiling occurred the Kennedy on Kennedy’s actual commemoration, birthday in the a joint committee anniversary year was formed that designated by the U.S. included Hicks, e 100th anniversary of the Congressional JFK Hill, Anderson birthdate of Bronxville’s most famous Centennial Commis - Kenny, and Jayne resident—President John F. Kennedy sion for celebrations Warman from the —was honored Saturday, May 6, by a across the country. Conservancy, with talk at the Bronxville Library about e village dedication Mayor Marvin and the Kennedy family’s life in Bronxville. was the first official Village Administra - More than 60 people gathered to hear recognition that tor Jim Palmer Anthony J. Czarnecki, a Westchester Bronxville had been representing the County Historical Society Trustee, home to President village government detail highlights of the family’s Kennedy’s family from 1929 to 1941 – and trustees. e committee consulted Bronxville years, 1929-1941, in an more than a quarter of JFK’s life. the Archivist of the United States, David aernoon event sponsored by the A year ago, the Bronxville Historical Ferriero, a member of the Congressional Bronxville Historical Conservancy. Conservancy and Mayor Marvin began Commission who also oversees all In 1929 when the family bought discussing the idea of the Conservancy presidential libraries, as well as Steven an estate at 294 Pondfield Road, they and the village trustees working to - Rothstein, executive director of the went in a few years from middle class gether to honor Kennedy with a plaque Kennedy Library Foundation and chair Brookline, Mass. to “Bronxville’s to coincide with the national celebra - of the Centennial Commission. Both opulence,” the speaker said. His tion. Furthermore, Bronxville was the Ferriero and Rothstein were delighted article, “When the Kennedy Family only Kennedy permanent or vacation to learn that the local and national Lived in Westchester County,” fills residence that did not have some official recognition missing from the roster of the current issue of “e Westchester public recognition. Even his room at Kennedy homes would be rectified by Historian.” He spent two years Harvard has a plaque! Part of the reason the creation of a Bronxville historic researching the topic, combing for this omission has been that historic marker. published and unpublished sources markers are most oen found at historic e Franklin Bronze Foundry in for references to Bronxville and homes; the Kennedy Pondfield Road Pennsylvania was selected to create a weaving them into the larger historica l homestead was demolished and the large plaque, with extensive text by context of the years of their Village six-acre estate subdivided in the 1950s – (Continued on page 6) (Continued on page 7) r e d y n S d i v a D : t i d e r c o t o h p Pulitzer Prize-Winning Supreme Court Expert Linda Greenhouse and CBS Correspondent Mo Rocca Mo Rocca and Linda Greenhouse speak to a capacity crowd for Nineteenth Annual Brendan Gill Lecture Pulitzer Prize-Winning Supreme Court Expert Linda the U.S. Supreme Court. She continues to write as a blogger Greenhouse and CBS Correspondent Mo Rocca took center for the Times Opinionator section and has been a regular stage at the Bronxville Historical Conservancy’s 19th Annual guest on the PBS program “Washington Week.” In her Brendan Gill Lecture on April 21 at Concordia College, in a introductory remarks, Marilynn Hill, co-founder of the wide-ranging conversation on the Supreme Court, past and Conservancy, noted that Greenhouse’s writing is said to be present. “so good that even the Supreme Court Justices wait to see Greenhouse is the Knight Distinguished Journalist in what Linda Greenhouse thinks before they write their Residence and Joseph Goldstein Lecturer in Law at Yale Law opinions.” School and President of the American Philosophical Society, Maurice Alberto Rocca, better known as Mo, is best the country’s oldest learned society. She retired from e known as a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and a New York Times aer a 40-year career, 30 of them covering panelist on the popular PBS quiz show, “Wait Wait...Don’t 2 • THE CHRONICLE N INETEENTH A NNUAL B RENDAN G ILL L ECTURE r r e e d d y y n n S S d d i i v v a a D D : : t t i i d d e e r r c c o o t t o o h h p p (l-r) Marcia Lee, Liz Folberth, Linda Greenhouse, Ruth Shearer, Kathy Gray, Marilynn Hill, co-founder of the Conservancy, Mo Rocca and Mayor Mary Cheryne McBride and Irena Choi Stern. Marvin. Tell Me!” Rocca served as President of Harvard’s Hasty “ese are people who went to high school with him, served Pudding eatricals. Aer graduation, he moved to Japan on student council with him, and all say he is thoughtful, to study Kabuki and supported himself by teaching English. nice, smart, and has visited kindnesses on people,” Rocca In 2011, he won an Emmy as a writer for the 64th annual said. He then asked Greenhouse, “Does that matter?” Tony Awards. He is the author of All the Presidents’ Pets , a Greenhouse allowed personality does play a role, but that historical novel about White House pets and their role in each justice must follow the law to make a persuasive presidential decision-making. argument. She lamented the most recent confirmation Greenhouse quickly turned the tables on interviewer process puts Gorsuch in a tough position. Pointing to Rocca by asking him the first question. Referring to Rocca’s politicians using the Supreme Court appointment as a book, All the Presidents’ Pets , she inquired, “Mo, what pet prize for winning the election, she said the confirmation would you suggest for our current president?” Rocca process today is broken. pondered a few suggestions before determining “some eir discussion also included the debate about term people should not have pets,” drawing laughter from the limits for justices as opposed to the current constitutionally audience. Rocca asked Greenhouse about a dinner they protected life term. Not fixed in her own mind on the topic, attended prior to the evening’s program. Greenhouse Greenhouse is interested in the debate around this subject. confided she had both fallen in love and was disillusioned at Rocca inquired as to each Justice’s path to a seat on the the dinner. “I met Bronxville’s Mayor tonight. I love Mary Supreme Court, and Greenhouse acknowledged both Marvin,” she proclaimed, to audience applause. “We learned ambition and serendipity factor into appointments to the at dinner we share a connection to Nelson Rockefeller.” bench. From which Justice asked the fewest questions to Recalling a meeting with Rockefeller at his Pocantico Hills which Judge received the most laughs, Greenhouse, over home, Greenhouse told Marvin how impressed and flattered the course of their conversation, revealed the depth and she had been when Rockefeller greeted her at the door, breadth of knowledge that has fueled her Pulitzer Prize- mentioning specific details of their first meeting in winning journalism and scholarship. Brooklyn. “at is until Mayor Marvin reminded me at e speakers allowed time for questions before joining dinner tonight, Rockefeller had aides preparing him for the audience for a champagne reception. e Annual meetings like mine, and Mayor Marvin was the aide who Brendan Gill Lecture is sponsored by the Bronxville had prepped him about me.” Historical Conservancy and presented each year as a gi Rocca revealed that he and recently appointed to the community. e program was recorded and can be Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch shared mutual friends: viewed on channel 74 on the Village Cable station. SPRIN G/ SUMMER 2017 • 3 BRONXVILLE NATIVE . y r a r b i L l Ann Caracristi: a i t n e d i s Breaking codes and glass ceilings e r P n a g a e R by Eloise Morgan d l a n o R : t i d e On November 2, 1982 President Reagan awarded Bronxville r c native Ann Caracristi with the National Security Medal, the o t o highest honor for a civilian in the intelligence field. h p At a time when overlooked accomplishments of women clandestine Army Signal Intelligence Service (SIS). in science are being hailed – the book and film “Hidden A blue-eyed, curly-haired blonde, Miss Caracristi began Figures” recently spotlighted women’s contributions to the work in Washington, D.C. in June 1942. e new recruits space program – it’s exciting to find a Bronxville connection: were forbidden to tell anyone—even their closest family— the role of a native daughter in cracking World War II anything about their work. e secrecy was reflected in Japanese codes. Bronxville newspaper social notes that went from regular Ann Z. Caracristi, acclaimed for her wartime cryptanalysis reports of Ann’s visits home from college to almost complete and her later stellar career in U.S. silence aer her graduation. intelligence, was a K-12 product of With minimal training in crypt - the Bronxville School.