Ed Whitman, right, with Mike Bennett
By Dan Murphy
The people of Yonkers lost one of their greatest cheerleaders last month, when Ed Whitman passed away at the age of 81. Ed was the “official” photographer for our Yonkers Rising newspaper for two decades.
When I started working with Ed back in 2006, the concept of digital photos had not yet taken over in media – so Ed would go to his local photo store in Bronxville, print out each of his photos and bring them to the Yonkers Rising office at 25 Warburton Avenue.
Together with Ed’s good friend, Mike Bennett, we would review the photos to determine which ones would make the paper and which photo stood out and would make the front page. It was a wonderful time going over these photos with Ed and Mike over the years.
Ed and Mike formed a “Dynamic Duo,” who would follow the Mayor around the City (Mayor’s Phil Amicone and Mike Spano included), take photos, take names of the people in the photos and bring them back to my office. These events helped me put together a positive narrative about the City of Yonkers and the good things happening in the city – especially helpful considering the negativity that the media was focused on at the time.
With Ed’s help, we were able to show our readers about the PAL Poster Contest, the PAL Easter Egg Hunt, the PAL Christmas Party and notably, an exceptional spotlight on the individual stories of the boys from Yonkers that gave their lives in the Korean War.
Although hampered by a lame leg, Ed was available to cover events whenever needed. In the Mayor’s office, Lucia Travato was a great help by confirming events.
Mayor Mike Spano said,“We are saddened to hear of Ed’s passing. Ed was a consummate gentleman, professional and talent. His photos captured the essence of our City, telling the good stories of so many through the years. We will miss him and we send our deepest condolences to his family.”
Ed would quietly and efficiently be in the right place at the right time. He was also a member of AMVETS Rauso Post 40 in Yonkers and worked with Commander Sam Riti, another close friend of Ed’s, to get out the news of the Post and their work to help and serve veterans in Yonkers and in Westchester.
“Ed Whitman was a big participant with AMVETS Post 40. He was very involved in the Post activities at FDR Montrose and Castle Point. He was a very active member in all Post 40 meetings and taking Veterans to Yankee and Met games, dinner theatres. He will truly be missed and remembered as a member and a dear friend, said Commander Sam Riti.
Ed was one of the kindest people that I have had the pleasure of working with. He was generous to a fault, exacting in his work, an avid reader with an exceptional memory. Ed would blow up a special few of his photos into 8 x 10’s and hand them out to me and others. I still have the Santa photos that he took for me at the PAL Christmas parties.
We became good friends over the years, and although we didn’t see each other in recent years, Ed would also call me with a story idea, or a photo that he would now comfortably email me. And he was always an avid reader of our newspaper and when it came out on Thursday night and was dropped off at the Raceway Diner in Yonkers, Ed was there late at night reading it front to back. If there was an error, he was the first to let me know. He was also a proud member and officer of the Templers.
Thank you for all your hard work, Ed, and for your friendship. You will be missed.
Ed Whitman’s Greatest Hits below: The PAL Poster Conest, The PAL Holiday Party, and the Easter Egg Hunt
Ed’s photos touched thousands of people’s lives in Yonkers and beyond.
PHOTOS BY Ed Whitman
