A Boyce Thompson Institute building and its plant greenhouses
By Mary Hoar, City of Yonkers Historian, President Emeritus Yonkers Historical Society, recipient of the 2004 Key to History and the Key to the City of Yonkers, Yonkers Landmarks Preservation Board Member, Founder of Revolutionary Yonkers 250 and President Untermyer Performing Arts Council
Monday, January 5th
January 5, 1936: Charles Drury of Spencer Place, one of New York’s best musical directors and arrangers, made his radio debut as musical director of the revue “At Home Abroad,” starring headliners Beatrice Lillie, Ethel Waters, Herb Williams, Eddie Foy Jr., Vera Allen and Yonkers resident Eleanor Powell! Director of Music at the Winter Garden, he also arranged music for George M. Cohan and George White’s Scandals. Drury was married to Yonkers native and performer Ethel Odell.
January 5, 1943: Two Yonkers naturalized citizens, Gotthilf Faigle and Herbert Otto, went on trial with 18 other men alleged to be members of the German American Bund; the government wanted to revoke their American citizenships.
Faigle, reportedly leader of the Yonkers unit, was reported to have said he wanted to live permanently in Germany… and did not want Germany to lose the war.
Finders was accused of being the head of the New Rochelle unit, and agreeing with Hitler’s spoutings; he reputedly said “We need Hitler in the United States.”
Tuesday, January 6th
January 6, 1931: Two Yonkers’ scientists, Dr. S. E. McCallan and Dr. Frank Wilcoxon, were singled out by the American Society of Phytopathology at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They were recognized for their work at Yonkers’ Boyce Thompson Institute for “one of the finest pieces of plant pathology work in the United States during the last year.”
The duo worked for more than eighteen months on treating and killing fungus growth in Sulphur sensitive plants. Sulphur dust didn’t actually kill the fungus, instead, fungi used it to create toxic hydrogen sulphide to kill fungus. The two scientists termed it as fungi taking their own lives. McCallen and Wilcoxon were recommended for $1,000 prizes.
January 6, 1943: The Army Quartermaster gave Alexander Smith and Sons an order to manufacture an additional 5,000 blankets; the original contract was to manufacture 150,000 olive drab wool blankets at $6.835 each. All blankets had to be delivered no later than June 30th.
Wednesday, January 7th:
January 7, 1933: Twenty-five-year-old Wolffe Street resident Hemsley Winfield performed the role of Witch Doctor in the premiere of the new American opera, “Emperor Jones.” Based on Eugene O’Neill’s play of the same name about an African American conman, the lead role was played by Lawrence Tibbett in black makeup. Although the Met wanted to stage the production with all white dancers, Tibbett threatened to quit the production unless Winfield and dancers from Winfield’s New Negro Art Theater filled the dance roles. Winfield became the first African American under contract to the Metropolitan Opera… and the first whose name was listed on the program!
January 7, 1944: Vera O’Brien, Registrar of St. Joseph’s School and Chairman of the Parochial Schools Coordinating Committee, announced Yonkers parochial schools would sponsor a new C-47 Douglas ambulance plane to enable the quick transportation of badly wounded service men! Yonkers’ Catholic Schools pledged to sell war bonds totaling $110,000 during Yonkers’ Fourth War Loan drive to underwrite the plane. If successful, a plaque crediting Yonkers Parochial Schools would be placed on the flying ambulance.
Thursday, January 8th
January 8, 1906: Mayor John Coyne suggested an unused fire house could be used for the free tuberculosis dispensary requested by the Yonkers Sanitary League. The League requested city funds for their work; the Common Council told them to incorporate so Yonkers legally could give them money.
January 8, 1937: Six musicians dismissed from the Federal Music Project held Westchester’s first “sit-down strike” at the project office in the Main Street Sears, Roebuck Company building. The Federal Music Project had five units: Westchester Philharmonic Orchestra; Westchester Singers; the Federal Theater Orchestra; Philharmonic String Quartet; and the Westchester Symphonic Band. The six musicians were members of the Westchester Singers, a group “abandoned” December 15th as part of a general curtailment of the WPA. During the ensuing days, the group swelled to a dozen, as people from the other project performing groups were laid off.
Members of the group were offered jobs as laborers, roadwork using pick and shovels.
Friday, January 9th
January 9, 1911: The first copy of “The Up-To-Date-Woman,” edited and published by the Yonkers Woman’s Suffrage Association, was presented to Mayor Lennon. The paper, meant to be published just one day, was 16 pages and filled with excellent articles written by women prominent in suffrage circles.
January 9, 1954: Seminarians at St. Joseph’s Seminary and College took advantage of the extreme cold snap to skate on the frozen pond on its grounds! Almost the entire body of water was frozen, with the exception of one far corner… the only place the usually happy ducklings could swim.
Saturday, January 10th
January 10, 1920: More than 125 men enrolled in the Knights of Columbus School for returned servicemen.
January 10, 1926: Public Safety Commissioner William H. Van Keuren announced his plan to establish an annual “Medal of Honor” award and other honors for police bravery; these new recognitions would give added weight to the Civil Service promotion lists.
Sunday, January 11th
January 11. 1927: Chief of Police Edward Quirk announced news dealers who persisted in selling “so-called art literature” banned in Yonkers would lose newsstand privileges.
January 11, 1931: The Common Council adopted a resolution requesting a signal device be placed in Getty Square to notify police and pedestrians in case of fire. Apparatus from headquarters frequently sped through the Square; a signal would give policemen advance warning that Yonkers Fire Department engines and trucks were coming.
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For information on the Yonkers Historical Society, Sherwood House and upcoming events, please visit our website www.yonkershistoricalsociety.org, call 914-961-8940 or email info@yonkershistoricalsociety.org.
