By Mary Hoar, President Emerita Yonkers Historical Society, recipient of the 2004 Key to History and President Untermyer Performing Arts Council
Monday, October 17th
October 17, 1930: Federal agents spent hours searching McVicker Cooperage at 36 Columbus Avenue (near Glen Park), but were unable to find a link to the beer hose found by DPW workers. Armed with a search warrant, they found an underground entrance from the building to the sewer where hose was found, but didn’t find further evidence. The Feds had traced the hose to a manhole directly in front of St. Casimir’s School, only 150 feet from the McVicker building, but were unable to find the remainder of the hose. Lead Investigator David Herkowitz told the papers he planned to stay for at least a month, running “down every possible clue… whoever hooked up that system certainly was clever.” An estimated twelve men continued to investigate the mystery.
Tuesday, October 18th
October 18, 1945: Former City Manager William Walsh accused Edith Welty of continuously asking favors; Welty claimed she never asked for favors. Among her demands were giving John Canepi city contracts, removing Tom Cooney and John Hoolihan as as Deputy DPW Commissioners because they opposed her, remove Building Superintendent John Brady and Health Commissioner McGillian because they were friendly with Democratic leaders, and insisted he reinstate a police officer fired because of serious misconduct. The officer was a Welty campaign supporter.
October 18, 1948: After discussing how Proportional Representation (PR) was “confusing, wasteful of time and money, un-American and operates to disenfranchise many citizens,” the Democratic City Committee’s Executive Committee voted unanimously to stand against PR. The formal resolution not only denounced PR, it urged everyone, whatever his or her political party, to vote against it.
Wednesday, October 19th
October 19, 1895: An irate citizen placed an ad in the Yonkers Statesman “in memory of Philipse Manor Hall, assassinated in 1895” after the Common Council announced plans to erect a new City Hall on the grounds of the Manor Hall.
October 19, 1948: Public Safety Commissioner Patrick O’Hara announced he had suspended Officer John Glus without pay. Glus was charged with violation of departmental rules after leading two fellow officers on an wild 80-mph chase through the streets of Yonkers, running red lights and narrowly avoiding car crashes. The officers observed him pull away from a North Broadway construction site in a car with a covered license plate, so gave chase through North Yonkers, on main roads and over steep hills, firing warning shots. When they caught up with him, he told them he thought the sergeant was chasing him, and they should “forget it.” They did not. Although on duty, Glus was not in a YPD car or wearing his uniform coat. He again took off, and abandoned the car in the NY Central freight yards at the foot of Babcock Place.
Thursday, October 20th
October 20, 1940: Thousands of people, wives, children, parents and friends, said farewell to the 125 Yonkers National Guardsmen as they marched in full war pack from the North Broadway Armory to the Yonkers train station at Larkin Plaza. The men were on their way to Fort McClellan, Alabama.
October 20, 1948: Public Safety Commissioner Patrick O’Hara announced he would meet with Assistant Corporation Counsel Raymond Hannon to resolve “certain procedures” concerning suspended Police Officer John Glus. Besides departmental suspension, the possibility of charging him with violation of traffic laws for speeding, reckless driving, passing red lights and covering the license plate of the car he was driving.
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Friday, October 21st
October 21, 1776: Washington established headquarters on Valentine’s Hill while a party of American light horse and infantry took possession of Philipse Manor Hall. These days, Valentine’s Hill is the site of St. Joseph’s Seminary and College.
October 21, 1948: Patrolman John Glus, on Departmental suspension for speeding and reckless driving, resigned. Departmental charges would be dropped; it was unclear if he would be prosecuted on other charges resulting from his alleged reckless speeding through the streets of Yonkers. Glus had served 23 years on the Yonkers police department.
Saturday, October 22nd
October 22, 1930: Both Mayor John Fogarty and President of the Board of Education Leslie Sutherland were the principal speakers at the formal opening of Longfellow Junior High School on North Broadway. Thousands toured the building after the ceremonies. The school later became Commerce High School, then Palisades Prep; it now is Barak Obama School for Social Justice.
October 22, 1948: Although the Yonkers Republican City Executive Committee recommended Yonkers vote to continue Proportional Representation (PR), Republican Committees in three wards, Ninth, Tenth and Twelfth, voted to repeal the PR method of electing Common Council members.
Sunday, October 23rd
October 23, 1945: As part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Smith Carpet Mills, Vice President Harold Zulauf spoke to the Lions Club about the good old days. He shared that workers were not allowed to wear a derby to work because it was an “executive perk” of a foreman. Wearing one would constitute impersonating an officer of the firm! He also told the club that, although the carpet mills worked 24 hours a day on war contracts, they had nothing to do with the atomic bomb; he continued, listening to the news reports was beginning to make him believe it was the only company without a finger on the bomb.
October 23, 1948: President Truman’s campaign announced, on orders of the Secret Service, the president would cancel most of his Westchester stops the following week. He would make only one stop in the county, Yonkers! He would speak at Larkin Plaza, then head to Alexander Smith and Sons Carpet Company for another appearance.
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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 yhsociety@aol.com.
