A portrait of Adriaen Van der Donck; the first European settler in Yonkers.He published the first book in the New World, detailing the land, vegetation, animals, waterways, topography, and climate. He assisted Director of New Netherland William Kieft is settling issues with the indigenous people and was rewarded with 24,000 acres north of Manhattan.
By Mary Hoar, City of Yonkers Historian, President Emeritus Yonkers Historical Society, recipient of the 2004 Key to History, Yonkers Landmarks Preservation Board Member, Revolutionary Yonkers 250 Chair and President Untermyer Performing Arts Council
Monday, May 12th
May 12, 1929: Former Yonkers resident Morton Downey starred in RKO’s first sound musical, the singing and dancing picture “Syncopation” with his wife, former Park Hill resident Barbara Bennett, and Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians. The movie opened in Yonkers at the Proctor Theater.
May 12, 1937: The National Labor Relations Board ordered Con Edison officials to answer “charges of coercion, intimidation and interference with unionization” within five days. NLRB Regional Director Elinore Herrick ordered the hearing after complaints came in from its CIO and Con Ed employees. The pending trial was considered so serious, the NLRB stated they would send a special trial examiner from Washington. Herrick sent the long, formal complaint to Con Ed and its affiliates, the Yonkers Lighting and Westchester Lighting Companies.
Both the AFL and the CIO claimed to have enrolled a majority of employees; more than 300 workers of the two Westchester divisions formed a third independent union at the last minute.
Tuesday, May 13th:
May 13, 1921: Following up on a promise, Mayor William Wallin appointed Yonkers first women Justices of Peace! He previously announced he would appoint women, stating women with experience in welfare or legal aid work would do much good for the poor. Florence Parsons, General Secretary of the Woman’s institute, and Dee Griswald Atkinson filled the vacancies.
Parsons founded the Civic League with Mary Marshall Butler, was a Director of Yonkers Charity Organization Society and studied Philanthropy in the School of Social Work. During the War, she was Vice Chairman of every Liberty Loan Drive.
Atkinson had a background in business, was Regional Director of the Immigration Division of State Ed, State Director of the Americanization program of the DAR, a NYS Director of the American Red Cross, and taught Americanization to foreign women.
May 13, 1938: Common Council President Albert Fiorilo unsuccessfully opposed allocating money for Public Safety Commissioner Denis Morrissey’s new car. He objected as Morrissey reported there was no money to buy traffic lights to protect Yonkers citizens yet found money to buy himself a new car. Morrissey asked $478.50 be taken from Fire Bureau funds and $578.50 from the Police Bureau; the money transfer was approved four to one. His eight-year-old Pierce Arrow was traded for a Chrysler sedan.
Wednesday, May 14th
May 14, 1910: Colonel John Shotts of the Grand Army of the Republic was asked to hire an expert to inspect the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Manor Hall grounds. The monument was cracking in several places; it was necessary to determine what could be done to repair the memorial.
May 14, 1946: Saunders students, unhappy because electrical course classes were consolidated, stayed out of class and went on a picket line outside of their South Broadway building. Principal Patrick McHugh explained it was so close to the end of the school year, he had a “problem getting teachers for the electrical course.” He merged tenth grade classes into one class, and eleventh grade classes into a second class. Some students had to give up the electrical course because of the consolidation. When the leaders of the strike met with McHugh, he told them to “return to class or there would be a court decision.”
Thursday, May 15th
May 15, 1944: After a two-hour tour of Alexander Smith & Sons Carpet Company, Nebraska Senator Kenneth Wherry commended not only its war work and its postwar reconversion plans, he praised company plans to reintegrate returning workers, especially workers with war injuries.
May 15, 1951: Chris Chadwick of Yonkers Avenue, a Herald Statesman newspaper boy, took first place in the E-Bond sales pledges of the “Newspaper Boy Crusade to Help Fight Aggression!” The preliminary announcement was a tie between Chris and Thomas Perna of Staunton Street; they both turned in pledges totaling $275. After the initial announcement, Chadwick received pledges of $275 more, doubling his original total. He received a free trip to Washington.
The top six boys brought in pledges of $1,075 the first day.
Friday, May 16th
May 16, 1923: Owners and drivers of commercial vehicles were asked to cooperate with YPD Traffic Bureau and use side streets to relieve traffic congestion in the business section.
May 16, 1942: The Common Council gave permission to the US Shipbuilding Corporation to use ten acres of city-owned land to construct buildings for a shipyard. The firm planned to build all-welded vessels for the war effort and expected to hire at least 300 workers.
Saturday,May 17th
May 17, 1653: Adriaen Van der Donck published A Description of the New Netherlands, the first book written and copyrighted by a resident of what now is New York State.
May 17, 1891: Eighty thousand people witnessed Archbishop Corrigan placing the cornerstone of St. Joseph’s Seminary.
May 17, 1952: YFD Fire Lieutenant Harry Clad was hurt fighting a fire on the North Broadway Untermyer Estate. Believed to have been started by boys playing with matches, the one-story open tea garden went up in flames. Clad was injured after climbing 12 steps to the porch; he fell through the porch when he walked on it.
Sunday, May 18th
May 18, 1919: Dr. Benjamin Stilwell was notified his son Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Stilwell had been promoted to the rank of full Colonel in the Regular Army and recommended for the Distinguished Service Medal. Another son, John Stilwell, was promoted from Major to Lieutenant Colonel. Both sons were serving in Germany.
May 18, 1922: The Yonkers Board of Education approved the plans and authorized bidding for the new North Yonkers high school, the Charles E. Gorton High School.
Questions or comments on this column? Email YonkersHistory1646@gmail.com.
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.
