By Mary Hoar, President Emerita, Yonkers Historical Society, recipient of the 2004 Key to History, Member of the Yonkers Landmarks Preservation Board, and President Untermyer Performing Arts Council
Monday, March 8th
March 8, 1940: Although rumors were flying around the city that kindergarten would be eliminated from the Yonkers Public Schools, officials and members of the Board of Education either gave conflicting answers or just plain skirted the issue.
March 8, 1945: Charles and Anna Smith, proud parents of Yonkers Red Cross Staff Assistant Lorraine Smith in England, shared a letter relating how she and members of her staff assisted dozens of convalescing servicemen to send gifts to mothers, wives and sweethearts; for many it was the first they received in several years from their men. Their hospital sent the most gifts home of any hospitals in England!
Tuesday, March 9th
March 9, 1919: Sergeant Raymond G. Blackburn of Warburton Avenue and Corporal Irving Klein of Ludlow Street received Distinguished Service Crosses for heroism in the War.
Blackburn, Company C, 108th Infantry, received his for Extraordinary heroism in action near Binarville, France. October 1918 he volunteered to lead a reconnaissance patrol; while returning to his company with information, one of the patrol became detached and was in danger of being captured. Realizing his comrade’s predicament, Sgt. Blackburn rushed to his aid, rescued him, killing two of the enemy in the process.
Klein, Company A, 108th Infantry, was awarded his for extraordinary heroism in action near Binarville, France, September 1918 and Charlevaux, France, October 1918. On September 29, after locating the position of three enemy machine guns, he silenced one, took up a position against the other two under intense shellfire, and sent back information to his company commander. This made it possible for his company to clean out the entire nest. On October 3, although wounded seriously Corporal Klein continued to assist his men in repulsing the attack of an enemy combat patrol.
Wednesday, March 10th
March 10, 1888: The first passenger train of the Yonkers branch of the New York and Northern Railroad ran into Getty Square.
March 10, 1927: After hearing the facts from Health Commissioner Clarence Buckmaster, MD, Mayor William Walsh issued an ultimatum to stop all pollution of the Hudson River immediately.
March 10, 1952: The State Harness Racing Commission announced of the owners of 25,000 shares of stock in the Yonkers Trotting Association; not one stockowner was from Yonkers! An interesting twist, however, was that the Spitz family of Morsemere Avenue owned 700 shares in the Old Country Trotting Association (Roosevelt Raceway).
Thursday, March 11th
March 11, 1934: President Franklin Roosevelt ordered all Army airmail service stopped after former Yonkers resident and Army pilot Otto Wieneke perished while flying Army airmail, the seventh airmail pilot to crash. Flying from Newark to Cleveland, Wieneke was killed in Ohio flying in the midst of a bad snowstorm.
March 11, 1930: The steamer Ben Franklin had to be taken out of service for three weeks; ice in the Hudson smashed the propeller and destroyed the copper plate on the boat bottom. The Bessie and the City of Yonkers, the company’s two smaller steamers, worked overtime to handle the freight.
March 11, 1944: Fourteen-year-old School Two student Frankie Fugaro donated a day’s earnings to the Yonkers Red Cross War Fund in honor of his three brothers in the service. Frankie just happened to be the “official shoeshiner” at City Hall!
Friday, March 12th
March 12, 1924: Police Officers from the Shonnard Place Station gave Gorton High School Principal George Bennett a gold police whistle. The idea was that if Mr. Bennett ever needed help, all he would have to do was
whistle! They said, “Now just give ‘er a good toot if you ever need us.” Bennett, tucked it away in his desk and forgot about it.
March 12, 1934: Principal George Bennett, who received a gold police whistle exactly ten years earlier from officers at the Shonnard Place station, pulled it out of its hiding place at the back of his desk drawer, and blew it long and hard. Although the officers had given it to him to blow in case of emergency, they did not hear the sound. Forty minutes later, he once again gave a long and loud toot… and forty minutes after that! That day he blew the whistle several more times; every time opening doors were heard along with the sounds of feet. The batteries supplying power for the class period bell were dead, and Principal Bennett was blowing the changing of classes. Saturday, March 13th
March 13, 1931: One person was killed and 36 injured when a runaway one-man trolley car plunged down Palisade Avenue and crashed into a building near the corner of New School Street. Mayor John Fogarty, when told of the accident, announced he would seek an injunction again one-man trolley car operation here. It was Friday the 13th.
March 13, 1945: Captain Raymond Ball, nephew of Walter Ball of Vineyard Avenue, was awarded his fourth Oak Leaf cluster to his Air Medal, “for courage and high achievement.” The twenty-nine year old pilot had led many major bombing attacks on German military and industrial installations. His brother, Lieutenant James Ball, was one of the American prisoners of war liberated by the Soviet army.Sunday, March 14th
March 14, 1921: After hearing about the proposal to annex part of Yonkers to Bronxville, Mayor William Wallin came up with a plan of his own. He suggested Yonkers annex the entire Town of Eastchester!
March 14, 1945: Through pure luck, the four Misley brothers of Livingston Avenue met up! When Sergeants Joseph and Frank entered their second campaign in the Pacific, they were disappointed to learn brothers Michael and Ernest, also sergeants, had just left their island. A few days later, Michael and Ernest flew back to the island, and called on their brothers at their base! All four reported back home that it was the “reunion of reunions.
For more information on the Yonkers Historical Society, Sherwood House and our upcoming events, please visit our website www.yonkershistoricalsociety.org, call 914-961-8940 or email yhsociety@aol.com.
