Lawrence Ferlinghetti
By Mary Hoar, President Emerita, Yonkers Historical Society, recipient of the 2004 Key to History and President Untermyer Performing Arts Council
Monday, February 21st
February 21, 1928: Local officials assured Yonkers drivers that there would be no increase of gasoline prices in our city. Yonkers drivers were paying 20 cents a gallon; Standard Oil had just raised New York City prices from 18 to 19 cents a gallon.
February 21, 1945: Young Men’s Chamber of Commerce President John E. Flynn presented details of the City-wide School of Civic Service the organization planned to run. Thirty sessions would be held Thursday evenings at City Hall; city officials would speak about functions of city departments to give attendees a closer look at how Yonkers is governed.
Tuesday, February 22nd
February 22, 1931: Mayor John Fogarty entertained Baroness Helene Nostitz Von Hindenberg, the niece of German President Paul Von Hindenberg, at Yonkers City Hall. Two years later, she was one of 87 authors who signed an Oath of Loyal Support for Adolf Hitler.
February 22, 2021: American poet, painter, social activist, and Yonkers native Lawrence Ferlinghetti passed away. Born on Caroline Avenue, the publisher and owner of the renowned City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco was the first Poet Laureate of San Francisco.
Wednesday, February 23rd
February 23, 1945: After months of red tape delay, State Supreme Court Justice Gerald Nolan ruled former Mayor Benjamin Barnes acted legally appointing Abraham Rosenblum and Dr. William Crocker as Yonkers School Board trustees in 1943, without getting “advice and consent of the Common Council.” He said since Yonkers’ population was less than 400,000, State Education Law governed the action. Former School Trustee Theodore Kiendl expected to bring the case to a higher court.
February 23, 1946: A letter from former Yonkers newspaper woman Rheta Glueck of Bayley Avenue, Red Cross staff assistant in Germany, arrived in Yonkers. Her biggest concern was the fraternization of the American troops with German woman, mostly because the morale among occupation troops was so low, so the Red Cross was providing as many activities and as much entertainment as possible. She closed her letter with the hope that Yonkers would put the Yonkers Red Cross Fund Campaign “over the top.”
Thursday, February 24th
February 24, 1933: Women of the Yonkers Chapter of the Mooseheart Legion held a George Washington Pajama Party.
February 24, 1947 The Regional Plan Association for the tri-state area, predicting approximate 20,000 privately owned planes would be in use in the area, proposed two new airports to serve Yonkers residents. One airport would be in the Town of Greenburgh because of the unavailability of appropriate land in Yonkers. A second smaller field would be in Yonkers on County owned property, on a site such as the Sprain Brook Golf Course.
Friday, February 25th
February 25, 1925: After Federal Prohibition Agents Charles Bench and Michael Sassi raided a saloon and restaurant, they arrested seven men on charges of “possession of intoxicating liquor.” A mob of 50 people gathered on Washington Street tried release one of the prisoners and knock evidence to the ground, forcing the agents to draw their guns to get the crowd to back away. Arrested for “interfering with a Federal officer,” two women fought agents like “wildcats,” tried to smash liquor jugs on the agents while clawing and biting them on their faces and hands.
February 25, 1935: The trial of the Newark men caught at Roosevelt High School with liquor in their truck was suddenly interrupted. The men’s attorney Maurice Chachkes had conceded the liquids were alcohol to speed the trial; after hearing testimony from arresting officer Frank Jordon, Chachkes revoked his concession. The liquor had to be taken back to our City Laboratories to be analyzed.
Saturday, February 26th
February 26, 1937: Assistant Corporation Counsel Harold Garrity, who represented Yonkers interests prosecuting Yonkers’ anti-shorts ordinance, the blue law that brought international attention to our city, announced Yonkers received formal notice of the tentative date for argument for the case filed against Yonkers on behalf of two New York Daily News reporters, Rose O’Gorman and William Matthias, to test the validity of the ordinance. Yonkers’ anti-shorts ordinance was scheduled to be argued before the Court of Appeals on April 15th.
February 26, 1940: The Westchester Grand Jury, under the direction of Westchester DA Walter Ferris, opened an investigation into the operations administrations of the Loehr administration in Yonkers and investigate the findings of the Department of Audit and Control that unearthed illegalities and irregularities. Of the twenty-three Grand Jurors, three were from Yonkers: broker Ludwig Funke, architect Milton McGuire; and H. Armour Smith, Director of the Hudson River Museum. Smith, as Director of the Yonkers Museum, was on the city payroll.
Sunday, February 27th
February 27, 1945: To celebrate their “distinguished service to our country through the patriotic and inspiring use of music to aid the national effort,” Benny Goodman, the “King of Swing,” presented citations from the Music War Council of America to student musicians at four Yonkers schools! The schools recognized were Gorton High School, the High School of Commerce, Hawthorne Junior High School and Franklin Junior High School. Besides the certificates, each school’s music teacher received a signed photograph of Mr. Goodman. These school bands played at war bond drives, scrap paper drives, scrap metal drives, ceremonies honoring men leaving for the service, and other patriotic ceremonies. Goodman spoke about the importance of music in every day lives, how it can be a “spiritual uplifting influence.” He continued that he hoped the people of Yonkers realized “what it means to have fine school musical organizations like these student bands.”
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