104 years ago, in 1917, Yonkers held a Ukrainian Tag Day to raise funds, as they are doing today
By Mary Hoar, President Emerita Yonkers Historical Society, recipient of the 2004 Key to History and President Untermyer Performing Arts Council
Monday, April 18th
April 18, 1946: Sixteen five-room apartments in the two buildings at 188-190 Riverdale Avenue, vacant for four year, were renovated, centrally heated and rented to veterans and their families at the monthly rate of $10 a room.
April 18, 1949: Yonkers veterans honored Reverend Arthur Avard, St. Mary’s Church Pastor; “Monsignor Avard Night,” was held at Yonkers Post 7, American Legion where Avard served as Chaplain. The ceremony was in recognition of Avard’s elevation to the rank of Domestic Prelate by Pope Pius XII.
April 18, 1956: Because of the great need for workers in the needle trades industry, Yonkers Evening School began training women to operate power sewing machines; Yonkers also hoped to attract new businesses to Yonkers.
Tuesday, April 19th
April 19, 1929: Two children from North Broadway tried to start their own “back to nature” movement in Getty Square! Clad in not much more than underwear and shoes, Patrolman Theodore Glzicky found the duo peering into store windows and crying. After bundling them up, he brought them to the police station, where the two, still crying, managed to gasp out “Mommy’s gone to the store for cookies.” Just as YPD was contacting authorities, their desperate mother appeared, in tears herself. She had run to the store for graham crackers, came home, found the door open and her children gone. Hopefully she gave them their cookies when she got them home.
April 19, 1942: Female workers at the Yonkers Otis plant impressed Lieutenant General Brehon B. Somervell on his inspection tour of the facility! Women in work slacks held signs spelling out the word PATRIOTISM, each letter painted red… except for OTIS painted in blue! Purchasing Agent Patrick O’Hara told the General it was the only type of “ism” the company allowed.
April 19, 1960: Sarah Lawrence College’s Joannah Felicity Touchet Clapton’s attorney asked she be given the privacy necessary to finish her studies. Clapton had left campus after learning she had inherited a fortune. He announced she only would do academic activities and not conduct any interviews. He finished saying he had no authority to answer when she would return to campus.
Wednesday, April 20th
April 20, 1944: Yonkers resident Alfred Reeves, Advisory VP of the Automobile Manufacturers Association, spoke at a dinner honoring retiring General Motors Vice President Richard Grant. His topic? “I Knew Him When!”
April 20, 1956: Roosevelt HS tenth grader Robert Jennings took first prize in the senior boys physical division in the first Westchester Science Fair held at the County Center, a competition sponsored by the Macy-Westchester newspapers and NYU. Fifteen-year-old Jennings created “The Atlas Planetarium,” projecting the sun, moon, stars and planets onto a dome; it also could project the Northern Lights, the Manhattan skyline and atmospheric conditions. Julian Winton, from Southeast Yonkers Junior High School (Lincoln) won a silver medal for his experiment showing sound waves in musical instruments; Eileen Steinberg from Southeast Yonkers Junior High School, presenting the use of isotopes in cancer and School Eight’s Evan Hacker who created an astronomical telescope, took home bronze medals. The win made Jennings eligible to compete in the National Science Fair in Oklahoma City, OK a few weeks later.
Thursday, April 21st
April 21, 1917: After President Woodrow Wilson designated this day to help Ukrainian people, Mayor James Lennon issued a proclamation naming it “Ukrainian Tag Day,” to raise funds for Ukrainians suffering because of “European belligerent countries. Lennon asked our residents to “manifest the same generous spirit always shown… in the relief of suffering.” Collections were taken throughout the city, and people were generous.
April 21, 1946: Yonkers announced it would produce a tercentennial City Directory; the last directory was published in 1938. Although many people used the telephone directory for information, only half the families living in our city had phones!
Friday, April 22nd
April 22, 1916: Officials of the Alexander Smith and Sons Carpet announced all day laborers at the plant would work six-days-a-week and receive an increase in wages. The war in Europe had greatly increased the volume of sales for the company.
April 22, 1957: The Yonkers Common Council ordered the New York Bus Tours’ franchise revoked! It ran buses between New York City and Yonkers Raceway during harness-racing season, but… the Council found out the company was running buses on streets other than what the Council had approved.
Saturday, April 23rd
April 23, 1917: The Yonkers Woman Suffrage Party organized sewing and knitting classes to make items servicemen needed in the Army and Navy; their classes were held at 6 Hudson Street.
April 23, 1956: Two hundred-fifty Saunders and Yonkers High School boys staged morning demonstrations at three local high schools to support the cause of teachers’ raises. Beginning at Saunders at 8 am, they marched to Yonkers HS on Linden Street, went to Commerce on Palisade Avenue and then returned to Saunders. At 9:30, the boys returned to their home schools and classes. When asked for a comment, Superintendent Stanley Wynstra had nothing to say.
Sunday, April 24th
April 24, 1945: Yonkers High School teachers and students riding the bus arrived ten minutes late, but had an unusual excuse. Their bus, failing to make the hill to the school after several tries, reversed and backed up the hill to the school at Poplar and Linden Streets.
April 24, 1955: Construction started on the $250,000 addition to St. Denis School on Lawrence Street. The addition was designed to blend with the Gothic style of the existing school, and was faced with brick and limestone trim.
Questions or comments? 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 yhsociety@aol.com.
