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Posted on July 31, 2014 Leave a Comment
“Over There” is a 1917 song popular with United States soldiers in both world wars. It was a “propaganda” song designed to galvanize American young men to enlist in the army and fight the “Hun”. It was written by George M. Cohan in April 1917. Americans believed at that time that the war would be […]
Posted on July 30, 2014 Leave a Comment
My new book is a love letter to the ghost in my grandparent’s attic. It was inspired by Gordon Lightfoot’s 1971 song If You Could Read my Mind. I can’t wait to share it with you soon. If you could read my mind, love What a tale my thoughts could tell Just like an old-time […]
Posted on July 29, 2014 Leave a Comment
I’ve tried my whole life to understand Grandma’s perfectionism. She had a deep seated need to control her entire world. What happened to her that caused those dark moods? There were times when we sat at the Steinway, and I was having trouble with a particular piece, she was so loving and gentle. Then other […]
Posted on July 29, 2014 Leave a Comment
As the first draftees appeared at their inductions in 1917, the nation’s lyricists were already questioning the loyalty of the immigrants. “What Kind of An American Are You?” starts with a conciliatory tone, but turns brazen and demanding. “This land of the free,” we and they are assured, “is for you and for me. / […]
Posted on July 29, 2014 1 Comment
In the early part of the 20th century, the figure and face of Evelyn Nesbit was everywhere, appearing in mass circulation newspaper and magazine advertisements, on souvenir items and calendars, making her a cultural celebrity. Her career began in her early teens in Philadelphia and continued in New York, where she posed for a cadre […]
Posted on July 28, 2014 Leave a Comment
After the trials, Malcolm graduated from Williston Academy and enrolled in nearby Williams College. The route from Amherst to Hudson was the final leg of all those roadtrips from Maine to Columbia County to visit Grandma and Grandpa. I knew the route like the back of my hand and could drive it in a blackout. […]
Posted on July 27, 2014 Leave a Comment
Viola Dana was born Virginia Flugrath on June 26, 1897 in Brooklyn, New York. Dana became a child star, appearing on the stage at the age of three. She read Shakespeare and particularly identified with the teenage Juliet and enjoyed a long run at the Hudson Theater in New York City. At the age of […]
Posted on July 24, 2014 Leave a Comment
Edward Everett McCall (January 6, 1863 – March 12, 1924) was Justice of the Supreme Court of New York from 1902 to 1913 and was also the Chairman of the New York Public Service Commission from 1913 to 1915. In November, 1915, he was removed from that office by Governor Charles S. Whitman because McCall […]
Posted on July 24, 2014 Leave a Comment
John Purroy Mitchel (July 19, 1879 – July 6, 1918) was the 95th mayor of New York from 1914 to 1917. At age 34 he was the second-youngest ever; he is sometimes referred to as “The Boy Mayor of New York.” Mayor Mitchel is remembered for his short career as leader of Reform politics in […]
Posted on July 24, 2014 Leave a Comment
1914 – Albany County district attorney Harold D. Alexander claims that Gifford pawned a pistol in Northampton shortly after the murder. The pawnbroker, Warren T. Risley, testifies today that he doesn’t recognize Gifford, but has his signature for the transaction. Risley does so much business that he doesn’t try to remember faces. Handwriting expert W. […]
Culver McCall 