(1) Memorial Mural in Honor of Boyce “Scoop” Coleman

 located on School Street, Yonkers, NY

 Parking lot wall at Ross F. Calcagno Homes-School & Brook Streets a.k.a “School Street Houses”, Yonkers, NY

Boyce “Scoop” Coleman has been memorialized for performing an act of heroism that resulted in the rescue of a drowning young boy, and unfortunately, Scoop’s demise.  On Sunday September 7, 2014, Scoop was attending an annual BBQ that present and former School Street residents hold at the John F. Kennedy Marina, in Yonkers, NY.  It’s like a yearly reunion that ends the barbequing season and doubles as a neighborhood reunion.  Since it’s a family oriented event, there were children everywhere involved with the activities.  One mother became separated from her mildly autistic, 6-year old son, who just so happened to be fascinated by water.  The woman caught sight of her son struggling in the waters of the Hudson River and began to yell for help.  Scoop, an experienced swimmer, was one of two men that immediately responded to the woman’s call (although several other people also attempted the rescue once they realized what was occurring).  Scoop made it to the little boy before anyone else, and saw that the child was being pulled by the undertow.  Scoop was able to grab hold of the 6-year old over and safely hand him to a woman who happened to be a life guard.  This was occurring simultaneously as the same undertow pulled at [Scoop], and then finally took him under.  Scoop’s swift reaction was described as “an act of bravery” in the media and by Mayor Mike Spano, of Yonkers, who spoke at the wake.  Scoop’s story was actually noted and broadcasted on the major & local news networks, news radio and both local and NYC newspapers.

Because my family and Scoop’s family have a history – our families attended the same church when I was younger – his death definitely touched me since he is someone that I know personally, even though I had not had any contact with him in many years.  It turns out that he is my boyfriend’s [third] cousin, on his mother’s side.  My boyfriend described his cousin as “a good dude” that would offer help to those in need.  My boyfriend also commented on what a great sense of humor Scoop had.  A few weeks, maybe a month or so before Scoop’s death, my brother said that he ran into him, but he did not recognize [Scoop] at first because he was so much bigger (muscular) than when they were younger.  But once Scoop identified himself, my brother remembered him, and they reminisced about, among other things, a camping trip that they went on as children (along with my current boyfriend, another boy, and about 6 other cousins).  My brother told me how they laughed about that childhood experience.  Whalen and Ball Funeral Home’s obituary read that “[Scoop] was known for his bigger than life personality, tremendous generosity, and warm heart.  On the day that he surrendered his life to save another, he truly demonstrated the characteristics that made him who he was.”   Mourners proved Whalen and Ball’s post to be true as 100s of people came to pay their respects to Scoop, patiently waiting on lines that extended outside of the funeral home and around the corner for each of the two viewings.

Rest in Peace . . .

(2)  John F. Kennedy Marina and Park located off of Warburton Avenue on John F. Kennedy Memorial Drive, Yonkers, NY

. . .to the launching dock (jet skis, kayaks, canoes, motor boats; permit required)

. . . area at JFK Marina memorializing Boyce “Scoop” Coleman

Gazebo

The marina memorializes our 35^th president, John F. Kennedy, who was the nation’s youngest nominated president.  President Kennedy was assassinated, in November 1963.  Notable events that occurred during former President Kennedy’s administration are:  the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, initiating space travel program in America, the building of the Berlin Wall, increased U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement.

 I was not able to find out when or why the City of Yonkers named the marina after the former president.  But I can say that it is a very tranquil place to spend a sunny day.  You can see New York City from the marina when you are facing south and The Palisades when you are facing west, looking across the Hudson River.  The gazebo, which houses grills, tables and seats, and the restrooms were added within the last 10 years as part of a renovation project, which also included repairing the launching dock. 

(3)    The Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Avenue, inside of Trevor Park, Yonkers, NY

 the front of The Hudson River Museum (dome to the left is the planetarium)

. . . the rear of The Hudson River Museum, including newly constructed amphitheater, located on John F. Kennedy Memorial Drive

Warburton Avenue side of The Hudson River Museum

The Hudson River Museum is the largest museum in Westchester County.  The museum was named after the river that it overlooks, which was named after Henry Hudson, an English explorer, who was commissioned by the Dutch East India Company to find safe, ice-free passage to Asia.  In 1609 he “discovered” the river later named “Hudson River” during his third voyage to North America.

The older of the buildings holds historic exhibits, while the concrete building holds more current exhibits, the planetarium, and is connected to the amphitheater.  When I was a child my elementary school had trips to the museum for magic shows, puppet shows, arts and crafts, and planetarium tours.  As a child it was surreal to walk inside of the planetarium because you felt as though you were in outer space, amongst the stars and planets.  The Hudson River Museum remains a great place to see exhibits, and is also headquarters for the Hudson River Community Association (HRCA), a multi-racial, grassroots community organization.

(4) Philipse Manor Hall Historic Site located at 29 Warburton Avenue in Downtown Yonkers

Philipse Manor Hall is a Colonial-era manor house that serves as a museum and archive in downtown Yonkers.  It was constructed around 1682 by Frederick Philipse and his wife Margaret Hardenbroeck.  Philipse was a wealthy Dutchman who became known as one of the greatest landowners in the northeast prior to the Revolutionary War; his property ran along the Hudson River, beginning at Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx, to the Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown area in Westchester County. In fact Philipse estate encompassed the entire City of Yonkers. He was a self-made man who began his empire by selling iron nails, and graduated to owning taverns.  By the time he began amassing property, Philipse made his fortune producing wheat products through the grist mills he owned.  Philipse was on the Governor’s Executive Council, until he was banned for participating in slave trading.

Philipse’s family eventually lost the enormous estate because of Philipse’s political affiliation to the Loyalist Party (U.S. citizens that remained loyal to Britain). The current city of Yonkers emerged around what remained of Philipse Manor, the current site of the manor museum.

I toured the museum once and was impressed by the paintings that showed the area prior to the Revolutionary War; it was all river and mills surrounding the manor back then.

Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library
40 West 20 th street
New York, NY 10011
In Memory of Andrew Heiskell
August 21, 1915-May 7, 2003

Andrew Heiskell was born on August 21, 1915 in Naples, Italy. He was most notably through out the world for being the publisher of Life Magazine until 1972 when he rose up to CEO. In 1974 Andrew Heiskell created People Magazine which to this day still sells in the millions every week and was chairman of Time Inc. Andrew Heiskell believed that information in to journalism was from reading as much as you can to make your story/article have life. Mr. Heiskell became a valuable donor to the New York Public Library and in particular to the blind community. For his generous donations and work within the world of journalism and education, The NY Public Library decided to name one of the accessable libraries for the visually impaired after him.
The Andrew Heiskell Talking Book Library is located at 40 West 20th Street between fifth and sixth avenues in New York City.
Andrew Heiskell on a personal level was known to be through many marriages with the most recognized marriage being to actress Madeleine Carroll. AN award named “The Andrew Heiskell Award” was created by Institute of International Education. This library is special to me for the sole reason before I lost my sight I was never interested in reading any books that were longer than maybe a hundred pages, I received a call from Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library and they asked me if I wanted to try out their system of reading which is in audio tapes and digital copies as well. I agreed and assumed by the time I got my audio book player and a couple of books and started trying it out and by the end of the first book I was hooked and I go about every three weeks get a handful of audio and digital tapes via mail or downloads through their official web site. Sadly on May 7, 2003 Andrew Heiskell, who was stated as not only being a publisher but a civic leader passed away. Later that same year, the New York Public Library honored Andrew Heiskell by naming one of their accessable libraries for visually impaired people after him. Today The Andrew Heiskell, Talking Book Library has a very large circulation via regular audio and digital books as well as online versions of downloads of books.

The Namm Building
New York City College Of Technology
300 Jay Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Named in honor of Major Benjamin Namm

The Namm building at New York City College Technology was named in the memory of Major Benjamin Namm who was a veteran of World War I, owned owned and operated A.I. Namm & Son Department Store on Fulton Street and was the president of the National Retail Dry Goods Association. Major Namm believed that there should be a program focusing on returning soldiers from World War II so they can have college-level general
education and comprehensive training in the new and emerging technologies of the
era under the GI Bill. After meeting with then Governer Thomas
E. Dewey who believed in Namm’s vision so much that he put in to motion a school that would be first placed in an abandoned warehouse on Pearl Street in down town Brooklyn.

I spend most of my week taking classes at the Namm building while working on my associates degree in Legal studies and law which I will finish in Spring of 2015.

Father Capodanno Blvd.
South Beach
Staten Island, New York
Named after Father Vincent Robert Capodanno
February 13, 1929 – September 4, 1967

On the north shore of Staten Island there is a long strip of road heading north towards the Verazanno Narrows Bridge was named after Father Vincent Robert Capodanno who was a resident of Staten Island. Nick named the “Grunt Padre”, and was born on February 13, 1929.
Father Capodanno was a Lieutenant for the United States Naval Chaplain Core, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division during the Vietnam War. While in service this Staten Island resident was honored with a medal of honor, bronze star and a purple heart for his merit’s of bravery as a chaplain. He attended Curtis High School and after graduation attended Fordham University for a year before joining the Maryknoll
Missionary in Ossining,, New York and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in June of 1957.
His first assignment as a missionary was with aboriginal Taiwanese in the mountains of
Taiwan
where he served in a parish and later in a school. After seven years, Father Capodanno
returned to the United States for leave and then was assigned to a Maryknoll school
in Hong Kong. As ordered by the arch diasis, Father Vincent was commissioned to Vietnam as a chaplain in the Navy Chaplain Core with the rank of Lieutenant.
Father Capodanno was revered by all members of the Staten Island community for his bravery as not just aMarine but a community leader among the church and residents of Staten Island. The avenue is not the only place where this brave priest is memorialized, the U.S. Navy also named Capodanno for respect of his bravery as a Marine chaplin at The Capodanno Hall on the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard. On September 4, 1967 in the early morning during a mission named “Operation Swift” IN A DISTRICT named Thang BinH IN THE Que Son Valley a small marine unit were under siege by close to 2,500 Vietnamese soldiers in the village of Dong Son. The Marines were heavily outnumbered and requested for reinforcements during the battle. Sometime around 9:30 AM twenty six of that Marine unit were pronounced dead and more soldiers were called in to assist. Father Capodanno went among the wounded and dying, giving
last rites to Wounded soldiers in the face and hand, he went to help a wounded corpsman only yards from where there was heavy fired
an enemy machine gun sprayed the area where the priest was killed.
Two days after Christmas in 1967, the secretary of the U.S. Navy informed the Capodanno family was contacted and given news that Father Capodanno would be receiving the highest medal to be given which was the medal of honor. This medal was given recognition for his bravery and ultimate sacrifice for his country and there was a ceremony on January 7, 1969 to give the medal to his surviving family.
Formerly named Seaside Boulevard, in 1972 the Boulevard was named after Father Capodanno . Father Capodanno Boulevard is close to me in many ways for the ocean side of Father Capodanno Boulevard there is a boardwalk that stretches the entire Boulevard where I take Gibson on summer days as well as fall days and during the summer is a place that though smaller in size compared to boardwalks in places like Atlantic City, Seaside Heights and Wildwood in New Jersey it still has attractions and game booths.

The Captain Roald Amundsen Circle
Located in Oakwood Heights, Staten Island, New York where Amboy Road, Clarke Avenue and Savoy Street join together
Named in honor of Captain Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen
July 16, 1872-June 18, 1928 (disappeared

This monument of Norwegian explorer Captain Roald Amundsen was acquired by the city in 1928 and then named on September 7, 1929. The boulder that the plate to memorialize this great explorer who led the first expedition to the South Pole was a boulder dropped
off from a glacier during the ice age when Captain Amundsen went on one of his exploration voyages. Captain Roald Amundsen was born on July 16, 1872 in Østfold, Norway. During an exploration the Captain disappeared and pronounced lost during exploration on June 18, 1928 at the age of 55. There is no known location where the captain disappeared or in fact when or if he died or how for that matter. Theinteresting part of this monument is that it is located at the top of Clark Avenue at the start of historic Richmondtown and is part of Richmondtowns guided tours. Historic Richmondtown is where during the Civil War one of the base of operations for the North’s army and where in fact the president at that time was Abraham Lincoln stayed often to oversee the troop activities of the North for their battle against the Confederates.
The park where the monument stands is also a venue for Earth Day among grammer schools through out the community where along with the monument there are other things to look at such as a garden on the south west area of the circle where a garden is.
This monument is where I take my guide dog Gibson for exercise and play time since it is not far from my house.

The Verrazano Narrows Bridge,
Location: I-278
Crosses
The Narrows
Locale
New York City connecting from Staten Island to Brooklyn
Named in Honor of Giovanni da Verrazzano
1485–1528

This bridge was open on November 21, 1964 and connects the borough of Staten Island in to Brooklyn in New York City.The bridge is named after the Florentine
explorer
Giovanni da Verrazzano, however the name is misspelled on the bridge. In 1524 while
in the service of
Francis I of France
, Verrazzano became the first European to enter
New York Harbor
and the
Hudson River. According to statistics, over 22,000 cars travel over this bridge every week but that is a conservative number due to it only can count standard automobiles that can seat only five people, if you count city buses, commercial trucks,motorcycles,SUV’s,mini-vans etc. the number ir to that statistic is much , much more. Due to the economy that we are currently in the price for entry in to Staten Island via the bridge is sixteen dollars average when considering types of vehicles come through Staten Island. The Verrazano Bridge holds another historical location as it is the start line for the New York City Five Borough Marathon every November. Thousands of runners from across the world come to New York to run this history making event where the finish line is at Central Park. I will be running the next marathon for Parents Of Blind Children of New York. The funny thing about the Verrazano Bridge is that un-like the Brooklyn, Ed Koch bridge and Trhorgs neck Bridge which all look aged the Verrazano however has a sleek and a more modern look even though the bridge was built over fifty years ago and like most bridges has a bottom section where vehicles can drive over as well considering the vehicle type. Weather conditions played a big factor on the reasoning of this bridge also before the bridge was built, under normal conditions, the five miles crossing to Manhattan could be made in half
an hour, the mile crossing to Brooklyn in about ten minutes. But if the bay was heavy
with ice, or if a fog suddenly closed in, either trip could take much longer or not leave Staten Island at all. And
on clear days, when the ferries had no trouble in making their crossings on schedule,
they were often so crowded, particularly on summer weekends, that drivers had to
wait for hours to get to one. On the bridge, the crossing to Brooklyn can be made in three or four minutes.
The bridge will always have a special place for anyone who lives on Staten Island and Brooklyn. Staten Island is usually called the forgotten borough that lives in the shadow of the four other borough’s but to me it looks like an arch to places beyond New York City, like a gateway to other landmarks across the country.

Throughout the time I was at Central Park I stopped by Heckscher Playground. It is the largest playground in Central Park at nearly three acres and is also the oldest playground in which opened in 1926. This playground was named after August Heckscher Sr., a real estate magnate, financier, philanthropist and also grandfather of August Heckscher III, who was Parks Commissioner under Mayor John V. Lindsay. Born in Hamburg, Germany, Heckscher studied in Switzerland and then moved to New York in 1867. The purpose of the development of the Heckscher Park has always been debated. Some said it was made to display the formal aspects of traditional parks in Europe. Others say it was made to be a “pastoral retreat from bustling city around the park,” Another common purpose was that it was created for recreational use. So what was the real reason for the creation of this playground? As stated in Central Park’s website, “it benefits all the users of the park.” Which means if you use this as a “get-away” from the loud city then that was the purpose of the park and if you use it as a recreational center then that was the purpose as well. Every time I visit Central Park I always come across playgrounds, landscapes, sculptures etc. that I’ve never seen before and after visiting Heckscher Park for the first time today I actually appreciated it more than everything else I saw in this park. Not only because I brought my baby nephew along and played with him in the playground but also because of the structure of the playground. It’s not like your ordinary park with slides and swings. One side of the park had a rock that kids could climb and on the other end of the rock there was a slide that ended in a sand box. Also, on the top of the rock the kids could climb down through the middle and go through a tunnel inside of the rock!  What I like the most about this park is that it allows for kids to expand their imagination and to have so much free space to do whatever their hearts desire. I would like to thank August Heckscher III for opening this park and for making it the largest playground in Central Park!

Source: http://centralpark.org/attractions/heckscher-playground

As I was walking down “The Mall” at Central Park (a literary walk in Central Park with the most horticultural features) I came across a statute of a man sitting on a tree stump. As I read the panel next to the sculpture I learned that this man was Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. Surprisingly, being Scotland’s national poet, he did not make much money off of his poems but they did bring him fame. Poems such as “Scots. Wha Hae”, “Tam O’Shanter” and “To a Mouse.” What intrigued me the most about this sculpture was Robert Burns pose. He was sitting on a tree stump and on his feet is a poem he dedicated to his lost love, Mary Campbell. He also had a quill pen in his hand and was facing upwards. As if he was looking up towards something in the sense of admiration. I thought it was cute, because if you put everything together you can tell he was looking at his lover at the moment and was writing a beautiful poem about her. It’s like they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, well so is a sculpture. It’s all about how you interpret it. I looked it as he treasured her and was in love with her since in the podium next to the sculpture they stated that he was looking up with “admiration”.

Source: http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/monuments/197

Christopher Columbus, also known as “the man who discovered America” or “the man who DID NOT discover America” is commemorated in Central Park for his arrival in the Americas. This sculpture/statute was made for people ”to gain religious and imperialist imagery as the explorer holds in his right hand the Spanish flag with a cross on top.” As we were taught in grammar school, Christopher Columbus discovered America. But once we reached High School we learned this was all false, he didn’t discover America. He landed in many different Caribbean islands which are now known as the Bahamas and Hispaniola. Columbus explored much of Central and South America but never reached North America. Not to mention, the Native Americans were already settled in North America. So how could he have “discovered” America if he wasn’t the first one here? My thoughts on this commemoration are negative. I personally do not think Columbus should be “praised” for coming to Central America and claiming he discovered it when that was clearly not the case.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/14/christopher-columbus-3-things-you-think-he-did-that-he-didnt/

In the course of me roaming around Central Park, I came across a sculpture of Walter Scott. Scott was a Scottish novelist, poet, historian, and biographer. He is known as “the inventor” and “the greatest practitioner” of the historical novel. As a child, Scott enjoyed listening to his elderly relatives’ stories about the Scottish Border. Since he grew up in the countryside of Scotland he valued and appreciated the historic struggles of his Scottish neighbors. The purpose for his sculpture being placed in the “Literary Walk” was to admire the anniversary of the beginning of Scott’s fantastic publications. What I found interesting about this sculpture was how the pose related to the actual purpose of the creation of the sculpture. Scott was sitting down and was holding what looked to be a novel and a quill pen that many use to use to write. (By dipping the tip of the feather in ink of course) Most sculptures just have the commemorators either standing, sitting on a bench or riding a horse.

Source: http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/monuments/1411