Don’t Miss the No Show Ball
After many years of holding our Annual Spring Benefit Dinner, The Society is switching gears. We will be holding a No Show Ball on March 29, 2008, when nobody shows up for the dinner dance and past-and-present donors mail in a donation to The Society.

We thought everyone would enjoy watching a movie, relaxing and simply writing a check without the pressure of finding a fancy dress and trying to fit into your tux! If you need tips on what to wear to a No Show Ball, please look for your invitation in the mail.

According to Bill Doescher, Society president, “We felt this year, leap year, was the perfect time to hold a No Show Ball for a number of reasons. First, it will allow the staff, Board of Trustees and volunteers the opportunity to pursue other revenue venues, such as the planned Museum in the Streets project and the Rooster Row fundraiser – both of which The Society hopes will involve the entire community. These planned projects will increase awareness of The Society and our mission, raise needed program funds, and beautify the business district. Second, as fiscally responsible stewards of The Society, the board and staff felt a change of pace and an opportunity to raise even more money in 2008 was in order.”

And so you don’t miss the dinner too much, our 2009 Spring Benefit Dinner has already been scheduled for April 18, 2009 at Fenway Golf Club. Please mark your calendars.

We Mourn Judy Handelman
Our Director of Publicity, Judith Ashe Handelman, died suddenly on October 21, 2007, while swimming in her pool at home. Along with her family, The Society has suffered a tragic loss. We all miss Judy so very much. She was the editor of our newsletter for many years and it is a miracle that we were actually able to get this issue to you without her.

Bill Doescher, president of The Society remembers Judy: “Judy Handelman was a very special person who in her own quiet way made the Village of Scarsdale a better place to live, work and play. She was a wife, mother and grandmother who sparkled when she talked about her family and all their exploits. She was devoted to each and every one of them. Judy was affiliated with a number of non-for-profit and civic organizations – the Scarsdale Historical Society and the Westchester County Historical Society to name only two – and made a considerable difference with each of them. Judy, a former writer for the Scarsdale Inquirer, and I shared a number of interests – including baseball, the Mets, journalism and public relations. But it was her tireless efforts and attention to detail as the PR person/editor for the Scarsdale Historical Society that got my attention. As the senior member of the staff at the Society, she became one of my mentors and advisors on a plethora of subjects. She was a friend to many, including me, and I am deeply saddened by her sudden passing. The Judy Handelmans of the world simply don’t come around that often.”

The Society’s executive director, Cindy Krossman, also misses Judy and wants you to know how amazing she was. “Most people hate Monday morning. I am now one of them but for a completely different reason. For the past five years Judy and I met every Monday morning at 9:30 like a well-oiled machine. On Monday, October 22nd when she didn’t show up I didn’t think much of it – I thought perhaps she was just running late. The phone rang at 10:20 am and it was our president Bill Doescher with the terrible news about Judy’s untimely death. I could not believe it. I sat bewildered and honestly thought I heard him wrong. Sadly, I didn’t hear him wrong. Judy was not coming in today, and I could not believe that we would never again share our Monday mornings talking a bit about the Society and a lot about our lives, families, her grandchildren and all her wonderful trips around the world with Walter.

“Judy was our long-time loyal publicist and editor of our newsletter The Historian. I would need an entire newspaper to tell you about all the wonderful traits she possessed. In short I can tell you that she was just an incredible lady, painfully smart and cared about her family, friends, community and the Society very deeply. She never hesitated to show you that she was interested in what you had to say and always offered great advice in return. She made me feel at ease when the times got tough with either a funny joke or a great old story. Most of you would probably be surprised to know that she was a very computer-savvy gal that, in what seemed like an instant, learned to use a very complicated program called Quark when we changed the format of our newsletter a few years ago.

“As I sit here feeling sad and grief stricken, I try to remember that Judy really knew what was important and that she lived a full and spiritual life. I feel lucky to have worked with her and honored to call her my friend. When Monday comes, it will always be bittersweet, but I will think of Judy and focus on the sweet.”

In The Times of The Hyatts     Exhibition Opening and Wine Tasting
On November 15, 2007, The Society and Seth Kaller presented a new exhibition curated by Executive Director Cindy Krossman, Executive Assistant Laura Cavataio and Curatorial Consultant Mimi Sherman. Guests mingled, took in the exhibition and enjoyed wine provided by Wine & Spirits at Cheers, Society President Bill Doescher played host, welcoming members, trustees and guests.

The exhibition includes Hyatt family letters, documents and objects from our Cudner-Hyatt House collection, including a few items from Halsey Bullen, grandson of Elvira & Caleb Hyatt, who was also in attendance with his wife Isabelle and son Michael. Bullen is the last of five generations of Hyatts to live in the Cudner-Hyatt House and now resides in Westport, CT. Bullen’s mother was Sarah (Sally) Hyatt, one of Elvira & Caleb’s five children. Bullen’s grandparents, Elvira & Caleb, married in 1906 and came back to live in Caleb’s birth home (The Society’s Cudner-Hyatt House Museum) from 1924 until 1972. When Bullen’s father went to serve with the Army Air Corps during World War II, his mother came back to live with her parents in 1945 to give birth to Halsey. “I was the last infant to live in the house” Bullen told The Society.

Complementing the exhibition are historic documents from Seth Kaller of Seth Kaller Inc., who is a newly elected Society trustee and has an ongoing partnership with The Society.

If you would like to see In The Times of The Hyatts and take a tour of our Cudner-Hyatt House Museum, please stop by Monday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm or call 723-1744 to make an appointment.

Rooster Row is Coming to Scarsdale    Rise and Shine !!!
The roosters are coming to Scarsdale at the behest of the Scarsdale Historical Society! Rooster Row will be a community-wide public art extravaganza that follows a long line of similar, successful fundraisers around the country. The preliminary activity for this event was started in January and will end on April 18, 2009 where the roosters will nest at Fenway Golf Club at our 2009 Spring Benefit Dinner and be available for purchase at the live auction.

Proceeds from Rooster Row will be used in 2008 and 2009 to help propel The Society’s digitization program, a few new renovation projects at our Cudner-Hyatt House and 1828 Quaker Meeting House Museum, and to support our education programs.

Other Successful Art Extravaganzas
In New York City they had a cow. Mystic, CT, had a whale. Larchmont used ducks in a 2006 fundraising event. Taking a page from the neighboring Larchmont Historical Society, The Society will have 30 or more fiberglass roosters at key locations throughout The Village by September. Why a rooster? The rooster was chosen for its strength and elegance and its long history as a Scarsdale resident on farms throughout The Village for hundreds of years.

“We hope to encourage local businesses, organizations and individuals to sponsor a rooster to make this event a successful and spectacular village-wide effort,” says Bill Doescher, president of the society. “In addition, we will have area artists provide the artwork on the fiberglass roosters.”

Similar to what took place in Larchmont, Rooster Row should be a real win-win for Scarsdale. “We anticipate that this event will increase pedestrian traffic for Scarsdale business owners, showcase local artists’ talent, and elevate the visibility of The Scarsdale Historical Society and our mission,” says Doescher.

Committed Sponsors Ready to Roost:
The Blair Interiors Group, Coldwell Banker, The Della Cava Family, The Doescher Group, Goldschmidt & Associates, Houlihan Lawrence, LaDentelliere, Nadia Laniado DDS, The Mehta Family & The Meyer Family in honor of Old Scarsdale Neighborhood Association, Race with Purpose, Scarsdale Improvement Corp., 2 Overhill Road Associates and Wilson & Son.

Are YOU ready to roost? If you would like to participate in Rooster Row, sponsor a rooster or if you are a local artist interested in submitting a design, please contact Cindy Krossman or Laura Cavataio at 723-1744.

Here are the rooster dimensions: 48”H x 38”W x 18”D

Seth Kaller Elected
At our November 2007 board of trustees meeting, Seth Kaller, a leading historical document dealer who is a valued partner for the Society’s exhibitions, was unanimously elected to the Board of Trustees. Kaller is a Scarsdale resident and the president and owner of Seth Kaller, Inc. He is also a partner in Kaller’s America Gallery, Inc. and Kaller Historic Documents, Inc. and has been an acknowledged leader in the field of historical documents since 1989. Since 1985, only six copies of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Lincoln, have been publicly offered – Kaller has acquired five of them. Welcome Seth!

Annual Meeting:    Trustees Elected, Fall Lecture Delivered
At our annual membership meeting on October 18, 2007, five trustees were re-elected. Elected to the class of 2010 were Barbara Shay MacDonald, Randy Guggenheimer, Mimi Papantonio, Etta Parker and Irving Sloan.

Blake Bell delivered the Fall Lecture Digitizing History: A Town Historian Preserves and Shares the History of New York. Blake Bell is Pelham’s Town and Village Historian.

Successful Fall Foliage Race
On a perfect fall day, more than 160 runners, walkers, kids and 30 dogs enjoyed The Society’s 27th Annual Fall Foliage 5k Race and Kids-n-Dogs 2.5k Run on October 14th. Sadly, John Sweeney is no longer with us, but we all could feel his spirit as runners and walkers dropped red carnations donated by Koris Florist on his driveway. John Sweeney passed away on December 23, 2006. He was such an important part of the race, The Society and our community – we miss ya John!

Winners of the overall 5K John Sweeney Awards were Earl Corney, 29, in 17:26 and Elizabeth Thompson, 39, in 22:17. The first 50 & over male and female to cross the finish line winning The Stanley Newhouse Trophies were Joseph Garland, 51, in 17:34 and Joan Mazur, 50, in 24:05. For the 2nd consecutive year, Ian Hutchinson, 10, and “Rose” won the 3rd Annual Kids-n-Dogs Run.

Thank You to our volunteers without whom the race would not be possible!

From the Village of Scarsdale:
Mayor Noreen Fisher, the Police Department, and Vicki Laoutaris of the Recreation Department.

Our superstar volunteers:
John Bensche, Bob Donati, Marie& Michael Cavataio, Geralyn & Nicole DellaCava, Bill Doescher, Sam Englander, Gloria, Michael & Tom Forte, Tom Giordano, Randy Guggenheimer, Adam Krajchir, Lawrence Patrizio, Carolyn, Rohan & Sivan Mehta, Margarita, Ally, Adam & Lucas Meyer, Rita Sweeney and our friends from The Drake Edgewood & Arthur Manor Neighborhood Associations.

CONDOLENCES
The Society mourns the passing of our longtime friend and member Karen Reuter. We also mourn the loss of Bertram Trent, a member and Scarsdale resident for 55+ years. The Society sends heartfelt condolences to their family and friends.