Kendal View May - June 2023

Kendal View Kendal On Hudson's Bimonthly Journal

Volume 18, Issue 5 May-June, 2023

The View, From the Top Edited by Pat Taylor Welcome Back, Steve, Gene DuBow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The Past as Prologue, Norman J. Sissman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 In at the Creation, Llyn Clague . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 D-Day June 6, 1944, Frank Neuwirth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Rich Sheehy, A People Person, Muriel Fox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Grand Ladies of the Hudson, Peter R. Limburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Cluny Moments, Jan Maier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Linda Mahoney: A Musical Life, Edith Litt with Doris Eder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 COVERS: Oh, To Be Able to Fly, Richard Schneeman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . front cover A Gathering at the Feeder, Richard Schneeman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover A Swallowtail Butterfly and Purple Coneflowers, Ginny Bender . . . . . . . insde back cover The Drama of an Orchid, Richard Schneeman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back cover All inside photos (unless otherwise specified) are by Arthur Brady

KENDAL VIEW STAFF Editor Pat Taylor Managing Editor Llyn Clague Editorial Staff Doris Eder, Muriel Fox, Hubert B. Herring, Edith Litt, Norman Sissman Photography Editors Arthur Brady, Caroline Persell, Richard Schneeman Advertising Peter McCuen, Director; Dianne Morris, Representative; Carolyn Klinger, Coordinator 1

Welcome Back, Steve Gene DuBow Steve Fishler, Non-Profit Interim Extraordinaire, has found his way back to Kendal once again at a difficult time when Kendal on Hudson is, for the second time in three years, between two Chief Executives, one who has just resigned, and one who has yet to be selected.

Steve’s back with us!

It didn’t take Board of Directors Chair Lynn Tepper long to fill the void. Upon being notified that there would be one, she called Steve and asked him to return. He said yes and the void was filled.

Steve is a little like a baseball relief pitcher who comes in at a troubled moment to get the team through a tough situation, alleviate its anxieties, then get it back on track to face the rest of the game.

For those of us who got to know Steve three years ago, his return is like a present from the organizational gods. His calm demeanor and grasp of the major changes Kendal is undergoing, such as the Common Areas Project and the unknown that will be faced when a new CEO is appointed, are critical.

To know Steve is to realize that he really likes people. Having arrived only a day of two before, he made his way to the “Sip & Snack” pre-dinner social event saying hello to old friends and making new ones immediately. He didn’t wait for introductions. It was as if he had never left.

Steve is a busy man but always makes time to stop to say hello to residents. He eats many of his meals in the Bistro. “Executive Dining” is not part of his way of doing things. However, one should not be misled by style. In reality he is a skilled, decisive executive who specializes in stepping into complicated situations and working with people to reach positive outcomes.

After some months (last time it was 9), Steve will be going back to North Carolina and his wife, who is a tenured professor at North Carolina State University. It would be a waste of time and energy to try to get him to stay. A lot of people at Kendal tried that 3 years ago – it failed.

No! He’s a skilled relief pitcher. We should relish having him for the months he’ll be here and thank him for being who he is: the inimitable Steve.

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The Past as Prologue Norman J. Sissman Kendal on Hudson’s 18th anniversary is an auspicious time to recount the history of its founding, especially in light of the increasing numbers of new residents.

It all began in the 1900s, when a local group of seniors began to explore retirement communities. Since many were Quakers, one of their first visits was to Longwood, the first Kendal Corporation community, in Kennett Square, PA. They were very favorably impressed.

Soon thereafter, led by Gay Berger, a group to explore the possibility of building its own Westchester retirement community was formed; it called itself the Study Group for Retirement Alternatives (SGRA). Its most active members included residents still with us today: Jane Beers, Jackie Wilkie, Deb Wood, Twink and Jim Wood. Early on, SGRA agreed to become part of the Kendal Corporation, with David Jones as the KC representative. An ever-present Mr. Jones brought to SGRA the Corporation’s long experience in obtaining necessary governmental approvals and in negotiating all phases of construction.

Three basic needs informed the SGRA’s early activities: (a) o btaining the financing for construction, and early operations. The group enlisted help from two local bankers, Maarten Van Hengel and Frank Hoch (both of whom signed up for apartments), who organized the issuance of the bonds needed to raise the needed capital. Originally, these bonds were placed privately without a guarantee of repayment; after completion of our buildings, they were “regularized.” Many purchasers were future residents. (b) finding a site on which to build. This was a long and arduous process. An SGRA subcommittee spent over a year visiting more than a dozen Westchester sites (and even some north of the county) before arranging the leasing of our current land from Phelps Hospital. When David Jones first saw this location, his response to the beauty of the site was, “Build here and they will come!” (c) deciding on an architect, a construction company, and a landscaping firm turned out to be a contentious process, but was concluded after months of debate. They were: Perkins Eastman Architects, a prestigious New York firm; York Hunter Construction, based in Mamaroneck; and the White Plains landscapers Divney, Tung and Schwalbe. Together these contractors transformed, over a two-year period, a scraggly hill leading down from James House to the railroad tracks into our present tiered and verdant campus. Andy Tung and his associates planted more than 450 new trees, along with many shrubs.

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A marketing department was formed early. It was housed in a long trailer located in a western area of Phelps’ parking lots. Complete occupancy was assured before the buildings were completed. The SGRA met regularly to review progress and make decisions; all new residents who had signed up were invited to attend these meetings, which were held sometimes in local members’ homes, sometimes at James House, and occasionally in the Purchase Friends Meeting House.

Founders began to hold receptions in their homes to facilitate meeting each other. Charlotte and I hosted all the Founders residing in New Jersey, and we attended two other parties, one of them in the Greenwich Village home of Caroline and Charlie Persell.

Originally, there was considerable opposition to Kendal from residents in the adjacent Sleepy Hollow Manor and others in the town. Gay Berger attended meetings of the Sleepy Hollow Board of Trustees, wrote letters to editors, and spoke at numerous nongovernmental meetings to present our case, ultimately, of course, succeeding. Physical changes to the original plans, made to accommodate the community’s objections, remain: First, the original plans for our buildings were for a story higher than what now exists; these were abandoned in order to minimize our campus’s impact on the riverbank skyline. Second, a thick row of trees, mainly birch, ash, and oak, was planted around our periphery to block views of our buildings from visitors to Rockwood Park and Sleepy Hollow Manor residents.

A Board of Directors was formed, originally chaired by Gay Berger, who played the most essential role in all of these events. Among our archives I came across some documents detailing Gay’s activities; many weeks were occupied by as many as three or four long meetings; her leadership was the driving force of our founding. In 2004 Pat Doyle was appointed CEO; she remained at the helm until her retirement in 2018. Construction was completed, and residents began arriving in May 2005. Moving into the apartments extended over about 6 months to assure an orderly process. Gay came up with the idea of naming each building after a 19th-century Hudson River steamboat. The original residents, called Founders, proved to be exceptionally bright, interesting, sociable, cohesive, and vigorous (which I declare in all modesty, as I am a Founder). The average age of the Founders was 79 years; fifty-three of the original three hundred or so are still here.

Partly because all were newcomers, a strong esprit de corps developed; deep friendships formed. An Interim Council was elected; bylaws were written; numerous committees were formed that started the wide variety of activities that we still enjoy. A Music Committee organized chamber music concerts; an Education Committee scheduled weekly speakers, a Trips Committee planned day excursions, in the Kendal vans, throughout Westchester and to Manhattan; a Library Committee accepted book donations, and later had to turn down offers from downsizing new residents because it ran out of shelving space; a Horticulture Committee allotted patio bins to residents; a committee to collect funds to donate to local needy nonprofit groups began its distributions; and many other committees initiated specific programs. Some visitors have commented on the absence of a social director at Kendal; none is needed; the residents do it all.

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In at the Creation Llyn Clague Kendal View has published a good deal of material about the founding and history of Kendal on Hudson. For this essay, I talked with a totally unscientific sample of the early residents, or “Founders,” in an effort to capture the mood or ambience of what it was like at the beginning: during that first year or so when KoH was established.

Annette Leyden remembers having dinner that first day with Pat Doyle, the CEO. People were streaming in daily, and the steady influx fostered a milieu that promoted getting to know people easily. It was a very homey atmosphere. People introduced themselves eagerly; Pat was very concerned for the welfare of residents and staff; residents were cohesive as a group. Today, newcomers go through a series of established routines to settle into Kendal; back then, “We set all that up.”

For Dot Bone and her husband, Bob, Pat arranged a sandwich lunch. Dot remembers people arriving in a steady stream, sometimes two couples a day, and people getting to know each other as they moved in. Plus Pat held a meeting every Friday where people became further acquainted. When Kendal finally opened, the swimming pool was a welcome feature. There was no official lifeguard (which the county would have had to certify), but residents rotated as “volunteer lifeguards” (there was a big chart showing assignments). The first Residents Council was elected: meeting initially once a week, it set up and managed the resident-run activities – health and wellness (actually created before the move-in), the music program, the Trips Committee, talent show, bridge groups, and many more. People volunteered to drive others to airports and other destinations.

Jackie Wilkie and others wanted to create a “noninstitutional” atmosphere, one that was warm and inviting. They had visited several other retirement communities using “cookiecutter” or “corporate-looking” art in common areas that they found undesirable for KoH. Funds the committee received from Kendal were used instead for highly selective purchases, including the set of limited-edition prints of Hudson River vessels hung in the Formal Dining Room. Also, and most important, they urged incoming residents – often downsizing from large houses – to consider donating some of their art to Kendal. The cultural value of using the art of residents – either pieces that had been collected or created by themselves – was greatly strengthened by the number of professional artists moving to Kendal. In addition to art, the committee asked for resident donations of suitable furniture that would supplement what had been provided for the various public spaces by Kendal’s interior designers. This resulted in the welcome acquisition of items such as wall units, pianos, cabinets, grandfather clocks, tables, and chairs. Thus CAFA – the “Common Areas Furniture and Art” committee – was formed to foster an atmosphere of “warmth, attractiveness, individuality.” From the beginning it has helped to make Kendal on Hudson “unlike any other” retirement community.

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For Suzanne Adel and her husband, coming to Kendal – to an apartment they had not actually seen – was “a leap of faith.” They had a short window of time to move, immediately after which they took a trip of several weeks. When they returned and settled in, they were greatly impressed by the enthusiasm and energy of the residents. They were also struck by the amount of training of the staff by staffs of other Kendals. Suzanne’s husband, retired Westchester County Commissioner of Health, helped check the credentials of new hires in our health care facility. Most of the residents were in their seventies: “with tweed elbow patches on their elbows, they almost looked like Oberlin graduate students.” They were full of a spirit of “come-on, try-it, let’s-do-it.” A group of individuals with high intellect, not high wealth, unpretentious, willing to try new things.

Norman Sissman and his wife, Charlotte, became members of a five-couple group that rotated dinners in each others’ apartments – not just cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, but full dinners – which they dubbed “movable feasts.” Such activities were representative of a vibrant and activist atmosphere, Norman recalls, in which everyone was eager to participate and get to know each other. There were many parties in individuals’ apartments, particularly around the holidays, and dinner in the FDR was frequently preceded by cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Norman fondly remembers the woodshop (where the ping-pong table currently is) as much enjoyed by fixer-uppers. (Pat Doyle scuppered it after one man fell off a ladder and broke his hip.)

Betty Albertson and her husband, Bob, also found that people were very friendly and eager to meet and become acquainted. In the beginning there was no Formal Dining Room, so all meals were in the Bistro, which promoted easy interactions. People were physically mobile and active and many traveled a lot, both domestically and internationally, as did Betty and Bob. Bob, a birthright Quaker, and Gay Berger started the Quaker Meeting at KoH. After he died, Betty and two other single women, along with Norman Sissman, all in Clermont, organized a Christmas party every year in the third-floor lounge. Each of the four brought along two bottles of wine (red and white), two hors d’oeuvres as well as four friends.

Bill Rakower sums up, “We were pioneers. There was a camaraderie among us, a completely different feel.” A common practice was to have drinks in someone’s apartment at 5 p.m., before going to dinner. There might be 4 people or 20 – it was very flexible, and friendships formed quickly. Sometimes there was even dancing. He reminisces, “I remember one couple … how gracefully they could dance! We had closer relationships with other residents in those days. We used to celebrate Hannukah – not just Jews, anyone. Sometimes at those events we’d have “grab-bags” filled with anything under $5, and we’d each reach in and pull something out. There were a lot of couples then. And almost no walkers.”

This small sampling of Founders’ experiences in the early days could be multiplied many times, emphasizing similarities and differences. Perhaps the essence is the obvious: “We were pioneers,” in Bill Rakower’s words. Creating something out of nothing is, as we all know from personal experience, fundamentally different from fitting into an existing program or structure. Yet key values and principles remain and are intended to long outlast those giddy early events – as, indeed, the great friendliness that KoH demonstrates to this day.

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D-Day June 6,1944 Frank Neuwirth There were many D-Days. Every military invasion starts with a D-Day. The June 6, 1944, invasion has become the D-Day probably because it was the greatest military undertaking in history: there were more troops involved, more military equipment was utilized, more warships were engaged than ever before, and it was a multinational effort as well.

Universal History Archive

This article concerns the men who bore the brunt of the invasion. The troops were quite young: the average age is said to be 26. Most of them were not professional military, but rather draftees or National Guard members. Most of them had received at least one year of military training. Most of them had gotten invasion training in England and many had experienced the invasion of North Africa.

The men had boarded the ships on June 4th — the original date for D-Day was June 5th.

However, it was postponed to June 6th because of very bad weather over the English Channel.

The men were all uneasy as a result of being confined on board for so long a period.

The time for action inevitably came and the invasion fleet sailed for Normandy, France, early in the morning of June 6th. The invasion boats (Higgins boats, named after their designer) were lowered into the water; the rope nets that the men would use to climb down to the invasion flotilla were attached to the troop ships’ decks; the men with their heavy equipment packs, rifles, ammunition, hand grenades and other paraphernalia were ready.

When a Higgins boat pulled alongside the troop carrier, men started to go over the side to climb down the rope nets. (If you have ever climbed on a rope ladder, you know how difficult it is to keep your footing.) Add to this a 100-pound backpack and the difficulty is substantially multiplied. Then consider that the ship you are leaving is constantly dipping and tossing, plus the rope net is wet and slippery. Finally, remember that the men are scared, and you will have some idea of each soldier’s predicament.

Over the side, the soldier tries to get his feet into the net and climb down. Then immediately, another man climbs over the side, putting pressure on the man below to keep going; and yet another man and another follows. If any man loses his footing, he can only hold on tight with his hands. If the guy above unintentionally steps on his hands and he lets go, that man will fall into the water and drown because the weight he is carrying drags him down. If, luckily, he falls into the Higgins he could still be seriously injured or badly bruised.

Slowly, the Higgins fills up with men – it was designed to carry about 36 men. The men are pretty well packed in and no one is joking around, many are praying, all are silent – this is not a training session, it’s the real McCoy. The landing craft go around in circles awaiting 7

the signal to head to the shore. When the signal comes, the landing craft all head landward.

The men can hear our warships’ guns and the return fire from the enemy shore batteries – this adds to their unquiet. As the Higgins boats proceed, small arms fire from the shore adds to the cacophony and any man who puts his head up, to see where the fire is coming from, is probably a dead man.

Finally, the Higgins reaches the shore. The bow drops down to create a ramp for the guys to exit onto the beach. As the bow ramp drops the Higgins is hit by a stream of machine gun bullets: The men who were at the front of the Higgins are shot dead; the men behind the dead guys try to get to the beach and some of them make it. Some of them don’t.

Those that manage to get to the beach are no better off: machine gun fire and small arms fire takes its toll of them but some are temporarily spared. Guys who are not wounded or dead drop to the sand to reduce their exposure to the enemy fire. Some, who assume the prone position, just remain that way because they are immobilized by fear.

Other guys try to collect their wits, take a few deep breaths and look around for some protection but there is none. What to do? Some decide to jump up and run up the beach: they soon find that this attracts enemy fire – crawling is better but not a foolproof solution since the enemy machine guns rake the beach and may find them.

As the crawlers make their slow way up the beach, they meet their first obstacle: the shingle (a line of rocks, about six to ten feet wide extending for the length of the beach). None of the rocks is large enough to create a protective barrier. The rocks are slippery and not easy to crawl over. Getting past the shingle, there still is no cover, so they keep on crawling up the beach just trying to get to the green area and the cliffs that may be sufficiently below the target area of the machine guns. Before they get there, they encounter a minefield with barbed wire and signs, “ACHTUNG MINEN.” It is about twenty feet wide and extends the length of the beach. Now what? How the hell do you get through a minefield?

Some guys just try their luck and step into the minefield. Most get killed or, if lucky, lose a leg, but perhaps, one or two make it in one piece. Others wait and someone brings “Bangalore torpedoes” (long pipe-like bombs). These bombs can be shoved up into the minefield, thereby detonating the surrounding mines and providing a path.

At long last, some guys are able to climb the cliff and take out the fucking machine guns, using grenades or small arms. A concrete block-house, containing machine guns and small cannons, is approached from the side (the blind side) and a grenade tossed in, killing the enemy soldiers inside. This happened on other sections of the beach as well. The beach described here is Omaha.

Finally, the beach was taken. At what cost, you may ask. The human cost – the dead, wounded and missing – is estimated at 2,400 casualties; perhaps the killed-in-action were between 1,700 to 1,800. What is a life worth? Each family of those killed received the face value of the GI life insurance ($10,000). No charge for burial.

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Rich Sheehy: A People Person Muriel Fox “Employees must feel appreciated, valued and supported.”

Kendal’s Director of Human Resources Richard Sheehy cites this as one of the reasons why Kendal on Hudson has a high percentage of employees who remain with us for years. Of our 196 active employees, 45 have remained here more than 10 years and a total of 69 have been here more than 5 years. Rich (as he is known) says, “While there certainly are issues that we have to contend with, the vast majority of our employees feel very committed to our mission of helping our residents.”

All new employees, in addition to all new residents, receive the booklet on Kendal’s unique values.

Kendal’s Human Resources Director

It’s no secret that America faces the toughest job market since World War Two, and here in Westchester, we live in an especially high-inflation environment.

There are an estimated 2,000 unfilled job openings today within a 30-mile radius of New York City. Since Rich handles the placement for both our staff and administrative positions, he is well aware of the changes that have taken place in the job market since the pandemic.

These factors make Rich’s job especially challenging. In addition, he is part of the Kendal Search Committee that is working with an outside search firm to recruit a new CEO. Since Rich joined us in August, 2022, he and his staff have endeavored to return KoH to our pre-Covid closeness as a family. Rich recently conducted a training program for managers that – in addition to employment subjects like performance reviews, discipline, and handling difficult conversations – focused on managers developing close relationships with their staff.

This six-hour program encouraged managers to mentor their employees and help them grow.

Rich instructed them: “Know them as people first. Find out their birthdays and partners’ names. Learn about their children and pets. Help with their career development. Realize that many of them may also hold another job.”

KoH offers a generous program of benefits, scholarships and tuition supports. And Rich aims to make sure employees are aware of what is available for them. Diversity is part of life at Kendal, so there is a program that advances professional development for people who don’t speak English as their first language. Rich also plans to start a program of special lunches to help teach career skills, such as how to use Excel. In addition, the administration is committed to implementing a robust Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) initiative in the very near future.

Twice a year, the Residents Association, in response to Kendal’s no-tippng policy, sponsors the Staff Appreciation Fund. Residents are asked to donate $200 each time; the most recent drive raised $73,322, which was allocated to individual staffers at a check-awarding 9

ceremony in the Gathering Room last November. A new fundraiser for the SAF is being launched during May 2023.

And here’s a fact that should encourage you to salute an employee who has been especially helpful to you: every employee so recognized by a resident receives a certificate of commendation at a quarterly event, with appreciative comments from residents displayed on the GR screen. So your recognition is a big deal! You can participate by sending an e-mail to koh-hr-comments@kohudkendal.org or fill out a purple slip outside the office of Briana Giuliano on C level.

Rich Sheehy has a very impressive background. He holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Arizona State University and a B.A. in Economics from Georgetown University. He also graduated cum laude from the University of Miami Law School. After seven years with a large law firm, he decided he would prefer to work in counseling and therapy. Before coming to Kendal, he served as Director of Human Resources for Columbia University Medical Center, the Jacob Burns Film Center, and most recently, Manhattanville College.

He lives in Chappaqua with his wife, Heather, who works as Creative Director for Peter Pauper Press, and their 15-year-old son, Jake.

Rich is proud of his diligent, capable staff: Nadine Sbezzi is Recruitment Manager and Valina Garcia is Human Resources Generalist. Nadine conducts a virtual job fair once a month to attract new employees. When a staff member leaves us, s/he participates in an exit interview. Asked how we can compete economically with other employers such as hospitals and restaurants, Rich replied, “We emphasize a better work/life balance and it’s a fact that the work itself is personally very rewarding. It’s all about our mission.”

The Grand Ladies of the Hudson Peter R. Limburg Visitors, residents, and anyone else entering the front door of the Mary Powell building can see on their left a scale model of the iconic Hudson River steamboat for which our main building is named. Launched in 1861, before the first passenger stepped aboard, she was acclaimed “Queen of the Hudson” by a New York newspaper for her beautiful lines, speed, and elegant accommodations. For 65 years she plied the Hudson between Rondout (now part of Kingston) and Manhattan.

Her length at launching was 267 feet, and she boasted three decks. At the end of the first season her captain, who was also the owner, had her cut in half just behind the great paddlewheels and spliced in a 21-foot midsection, making her 288 feet long, almost as long as a football field. Captain Anderson insisted on strict decorum for his passengers and banned the sale of liquor. The Queen’s huge engine (62-inch diameter and 12-foot stroke) gave her a top speed of perhaps 25 miles an hour, faster than any other boats on the river.

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Model of the Mary Powell in lobby of its namesake building

At first a day boat, this vessel was put on the night run in 1865 but subsequently returned to daytime service, for a river trip on the Mary Powell became a sought-after tourist experience.

The majestic scenery of the Hudson never failed to impress and enchant travelers. Among her passengers, many were bound for resorts in the nearby Catskills; others used the trip for prosaic daily business. Some of Mary Powell’s passengers were famous. In 1869 she carried President Grant and family from New York to West Point. A week later Vice-President Schuyler Colfax rode her from West Point to Rondout for a two-day celebration and back to New York City. The aging poet Walt Whitman made many trips on the Mary Powell to visit his friend, the naturalist John Burroughs, in his Catskill retreat. In 1871 the ship carried Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, here on an official trip of the Russian navy, on a tour of New York Harbor. In 1882 the celebrated Oscar Wilde, on a lecture tour in the United States, used the Mary Powell to shuttle between audiences in New York City and various Catskill resorts. One of her celebrated passengers was a corpse: the body of General George Armstrong Custer had been exhumed from its battlefield grave at the Little Bighorn and shipped east by rail. The Mary Powell took him on the last leg of the journey to West Point for burial.

In 1886 the Mary Powell was chosen as the flagship of a floating parade in New York Harbor to celebrate the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. This was the start of a long career of appearances, in many of which the Mary Powell starred, the last being in 1909, in a joint celebration of Henry Hudson and Robert Fulton.

The ship’s last year of service was 1917, in which she made two special trips carrying people to hear the famed evangelist Billy Sunday. When she was broken up, fans snapped up every possible memento, and some wrote poems lamenting her demise.

Was there a real Mary Powell? Yes, there was. She was the wife of a Newburgh businessman, Thomas Powell, who had an interest in the shipping line and already had a boat on the river bearing his own name.

The Alida had a shorter and sadder story than the Mary Powell. Launched in 1847, she was for a few years the boat to take on the Hudson. A popular waltz was named for her. (You can get it today on YouTube.) Sleek and trim at 267 feet long, for three years she was the 11

fastest boat on the river, regularly besting 20 miles an hour. Once, aided by a powerful tide, she came close to 25 miles an hour. But she was eclipsed by the new, faster Francis Skiddy, whose portrait hangs in the FDR. In the late 1860s, a new owner converted her into a tugboat, and she served in that role until 1875. Then a sister boat, the Sunnyside, sank when her hull was breached by ice. The owners decided to build a new boat and use Alida’s engine in it—but it was found to lack sufficient power. Alida was towed to a boatyard in Port Ewen, just south of Kingston, and moldered there until broken up in 1886—a sad ending for a former queen of the river.

Saturday Evening Landing of the Mary Powell at Cornwall The sun is setting in the Heaven

Around the river’s graceful turn

On this, the last day of the seven,

She seems the water’s aid to spurn,

The carriages all do flock

To Cornwall’s spacious dock.

The Powell appears in sight, She glides along so light.

The sight is goodly to the eyes,

How like a swan, she proudly glides

Horses of every color and size:

The crowds that throng her ample side

The ladies’ costumes gay,

Brown, white, black and grey!

Team after team in fine array,

Comes dashing down the hill, Until you cry out in dismay,

“Why, what place can they fill?”

But hush! hush! hush! Hear that bell?

How changed the busy scene; All quickly to each other tell The Mary Powell is seen!

Over the waters clear!

Wave, for now she draws near.

Majestically, as if to rest,

At Cornwall now she stops,

Upon the noble Hudson’s breast Reclines she by the dock.

Free waves her streamer on the wind; She passes out of sight,

Leaving the merry scene behind

Her whistle cries, “Good Night!”

Courtesy of the Hudson River Maritime Museum, Kingston, NY 12

Cluny Moments Jan Maier Everyone should have “Cluny Moments” in their lives — the more, the better. I have had many, with the first one having taken place in the famed museum of medieval art in Paris in Spring 2017.

First, what is a Cluny Moment? It is a moment of complete absorption and enchantment that one remembers long afterwards and that casts a shimmer and glow over the memory, the event, and the place itself. My moment happened in the Cluny Museum and I came to it as a retired senior with an open mind. My friend and I looked through the galleries and admired the objects in the cases and on the walls, the most notable of the latter being the Unicorn Tapestries. Then we found ourselves in the Roman frigidarium, and the scene for the Moment was set. I had never encountered a Roman frigidarium before; I’d read about Roman baths and had visited some remains in Bath, England, but I was not prepared to find such a well-preserved, specialized section of a Roman bathhouse in northern France. It was magnificent - intact to a large degree, with cubicles (not lockers) for belongings, several tubs into which bathers immersed themselves at the appropriate stages, and much of the wall and ceilings still standing. My friend and I sat down to absorb the ambience and observe the other half-dozen visitors in the frigidarium. Among them were two little siblings, a boy and a girl.

Then, faintly from a distance, we heard the sound of an early music ensemble making music.

We had learned that Parisian museums give free concerts on Sunday afternoons; this was the group that was going perform later. My friend and I sat as the sound got louder, and a half dozen musicians entered the frigidarium. They headed towards a slightly elevated platform, and stood as they practiced for their afternoon performance. The specific instruments don’t come clearly into mind, but there was a tambourine-like instrument, a string or strings (of course), probably a lute or two, some kind of wind instrument (early flute perhaps), and I think an early type of horn or trumpet.

The two children heard the music; the little girl, slightly older than her brother, continued her exploration of the frigidarium. The little boy moved over to a spot in front of the musicians, plonked himself down, and made himself the group’s audience, giving them his total and undivided attention. My friend and I were sitting behind him. We could see his back and his head, and neither moved an inch. After a few moments, his sister moved over and sat beside him. Then the musicians stepped off the platform in single file, moved around the two children to form a ring, and gave them their own personal performance. The musicians gave them plenty of space but were clearly performing to them. At one point a musician stepped over and gently shook his tambourine, at the shoulder of the little boy, but drawing him into the performance. Time stopped; my friend and I were totally absorbed in the music, in the drama being played out before us and in the enchanted bubble of time into which musicians, children, and ourselves were drawn, spellbound. A fairy ring of musicians, weaving their magic over the children and over my friend and me.

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That moment passed, as all moments must, but I have never forgotten it, and I think of it as the archetypal moment of magic that, with luck and a certain amount of receptiveness, can reoccur throughout a person’s life. The moment of magic can take more than one form.

Mine happened to be related primarily to music, with the museum and the participants a strong second. But, as the saying goes, each to his own. The Cluny Moment can happen on a football field, I imagine, if that is one’s area of activity and interest.

Another wonderful thing about Cluny Moments is that, once one has been identified, one is better prepared to recognize other such Moments. Another such moment happened in my life one dreary winter evening on the platform of the shuttle from Times Square to Grand Central Terminal. The concert at Lincoln Center had ended, the hour was late, I was surrounded by dirty, gray, cement platform underneath my feet, litter-strewn tracks beside the platform, dingy iron pillars beside me, and cold air around me. A half dozen similarly weary travelers were loosely scattered around me, and I was idly observing them in an effort to stay awake. From somewhere music played; I can’t remember the source. An older, elegantlooking woman in a knee-length skirt was moving her foot about. A few seconds passed, then a gentleman near to her stepped closer, took her by the waist, and swept her into a perfect waltz. The music continued, the waltz continued, and all of us around the couple (they obviously had danced with each other before), stood watching them, mesmerized, enjoying the expertise and fluidity of their movements, their elegance and poise, and their obvious enjoyment. Finally the music, and the waltz, ended, and the dancers got an enthusiastic and spontaneous round of applause from us. One spectator came up to the gentleman and told him, “You’ve got the moves, man.” He did. The two dancers transformed that station, and we would have watched them dance indefinitely. That memory buoyed me up on the long train ride home. I still hope that when I enter a subway station (and particularly that one), the pair of dancers will reappear and continue their waltz.

The third moment was only recognized as a Cluny Moment some 10 or so years after the time that I coined the definition. The southern Bohemian town of Cesky Krumlov, on the Vltava River, had a castle with a magnificent Baroque theater dating from 1680. A group of us travelers were on our way to our lodgings for the night. We heard a boat being rowed in the water. It was dark; we could not see the boat but could hear the faint sounds of water and oars, and also the louder and clearer sounds of singing in a language we did not recognize.

It was beautiful singing, a ghostly, haunting sound, voices singing with perfect control and on perfect pitch — a spontaneous vocal performance for a group of Americans in a small town on a river in Eastern Europe. I thought of Kodaly, the Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist and philosopher, who, among other things, was known for his interest in folk songs. A land where people sang as they propelled their boat through the water in the darkness of the late evening; it felt like something out of a fairy tale.

Indeed, a Cluny Moment.

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Linda Mahoney: A Musical Life Edith Litt with Doris Eder Their two children grown and gone, Hubert and Linda Mahoney Herring moved to Kendal from Dobbs Ferry in August of 2021. Hubert had retired from his job as an editor and staff writer for The New York Times and other publications and Linda from her teaching responsibilities. Hubert is now a staff writer for Kendal View; and Linda…well, she’s the subject of this article.

Linda grew up in a musical family. At a young age, she studied ballet, and was talented and lucky enough to study with Andre Eglevsky, considered one of the greatest male dancers The very talented of his generation. Unfortunately, one of Linda’s knees gave Linda Mahoney way, unable to withstand ballet’s demands, and during high school, she had to quit ballet.

Nevertheless, she credits ballet with teaching her how to move, particularly how to move with music. She was able to continue musical movement with jazz dancing, which doesn’t require such extreme flexibility. And she still had the ability and talent to play the piano well, having started lessons at eight.

Ballet was behind her but certainly not music. Linda graduated from Catholic University of America with a degree of Bachelor of Music in Music Education, and a year later, a Master of Music in Voice. She moved to New York City to pursue a singing career, and for two years, worked at Juilliard’s Concert Office. She took courses there as a perk.

Linda then embarked on a career as a coloratura soprano, singing major roles in many operas, among them Susanna in Marriage of Figaro, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Blonde in The Abduction from the Seraglio, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Olympia in Tales of Hoffman, and Sister Constance in Dialogue of the Carmelites. She won awards and grants from Yale, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Metropolitan Opera Association, and several others. (You can hear her Zerbinetta aria from Ariadne auf Naxos on SoundCloud. It’s #’s 21, 22, and 23.)

As a teenager, Linda had to give up ballet because of her knee. More serious, after a decade of professional singing, she lost her voice. For seven years she had difficulty singing or even speaking. Unable to continue her career as a singer, she pursued other avenues, rethought her career, mourned her loss, and studied. Tough years.

During this period, Linda and Hubert met and married in 1982. In Linda’s words [lightly condensed]: “I picked up my B of Music Education degree and began teaching shortly after our daughter was born in 1987. When our two kids were young, I taught many preschool classes, took courses, and taught with groups like Kindermusik and Music Together.

I learned how to play the guitar and recorder; got certified in the Orff Schulwerk and Suzuki 15

methods of teaching music. The most exciting, intense, and maybe esoteric methodology, however, was earning a Certification in Dalcroze Eurhythmics, a deep and challenging way to understand and participate in music making, involving movement, in-depth study of music theory, and improvisation on your chosen instrument.

“As my children grew, I eventually taught from preschool through college. Most of my work in the public school sector was K-4 music classes, although I also accompanied choirs.” A highlight: for a number of years, second-grade students in Dobbs Ferry put on a mini-version of The Magic Flute. Their teacher wrote the text; Linda selected and taught the music. The children acted out the parts and sang some choruses. High school singers were brought in for some of the solos, including daughter Emily Herring, who sang the Queen of the Night’s taxing aria and the role of Papagena.

Linda often had two simultaneous outside jobs while also teaching piano in her home.

“Looking back, it was wonderful except for the endless lesson plans, each for a different grade or level. I was a full-time teacher and full-time mother.”

At Kendal, Linda can be heard on the piano at holiday celebrations (e.g., New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July), at the monthly birthday parties, sometimes at singalongs, as well as in popup performances with other residents. She is a facilitator for the Inner Exploration Group, participates in art classes and a book group, and as part of the Music Committee, recently arranged for the New Camerata Opera group to perform here.

In summation, Linda said: “As a kid, I imagined a career which would combine all the arts I loved, especially music and dance. I would now include visual arts, poetry, the natural world and the study of different spiritual traditions. I’m intrigued by what’s beneath the obvious but also, right in front of us, if we pay attention.”

SUBMISSIONS Over the past 18 years, Kendal View has become firmly established as a community magazine by encouraging submissions from residents. We invite you to submit a short story, memoir, essay or poem – serious or amusing.

All material is subject to editing for clarity and space. You can email your submission in the Word format to either of the KV editors below (addresses are in the KoH Directory). Or give a call if you would like to discuss a likely subject or ask a question. Whichever, the response will be as prompt as possible.

Llyn Clague, Extension 1951

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Pat Taylor. Extenson 1773

Index of Kendal View Advertisers

Allan Block Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 All County Car & Limo Service . . . . . . . . . 23 Amico Senior Transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Angels on Call Home Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 C.A.R.S. Repair Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Coffey Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Dr. Kevin Jong, Dentist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Dwyer & Michael’s Funeral Home . . . . . . . 20 Enrico Hair Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 FYO Accounting & Tax Service . . . . . . . . . 19 Grape Expectations Wines & Liquors . . . . . 21 Harnik Bros. Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Home Again Transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Hudson Financial Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Hudson Pharmacy & Surgical . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Jazz Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Mickey’s Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Phelps Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 and 23 The Village Bookstore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Van Tassel Cleaners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Village Wine & Spirits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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Dentistry, as with other health services, is rapidly changing. Technology is constantly improving, allowing us to deliver quality care in less time and with less stress. Most importantly though, dentistry is still an art as well as a science. As a health service, the patient care is provided not only by the doctor, but by the entire office staff. Dentistry as a health service means properly placed restorations and courteously answered phones. Rapidly changing technology will not change this philosophy of service.

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