Kendal View May - June 2024

Edited by Pat Taylor

COVERS

Front Cover: Sacré Coeur Church (in Paris) by Arthur Brady

Inside Front Cover: A bad hair day (taken in Rockwood Preserve) by Ed Kasinec

Inside Back Cover: Waiting for walkers (opposite Robert Fulton) by Caroline Persell

Back Cover: Summer snow on Mount Rainier (near Seattle) by Arthur Brady

Inside photographs (unless otherwise specified) by Arthur Brady

KENDAL VIEW STAFF

Editors

Llyn Clague and Pat Taylor

Managing Editor Hubert B. Herring

Editorial Staff

Laura Burkhardt, Gene DuBow, Doris Eder, Muriel Fox, Edith Litt, Norman Sissman, Valerie Wolzien

Photography Editors

Harry Bloomfeld, Arthur Brady, Caroline Persell, Richard Schneeman

Advertising

Emil Bahary, Peter Roggemann, Ad Directors

Carolyn Klinger, Coordinator

A Revolutionary in Our Midst

Pat Taylor

Happily ensconced as a Kendal resident, Muriel Fox has capped a lifelong commitment to feminist goals by writing a book on the subject. Titled The Women’s Revolution: How We Changed Your life, it will be published by New Village Press on June 18, 2024. Kendal View is pleased to give its readers a preview of the book with three editorial excepts chosen by Muriel that appear in the following two pages.

In her comprehensive memoir about the Second Wave feminist movement, Muriel offers firsthand profiles of such historymaking women as Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Shere Hite, Kate Millet, and Eleanor Smeal.

In 1966, Muriel joined other like-minded women in founding the National Organization for Women (NOW). As its public relations chair, she was charged with introducing the new feminist organization to the media of the world. To do so, she called upon her experience as executive vice president of Carl Byoir Associates, then America’s leading public relations firm. (Business Week had called her “top woman in PR.”) After enormous success in the launch, Muriel went on to chair NOW’s national board from l97l to l973. Today, she is honorary board chair of Legal Momentum (formerly NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund).

Muriel has continued her work in the feminist movement as a founder of the International Women’s Forum and early president of its New York chapter, as well as serving as a board chair of Veteran Feminists of America. She is listed in “Who’s Who in America” and “Foremost Women of the Twentieth Century.”

As the feminist movement gained its incredible momentum, Muriel remained in the forefront of the battle. When The Feminine Mystique made its groundbreaking debut, Muriel was Friedan’s first lieutenant and especially useful in contacting government agencies and in personal letters to then-president Lyndon Johnson.

As a Kendal resident today, Muriel leads an incredibly busy life. She is on the Residents Council, is a staff writer for Kendal View, and a member of the Dining Advisory and Opera Committees.

In addition, she produces major Kendal events, such as celebrations of New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July.

Feminist icon Muriel Fox remains an influential voice in today’s women’s movement .

Three Excerpts from Muriel’s Book

From the segment about Betty Friedan:

Betty insisted that many millions of seniors can live rewarding lives until age 100 or beyond. She referred to “the second half” of life as time that can be energetic and joyful. And sexually satisfying. This concept was revolutionary in 1993; today it is widely recognized everywhere. It’s a guiding principle of senior living residences now blossoming throughout the world. (I live happily in one, Kendal on Hudson, outside New York City. Two of my good friends, Bill Rakower and Jean MacIntosh, are over 104 and are still lively and interesting.) Once again, Betty was ahead of her time. Her arguments against ageism are especially relevant for women, since we live longer than most men.

NOTE: There are six additional references to Kendal on Hudson in other chapters

From Chapter 1:

On June 18, 2024, The New Village Press will publish a compelling memoir of the Second Wave feminist movement . Both photos courtesy of publisher .

Before 1966, the old system did not change after Aristotle described it in 384 B.C.E. In Politics he announced: “Between the sexes, the male is by nature superior and the female inferior, the male ruler and the female subject.” William Blackstone, who laid out the legal system for England and the United States, wrote in 1765: “the very being or legal existence of the woman is suspended during the marriage, or at least is incorporated … into that of the husband.” (Blackstone 1765, pp 93-98) In my mother’s lifetime, women were discouraged from asserting themselves (a practice often attributed to “penis envy” by followers of Sigmund Freud), whose granddaughter said he believed that “women were secondary and were not the norm.” (Roberts 2022) In the late 20th century, our Women’s Revolution rejected the doctrines of Aristotle, Blackstone and Freud. Treat women like human beings!

Our revolution comprised millions of small battles and dozens of large ones. We’re still very, very far from complete victory. Many women are still left behind. But amazing progress has been made.

First, of course, we had to help women believe it might be possible – and urgently desirable – to change their lives. Then we needed a strong national organization, to represent us in furthering demands that powerful men could not ignore. We needed generals and lieutenants and millions of foot-soldiers. We needed heroes. We needed Consciousness Raising, which made women eager for change.

To pave the way for our revolution, we thanked the courageous suffragists who won women the vote. And educators who prepared women for new lives. And infiltration of female workers into nontraditional occupations, a trend that accelerated in World War Two. And most especially, the long-overdue civil rights movement, which fought for equality for all human beings. And The Pill (God bless it), approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1960. All made a crucial difference.

But change was still slow. Despite some progress after women won the vote in 1920, mankind was still saying, with no legal restrictions: “We don’t hire women.” “We don’t rent to women.” “We don’t admit women.” “We don’t give credit cards to women.” “Men are the head of the household.” “We’re excluding women for their own protection.” “We’re excluding women because they interfere with how we do things.” “We won’t promote you because women can’t be bosses.” “We won’t promote you because you’re bossy and un-feminine.” “We hired a woman once, and it didn’t work out.” “Women are too emotional to handle that.” “A woman would be taking a man’s place in that job (or school or business or union seniority list).” Every day of our lives, women and girls were reminded of our second-class existence.

I maintain that today’s new era for women and men began on October 29, 1966, when we founded the National Organization for Women (NOW). After that date, the wheels of progress began to turn everywhere. Though they’ve slowed down in recent years, they’re still turning. Far faster than we’d expected. Our revolution in the United States started a movement for “Women’s Rights” throughout the world, all the way from Abu Dhabi to Zambia, from bedrooms to boardrooms. Roles and behaviors evolved rapidly. We began to insist, once and for all, that female human beings will never again be the subsidiaries of males.

From the End of the Final Chapter:

This book has focused on women in the United States, where the modern feminist revolution came to life in 1966. Since then, feminists have created change in every land, everywhere. Some countries have made even more progress than ours. But women still face so much unfinished business in so many parts of the world! Although women comprise half of the world’s population, they still do two-thirds of the world’s work. We earn only a fraction of the world’s income, and we possess only a tiny share of its property.

We can rejoice that much has changed in a very short time, after many thousand years of injustice. How can we maintain the momentum that began in October, 1966? Since you’re reading this book, I hope it is an expression of your interest and we may count on you to carry on the progress set in motion by the feminists you’ve read about here. There’s much more work to be done, and we depend on you. Thank you!

Day One at Kendal

Gene DuBow

As the sun rose on May 9, 2005, it was a rather normal Monday on the shores of the Hudson River in Sleepy Hollow, NY. It had been a cool night in the 30s, but it was expected to be 60 degrees by afternoon. People were just getting up to go to work or already enjoying a first cup of coffee.

In Russia, President Bush and dozens of other world leaders attended a celebration in Moscow’s Red Square marking the 60th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany. Bush was given a seat of honor next to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Actress Candice Bergen (59) and pop singer Billy Joel (56) were looking forward to their birthday celebrations.

In the Westchester area, two families were checking on the condition of household goods and furniture being loaded onto moving vans. They were about to make one of the most dramatic changes in their lives: they were moving to Kendal on Hudson.

Current resident Annette Leyden, her late husband, and the late Joan Vogel were scheduled to arrive at Kendal that first day. When the moving vans arrived, Annette – with the help of her daughter Gabrielle – and Joan busied themselves with the placement of furniture and unloading of boxes. These tasks were to be replicated hundreds of times by new residents in the years to come. Annette remembers being given a box lunch while her unpacking continued apace.

Pat Doyle had joined Kendal in September 2003 as its first Executive Director so she was on board every day to welcome new residents.

Dinner the first evening was quite festive. Members of the Kendal Board were there, along with future residents Horst and Gay Berger and Jim and Joan Oltman. Also on hand was Gower Lane, director of dining services. The new executive chef went all out and included a cake that Annette and Joan cut. Champagne was provided by the chair of the Kendal Board, Maarten van Hengel.

That night Kendal had seven people on the property. In addition to the new residents, there was Pat, who had moved into a guest room for the first sixty days of operation, two security guards, and an LPN (there were residents, so a nurse had to be on the premises for emergency response), though the licensing of the health center was still a few months away.

Founder Annette Leyden is Kendal’s longest in-resident member

The only building that was finished was Mary Powell. Clermont was not ready for occupancy until June. Fulton was to be ready in July. Alida’s opening was planned for August.

Starting the next day, Kendal averaged four move-ins daily. As it happened, the whole summer was blistering hot, so cases of cold water to keep the moving truck crews hydrated were the order of the day.

Kendal’s first “fireside chat” was held the following week. Continuing through summer, Pat and the dozen or so residents sat in a circle next to the fireplace in the original gathering room. Hence the name to this day of the official meeting place for the CEO and residents.

The pool was not yet approved by the county, but Cathy DiSomma immediately started getting residents together with exercise equipment. She’s been at it ever since.

Only the Bistro was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The FDR had to wait until there were enough residents to justify hiring a wait staff.

And so it all began: the hopes, planning, and an enormous amount of work brought to fruition after eleven years. Four buildings completed. Many committees begun by residents even before they were residents. A great number of people over the years blending into a community. Though residents still come from many places and are of different backgrounds and religions, Quaker values have molded Kendal into something that is much greater than a “hotel with health care.” We may have different beliefs, but there is no doubt that these values continue to unite us today.

A View of the KoH Visual Arts Program

Ann Lasusa

A workshop in the Art Room combines fellowship, concentration, and learning . The view is great, too .

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Entering a hallway at Kendal, one sees both sides hung with art work. It quickly becomes apparent that the residents have not settled for mass-produced, standard, and “safe” wall décor. Making art available in public spaces was the idea of two Founders, the late Helen Price and Jackie Wilke, who became the first chairs of the Art Committee and CAFA (Common Areas Furnishings and Art). Even before they moved in, they met with a group of potential residents to explore a vision of a Kendal that embodied a sense of home and comfort, while encouraging an appreciation for the visual arts.

Photo by Carolyn Reiss

Helen Price, an accomplished painter and past President of the National Association of Women Artists, was assigned a space now called “The Art Room.” Tables were purchased and donated. A sink, shelves, bulletin boards and spaces for the future creators to keep their supplies were installed. Everything was ready to go! An Art Committee came together quickly and their mission to inspire creative expression for personal enjoyment and community enrichment began.

One of the first activities was establishing the “Rue des Artistes,” a wall space that was used for shows by outside artists. As new residents moved in, they showed their own work. Now, the “Rue des Artistes” exhibits works by Kendal residents and staff only, in two or three major shows a year. From the first, these exhibits inspired new residents to become involved in the classes, workshops, and informal sessions that were set up. The Art Room became a busy and creative venue.

Many stories can be told about the impact of these activities. For example, a nonagenarian’s wife died two days after he moved in, leaving him devastated. He appeared one morning at an informal Saturday Open Studio in the Art Room and asked for a pencil. He sat down and began to draw. He was reliving places meaningful to him and his wife. At the suggestion to try color, his enthusiasm grew. He couldn’t believe it when he saw his work hanging on the “Rue des Artistes” Wall. That resident was in the Art Room every Saturday until four days before he died. (You can see a small sample of his work hanging on the window side of the Art Room.)

This is typical of what Kendal’s art program has contributed since its inception. New residents find an urge to do something different from the careers they left behind. Often, they experience a creativity they never knew they had. In making their own visual object, they begin to see more and more – and see it differently – and to increase their understanding of the art process. A museum trip becomes more meaningful. Many have discovered the satisfaction of being totally absorbed in their new efforts – and surprised at the results.

Today, the Art Committee is under the guidance of Carolyn Reiss as chair and Peter Sibley as chief curator. It continues to provide many opportunities for all at Kendal. The number of classes conducted by experienced teachers from off-campus has increased. Workshops by residents in various media – collage, oil, acrylic, watercolor, fabric, clay –are very popular. Many residents use their talents to make high-quality one-of-a-kind greeting cards.

Work in the “Rue des Artistes” shows are the result of participation in the activities found in the Art Room. The camera lenses of Kendal residents and staff also contribute to the work seen in these exhibits.

Here, everyone can engage in art. Just step out of your door and walk through hallways to see and “read” the works of resident artists, as well as art donated by incoming residents. We have a little museum here. Focus on your first impression and emotional response. Think: What was the creator’s intention? At Kendal, your visual experience can be the start of a new adventure!

Chef Eddy Dias – and 100,000 Meals a Year

Valerie Wolzien

As chef, Eddy Dias oversees a very busy kitchen .

Life rarely moves in a straight line, and the life of Kendal’s executive chef is no exception. Eddy Dias was born in Goa, on the west coast of India. He studied accounting, but had always been a foodie. His uncle was a chef and he realized that his interest could be his profession. That took him to culinary school where he studied international cuisine. After graduating it was on to a five-star resort, and four years later he went to sea.

For two years he sailed out of Miami, working in the kitchens of Trident Cruises. Then he was hired by Carnival Cruises, where he stayed for five more years. It was a tough schedule. He was at sea for eleven months then off for two. That ended when he got married and his wife said “no more cruising.”

When she was three months pregnant with their first child he found a home at Kendal. It was February 22, 2006, just nine months after KOH opened.

Now his wife is a store manager for Kohl’s. They have an 11-year-old daughter in sixth grade at St. Patrick’s school in Yorktown, and their son, Eric, is now a high school senior, and working weekends in the KOH health care section’s food service area.

The Executive Chef rarely does day-to-day cooking, but he sets the menus, orders the food, hires the kitchen staff and manages the kitchens for all of Kendal’s levels of care. His staff includes three morning cooks and four dinner chefs. Staffing is difficult everywhere these days, but after a period of chefs working six days a week, two open positions have recently been filled.

The kitchen team serves well over 100,000 meals a year including 20 gallons of soup a day….almost 7500 gallons a year. As for ice cream….who’s counting?

Chef Dias says he wants to “satisfy everybody” at Kendal, so his menus run in a fiveweek cycle to allow for diversity and choice. When developing menus, he blends his three experiences – formal training, his Indian heritage, and the unique flavors of Goa, a Portuguese colony for 450 years.

He keeps track of the tastes of Kendal residents and adjusts for the occasional problem; reading the online comments every morning before he checks his email.

What’s it like to work at Kendal on Hudson for eighteen years? Executive Chef Dias says he’s found a home here that’s unlike any other job he’s had. At KOH, residents treat him as a friend, not an employee, showing their appreciation for his hard work and the work of his

well as the food that comes out of his kitchen.

Kendal is a long way from spending time on an ocean liner…but for Chef Dias the lure of the sea has never ended. He and his family vacation on cruise ships. But at home, he’s the family chef.

The Art of Advertising

Cathie Campbell

Advertising gave Cathie a career involving creativity, travel and awards . And learning a little bit about a lot of things .

When you graduate from college with a major in Art, how do you earn a living? I ended up using those art skills to sell something. Actually, many things.

My career was as an art director/creative director in advertising. One of the best things about the job was the opportunity to learn a little bit about a lot of things – and also about the people who might be interested in buying them.

If you wanted to sell a Steinway piano to someone, you had to understand the motivations of people who love music enough to buy themselves the “best” piano. If you wanted to sell a Subaru, it helped to understand the mindset of someone who is comfortable with an unconventional choice. And if you needed to sell Maxwell House coffee, you had to understand the thinking – no, really the feelings– of someone who was willing to accept mediocre coffee because she associated it with home.

But the most interesting assignment of all, the assignment of my career, wasn’t to sell something you could play or drive or drink. It was to sell a country and a culture. It was an assignment to create a television campaign for the Irish Tourist Board, to persuade Americans to make Ireland their number one vacation destination.

The stars were all aligned. The copywriter wrote a great script and tagline. The client approved a somewhat vague list of themes to cover. A talented South African director of Irish descent wanted to undertake the project enough to spend a month in Ireland shooting (and as this was underfunded, much of his effort was gratis). We had the luck to commission music from the Irish group Clannad.

Here’s the script we came up with: “First came the Danes, the Vikings, the Normans, the Saxons . All of them found Ireland to be absolutely irresistible . So, think what a grand time we’d show you Yanks Especially since you’d be the only ones of the lot we actually invited .” And the tagline: “Ireland, Ancient Birthplace of Good Times.”

In Ireland, we turned ourselves into hypertourists, covering many miles in vans. We struggled with wildly changeable weather. (In the 40 minutes it takes to set up a shot, the sun vanishes behind a giant rain cloud, and it’s a whole new lighting setup.)

It was great. Ireland is beautiful. The Irish are wonderful fun and splendid storytellers. The shoot lasted long enough that the client left us to our own devices and we shot fabulous footage. We shot rural Ireland: the apple-cheeked children, the craggy old men, quaint pubs. It seemed to be everything Americans would want Ireland to be and more.

When we came home, we worked with an editor to create a rough cut – 60 seconds of picture against script and music. Everyone at the agency who saw it loved it. We would screen it for them, the lights would come back on and people would be blinking back tears.

The day came for us to screen the rough cut for the people at the Irish Tourist Board. We dimmed the lights and smiled to ourselves as we were carried along with the words, music and imagery we’d created.

When the lights came back on, the client looked straight at us unsmiling, and said “This is kip!”

We learned, to our chagrin, that “kip” was “sh*t.”

And that what we had been doing in creating a commercial that we saw as romanticizing a place and people and a culture was also holding up a mirror to the Irish and saying, “This is you.”

While the target audience, the American public, saw Ireland as quaint and remote (this was 1989), the Irish had big ambitions to be modern and successful. They didn’t want to be seen as just old men and children and sheep and sheep dogs, they wanted to be like . . . Americans. And the same things about Ireland that moved Americans to tears, enraged the Irish.

Eventually the clients came around. They showed the rough cut to enough people who were in the target audience that it spoke to potential tourists in the American market.

And eventually, Ireland did become much more like America. They joined the EU and became an economic success story. I wonder if Ireland is still a magical destination.

There are many advertising award shows (Addys, Andys, Clios, Art Directors Club Award, etc.). But the big one was The One Show. And the Irish Tourist Board Campaign won The One Show Gold.

And back to Art as a career: As the late, great New Yorker art critic Peter Schjeldahl, who wanted to be a poet, said, “I wish all artists the luck that I had: discovering that what you have been doing for money is what you were meant to do.”

She-She-She Camps

Mimi Abramovitz

Mimi uncovered the story of the She-She-She camp program while conducting research for her book Regulating the Lives of Women; Social Welfare Policy from Colonial Times to the Present, first published in 1988. She is now working on the 4th updated edition to be published in 2025 by Routledge/Taylor Francis .

The 1929 stock market crash set off the Great Depression, which did not end until World War II. Unemployment reached record highs. By 1933, almost 13 million people (just under 25% of the workforce) were jobless including two million women. Some 200,000 women lived on the streets, slept on subways, or “tramped” the countryside. Approximately 40,000 homeless women and 10,000 women hoboes in 800 cities struggled to survive. Yet these women remained unseen. Helena Weed, a women’s rights activist, wrote: “While men thronged the breadlines; women hid their plight.” The American journalist Meridel Le Sueur observed, “A woman [without dependents] will shut herself up in a room until it is taken away from her, and eat a cracker a day and be as quiet as a mouse so there are no social statistics concerning her.” Indeed, you rarely saw women in soup kitchen and unemployment line photographs. Only 12 percent of the workers assisted by state relief programs were women.

The CCC and the She-She-She Camps

While both men and women desperately needed jobs, the initial New Deal work relief programs did not treat them equally. You probably heard about the popular Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) that recruited some 3 million unemployed young men to pick up saws and axes and head to the woods to fill forestry and conservation jobs in camps around the country. However, few know that between 1934, and 1937, thousands of women attended “She-She-She camps,” a short-lived program designed to support women without jobs.

The She-She-She program was the brainchild of Eleanor Roosevelt, who believed that the 2 million young jobless women also merited work opportunities. Sadly, but not surprisingly, the First Lady met resistance from New Deal administrators who, reflecting prevailing public opinion, questioned the propriety of work by women, much less sending women into the woods to work. In good times, the idea that women belonged in the home had already kept women out of the job market or clustered in so-called “women’s jobs.” This thinking gained strength during the Depression when the jobless male breadwinner received top priority for

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on a visit to the first She-Se-She camp in Bear Mountain, NY

Photo: CCC Archives

places in New Deal programs, even though many women also supported families. The work programs actively denied slots to women with able-bodied but jobless husbands defined as the household head.

Women’s Place Is in the Home

The idea that women, especially married women, belonged in the home rather than the workplace governed most New Deal programs. Its wage levels, hiring practices and regulations discriminated against them. By 1934 only 142,000 women had received any kind of federal relief compared with 1,927, 000 men. From Social Security to the Works Projects Administration (WPA), job creation appeared to be the New Deal’s solution for jobless male workers alone.

Life in the She-She-She camps

Critics mocked camps for young women, calling them “She-She-She” camps in a sendup of the CCC’s initials. Despite the mockery, the first Temporary Emergency Relief Assistance (TERA) camp was started in 1933 at what is now Bear Mountain State Park. It was later called Camp Jane Addams. By 1936 the government had opened over 90 camps nationwide in rural, suburban, and urban sites. The average camp served about 100 women, with 10-20 supervisors as well as cooks and a nurse. Enrolled for about six to eight weeks, each women worked fixed hours on camp assignments. However, the prevailing ideas about women’s proper work meant that women did not get the same training and job opportunities as the men. Instead, to accommodate the resistance, the women’s camps emphasized education, domesticity, and social opportunities rather than jobs.

The She-She-She camps trained the women in housekeeping and secretarial skills. The women worked in forest nurseries and made (plus repaired) toys and playground equipment. They created visual training aids for public schools, layettes for WPA nursing projects, and items for public institutions. They studied English, domestic science, hygiene, public health, and economics. For recreation, the women hiked and participated in games, athletic contests, music, and drama groups.

The CCC camps paid men $30 a month (i.e., $1 a day), but had them send $25 straight to their families. The women received $5 per month for personal needs in exchange for 56–70 hours work per month, but no stipend nor vocational training. Reflecting the prevailing racialized societal practices, the program segregated Black women in 12 camps where they received their own educational programs.

A Short-Lived Program

While the public largely supported the New Deal programs, the She-She-She camps lasted only four years compared to ten years for the CCC. They served less than 5,000 women a year or a total of 8500, compared with almost 3,000,000 men in the CCC. Compared to their hard life, most of the Depression-era women found the camp duties a relief from the meager sustenance in the cities. Many embraced the outdoors with a vigor matching that of the young CCC men.

Despite its success, the women’s program never achieved its full potential, The government never fully funded, and eventually abandoned, the She-She-She camps, perhaps because they challenged the status quo. By allowing women to go beyond their prescribed role in the home, the camps suggested that they could. When the housing and shelter crisis eased in 1937, the authorities shut it down as part of New Deal program cuts. Only about half of She-She-She participants managed to find jobs when they returned home. Most employers resisted hiring women while men remained unemployed.

Yet, many women who joined the She-She-She program gained weight, learned new skills, and boosted their self-esteem. One woman wrote, “It’s not only that I am getting enough to eat for the first time in three years, but I am beginning to think of myself as a real person again.” Other women reported that the experience had improved their health and given them a new outlook on life.

Dressing for Success 101

Marianne Bloomfeld

Marianne wrote this as a homework assignment for a creative writing class at Pace – part of the program that encourages KOH residents to audit one class per semester

There was a time when people didn’t own electronic devices that you could ask a question and immediately get an answer. You couldn’t google directions, instructions, or advice on a computer. There weren’t shelves of self-help books in libraries or bookstores, nor any how-to books for dummies. How then could you find out what to wear for a job interview?

I was a recent college graduate with a slim resume, looking for my first job as a medical writer. My college theses, term papers, and a scattering of lab research study reports constituted my writing samples. All were carefully typed on high quality, off-white paper. The key words that described the position I was looking for were “entry level.” I had no delusions that I was a great writer or even knew what a medical writer actually did. Both confidence and competence were in short supply. There was much more I was lacking, but I didn’t know it at the time.

I was married to a full-time student, so my job would be our sole source of income. We lived in a modest, two-room apartment. The kitchen wasn’t really a room; it was a wide hallway just large enough for the essential appliances and a table for two. The appliances showed evidence of use by many previous tenants. It was an old apartment building in Brooklyn in a working-class neighborhood. Our wedding gifts paid for the bedroom and living room furniture. The furniture salesman recommended “Italian Provincial.” The sofa had a brown wood frame on all the edges, surrounding stiff, white-and-gold brocade upholstery.

It was a sofa on which you had to sit upright.

I needed a job to pay the rent and all the other expenses of adult life that up till now my parents paid for. Securing that first job interview took some time, but a date was set and all I had to do was to show up. I hadn’t given a thought about what to wear for that all-important encounter. Now a decision had to be made and it didn’t occur to me that I should consult someone for guidance in this unfamiliar territory.

Going through my closet, I examined the range of items: casual to dressy, shabby to sophisticated, sporty to formal, wash-and-wear to dry-clean-only. My best and newest dress was the one I had bought for a friend’s wedding. It was light blue satin, sleeveless, and had a neckline just low enough to reveal a pearl necklace. It wasn’t a bridesmaid’s dress, so maybe it wouldn’t appear too dressy for an interview, I thought. I would skip the pearls.

The accessories that went with the blue dress had already been chosen for the first wearing. Matching satin shoes with criss-crossing straps and mid-high heels. A beaded bag with a shoulder strap. Now where would I put the copies of my resume and writing samples? I would carry a large, tan paper envelope.

When I entered the large, glass-walled lobby of the corporate headquarters, my heels clicking with each step on the marble floor, I saw that everyone—men and women—wore suits. I didn’t own a suit. I was escorted into several offices where I was interviewed by various people, starting with Human Resources (called “Personnel” at that time) and ending with the department head. Each time I shook hands and sat down, the tan paper envelope slipped off my lap, down my satin dress, and onto the floor. With it, went the meager confidence I had.

There could be many reasons that I didn’t get the job. I don’t know for sure that it was my interview outfit. The letter that arrived a few weeks later just said that they “found a candidate who was a better fit for the position.”

Then I went shopping. I would need not only an interview outfit, but a working wardrobe of the kind of clothing that I had never owned before.

Kendal View is published by the Residents Association of Kendal on Hudson, a nonprofit organization in compliance with IRS regulations under 501 (c) (3). It is printed by Heritage Hillsider Press, located in Somers, New York 10589.

10 Years. 3 Words.

Hubert B. Herring

This was written as an exercise in a writing class. The instruction: Take ten years of your life and describe in sentences of exactly three words.

Married four years. Happy I guess. Living in Catskills. Fixing old house. Young and stupid. Why here exactly? Real Vermont girl. And animal lover. Never liked city. Lived there first. I finally graduated. (A late bloomer.) Fled, no plan. Landed in mountains. Got some chickens. Actually named them. Dog, of course. Plus many cats. Many, many cats. Got through winter. Surprise come April. Horse had colt. Pregnant – who knew? Young and stupid. As I said. Anyway, gorgeous colt. Joy and frolic. Neighbor kids gleeful. It didn’t last. Colt got weak. Grizzled vet arrived. Not to worry. Calmed by grizzle. Relaxed a bit. Next morning, disaster. Colt was dead. A symbol here? If you will. Marriage quite fragile. Hadn’t faced it. Things bothered me. Again and again. Looked at her. Jolt of reality. This won’t change. Something clicked off. Deep inside me. Spiraled into gloom. Saw no escape. Lasted full year. Gloom, paralysis, despair. Another April came. Explosion of emotions. Everything went crazy. Drama, high drama. Never mind details. Marriage was over. I was alone. Exhilarated at first. Spinning and spinning. Out of control. Fell to earth. New, deeper depression. Kill myself today? Or maybe tomorrow? A long slog. But I survived. Finally clawed out. Returned to city. Where I belonged. Started life again. Real jobs finally. A few girlfriends. One, four years. Never quite right. Fought and fought. Started to jog. Fought, ran more. Then even more. Soon, girlfriend gone. Hooked on running. New York Marathon? Holy grail now. But too late. Couldn’t sign up. Didn’t stop me. Did it myself. The very morning. Around the reservoir. Round and round. Close to collapse. Made it, though. True runner now. One of those. Ran real marathons. Never felt better. But something missing. Love life vanished. Mother getting worried. Ever see grandchildren? Don’t know, Mom. Late 30’s now. No partner near. I’d gotten pickier. Older, less stupid. Bachelor life ahead? Dramatic pause here. The world changed. Linda stepped in. The real thing. Knew at once. Head over heels. Like a teenager. Life upside down. No sleep possible. Things happened fast. She moved in. Soon, a proposal. Yes, she said. Fireworks in brain. Married in September. Month in Europe. A blissful adventure. Came home pregnant. This colt lived. New adventures began.

by Shelley Robinson

Memory: The Short and Long of It

Bert Pepper

8:30 AM:

While I was doing my morning stretch on the living room floor, Peggy walked in from the bedroom, stopped, stood motionless:

Bert: What’s up?

Peggy: I came in here to get something, but I can’t remember what.

Bert: Why don’t you go back into the bedroom and see if it comes back to you?

(N.B.: Context can often aid Memory)

Peggy: OK.

8:35 AM:

Peggy returned and said, “I remembered when I got to the bedroom. I was looking for my timer so that I wouldn’t be late for class.“

8:50 AM:

Over breakfast I said to Peggy, “A random name popped into my mind while I was exercising. I have no idea who she is or was or what it means. Virginia Dare.”

Peggy: Oh, Virginia Dare was the first child born to the English settlers in their first colony in Virginia. It’s also the name for some retail product.”

The above incident is an example of the striking difference between:

1. Short-term memory: All seniors are in trouble with this, and 2. Long-term memory: It lasts and lasts.

SUBMISSIONS

What makes Kendal View a community magazine is that it is completely written and edited by residents. That means we depend upon contributions from people like you. We invite you to submit an article you’ve always wanted to write about: a slice-of-life vignette, a truly funny episode, an adventure, a unique travel story, your experiences at Kendal. Either email your double-spaced submission in Word to KV’s two editors (Llyn Clague and Pat Taylor) or give a call to discuss a possible subject and ask questions. There’s always a new issue of Kendal View coming up!

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.

Website: www.drzegarelli.com • Email: info@drzegarelli.com

The Zegarelli dental office has been located in Tarrytown since 1982. We have been serving KoH residents since the Kendal opening day in 2005.

SENIOR HEALTH VITALITY PROGRAM

Your partner in health and wellness

Please visit the Phelps website to see all of our upcoming programs and support groups: phelps.northwell.edu/events

For more information on our programs, please email vitality@northwell.edu or call (914) 366-1150.

For more information on our Caregivers Support Group options, please contact Gaby Naranjo, LMSW at (914) 366-3937 or email gnaranjo@northwell.edu.

Vitality at Phelps Hospital offers a variety of free programs and services to help you stay active and engaged as you age. We provide educational health-related classes, events, support programs, and expert care to enhance your well-being.

1. Keeping Memory Alive: Memory Care

Offers education and activities to keep your brain stimulated and your cognition sharp.

2. The Breakfast Club

Join us for monthly presentations from our physicians and clinical experts on different health and wellness topics, with time for a Q&A at the end of each session.

3. Osteoporosis Program

For those concerned about their bone health including bone loss and fractures, hear from physicians, physical/ occupational therapists, and dietitians to discuss risk factors, causes, proper body mechanics, and medication options to maintain healthy bones as you age.

4. Pain Management Support Program

This group is for adults of all ages suffering from acute and/or chronic pain who seek more information. It is hosted by our pain management physician Stephen Thorp, MD, and each session will have a presenter and Q&A session.

5. Caregivers Support Group

Our Caregiver Support Group is a non-judgmental safe space open to all community members in a caregiving role.

6. Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Support Group

Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease can present many challenges and take a significant toll on a caregiver’s health. Fortunately, emotional support groups can provide the assistance and reassurance you need to manage stress and take time for your own much-needed care.

• Offering Competitively Priced Burials, Cremations, Memorials.

• 75 Car Parking Lot Adjacent to Our Building

• Fully Renovated

• Both Large and Small Chapels And we are Centrally Located

• 5-Star Google Rated Business

Reduce stress...PrePlan today

Walk-Ins Welcome

We are Available 24 hours a day. You will always be handled by our family & staff. We fully support Kendal on Hudson.

Enrico Hair Care, Inc.

Enrico Hair Care, Inc.

Yolanda is available for pedicure by appointment

MondaysEnrico cuts and styles and Tatiana consults on color

Wednesday

KIm does hair color/cut and styling

Wednesdays

Hairstyling by Kim

Friday

Wednesdays through FridaysMaria does manicures

Maria does manicure and waxing

Sandra does hair color/cut and styling

Thursday and FridaysHairstyling by Toni Fridays -

Saturday Enrico does hair color/cut and styling

Christina does pedicures, manicures and hair.

Call for appointments 523-6382 or 922-1057

Call for appointments 914-523-6382 or 914-922-1057

FYO Accounting & Tax Services

• In-home service

914-962-5475

• Tax Preparation & Planning

• Bookkeeping

• Filing & Organizing

• Bill Paying

Seniors Transition Services, LLC

Owner: Jean Mayer, EA

strans1@gmail.com Reduce the Stress of Downsizing

Serving residents at Kendal on Hudson since its opening.

914-862-2305

jeanmayertax@gmail.com

• Assist You/Your Family in Vacating Apartments

• Pack Charitable Donations

25% discount to Kendal residents.

• Obtain Estimates from Movers

• Achieve Maximum Tax Benefit

• Work Within Your Time Frame Insured Call for Free Estimate 914-962-5475

Off-Season Tax Special: Provide your prior year tax returns and receive a free review, consultation, and fee quote. No obligation.

Owner: Marco Araujo

914-703-0501 Or 914-631-2277