FYI
T
Pat Taylor
he idea for an article on Kendal’s Dining Services staff was suggested at an editorial meeting with the thought that it would be a few paragraphs on each person. When KV staff writers Muriel Fox and Llyn Clague started doing interviews, however, they found that the individual backgrounds were very interesting, the responsibilities or tasks impressive, and the dedication complete. Ergo, the seven interviews turned into a total of ten pages on one subject: how your dinner last night was planned, prepped and served. The other three articles in this, the last issue of 2020, include a submission by former editor Norman Sissman about his trip to the Galàpagos Islands. This is followed by a brief but intriguing look by Gretchen Engler at the Library’s collection of books written by past and present residents. (We welcome Gretchen, a Library volunteer and new member of the Residents Council, as a first-time writer in the magazine.) Finally, Llyn Clague follows up on his article in the previous issue on his student days in Sweden with continuing educational and life experiences, this time in Germany. The covers for this issue were selected and processed by Caroline Persell, co-photo editor. Any photographer will tell you that a good photo op is hard to come by – fortunately, Bert Pepper was at the right time and right place to shoot our front cover. Caroline Persell attended an exhibit recently and took the colorful photograph on the inside front cover. (See page 16 for more on the artist.) The inside back cover, also by Caroline, was taken in December 2019, when thousands of people still passed through Grand Central every day. Besides bringing us a dash of much-needed holiday cheer, the winter Amaryllis plant adorning the back cover represents Sheila Darnborough’s first Kendal View cover. KENDAL VIEW STAFF Editor Pat Taylor Managing Editor Llyn Clague Editorial Staff Eugene DuBow, Doris Eder, Muriel Fox, Edith Litt, Deborah O’Keefe, Sue Phillips, Norman Sissman Photography Editors Arthur Brady, Caroline Persell Advertising Director Peter McCuen 1
The Kendal Dining Leadership Team Upcoming discussions of a KoH Master Plan will likely begin with the subject of dining practices and facilities. Not only is what we eat of prime importance to us, but where and when matter enormously. We’re pleased to report that some work has already been done in the Bistro and FDR. During the time when both were closed and dinners delivered to apartments, three projects were undertaken: new carpeting was laid, all the walls were painted, and tiling was installed in the ceiling. We are fortunate to have exactly what we need to implement future improvements as well as to make everyday changes in our dining services: a staff of professionals. You can gauge the depth of training and experience of our staff in the following interviews, which focus on the managers who do the overall planning and the folks whose realm is the kitchen. We have also included an interview with Margo Berger, chair of the Dining Advisory Committee, in which she serves as liaison to dining management and the kitchen. The flexibility and creativity these people have shown during the pandemic has made the lives of residents considerably better. Our thanks go to all: both the ones we see everyday and those who work behind the scenes. Photographs on pages 2, 7 and 11 by Art Brady
Pat Taylor
Fred Coppola Director of Dining Fred Coppola, our genial Director of Dining, has an awesome responsibility: as more than 250 residents try to keep ourselves contented during our Life Avoiding the Virus, we look forward to our daily meals more eagerly than ever before. For many people it’s the highlight of the day. Fred does an admirable job of keeping us happy. Fred has been here only since 2018, but it seems as if he’s been a member of our family much longer. From the very beginning he walked through our dining rooms regularly and greeted residents with a friendly smile; he knows many of us by name. Fred previously headed dining services for Kendal at Ithaca. He says residents here at Kendal on Hudson are more varied in our backgrounds and more open to adventurous food experiences, perhaps because of our closeness to cosmopolitan New York City. (Kendal at Ithaca harbors a large percentage of academic retirees, and prides itself on “the best physics department in the country.”) Both Kendals feature two dining areas – one casual and 2
one more formal. In addition to the two meal plans that both Kendals provide, our Ithaca counterpart also offers a point system titled “Declining Balance Plan.” Residents can order smaller items like a sandwich or a bagel in exchange for points. Fred is studying the idea of adding a similar plan for KoH in the future. Fred was born and educated in the town of Niskayuna near Schenectady. His parents still live there. He knew early on that he was destined for food administration, and he earned a B.A. degree from Drexel University in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He minored in Business. He worked more than a dozen years in famous restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area and then returned to the Albany area as manager of a high-end Chinese restaurant chain. A guest suggested, “Why don’t you look into senior dining so you don’t have to work until midnight?” Fred became director of dining for Sodexo, a food management company that services various retirement communities. One of their client communities was Kendal at Ithaca – and for Fred the rest is history. One reason Fred welcomed a move to Kendal on Hudson, apart from our warmer climate, was the news that we’re planning to expand our dining services via a new Master Plan. He looked forward to the challenge. Nobody anticipated a monumental additional challenge — our coronavirus restrictions, many of which are imposed by the New York State Department of Health; but Fred has managed the situation with ingenuity and equanimity. He’s grateful for the “good spirits” of our residents in meeting these restrictions. Fred admires the strong sense of community among residents and staff during the COVID-19 crisis. “Everyone has risen to the occasion, and it’s brought us closer.” He developed an assembly-line system for filling meal delivery bags that has worked quite well, despite occasional glitches. The kitchen staff writes out a special bag for each resident the night before delivery, depending on what has been ordered. It’s filled first by a Hot Food Person, then a Salad Person and a Soup Person. The last in line, the Fruit and Dessert Person, is also the checker to ensure the accuracy of how each bag is filled. If it happens that a particular request is not available, a resident’s bag might say “no soup” or “no apple.” Fresh produce arrives six days a week. Fred’s crew chooses a fruit to feature each day. For instance, one day they might order 200 bananas – the most popular fruit among residents. Fred meets formally every week with Executive Chef Jonathan Carafa to develop menus. “I provide a second set of eyes for questions such as which sides to serve with which entrées.” He also meets with Jonathan almost every day to handle new issues that arise on the spot. One problem is that certain vegetables do not last well. The greatest challenge in KoH dining is the wide divergence of nutritional needs and flavor tastes among residents. (Fred’s predecessor, Gower Lane, once held up a stringbean and said, “Half of you think this is undercooked and half think it’s overcooked.”) Fred hopes to introduce new variety in foods and service possibilities after the pandemic has disappeared. 3
He recognizes that a new generation of baby boomer residents will have sophisticated demands. There will be more Asian and ethnic dishes. Fred says he might hire a popular sushi chef from a nearby restaurant on his/her day off to prepare delicious specialties for us on Kendal Sushi Night. Because of health considerations, our former salad bar will not return. But separate containers of special dressings and other ingredients could be provided to give us salad variety. Fred is constantly studying magazines and newspaper articles for new food ideas. And yes, he does welcome recipes from residents. In the future there will be more local food ingredients and more theme dinners. We may enjoy more grills on the Terrace next year. In case you wondered, Fred is not related to the famous film director, but their families come from the same part of Italy. Fred commutes here from a nearby apartment in Thornwood. His motto is, “I can’t make everyone happy, but I can try.” He asked us to thank the residents for their patience during these complicated times. Fred, we thank YOU for your dedication and skill in meeting our all-important dining needs. Muriel Fox
Jonathan Carafa Executive Chef To keep us well-fed, our Executive Chef Jonathan Carafa gets up between 4 and 5 a.m. every weekday morning to speak to his food vendors. He makes sure that Kendal on Hudson gets the right deliveries of fresh ingredients needed for our daily meals, overcoming shortages due to the COVID pandemic. Residents are grateful for Jonathan’s dedication – just as we appreciate his culinary talents in creating tasty, varied meals every day of the week. The pandemic creates new problems day by day, and Jonathan finds ways to solve them. He makes a special effort to provide fresh fish, which is harder to get these days. “If we’re serving salmon on Tuesday, we buy it on Tuesday.” Some prices are higher now. He tries to have a sufficient supply of certain ingredients without causing too much waste. We donate more to Meals on Wheels than in the past. We need foods that keep well when delivered to our apartments; and they should taste and look great, too. New dishes are appreciated more than ever. (Thanks, Jonathan, for the chicken cordon bleu and veal parmigiana.) 4
Jonathan has been here since mid-2017. After KoH’s previous executive chef left, Operations Director Gower Lane searched for a replacement for six months until he connected with Jonathan. We waited nearly half a year, but residents say he was worth waiting for. The 33-year-old Jonathan commutes here an hour each way from Lodi, New Jersey. He was born and raised in Lodi, where his father was town mayor and a school principal. He wanted to be a chef since age 4 when he watched his mother working in his grandfather’s pizzeria. From age 15 on, he cooked weekends in the kitchen of Rockleigh Country Club in Rockleigh, NJ – with special emphasis on pastries. He became an executive chef at age 22 after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America with a four-year degree in Business. Traveling around the country for Thomas Cuisine of Seattle, he helped clients improve their kitchens. He developed new concepts and menus, trained staff, and solved problems. Since joining KoH, Jonathan has acquired an especially attractive new family – wife Jennifer and their year-old twins Asher and Austin. Feminists will be interested to know that he has a twin sister and he took a Women’s Studies elective while at the CIA. Does Jonathan read comments that we place in the suggestion box? Absolutely! “I welcome critical feedback as well as compliments, because it gives us a positive way to improve.” Jonathan copes creatively with the special KoH challenge of serving over two hundred strongminded seniors who disagree on whether vegetables should be undercooked or overcooked – some of us unable to eat salt or garlic while others long for spicier foods and lots of garlic. He has a number of ingenious solutions, culled from his never-ending study of food recipes and food videos. “There are techniques for cooking green vegetables to give them a crisp texture while not undercooking them.” He uses a variety of fresh herbs to compensate for not cooking with salt. He marinates meats in herbs 24 hours before serving. And he caramelizes sauces in tasty herbs to make them flavorful. Jonathan tastes all foods several times during the cooking process. Jonathan is delighted that we’ve begun to enjoy our meals in the dining rooms once again. As he says, “My goal is to provide a great dining experience for you guys.” As far as we residents are concerned, he achieves this goal day in and day out — overseeing the production of meals that are consistently delicious. Muriel Fox
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Mika Burgos Dining Room/Catering Manager “We’re here for you. We love you.” That’s the message we get from Mika Burgos’ ready smile, and from her work to keep us well fed during good and bad times. Mika admits that, like the rest of us, she’s been smiling less often during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “I can hardly wait to see everyone here on a regular basis. I can’t wait to see people happy again.” As our Dining Room/Catering Manager, Mika has shouldered additional duties cheerfully during the pandemic. Among other responsibilities, she supervises the filling of dinner bags that are delivered to Independent Living residents who choose to eat in their apartments. She personally fills the main entrée packages. (Her assistant, Frances Israel, takes over on Mika’s days off.) For people who eat in the dining room, Mika supervises the staff hosts who direct us to safe seating. She also makes sure that all equipment is regularly cleaned and sanitized. Mika hires, assigns, and supervises our waiting staff. She makes sure we have enough people on duty at all times. Many part-time workers are students who require flexibility to allow for classes and exams. Some return to full-time work at KoH after their courses have ended. Mika also makes sure that things “look nice,” including food dishes, signs, weekly menus, and special decorations. In the days before the pandemic, she catered the delicious parties we’ve held for relatives and friends: birthdays, anniversaries, other special occasions. She also took care of sandwiches and salads for meetings. Mikalitzi (when her mother was 16 years old she dreamed that name and wrote it down to give to an imagined future daughter) Burgos majored in Art in college, and worked part-time in restaurants to meet her school expenses. She still finds time to paint. She was recruited by KoH’s previous executive chef in 2013 after serving as banquet manager of the Marriott Hotel in Tarrytown. Mika commutes to Sleepy Hollow from Ringwood, New Jersey, a 47-minute drive. She and her husband Abner, who works for the gas and electric company in New Jersey, have a sixteen-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son. She does most of the cooking for her family, relying mainly on casseroles she prepares several days each week. Her daughter Lily helps by making sandwiches, and her husband cooks, too, if necessary. Mika participates in frequent meal discussions with Dining Director Fred Coppola and Executive Chef Jonathan Carafa. Like them, she’s a regular reader of suggestion-and6
comment cards submitted by residents. And she joins them in meetings with the residents’ Dining Advisory Committee. Mika says residents have been “understanding when there are occasional hiccups in service.” She admits that everyone is “under stress with all the changes and craziness in this world.” She urges residents to call her whenever there’s a problem or a special need. “I’m only a phone call away. My number is 1097. Leave a message if I’m not there. I check my messages regularly.” Muriel Fox
Carlene Brown-Coly Dietary Manager Carlene manages food service for the three non-Independent Living units of Kendal on Hudson: Adirondack, Clearwater, and Sunnyside. She works closely with the Interdisciplinary Team and the nursing staff and manages the dietary aides (healthcare dining servers). After the menus are prepared by the Executive Chef, they are approved by her and the dietitian before they are published. Then they are further particularized for each of the three units and, as necessary, for each individual. For example, while the meals for Assisted Living and the Memory Unit are largely similar to those for residents in Independent Living, for the Skills unit there are 9 different diets. For example, in addition to “Regular,” there is “Soft” (items cut to 1 inch square), “Chopped” (1/2” square), “Ground” (1/4”), “Finely Ground” (1/8”), “Purée,” and so on. Staffs of twelve dietary aides carry out this work, assembling individual trays, which are loaded onto carts and taken to each of the units, then distributed individually. To cover all three meals, seven days a week, they work in shifts: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The COVID pandemic has had some, but not a major, effect on the group’s work. Mainly, the residents who formerly went to the Clearwater Dining room must eat in their rooms, so all meals are delivered. One of the greatest challenges has been to keep the food hot. Among other things, Carlene will work with the dietitian to monitor each residents’ weight and food intake to prevent unnecessary weight loss. As needed, she also does nutrition counseling with residents and or family members. This counseling can provide key input both to residents and concerned family members as to the role of nutrition in recovery, and maintaining good health in general. 7
Patients with dementia need special care and the certified nursing aides monitor them carefully and, at times, assist in feeding. Currently, there are ten residents in the memory care unit, nineteen in skilled nursing and twenty-one in assisted living. Carlene recruits and hires dietary staff as needed. When I asked about turnover, she responded, “There’s very little.” She attributes this to the fact that her staff and she herself get to know each resident so the best dining experience can be provided for them. Carlene received a BA in Health Care Management and Human Resource Management from American Intercontinental University and has a Certified Dietary Manager credential from the Board of Dietary Managers. She offers ongoing training and education for her staff. Once a year, she is flown to Chicago all-expenses paid to participate in a special meeting of the National Association of Dietary Managers, which helps her stay up to date with the latest developments in the field. Carlene anticipates the day when all her residents are back in the dining room. She looks forward to having the Clearwater Dinner Club running again, so that Independent Living residents can make reservations to dine with residents in Clearwater. Carlene hails originally from Jamaica, which she left in 1989, going first to Montreal, and then in 1994 to New York. Carlene is the proud mother of Alex, Samantha, and Shyanne. Llyn Clague
Mark Schiller Sous Chef As one of two sous chefs, Mark has the early shift. He supervises the staff during the preparation of breakfast and lunch for Independent Living, Adirondack, Clearwater, and Sunnyside. He usually arrives at Kendal around 6:30 a.m. He sets up the kitchen for breakfast and lunch, e.g., turning on the ovens, organizing sandwich making, etc. He does much of the ordering of food on a prescribed schedule – on Monday, ordering cold cuts for the week, which arrive on Wednesday; ordering bread and produce six days a week; ordering meat three times a week. All, of course, with careful consideration of existing supplies and the week’s menus.
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Menus are planned well ahead as a cooperative effort by Jonathan, Fred, and Eddie as well as Mark. Fall and winter menus are planned in August, spring and summer menus in March. These broad designs are broken down into 4-week cycles. Mark and Eddie then detail each weekly plan and oversee the implementation of each daily menu. Mark supervises the cooks, working extensively, hands-on, with them. He answers questions, checks quantities, and – he stresses this – tastes every dish before it is okayed for delivery to Kendalites. This, of course, is a critical element of quality control. If one of the kitchen staff calls in sick, Mark often takes over that person’s duties as well as his own. Lunch is prepared from 9 to 11 a.m. and is delivered between 11 and 2:30 p.m. COVID has not significantly affected kitchen operations, Mark says. There have been few cases in the kitchen, and they have been able to work around absences. Work has been rearranged, of course, with some activities requiring more staff but others requiring less, so that there has been some overall balance. Mark estimates that at the end of August, in Independent Living, about 60% of meals (roughly 120) were being delivered daily to apartments, while 40% (80 or so) were collected by residents in the Bistro. Some 45 to 50 meals go to Adirondack, Clearwater, and Sunnyside. In addition, the kitchen puts out 35 dinners to Meals On Wheels in Sleepy Hollow. Mark came to Kendal in 2014. He started at the salad bar, then moved to supervisor, overseeing breakfast for Clearwater and the general breakfast service for all residents. He was promoted to sous chef in 2017. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), from which he graduated in 2010. His first job out of school was on Long Island for a catering service to private airlines. He also worked for several small restaurants there before coming to Kendal. Mark grew up on Long Island, but he met his wife at the CIA (she concentrated on bakery). Since she had roots in Westchester, they decided to settle here. She is kitchen manager of the Lakeland School district elementary school. Mark has not forgotten his Long Island roots. He is an avid Islanders fan. Growing up, he and his father did a lot of saltwater fishing. He misses that, but has transferred his skills to the freshwater kind: mostly fly fishing from the shore. Llyn Clague
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Eddie Diaz Sous Chef Eddie came to Kendal in 2006 – almost fifteen years ago – so he has been with us for nearly the entire existence of the community. He started as a cook; he was promoted to sous chef in 2010. Eddie does the afternoon shift, which means overseeing the preparation of the meals for dinner. This is a wide-ranging responsibility, ensuring that there is sufficient staff, that the food is delivered in a timely fashion, that it all passes the “taste test.” Like Mark, if there is a personnel shortage, he steps in and does the job, whatever it is – salad bar, “back line,” “front line,” or something else. (The chefs are the “back line” who cook the food that is taken out to the Bistro in batches. The “front line” prepares the individual dinners as ordered for the Formal Dining Room.) With Jonathan, Fred, and Mark, Eddie helps plan the overall design of the menus twice a year. In August they plan the fall/winter menus; in March, the spring/summer ones. The winter fare tends toward somewhat substantial meals, like stews — the summer, toward lighter ones. Within that framework, menus are planned on a cycle of four weeks. They insure that no entrée is repeated over the four-week cycle. In the actual preparation, one cook is assigned a starch and a vegetable for the day, a second cook an entrée and a vegetable, a third manages the salad bar, and a fourth takes care of the dinners for Adirondack, Clearwater, and Sunnyside. Eddie gives the recipes to the kitchen staff for each day. The food is prepped the day before – vegetables cut up, meats prepared – then cooked on the day they are served. This takes place between approximately 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., by which time all the food has been cooked. It is then delivered up till 7:30 in the Bistro. Eddie was born and grew up in the state of Goa in India, where he got his culinary training and then worked for international cruise lines before coming to Kendal. He has a specialty that has become a favorite of many residents: Indian dishes. A first Indian Night was held in 2007, and for each of them since, Eddie has cooked the whole meal. For the most recent one, he prepared mulligatawny soup, chicken tikka masala, curry goat, tandoori shrimp, bhindi masala, basmati rice, plus naan and desserts. It was a great hit. The complete professionalism of the Kendal staff is demonstrated by the smoothness of the operation and the quality of the output — from salads through entrées to beloved ice cream. Eddie and Mark, as sous chefs, see to it that the process works as seamlessly as possible.
Llyn Clague
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Margo Berger Chair, Dining Advisory Committee Who are the hardest-working chairs of our Residents Council committees? There are many possible nominees, but my vote goes to Margo Berger as chair of the Dining Advisory Committee. The mission of the committee is “to provide a channel of open communications between Kendal residents and Dining Services in order to achieve optimum food preferences and food services for Kendal residents.” Margo takes this mission seriously. She conscientiously shuttles between commenting residents and the dining leaders interviewed above. Pamela, our new CEO, is keenly involved in the dialogue. During our non-COVID normal years, Margo conducted monthly meetings of her committee, frequent committee meetings with key staff, and several open meetings a year involving interested residents. Since March 20, these meetings have been abbreviated during the Coronavirus Emergency Schedule, but Margo and her committee have worked collaboratively with Dining Services to keep the channel of communications open. And yes, written suggestions and complaints from residents are still shared with the dining staff. Margo has been an encouraging source of information for the many people involved, as we’ve been progressing from strict lockdown to the “New Normal” of service. Margo’s personal biography is rich in hospitality experience. She graduated from Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and worked for Intercontinental Hotels. She also has headed her own consultancy firm, advising leading American corporations. Clients included General Foods, Restaurant Business Magazine, and the International Center for Creative Thinking, among others. Margo and her late husband raised three sons. Margo moved into Kendal in December 2016. “I’ve found it to be much more than a comfortable, safe place to spend my senior years. It’s a total community – a village!” She’s active in numerous activities and classes at Kendal and has served on the Dining Advisory Committee since soon after her arrival. She was elected to the Residents Council in 2017 and reelected in 2019. Margo has been involved for several years in key studies that will lead to a welcome renovation of our Dining Services. These have a high priority in the development of KoH’s upcoming Master Plan. The renovation will take special note of focus groups conducted in November 2019, under the aegis of the now-defunct One Future Committee. Margo is especially concerned with resident safety in our dining areas because of the big increase in the use of walking devices. She’s also mindful of the uniquely friendly socialization that takes place in our dining areas. The popular KoH refrain of “May I join you?” will resume one day.
Muriel Fox 11
A Place I’ve Been Norman J. Sissman The title of the current art exhibit on the Rue Des Artistes, “Oh, the Places We’ll Go,” evoked in me recollections of many of my vacations, now many years in the past. Impressions of one of the more exotic trips that Charlotte and I took will be of interest to Kendal residents. The Galàpagos Islands are nineteen small, extinct volcanic eruptions in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator about 560 miles west of Ecuador, to which they belong. They are known to historians as the site on which Charles Darwin and his colleagues on the HMS Beagle spent five weeks during their 1831 to 1836 voyage around the world. Darwin’s observations of the islands’ wildlife became an important basis for his theory of evolution. The islands’ tropical vistas and diverse, sometimes bizarre, animals are its main attractions for modern tourists. We were fortunate to find a small ship that accommodated only thirteen passengers and a crew of three. It sailed between the islands, stopping at each. Many of our meals on the ship were caught in the sea by the crew only shortly before we dined on them. The encyclopedic knowledge and amiable charisma of our lithe, bearded, twenty-six-yearold Ecuadorian guide was a key factor in making our trip informative and exhilarating. Each day provided grand views, leisurely swimming and snorkeling off unspoiled beaches, and encounters with abundant, unique, colorful tropical birds and animals. The most remarkable aspect of the islands’ fauna is their complete absence of any fear of humans. Perhaps the absence of human hunting or killing over the past three hundred years has fostered an unusual trust in humans’ benign intentions. A native, prevalent, and comicalappearing bird, the blue-footed booby, builds its nests on the ground. When incubating its eggs on a site only a couple of feet from a much-traveled trail, a booby reacts to tourists with no more than an occasional quack of curiosity. Large resting iguanas do not visibly respond to human pats on their horny heads and backs. The indigenous giant tortoises, never known for visible displays of emotion, simply walk over you if you obstruct their progress. Red Sally Lightfoot crabs rarely scurry away when approached. One surprising and unusual aspect of the islands’ human and animal interactions is the game that Galàpagos fur seals play with snorklelers. While calmly observing the colorful reefs and fishes, one may suddenly become aware that a 300-pound seal is propelling herself rapidly towards one’s face. Only when three or four feet from your mask does she suddenly swerve from her course and pass you innocuously, before returning to her companions, and probably chortling to them about how she scared the hell out of another tourist. Only one morning marred our continuous ten days of enjoyment and awe. We had read about a group of young, idealistic northern Europeans who, in the late 1920s, had emigrated to the Galàpagos to establish a self-supporting ecologically oriented farm. Unfortunately, the soil on their chosen island was not fertile enough to support their crops. In addition, several 12
new, unexpected sexual liaisons that developed within the group added feelings of jealousy and anger to the members’ anxiety and frustration about their unsuccessful farming venture. Eventually a kidnapping and a murder occurred, neither of which crimes has ever been solved. The group dissolved and only a few members stayed on. When we learned that a sole survivor was still on the island of Floreana, we convinced our leader, against his advice, to alter our itinerary to visit her. The scene was one of desolation and disorder: broken-down shacks, areas of mud through which pesky goats and malnourished dogs roamed aimlessly, old, rusted machinery scattered about. When we finally found the survivor, she was sitting in a small, dark hut obviously suffering from dementia. Charlotte tried to engage her in her native German language — to no avail. We bought a copy of her autobiography which she was hawking, and quickly escaped. The popularity of the Galàpagos has increased steadily over the past few decades. Now even large cruise ships are plying its waters. Although Ecuador has been scrupulous in establishing and enforcing restrictions on the number and activities of tourists, the inevitable environmental consequences of large human influxes are beginning to take their toll on the islands’ pristine status. The more reason to cherish our memories of its awesome diversity of wildlife.
Our Kendal Authors Gretchen Engler Did you know that the Library at Kendal on Hudson has an impressive collection of works by residents, present and past? Titles range from biography to technical topics to children’s books. They are a good indicator of our community’s breadth, depth and scholarship. Space will not permit a listing here of the 213 titles by 49 authors that make up the collection; however, the Library invites you to browse it whenever you have some free time. You’ll find the collection has pride of place just opposite the Library reference desk. Distinguished Kendal authors over the years have included Pulitzer Prize winner Bill McFeely, prolific writer-about-celebrities Steve Kanfer, and biographer Ralph Martin. If you’re interested in books by current residents, try one by naturalist Peter Limburg, Quaker history by eminent Quaker scholar Hugh Barbour, or a weighty tome on the history of fashion by Phyllis Tortora. Don’t overlook the four autobiographical volumes by past and current residents Steve Beers, Peter Davies, Mimi Weare, and Hubie Wilke. Poetry perhaps? Look for Llyn Clague’s works. Something not-for-adults? Find Francine Jacobs’s books in the Children’s Corner. Kendal Authors was established shortly after the Library opened in 2005 when it became clear that there was ample material to constitute a “collection.” It has remained a vital and 13
much-used resource ever since, bringing pleasure to those who live here, as well as being regularly shown to prospective residents as a noteworthy highlight of the community. With all this literary richness at our core, is it any wonder we continue to attract book lovers and readers of all sorts? Come by and browse, sign something out, and expand your knowledge of our knowledgable neighbors. Just one more thing we can feel proud about.
ADRIFT IN DEUTSCHLAND Llyn Clague This essay is about the second half of a life-shaping experience. The first half covered my stay as a junior abroad in Sweden and was themed around “belonging” and “language.” (See the September/ October 2020 issue.) These reminiscences continue those motifs, with each being extended in a particular dimension: “belonging” towards its opposite of alienation and other; “language” into its imaginative power, literature. I don’t remember exactly how I entered Germany. It was either by bus or hitchhiking. From Denmark I came into Hamburg via the harbor area and got in touch with friends of friends, who took me under their wing. We went back to the harbor – I may have stored a suitcase or two in a locker – with my new friends warning me that it could be a dangerous area. But they knew some of the men, introduced me, and I was showered with friendly comments about “der Ami.” My German was very limited at that point, and in any event the slang and patois of the shoremen were beyond me. I was only briefly in Hamburg, but I saw my first World War II German graveyard there. I still remember a jolt or shock, a visceral emotional reaction. Through my early childhood Germans and Nazis were stereotypes – cartoon figures, even if overlaid with heavy, blackand-white enemy meaning. These graves held fathers, sons, brothers, each a man like me. I traveled next to Cologne and then neighboring Wesel-am-Rhein, to the first of five families I would stay with during my four and a half months in Germany. I was not enrolled in any school, and with Antioch College’s alternate work-study program, I arranged to be off campus on independent study until January. I was very fortunate in one respect: my father had made a number of high-level contacts, and two of them invited me to stay in their homes. Each, clearly upper class, also arranged for another family, equally clearly “lesser” class, to take me in after their hosting. In Wesel, I stayed with the first family for a short time, maybe about a week. I think they were in academia or government service, I don’t remember now. I was struck by the physical appearance of man and wife: he was short and round; she, tall and substantial, was easily 14
six or more inches taller than he was. I thought this was manfully embarrassing; fortunately I kept my opinion to myself. Two young men, cousins, not much older than I, were in the house, and I spent a fair amount of time with them and their banter. The family had some pleasant evenings with vigorous discussion, with me mostly following along. Learning German was my number one priority. The grammar is complex—four cases, three genders; nouns and adjectives must agree; verbs must be conjugated. Then there is the word order. I had never thought about how dramatic verbs could be. If you your college German remember, verbs of subordinate clauses are placed, not between subject and direct object, but at the end of the clause, almost (to me, at least) like a surprise. When there are multiple subordinate clauses, the word order gets very involved. There were moments, especially when the speaker for emphasis paused, when I a laugh to stifle had. The second family was a farmer, his wife and two daughters, a couple of years older than me. I’m not sure he was terribly pleased to be told by his “better” to take me in, and I have no idea whether he was paid. He wasn’t as friendly as my Swedish farmer, though the two young women were clearly happy to have a man their age around. I learned a lot from them, how hard life was before the war, how much Hitler did for agriculture, the economy (roads, the People’s Car), the military, perhaps above all, national pride. I learned something else first hand, which, had I been in any of the right spots in America, I could have learned here. A man is drafted, goes off to war, and doesn’t come back. His wife and family remain; the children grow up; the man’s absence is always there. A hole, defined and shaped by mops of yellow. The next family I stayed with lived in Helmstedt, which was right on the fence border between East and West Germany. The father was a dentist, the mother a stay-at-home mom who one day drove me to the border where we stared at the barbed wire and the otherwise unremarkable fields beyond, that nevertheless made me shiver. I asked her why she took in strays like me and she answered, “Because it enriches us … we enjoy having them in our home.” After a week it was on to Berlin, which one did by hitchhiking across the Eastern Zone, driving straight through, no detours. The Wall had not yet gone up, and I wandered freely by foot, bus, or subway, throughout the city. Bombed-out buildings, twelve years after the war, were a reminder of past hostilities. But Berlin, though as yet undivided as a city, focuses for me as much as anything the power of Other, the opposite of “belonging” and Us. The division of the country, originally four zones of occupation, was now two opposing countries: Us in the West; then, over there, the Russians. I hitchhiked south out of Berlin and arrived in Nuremberg. The first family I stayed with there had a large house, a walled garden, a Mercedes, two manservants, plus household help. He was a high business executive, she something of a socialite. They had a son about my 15
age; their purpose in having me was to improve his English. I have to confess, I spoke more German than I should have and the stay did not go well. They didn’t like me nor I them. I was intrigued, however, by the chauffeur, who once had driven a tank, and the gardener, who had walked to Moscow and back. Tough bucks, not exactly effusive to an uncertain American. I wondered what it was like for them to work in that upper-crust household. My last family was my favorite. Simple, friendly, open, engaging. The husband, poor fellow, was on a crash diet, meat and egg for breakfast, snack and lunch, then nothing after. It was “killing” him and he moaned good-naturedly (but with feeling!) as we ate dinner. Their son was in his last year at the gymnasium, and I accompanied him to classes. One was an English class, and I mean English. Students were penalized for Americanisms, and the teaching was primarily “book learning,” with little speaking. (I’m sure that’s greatly changed now.) Throughout my time in Germany, as I memorized vocabulary and mastered the grammar and word order, I read German, and increasingly the poets. I fell in love with Goethe, particularly with his early lyrics, which he wrote in his twenties and thirties, in the 1770s and 1780s. He was a Romantic, well before the time of the English Romantic poets like Shelley, Wordsworth, Coleridge. Goethe’s poems are startingly direct, conversational, emotional, with simple rhythms and conventional forms: in two words, accessible and engaging. He was also just a few years older than I and in love with girls. Liebe! Liebe! Lili, Lotte, Lena. I listened to these poems in a way I had never done with poetry in English, where my intellectual training had been overwhelmingly analytic. The power of verse was a revelation. The words in German, for “poet” (Dichter) and “poetry” (Dichtung) carry an exalted connotation, implying the highest level of creativity, insight, wisdom, above that of (ordinary) novelists and playwrights. I was seized by the idea of being a Poet – which was treacherous. In my less exalted moments, I recognized I was no genius and “the world didn’t need yet another hack.” So my career/life choices were compromised by conflict. My life’s path had been altered, by “belonging” as a foreigner/outsider, and by the imagination, creativity, and beauty found in poetry and literature.
A Note About the Inside Front Cover This vibrant work is by Bisa Butler, an African-American fiber artist who specializes in designs celebrating Black life. Trained formally as a painter, she later traded brushes for her sewing machine to create quilted portraits — wall hangings made of quilted fabrics that capture the personality of her subjects and offer a dimensional look. The quilted portrait at right was one of thirty shown at a recent exhibit at the Katonah Museum where Kendal View’s co-photo editor Caroline Persell photographed it. Butler’s work will be seen at the Art Institute of Chicago in an exhibit opening in November 2020. 16
BETTY AMICO 914-953-6490 914-962-5475 Seniors Transition Transition Services, Seniors Services,LLC LLC srtrans1@gmail.com strans1@gmail.com Reduce the Stress of Downsizing
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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.
Kevin Jong, DMD & Peter Zegarelli, DDS
87 North Broadway • Tarrytown, NY 10591 • 914-631-1800 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.
Ninety-One North Broadway Tarrytown, NY 10591 (914) 631-0983 www.coffeyfuneralhome.com NANCY COFFEY • MICHAEL COFFEY A Family-Operated Business Serving Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow Since 1911 Pre-Planning Available 18
BOSTICK, MURPHY & COMPANY CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS P.C. Individual, Business, Trust and Estate Tax consulting, planning and return preparation We will meet at your home, office or at our location in Mount Kisco William G. Bostick, CPA, CVA Patricia A. Murphy, CPA, CVA, CFP, CHFC, PFS, CGMA 113 SMITH AVE. MT. KISCO, NY 10549 (914) 666-6336 (914) 666-0396 fax pmurphycpa@aol.com
We can assist you with your hearing loss, hearing aids, nasal and throat problems, and allergies. Michael Bergstein, MD, FACS Joseph DePietro, MD Board Certified in Otolaryngology, Balloon Sinus surgery and Sleep apnea
Fellowship Trained Laryngologist, Voice and Swallowing Disorders
Jill Zeitlin, MD
Mark Davis-Lorton, MD
Board Certified in Otolaryngology, Specializes in Hearing Services
Adult and Pediatric Allergist
Licensed Audiologists
Jessica Comparetto, MA, F-AAA Lucia Khoder, AuD, CCC-A, F-AAA Rebecca Bieker, AuD, CCC-A, F-AAA
358 North Broadway, Suite 203 • Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 Tel: 914-631-3053 • Fax: 914-631-2807
Ear, Nose, Throat and Allergy care in YOUR neighborhood!
Book Online, Anytime! 19
Vitality
Your partner in health & wellness Vitality at Phelps Hospital Northwell Health offers free educational and fun health-related programs and events, as well as support groups, to help you stay active and engaged as you age. Stay connected to your health and wellness, while having fun with your peers - offered right in your backyard at Phelps! Programs include the Breakfast Club, fall prevention programs, osteoporosis education, holistic pain support, memory care & more.
For more information, please call Ellen at (914) 366-3937 or email vitality@ northwell.edu. To see all upcoming events on our website, please visit: https://phelps.northwell.edu/events 701 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 (914) 366-3000 | www.phelps.northwell.edu
FYO Accounting & Tax Services
914-631-8868 Keeping the Kendal community mobile with one-stop auto repair services
Mickey Keegan, Owner mickey@mickeys-automotive.com
WE SERVICE ALL CARS
In-home service Tax Preparation & Planning Bookkeeping Filing & Organizing • Bill Paying • • • •
Owner: Jean Mayer, EA
Serving residents at Kendal on Hudson since its opening. 914-862-2305
jean@crotontax.com
FRONT END SPECIALISTS · TIRES WEEL ALIGNMENT & BALANCE EXHAUST REPAIR · HEAT/AC COOLANT · BRAKES · AND MORE!
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Off-Season Tax Special: Provide your prior year tax returns and receive a free review, consultation, and fee quote. No obligation.
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Your Great Expectations... Can Be Filled.
GRAPE EXPECTATIONS
Wine and Liquor Merchant A few doors from C Town. Free parking in the back away from traffic. Knowledgeable and friendly staff will answer questions and help you select from the largest and most unique display in the Rivertowns. ❖ Competitive pricing and discounts. ❖ I look forward to having you join our many Kendal customers. John Sarofeen, Proprietor
Tel. 914-332-0294
92 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY
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Westchester’s Finest Clockmaker since 1951
Harnik Bros. J E W E L E R S
Enrico Hair Care, Inc. Enrico Hair Care, Inc. Tuesday Enrico does hair color/cut and styling Mondays Sandra does mani/pedi and waxing Enrico cuts and styles and Tatiana consults on color Wednesday Wednesdays Kim does hair color/cut and styling Hairstyling by Kim Wednesdays through Fridays Thursday Maria does manicures Toni does hair color/cut and styling Thursday and Fridays Hairstyling by Toni Friday Toni and Andi doFridays hair color/cut and styling Christina does pedicures, manicures and hair.
Call Callfor for appointments appointments 523-6382 922-1057 523-6382 or or 922-1057
Visit Our Showroom
Free Prescription Delivery Hospital Beds - Lift Chairs – Scooters - Power Wheelchairs Manual Wheelchairs Incontinence Supplies - Walking Devices - Respiratory Supplies
40 Spring Street Ossining, NY 10562 914-941 914-941 914 941-4476 Ext 2 941-4476 www.hudsonsurgical.com
SALES, RENTALS, AND REPAIRS FOR ANY MEDICAL EQUIPMENT! 22
Specializing in
Watch Repair • Clock Repair Jewelry Repair & Remodeling Battery and Band Replacements Tall Case • Ships • Atmos • Carriages
Museum Quality Restoration Since 1951
All Work Done On Premises Free Estimates Pick Up & Delivery
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Harnik Bros. Jewelers 6 North Broadway, Tarrytown, NY 10591
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Nonprofit, Nonsectarian. Established 1849
Community mausoleum, traditional in-ground burials, natural burial grounds, private family mausoleums. 540 North Broadway â—† Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 914-631-0081 â—† www.sleepyhollowcemetery.org Kendal ad 2018.indd 1
Innovation that Cures and Cares.
3/1/18 10:03 AM
Have peace of mind knowing that expert medical treatments, and the most advanced care is available close to home, customized to your personal needs right here in your neighborhood. 701 North Broadway Sleepy Hollow, NY 914-366-3000 phelps.northwell.edu 23
Exceptional Care
Angels on Call wants to thank all of our caregivers for providing exceptional care during the pandemic.
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