Thursday, December 31, 2020
Don't Give Up on the New Year (January 7, 1921)
Don't Give Up on the New Year
by Frank L. Lent
Greenwich News & Graphic
January 7, 1921
Don't give up on the New Year,
Or get discouraged, friend;
Clean off the slate and start the date,
Why wait for times to mend?
Skies may be bright tomorrow,
Though clouds obscure today,
Make dreams come true, it beckons you,
For that's the only way.
Resolve to strive to conquer;
There's no such word as fail.
With faith to guide and manly pride,
Hard though the woes assail.
Don't give up like a weakling,
Or whine at follies past,
Nor loosen hold ere life is cold,
But grip it firm and fast.
What if the gossips babble,
Or cast a slurring sneer,
Or fortune's smile is hid a while,
And sore disaster's near.
Let love, not malice, waken,
And cease to constant sign,
Each kindly deed is like a seed,
That ripens by and by.
Learn thus to do our duty,
And never lag behind;
Lose sight of self, all lustful pell,
And boundless wealth you'll find.
Don't give up on the New Year,
Just when the daylight dawns,
And lifts the pall of night for all,
And cheers the heart that mourns.
Thursday, May 21, 2020
World War II Letters Collection at the First Congregational Church of Greenwich
by Pat Larrabee, Historian
A recent rediscovery of some wonderful letters is now available to the public to honor our veterans on Memorial Day.
The archives of The First Congregational Church of Greenwich contains 194 World War II era (1942 - mid 1944) letters that the church Historical Committee sorted and indexed in preparation for the church’s 350th anniversary in 2015.
These letters were from Greenwich service people to Mrs. Ethel Parry Fish, office Associate and former Youth Director at First Congregational Church in Old Greenwich.
I have scanned them for easy access and indexed them by the letter writer’s name, rank, location/APO and date, along with a short summary. I also scanned and retyped the 11 remaining monthly newsletters that Mrs. Fish mailed to about 500 service people from the whole town of Greenwich, no matter to what church they went. The newsletters and Index are searchable.
In addition, there is a wonderful New York Times article from April 27, 2003 about Rev. Sally Colegrove saving these letters from the dumpster when they were cleaning out the attics of the church. It has some interesting perspectives and excerpts.
These newsletters and letters are a real treasure trove of town, church and personal history of births, marriages and deaths as well as news from the service people. Some letters are amusing, sometimes with hand-drawn cartoons, and some poignant.
The service people wrote from all over the world, like India, New Guinea and “Somewhere in the Pacific”. Every one of them thanked Mrs. Fish for her wonderful long newsletters. It meant so much to them to not only hear the news but to know that everyone at home was thinking about and praying for them.
The church Youth Group collected Readers Digests and other books to mail to them, which the service people often passed around the barracks.
The paper letters will remain in the church archives, but the whole scanned collection is now available for the public. If anyone is a close relative of one of the letter writers and asks to have the original letter(s) from their relative, we will be glad to send it to them.
The Center for American War Letters Archives at Chapman University in California collects letters from service people from any war, so if you have a collection in your family archive or want to explore what Chapman University's collection contains, please contact them at the link. I am sending the War Letter Archives a link to the collection so they can add them to their expanding archive.
LETTERS HOME A Webinar with Catherine Ladnier and Mary Owen
You're invited to Letters Home on Thursday, May 21, 2020.
This Zoom-webinar is hosted by Greenwich Playwright Catherine Ladnier and Mary Owen, the daughter of legendary actress Donna Reed.
Join Catherine and Mary as they share the letters received by their mothers World War II soldiers "over there." Actress Donna Reed was America's sweetheart. Eva Lee Brown, Catherine's mother, was the devoted sister of a brave soldier.
Donna and Eva saved and treasured their letters. Both Catherine and Mary discovered their mother's letters, deciding that the news of "the boys over there" should be shared.
Register in advance for this webinar here.
This webinar is presented in partnership with the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center Foundation -telling the Army story one soldier at a time.
Friday, May 8, 2020
A New Future for The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show
Starting May 1, 2020 the Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons Show I created, own, produce and host will no longer air on Radio 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com per the decision of the station's owner.
I ask you not to contact the station with angry phone calls or emails. This was strictly a business decision.
When the inaugural broadcast of the Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show went live on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 it was an exciting time. We were on the eve of the re-opening of the re-imagined campus of the Greenwich Historical Society. There was an air of celebration as I am sure many of you fondly remember.
Radio 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com operates under a for-profit business model that substantially relies on advertising and sponsorship revenue to underwrite its costs. We were not able to bring the level of revenue necessary to fully cover the costs of producing and broadcasting the show every-other Wednesday morning after the 9:00 a.m. top-of-the-hour news.
From the very beginning of the show's run in 2018 I wanted to expand the show to once a week and to one-hour. This is something many in the listening audience had wanted and hoped for. WGCH and I were unable to designate a suitable expanded time slot, leaving the show airing only every-other week for a half-hour.
Needless to say, we are living in exceptionally historic times. It is a time of disruption, surprise and change. Our history is replete with times and circumstances characterized by seismic change.
With seismic change comes opportunity. With blessings comes challenges -and vice-versa.
So, I have some good news.
The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show will continue as an independent podcast available on the Internet. You can listen to all shows on Podcasts.com and SoundCloud Year 2018, Year 2019 and Year 2020. We welcome your support through the show's GoFundMe campaign.
This provides an opportunity to expand the show to one hour, and for the show to be released on a different day and time. By going this route our audience members will be able to tune-in when they want to and from anywhere they want to online.
This is just a beginning.
There are more exciting changes in store. You'll hear from me from time to time as developments continue to unfold.
I want to thank the staff and management of Radio 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com for providing me with the opportunity to make this show possible. We proved that a program focusing on the history and culture of Greenwich, Connecticut would be welcomed by the community.
Is it possible that the Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show will return to WGCH? You never know. Let's see what the future brings.
Spread the word! The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show is here to stay.
You are a part of Greenwich's history and you are welcomed to be a part of this program. I welcome your support as we embark on a new path and new avenues. There are many stories yet to be told about Greenwich's history. They will be told here. I also look forward to continued collaboration and partnerships with our local historical and cultural institutions.
Thank you for your continued support, loyalty and interest. Stay in touch. Stay safe, smile and be well always.
Best,
Jeffrey Bingham Mead
Host, Historian and Producer
The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
ENCORE BROADCAST: HMT ROHNA DISASTER & GREENWICH CONNECTION
LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE ON SOUNDCLOUD
Please support Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons through our GoFundMe Campaign.
Please support Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons through our GoFundMe Campaign.
ENCORE BROADCAST: Joining Host Jeffrey Bingham Mead in the 1490 WGCH studios are Greenwich resident and author Catherine Ladnier and John Dolin and Joe Webber of West Haven, Connecticut.
I am willing to bet that many of you have never heard about the Rohna, the worst sea disaster in American history.
Please take a few moments to visit Ladnier's web site, DearEva.org to learn about her plays and her upcoming appearance on the 31st of August at the Halls Veterans Museum, Tennessee. Also, learn more by visiting the web site of the Rohna Survivors Memorial Association.
When readers of the Rochester Times-Union received their Thursday evening, June 14, 1945 editions they and Americans across the nation read news of the greatest single transport disaster during World War II -and its details were kept classified for decades.
It would be many years before family members and the public would learn details about the mysterious circumstances of the Rohna disaster.
In the darkness of the night and in bad weather the British troops ship HMT Rohna sank after a 30 minute enemy air attack on November 26, 1943 off the coast of Algeria.
Of the 1,981 U.S. Navy personnel aboard 1,015 were lost -including one who called Greenwich, Connecticut home. He grew up in Round Hill, a member of the Moore family.
This is from the Greenwich News & Graphic, dated October 31, 1924: "One of the features of the day was the appearance of Master John Campbell Moore, the three-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Moore, attired in full Highland costume, carrying a miniature set of bagpipes. The little fellow marched about the grounds playing with the band and his performance was lost amusing and greatly enjoyed."
Sadly, he died in the attack on the HMT Rohna during World War II. My guests believe that the family here in Greenwich never knew what happened to him -or why because it was classified.
You've heard of Mooreland Road, haven't you? Before it was subdivided and developed this estate played host to the original Round Hill Scottish Highland Games in Greenwich before going off to Yale Farms in North Greenwich, then Stamford and today in Norwalk every July.
Had young John Campbell Moore survived the Rohna disaster he would have been the uncle to actress Glenn Close. The Moore Family home still stands tall and dignified at 420 Round Hill Road.
Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons will air Wednesday morning, April 22, 2020 on 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com right after the top of the hour news at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. If you cannot listen to the live broadcast fear not! We have you covered. We'll post links to the archived shows on Facebook and to your email box after the conclusion of the broadcast at 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
A Tribute to the Late H. Allen Larsen of the Legendary Flying Tigers of WWII (SHOW #41, Wed., April 8, 2020)
I extend my sincerest thanks to the following for making the April 8 2020 broadcast possible: Catherine Ladnier and John Mickey Robinson; Kevin M. J. O'Connor of The Jeffrey Matthews Group; Sue Hill McClenachan and listeners to the Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show on Radio 1490 WGCH, FM105.5 Stamford, and WGCH.com anywhere.
After the conclusion of World War II, H. Allen Larsen and his family came to Greenwich. They rented a home at 14 Mead Avenue owned by John Cullen Murphy. Larsen walked to the Cos Cob Station for the daily commute to New York City.
H. Allen Larsen of America's Greatest Generation recently died. We pause today to pay a special tribute to a true American hero.
On the Wednesday, April 8, 2020 broadcast of the Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show, Host Jeffrey Bingham Mead featured a conversation with Larsen recorded in February, 2016.
Host Jeffrey Bingham Mead and H. Allen Larsen met by coincidence in Beijing on September 3, 2015. He'll reminisce about his service in China with the Flying Tigers and comment about living in the Cos Cob area of Greenwich -an experience he and his family fondly remembered.
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| Courtesy: Greenwich Historical Society. |
We'll also mark the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. We portrayed Grace Gallatin Seton (see above).
Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons airs on Radio 1490 WGCH Greenwich, Connecticut USA, FM 105.5 Stamford and WGCH.com anywhere via live audio streaming. The show is hosted by Jeffrey Bingham Mead, a direct descendant of the 17th century founders of Greenwich, Connecticut. It is the first show ever focused on the stories of Greenwich history as well as that of area communities. Tune-in every-other Wednesday morning after the top-of-the-hour 9:00 a.m. news.
You can contact Jeffrey Bingham Mead, the host, at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons@gmail.com.
Monday, April 6, 2020
Corvid-19 Pandemic: This is Living History
This is an unprecedented period of hardship and loss for so many here.
Longtime and newer Greenwich-area businesses are shutting their doors, community events have been canceled, and our leaders have been called to action as never before.
We bear witness to remarkable instances of connection and creativity as we strive to emerge triumphant through this crisis.
This is living history. Do your part to preserve it for future generations. Documenting that history provides wellsprings of hope and healing.
Keep a journal, write poetry, pen a script, draw or paint, start a video or audio blog or take photographs and videos of community life and more. Keep records of how you, your family and business responded to the crisis.
The way that future generations respond to similar crises will be informed by what we all collect now.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Norm Davis & Rachel Mead's Gravestone; "Rightfully Hers" & Zebediah Mead House (SHOW #40 Wed., March 25, 2020)
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| The New Burial Grounds Association Cemetery, Greenwich, as seen from the spire of the Second Congregational Church. |
I extend my sincerest thanks to the following for making the March 25, 2020 broadcast possible: Catherine Ladnier and John Mickey Robinson; Kevin M. J. O'Connor of The Jeffrey Matthews Group; Sue Hill McClenachan and listeners to the Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show on Radio 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com anywhere.
In a time in history dominated by a relentless global coronavirus, lockdowns and social distancing what are we to do? I have a suggestion! Our historic cemeteries and burying grounds afford a unique opportunity to gaze back at the past while providing social distancing practices you won’t find anywhere else.
On the Wednesday, March 25, 2020 broadcast of Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons you’ll relive an encore conversation from 2018 I hosted with New York-based Architect Norm Davis.
Norm -who is a descendant of some of Greenwich's founding families including the Mead’s- tells us the story of the discovery of a wayward early Greenwich gravestone for Rachel Mead who died in 1799 that was found in his father's Port Chester NY backyard. Stored in the house for many years -and with the house on the market- the grave marker needed to be repatriated to its proper place. The stone now stands in its proper place in the New Burial Grounds Association Cemetery next to Greenwich’s iconic Second Congregational Church.
Rightfully Hers is a new segment inspired by the exhibit An Unfinished Revolution: The Woman's Suffrage Centennial at the Greenwich Historical Society. Each week you'll be treated to historical factoids from the exhibit on each broadcast focusing on granting women the right to vote. Listen to my conversation with Guest Curator Kathy Craughwell-Varda on the January 15, 2020 show (Click here) (Please note that the Greenwich Historical Society is currently closed).
Author and Artist Eric Sloane wrote in his book The Seasons of America Past, “I am indeed grateful for the good things of this age, yet I feel there were certain things of the past which were good and unimprovable, many of which have become lost…I am forever thankful for living at a time when many of the marks of early America still exist, before that fast-approaching time when they will all have disappeared into a far different landscape.”
So very true in Greenwich -especially as we have seen the demolition and destruction of so much of our history.
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| The Zebediah Mead House, Built 1746, Greenwich Audubon Center. |
I am announcing and asking your help with a community-based collaboration that I’ve initiated with the Greenwich Audubon Center. Along with its rich diversity of habitats there are reminders of its history as an 18th century farmstead featuring the Zebediah Mead House, built in 1746.
With Center Director Eli Schaffer as our host, Sue Hill McClenachan and I paid a visit to this New England gem. A better understanding of our past is invaluable -so our efforts to restore, preserve and eventually open the Zebediah Mead House to the public begins.
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| Host Jeffrey Bingham Mead at Putnam Cottage with a few of his donated heirlooms. |
Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons airs on Radio 1490 WGCH Greenwich, Connecticut USA, FM 105.5 Stamford and WGCH.com anywhere via live audio streaming. The show is hosted by Jeffrey Bingham Mead, a direct descendant of the 17th century founders of Greenwich, Connecticut. It is the first show ever focused on the stories of Greenwich history as well as that of area communities. Tune-in every-other Wednesday morning after the top-of-the-hour 9:00 a.m. news.
You can contact Jeffrey Bingham Mead, the host, at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons@gmail.com.
Monday, March 9, 2020
Greenwich Choral Society Approaches Its Centennial (SHOW #39, March 11, 2020)
We extend our sincerest appreciation to the following for making the 11th of March 2020 broadcast of Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons possible: The Greenwich Choral Society; Catherine Ladnier and John Mickey Robinson; Sue Hill McClenachan (for Rightfully Hers); Kevin M.J. O'Connor of The Jeffrey Matthews Group, and listeners to the show on Radio 1490 WGCH Greenwich, Connecticut USA, FM105.5 in neighboring Stamford, Connecticut, and WGCH.com anywhere live streaming globally over the Internet.
Drawing upon various traditional and contemporary choral works, a member-based choral society serving Fairfield and Westchester counties and the Greater New York City Metropolitan Area, and spreading joy through music since 1924, the Greenwich Choral Society has been dazzling audiences for close to a century. Indeed, Year 2024 marks the Society’s centennial.
On today’s broadcast Host Jeffrey Bingham Mead welcomed Paul Mueller, Music Director and Conductor of the Greenwich Choral Society, and Patrick Taylor, Greenwich High School Choral Director.
*We regret to inform you that the Beethoven 2020! concert scheduled by the Greenwich Choral Society for March 14 has been cancelled. The Superintendent of the Greenwich Public Schools made the decision to cancel all “external” events in the schools. The Greenwich Choral Society hopes that it can be re-schedule this spring at a later date. All ticket holders or potential attendees should contact the GCS website for updated info. Thank you!
There are many great things about Greenwich, Connecticut. We're blessed with a constellation of nonprofit organizations devoted to enriching and elevating the arts.
The Greenwich Choral Society is one of those bright lights presenting innovative musical programs for almost one hundred years through high calibre performances such as Beethoven 2020! and others. The Society relies on donations to promote quality music in the community. Visit gcs-ct.org and support its work, or call 203.622.5136.
Rightfully Hers is a celebration of the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote. You'll hear about the first woman to cast a vote in Greenwich, and about the first woman volunteer firefighter in town history.
An Unfinished Revolution: The Woman's Suffrage Centennial exhibit is open to the public at the Greenwich Historical Society, a dynamic and timely exhibition that takes a new look at the history and legacy of the women's suffrage movement. Be sure to check out the cafe and museum gift store at Toby's Tavern. Learn more at GreenwichHistory.org.
Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons airs on Radio 1490 WGCH Greenwich, Connecticut USA, FM 105.5 Stamford and WGCH.com anywhere via live audio streaming. The show is hosted by Jeffrey Bingham Mead, a direct descendant of the 17th century founders of Greenwich, Connecticut. It is the first show ever focused on the stories of Greenwich history as well as that of area communities. Tune-in every-other Wednesday morning after the top-of-the-hour 9:00 a.m. news. You can contact the host at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons@gmail.com.
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