Pastor Leo Curry, First Church of Round Hill: December 18, 2019

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The final guest of Year 2019 on the Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show on Radio 1490 WGCH in Greenwich, Connecticut and WGCH.com anywhere via streaming over the Internet is Pastor Leo Curry. 

The First Church of Round Hill -located at the intersection of Round Hill Road and John Street -is the quintessential New England edifice. It stands proudly as it has for nearly two hundred years in this location. The church is a Christian community in the Methodist tradition that is rich in heritage, open and caring and bound together by faith. 

You'll hear about this Philadelphia native's early life, upbringing and early career. As Robert Marchant of the Greenwich Time noted in its 3rd of November, 2019 edition, "The Rev. Leo Curry went into the family business-becoming a minister and educator." Pastor Curry will share background about his leadership positions in the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, and some history of his new church in Round Hill. 

We'll also learn about his philosophy and role of the church in both families and the larger community -and, yes, we'll discuss Christmas! 

On our most recent broadcast two weeks ago we featured a Greenwich History Question! We'll announce the winner. We'll part with some Christmas thoughts, too, such as this:

Xmas Rush is on at the Post Office: Horses Wanted for Mail Delivery

Greenwich Press. December 20, 1917. Page 1.

Postmaster Meany has issued a call on public spirited citizens for the use of their horses for the purpose of facilitating mail deliveries during the Christmas rush which face delay owing to the congestion in traffic because of the snowstorm. Because of the heavy fall of snow automobiles are practically useless especially in the outlying districts. Mr. Meany has thus far experienced considerable difficulty in obtaining horses, and owing to the scarcity, he is anxious to receive offers from horse owners to tide over the situation.

The Christmas rush is on in full tilt and indications point to a much greater business than during the 1916 holiday season. Tuesday, the clerks and carriers started on double shifts, working from 5:54 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

If weather conditions are favorable Postmaster Meany plans to obtain automobile machines for the delivery of the big influx of Christmas gifts as was done last year. At that time under favorable weather conditions every Christmas package was delivered on time.

The incoming and outgoing packages began to pile in large numbers Monday and quantities increased everyday. Yesterday all of the available space was occupied by the hundreds of Yuletide packages. All of the substitutes have been drafted into service in an effort to take care of the large volume of business.

Hundreds of packages for the soldiers have been sent abroad and to home camps. One recent consignment from Christ Episcopal Church to the "boys of France" consisted of about seventy packages.

Postmaster Meany is elated over the splendid showing of the Greenwich office this year. It is expected that the 1917 volume of business will exceed last year's receipts by between $6,000 and $7,000. The approximate business for the last year was approximately $50,000.

The First Christmas

Greenwich Graphic. Saturday, December 22, 1894

On Juda's hills long centuries past

In the dim and silent night

The Shepherds watching o'er their folds

Beheld a glorious light.

A light as the sun by day,

Shone through the midnight still,

Illuming wth silvery sheen

Each dark Judean hill.

A star from out the eastern sky,

In flood of radiance broke;

While "Peace, Good Will to all the Earth"

A Heavenly music spoke.

What mystery holds that Orient star?

What means the angel song?

Why shine those hills and deep ravines?

Why float those notes along?

"The promised one of Israel.

Savior of every land;

The Christ Child lies in Bethlehem,"

Proclaim the angel band.

Thus in that far Judean land,

Broke the first Christmas morn

Where in the centuries long gone by,

"The Prince of Peace" was born.

EMILY STUART WEED.

Greenwich, December, '94

The Merry Christmas Time

Greenwich Graphic. Saturday, December 28, 1901. 

It probably is fortunate for the post office and express company's clerks that Christmas comes but once a year, for to them this is the hardest part of their season's work.

The Christmas mail in Greenwich was unusually heavy this season and extra deliveries were made about town on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, there being two on Christmas day. The new mail schedule, which was put into operations a few months ago helped to relieve any accumulation of packages in the post office, and there were six of these mails in which bundles could be sent away, where last year there were only two. 

The rural delivery carries also had their fair share of packages, which delayed them somewhat in making their journey through the country.

The Adams Express Company's clerks were kept busy from the early morning till late in the evening delivering and receiving the many Christmas tokens.

Their workers were loaded to the top with bundles, and it seamed as though the horses had about all they could pull through the streets. 

The trains, too, were delayed in many cases over an hour and Christmas eve the crowd in Grand Central Station was the largest ever seen there.

It was indeed a Merry Christmas and enjoyed by all throughout the land. 

Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons airs on Radio 1490 WGCH Greenwich, Connecticut USA and WGCH.com anywhere via live audio streaming. 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.  

1937: Belle Haven Resident Witnesses Battle of Shanghai

Cathay Hotel/Sasoon House, now the Peace Hotel, Shanghai

My listeners may be reminded that I host and produce both the Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons Show and Asia Today with Jeffrey Bingham Mead on Radio 1490 WGCH in Greenwich, Connecticut and WGCH.com anywhere via the Internet. 

In the course of conducting show research at Greenwich Library I stumbled upon the article below. Dated December 2, 1937, Mrs. Arthur Bull Sullivan of 76 Bush Avenue in the Belle Haven section of Greenwich was in Shanghai during the invasion by Imperial Japanese Forces. 

Describes Horror of War in China:

Mrs. Arthur Bull Sullivan Recounts Experiences in Shanghai

Source: Greenwich Press. Greenwich, Connecticut. December 2, 1937, Pages 1 and 40. 

Note: Original spellings of place names from the text of the article have been retained. 

A month after the bombing of the Cathay Hotel in Shanghai, a jagged hole still remained in the street outside, a grim reminder of the indescribable horror of the war in China. Mrs. Arthur Bull Sullivan of 76 Bush Ave., Belle Haven, who returned from a trip to Shanghai on Thanksgiving Day, recounted tales such as this and others about her experiences in the Far East.

Mrs. Sullivan left for China in the middle of August, to visit her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. A. U. Fox. Shortly before she left, the report came from China that a shell, later found to be a dud, landed in the apartment where Mr. and Mrs. Fox lived. The shell tore through the window frame and went right through a newspaper Mrs. Fox was reading at the time. Her husband quickly picked up the shell and threw it out into the courtyard down below. 

Mrs. Sullivan arrived in Shanghai ten days before the birth of a grandson, on Sept. 28. She remained until Oct. 17, spending most of the time in the French Settlement, where the Foxes have an apartment. Mr. Fox is a member of a New York brokerage firm, with offices in Shanghai. Mrs. Fox went to China two years ago to marry him there. She is the former Isabelle Sullivan, well-known in Greenwich. 

Japanese newspapers proved infuriating to Mrs. Sullivan during her eight days in Japan. The publications there seemed to feel that Japan was saving the Chinese from the Bolsheviks, Mrs. Sullivan said. She told of the tremendous preparations before the war started and the readiness of the Japanese. On the other hand, she described China as unprepared. There were only 100 airplanes left out of 400 when she started home.

Many things happened while Mrs. Sullivan was in Shanghai, and were there or was far from over. She stayed up until 3 o'clock the night before she sailed, watching the Japanese planes flying overhead, the red glare from the Chinese anti-aircraft guns, and the lacy fingers of the searchlights attempting to pick up the flying craft overhead.

And telling of the Hotel Cathay bombing, Mrs. Sullivan advised the Press reporter to imagine Macy's in New York, jammed full of people, struck by a bomb. People were blown to pieces in a way quite indescribable, she said. She also recalled that most of the bombing had been done by the Chinese themselves, whose marksmanship she thought exceedingly poor. 

"The Japanese were ruthless in their destruction," she said, pointing out that the centers of education as the Rockefeller Foundation and other colleges and institutions were ruthlessly destroyed. 

An amazing commentary upon the Chinese was brought back, one of the first instances of its kind reported. Mrs. Sullivan said that machine guns, their muzzles trained upon British troops, were discovered in a hut destroyed by fire. Cross-examination of some Chinese soldiers brought the laconic reply that the guns were there in case the British evinced pro-Japanese leanings. 

Mrs. Sullivan said that most of the Chinese were "apathetic" about the war. She expressed the opinion that some of the Chinese just do not care, the idea being that there are so many Chinese to kill that the war will last a long time. She recalled the time Chapei was bombed while she watched from the Foxes apartment in the French Settlement. She called to the Chinese "boy" to come see the destruction. The “boy" only grinned, Mrs. Sullivan noted. 

The pilot who guides boat into the Wangpoo River comes aboard 70 miles out because of the treacherous waters, Mrs. Sullivan said. She described her trip from Japan, the 36-hour wait before the Japanese would allow the boat to proceed into the harbor. It took the boat three hours to go 15 miles, she said, ascribing the long trip to the treacherous waters and the hulls of ships sunk purposely by the Chinese. 

Mr. and Mrs. Fox are still in Shanghai. The family here received a cable from them Thanksgiving Day. Mrs. Fox remained with her husband, who stuck to his job under the most trying circumstances. Mrs. Sullivan said that Mr. Fox bought his wife a ticket to leave the country with other “evacuees,” but she chose to remain by his side. Incidentally, persons leaving China could only take two suitcases with them, Mrs. Sullivan said.

Besides being a ruthless peoples, according to Mrs. Sullivan, the Japanese used a clever ruse in routing a detachment of Chinese that goes back to the days of Troy and the wooden horse. She told of one incident where the Chinese prisoners had to dig their own graves before being disposed of. The wooden horse stepped into a modern role when she told the story of captured water buffalo and they used to which the Japanese put to them. It seems that the invaders hid behind the beasts and crept up close enough to the defenders of a small fort to take them unawares.

The Japanese put on a good show for Mrs. Sullivan the day she sailed up the Wangpoo River. It was raining at the time, she recalled, and planes were swooping down over the boat. Suddenly Japanese convoys loaded with troops appeared, to impress the foreigner with the greatness that was Japan.

Life in the International Settlement has its curfew, Mrs. Sullivan declared. People have to be indoors long before midnight. Buildings are piled high with sandbags, and troops of all nationalities are in evidence. She thought it “outrageous” the way America had “fallen down on the job,” with little evidence of American interest in the settlement, she declared.

On the return voyage, Mrs. Sullivan completed her trip around the world. She sailed from Vancouver on the first leg of the trip and took an Italian steamer from Shanghai to Naples. There she changed to the Vulcania, landing in New York last week. The phrase, "glad to be home," took on a new life when Mrs. Sullivan said it. 

Rick Hansen, Local History and Genealogy Librarian, Greenwich Library Joins Us

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On the Wednesday, 4th of December 2019 broadcast of Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons on Radio 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com anywhere, Host Jeffrey Bingham Mead welcomed Rick Hansen, local history and genealogy librarian of the Greenwich Library.

Greenwich Library has been a point of pride for generations. The library contains a wealth of historical and genealogical records and resources. You'll hear about its digital collections, oral history transcripts, books, microfiche and microfilm periodicals, photo collections and more. 

When we reach out in caring, when we act with kindness, when we seek peace and never give up on finding it -then we live out the true spirit of Christmas. 

On today's show we announced that once again Acacia Lodge No. 85 Greenwich Free Masons and Neighbor-to-Neighbor are -in Greenwich's tradition of bounteous giving- donating 100 Christmas trees to families in need. While all 100 trees have been spoken for you may call 203.622.9208 and place a request for a tree for next year. 

These special Christmas trees will be distributed starting on the 3rd of December and concluding on the 7th of December 2019. 

It's the time of year to think of those who make all our lives warmer and brighter. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Acacia Lodge No. 85 Greenwich Free Masons and to Neighbor-to-Neighbor. When reflecting on all the ways we've been blessed this year, its our community family like you who keep coming to mind. For it is in giving that we receive. 

As we pause to give thanks for the many blessings of life, we want you to know how grateful we are that you are among this show's supporters and listeners.

May the good things of life be yours not only during this holiday season but also throughout the year. May your gatherings be filled with laughter, friendship, warmth and togetherness. Please remember to reach out to the lonely and forgotten. Grace, peace and aloha be yours in abundance.

The Greenwich History Contest is back! The question was delivered near the conclusion of the December 4 broadcast -with the listening audience having up to one week from today to answer. The first listener who contacts Host Jeffrey Bingham Mead with the correct answer at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons@gmail.com or by Facebook Messenger wins a $25 gift certificate made possible by the Greenwich Historical Society for purchases at its cafe and/or gift shop. 

What's the contest question? Here it is: 

The Greenwich News on December 6, 1912 reported the following: "The November number of the Nippon-Jin, which is published monthly by the Nippon-Jin Sha at the I.N. Phelp Stokes farm at Pecksland, G.M. Matsuzawa, editor; Hiroshi Tamaki, assistant editor; Tamizo Watanabe, proprietor and publisher." 

Between 1908 and 1910, Stokes designed and constructed a stone castle on a portion of the 177 acres he purchased in 1900 from W.A. Husted. 

In the 1920s and 1930s it was developed into an exclusive neighborhood with renowned New York Central Park landscape designers Olmsted Brothers and Architect I.N. Phelp Stokes creating an aesthetically pleasing environment. 

Name this exclusive neighborhood. 

*Hint: You'll find the answer in The Great Estates: Greenwich, Connecticut, 1880-1930 published by the Junior League of Greenwich. 

Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons airs on Radio 1490 WGCH Greenwich, Connecticut USA and WGCH.com anywhere via live audio streaming. 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.  

Moses Goods of Hawai‘i & 19th Century Greenwich-based Protestant Missionaries

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On the Wednesday, November 20 broadcast of the Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show I’m welcoming Hawai‘i-based playwright and actor Moses Goods. He is the founder and artistic director of ‘Inamona Theatre Company.

Goods was recently in the New England states in partnership with Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives to present his one-man play, “My Name is Opukahaia,” receiving rave reviews. 

CLICK THIS LINK TO WATCH ON YOUTUBE

How does this relate to our history? 

At the turn of the 18th century, Opukahaia on the island of Hawai‘i was orphaned by warriors embroiled in a power struggle. His parents and infant brother were killed -but Opukahaia was spared. 

Later, Opukahaia took to the seas by boarding an American sailing vessel, voyaging around the Pacific Rim. 

He eventually arrived in New  Haven, Connecticut. Opukahaia ended up under the wing and in the home of Timothy Dwight IV -the president of Yale- who taught him theology and secular subjects. 

Opukahaia developed a deep desire to return and proselytize in Hawai‘i, inspiring the creation of the Foreign Mission School, whose purpose was to bring the Christian word to far-flung lands that included the Hawaiian Islands. 

Opukahaia -who became known as Henry Obookiah- died aged 26 of typhus in 1818. His published memoirs were a national bestseller in early 19th century America, inspiring American Protestant missionaries to answer the call to serve in Hawai’i starting in 1820. 

American Protestant Congregationalists from Greenwich, Stamford and Danbury were among those who departed for a lifetime of Christian mission-inspired service in Hawai‘i. Read about them here: (CLICK HERE) 


Most all of them never returned to see their ancestral homes and loved ones here again. Here are more articles:

Charlotte Close Knapp Dole, Missionary to Hawaii (CLICK HERE)

When Yankee Missionaries Went to Hawaii (CLICK HERE)

When Town Missionaries Met the King of Hawaii (CLICK HERE)

Dr. James William Smith, Stamford Missionary to Hawaii (CLICK HERE)

Charlotte Close Knapp Dole, One of Punahou School's First Teachers (CLICK HERE) 

Dr. James William Smith, Physician Missionary in Hawaii: A Connecticut Ancestry (CLICK HERE) 

Rev. Chauncey Wilcox of North Greenwich: His Dismissal and Abolitionism (CLICK HERE) 


Honorary Members of the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions (CLICK HERE)

Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons airs on Radio 1490 WGCH Greenwich, Connecticut USA and WGCH.com anywhere via live audio streaming. 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.  

THE ELECTIONS ARE OVER! GUEST PETER J. TESEI, GREENWICH FIRST SELECTMAN

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The elections are over, the results have been mostly tabulated and reported. Congratulations to all the candidates who put themselves out into the public realm, too. 

On the morning after Election Day  -November 6, 2019-  I welcomed Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei to the Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show. As many of you know, he did not seeking another term as First Selectman. 

You'll hear Peter Tesei's perspective on his twelve years in office, as well as his many years of service to the town. A listener also asked me about the Addington House located on West Putnam Avenue -the town's first post office. 

Remember to tune in to Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons every-other Wednesday after the 9:00 a.m. news on Radio 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com anywhere via live audio streaming over the Internet hosted by Jeffrey Bingham Mead.

George H.W. Bush Aircraft: Rod Bengston of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in Hawaii

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George Herbert Walker Bush's roots run deep here in Greenwich, Connecticut. 

He epitomized the best in selfless service to America, and he is remembered as one of this nation's 'Greatest Generation.' A consummate patriot, statesman and president, Bush was a decorated veteran who spent three years as a naval aviator flying combat missions during World War II.

On the Wednesday, 23rd of October, 2019 broadcast of Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons, I welcomed Rod Bengston, director of Exhibits, Restoration and Curatorial Services of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in Hawaii.

The yellow aircraft pictured here is in the museum; it is the plane that Mr. Bush trained in. Click here also. 

The museum is also restoring the same type of plane Bush crashed in -a plane that survived the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Empire on December 7, 1941.

Please go to this link where you can help support the exhibit honoring President George Herbert Walker Bush's extraordinary legacy at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. Thank you!

Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons aired Wednesday morning, 23rd of October, 2019 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.

Rock Harpist and Singer Erin Hill

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That's a wrap! My guest on the Wednesday, 9th of October, 2019  broadcast was Rock Harpist and Singer Erin Hill. She is a true original. 

Based out of New York City and Louisville, Kentucky, Erin Hill is redefining what is considered cutting-edge by celebrating a range of styles on the electric harp that includes pop, rock, jazz, country, opera, Celtic/Irish and more. 

She has performed at such venues as The Royal Albert Hall in London, at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and clubs in New York City. Erin Hill won an Independent Music Award for her album Girl Inventor. 

Her songs and albums are available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and elsewhere. I recently attended one of her concerts at Joe's Pub in Manhattan. There was not an empty seat in the house! Learn more at ErinHill.com.

Please click the link to her video on YouTube, 'Giant Mushrooms.’ Mark your calendars for October 30, the night before Halloween!

Rock harpist & singer Erin Hill is known for her arrangements of David Bowie songs on electric harp & vocals, from Space Oddity through Blackstar.

On Halloween Eve, 2019, she brings her Erin Hill: Harp Oddity Show to The Cutting Room in Manhattan, along with her band of drums, pedal steel, and strings.

And in honor of Devil’s Night, the audience is hereby invited to come dressed as your favorite Bowie, should you so desire! $15 ticket. Learn more at erinhill.com.

Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons aired Wednesday morning, 9th of October, 2019 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.

One Year Anniversary: Scarpelli Family of Cos Cob

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On the Wednesday, 25th of September, 2019 broadcast of Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons, you’ll hear a touching story published in Greenwich Free Press in 2015 about the Scarpelli Family of Cos Cob and their sausage shop on Bible Street.

We also shared news about an upcoming lecture next week at the Greenwich Library about the 1824 visit to Greenwich by the Marquis de Lafayette. Julian Icher -a guest on the May 22 show -is the head of the Lafayette Trail Project. He will be lecturing at the Greenwich Library Meeting Room at 7:00 p.m., October 2. 

This broadcast marks the one-year anniversary of this first-ever radio show on the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut. 

Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons aired Wednesday morning, 25th of September, 2019 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. 

Sept. 11 Anniversary and Encore with Julien Icher, The Lafayette Trail Project

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For many Americans, the events of Sept. 11, 2001, are impossible to forget. Images of dark plumes of smoke billowing from the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, of people jumping from collapsing buildings, of ash coated survivors, strangers just moments before, comforting each other as they flee from the area will be forever ingrained in our nation's collective consciousness. Cities and towns around the country will pay tribute to the lives lost that day.

That holds true in Greenwich. I shared some retrospective thoughts about what's happening in Greenwich and in New York as we mark the anniversary of the 911 attacks on the Wednesday, September 11, 2019 broadcast of Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons, starting after the 9:00 a.m. news on Radio 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com anywhere. 

We also featured an encore conversation with Julien Icher of the Lafayette Trail Project- he's coming to Greenwich next month. Details pending. 

Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons aired Wednesday morning, 11th of September, 2019 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.