“I put myself in the way of things happening,

and they happened.”

                      Franklin Delano Roosevelt

October 29, 2003

Dear Cynthia,

I hope that this note finds you quite well. Below is a copy of a letter that I have sent out to many of my friends regarding the Val-Kill Medal Ceremony. I thought you would like a copy. Please find an article that I pulled off the Internet mentioning a connection to FDR. One can ask Google to send e-mail attachments, during the day, about key subjects or people. Every time the subject of FDR comes up, I receive an e-mail mentioning a media release. It is a way to receive the news before it “hits the street.” I also have enclosed a button for you from the Eleanor Roosevelt event in New York. – rjg

Recently I received an invitation to go up to Hyde Park and attend the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Foundation’s Medal Award ceremony for 2003. In previous years I had ignored the invitation for one reason or another. But after Linda and I had been invited to Laura Roosevelt’s house in Greenwich, Ct., last year to see the workings of the ERVK Foundation, I decided their task and mission was quite worthy so I wanted to attend this year’s event.

It’s a pleasant hour drive up the scenic Taconic, which has been considerably brightened by the fall foliage’s multi colors. Eventually though, I must turn west towards the Hudson, so I drove onto Rte 55 that leads through the old town of Poughkeepsie, where Vassar College is located. Approaching the Mid-Hudson suspension bridge I headed north for a few miles up Rte 9 past Marist College and the Culinary Institute. I had been up here a number of times in the past year while I was working on the renewal of the FDR/ March of Dimes Birthday Ball. The ball will be postponed until next year while the FDR Library and the Henry A. Wallace Visitor’s Center are being worked on. Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt’s home, is located a few miles southeast of Springwood, the big mansion and library on the Post Road.

I drove in to the property, which is located on many, many secluded acres and is managed by the National Park Service. It is celebrating its 26^th year as a National Historic site, and it is the first and only home of a First Lady that has been so honored. After parking with hundreds of other cars, on a vast grassy meadow, I wandered over to the tent where the reception was being held. Of course in the moments before the event, I worked on my post cards, and by 12 noon, the tent and 28 tables were filled, and the reception started. We were all introduced to not only the medallists but also their very capable seconds, who all made brilliant introductions. (I have included the program with this letter.) The speeches were outstanding after each introduction and acceptance, the speakers and medallists were afforded standing ovations.

I was quite impressed with Jean Kennedy Smith’s remarks about Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. Neither of them is a youngster, but they delivered their lines with aplomb, humor and charm. I especially recalled Mrs. Kennedy’s quote from her late brother the President, “Arthur was the smartest guy he ever knew!”  Professor Schlesinger, who had never met Mrs. Roosevelt while she was First Lady, recalled their work together in her years with the United Nations and cited the importance of her seminal effort creating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  

David Roosevelt, who wrote Grandmere a wonderful book on his grandmother, introduced Mike Wallace. Wallace told of his upbringing by Russian immigrants who worshipped FDR. He told us that he was really unaware of ER until he was in the US Navy during WWII and as the communications officer would read dispatches about ER’s magnificent work visiting the wounded in the Pacific Theater.

He then related a background story of his famous interview with ER and her equally famous remark about Westbrook Pegler, who had been excoriating her in his column for years. When asked what she thought of Pegler’s unrelenting attacks on her, she responded by saying that “he must be a really unhappy man!” No animosity, no rancor, no attack, but a simple characterization of a pretty vile s.o.b.!

All in all, the other two medallists were outstanding and quite well appreciated. But I focused on the personages whom I knew and subsequently I was able to speak to Mrs. Smith, Professor Schlesinger, Mike Wallace and David Roosevelt in depth. It was quite a thrill. I had them sign some cachet philatelic covers, and the professor autographed his 1945 edition of the Age of Jackson, along with his 1959 Crisis of the Old Order, part of his award winning multi biography of FDR. All in all, they were great to talk to, quite engaging, and they all asked me how I became involved with the Roosevelts. Of course I told Mrs. Smith about Linda’s heroic cousin Fred Rosen who had served in the PT Boats and was a friend and contemporary of her brother’s during the war years and my work with the Jon Breen Fund Scholarships that led to my lectures to high school students about the Roosevelts.

After the luncheon, ended I spoke to Ms. Cynthia Koch, the director of the Roosevelt Library and she introduced me to Edna Gurewitsch, whose husband David was ER’s personal physician and great friend. She has also authored a wonderful memoir about their friendship entitled Kindred Souls. Most of us walked through the small stone cottage home, and many of us stopped and watched a monitor that was playing the famous Wallace-Eleanor Roosevelt interview.

Finally on my way out to the path that led to the parking area, I met an older gentleman who was standing alone, and I said hello. He responded and we started to talk. I asked him where he was from, and what brought him to this event. He said that he was a fan of Teddy Roosevelt. We talked a bit about the old Rough Rider, and he told me that TR had hired his grandfather and then later tried to take his grandfather’s job! I asked him “What did you say your name was?” He said, “My name is Seth Taft!” I then said, “Can I assume that your grandfather was William Howard Taft?” Lo and behold he was President Taft’s grandson, and he was here with his son and son’s family and they were not only enjoying the party, but also visiting the grandson, another Seth, who is a junior at Vassar. I volunteered to take their picture, and he offered to take mine with my camera. I said that I usually didn’t feel comfortable posing with Republicans, but the son and grandson assured me that they were Democrats! Wow! But the senior Taft, who had run for mayor of Cleveland and had lost to Carl Stokes, and whose uncle was Robert A. Taft, and whose cousin was Robert Taft Jr., both GOP senators and whose nephew is the current Governor of Ohio, assured me that he is still a Republican! We all had a good laugh, they were charming people, I must say, and we exchanged cards, and I told him that I would send him a copy of this letter.

So that was the end of a very special day. I had learned a lot, met some terribly interesting and important people and accomplished what I wanted to do.

Richard J. Garfunkel

Israel and American Politics

April 19, 2004

Richard J. Garfunkel

The Israeli-Arab conflict over the post 1937 Mandate area has been an ongoing and evolving one for decades. Jewish immigration started to come into this formerly barren land at the turn of the 19th century. Jewish settlers bought land from the absentee Ottoman and Egyptian landlords. But basically much of this land was far from being inhabited. The early Jewish settlers, who were basically idealistic socialists, brought the commune to an art form with the Kibbutz. Generally speaking many Jewish Americans did not support the concept of a Jewish homeland in the mandate area, known as Palestine. Interestingly the Jewish settlers in the mandate area were the Palestinians and the rest were Arabs, or Druses, some Maronite Christians and other non-Jews. 

In the modern history of Israel, both American political parties were cautious about full-fledged support. But in October 1944 President Roosevelt called for a Jewish Homeland in the Mandate area. Generally, because Truman went against General Marshall and the State Department when he recognized Israel, the Democratic Party seemed more of a friend then the Republicans. Also because many early Jewish settlers were socialists the GOP were quite ambivalent towards Israel. Eisenhower had little contact with Jews in the Army, little contact with Jewish politicians or party people and very little contact with Jewish intellectuals. The New Deal was always seen as a magnet to Jewish lawyers, economists and social reformers. Eisenhower and Dulles felt very secure politically when they forced back the Israeli-British-French invasion force from their conquest at Suez. Eisenhower instituted an arms embargo against Israel, and the Israelis turned to pre-DeGaulle France for munitions. Eisenhower and Dulles eventually convinced other Europeans to cut off real military support for Israel. The idea of containment, through strategic alliances (CENTO in the Mideast, Nato, and Seato), was the 1950's credo. The need for Middle Eastern oil became prominent in all of the geopolitical minds. The State Department sold its soul to oil state oligarchs and dictators. The disaster in Iran was a direct result of those policies.

In America, the old liberals of the New Deal period still felt for and supported Israel, as a democratic and free state.  Conservative Americans, who were more basically Christian, still possessed the pipe dream, that they would have a better entry into the Holy Land through Arab management and rule. The old anti-Semitism that was culturally inherent in these people extended to Israel. Of course, because of Nasser's blockade of the Gulf of Aqaba, his alliance with the Syrians, his forcing out of the UN observers from the Sinai, and his mobilization, one conclusion could only be drawn. He was attempting to squeeze and threaten Israel as a prelude too eventually going to war. The Six Day War resulted from this Arab provocation. The West Bank area was annexed, along with East Jerusalem, which was traditionally the old Jewish quarter. Of course before this period of time, the so-called Arab refugees from the 1948 War were never re-settled. 

Of recent date, Israeli thinking changed since the emergence and ascendancy of Likud and the decline of the European oriented Labor Party. Israelis really never saw a genuine interest from the Arab world in seeking a real peace settlement. They had ample opportunity from 1948-67 to settle the Palestinian (West Bank Arabs) issue. But fedeyeen attacks were part and parcel of Arab foreign policy from the cease-fire in 1948 until the 1967 war. The settlements came out of a strong desire of the Israeli government to make a more defensible country.

 The pro-Israeli community, in this country, is always leery of the right and the acolytes that surround a political anomaly like Bush. They see him as a temporary aberration and not one you could really rely on. He is also perceived as a person from the “oil patch” and not to be trusted. Also most Jews have a civic and social conscience, of which most of us perceive, is lacking in George Bush II. Also, not in the least is the “Road Map” concept, which seemed by most to be thoughtless. He has been mostly disengaged from the Mideast, but as history will show, he has been distracted by everything but Iraq. Europe is a captive to many of its old ways, habits and prejudices. Europe was the birthplace of state anti-Semitism, and most Europeans do not like Jews. Most of Europe was very happy when the Nazis deported its Jews. They gained property and wealth, and have done precious little to restore any of this “Blood Booty” to its historic owners. There are now many Arabs in Europe fomenting a new round of anti-Semitism, and anti-intellectual skinheads of all varieties are easy prey to this “blood libel” propaganda. Arab countries have used their so-called free and legitimate press to promulgate these constant harangues of against Jews and Israel. Europe sees itself on one hand being held hostage to the wishes of its energy suppliers and on the other hand being captive of a willful small minority. Why should a few million European Jews and a small state of 5 million or so other Jews stand in the way of the desires of their countrymen to get all the $5 @ gallon gas they can get! Most Europeans can't understand how this “Jewish” problem reared up its head again after the efficient work of the Nazis. Also there is European sympathy for the Palestinians. Though they could care less about oppressed peoples in and out of the Arab and Muslim world, the Palestinian cause attracks attention because it involves hatred of Jews and a potential problem for their energy flow.  In other words most Europeans are willing victims of Arab hate propaganda. Amazingly very little has changed from the 1930's.

 Sharon is doing what he feels is best for the survival of Israel. Eventually the West Bank will be changed geographically, Gaza will be sealed off from Israel, and the West Bank will be an independent entity, but isolated from Israel. Let them get their jobs in Jordan. By the way 80% of Iraq may be functioning, but it is always the 20% that causes the problems.

Remarks given at the Meeting of the Greenburgh Town Board

5-12-2004

My name is Richard J. Garfunkel, a resident of Tarrytown, and a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.  Here we all are gathered again. Its is our next chapter of the bi-monthly Kabuki dance of political theater by our regular players, This Cabal of political malcontents shows its toothless grin, not unlike the a jack-o-lantern meant to scare the smallest of children. Not unlike the apocryphal “bad penny” that turns up unexpectedly, these Cabalists are back with their boorish rapidity. Of course, when this meeting was at Town Hall, their usual playground, they had their full team on the floor. It was political guerrilla theater at its best when these Apocalyptical Horsemen spewed forth their dire warnings and threats of conspiracy and malfeasance. But at the last meeting on April 28^th, at the Highview School, far away from their usual hunting ground, and in front of strangers, regular citizens not used to their antics, in a neighborhood that had legitimate concerns; the venom of their usual bite was tempered. No one really cared about their tired insipid tirades about Town Hall or the cable studio.

Town Hall is a marvelous reality, which will stand to serve as a beacon regarding and symbolizing excellent planning and forethought for into the future, when the dust of these Cabalists is long forgotten. Of course local cable access is another “smoke screen” issue for this group, and it is obviously available for their vaudeville act when they get it ready to go on the road. But, in truth, all of Greenburgh is waiting for their “See it Now” programming. Maybe the Cabal will go back in history to re-enact Henry IV or Richard the Third. The public pines with desperation to hear these closet Walter Cronkites or Ted Koppels bring exposé after exposé to the waiting public ears. Of course this cry for access to public cable is not unlike Cato, whom Plutarch often quoted as saying “Delenda est Carthago” or “Carthage Must Fall.”  Of course the real meaning of this Cabalist refrain, which like Cato, who added this mantra to the end of all of this speeches, is really politics and more politics. This tagline about cable access is their hypocritical attack on real “open” government. Their sign off always serves to remind us how deprived they really are. Of course they think by making a mockery of the public’s time and turning these important meetings into a recreation worthy of the circus maximus, they can win what was lost at the ballot box!

Of course, many of us are not entertained by these lothario wannabes. These Cabalist conspirators do not entertain us and we will not be intimidated by their distortion of the facts by their promulgation of half-truths and their feeble attempt at intimidation.

As Aristotle said in the 4^th Century BCE, “Liars when they speak the truth are not believed.”

Remarks given to the March, 2003  Town Of  Greenburgh Town Board.

My name is Richard J. Garfunkel, I live in the Glenville section of Tarrytown, and I would like to wish a good evening to the members of the Town Board and the Supervisor Mr. Paul Feiner and thank them for my opportunity to say a few words.

As a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, I was recently apprised of a very exciting concept. At the March meeting of the Board, we were introduced to a very interesting idea by the Supervisor Feiner.

In June of 2002, as a result of the disaster of 9/11 the Arts Council of Westchester commissioned the creation of individual tiles, through the efforts of 24 tile-making workshops, to be designed to honor the victims and memorialize the heroes of that tragic event. As a consequence of that effort, called the September 11^th Memorial Tile Project, over 2500 tiles were designed and created by young people from all over Westchester.

Supervisor Paul Feiner addressed the Town Parks and Recreation Advisory Board with the proposition that the Town of Greenburgh should have these tiles as the centerpiece of a memorial dedicated to the memory of that tragic day in our history. As one member of the board, that enthusiastically backed Supervisor’s effort, I salute his effort. Because of the urgency of to become the first community to create an important place to display these tiles, Supervisor came to the Board for our advice and counsel. There was overwhelming support for this effort, I must report.

Because of the need to fund this project, I would like to suggest a type of lend-lease approach. My thoughts were to use non-taxpayer funds from the Parks and Recreation Developer Escrow account to finance the display of these tiles in a Memorial Park of Honor. I would also suggest, that as a consequence of this temporary loan from the Developer Escrow account, a public subscription effort be launched to replenish the monies used from this account. Throughout our history, from the Liberty Bell, to the Statue of Liberty, to the Iwo Jima Memorial, to Old Ironsides, and to the Pearl Harbor Memorial, public subscriptions have been used to create the payments for these sacred sites. We have the money now, and the effort should be made, at this critical time to create this place of honor, and to display these tiles as quickly as it can be done.

It was suggested that these tiles should be displayed on East Hartsdale Avenue. I would like to concur with that idea and thought. This site would be therefore available for many thousands to see and appreciate.

Richard J. Garfunkel, member of the Advisory Board

2801 Watrch Hill Drive

Tarrytown, NY 10591

Glenville Park Nature Reserve

Proposed Children’s Park and Nature Reserve

A Neighborhood Perspective

Submitted by Richard J. Garfunkel

Member of the Parks and Recreation Commission

December 4, 2002

I.                    The Glenville Park Preserve: This undeveloped woods and wetlands area is a tract of land that is located off Rte. 119 or White Plains Road. In actuality it fronts onto Old White Plains Road, in the Glenville section of Tarrytown. Turning off Rte. 119 and proceeding approximately 150 feet one reaches the Old White Plains Road section that I am describing. This dead-end street stretches about one-quarter mile from end to end. On this stretch of Old White Plains Road, one finds the Wedged-In, a deli-convenience store on left of the Park, and on the right of the Park one sees the rocky boundaries of the Dunning Street home property. This undeveloped tract of woods and wetlands stretches from a narrow opening into a rear area that includes two partially stagnant ponds, that are overgrown with natural foliage and are laden with fallen branches and downed trees. There is a pathway that allows individuals to walk, with care around the ponds to a man-made waterfall. This waterfall, at the time of my visit was reduced to a trickle. I was told that during a steady or aggressive rain or storm, the run-off was quite significant. Beyond the rocky waterfall the woods stretched a considerable distance. In fact one could eventually walk far beyond the ponds and eventually reach the hilly boundaries of both the Watch Hill properties on the upper right and the Dunning Street homes. Also one could reach the woods, up to the left that border on the Hackley School property that is located a considerable distance up and along Benedict Avenue.

II.                 The Parks and Recreation Department Concept: The concept is to create a small recreation park for children in front of the wooded area. There would be an effort made to make a “walking path” from that park to the ponds. The ponds would be cleaned of the floating logs and collapsed trees and branches. The shorelines would be weeded and the natural growth would be encouraged. The surrounding path would be made safer and more accessible to nature hikers of all ages. The area around the falls would be evaluated in regards to safety. It would be envisioned that the path would eventually continue deeper into the wooded area and connect to the Hackley property. There was also a thought, proposed by the consulting engineer, to the Commissioner that the nature path could be extended to the Tarrytown Lakes.

a)      Suggestions that were offered by the Commissioner and the consultant regarded: the placement of benches, the granting of easements, and the creation of connections from and through the Watch Hill and Dunning properties.

b)      Also the Commissioner asked for input regarding the type of playground, for whom it be constructed, and the potential parking spaces that would service the park. The connection with the Wedge-In was also discussed.

III.               Neighborhood Impact:  This wooded tract of land borders on the property of the Wedged-In, the Dunnings homes and the Watch Hill neighborhood. After the Parks and Recreation Commission’s presentation on November 9, 2002, I was able to meet with a number of residents from the Dunning area, the Watch Hill area and the owners of the Wedged-In. I solicited their views and was able to discuss a future meeting with the elected neighborhood representatives of the Watch Hill area, where I also reside. This meeting was held on December 1, 2002, with the officers of the Watch Hill Neighborhood Association.

IV.              Preliminary Conclusions: In my discussions with the Dunning area residents, I discerned a concern over security. Their main thoughts were not about access to the park from their area, but their concern that “outsiders” would have access to the rear of their homes. They also worried about the potential liability incurred by a path that would border on sharply sloped rock formations. The owners of the Wedge-In felt that they had cooperated with the needs of the residents and the Town and would be happy with a small park and a clean-up of the ponds. The meeting with the officials of the Watch Hill Neighborhood Association was quite frank and forthright. Their thoughts were of the following:

a)      There should be a recreation park for small pre-school youngsters

b)      The ponds and their surrounding areas should be cleared.

c)      The paths should be made safe.

d)      There should be “no lighting.”

e)      There should be “no eating,” because of health and sanitation concerns over vermin.

f)        There should be “no basketball” courts that could encourage late night “hang-outs”

g)      There was no need or desire for any upper paths from Phase II or Phase III to the nature path that would wind within the nature park for the following reasons: security, liability, health reasons (animals, deer ticks, etc.)1

 The Concept: Mission Statement: The Birthday Ball/ The March of Dimes

The re-creation of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Birthday Balls of the 1930’s, with the emphasis on raising monies for the March of Dimes effort to find the cure for birth defects. This effort should also bring forth to a new generation of Americans the eternal and enduring Roosevelt message of active faith, optimism, hope and the spirit of opportunity for all. By associating this effort with the January 30th birthday of President Roosevelt, the public will always be able connect the eventual elimination of birth defects with his great legacy.

The Project:

The project’s mission is to establish on January 30^th, of 2003 a dinner birthday ball at a place to be determined (Hyde Park, and or other locales). This event would bring together people and institutions to establish an annual event that would raise money for the continued research to eliminate birth defects and promote the name, message and legacy of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Committee:

The committee must bring together individuals from a number of disciplines. The committee must determine what it wishes to accomplish and how it wishes to get there.

It must establish attainable goals with reasonable expectation.

Disciplines listed below:

A)    Finance

B)     Organization

C)    Public relations

D)    Journal

E)     Advertising

F)     Legal

G)    Political/ Governmental

H)    Cultural

I)       Educational

J)       Medical

K)     The Internet and a Website

The Committee’s Function and Design:

The committee and its responsibility:

A)    Finance

1.      Create a budget.

2.      Raise money for “start-up” needs.

a)      Stationery

1.      Design

2.      Quality

3.      Amount

b)      Postage

1.   How much to mail

c)      Printing

1.   What quality?

2.    Who to choose?

d)      Travel expenses/incidentals

1.      Who to visit?

2.      Where to go?

3.      Establish funding vehicles

a)      Disbursement

1.   Controller, secretary

b)      Receiving donations

1.   Office Staff

c)      Accounting

1. Bank accounts

B)     Organization

1.      Setting meetings and agendas

a)      Local

b)      Regional

c)      National

2.      Delegating responsibility

   a)  Officers- titles

3.      Following-up on tasks

4.      Overall direction and course correction

C)    Public Relations

1.      Contacting the media

a)      Newspapers, television, radio

1. When, where and how

b)      Holding press conferences

c)      Writing press releases

1. Secretarial

2. Computer Access

2.      Meeting with local and regional community

D)    Journal

1.      The design and creation of a Birthday Ball Journal

a)      Contacting printers and design people

b)      Establishing a Journal cost budget

c)      Journal will present

1)      Mission statement

2)      Introduction

3)      Articles

4)      List of contributors

5)      Advertising

1. Advertising person

2.      The over-site function

a)      Its proof-reading

b)      The inclusion of all names and ads

c)      Its deadline

E) Advertising

1.      The selling of ads

               a)   Local

               b)   Regional

               c)   National or Corporate

2.      Availability of space and its cost

F) Legality and Liability

1.      Responsibility for liability and compliance

2.      The need for insurance

3.      The structural responsibility

a)      Corporate or non-corporate

b)      Election or appointment of officers

G) Political/ Governmental

1.      Local, regional, state, national

2.      Contact with these offices and officials and departments

H) Cultural

1.      Entertainment

a)      Music

b)      Dance floor

2.      Speakers, and or Master of Ceremonies

a)      Introductions

b)      Credits

c)      Acknowledgements

d)      Awards

I) Educational

1.      Local, regional, state

a)      High schools, colleges

b)      Scholarships

c)      Grants

1)      FDR-March of Dimes Essay Contest

2)      Annual awards

3)      Corporate grants

L)     Medical

1.      Consultant to committee

2.      Resource for press release person

K) The Internet and a Website

1.      The importance of the site

a) Reaching people

b) Providing information

c) Receiving feed-back

d) Raising funds

2.      Who and how the site is created

a) Finding the right programmer

b) Determining the cost

c) Approving the design

3.      The message on the site

a) Selecting the message

b) Checking the compliance of the message

4.      The inter-connectivity of the site

a) Having a site inter-active

b) Is that needed?

Conclusion:

For any effort to be successful one must be able to deliver on certain essentials. The first of these essentials is leadership; the second essential is a “good” team and teamwork. There must be the element of coordination between members of the team and an overall perspective relative to direction. Leadership must address this overall perspective and vision. Anything less will cause the project to falter, lose focus and get stalled. Therefore leadership and the committee it serves must have the vision to see a desired result. With that vision the leadership and the committee must set attainable realistic goals and have the commitment to reach those goals

.

“It snowed and snowed, the whole world over,

Snow swept the world from end to end.”

Doctor Zhivago

By

Boris Pasternak   (1890-1960)

(A letter to MVHS track coach Dave Rider, a comment on the passing of Charles Dumas, a famed track and field athlete, as reported in the Times.)

February 8, 2004

Dear Dave,

Hello from cold and frosty Tarrytown, as I sit at my desk watching the white flakes blanket our hilly terrain, I read this obituary in the NY Times and it reminded me of days now passed. When I was a young boy I had heard tell of one Charles Dumas, a collegiate high jumper, who had broken the 7 foot high jump barrier. In the sport’s world all the writers ascribed to the worship of mythical barriers of chronological and physical round numbers. Whether it was the 4-minute mile, or the 60-foot shot put, or the 7-foot high jump or 700 or 60 homeruns, or 20 victories or 300 strikeouts, or 20 or 50 points in a basketball game, these numbers took on mystical reverence.

So, these magical barriers of gravity, strength, and time enamored me not unlike all the other inhabitants of the world of feckless youth. I liked to run and jump, and not long after reading of Charlie Dumas (pronounced like the author of the “Three Musketeers” Alexander Dumas), I became interested in high jumping. Somehow I was able to get myself high jump standards and a bamboo bar. I would run down to Trapahagen Junior High School, with the equipment, where there was a sawdust pit for high jumping. We would set up the bar and practice. It was fun, exhilarating and very tiring. At about this time a young Boston University freshman named John Thomas broke the Dumas record and went out to the 1960 Olympic Trials in Palo Alto and jumped 7 foot 3.75 inches! Wow!

So I jumped for sport and self-satisfaction. One day my parents decided to replace their mattress, and I decided that it would make a perfect cushioned landing place for jumping in my backyard. So almost every day in the summer of 1960 I dragged that old worn mattress up from the basement to the backyard, set up the standards and the bar, and I practiced the “eastern roll” which Dumas and Thomas had made famous. The “western roll” was the conventional jumping methodology that had been previously used, and it required one to tuck one leg under the other as one crossed the bar. If you watch the Lena Riefenstal film-documentary “Olympia,” about the 1936 Games in Berlin, there is long feature on the high jump, and, of course all the participants used the “western roll,” including the American gold medallist, Cornelius “Connie” Johnson who leaped 6’7.5.”

Eventually I was able to clear 6 feet, which was quite good for forty years ago. I never leaped in competition, because of my commitment to other sports, however I always admired the difficulty of the high jump, which required coordination, jumping ability, speed and the over-coming of fear.

Ironically, during my first week at Boston University, while I was using the washing machine in the basement of Myles Standish Hall, my dormitory, I bumped into the BU demigod John Thomas. He was using the same machines as we mortals used. Eventually I followed him out as he walked up Bay State Road to his brown Ford convertible with his customized “JT” license plate.  John Thomas’s spectacular career was ironically hindered by a freak accident that he suffered in the Myles’ elevator when the door damaged his foot. I never came in contact with Thomas again until decades later when he showed up at the Glen D. Loucks Track Meet at White Plains High School. I believe Fred Singleton, who was one of WPHS’s excellent coaches, (and one of my son’s when he ran track from 1990-1994), invited him. I went up to Thomas and reminded him of our short meeting in 1963 and of my interest in high jumping. Basically he couldn’t care less, was happy to blow me off, and went back to what he was doing. (I had attended the Loucks Meet for many, many years, and one very rainy year, the late great Lorenzo “Rennie” Thomas, who was the chief of the field events, asked me to officiate at the high jump pit because of the lack of officials.)

Dick Fosbury, who changed high jumping with his radical “flop” style, has placed into ancient history the likes of Dumas, Thomas and Brumel, the gods of the “eastern roll.” Its also too bad there is so little national interest in track and field today. The media is just not in love with it, and its foray into professionalism, I believe, tainted the sport. The media focuses on the professional team sports and therefore, there are no more household names in track and field like, Bannister, Landy, O’Brien, Boston, Thomas, Oerter, Hayes, Owens and countless others. Maybe it is the stigmata of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs that have jaded both press and public, but without those old numerical milestones, track and field statistics just don’t seem to have that old punch.

Regards

Richard

 PS: Always great to see you and enjoy your company!

I have included with this letter the following:

a)      Charles Dumas obituary

b)      My recent letter to the editor on GWB

c)      My son’s cover sheet on his recent edition of www.civilities.net

d)     My son’s article on David Brooks and copies of the highlighted remarks he refers to.

Differences Then and Now

July 17, 2004

Well old friends with pretty common backgrounds and roots can see the world a bit differently. Though I think we all see ourselves as patriotic Americans who strongly believe in the ideals that founded this country and still sets us apart from most of our worldwide neighbors, we may differ on the methodology to promulgate that democratic dream.

I cannot and will not speak for either of you, of whom I like and respect. In a sense for many reasons both of you have always made fine points and those points have helped shaped, my perspective on the world. I have always been a centrist who leaned towards the Democrats. Of course, my great life-long hero was and is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a man of action and strong faith.

Roosevelt understood most acquisitively the limits of power, the need for coalitions, both political and ideological, and the problem of getting too far ahead of the public. FDR knew from his vast personal and political experience, as an acutely sensitive witness to the careers of three of his heroes, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Alfred E. Smith, how dangerous and fickle is the love and support of the public and its patience with failure. FDR knew that a leader, who got to far ahead of his supporters, as he charged into the breach, and looked back over his shoulders and saw no one, was headed for political disaster. In a sense, his greatest political challenge came in the twin wakes regarding the death of his alter ego Louis Howe in 1936 and his great electoral triumph later that year. Without Howe to temper and restrict his reach, FDR embarked on his two most disastrous gambits, the Court Reorganization Plan and the electoral purge of conservative members of the Democratic Party. In other words, even with his great electoral mandate, he learned quickly how public opinion could be swayed and reversed. This was and is a good lesson for all who have followed.

Even with all of our great power, that Roosevelt assembled as he transformed a weak, depression-racked country into the “Arsenal of Democracy,” FDR knew that we needed allies from all over the world. His coalition building was able to draw in the vast resources of the Western Hemisphere. It did not come about from only bending the arms of our so-called hemispheric client states. It had come from years of cultivation started with the “Good Neighbor Policy.” In other words the United Nations was a term FDR thrust into the worldwide lexicon long before its first meeting in San Francisco at the end of the war.

FDR had set the stage for his world-wide vision of a post WWII world with his Four Freedom's State of the Union address on January 6, 1941 and followed it up with the Atlantic Conference in Argentia Bay with Prime Minister Winston Churchill. So he brilliantly set the stage for our involvement in trying to save the world from the fascist and nazi hordes.

So, with the mantle of experienced leadership, the eloquence of his great words, and the mandate of electoral victory he set out to bring the American people along slowly and methodically. Americans were generally isolationist, who hated war, and were extremely cynical about their involvement in the past World War. Of course the attack on Pearl Harbor changed all of that with unbelievable suddenness!

In almost a diametrically different way, George W. Bush came into power, not with a mandate, but on the largess of a fraudulent victory. Ironically a few hundred votes in Dade County, by older Jewish folk that by accident or on purpose, were counted for Patrick Buchanan swayed the whole election. Whether Vice President Al Gore blew the election, or George W. Bush stole it, is pretty irrelevant now. But what is most assuredly relevant is that George W. Bush came into the office under a cloud. Yes, we have had many minority Presidents before him, but it had been a very long time since Samuel Tilden's time that the Electoral College did not follow the popular vote. George W. Bush had no mandate and his first 9 months in office were, from my perspective rotten. He posed as a compassionate conservative, and that was the first of his many lies.

For all what has been said about “information preparedness” before 9/11, it is clear from all the testimony of these ongoing hearings that we weren't prepared by our “agencies.” In fact we have spent billions on the CIA, NSA, FBI, and etc., and they failed. Also Bush did nothing about his “inherited dead wood” that had been around through several administrations, and certainly did nothing about them in the wake of our “intelligence” meltdown. We also learned, quite clearly, that George W. Bush wasn't completely focused on worldwide terror, and that he had an even clearer chance to get top people in Al Queida, then the opportunities that were talked about in the Clinton Administration. In fact the Clinton Administration wasn't as asleep as Bush's sycophantic supporters would like us to believe. So the hearings have established a great deal. They have shown controversy in the Bush White House, the political isolation of Secretary Powell, the inexperience of Advisor Rice, and the focus on Iraq more than worldwide terror. There is no point to go over the mistakes engendered by the administration in the current war, but for sure Bush has alienated our friends and allies, has lied to the public, has dreamt up phony war rationales and has mismanaged the so-called peace. Even though I have to admit freely that I despise the man, I supported the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. But as the late President John F. Kennedy said, “success has many fathers, and failure is an orphan.” George W. Bush is a failure as an administrator, as a planner, as an articulator, as a visionary and as a President. He deserves to lose this election and I am sure that he will.

But, all in all, one has to recognize that we have very large problems with worldwide terrorism, and we need all of the western world and its friends to stamp it out. It may take many years, and draconian methods, along with possible horrendous disasters and consequences. But for sure a non-achiever like George W. Bush doesn't have the ability or the brains to lead successfully in that effort

May 5, 2003

The Journal News

To the Editor:

The Ongoing Disaster of Rte 287!

As a life long resident of Westchester and a frequent traveler on this county’s roads for more than 40 years, I would like to ask the question, when are we going to see progress on the Cross Westchester Expressway, and who can give us a report on a reasonable timeframe for this boondoggle to be finished? When I lived in Mount Vernon I was aware of the ten-year effort to improve a short stretch of the Cross County Parkway that dominated the 1960’s. We all know that there are no social, political or community forces that can oppose these projects that are immune to oversight by local authorities. Hearings never seem to matter, and any political leader who stands up against these efforts is always deemed an obstructionist. I propose a type of “morning after” legislation. This would in effect hold the planners, architects, and engineers who are hired by these insulated State Agencies to be accountable for their work once these projects are completed. In other words, if we are told through their “studies” that our current road/highway is too congested and too unsafe and we determine, after the fact, that their “expensive” alterations, reconstructions, and repairs were unnecessary then they should be held accountable to civil action. We are constantly forced to endure long and horrible delays on some of our main roads. It seems to me that this current work, on Rte 287, that has dragged on for years, should be a perfect example of a reason to have legislation to hold those responsible for these “so-called” improvements.

Richard J. Garfunkel

Member of the Advisory Board of the Parks and Recreation

Department, Town of Greenbugh.

February 8, 2003

Dear Friends,

Linda and I had the distinct pleasure of joining Doug Garr (MVHS 1967, runner-up in the New York State Scholastic Wrestling Championships, and a member of Henry Littlefield’s last great State Championship team) and his brother Andy (AB Davis 1961) at the New York Athletic Club on Friday night, February 7^th. The occasion was the 100^th anniversary of the first collegiate wrestling program at Columbia. We were able to attend a sensational college wrestling match with the Cornell team (ranked 5^th in the nation) matched against Columbia’s excellent squad. The old gymnasium was jammed with a vociferous and enthralled crowd. Cornell won 23-12, but each match was well contested. One of the highlights of the evening was the introduction of Dan Gable, the greatest name in American amateur wrestling. I have included a biography of the legendary Gable with this letter. I also had the pleasure of meeting Andy Fitch (a former NCAA wrestling champion) who was a member of Yale’s class of 1954. I had last seen Andy Fitch in 1972 when Henry, Andy and Randy Forrest worked on an all-star wrestling extravaganza in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It had also been almost 30 years since we had been up in the NYAC to see Henry coaching some of his Amherst wrestlers in the Eastern and Metropolitan AAUs. Its funny that so many of the names I remembered from 30+ years ago are still around, a bit grayer, a bit paunchier, and still part of the small hoary world of wrestling.

The next day I wandered down from Tarrytown to Columbia’s Lou Gehrig Lounge to visit with the hundred or so Columbia wrestling veterans from the last 6 decades. Immediately I met Ernie Alleva, who competed for Rye HS in the 1970’s and wrestled with our Westchester Athletic Club team for a season. Eventually, though, I met Michael Shlanger, (AB Davis 1961, and Columbia 1965), whom I originally came to see, and we reminisced about some of the old time days at (AB Davis) and our separate but treasured memories of Henry Littlefield. As I talked to some of the other more “mature” guests, I was able to meet a dozen or so members of the 1952-57 wrestling teams that knew Henry as a competitor and a man. They to a one felt his loss keenly. It was a wonderful and unique two hours filled with joy and tears. I am sure that I will not have this type of opportunity again.

Richard