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April 6, 2006
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set for future of 'Past'
CHRIS SERICO |
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Beginning in March 2003, Brodnick conducted and recorded more than 30 interviews with town elders as a way to reflect upon the town's traditions, changes and anecdotes. Putting the finishing touches on the text two weeks ago, her upcoming book, "Pound Ridge Past: Remembrances of Our Townsfolk," is slated for June publication. Fancher Road resident and former Associated Press reporter George Brea said he was not sure which of his stories would be published in the book, but noted that a lot had changed since he moved to Pound Ridge permanently in 1949. "I remember the silence of the place," Brea told The Patent Trader last week. "There were very few cars. On a windy day, you could hear a car going across a wooden tressel bridge two miles away if the wind was right. And there were many more birds, (including) whippoorwills. I haven't heard a whippoorwill in years." His first wife, Mary Whitton, had lived in town from 1926 until she died in 1998. Brea said he also told Brodnick his wife's recollections of a bucolic town without electricity or indoor plumbing. "It was real country, and many of the houses that are now landmark houses were really wrecked," Brea said. "They had to be all redone (because) they were infested and uninhabited." Brea married Arlette Brauer, Whitton's best friend, a few years after his first wife died. He said that, despite the passage of time, many residents seek the same things from a Pound Ridge address. "We want to keep it private, and we want to keep it rural — among many of the older families, anyway," Brea said. "I would say that, in the last 20 years perhaps, more people who moved here weren't really interested in (those ideas)." Town Councilman Richard Lyman, whose mother and sister were interviewed for the book, might disagree. "I think the rural character of the community, even though we've had development, has remained the same, because our idea of development is different than (those of most municipalities)," he said. Lyman, who has lived in town since 1948, said he was excited for Brodnick's book. "Everybody remembers something different," he said. The book is a collaborative work. Graphic designer Gina Federico and photographer Fran Collin are town residents who contributed their services. Collin's work has appeared in The New York Times, Interview, Entertainment Weekly and New York magazine, while Federico has created identities for corporations, retail businesses and nonprofit organizations since 1989, according to Brodnick. The last thing she has to do, Brodnick said, is collect final donations for the nonprofit project before an April 23 deadline. She said donations go toward the publication of the book and services rendered, such as photography, printing and shipping. While the final price won't be known until "everything is put to bed," cost estimates could amount to about $15,000, Brodnick said. So far, she has raised about $11,000 and has fronted the rest herself. In the front of the book, contributors who have donated $500 or more will be acknowledged as benefactors, while those contributing at least $30 will be listed as sponsors and receive advance copies, Brodnick said. As of March 28, benefactors included the Bank of America, Houlihan Lawrence Inc., Nancy and Vincent Manna, and the town's Historical Society, Lions Club and Newcomers & Neighbors Club, Brodnick said. She reported receiving more than 275 advance copy requests and donations, with return addresses from Colorado to Paris. Vincent Manna designed a Web site, www.poundridgepast.com, where Internet-savvy shoppers can make donations or order copies. At one time an editorial staff member for Glamour and House and Garden magazines, Brodnick also helped celebrities tell their tales as a representative for a public relations agency. Brodnick said the idea for "Pound Ridge Past" stemmed from the stories told by another former Glamour employee, Grace Rainsford. Brodnick said she regretted not interviewing Rainsford before her death in 1998, but she served as inspiration to document interviews with other town elders. The book's earliest recollections date back to the 1890s. Brodnick said residents explained how Pound Ridge grew at the turn of the 20th century and changed through two world wars. They also recounted the ways the town accommodated weekend visitors and celebrities, including Albert Einstein, Benny Goodman, Jackie Gleason and Howard Cosell. "It really does give a good voice to the past so that these stories can always be treasured," Brodnick said. Already, some of the senior citizens who were interviewed have passed away or can no longer verbalize their stories, the author said. "It's already captured in the last three years something that (would be) gone if it were not recorded," she said. |
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