Dr. William Crocker, first Managing Director of the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Analysis
By Mary Hoar, Metropolis of Yonkers Historian, President Emeritus Yonkers Historic Society, recipient of the 2004 Key to Historical past, Yonkers Landmarks Preservation Board Member, Revolutionary Yonkers 250 Chair and President Untermyer Performing Arts Council
Monday, March 24th
March 24, 1931: The Society of Arts and Sciences awarded its 1931 medal for Excellent Scientific Achievement to Dr. William Crocker, Director of Yonkers’ Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Analysis.
March 24, 1939: Native bus corporations requested Yonkers assist putting World’s Honest route indicators in Getty Sq., bus terminals and round Yonkers.
The businesses had been contemplating constructing a manned data sales space to reply questions!
The primary signal was positioned on the Yonkers Ferry slip, saying,” YONKERS GATEWAY TO NY WORLD’S FAIR… SHORTEST ROUTE TO FAIR… AVOIDS CONGESTION.”
Tuesday March 25th
March 25, 1939: Crestwood’s Dr. William Walker introduced he and his brother, former NYC Mayor Jimmy Walker, used a specialised instrument to find what they believed was a 3 hundred-year-old sunken ship off the North Carolina coast.
The instrument and secret chemical method, stored hidden by Dr. Walker in his Crestwood dwelling, was given to Mayor Walker by Italian scientist and inventor Americo Granazio.
The Carolina Exploration Firm leased the instrument from the Walkers to treasure hunt. Dr. Walker’s son, William Jr., labored with the corporate at Topsail Reef to retrieve the hoped for treasure.
March 25, 1943: After a break within the neighborhood 24-inch water essential shut off their water, folks in decrease Nodine Hill by Elm Avenue and Nepperhan Avenue got water pails.
Wednesday, March 26th
March 26, 1939: Reverend Sprague’s sermon on the Memorial Methodist Church on Noticed Mill River Highway was about playing in a faculty! He claimed third grade Yonkers kids had been being educated to change into severe gamblers; a instructor was holding weekly courses in bingo, enjoying for sweet.
In keeping with Sprague, “… innocent because it sounds, the playing spirit is instilled and kids change into truthful sport for punch boards, slot machines, and later for extra severe types of playing.”
March 26, 1943: US Commander-in-chief of China, India and Burma, Lt. Basic Joseph W. Stilwell despatched his regards to his Yonkers buddies in a letter to boyhood buddy Anton Koch. Koch, a well known basketball referee and retired NY Phone Firm supervisor, performed soccer with the Basic at Yonkers Excessive College.
Thursday, March 27th
March 27, 1939: Extremely-high frequency radio transmission professional and radio engineer Donald Whittemore of Briggs Avenue put in the Nationwide Broadcasting Firm’s radio transmission and receiving set aboard the Yankee Clipper, a Pan American Boeing 314 clipper trans-oceanic flying boat! Not “simply” a radio engineer, he additionally was a pilot, operated a house primarily based novice radio station, and had broadcasted throughout Oregon trial flights and cross nation flights. His subsequent mission? Arranging broadcasts on the clipper’s runs from the US to Eire.
March 27, 1942: Alexander Smith and Sons Carpet Firm’s Assistant Basic Superintendent Thomas Appleyard testified at a public listening to on the necessity for Noticed Mill Valley flood management. He said flooding price his firm 5,000 workdays within the earlier 5 years!
Appleyard additionally knowledgeable the listening to not solely had been worker days misplaced, flooding broken hundreds of {dollars} of firm property. When flooding was threatened, staff needed to cease work to construct barricades defending the mills. He added heavy rains prompted stagnant swimming pools, a public well being menace.
Percy Peck of the Yonkers Chamber said flood management was crucial from Yonkers northern border south to Ashburton Avenue. He testified flooding stored new industries from finding right here.
Friday, March 28th
March 28, 1942: Director Dr. William Crocker introduced Boyce Thompson Institute was creating 5 demonstration Victory Gardens, 40 by 50 toes every. Gardens can be on Beechwood Terrace, McLean Avenue & Sanford Avenue, Oakland Avenue, Colonial Parkway North, at Boyce Thompson Institute and behind 290 Jessamine Avenue. Crocker mentioned the gardens can be ones “anybody can develop” and comprise “greens furnishing an abundance of nutritional vitamins.” The Institute gave deliberate demonstrations each Saturday afternoon.
March 28, 1943: Workers Sergeant John Quinlan of Truman Avenue had a slim escape throughout an American air assault on Rouen, France.
The Yonkers tail gunner within the American Flying Fortress trans-oceanic downed a Nazi Fock-Wulf; his weapons had been put out of fee by one other German aircraft. When his aircraft landed, he discovered an unexploded 20-mm canon shell in his compartment, one that might have killed him!
Saturday, March 29th
March 29, 1942: The Yonkers Enterprise and Skilled Ladies’s Membership introduced they’d not maintain its annual choice of “Yonkers Excellent Girl.” That they had held the ballot for 3 years, however, with the nation at warfare and hundreds of girls volunteering for group and protection work, they may not maintain the competition.
March 29, 1945: Yonkers Postmaster William Cronin obtained a letter praising Yonkers letter service Theodore Russak, serving within the Armed Companies.
Main Robert Malcolm, MD, wrote kids set a fireplace exterior his dwelling in South Carolina; by the point Russak got here alongside, the blaze was threatening the foremost’s dwelling. Russak took fast motion, placing out the hearth earlier than any actual harm was accomplished.
By coincidence, Main Malcolm had lived within the Dunwoodie part of Yonkers for 3 months
Sunday, March 30th
March 30, 1871: Governor John Hoffman signed the New York State Legislature act creating the Yonkers Police pressure.
March 30, 1941: Assemblyman Malcolm Wilson’s efforts resulted in elimination of the 25-cent cost for grownup guests to Yonkers’ historic Manor Corridor.
March 30, 1942: Metropolis Supervisor Raymond Whitney reinstated two policemen let go from YPD years earlier! Whitney dominated they need to not have obtained greater than a wonderful of 30-days pay. John Hinkle was off the pressure for 5 years; Frank McMahon was off for 15 years.
Councilman Edith Welty had sponsored laws authorizing reexamination of the costs in opposition to each officers.
Questions or feedback on this column? Electronic mail YonkersHistory1646@gmail.com.
For data on the Yonkers Historic Society, Sherwood Home and upcoming occasions, please go to our web site www.yonkershistoricalsociety.org, name 914-961-8940 or electronic mail info@yonkershistoricalsociety.org.
