Scott Warnasch has been a forensic anthropologist/archaeologist for the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner, director of the Human Remains Recovery excavations at the World Trade Center site, consultant to the NYPD and FBI on crime scene search and recovery operations, and has recently opened his own consulting business. He will discuss several forensic search and recovery excavation projects, including the mysterious woman in the iron coffin.
Over the last few years, Melinda and the Hart Island Project have brought the plight of Hart Island’s deteriorating condition to the public and opened the conversation to make the Island a public park.
Our friend and neighbor Ursula Beau-Seigneur passed away March 27th, 2019. Ursula was active in the RIHS for many years. She was a writer and editor of our book “Images of America-Roosevelt Island” in 2003 and the author of the text for our maps of the Island. Quietly, Ursula was a perfectionist and great contributor to our efforts. She was our treasurer and important contributor to our programs and efforts. She would gladly sit at our table at community events and discuss the Society with visitors. Ursula worked for over 25 years at Goldwater Memorial Hospital as the Librarian in the Patient’s Library. She ran writing, poetry, arts Below and many programs for the residents there. Her knowledge of the patrons of the library was great and she went out of her way to accommodate their wishes. As Goldwater closed she transferred to the Coler campus. She reactivated a dormant library into a warm welcoming place for reading, watching videos, using the assistance devices. She retired many years after she needed to. Ursula and I would share dinners and talks of her life, family and many adventures. The last few years she enjoyed the art classes at the Carter Burden Senior Center and showed us her talents in painting. The attached photo is one of her with the painting she completed in the class. Ursula is survived by her brother Dennis Kehoe and family, in California. A memorial service will be scheduled after Easter.
ROOSEVELT ISLAND
HISTORICAL SOCIETY ____________________
U P C O M I N G E V E N T S A N N O U N C E M E N T
A P R I L 1 8 T H | N Y P L L E C T U R E
P O S T C A R D S F R O M T H E P E N I T E N T I A R Y
T H U R S D A Y, A P R I L 1 8 T H
S P E A K E R :
J u d i t h B e r d y , P r e s i d e n t o f R I H S
Learn about the Island history through the views and buildings that were featured on postcards long before photographs were common. Postcards have been widely regarded as place-markers of the built environment and yield important information about the past.
Do you really know Eleanor Roosevelt? She was the author of 27 books, newspaper columnist of astounding output, advisor to her husband/president, ambassador to the United Nations and more. Dr. Blanche Wiesen Cook, Distinguished Professor of History and Women’s Studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, will recount facts and anecdotes about Eleanor Roosevelt from her three-volume biography at a lecture presented by the Roosevelt Island Historical Society at the New York Public Library Branch on Roosevelt Island, on Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.
_____________________The event is FREE and open to the public. It is the fourth in the Society’s annual series of fall lectures, which is supported by funds provided by Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s Public Purpose Fund and New York City Council Member Ben Kallos, with funding from the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.
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DIRECTIONS: Take the Tram at 59th Street and Second Avenue or the F train to Roosevelt Island. Take the red bus (no charge) or walk eight minutes north to 524 Main Street.
The Roosevelt Island Historical Society promotes awareness of the Island’s unique story and pursues preservation of its landmarks and artifacts.
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Or, purchase at Visitor Center kiosk: Cash or credit card
Ticket Choices: Please Support RIHS to the Extent You Can
Friend of Mae West: $45
Drinking Companion: $60, includes vintage tea cup memento
Co-Star: $100, includes tea cup plus Mae West biography “She AlwaysKnew How”
Producer: $150, includes tea cup, biography plus “The Essential DVDCollection of 9 Mae West Films” (eg, the seductive and witty “She Done Him Wrong” and “My Little Chickadee”)
Architect Thomas Fenniman reviews his recent restoration projects.
Thursday, January 17
6:30 pm
Roosevelt Island Branch Library, 524 Main Street
Thomas A. Fenniman, Architect is an architectural firm specializing in the analysis and rehabilitation of existing buildings and the restoration of historic structures. With over 35 years experience working in NYC and the metropolitan area, Thomas has developed a special expertise in working with non-profit institutions and in the creative use of cost-effective designs and solutions with a commitment to quality. His firm has been recognized for excellence in historic restoration by numerous State and local agencies including The New York State Parks Department, The New York Landmarks Conservancy, Friends of the Upper Eastside, The Victorian Society of New York, and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. Notable projects include the interior restoration of The Church of Saint Francis Xavier, The façade restoration of The Players Club on Gramercy Park, the Langham at 135 Central Park West and the exterior restoration of the Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters. Thomas has a Bachelor of Architecture and Building Science degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and studied Architecture abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is a registered Architect in NY, NJ, CT and MA.
Projects completed on Roosevelt Island include the restoration of the Visitors Center Kiosk, The slate roof and narthex restoration of The Chapel of the Good Shepherd and a Condition Study of the Renwick Lighthouse at the northern tip of the Island.
