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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 24 February 2014

Created: 24 February 2014

Last Updated: 24 February 2014

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The vision of the Women in Public Service Project is a world in which political and civic leadership is at least 50 percent female by 2050. United States Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland), Mount Holyoke '59, and Mary Marvin, Wellesley '76 and Mayor of Bronxville will speak about the importance of a woman's voice in public service and what Congress and local government can do to help women and their families thrive in the economy. This program is free but reservations are required. Please contact Jacqueline Prue at jprue@clarkdodgeco.com. The event is sponsored by the Mount Holyoke Club of Westchester.

The Women in Public Service Project is an initiative to increase the number of women in public service at the local, national, and international levels. A partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the Seven Sisters Colleges of Mount Holyoke College, Bryn Mawr College, Barnard College, Smith College, and Wellesley College, this project is designed to engage a new generation of women committed to public service, create an infrastructure of support, training and mentoring, and help enable more women to enter public service and political leadership.

1:00 pm, Saturday, March 1, 2014
Scarsdale Public Library,
54 Olmsted Road Scarsdale, NY 10583
Contact: Jacqueline Prue at jprue@clarkdodgeco.com.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 12 February 2014

Created: 12 February 2014

Last Updated: 13 February 2014

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Eda Loeb Newhouse, perhaps Scarsdale's most well-known volunteer, died on Monday, February 10, 2014 at age 88 after a short illness. She spent much of her life working for the enrichment and well-being of the community. She was recognized for her efforts in 2000 when she won the Scarsdale Bowl, the highest honor bestowed on a Scarsdale resident for public service in the community.

Though she was a resident of Scarsdale for 61 years, Newhouse retained the southern accent she picked up during her childhood in Montgomery, Alabama where her family was well known for founding the leading cotton merchant firm, Weil Brothers Cotton, Inc., established in 1878.

Mrs. Newhouse attended high school at the Walnut Hill School in Natick, Massachusetts and then attended Oberlin College, where she studied music. After graduating from college, Mrs. Newhouse moved to New York City and taught piano for several years at the Diller–Quaile School of Music.

In the winter of 1947, Eda Newhouse met the love of her life, the late Stanley Newhouse, Jr., of Kansas City, Missouri, at a party in New York City. They married in 1949 in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1952, the couple moved to Scarsdale where Eda continued her professional career as a piano teacher at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School up until her first child was born in December of 1953.

Like many new residents, Eda Newhouse initially became involved in community affairs by joining the Parent Teacher Associations and served on the boards of the Greenacres, Heathcote and Middle and High School PTAs and PT Council from 1959-1979. Within the schools she will be remembered for founding both the Scarsdale Recreation Program and the Scarsdale High School Recreation program for teens known as Asmodeus. Through her involvement with the PTA's she honed her organizational skills and worked with others to realize their objectives.

Eda Newhouse will best be known for her sustained commitment to historic preservation, and the Scarsdale Historical Society where she served as president for 28 years. Combining her passion for history, experience as an educator and seemingly unlimited amounts of energy, Eda Newhouse, and her Board of community leaders, helped steer the organization to a place of special prominence in the Scarsdale and broader Westchester County Communities.

Under Mrs. Newhouse's leadership the Scarsdale Historical Society restored and moved into the 1734 Cudner-Hyatt house and also acquired, moved and restored the 1828 Quaker Meeting House. However, she was most proud of the educational programs at the Society, which at their peak were serving almost 7,000 students annually. Her colonial fairs, tulip bulb sales, country stores, historic house tours and educational programs at the historical society were legendary.

In recent years, attendance and usage of the Scarsdale Historical Soceity's Cudner Hyatt House declined and the current Board of Directors applied to the Scarsdale Zoning Board of Appeals to remove a variance that requires it to operate as a museum so that they could find financially viable options for the building. Newhouse objected, calling the application "shocking and absurd." She told the zoning board that when she ran the Society there were 25 people on the Board of Directors as well as scores of others on the Advisory Board and that they "had a party every year and worked hard to find ways to keep the money coming in."

She served in a variety of leadership roles with the Town & Village Club, Friends of Scarsdale Parks, Scarsdale Community Center, Scarsdale Conservation Council, Scarsdale League of Women Voters, Citizens Nominating Committee, Scarsdale Women's Club and the Scarsdale Council for the Arts.

A few of the people she worked with in town shared their thoughts on Eda. Scarsdale Mayor Bob Steves said, "Eda is a prime example of what it means to give back to the community. She was a tireless worker on behalf of many Village programs and recruited numberless volunteers based on her example and sheer force of will. That her name is forever engraved on the Scarsdale Bowl is a fitting testament to her great contribution to the Village. She will be missed."

David Irwin, President of the Scarsdale Forum remembered Newhouse as well. "Eda Newhouse was a wonderful friend and a tireless contributor of her time and talents to the Scarsdale Forum over many years. She has played an important role on many of the Forum's committees and activities, including serving as a longstanding chair of its Program Committee where she has been responsible for many excellent Forum programs over the years. At the Forum as well as in her other activities, Eda always worked for the betterment of the community. She will be greatly missed."

BK Munguia, a former President of the Scarsdale Forum, had this to say about Newhouse: "Scarsdale has lost a committed advocate of its history, its green spaces and its gracious neighborhoods. She guided several generations of volunteers in the community on many projects. Eda never lost her Southern style of gracious entertaining even with her group of volunteers gathered at her kitchen table and she will be missed."

Lena Crandall, who served with Newhouse on the Friends of the Scarsdale Parks, remembered her love of flowers. "Eda and I first worked together on the Friends of Scarsdale Parks and the Village of Scarsdale Conservation Advisory Council. We had many discussions about the pros and cons of annuals - those pretty seasonal flowers that often require extra work, water and fertilizer. The end result? Eda settled on planting daffodils - beautiful spring-flowering bulbs that are known to survive for years without much care. So, when you see daffodils in public places this spring, please remember that Eda orchestrated their planting."

Beyond Scarsdale, Eda Newhouse served on the boards of the Westchester Community Foundation, The Westchester Arts Council, the Council of Women's College Clubs of Westchester, the Oberlin College Club and the Women's Enterprise Development Committee. She was also committed to advancing Jewish causes and was the founding board member of the American Jewish Committee's Westchester Chapter. She was also on the women's board of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies.

Outside of community affairs, Eda Newhouse always loved music and was recognized by the New York Philharmonic as its oldest continual season ticket holder. She was a passionate bridge player and achieved the level of Silver Life Master through competitive tournament play. She was a consummate gardener and took great pride in showing her extensive gardens and in competing in various flower shows. A member of the Sunningdale Country Club for over fifty years, she was an avid golfer, and a member of the Club's bridge and bowling teams and enjoyed the club's social life.

Lastly, she was a fan, and with her husband, a long time season ticket holder of the New York Giants football team. She complained only days before her death that they had a disappointing and unsuccessful season in 2013, but she expected them to do better next year.

Eda Newhouse is preceded in death by her husband, Stanley Newhouse, Jr., her parents, Helen Weil Loeb and Lucien S. Loeb, and her brother James Loeb. She is survived by her sister, Katherine Loeb Wiener of Jackson, Mississippi, her sister-in-law Joan Byck Loeb of Montgomery, Alabama, her son, Douglas L. Newhouse and his wife, Holly M. Bannister, M.D. of Weston, Connecticut, her son, James L. Newhouse and his wife, Stephanie Kelly Newhouse of Bedford, New York, and three grandchildren, Olivia Newhouse, Robert "Nick" Newhouse and Alexa Newhouse. Numerous nieces and nephews with whom she was very close also survive her.

Visitation will be at Congregation Kol Ami, 252 Soundview Avenue, White Plains, NY on Friday February 21 starting at 10:00 am. There will be a Memorial service beginning at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers please send donations to:

The Fund for Westchester's Future
Westchester Community Foundation
200 North Central Park Avenue
Suite 310
Hartsdale, NY 10530

(Portions of this article were supplied by Eda's son James Newhouse)

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 02 February 2014

Created: 02 February 2014

Last Updated: 02 February 2014

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Janet Carol Jacobson, formerly of Scarsdale, passed away on January 23, 2014 at age 57 after a valiant fight with a rare form of cancer. She was born in Burlington, Vermont and raised in Scarsdale on Kensington Road and Brite Avenue in a family of five children. She was a College Scholar in the School of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University from which she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and then went on to earn her law degree at Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Stone Fiske Scholar. She began her career as an Assistant District Attorney in New York under Robert Morganthau and then moved on to the law firm of Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein and Selz where she specialized in entertainment law. Ultimately she worked for Hallmark Entertainment structuring film financings and the production of films for television. Her work took her to Hungary and Berlin where she pioneered movie production deals.

Witty, bright, beautful and funny, Janet had the ability to get to the heart of an issue and see the irony in any situation. She moved fast and embraced life. An expert linguist she loved to travel, and used her Spanish, French, Italian and German to navigate her journeys. In New York, she was one of the first to move to DUMBO in Brooklyn where she enjoyed a panoramic view of lower Manhattan, the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge from her apartment. Janet was a voracious reader, an outspoken critic and observer of the political scene. She also enjoyed cooking and entertaining but above all loved to laugh.

She learned she had a rare form of cancer twelve years ago and through her research and determination outlived all the odds. Selecting her own course of treatment, she called the shots and became the master of her own destiny.

She is survived by her husband Jim Wildman, her father and stepmother Dr. Julius H. and Mrs. Jean Jacobson, her sisters Jeannie and Wendy and brother-in-law Andy Miller, her brother William, sister-in-law Beth, nieces Annalise and Sara, nephews Max and Jackson and James and Andrew Wildman and their families.

She was predeceased by her mother Beverly Jacobson in 2009 and her youngest brother David in 2003. She is mourned by her lifelong friends from Scarsdale including Margaret Cadoux, Joanne Marqusee, Mark Philips, and David Scheinberg, who all assisted her during her long fight against her disease, as well as Jennifer Conn, Bob Cadoux, Irving Gotbaum, Randy Hampton, Randy Ostrow, Sylvia Stein and Libby Rosenthal.

Janet's friends and family will gather Tuesday, February 4 from 3 to 8 pm at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel, 1076 Madison Avenue at 81st Street, to remember her. A memorial service will be held in the spring.

Donations may be made to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; mskcc.org/giving/giftintro.html or to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; https://www.dfci.org/give.

If you would like to share a memory of Janet, please do so in the comments section below.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 26 January 2014

Created: 26 January 2014

Last Updated: 31 January 2014

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The Scarsdale Schools will lose another key player at the end of the school year. Along with Superintendent Michael McGill, we recently learned that Principal Gerry Young will step down in June after eleven years heading up Greenacres Elementary School. A note to the community indicates that he announced his retirement now to give the district time to search for his replacement. He also noted that the school will celebrate its 100th birthday in November, 2015.

Anne Lyons, a former PTA President at Greenacres who was on the search committee when Young was hired said this about Mr. Young: "Gerry Young is an innovative educator. He challenges the students, his staff and the parents of Greenacres to think outside the box. He is never satisfied with the status quo; even though change may be controversial, he confronts it head on. He has brightened the school with his bold color choices and his sense of humor. His energetic presence will be missed."

Commenting on his retirement, several Greenacres parents offered kind words: Diane Gurden said, ""Greenacres School has an exceptional teaching staff and provides a wonderfully stimulating learning environment for our children. Thank you to Gerry Young for all that he has done to make the school what it is today, and I wish him well in his retirement. It is a very exciting time to be welcoming a new principal, as we prepare to celebrate our 100 year milestone, while also defining our vision for the future of Greenacres School."

Amy Nasdasdi said, "Personally, when my daughter heard the news about Mr. Young leaving, her response was sadness - "Awww....He's so NICE!" In my opinion, Greenacres is an amazing community. We have an incredibly supportive and tight knit population, along with a great school - both teachers and admin. When any one component of that community changes there is always anxiety about what the future will bring. While we will miss Mr. Young, it is our hope that the parents, students and teachers will embrace this change and continue to build on the successes of the past 11 years while he was here."

Elizabeth Brew agreed, saying "I was saddened to receive news of Gerry's retirement at the end of the school year. In the 8 years I have been part of the GA school community under Gerry's leadership, I have appreciated the major role he has played in making the school academically strong while retaining the family atmosphere. Next year as I graduate one from GA and start 2 more on their journey at GA , I will miss seeing Gerry's smiling face."

Here is a letter Principal Gerry Young sent to the Greenacres community:

Dear Parents,
It is with a heavy heart that I take keyboard in hand to tell you that I have just submitted the paperwork required for my retirement at the end of the 2013-2014 school year. It was not an easy decision to come to.

This is my eleventh year as principal of Greenacres School. In truth, it all started on a whim. I was a principal of an elementary school in Canada and was happy with the progress we had made at that school over the time I was there. I was thinking about the possibility of a change and that coincided with a family visit to NYC and the random purchase of the Sunday Times. That edition contained an ad for an elementary school principal in Scarsdale. In truth, apart from the Diet, I had never heard of Scarsdale or its stellar school system, needless to say this later surprised some of the interviewers. After five rounds of interviews, I had a job offer. I jumped at the chance.

Looking back it seems a much bolder step than it did at the time. Sometimes it pays just to forge ahead and seize a good opportunity. It has been an interesting journey, tough at times and certainly rewarding at others. I don't in any way regret the adventure. I have had the privilege of working with very talented educators in a place that values education first. Your children have been delightful. As a parent body you have been focused, supportive, energetic, and fun to work with. I will miss the community immensely.

On a building level I have been extraordinarily pleased with the progress we have made over the last decade. My staff is hard working and dedicated. They are smart too, and make the right decisions for Greenacres students. We don't want to sound boastful, but Greenacres is in great shape! Our students do very well academically, they are good citizens and they continue to develop a wide range of talents. It has been interesting to watch the students grow over the years. Our grads come back to relive good times and to tell about their future plans. They are well on the way to making successful lives for themselves which is really the ultimate goal.

The school year is only half done. There is still much to do. There is a big role for parents in the selection of the next principal and plans need to be in place for the 100th anniversary of the opening of the school on November 29th, 2015. Take advantage of these opportunities to help shape the future of Greenacres School. And don't forget, I'll be looking for an invitation to return to celebrate the 100th.

Gerry Young