HAPPY BIRTHDAY: FORTY YEARS & GOING STRONG

1977: JIMMY CARTER BECOMES PRESIDENT, New York City experiences its first city-wide blackout, Elvis dies, the first Apple computer goes on sale and in March, the first issue of 10964 makes its way to the residents of Palisades. Throughout the following 40 years, our newsletter has recorded life in our hamlet, chronicling the achievements of our residents as well as their concerns about local issues affecting them.

That first issue, a single double-sided newsletter, was the creation of local writer Lois McCoy, a formidable woman by all accounts. She enlisted Jane Bernick who had recently arrived to become treasurer. “Lois was a wonderful writer, she did all the writing and I handled the financial end of things.” Johanna Lo who knew how to do layout, consisting back then of cutting and pasting, was corralled. “We would set it up in Johanna’s kitchen. Bernie Doyle was at the post office and he saw to it that it was distributed to everyone,” Jane recalls.

Lois’s involvement ended when she and her husband moved to Woods Hole in 1985. Jane resigned after two years when she took a full time job. Carol Elevitch, who provided story ideas from the beginning, became editor in chief from 1980 to 82 and coeditor from 1985 to 86. A whiz at grammar and punctuation, Carol remained on its staff until 2011 when she joined her daughter Elena and her family in Spring Valley. She provided stability and continuity throughout the newsletter’s years of growth and changing staff.

BY 1985, 10964 was twelve pages and in 1989 it grew to twenty as it is now. That same year it was laid out using computer desktop publishing software, thanks to John Converse who had joined the staff. Alice Gerard joined the staff in 1993. She has now become its guardian angel. Alice not only writes, edits one of the yearly issues and does its layout, but she is also treasurer and handles all its advertising.

Through the years many residents have generously committed their time and talents, working in a variety of positions. We sincerely thank them all.