Liz had grown up just a short distance away at Seven Oaks, a 25-acre estate at the top of Ludlow Lane, built in 1862 by Charles Park. One of three major estates in the area along with the Lamonts’ Torrey Cliff and Niederhurst built by Winthrop Gilman Jr., Seven Oaks was purchased in 1911 by Liz’s grandfather Seth William Fox, a flour merchant, who moved his family there from Brooklyn.

Liz lived at Seven Oaks with her mother Jennie, her uncle Arthur and his wife Ada. Her uncle William who was a bit of a recluse lived next door. The family was staunchly Methodist and no liquor was allowed. To manage the large property the Foxes had a staff of six, Fritz the butler, Frieda the cook and four who tended the grounds. Ada loved to garden and had an outstanding flower garden, a frequent stop for local garden clubs. They owned six cows and a bull that wandered down Ludlow Lane to graze. Arthur had originally purchased Stansbury house for he and his wife but Ada became ill and couldn’t walk up stairs so, after repairing the rundown house, he gave it to the young couple.

In 1922 the Finck family moved from Jersey City to Grandview to a house on River Road where Arnold’s younger brother Howard was born. It was called the Carabia Spring House because a spring flowed down behind it and through pipes into the house. His father worked for Orange and Rockland. His mother had grown up in Piermont where her parents owned a rooming house (now the Turning Point) with a restaurant and bar on the lower level. Arnold’s grandfather was shot and killed when he tried to stop an argument in the bar.

After high school Arnold attended the New York Business Institute. He met Elizabeth Fox in 1940 at a meeting of the Christian Youth League formed by several local churches. In early 1942 Arnold enlisted in the army and was stationed in Antigua in the Caribbean. With German subs in the area, an air base was needed on the island to keep shipping lanes open through the Panama Canal as American ships sailed through with men and supplies to fight the Japanese in the Pacific.

Arnold was sent to Virginia for training. While there his parents came down to visit with Liz and Arnold proposed. They were married in 1944 at the Palisades Presbyterian Church and had their reception at Seven Oaks. Since it was not known until the last minute when Arnold would be able to get leave, Liz had invitations printed without a date then hand-wrote it in.

When Arnold and Liz first married area traffic was light; snowy days brought sledding from the top of Ludlow Lane straight down to the river. It was a long walk back. When Jennie died in 1960 the Seven Oaks property went to Liz and two cousins who sold it to Jack Macrae and Winthrop Knowlton. Jack took the big house and Win converted the barn into his home. Other parcels were sold off including the machine shop and cottages. In 1954 the Foxes had sold Lamont a ten-acre plot, now part of the current entrance off 9W. The main entrance to the Lamont estate had been by way of Ludlow Lane, which became a problem when the university took control because of increased traffic through the community.

Arnold worked for New York Life before joining the newly formed Lamont Geological Observatory as administrator in 1950 and stayed for 31 years. (Frances Corliss Lamont donated the property to Columbia U. in 1948.) Arnold’s broad range of responsibilities included contracts and grants, buildings and grounds and supervision of non-scientific personnel. In addition to the conversion of existing buildings, he oversaw the construction of five new buildings, working closely with architects and engineers.

Geochemist Wallace Broecker, a long-time member of the Lamont staff, recalls, “I sometimes wonder how Arnold, when faced with what must have been chaos surrounding Maurice Ewing's fund raising and spending, was able to steer Lamont's financial course. Yet he always appeared to be calm, happy and in control. Amazing. I do remember when we built the first addition to the Geochemistry building (circa 1974), Joe Worzel who was Associate Director assured me that we didn't need to go to the trouble of getting a building permit. All went well until the daughters of the chairman of Orangetown's zoning board reported the existence of a new building at Lamont to their father. A stern letter to stop and desist appeared on Arnold's desk two days later. Just one more problem for a man with a very tough job.”

In 1968, the Palisades Geophysical Institute, was formed to handle classified contracts related to long-range sound transmission. Arnold took on the running of this as well for its first year then remained on its board until its dissolution in 2004.

Liz and Arnold had three children. Don who lived just across the road from his parents for about ten years is now in Piermont; Carolyn lives nearby in Demarest and Robert is in Minneapolis. The family has expanded to eleven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Sadly Liz passed away a little over a year ago. Arnold keeps active as a director of the Alumni Association of Lamont, spends quality time with his family and gardens, tending his roses the deer haven’t yet demolished.