GETTING LOST IN THE PAST

(November 14, 2015) After leaving Kensico Cemetery, I drove over to Ferncliff Cemetery, which is a very large cemetery and even with a map that I downloaded on line it was extremely difficult to locate any of the graves that I was looking for.  So I decided to confine my search to the mausoleums.

My first stop upon entering the cemetery at the entrance on Secor Road, was the Rosewood Mausoleum. This is an extremely large building and I knew it was gong to difficult to find anything here.  The different alcoves, and hallways were marked and surprisingly after just a few minutes I was able to find the tomb of Cab Calloway.

CAB CALLOWAY was born on Christmas Day 1904 in Rochester, New York and for over 7-decades was a popular Big Band leaders who popular the energetic scat style of singing. In 1931 he recorded his most popular hit called "Minnie the Moocher." He continued to perform right up until 1994 when he suffered a stroke.  Cab Calloway died on November 18, 1994 and his ashes are interred here in the Rosewood Mausoleum.

From Rosewood, I drove around the corner to the Ferncliff Mausoleum. Upon entering it was obvious that I wasn't going to be able to find anything.  This is an enormous building and is not marked any anyway that I could see.  So I took a chance that that the office would be helpful in finding the people I am looking for.

It was late in the afternoon and the ladies in the office were not all that interested in helping me. I was about ready to give up when a worker ask me who I was looking for.  I told him that if he could just point me in the right direction I would try and find them myself, to which he laughed and said "You will never be able to find your way through the maze of hallway."

This guy knew his way around every nook and cranny of the building and quickly lead me to the tombs of Judy Garland, Ed Sullivan and Joan Crawford. Judy Garland is resting in one end of the building while Ed Sullivan and Joan Crawford are at other end.  The guy was right that I would never be able to find my way around.

JUDY GARLAND was born on June 10, 1922 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Early in her career she performed in vaudeville before starring in he most iconic role as Dorothy Gale in the the 9139 classic "The Wizard of Oz," On June 22, 1969, Judy Garland was found dead due to a drug overdose in her London Apartment.  On  June 26 more the 20,000 people lined up to pay their respects at the Frank Campbell Funeral Home which stayed open all night to accommodate the masses.

Completely on the other end of the mausoleum are the tombs of Ed Sullivan and Joan Crawford.

ED SULLIVAN was born on September 28, 1901 in Harlem, New York.  He began his career as a reporter for the New York Daily News but he is best remembered as the host of a TV variety show that was originally known as "The Toast of the Town," which eventually became "The Ed Sullivan Show."  The show became one of the longest running TV shows in history, as it was broadcast for 23-years from 1948-1971. In 1974 he was diagnosed with cancer and died on October 13, 1974.  His funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral was attended by 3,000 people.

JOAN CRAWFORD is entombed just around the corner from Ed Sullivan. She became one of Hollywood's most recognizable and prominent movie stars.  He most famous role was "Mildred Pierce," in 1945. She married her 4th husband Alfred Steele  in 1955 when he was n executive with the Pepsi Cola Company but he died of a heart attack in 1955. Joan Crawford died on May 10, 1977 and is entombed next to her 4th Husband Alfred Steele.

After finishing with the graves that the Ferncliff employee helped me with I decided to explore and see if I could find some of the other famous people that are entombed here.  This turned out to be a mistake as I got so turned around that I could not find my way back to the exit.  For the next 45-minutes I wandered around trying to primarily to find an exit. Finally I came upon another employee and had to humble myself and ask for directions to the exit. Even after getting directions it took me another 10-minutes to make it out of this enormous building.

It was close to 4:30 before I made it out of the Mausoleum and back to the car for the short drive over to Sleep Hollow, which would be my final stop of the day.

THE IRON HORSE & THE SENTIMENTAL GENTLEMAN

(November 14, 2015) It was a short 5-minute drive from the Gates of Heaven Cemetery to Kensico Cemetery. It was close to noon when I pull through the gates of Kensico Cemetery and it was still cold and the wind was still blowing.  This is a very large cemetery and even with a map that I downloaded off of the internet it was really going to be had to located some of the graves that I was looking for. So even though it was Saturday, the office was open that was more than happy to point me in the right direction.

Lou Gehrig

With the directions I received from the ladies in the office I was able to quickly make my way to the grave of baseball Hall of Famer, Lou Gehrig, who played for the New York Yankees from 1923-1939. Know as "The Iron Horse" of the Yankees, he played in 2,130 consecutive games, a record that stood until it was broken by Cal Ripken, Jr., in 1995.  The  streak ended on May 2, 1939 when Gehrig took himself out of the game and later revealed that he was suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which is today known as Lou Gehrig's disease.  At the age of 36, the Iron Horse gave his famed farewell address which ended with "I am the luckiest man on the face of the Earth." Lou Gehrig died two years later.

Soupy Sales

From the grave of Lou Gehrig, I made my way down to the "Friar's Club Section" and quickly found the grave of comedian Soupy Sales. Born in North Carolina as Milton Supman he attended school in Huntington, West Virginia where he graduated from Marshall University with a Masters Degree in Journalism.  During his military service he would often entertain his shipmates by doing comedy routines.  After ending his military service he took his comedy talent into show business participating in a number of TV shows. He is best known for his daily children's show "Lunch with Soupy, a fast paced stream of comedy sketches almost always ending with him being on the receiving end of a pie in the face. Later he was a regular panelist on TV shows like "What's My Line," "To Tell the Truth," and "Hollywood Squares." Soupy Sales was 83 years old when he died of cancer on October 22, 2009.

Danny Kaye

One of the more unusual grave monuments in Kensico Cemetery is that of entertainer Danny Kaye, who died on March 3, 1987.  Danny Kaye was an all around entertainer starring on the stage, silver screen and later TV.  He is perhaps best known for starring along side Bing Crosby in the 1954 movie, "White Christmas." He was 76-years old when he died of heart failure in 1987.  He was cremated and his ashes interred here in Kensico Cemetery.  His grave is marked by an ornate bench which contains friezes of a baseball bat, aircraft, piano, a flower pot and musical notes.  His name and dates of birth and death are inscribed on the bench.

Tommy Dorsey

My final stop here in Kensico Cemetery is at the grave of big band leader Tommy Dorsey.  He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman,"because of his smooth toned trombone playing. He had a string 17 number one hits with his orchestra during the 1930's and 1940's, including "Indian Summer" "The Big Apple," and "Dipsy Doodle." He died on November 26, 1956 and is buried here in Kensico Cemetery along side his third wife, Jane.

By the time I finished at Kensico Cemetery it was mid-afternoon and I still had a couple of more cemeteries that I wanted to visit. So it was off to my next stop, the very large Ferncliff Cemetery in Scarsdale, New York.

VISITING THE BABE AND BILLY THE KID

(November 14, 2015) Last night while I was having supper at the 84 Diner, I saw on the TV where there had been a terrorist attack in Paris.As the night went on the news from France was not good and this morning the news was event worst and would end up altering my plans for today.

Today was the day that I had chosen to ride the train into New York. My plan was to drive down to the Peekskill Station and catch the train into New York City. But when I arrived at the Station security was very high and there was a very long ling entering the area.  So I quickly moved on to Plan B, and made my way over to the Taconic State Parkway and headed down to Hawthorne, New York.

Sunday was going to be a day that I had set aside to visit the area cemeteries but with the heightened security in New York, I opted to spend the day chasing down some to the more famous graves that can be found in the lower Hudson Valley.

My first stop of the morning was The Gates Of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York. I had downloaded a cemetery map on my phone but it was still kind of hard locating the grave sites that I was looking for.  Once I got to the right section I ended up walking the section in an attempt to find the grave.  One thing that helped is this cemetery allows headstones, which allow me to check several rows at one time.

John McSherry

The first grave site on that I was able to locate was that of John McSherry. As a long time high school and college umpire, I wanted to pay my respects to one of the the Major Leagues best umpires.  John was a Major League Umpire from 1971 -1995.  During his career he worked two World Series (1977 and 1987), eight National League Championship Series and three All-Star Games.   I remember John was the home plate umpire during the 6th game of the 1977 World Series at Yankee Stadium. It was in this game that Reggie Jackson belted three home runs off of three different Dodger Pitchers.

John was scheduled to open the 1996 season working the plate in Cincinnati. Seven pitches into the game, John called time, took a few steps toward the Reds Dugout and collapsed. He died of a massive heart attack. He was 51-years old.

Bess Houdini

A short time later I was able to find the grave of Bess Houdini, the wife and stage partner of Harry Houdini. Bess and Harry were married for 32-years and accompanied him on stage throughout his career.  After Harry died in 1926, Bess opened a tea house in New York. Later, she moved to Hollywood and continued to promote Harry's Memory. On Halloween 1936, she conducted the "Final Houdini Seance on the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood. For several years others with Bess's blessing continued to conduct the seance. Whether or not they were successful or not depends on who you talk too.  On February 11, 1943, Bess Houdni was traveling by train from Los Angeles to New York. Near Needles, California she suffered a fatal heart attack. She was 67-years old.  Be raised in the Catholic Church, her family would not permit her to be buried beside Harry in the Machpelh (Jewish) Cemetery.  Instead she is buried here in the Gates of Heaven Cemetery.

Babe Ruth

Next, I was off to probably the most visited grave at Gates of Heaven. Buried in section 25, just a few yards apart are two great New York Yankees. My first stop in section 25 was at the grave site of the Sultan of Swat, George Herman "Babe" Ruth.  One of the most beloved Yankees, The Babe was a member of the first Hall of Fame Class in Cooperstown. In 1927, he hit 60-Home Runs, which is still the record for a 154-game season. His 714 career home runs was the record until Hank Aaron pass him in 1974.   Babe Ruth died on August 16, 1948 from complication of throat cancer. He was honored for two day as his body lay in repose at the main entrance to Yankee Stadium, where thousands of people stood in line to pay their respects. His funeral mass was conducted at St. Patrick's Cathedral, and following the service he was laid to rest here in the Gates of Heaven Cemetery.

Billy Martin

Just around the corner from Babe Ruth, rest another proud Yankee, Billy Martin. "Billy the Kid," spent 11 seasons in the Major Leagues and was named the American League Most Valuable Player in 1953. After his playing career ended, his managerial career began, first with the Minnesota Twins then briefly with the Tigers and Rangers.  He became manager of his beloved Yankees in 1975 and lead the Bronx Bombers to the World Series Championship in 1977. He was fire as Yankee Manager for the first time in 1978 and moved on to manage the Oakland A's from 1980 - 1982.  Billy returned to the Yankees as manage a couple of more time, in 1983, 1985 and again in 1988. Had Martin not been killed in a vehicle accident on Christmas Day 1989 he would have returned for his 6 stint as Yankee Manager in 1990. Billy tomb stone is inscribed "I may not have been the greatest Yankee to put on the Uniform, but I was the proudest."

James Cagney

It was cold and wind during my visit to the Gates of Heaven Cemetery, and the morning was slipping away from me.  The were several other cemeteries on my list but as I was leaving I decided to make one final stop. Located near the entrance is the 8-wing mausoleum.  The multi-talented actor James Cagney is entombed in wing #1.  James Cagney was could play the tough guy in one movie and be a comedian in the next, while also starring as a song and dance man.  He died at his Dutchess County Fame on Easter Sunday in 1986.  He as 86 years old. During his funeral mass, his good friend and President of the United States, Ronald Reagan delivered the eulogy.  Following the service he was interred in
this crypt in the Gates of Heaven Cemetery's Garden Mausoleum.

From the Gates of Heaven Cemetery it was just a short 5-minute drive to the Kensico Cemetery where I will continue my adventure.

BASEBALL AND PRESIDENTS

(November 13, 2015) I spent the night at the Holiday Inn- Cooperstown, which is a wonderful accommodation. The staff is first rate and the rooms are spacious and clean.  After a great nights rest I made the short journey back to  Cooperstown. Yesterday was spent entirely at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and before departing the area I wanted to walk around and enjoy the Village of Cooperstown.

James Fenimore Cooper

It was another cold and rainy morning as I once again parked in the lot at Doubleday Field. A steady drizzle accompanied me as I walked up Main Street toward the Hall of Fame.  Located just behind the Hall of Fame is Cooper Park, named after James Fenimore Cooper who is buried nearby in the cemetery at Christ Episcopal Church.

In the park is a large statue of James Fenimore Cooper who was one of the most popular writes of the 19th Century.  He lived most of his life in Cooperstown and is best known for the book "The Last of the Mohicans."  James Fenimore Cooper died on September 15, 1851, his 62nd birthday and is buried with the other members of the Cooper Family in the Christ Episcopal Church Cemetery.

After walking around Cooper Park and visiting the grave of James Fenimore Cooper, I stopped by the Monument Garden located just outside of the Hall of Fame.  Here just outside the Hall of Fame are statues of Roy Campanella, Satchel Paige and a couple of other great stars of the game.

The steady drizzle picked up into more of a light rain and cut my visit short. So after visiting a few of the shops along main street I decided to head out and make my way over to Albany.

It took about an hour and a half for me to make my way through rural upstate New York. As I made my way along U. S. Route 20, the light rain turned into snow and sleet and the thermometer on Hannah Honda showed it was 28 degrees as I stopped in the community of Central Bridge to get gas.

President Chester A. Arthur

By the time I reached the Albany area the snow and sleet had turned back to a steady drizzle.  I traveled a few miles north of Albany and into the very large Albany Rural Cemetery. I wanted to stop here to visit the grave site of President Chester A. Arthur.

President Arthur assumed the Presidency following the assassination of President James Garfield.  While he was born in Vermont, President Arthur lived most of his life in New York. He died on November 18, 1886 and is buried in the Albany Rural Cemetery.

The Albany Rural Cemetery is a very large cemetery, but there are signs through out the cemetery directing visitors to President Arthur's grave monument. A year after his death, a large monument was placed at Presidents Arthur's grave.  The monument was designed by Ephraim Keyser which consists of a giant bronze angel placing a palm leaf on a granite sarcophagus. It is one of the most unique grave monuments I have seen.

The stop at Albany Rural Cemetery was a quick one and after a quick lunch it was off to the small village of Kinderhook and a visit to the Martin Van Buren Historical site.

Just south of the Village of Kinderhook on the old Albany Post Road is Lindenwald. Martin Van Buren purchased this estate in 1839 during his presidency. It became his primary home during his retirement.

Lindenwald - Home of Martin Van Buren

One of the disadvantages of travel late in the year is that some sites are open seasonally as was the case with Lindenwald.  Even though I wasn't able to tour the house, I was able to spend about an hour walking around the grounds. The grounds surrounding the mansion is marked with historical plaque detailing the life of our 8th President.

The 36-room mansion stands on part of the 125-acre estate owned by Martin Van Buren. It faces the Albany Post Road which was once the main route between Albany and New York City.

Grave of Martin Van Buren

After about an hour of walking the grounds at Lindenwald I made my way back through the Village of Kinderhook to the Dutch Reform Cemetery where President Van Buren is buried. There is very little parking at the cemetery so I ended up parking on the shoulder of the road near the historical marker which stands in front of the cemetery.

The Presidents grave sits at the center of the cemetery and is easy to find. I spend a few minutes snapping a few photos and then mad my way back through Kinderhook.

It was late afternoon by the time I found my way back to U. S, Route 9 and headed south toward Fishkill where I would spend the next couple of day.

I passed through Hyde Park which is the home to President Franklin Roosevelt.  It was about 4 p.m. when I arrived at President Roosevelt's Home and missed the last tour of the day but I was allowed to walk the ground. I will return Sunday for the full tour.

About an hour after leaving Hyde Park I arrived at the Quality Inn in Fishkill. This will be my home for the next couple of day while I spend some time in Westchester County.

After a quick supper at the 84-Diner right next door I brought this day to an end.

TODAY, I WAS A KID AGAIN

(November 12, 2015) From Binghamton it was abut a 90-minute drive up Interstate 88 and New York Highway 28 to the Village of Cooperstown.Visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame has been on my bucket list for years and today I would be able to scratch it off my list.

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Babe Ruth's Uniform

Parking in Cooperstown is very limited during the spring and summer and visitors should plan on parking in one of the remote lots located around the out skirts of town and taking the trolley into town. However one of the advantages of visiting in November it is less crowded and arriving early I was able to find free parking in the small lot just off of Main Street at Doubleday Field. From there it is just a short walk up Main Street to the Hall of Fame.

I arrived in Cooperstown a little after 8:30 and there was a light cold rain falling. As I made my way up Main Street the rain was mixed with sleet and a few snow flakes.  Right at 9 a.m. the doors opened and I stepped into the Mother Church of Baseball.

I spent the entire day roaming the the hallowed hall of Cooperstown, and seeing some of the most historic artifacts of our National Pastime.

From Babe Ruth's locker and uniform, to Hank Aaron's bat that he used to hit his historic home runs to the famous George Brett pine tar bat, they were all on display with thousands of other of the games most treasured artifacts.

Hank Aaron's Uniform

As I walked through the the exhibits as happily remembered that night back in 1974 when I was listening to the radio and as Hammerin' Hank stepped to the plate, the great Milo Hamilton said, "He's sitting on 714.....Here's the pitch from Downing....." And the rest is history.  The Uniform that Hank wore than night along with the historic ball and bats are on display.

Pee Wee Reese - Hall of Fame Plaque

I spent most of the morning and early afternoon making my way through the galleries, reliving the history of the artifacts on display. Then it was time to make my way downstairs to the Hall of Fame Gallery.

This is the most sacred of all the galleries. It is here that the Hall of Fame Plaques are on display. The plaques of Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner are displayed at the front of the gallery. These five individuals were the initial Hall of Fame Class in 1936.  Over the years such greats as Lou Gehrig, Dizzy Dean, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and Ted Williams have joined them in the Hallowed Hall of Cooperstown.

As I made my way through the Hall of Fame Gallery, time slipped away and it was closing time. The Day flew by and was filled with memories, but it was time to leave and return to the real world but for a brief few hours in a place called Cooperstown, I was allowed to be A Kid again.