On Saturday I debuted my W.C. Fields History Walking Tour as part of Fields Fest, a 6-week celebration of the life of the great comedian. Dorothy Parker was a huge fan of Fields. In my book The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide, I was really happy to be able to include a photo of Parker and Fields together. One of the parts of the tour I wanted to do, but didn’t for Continue Reading →
Today is the Ninety-ninth anniversary of the first American soldiers to be killed in combat in World War I. The three became national heroes and their names were printed in newspapers coast-to-coast. Today they are remembered together on Governors Island, where three roads carry their names. On Nov. 3, 1917, German troops killed Private Merle David Hay, Corporal James B. Gresham, and Private Thomas F. Enright, all serving with Company F, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Continue Reading →
It was a big honor for me last month to be the volunteer coordinator for World War I History Day at Governors Island National Monument. I was knocked out when the National Park Service counted more than 12,000 visitors engaged with us for the day. It was such a hit that we are going to return, with a two-day schedule, on September 16-17, 2017. The first “Doughboy Day at Fort Jay” was launched to prepare Continue Reading →
It was a huge relief to submit to my editor Amy Lyons the last photos and the map information for my upcoming book, World War I New York: A Guide to the City’s Enduring Ties to the Great War. It is due out March 1, 2017, from Globe Pequot Press. They published my last two guidebooks, The Governors Island Explorer’s Guide and The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide. The new book is Continue Reading →
I’m the volunteer coordinator for an event that I’m really excited about. It is to bring World War I history to Governors Island. Last year, my friend David Ernst got me into the reenactor world as a participant in the Veterans Day Parade. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it, and the people I met through it. I was also already on the research trips for my new book about the Continue Reading →
On Tuesday I attended the announcement for the World War One Centennial Committee For New York City, on the eve of the 99th anniversary of America’s entry into the Great War. The event was held on the steps of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, the same spot where so many Veterans Day Parades have marched past. New York is not going to let the centennial of the war pass without notice. An Continue Reading →