It's been a while since this blog honored a LES hero (9/11/05-Bella Abzug), but here's one long overdue for recognition. When I made the difficult job transition from Brooklyn to Manhattan about 10 years it was Eva Schwartz who helped cushion the blow. At 7AM she was there "schtupping" teachers with coffee and cake and motherly caring and advice and humor. (such a "filthy" mouth from such an unlikely source. Unless she really is the reincarnation of Selma Diamond). She had retired from PS 61 several years before and she was still there not just for the teachers and the kids but for just about for any LES character down on their luck. It was also nice encountering another Eva (my mom's name). Everybody talked about nominating her for a New Yorker of the week award, but nobody ever went to the trouble until Joyce Borden and the good folks at the Children's Workshop School did. It all took place as a surprise at the usual AM Friday school gathering. A bunch of old friends and colleagues were gathered and seeing them and Eva was the tonic for the remainder of a day dealing with a wrecked car and a disappointing doctor's visit for my daughter (another ear operation awaits late this summer). The audio part of this slide show is made from a mixture of Norm Whitlow's intro and Assemblywoman Friedman's presentation in front of hundreds of cheering kids (a strain for my mp3 recorder). Later I recorded the NY1 reporter recording Eva's interview. I'm sure a good deal may be cut from the actual station clip. I nudged Eva's daughter to get Eva to include the part where she mentions her own kids attending the school. In a separate audio I got Eva to give us a sampling from her joke file. BTW the local superintendent was there to honor Eva, but for some reason her presence had an omenlike effect on my camera and I couldn't capture any images of her.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
LES Hero: Eva Schwartz
It's been a while since this blog honored a LES hero (9/11/05-Bella Abzug), but here's one long overdue for recognition. When I made the difficult job transition from Brooklyn to Manhattan about 10 years it was Eva Schwartz who helped cushion the blow. At 7AM she was there "schtupping" teachers with coffee and cake and motherly caring and advice and humor. (such a "filthy" mouth from such an unlikely source. Unless she really is the reincarnation of Selma Diamond). She had retired from PS 61 several years before and she was still there not just for the teachers and the kids but for just about for any LES character down on their luck. It was also nice encountering another Eva (my mom's name). Everybody talked about nominating her for a New Yorker of the week award, but nobody ever went to the trouble until Joyce Borden and the good folks at the Children's Workshop School did. It all took place as a surprise at the usual AM Friday school gathering. A bunch of old friends and colleagues were gathered and seeing them and Eva was the tonic for the remainder of a day dealing with a wrecked car and a disappointing doctor's visit for my daughter (another ear operation awaits late this summer). The audio part of this slide show is made from a mixture of Norm Whitlow's intro and Assemblywoman Friedman's presentation in front of hundreds of cheering kids (a strain for my mp3 recorder). Later I recorded the NY1 reporter recording Eva's interview. I'm sure a good deal may be cut from the actual station clip. I nudged Eva's daughter to get Eva to include the part where she mentions her own kids attending the school. In a separate audio I got Eva to give us a sampling from her joke file. BTW the local superintendent was there to honor Eva, but for some reason her presence had an omenlike effect on my camera and I couldn't capture any images of her.
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