Historical Society Announces Fall Programs

Looking forward to an ambitious fall program, Brian Pinnola, president of The Garden City Historical Society, announces the Society's upcoming schedule of events. On Thursday, October 19, Professor Don Dwyer will present a lecture on Grosvenor Atterbury, the architect of Forest Hills Gardens; on Wednesday, November 1, the Society will be honored to present "The Panama Canal: Its Past, Present and Future" by resident Robert McMillan; and from November 4 through November 30, we will host "Garden City in Art: A Mixed Media Exhibit," an art show of local artists' works.

Professor Don Dwyer, popular lecturer and art historian currently affiliated with Parsons School of Design, New York Institute of Technology and the School of Visual Arts, has lectured for the Society in the past. He will present his program on Grosvenor Atterbury, the architect of a model town at Forest Hills Gardens, Queens, in the early 1900s - a community destined to become the most famous of American garden suburbs. Atterbury was responsible for the main group of buildings around and including the railroad station, several series of row houses and other large and small domestic designs.

Robert McMillan, longtime Garden City resident and former Panama Canal Commission Chairman, will present "The Panama Canal: Its Past, Present and Future." His lecture will coincide with his upcoming book, titled Global Passage: Transformation of Panama and the Panama Canal to be released in late October 2006. McMillan was named by President George H.W. Bush to the board of the Panama Canal Commission in 1989 and was elected chairman of the Commission's board of directors in 1993. He has co-hosted the PBS television program Face-Off for over 13 years and regularly writes for Anton Community Newspapers, Newsday, and the Charlotte Sun. Copies of Mr. McMillan's book will be available at the lecture.

The Society's Art Exhibit Committee Chairperson Mary Jane Caldwell has organized "Garden City in Art: A Mixed Media Exhibit," taking place during the month of November. The exhibit will feature paintings, sculpture and photographs of Garden City by various artists "displayed in our charming setting at the Museum," according to Ms. Caldwell, an artist and retired high school art teacher. Earlier this year Ms. Caldwell collaborated on the Society's 1st Annual Children's Juried Art Show along with then Education Committee Chairperson Maureen Traxler.

Fall lectures begin at 7 p.m. at the Historical Society Museum, 109 Eleventh Street. Visitors may view the art exhibit at the Museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and 12 noon to 5 p.m. Fridays and Sundays throughout the month of November.

"We look forward to welcoming as many visitors as possible to our upcoming events," says Society President Brian Pinnola, "and we hope you enjoy the historic setting our Museum affords the community for educational and artistic programs."