I would like to look back at some of the people of African-American descent who added to life and culture in the Nyack community over the years:
Do you remember his deep booming voice? Often he would take time from his duties as guidance counselor in Nyack High School to entertain youngsters at Liberty Street School with his famous rendition of "Ole Man River." Bill Smith had starred on Broadway in the famous musicals, Showboat and Porgy & Bess. His work benefited hundreds of Nyack’s kids and his spectacular voice entertained the world.
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From humble roots in a lumber and junkyard on Railroad Avenue, he grew up to be the first man of color elected to public office in Nyack. After serving on our village board for years, Hezekiah “Hezzie” Easter become the first African-American in the Rockland Legislature, where he served with distinction for twenty years. He spent a lifetime working in the NY State Labor Dept. counseling young men and women in their career choices. Sharing his life’s journey was his beautiful wife of many years, Ruth Easter. A childhood friend of Martin Luther King, Mrs. Easter taught in our school district for three decades. A dedicated wife and mother, she brought the same commitment to her church, community and the civil rights movement.
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When you fill a glass with Nyack’s clear, clean water, thank another famous man. He was chairman and commissioner of the water dept., responsible for many government grants the village received to construct Nyack’s filtration plant. In addition to serving on the water board, Leonard Cooke was active in the pursuit of civil rights in leadership positions with the NAACP. As chair of Nyack’s Housing Authority he led the community in clearing slums and bringing decent public housing to our village.
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Another man to break barriers in Nyack politics was Gary Cooper, the first African-American to serve as mayor of Nyack. Actually, Mr. Cooper was acting mayor, filling out the term of Alex Caglione. Clinton Jackson Jr. joined him on the village board for several terms. These two men helped direct urban renewal efforts in downtown Nyack that foreshadowed the renaissance in the 1970s and 80s.
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One of my role models was a gentleman named Percy Smith, the father of one of my buddies. Percy didn’t have one of life’s glamour jobs, but he did his job every day, rarely missing a day’s work riding on the back of a Nyack DPW truck. He picked up village trash for more than 35 years. His father worked about the same number of years driving a truck for the Gregory & Sherman lumber and coal yard on Franklin Street. Joining Percy on the back of the village truck was another of Nyack’s characters, Clifford Wattley, who rode along for more than twenty-six years.
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A member of another old time Nyack family who worked for the village for years as deputy village clerk was Frances Batson, whose grandfather, George Avery, first came to work in Nyack’s hotels. Mrs. Batson was also the village police matron.
His dry cleaning and tailor shop was on the first floor of his big house on Liberty Street, just north of the old school. Walter Blount Sr. was a prominent business leader in the 40s and 50s who raised a wonderful family. The Blounts helped make Nyack the special community we enjoy today.
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Family names that have been around the villages for decades and still lead our community are Body, Brooks, Cooke, Cooper, Dixon, Evans, Glass, Royster, Swann, Whattley and Whitley.
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The daughter of a minister, she and her sisters had a nightclub act but never liked the atmosphere, so she moved to Nyack and, with her five children, sang gospel and church music as the Brooks Family. Victory “Vickie” Brooks was one of the
best known and best loved people in our community. Her voice is now silent, but her memory lives on.
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Another gentleman who helped shape our community was Leroy Owens, who for years owned a plumbing supply store on South Franklin, providing employment to many residents.
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Considered by many to be the greatest athlete ever to attend Nyack High and the first African-American in the school’s history to letter in four varsity sports, Henry “Peck” Artopee was the star of the football team back before the war, a high-scoring forward in basketball, a tremendous hitting outfielder and just about the fastest runner on the high school track team. He played semi-pro football,and many of his peers describe Peck as Nyack’s Jesse Owens. Artopee Way, between Franklin and Cedar Streets, is named in his honor. Peck had some impressive company over the years.
Roger Brown led Rockland Country Football in the mid-50s, went on to star at the University of Maryland and later, on the front line of the Detroit Lions Los Angeles Rams in the NFL.
Eddie Walker, the first man to run the 100-yard dash in 10.0 flat in Rockland, also walked the halls of Nyack High.
They were followed in the 1960s by running back John Harvey, who held the record for rushing yardage in Rockland County for years. The “band-box” basketball court of the old Nyack High School was owned in the 50s and 60s by Al Taylor, Reggie Jenkins, “Geech” Garland and Ronnie Edwards.
Al and Ronnie were Rockland County Scoring Champions. Out front on the baseball diamond was a tall lean right-hander, Ronnie Royster, who threw a “buggy whip” fastball that never failed to baffle hitters.
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He was the leader of the Pilgrim Baptist Church for 42 years who christened, baptized, married, and buried at least three generations of Nyackers. From their original location at the corner of Cedar and Burd Street, the Rev. William C. Taylor moved the congregation to a new church on Upper Main before they moved to their current location. I fondly recall the great church league basketball games between the youngsters from Pilgrim and First Baptist that were held in the old Liberty Street School Gym. Teams from all the local churches competed against each other for the coveted title of champion.
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I have a question for my readers: Perhaps you can help me with a memory lapse. There was a small African-American church on the north side of Depew Avenue in a row of old commercial buildings directly behind the “Opera House,” or “Mac’s Inn” at the corner of Franklin and Depew. As kids, we would often sit across the street and listen to the fantastic gospel music and singing. here were drums and cymbals and horns that rocked a summer’s eve. I believe the Rev. Sidney Buxton was the pastor, but what was the name of the church?
