Category Archives: communiqué

communiqué, The Rancher

“Your Child’s Education and yours!” – The Rancher, November 1951

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On Wednesday, October 24th, Gunnar Dybwad, director of the Child Study Association of America, led off the new series of lectures in the field of education sponsored by the Civic Association’s School Committee.

Speaking at Northside School, Mr. Dybwad recounted his experience on a recent trip to Germany sponsored by the State Department, to observe and report on education in U. S. occupied Western Germany. “My entire attitude toward education was influenced by this experience,” the speaker said.

“The pre-1914 system of education in Germany is still held in high regard by many educators of the world. Yet in spite of this presumed model of public education, the German people, products of this educational method, welcomed Hitler to power. The school system must bear part of the responsibility,” Dybwad continued.

The failure of the German public school system, Dybwad indicated, was due to its stern traditionalist methods. The emphasis on drill and implacable discipline … the systematic elimination of self-expression in children … the concentration on the subject matter to be taught rather than the child  … these methods combined to produce a citizenry that lacked the ability to think for itself.

Dybwad was disturbed to find tendencies in this same direction in some areas of the United States. He urged all parents to participate fully in educational activities, not from the standpoint of becoming experts in educational methods but from one simple yardstick – “What do I expect public school to do for my child?”

Read the November 1951 issue of The Rancher in full

communiqué

Sadly, the Town was never the answer to save Roslyn Country Club…

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… and now, more than a decade after it began, it’s officially over.

The Town Spokesperson Gordon Tepper wrote:

“This has been a long-standing issue for the community, dating back to 2013, and many residents expressed their desire to redevelop the land for the community. For many years we have been in litigation against the property owner over a breach in contract that would have allowed the Town to purchase the land. Unfortunately, after litigation, the Supreme Court of the State of New York and the Appellate Division have ruled in favor of the developer. While the Town is disappointed with the courts’ decisions, we have no choice but respect and abide by them.”

It seems the current Town spokesperson may be unaware that this issue long predates 2013, nor was the land simply in need of redevelopment, per se, but of preservation and use. The redevelopment was the Town’s proposal, where simply letting the neighborhood preserve and use the land, as our easement rights entitled us, was the neighborhood’s purpose.

Due to some odd decisions made more than a decade ago, the neighborhood went down a path to give our power to the Town. The legal team that was hired by the community in the early 2010s informed us of this predictable outcome. But the Civic Association at the time decided to put their focus on the Town plan, which had a great many pretty pictures, waterslides, jacuzzis, but little substance on key issues. The issue of the easement rights were never settled, which ensured any action by the Town would be unlikely to come to a successful outcome.

From the start, RoslynCountryClub.org decided not to try and be a hindrance to these efforts. Though skeptical, efforts to challenge the Town’s proposal were not made. If it was successful, the plan looked very nice.

Last month — and shared by the Town today — the State Supreme Court threw out the last legal case the Town had against the property owner. This outcome has been known for years, as the Town never allocated the appropriate amount of money to litigate the issue to a productive conclusion.

Each owner of property originally sold by Levitt is entitled to access to the Country Club. These rights remain. But as with all rights, they only extend as far as those willing to defend them. If we do not defend our rights, they are no longer rights.

We are the only ones who can save the Roslyn Country Club. It’s up to us.

communiqué, The Rancher

“The King is dead! Long live the King! And the new King of the RCC Civic Association is…” — February, 1955

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“The King is dead! Long live the king! And the new king of the RCC Civic Association is that ever-smiling, babykissing politician, Sam Perlin, who rolled up the biggest votes in these parts since 1954….

… Our new President is one of the community’s ‘oldest inhabitants’, arriving here back in ’50. His wife Sue, son Steve (14) and daughter Maxine (16) comprise the rest of the family. Sam is known to practically everyone here for his memorable performances in each one of the Levitties shows…”

Read the rest of the article and the full issue of The Rancher from February 1955 here:
https://www.roslyncountryclub.org/history/old-history/the-rancher/the-rancher-february-1955/

The Rancher – February 1955


“And you must bear your neighbor’s burden within reason / And your labors will be borne when all is done”

communiqué, RCCCA

A “drastic” increase in car thefts in RCC? Yes, but not exactly…

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After some local concern expressed about a “drastic” increase in crime in the Roslyn Country Club neighborhood, and a quasi-reestablishment of the Civic Association to fund a local patrol, there was a lack of actual data regarding this “drastic” increase in crime. Other than one local news report where a group stole a Canada Goose jacket from an unlocked car and quickly detained, there wasn’t much to go on but word of mouth. RoslynCountryClub.org requested the blue-collar crime data related to auto thefts from the Nassau County Police Department.

These are the results they provided:

STOLEN CARSUNLOCKED
W/ KEYS LEFT INSIDE		BURGLARY & STOLEN CARTOTAL STOLEN AUTO
20208708
20214304
20221616218
2023 (January)0000
Total2826230
ROSLYN HEIGHTS STOLEN AUTO (1/1/2020 – 2/6/2023) IN THE VICINITY OF ROSLYN COUNTRY CLUB
Make of Vehicle# Stolen
BMW9
MERCEDES-BENZ5
LAND/RANGE ROVER3
LEXUS2
ALFA ROMEO2
AUDI2
PORSCHE2
CADILLAC1
MASERATI1
ACURA1
TOYOTA1
HONDA1

As it turns out, the vast majority of stolen cars are the result of the cars being unlocked with the keys left inside. This appears to have created a welcoming environment for thieves to acquire BMWs and Mercedes Benz. It inspiring some to look into windows to look for keys resulting in two burglaries. By creating such an environment, that trend has increased throughout this past year.

Would patrol vehicles help prevent this? Most familiar with the effectiveness of private patrols cars seem lukewarm, at best. Perhaps there is a chance that would be a deterrent. But with more than 10 miles of streets in the Roslyn Country Club neighborhood, it seems unlikely one or two patrol cars would be a significant deterrent.

Privately monitored security surveillance systems costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to install, with ongoing costs. Would this help? Maybe, but without forming a village to ensure tax revenue, raising the money and keeping it funded would be a massive undertaking that seems unlikely to be sustainable.

Perhaps a community networked surveillance camera system would provide us the ability to monitor those in the neighborhood to look out for those checking for unlocked door handles. But this would require someone to be up and watching the cameras in these early morning hours. With 700 houses with around 3000 residents, there is no doubt some in the neighborhood are awake, but would they volunteer to watch security cameras or respond to notifications? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

But is catching a few criminals better than using common sense to protect valuable property?

Maybe we could create a community patrol to walk around the neighborhood and check that luxury cars are locked. We could provide jackets or vests to signify they are community patrol as to not worry residents.

If all the cars were locked and keys are not left visible from front windows — if we take on the responsibility ourselves to keep our property secure — it seems likely that the thieves would eventually move on and go to other neighborhoods that are less united in our mutual desire for a safe neighborhood.

communiqué, The Rancher

“OR ARE THEY!” Early Squabbles from the Civic Association, January 1952

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“The Civic Association seems to have become the Uncivil Association. It would seem that the organization was dedicated to dividing the community, to fomenting unrest continually, to a setting of neighbor against neighbor.”

Community organizations are always a challenge. Everyone comes to them with different backgrounds, ideals, hopes, fears, and financial situations. How we come together and find the best for all is where the challenge always remains.

In 1952, the Civic Association was going on its third year. Each January, by the bylaws, new elections are to be held for new officers. This issue discusses the past years success, and the nominations for those for the new term.

There is a heated discussion between Bert Lange, who is nominated for positions in the new election, and Carl Lundquist, who was on the board of the Civic Association and active in The Rancher. Bert’s letter starts on Page 2, and continues on Page 18, followed by Carl’s response.

There is much else that is well worth reading in this issue, especially as rumors of a resurrected Civic Association are being discussed. Roslyn Country Club remains a diverse neighborhood, with many families of different backgrounds, ideals, hopes, fears, and financial situations. How we come together and find the best path forward is where the challenge still remains.

The Rancher – January 1952