26 AUGUST 30, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
A press release from the future helps
lift wartime Ridgewood’s spirits
BY THE OLD TIMER
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD: THE WAY IT WAS
EDITORIAL@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
Normally a joyous time, Christmas
Eve in 1941 was a rather
grim occasion for Ridgewood
and the rest of America.
Weeks earlier, the United States
had been hurled into World War II
following the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii on that infamous date
of Dec. 7. The day aft er the attack, the
United States declared war on Japan
— and Nazi Germany and its Axis ally
Italy declared war on America.
Americans scrambled to protect
the country and contribute to the
war eff ort in any way they could. The
front page headlines of the Dec. 24,
1941 Ridgewood Times demonstrated
what was being done in the Greater
Ridgewood area to help the Armed
Forces, but also guard against any
possible attack from the enemies.
The top story, “Civilian Defense
Talks Arranged for Clubs,” focused
on the creation of a Queens Speakers
Bureau, designed to inform the public
about guarding their homes and businesses
against possible enemy attack.
The story also featured a general call
for volunteers to register at Rego
Park’s Lost Battalion Hall to help with
“all types of defense work — air wardens,
fi re wardens, Red Cross, motor
corps or anything else.”
Amid the grim environment that holiday
season, there was one thing on the
Ridgewood Times cover that day which
provided a bit of joy to the readers.
Newspaper editors, publishers and
reporters — this Old Timer included —
would love to know tomorrow’s news
today. Who wouldn’t want to know
about a disaster that could be averted,
or at least the winning numbers of the
next Powerball jackpot beforehand?
Alas, without a crystal ball or some
other form of supernatural divinity,
that task is impossible.
But as it happened, the Ridgewood
Times wound up getting a press
release dated for 1996, 55 years in
the future. Of course, it wasn’t quite
accurate.
Writer Nino Lo Bello’s front page
article of the Dec. 24, 1941 Ridgewood
Times focused on a fellow “newspaperman,”
Harold Stroh, who wrote
the press release on a dare from a close
family friend.
A postcard of Bethany Deaconess Hospital (photo via Brownstoner)
The Kurtz family of Ridgewood consists
of poppa Anthony, momma Mae
Loretta and son Robert John.
Son Robert John will be a year old next
Monday. Anthony and Mae Loretta,
having planned a party for that day,
are apparently proud of the blue-eyed
newcomer and expect great things of
him in the years to come.
So does Harold Stroh, the newspaperman
who’s a good friend of the family.
So much so that Stroh threatened to
write a biography of Robert John. Anthony
laughed. Mae Loretta laughed.
Everybody laughed.
But Stroh wasn’t fooling; he dashed for
his typewriter and dished out a “press
release” which he mailed to the Ridgewood
Times.
In its 33 years of serving the public, the
Ridgewood Times has never received a
press release of this sort.
Thus Anthony can laugh. Mae Loretta
can laugh. Everybody can laugh.
The press release follows: (Note this
will make a great story about 55 years
from now.)
“Release in 1996
A movement is now underway to have
the building at 67-09 62nd Street, Ridgewood,
made a national shrine.
The building, a two-family brick affair,
is the boyhood home of Robert John
Kurtz, who was recently elected as the
42nd President of the United States.
President-elect Kurtz was born in
the Bethany Deaconess Hospital, St.
Nicholas Avenue and Bleecker Street, on
December 29, 1940. He attended public
schools in the Ridgewood section and
graduated from Grover Cleveland High
School in 1955.
His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony
J. Kurtz, wanted him to study medicine,
but Robert had other ideas and entered
Columbia Law School, from which he
was graduated with high honors in 1961.
Mr. Kurtz opened a law offi ce in Ridgewood
and immediately took an interest
in local civic work. It was through his
eff orts that the elevated structure of the
old B.M.T. was torn down from Wyckoff
and Myrtle Avenues to Fresh Pond Road
in 1963. He was also instrumental in
having an airplane passenger station
erected on Fresh Pond Road, just a short
distance from the old Fresh Pond Road
station of the Myrtle Avenue elevated
line.
The future president became active in
politics in 1969, and the following year
was elected president of the Ridgewood
Republican Club. He served in this capacity
until 1978 when he was appointed
Assistant District Attorney.
In 1984, Mr. Kurtz ran for the offi ce of
United States Senator and was elected
by a wide margin. His accomplishments
as a Senator won him national prominence,
and last year he was designated
as the Republicans’ choice for President.
His recent landslide election proved his
popularity.
In electing Mr. Kurtz to the Presidency,
Long Island now has a unique boast. It
gave the United States its two youngest
Presidents — Theodore Roosevelt, who
became President at the age of 54, and
Mr. Kurtz, who will mark his 56th birthday
Monday.”
Certainly, Stroh had plenty of high
hopes for Kurtz as he approached one
year of age. Obviously, history would play
out quite diff erently from the fantastic
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