By Priscilla Toomey, Member, Board of Trustees, Bronxville Adult School

May 6, 2015:  Two upcoming events at the Bronxville Adult School will provide a window to some of the "best of times" and some of the "worst of times" of the early twentieth century. 

On May 14, there will be a trip to the Long Island of the Great Gatsby era. Two famous sites, both of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, are Eagle Nest Estate, the 24-room home of William K. Vanderbilt II, and Old Westbury Gardens.

At the Eagle Nest Estate, you will enjoy lunch in the Nursery Wing and have time to explore the marine museum, gardens, and other exhibits on your own. Then there will be a visit to the 44-room Old Westbury Gardens. It is situated amidst 200 acres of formal gardens, fountains, and a lake, and it is filled with antiques, decorative arts, and furniture once owned by the family of John S. and Margarita Grace Phipps, whose home it was. The trip departs from The Bronxville Women's Club at 8:00 am and returns to the club by about 5:00 pm. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes.

On May 19, Larry Reed, president of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) and noted author and lecturer, will give a lecture from 7:00 to 8:00 pm in the Yeager Room of the Bronxville Public Library about the causes and cures of America's Great Depression. Reed's presentation will cover whether Herbert Hoover was really such a laissez-faire president, whether public works programs like the WPA, NRA, and CCC contributed to or retarded recovery, and whether World War II really got America out of the Depression. It's sure to be a fascinating and mind-provoking session.

Register for the trip or lecture online at www.bronxvilleadultschool.org or by calling 914-793-4435.

Pictured here:  A Bronxville Adult School class on stained-glass windows.

Photo by A. Warner