Editor's note:  John A. Corry's column features events that happened in Bronxville 25 years ago. He selects newsworthy items to include in his column from historical sources, including the Review Press-Reporter (which is no longer published). Many of the people involved in these happenings still live in Bronxville. Many do not but have left their mark on Bronxville. 

By John A. Corry

Oct. 5, 2016:  Village Coup.  A small group of Soviet children paid an eight-day visit to Bronxville. The trip here had been initiated by General Motors executive Gordon Binns during a business trip the previous year to the Soviet Union, with the details worked out by previous high school principal Alan Guma. Accompanied by two chaperones, they were met at JFK by a group of Bronxville teachers, students, and parents. Their two trips to New York City included visits to the New York Stock Exchange and The Metropolitan Museum. They spent another day at the upstate home of Bronxville resident Richard Szypula.

Parking Meters.  A special study proposed a new three-level structure for meter fees, with the top levels being 60 and 75 cents an hour. The five-member parking commission would be replaced by a single parking commissioner. The fact that the proposals were only "preliminary" did not prevent an outcry from local merchants, who opposed anything that would make shopping district parking more expensive.

Sagamore Road Improvement.  One hundred forty volunteers turned out to turn part of the park on Sagamore Road into a playground. They were supervised by an architect and aided by ten residents with carpentry experience. The project was supervised by the Junior League.

Concordia Honors.  Wright Elliott, a Chase Manhattan executive vice president, was chosen to receive the annual Concordia award for "excellence in educational services." He was a board member of Manhattan Institute and the New York Board of Trade. He was a former member of the school board and a trustee of Kenyon College.

Bruce Bedingfield.  The son of former Reformed Church senior minister Robert Bedingfield was walking with a friend on the railroad tracks near the Bronxville station when he suddenly dropped to the ground. His friend managed to get his unconscious body up to the platform and called 911. It was no use; he was dead. The cause of death was not readily determined.

Village Hall.  Rita Steinkamp and other village residents complained about the new paving bricks in front of village hall, since their color did not match that of neighboring ones. They suggested that, using private funds, the bricks be replaced by real bricks. Mayor Stein explained that the new bricks would last longer and wouldn't buckle.

Frederick Frost.  The prominent architect and longtime Bronxville resident died at age 84. He was responsible for the design of many New York City buildings. He had been a member of the Bronxville Zoning Board of Appeals and of the board of Lawrence Hospital. The Eliza Frost Child Care Center is named for his granddaughter.