'Living History' Interviews with Noted Bronxville Citizens: Penny and John Barr
By Marcia Lee, Host, 'A Living History of Bronxville'
Jul. 1, 2015: This interview, conducted on January 17, 2002, is with Penny and John Barr on their interesting and creative careers in the fields of poetry and finance. Both were born and raised in the Midwest, John in Omaha, NE, and Penny in Oshkosh, WI. Penny earned a bachelor's degree in music from North Central College and a master's degree in music from the University of Wisconsin. John graduated from Harvard College and received an MBA (Baker Scholar) from Harvard Business School.
Penny taught music at Lawrence University and later at Concordia College in Bronxville. Her achievements in poetry include founding the Bronxville Poetry Club and, at the Poetry Foundation in Chicago, founding the Children's Poet Laureateship for poets who write for young children. She also has served for many years on the boards of Poets House in New York City and the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst.
John's career as investment banker includes 18 years at Morgan Stanley, where he managed the firm's public utility business. He went on to found and manage three start-ups: Barr Devlin Associates, which was acquired by Société Générale; Dynegy, one of the first gas marketers; and The Power Company of America. As poet, he served as the first president of The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, and has published his own poetry in four chapbooks and four trade editions. For the Bronxville centennial, he wrote and published Centennial Suite. He also served for many years on the boards of Yaddo, the artists' colony, the Poetry Society of America, and Bennington College, the latter two as chairman.
Their three children attended Bronxville public schools from pre-K through high school.
To see the interview, click here:
Previously posted Living History interviews:
Walter Isaacson: https://youtu.be/4cBooa7edSE
Marilynn Wood Hill: https://youtu.be/G0D8fu-86Oc
Pictured here: Bronxville Village Hall.
Photo by A. Warner
Government & History Directory
Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.
While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.
Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.
The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.
Village of Bronxville Administrative Offices
337-6500
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends
Bronxville Police Department
337-0500
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Bronxville Parking Violations
337-2024
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793-6400
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