By Mary Marvin, Mayor of Bronxville

May 26, 2026: Like our neighbors in Scarsdale, Mt. Vernon and White Plains, we had to make the truly painful decision to cancel our iconic parade. The early morning weather, the distance many bands had to travel, the care of their instruments and the safety of our dance troupes made us realize the decision was the only prudent choice. An added blow was all the work the Village staff put in to make it truly our biggest parade ever with six bands, multiple dance troupes combined with the enthusiasm and energy of all the civic organizations that pledged to march.

But we are nothing if not resilient, so “Same Time Next Year.”

We plan on honoring our wonderful Grand Marshals, Randy and Corky Frost, at next year’s celebration, but I wanted to share what I would have said this year on the school steps with all of you.

Note: I only removed the introductions that only applies on a non-rainy day!

Before my traditional greetings, I want to share a few words about our parade Grand Marshals Randy and Corky Frost.

They are Village heroes and a testament to the fact that not every hero is found on a battlefield.

According to Webster’s, a hero is a person who improves and enhances the lives of others while exemplifying societal morals, values, and virtue. We have the privilege of honoring these two local heroes, the extraordinary team of Randy and Corky Frost.

Corky, a third generation Village resident grew up on Elm Lane in a family steeped in community service.

His dad was Mayor of the Village, Chairman of the Village Planning Board, President of Lawrence Hospital and Corky continued this tradition of service as President of the Bronxville Field Club, Chairman of the Bronxville Lighting Commission, Chairman of the Planning Board for over 14 years, President of the Lawrence Park Hilltop Association and President of the Westchester Arts Council and he remembers being a proud marcher in our parade - twice marching as a Cub Scout and twice playing the French horn in the school band.

He met Randy Halsey at the Rhode Island School of Design and moved to 11 Sunset Avenue in a house at the intersection of Sunset and Paradise and as they say, “It has been clearly heaven ever since.”

Randy also immersed herself in the Village. As a quilt maker and painter by education, she taught after school painting classes to Bronxville students and spent a great deal of time working for Arts Westchester. Corky and Randy as a couple were honored with the Concordia College President’s Award for Excellence.

And after the death of their third child, Eliza in 1973, the Frost family gave us the gift of the Eliza Frost Child Center of Christ Church where Randy has served on the Steering Committee since its inception. Their history of volunteerism is unwavering and enduring and their love of this Village knows no bounds.

For such a small Village, we do have our share of heroes in uniform who are rightfully front and center as we honor their memory today.

-Jesse Carter Treadwell of 43 Woodland Avenue; World War II rescue swimmer who saved stranded seamen attacked by U boats, died when his rescue boat hit a mine.

-His neighbor Howard C Shepherd of 20 Argyle Place died on the battlefield at Iwo Jima after his platoon withstood 13 counterattack.

-Henry Russell Kenyon Junior died at the battle of Midway and received the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism.

-Edwin Keebler Junior left Princeton to join the Marines in Vietnam as a gun ship escort pilot near the Laos border. He was shot down because he knowingly trained the enemy gunfire on his aircraft to divert them from the air ambulances carrying injured comrades behind him.

These gentlemen never got to fulfill their dreams; many now call Arlington National Cemetery home, but they left us a chance to fulfill ours.

Speaking to our youngest generation here today - You are never too young to be a hero and today is a good day to start.

You can be a hero by simply being kind, making people feel visible, standing up for what’s right, helping a neighbor/a stranger and thus telling them that they matter, standing up to a bully and just smiling.

Let the memory of our brave Village veterans beckon us to appeal to our better angels.

Most of us here were not called to the battlefield to defend a nation, but we can step forward when our community calls as sometimes it’s simply a call to stand up and show up.

Let’s make our community a community filled with heroes of every age as heroes circulate that life force of goodness in all our veins. And rest assured, heroes never go out of style.

Let’s be somebody’s hero in the name of the people we honor today. A Village resident President John F. Kennedy said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

Those who fought and died for our opportunity to be here today deserve nothing less.

Thank you and God bless our military heroes and our local heroes and may God shed his grace on all of us.