Max McGrath: This Week's News Not All Bad

mcgrathcaricuture

August 10, 2011: This week, the news bureaus flashed that doomsday was around the corner. I contemplated burying my head in the recycling bin for Wednesday's garbage pick-up.

With glee from the promise of increased circulation, papers announced the world debt crisis; the value of the dollar dropping; and rising food and high gas prices. The S & P's threats to downgrade the US credit rating became a reality. With the stock market dropping 500 hundred points, jumping out the window seems more palatable. The wolf is at the door; the three little pigs packed their toothbrushes.

Then the weirdest news of all, former New York mayor Ed Koch came out of the closet to campaign for a Republican to replace a congressman who made a Weiner out of himself. It was almost too much.

Ike (dog) and I searched for a good news story in the nightly media; and fortunately we came across one. The identity of D. B. Cooper has been found.

This story goes way back to November 1971. I was sharing a cheap two-bedroom top-floor row house apartment with Mr. Excitement, "Burg" Hackenburg (62), on the corner of Park and 34th Street. It was our first apartment since graduating college. It was a shared domain with every cockroach in Midtown.

It was Thanksgiving. I bought the News and caught the Penn Central heading for B'ville for the family gobbler. The paper headline blasted, "Northwest Passenger Jet Hijacked! Suspect Escapes at Ten Thousand Feet." That got my attention. The paper went on to name the brigand as a D. B. Cooper who ransomed a 727 for $200K, then dove out of the plane into a storm over the dense Oregon wilderness. D. B. must have attended maniac university.

His survival would have been a miracle. Leaping into freezing rain temperatures at that height wearing only a suit is nearly impossible and, if accomplished, the shredding by the intense tree growth could result in Bigfoot dining.

The mood at the family dinner was not in favor of D. B.'s actions, especially by my parents. But I took the stance that Mr. Cooper was a clever innovator. Not that I condoned his stand-and-deliver methods. However, old D. B. was the first compassionate and polite hijacker in the history of air holdups.

I pointed out that the alternative of forcing the plane to land in Seattle, releasing the passengers unharmed, holding only the crew, getting the money, and heading for Mexico was much more risky and far more inconvenient for everyone. As you can imagine I received boos from the family--a few dinner rolls were thrown in disgust. The following Monday riding the subway to my unsatisfying job, I confess, I mused pulling the same stunt.

His survival of the perfect crime has remained a 40-year mystery. It has always tweaked my curiosity. Now the FBI, according to a recent story, thinks they know who D. B. is thanks to a niece who came forth. She claims he lived a long and happy life.

See, there is, indeed, some good news in the news, if you look hard enough.

I was hoping, however, that D. B. had published a how-to book. When I was a kid without a care in the village, I always wanted to grow up to become a pirate or a cowboy. Early on, I envied both occupations for their roaming freedoms. Reflecting on it further, however, I realize that my heroes have always been rapscallions. Role model problems, not me.

 

Government & History Directory

Bronxville Overview

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.

Bronxville Village Government Directory

Village of Bronxville Administrative Offices
337-6500
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends


Bronxville Police Department
337-0500
Open 24 hours


Bronxville Parking Violations
337-2024
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends


Bronxville Fire Deparment
793-6400

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