By The Red Hook WaterStories team
Shannon Geis spent months researching the history of Red Hook, reading old newspapers, and, "most importantly, speaking with the people of Red Hook about how they view the community and where they see themselves in it." Her interviews took...
By The Red Hook WaterStories team
Hear notable marine engineer and architect Dr. Charles R. Cushing talk about the rescue of the MARY A. WHALEN. Cushing has played a significant role in maritime history during 60+ years, including being one of the architects of...
By The Red Hook WaterStories team
Rich Naruszewicz was interviewed by PortSide NewYork's Jenny Kane in 2014. Scroll down to bottom of the page for audio recording Synopsis of Interview (times are approximate, text is not word-for-word but provides a gist of the audio recording) I...
By The Red Hook WaterStories team
Synopsis of interview with Heidi Benedikt, former crew member of the MARY A. WHALEN. Recording times in parenthesis are aproximate. Go to bottom of the page to hear the full interview (0:10) The delegate of the union convinced me...
By The Red Hook WaterStories team
Gary Shiflett, currently a fleet manager, used to work for Ira S. Bushey and Sons and Eklof Marine. In 2016, while standing in the galley of PortSide NewYork's MARY A. WHALEN - a "Bushey boat" - he told of some of his memories...
Interviewed in 2013 at age 19, Rasheed Johnson, a resident of NYCHA’s Red Hook houses, talks about how the neighborhood has changed in the past 8 years since he got here. Development has eliminated all his “hang out spots” except for Valentino...
Richard Gambino, a retired professor, grew up in Red Hook in the 1950s. Interviewed by oral historian Shannon Geis in 2013, he recalls it as a close-knit Italian immigrant commumity. He talks of the customs and traditons of the waterfront...
Gerard Rokosz is a man deeply in love with his former job as the last dry dock manager at Todd Shipyard. At the time of this 2005 interview, he was working for a marina and nostalgic about the shipyard: "seeing my old office collapsing makes me...
By The Red Hook WaterStories team
Ralph Packer is a Martha's Vineyard old-timer who coyly won't reveal his age because he doesn't want to retire! Interviewed while taking a break on the Vineyard Haven pier of his Packer Fuel company, Ralph offers a historical perspective on...
By The Red Hook WaterStories team
Scroll to the bottom to hear PortSide's interview with Sunny Balzano. Sunny Balzano was the beloved owner of a legendary bar, some 90 years old, which became known as Sunny’s. He died March 10, 2016 which prompted an outpouring of grief,...
