William Miranda
'Bill' Salzman
STONEWALL Rebellion Veterans Association
Past S.V.A. Acting Director (January
- March 2014)
Former S.V.A. Executive Committee Member
"Billy" Miranda Salzman in 1970
*
Bill's Basic Bio
William Miranda "Bill" Salzman was born in the very first
year of the second half of the last Century on the 10th of June in
1951!
Bill attended a
Catholic elementary
school in
Brooklyn. For high school, Bill went public to Eli Whitney
High School in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. He admirably went on to
college, the
first in his family to do so. Bill holds a
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from New York
University (NYU, Class of 1980). Shortly after,
openly-Gay Bill became the founding principal of the first of its
kind openly-Gay
Harvey
Milk High School in Manhattan, New York.
Bill Salzman with the historic 1969 convertible "Stonewall Car" in
2004
[Photo by Margot Adler for National Public Radio]
The occasion of the event above with the famous blue 1969 convertible "Stonewall Car" on display, was the theatrical production of
some
of the original Stonewall cops at the Neighborhood Playhouse Theater on
East 54th Street in Manhattan. It was the third part of the
afternoon and evening reuniting the "Stonewall Police" and the
"Stonewall Vetz". In addition to Bill Salzman (shown above), other veterans of
the 1969
Stonewall Rebellion present and introduced by retired NYPD Sergeant
Frank Tuscano of the Sixth Ptrecinct were: Willson
L. Henderson, Tony Viera, Bert Coffman, Ramon Bellido, Dave F. West, Leigh McManus and Ray McCaffrey -- plus Dianne Yodice. The story
was covered by most print media such as The New York Times and the New York Gay Blade News;
television such as a CBS-TV "Eye On America" national news feature
with Anthony Mason and gayly on "Gay USA"; and
radio such as National Public Radio (NPR) with Margot Adler and WNYC.
Bill Salzman with Colonel Cammeyer visit at Harvey Milk High
School,
where Bill was the Founding Principal
Bill Salzman's
Thankful Note to the S.V.A.
Thanks again for your warm welcome at yesterday's monthly meeting of
the
STONEWALL Veterans' Association. Yes, it is true that like
many
others, I have been an anonymous Stonewall Veteran after all these
years.
Nonetheless, I have been an admirer of the leading S.V.A. with the 'Big Blue' from
the
sidelines of the parades. .Back in the days, I was a shy and scared
16-year-old when I first sat down (or really riding on the sides) at
the
original
STONEWALL Bar & Dance Club, the Tel-Star, the Gold Bug, the Twelfth of Always and the 1-2-3 those many years ago. I will
accept
your offer to join the S.V.A. I hope that I can contribute in
some
ways after all these years to the continuing spirit of the Gay
revolution. And, of course, the SVA's unique and crucial function
of educating the public -- Gay and straight.
Sincerely,
Principal Bill Miranda Salzman
April 24, 2004
The
New York Times Profile: Bill
Salzman
NYX:
Bill Salzman - "Trying to make His Special Students feel
Ordinary"
[Photo via The
New York Times]
NYTimes.com/BillSalzman/SVA.html
Bill Salzman Exits the Harvey Milk Gay High School
NYMag.com/nymetro/news/features/10970/index1.html
Bill Salzman with the "Stonewall Car" leading a NYC Gay Pride
Parade
[Photo by Willson L. Henderson for the S.V.A.]
Bill Salzman with N.Y.C. Schools Chancellor Joel Klein
[Photo by William Gonzales]
Like the SVA's Bill Salzman, the native New Yorker, Joel Klein, another
native New Yorker, was also born in Brooklyn! The latter was on
October 25, 1946 and he lived in New York City public
housing. Just
as Bill is the first
principal of the Harvey Milk High School, the first Gay high school in New
York, Mr. Klein is the first
New York City Schools Chancellor to be appointed.
It is two more reasons that the two educators instantly
hit it
off. Joel was previously in the national Clinton Administraion
as Deputy Counsel to the President and as Deputy Attorney
General and in private law firm business. Mayor Michael Bloomberg
did the appointing of Mr. Klein on July 29, 2002, when the Mayor
got control of the school sytem, over a school
system with 1.1 million children. Bill is also proudly part of
the NYC Education Department. The education of children is of
great importance to the STONEWALL Rebellion Veterans Association with one of our
chief goals being to educate -- youngsters and adults! That
is why the S.V.A. is so extra proud of Bill!
=transition=
---------------------------- Original Message ------------------------
Subject:
Dan Dobbs * 1963-2008
From: BillSalz@AOL.com
Date: Saturday, September 13, 2008, 9:27 pm
To: "Willson" <WLH@nyct.net>
Dear Willson,
My dear friend and partner Daniel Dobbs, died today of colon
cancer.
Although he was a longtime sufferer of AIDS, that is not what
killed him.
Dan was a faithful member and voice of the Gay community in the 1990s.
Dan died ready and in peace. He was interned in my family plot at
Mt.
Hebron Cemetery in Flushing, Queens, N.Y. Dan will be much missed.
Sadly,
Bill
Bill and Jonathan Rodriguez in 2009 readying for the Grand
Canyon!
=411 about the picture from Bill
Salzman=
"I've been mentoring
Jonathan Rodriguez since he was in high school.
He now has
his own computer software company. He took me to Las Vegas,
Nevada, for a
Champaign helicopter exciting and scenic ride into the Grand Canyon,
and dinner
later at the five-star French restaurant Le Cirque. For
nighttime, Jonathan wanted
to celebrate my 40 years in the Gay community by taking me to
to the aptly-titled
"STONEWALL Club" located in a Vegas hotel where the legendary Judy
Garland
actually performed!"
=Bill Salzman
- "Stonewall 40" (1969 - 2009)=
Bill M. Salzman proudly serves as a member of the
STONEWALL Rebellion Veterans Association
Executive Committee.
For "Stonewall 40" in 2009, Bill
served on the
S.V.A. Planning Committee for significant S.V.A. events namely the
"SVA's 40th Annual Conference & Stonewall Veterans Reunion"
(Saturday, June
27th) at the New York City GLBT Community Centre, leading the "New York
City 40th
Annual Gay Pride Parade" most of the the SVA-ers riding on the
"STONEWALL Float" in Manhattan (Sunday, June 28th), and
participating in the incredible "40th Stonewall
Rebellion Anniversary Party" (Monday, June 29th) sponsored by the
S.V.A. at the
now famous (some say 'infamous') STONEWALL Club in Manhattan, New York. Our
doorkeeper is a favorite of Bill's: SVA's office manager AnDre Christie!
=Bill Salzman
Appointed as the S.V.A. Acting Director=
At the end-of-year 2013 STONEWALL
Rebellion Veterans Association
Executive Committee supper meeting, Bill Miranda Salzman was
appointed as the acting director of the S.V.A. for the first three
months in 2014 and then the other candidate for director Leigh P. McManus serve for
three months. (No one can be officially elected as director until
the S.V.A.
annual membership conference in the kast Saturday in June.) Bill temporarily succeeds elected director
Willson L. Henderson whose
tenure is scheduled to complete on the last day in June. Stated Willson: "Give me a
break!" In addition to his Stonewall history, Bill Salzman also
has the meaningful G.L.B.T. history of being the founding principal of
the Harvey Milk Gay High School in Manhattan, NYC. Willson
recommended Bill and his organizational, educational and
loyalty as the acting director for
three months, followed by another acting director,
until a permanent director, likely Bill, be elected at SVA's conference in June. In his first week representing the
S.V.A., Bill drew up an agenda plan for S.V.A. in 2014, attended
New York City Council inaugurations representing the S.V.A.,
issued a press release
with SVA's plans for its 45th annual conference, participated in a
community board hearing for the SVA's annual streetfair, proudly
promoted his new position and met with various public officials
including NYC Council Speaker Melissa Viverito, Councilwoman Helen
Rosenthal and Councilman Rosie Mendez. Running
the S.V.A.
is multi-dimensional and multi-demanding. The first rotational acting
director role ended after the first quarter in March of 2014.
Bill's favorite and humorous Stonewall
Club expression when
referring to the antics of Gay boys is: "Girls will
be
girls!"
2016
Bill's Best Wishes for SVA's
Forthcoming "Stonewall 47"
Original Message -----------------------------
Subject: SVA Meeting today and "Stonewall 47"
From: "William Salzman" <BillSalz@gmail.com>
Date: Saturday, February 27, 2016, 2:27 pm
To: "Willson L. Henderson" <WLH@nyct.net>
"AnDre M. Christie" <Dre_NYC@Yahoo.com>
-----------------------------------------------
Dear STONEWALL Veterans' Association
Membership:
Congratulations on another year filled with recognition of
G.L.B.T. legal rights and the struggles since June 27th, 1969;
especially the youth and those coming out in this year, 2016!
The G.L.B.T. rights work never ends and our memories must
always remember that Freedom is not Free!
And that WE must continue until the light of all of our rights
are in the hearts of all Americans, not just "US" who were there
those eventful and now historic nights, in a hot and a sweltering
New York City, ignited on Friday night the 27th of June 1969!
We love you, Saint Judy!
Bill Miranda Salzman,
Retired, PD, B.A., M.A.
2019
------------ Original Message -----------
Subject: Happy Birthday, BILL!
From: "Stonewall Vets U.S.A." <SVA@StonewallVets.org>
Date: Mon., June 10, 2019, 10:10 am
To: BillSalz@Gmail.com
-------------------------------------------------------------
* Happy Birthday! * Stonewall veteran Bill Miranda Salzman!
It's extra happy to have your birthday, as it turns out,
during Gay Pride Month!
Enjoy your very special day, June 10th, and we look forward
to seeing you very soon with the SVA's upcoming 50th annual
conference and Stonewall Rebellion reunion and testimonials!
Your comrades at the S.V.A.,
Willson Henderson, Director
STONEWALL Rebellion Veterans Association
2020
On location photo of Stonewall veteran Bill Salzman at the "Worldwide Pride Stonewall 50" celebration to be posted.
2021
On National Coming Out Day, Bill Salzman Reflects on His Gay Childhood Nights at The Original STONEWALL Club
Original Message -----------------------------
Subject: In honor of #NationalComingOutDay! I appreciate it so much!
From: "Billsalz" <billsalz@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, October 12, 2020 8:51 pm
To: "Willson Lee Henderson" <WLH@nyct.net>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In honor of #NationalComingOutDay, I'd like to share how much I
appreciated the opportunity to have viewed the "Boys in the Band" movie
00 in a real
movie theatre -- when I was a very young man. I saw the movie while I was
a member of the several Gay and Lesbian organizations at NYU (New York
University). I remember being horrified and scared when I saw the
movie
all those years ago. I didn't understand why mist of the Gay characters
were so mean to each other. Why they were forced to be drunk,
bitchy drama queens due to Gay oppression! And, homo self-guilt
and hatred in the years before Stonewall '69! Stonewall was my
boyhood hangout at 16 years old.
I was there for that memorable hot Friday June night of rebellion -- the
day of Judy Garland's tragic funeral -- and weekend of hope and anger.
Fast forward to seeing #BoysInTheBand on Netflix today, and I have a
much better understanding about the dynamics of the characters. I
understood the pain behind the masks that they portrayed. It was
just as important for me to have seen the movie now in 2020, as it was
to have viewed the film then!
It is important for each generation to continue to share our stories
with each other because we can all learn so much from each other.
It does get better and for that I'm very grateful. :-)
Bill Miranda Salzman
S.C.M. Corp. President
11th July
2021
52nd Anniversary of the S.R.V.A.
https://www.StonewallVets.org/upcomingevents.htm
*
=====2021:
52nd Anniversary of Gay Stonewall Rebellion in NYC=====
[Friday night, June 27
~through~ Thursday evening, July 3, 1969]