Classic
1969 "Stonewall
Car" leading a yesteryear N.Y.C. Gay Pride Parade
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S.V.A.
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31 December -- S.V.A. WEBSITE TOTALS over 5 MILLION VERIFIED VISITS for 2012!
To view all of the S.V.A. website stats
for a most impressive showing in 2012, visit the weblink below.
To see the yearly total, add up each month at: www.STONEWALLvets.org/stats. Or you can see the breakdown at the bottom of this webfile.
Saturday, December 29 --
SVA'S ANNUAL
"STONEWALL HOLIDAY BANQUET"
The
legendary STONEWALL Veterans' Association generously
sponsors its yearly "Stonewall Holiday Banquet". This event is
for S.V.A. members and sponsors only! Special
guests slated include a 2013 candidate for NYC Mayor!
For many of our
SW-vet members, this is their only Christmastime or holiday family
dinner.
The happy event of comradery features "Songs of The
Stonewall" from the original 1969 Stonewall Jukebox. The
happening is hosted by the SVA's director Williamson. The
SVA's office manager AnDre Christie mans the
welcoming table. SW-vet Bettye Bristol welcomes the guests.
Holiday banquet happens at Onegin
Restaurant & Lounge at 391 Avenue of the Americas bewteen Greenwich
Avenue and Waverly Place in Greenwich Village, NYC, from 4:15 p.m. to 7
p.m. See Onegin at: www.OneginNYC.com.
Friday, December 28 -- SVA STAFF BIRTHDAY: OFFICE MANAGER ANDRE M. CHRISTIE
Tuesday, December 25 (Christmas Evening) -- SVA's WILLIAMSON HENDERSON on WCBS-FM RADIO
The "Songs of The Stonewall" are traditionally mentioned every
year on radio thanks to their composer Williamson Henderson. This
year on WCBS-FM, New York City's #1 radio station, millions of
listeners heard the announcement about the STONEWALL Veterans'
Association and thus reminded or educated about the 1969 Gay Rights
uprising. The DJ dedicated "Rockin' Around The Christmas
Tree", the duet version by Stonewall songstresses Darlene Love and
Ronnie Spector, to Williamson!
Tuesday, December 25 -- CHRISTMAS DAY (International Holiday)
Friday, December 21 -- DARLENE LOVE:
ANNUAL CHRISTMASTIME PERFORMANCE on TV's "THE LATE SHOW"
Stonewall songstress Darlene Love makes her
seasonly-awaited, annual appearance on "The Late Show" performing her
classic rock 'n' soul Christmas hit "Christmas, Baby Please Come
Home". This rockin' 'n' rollin' soul shaker is the ultimate pop
holiday song. It is the most stellar entry in the legendary
Phil Spector-produced album "A Christmas Gift For You". The song
was #1 in the Stonewall Jukebox every December year after year!
The
"CBPCH" song has been 'covered' by, among other notables, U-2,
Bruce Springsteen,
Hanson, Cher, Dion, Mariah Carey, Michael Buble' and, this year (with the song's
increasing popularity), both Lady Antebellum and The Heartbreaks.
Darlene's original version -- written for
her by Ellie "Chapel Of Love" Greenwich
-- is the biggest and the best! Rolling
Stone magazine surveyed and compiled "The 100 Greatest Rock & Roll
Christmas Songs" and awarded "Christmas, Baby Please Come Home" as
#1, declaring:
"Nobody can compete with Darlene Love's emotion and her sheer
vocal power!" For higher ratings, "The Late Show" saves the best
Darlene for
last on the program. The
expanded and exuberant orchestra is led by Paul Schafer in
addition to an ultimate girl group back-up and super chorus! It
airs nationally at 11:35 p.m.
on CBS-TV, Channel 2 in the Tri-State area, until 12:35 a.m.
FYI, one of the SVA's prominent supporters for over 40
years is Darlene Love!
Thursday, December 20 -- S.V.A. CONFERENCE with NYC
COUNCILMAN re: 2013 at 250 Broadway in Manhattan @ 4 p.m.
Wednesday, December 19 (eve) -- STONEWALL DEMOCRATIC CLUB (SDC)
HOLIDAY PARTY
The SDC's annual Gay Holiday Party is in the Assembly Hall
of the New York GLBT Community Center. Confirmed guests are NYC
mayoral candidate Bill Thompson, Assemblymember Dan
Quart, councilmembers Stephen Levin, Dan Garodnick and Gale Brewer
plus Erik Bottcher representing Governor Andrew Cuomo and Council
candidates Yetta Kurland, Mel Wymore and Alexander Meadows. The
S.V.A. is represented
by the organization's director Williamson Henderson, the group's
office manager AnDre Christie and Youth-4-SVA's Duran
Wilson. PRIDE Democrats is rep'd by Steven Gradman and Mendy
Seltza. The festive and chatty gathering is from 7 p.m. to
9 p.m.
Wednesday, December 19 -- S.V.A. MEETING with 2013 NYC
MAYORAL CANDIDATE @ 4 p.m.
Tuesday, December 18 -- CONGRESSWOMAN CAROLYN'
S CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney ("CBM") celebrates
her 20th annual congressional holiday party. This year
it is
co-sponsored
by NYC Councilman Dan Garodnick and some other electeds.
Confirmed public official guests include NYC mayoral candidate
Bill
De Blasio and NYS senators Daniel Squadron and Liz Krueger.
The S.V.A. is represented by its director (in red) Williamson
Henderson and its office manager (in green) AnDre Christie.
Holiday
venue is at Marymount Manhattan College. The gathering is at
221 East 71 Street between Second and Third Avenue on the Upper
East Side of Manhattan. "The Bells of
St. Mary-mount" start ringing @ 6 p.m.
Meantime, visit
Congresswoman CBM at: www.STONEWALLvets.org/CarolynMaloney.htm.
Friday, December 14 -- RONNIE SPECTOR'S "ROCKIN'
CHRISTMAS SHOW"
Ronnie Spector, former lead singer of
The Ronettes, stars in her annual holiday concert. Ronnie's
hit songs include: "Be My Baby", "Baby, I Love U", "Do I
Love U",
"Walking In The Rain" and "I Can Hear Music". Ronnie's
duet hits include "Take Me Home Tonight (Just Like Ronnie Said)"
with Eddie Money. Her well-known Christmas hits are the
Spector-produced "Sleigh Ride" and the Ronettes-flavored "Frosty The
Snowman". At
the original Stonewall Club, sexy songstress Ronnie was one
of the icons. Like her record
stablemate Darlene Love, legendary Ronnie's show is again at B.B.
King's Nightclub on West 42 Street off Times
Square. Dinner starts @ 6 p.m. Showtime is @ 8 p.m.
Wednesday, December 12
("12/12/12") -- BIRTHDAY:
SVA'S HONORARY MALE CHAIRPERSON MAYOR ED KOCH
Sunday, December 9 -- STONEWALL SONGSTRESS DARLENE
LOVE'S CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Darlene Love is really a legend
in so many ways. Darlene (1) had a still-enduring #1 song a
half-century ago in 1962 with "He's A Rebel" billed as The
Crystals but sung by Darlene; (2) was a Stonewall Club legend
especially with the most popular holiday song every year, "Christmas,
Baby Please Come Home"; (3) starred on Broadway in the musical
"Leader Of The Pack" as her singing self and as Big-Mouth Mabel in
"Hairspray", (4) portrayed Trish in all four of the "Lethal
Weapon" blockbuster movies and (5) was finally inducted into the Rock
& Roll Hall-of-Fame!
Darlene's annual Christmas shows are at B.B. King's Nightclub
off Times Square on West 42nd Street on Sunday (Dec. 9) and Monday
(Dec. 10) evenings @ 8 p.m. For more 411, see: www.BBKingBlues.com/Darlene
Love.
Saturday, December 8 (Immaculate
Conception) -- MEMORIAL
SERVICE for "STONEWALL MOTHER" HELEN A. HENDERSON
Internment for Mrs. Helen Henderson,
mother of SVA founder Williamson, is at Holy Rood Catholic
Cemetery in Westbury, LI, @ 12 noon. How many Stonewall mothers
marched in Gay Pride Parades? We know only of Helen A. Henderson.
How many mothers
of Stonewall
vets attended the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion
in 1994 in Central Park? To our knowledge, only one:
Helen Henderson! How many Stonewall moms were
interviewed for the
"Stonewall" movie? One: Mrs. Henderson.
Graveside prayer by Rev. Sandie Sullivan. Post-burial
memorial bruncheon hosted by AnDre Christie is at Majestic Restaurant
on
Old Country Road in Westbury @ 2 p.m. Persons
wishing to make a charitable contribution
in the name of Mrs. Henderson may do so to: Holy Spirit
Catholic Church, 1960 University Boulevard, The Bronx, NY 10453,
indicating in
the memo "Helen Henderson".
Saturday, December 1 -- CONGRESSWOMAN
YVETTE CLARKE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY
U.S. Congressmember
Yvette D. Clarke's annual birthday bash is the very first day of Party
Month! This year the location is in the DUMBO (Down Under The
Manhattan Bridge) section of her Brooklyn district. Special
guest-of-honor is Yvette's mother: legendary NYC Councilmember
Una S.
Clarke. Confirmed guests include Congressman-elect Hakeem
Jeffries, NYC Comptroller John C. Liu ("J-Lu") and NYC Councilmembers
Inez Dickens, Jumaane Williams, Eugene Mathieu and Letitia James.
The S.V.A. is
represented by Williamson Henderson, Youth-4-SVA by AnDre Christie and
PRIDE
Democrats by Steven Gradman. Fun event happens at the
DUMBO Spot, a semi-ballroom party venue, at 160 Water Street between
Pearl Street and Jay Street in Brooklyn from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
For more 411, see: www.VoteYvette.com.
Saturday, November 24, 2012 -- SVA'S MONTHLY MEETING &
THANKSGIVING DINNER at ONEGIN RESTAURANT @ 4:15 p.m. {invitations
US-mailed for
great-standing SVA members only}
Today's meeting shall have a
special
"Tribute to Stonewall Mother Helen A. Henderson", who besides giving
birth to the Stonewall vet and the SVA's founder Williamson Henderson,
has been a supporter of and participator in the organization for
over four decades -- long before there were any "parents of Gays"
groups. AnDre Christie will publicly read Mayor Ed Koch's
poignant letter tribute to Mrs. Henderson.
Thursday, November 22 -- THANKSGIVING (HOLIDAY)
Wednesday, November 21 -- SVA'S HONORARY FEMALE CHAIRPERSON
CONGRESSWOMAN YVETTE D. CLARKE'S BIRTHDAY
Tuesday, November 13 -- RIP:
QUINTESSENTIAL STONEWALL MOTHER HELEN A. HENDERSON BORN in QUEENS
(NYC), MARRIED in BROOKLYN, LIVED in LONG ISLAND, WORKED in MANHATTAN
and RETIRED to and DIED in SUN CITY CENTRE, FLORIDA @
91
*
Helen A. Henderson ("HAH") was
born in
November 1921, the year after women got the right to vote! Until
she passed, everyone thought Helen was born in 1924; her well-kept
figure and good looks belied her age. Helen was the
youngest in a large Irish-American family of seven. HAH was
born in Jamaica -- Queens, not the island -- and the
family house was in Belaire (Queens). She married a
tough, handsome, athletic, outgoing German-American
guy in Brooklyn. She gave birth to future Gay activist
Williamson in Flatbush. The Henderson Family moved to Long
Island and during the 1950s through the 1970s lived in East Meadow,
Merrick, Jericho, Freeport and Long Beach. Mrs. Henderson passed
at home and in peace in Florida @ 91.
Sunday, November 11 -- AMERICAN VETERANS' DAY
Tuesday, November 6 -- AMERICAN ELECTION DAY
All Hallows Eve, October 31 -- "TRICK OR TREAT": HAPPY
HALLOWEEN to OUR TREATS
Original Stonewall Club Halloween
theme
song: "Monster Mash" by Bobby 'Boris' Pickett!
Wednesday, October 31 -- HALLOWEEN 39th
ANNUAL
PARADE in
GREENWICH VILLAGE, NYC
For
NYC Halloween Parade 411 and pix from prior parades, visit: www.Halloween-NYC.com.
Update:
Due to the power outages, devastation, flooding and disruptions
by the real
Halloween witch Hurricane Sandy, for the first time, the Village
Halloween Parade must be rescheduled! For starters (or enders),
the three Tri-State airports are closed as is the entire NYC
subway
system in
all five boroughs, the Long Island Railroad, the Metro North
Railroad, the Staten Island Railroad, the Staten Island Ferry, the
bridges (including Brooklyn Bridge and the George Washington), the
tunnels (including Holland Tunnel and the
Queens-Midtown), etc. and
the MTA buses are only partially resuming on a weekend schedule!
Thus, most people would not be able to participate or spectate!
TBA! To be continued....
Monday, October 29 -- SUPERSTORM SANDY ATTACKS the
AMERICAN EAST COAST
Hurricane Sandy -- one of the worst
storms in American history -- launched her rain and wind assaults on
several states partciularly New Jersey, New York, Connceticut,
Maryland and Delaware. The resulting electric outages, flooding,
lack of transportation, damages, etc. caused the S.V.A. office to be
closed -- as were the NYC subway system and NYC public
schools -- for the entire week!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
-- SVA's MONTHLY
MEETING
Friday, October 26 -- BIRTHDAY BOY: YOUTH-4-SVA
COORDINATOR DURAN R. WILSON
Tuesday, October 23 -- GAY MARRIAGE UPHELD in NEW YORK
STATE
New
York’s highest court declined to hear a challenge to New
York’s Gay-marriage law,
ending the only legal threat to NY same-sex
weddings!
The Court of
Appeals rejected
a bigotted motion by a
conservative group,
"New Yorkers for Constitutional
Freedoms", which accused the State
Senate of violating the state’s Open Meetings Law in its
deliberations before it voted last year to allow Gay people to legally marry. NYS
Governor Andrew
M. Cuomo (AMC), who signed the legalization of same-gender
marriage, hailed the court’s
action. "With the
court’s decision,
same-gender couples do not have to worry that their right to marry
could be legally challenged in New York”, AMC said.
“The freedom to marry
in this state is secure." Since
July 2011, when the law took
effect, more
than 10,000 same-sex couples have
been issued marriage licenses!
This past July, an appeals court unanimously
rejected the open-meetings argument and the Court of Appeals
was the last hope for opponents to keep the
discrimination alive. The SVA's
Williamson Henderson
concluded: "The haters' in-equality crusade dies; Gay
Marriage equality lives"!
Saturday,
October 13 -- BARBRA
STREISAND's "BACK TO BROOKLYN" 2nd CONCERT!
Barbra Streisand's "Back to Brooklyn"
the second concert -- like Barbra's "The Second Album" -- was a
sold-out million-seller! Special performing guests included
international trumpeteer Chris Botti, young (17, 18 and 19)
operatic Italian
trio Il
Vilo (O, SoleMio") and Babs' son Jason Gould-Streisand doing a
stand-out "This
Masquerade".
The S.V.A. was represented by director Williamson
Henderson, the
Imperial QUEENS of New York by Brooklyn-born Brooke
Lynne, PRIDE
Democrats by 1st V.P. Steven "Mendy" Gradman and Youth-4-SVA by an
overwhelmed
AnDre Christie. Barbra entered coming up
through the stage floor. Babs opened her
spectacular show with
"As
If We Never Said Goodbye" (from 'Sunset Boulevard') with special lyrics
for her hometown Brooklyn. She performed hits "People",
"Don't Rain On My Parade", "The Way We
Were", "Evergreen", "Somewhere", "Guilty" and "Enough Is Enough"
and ended
her 28-song
set with a rousing rendition of her celebratory "Happy Days Are Here
Again"! For complete concerrt songlist and
more, see Barbra
Streisand's "Songs of The Stonewall Club" webfile (yes, Babs has it)
at:
www.STONEWALLvets.org/songsofStonewall-5.htm#Barbra_Streisand.
Friday, October 12 -- DIED: ORIGINAL 'OVERSEER' of STONEWALL CLUB MATTHEW IONNELLIO @ 92
Friday,
October 12 -- BARBRA STREISAND IS
=EXTRA
* EXTRA= NEWS in NEW YORK CITY
Monday, September 24 -- SPECIAL INVITE to S.V.A.:
MANHATTAN JUDICIAL CONVENTION
New
York State and New York County Democratic Chairman
Assembly Member Keith L.T. Wright ("KLTW") hosts this prestigious
annual
conference. Public officials confirmed to attend include NYC
Councilmembers Melissa Viverito, Dan Garodnick, Inez Dickens, Steve
Levin and Rosie
Mendez and NYS Assemblymembers Guillermo Linares, Shelly Silver, Mecah
Kellner and Dan Quart. You won't find more judges under one roof!
Judges scheduled to speak include: Salliann Scarppula,
Manny Mendez, Kathryn Freed, Tom Moulton, Andrea Masley, Shlomo
Hagler, Barbara
Jaffe, Debra James and openly-Gay George Silver. By the time the
final gavel sounds, judicial candidates are
nominated to fill four vacanies for the NYS Supreme Court!
The justices are officially elected (though unchallenged) on
Election Day (Nov. 6). The S.V.A. is represented by Williamson
Henderson, Leigh McManus and Benson Sydnor. This exciting event
happens at an original movie theatre, the SVA Theatre at 333 West
23rd Street in Chelsea, NYC. By the way, that's the other "SVA"
-- School of Visual Arts; we have the 'dots' in our acronym (S.V.A.).
Jeanine Johnson of KLTW's office is the conference chairperson.
The opening gavel bangs @ 7 p.m. The appropriate theme for
the happening is a Stonewall song: "Here Comes The Judge"!