The S.V.A. leads the 2001 Gay Pride Parade and views the W.T.C. Twin Towers
[Photo by Williamson Henderson]
| The STONEWALL Veterans' Association ("S.V.A.") leading the
32nd annual New York City Gay Pride
Parade shown above on Lower Fifth Avenue
below 8th Street -- in front of former Mayor Ed Koch's residential co-op
building -- and nearly at
Waverly Place, where the parade gay-ly turns right to "Go West".
Basking in the
beautiful
sun and the packed crowd's applause, shown in back views are the
following: Dave West,
S.V.A. Public Relationist (left, holding a rainbow Gay pride flag); Shelli
Vannelli,
S.V.A. Executive Committee (right, wearing rainbow hair); and walking
ahead of
them is Electra O'Mara, S.V.A. Recording Secretary (wearing print dress, parade heels and a funny cone-shaped
straw hat). Directly ahead in this captivating photo is the historic, landmarked,
locally-symbolic
Washington Square Arch. And, literally 'framed' looking through the famous arch, you
can clearly
see -- nearly two miles south -- both of the even more famous and universally
symbolic World Trade Center's scenic, stately and spectacular Twin
Towers!! |
Pride Parade Pause in Gay Greenwich Village
[Photo
by Leigh McManus]
|
Shown above in and with the 1969 "Stonewall Car" are (l-2-r):
Keith
Lonesome, S.V.A. Vice-President (walking alongside the far side
of the car, wearing white shirt and dark cap); Terri Van Dyke, S.V.A. Treasurer
(riding 'shotgun', partially obscured by the sunny glare on the car's huge windshield);
Ray McCaffrey, S.V.A. Financial Secretary (driving, wearing white
sports cap and shades); Rev. Magora Kennedy, S.V.A. Chaplain (standing
proudly in the car, wearing light beige African gown, beige headband and sunglasses);
Conni Briana, Imperial QUEENS & Kings of Greater New York official (sitting atop back seat, wearing rainbow boa); and
Williamson Henderson, S.V.A. President (standing next to the classic convertible).
|
S.V.A.'s "Leader-of-the-Pack"
[Photo by Princess Jenni June]
After several STONEWALL
Veterans' Association ("S.V.A.") members momentarily exited the
"Stonewall Car" to stretch their legs, Williamson Henderson takes a
brief "tea break" from his "Leader of the Pack" directorial and
cheerleading responsibilities, after
traditionally walking the entire parade route (and continuing to
do so). The location is on Christopher Street, just
south of Bleecker Street. To WLH's left with the red roses
appears to be Queen Allyson Allante. The black memorial
ribbon on
Williamson's shirt was tied there by New York Police Department
("NYPD") and Gay Officers' Action League ("GOAL") official
Ann
Cregan in honor of the heroic Gay NYPD Sergeant Erin J.
O'Reilly,
who died
suddenly at age 41 at home -- exactly the Sunday before
on June 17th.
Erin was an well-known avid "Friend-of-SVA" and a big fan of the
famous and police blue "Stonewall Car", which was specially
driven by Williamson to her
funeral in Franklin Square, Nassau County, Long Island. GOAL's Chaplain,
Reverend Pat
Morgan, and a few
other GOAL police officers marched half the parade with the Gay Officers' Action League and
the other half
with the STONEWALL Veterans' Association!
|
27 June
2010
====41st Anniversary of the Gay Stonewall Rebellion====
[Friday night, June 27 ~through~ Thursday night, July 3, 1969]
|
