BY LANA BORTOLOTSpecial to amNewYork
Wanted: person with encyclopedic history knowledge, a penchant for esoterica and a little bit of showmanship.
Also must live in Queens and work for free.
It’s not a typical job description, but it’s not your typical job: The borough of Queens seeks a new historian.
The official requirements for the job are more formal: New York state law requires appointed historians to promote and preserve their respective borough’s legacy.
But it doesn’t hurt to have a mental attic packed with historical miscellany and a camera-ready character.
Media appearances, ranging from local TV and national broadcasts to documentaries, are part of the gig. Each historian serves at the pleasure of the borough president and communicates a borough’s unique histories however they see fit — through walking tours and lectures, or in publications.
Queens’ most recent historian, the retired Stanley Cogan, acknowledged sites of architectural significance through the Queensmark program and coordinated public symposia.
“We expect [the new appointee] to continue that legacy and will look for someone who can outreach to all of the community and bring people together,” said Borough President Helen M. Marshall.
amNY’s dream picks
• Kevin Walsh, author and webmaster of Forgotten New York
• Barry Lewis, architectural historian, author and media figure
• Queens Crap blogger, identity unknown, but active and outspoken community evangelist
GOT WHAT IT TAKES?
● Application deadline: May 5
● Send cover letter and resume to resumes@queensbp.org.
● A committee will tabulate scores, interview candidates and recommend them to the borough president.
Could you imagine what fun I could have with that? I'd drive borough hall crazy and not last more than a week. Especially after my first exhibit showing all the history the tweeders destroyed.
I'm flattered. But I'd rather work at the pleasure of myself and my readers.
17 comments:
just don't pleasure yourself while you're working!
I don't work at the SEC!
Go for it, Crapper. It sounds like fun!
Stanley Cogan - 350 years of history reduced to 3 words - 'underground railroad' and 'immigrant?'
One of the committee of 'experts' that took over Bowne House from the elected board, then resigned leaving it a mess?
And Queensmark, while everyone else in NYC are getting adult Landmarks Queens residents are walking around (not seeing the snickering behind our clueless backs) with a little tin badge we got from a cereral box that says 'Special Police.'
Yup. Perfect for Queens.
Yea, remember Queen Catherine and his refusal to answer the historians that discovered it a fraud?
Almost had a statue the size of Liberty on the Queens waterfront.
A real fighter for our history, too. St George gets a Queensmark when the parsonage, undoubtedly more important and vulnerable, gets ignored.
Tell me the fix was not in with that program.
Kevin has my vote hands down. As a former resident of Queens and an ardent follower of Forgotten NY, I can't think of anyone better to fill the position.
QC your role is important as well, and I think there are a lot of tweeders that would like to see you disappear. Stick around both of you. For NY City sake.
I think you would be a tremendous asset to the borough in that position. Put in your application just for giggles.
I can't think of a better candidate than Kevin Walsh.
Its a trap.
These motherf*cking tweeders want you to close the blog then sell out.
They then will throw you under a bus when you dont do as your told.
Its a trap.
_______________________________________________________
Voila!!!!!
IMO Queens Crapper needs his anonymity for maximum impact. Keep up the great work, please.
And congrats on the nomination!!
I second the nomination of Kevin Walsh.
I have known him for many years, and his story of success. Kevin turned a website, into a book, into a mass movement to raise awareness of the local history that is hidden in plain sight.
But knowing Borough Hall, they'll likely pick a well-connected political insider, who will avoid confronting the powers that be.
If so, Jeff Gottlieb would be my second choice. He's also a living encyclopedia of Queens history.
What would we do without old white men!
Jeff Gottlieb or Jack Eichenbaum are more the boro hall type.
Jeff Kroessler and Kevin far better.
Barry Lewis for the taking but he would not want it.
For people who need a clue about Queen Catherine and Queens, and even a bit about Stanley Cogan, read this article. "Kevin Walsh for Queens historian" gets my vote.
Latest QHS newsletter mentions this as well as a talk about Flushing Commons with nary a bad word.
Great place for a Queensmark, don't ya think?
If a white person does not suit some Queens voters, I'd include Mandingo Osceola Tshaka to the list of candidates.
He's also an activist, and he helped uncover the history of Martin's Field.
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