Greetings from Manhattan
Hi Everyone,
My name is Kenn Rowell, Jr. I'm Rose Barone Rowell and Ken Rowell's son.
Like many of my cousins I was born and raised in Nyack, NY. Currently, I live in Manhattan, NYC.
One of the reasons that I live in NYC is because I've been writing and
playing music with an independent band for several years. The band's name
and what kind of music we play is really not important now - I'd rather have
my family get to know me before I come off like an infomercial. When
I'm not busy starving as an "artist" I work in the Publishing Royalties
department for EMI-Capitol Records.
I’m looking forward to introducing you all to the “love of my life”, Maureen. I met Maureen roughly 8 years ago. She is a very special woman, who loves to laugh and have fun! She loves her own family very much and she has embraced and captivated my family with her sweet demeanor and sincerity.
About 8 years ago I and a bunch of fellow Rockland County musicians founded
a benefit concert to help New York City's homeless. The name of the benefit
is "Blank-Fest" and it's an all-day event, usually held the 2nd Sunday
before Christmas, where we get a bunch of our musician friends together at a
club in Nyack and we jam all day. We don't ask for money at the door -
rather we ask for a "suggested donation" of one blanket per person, any
condition. On Christmas Eve we drive around New York City and hand them
directly to whoever we find on the streets of our City. What we can't
dispense in one evening we leave with one or more of the many homeless
shelters that we have around Manhattan. The first Blank-Fest, in 1997
netted 40 blankets. Last year's show totaled 659 donations!
Over the last few years I've watched, albeit from a distance, while my
sister, Jennifer has gone out of her way to document our Mother's family's
history. Because many of the original central characters in our family
story have since passed on - and because of other challenging factors:
language barriers, the distance between relatives, the passing of years and
the dimming of memories that naturally occurs - she's had to go above and
beyond the call of duty to get the real story - to separate the myth and
speculation from what really happened. I believe that this is a just and
honourable endeavor. Our family is NO different than any other American
family - and that's why it is SO important that we mine the important facts
and set them down for future generations to read. There are many of us
(myself included) who are (or were) unaware of the incredible hurdles and
challenges that the Puglieses and Barones faced in order to achieve a
position that many of us today take for granted: the making of a life in
America. And, just like that old Emma Lazarus inscription on the Statue of
Liberty our ancestors came to these shores yearning for the freedom to have
the right to make a life for themselves and their children and to any future
generations that would come after them. What little I know about the
Italian peninsula that my Grandfather and Grandmother came from painted a
picture that looked daunting at best - and bleak at it's worst. Today the
children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Bruno and Jennie have
limitless futures: I was swelled with pride when I read of how my cousin's
son, Richard, selflessly gave of himself to help those in dire need in the
flood-ravaged areas of Louisiana. Less than a century ago our very own
Grandmother and her immediate family - as well as their surrounding village
- needed that same, exact kind of help. If only Reggio Calabria had their
OWN Richard Barone - how many more lives would have been saved!
I was also touched by the personal stories that I read - again, I was moved
by the depth of humanity that I saw on this blog. I have to admit that
reading my cousin, Shelly's tribute to her late-husband, Pat, drove me to
the brink of tears. Similar stories and sentiments reverberate throughout
this site and make me proud to be a part of this family! Reading all of your wonderful posts and loving tributes only reinforces that overwhelming feeling that - even residing deep within the concrete canyons of "the Big Apple" - that you are all with me and I am
never truly alone.
I want you to know that I've tried to locate 1577 Thompson Street, in the
Village, where the man who sponsored Great-Grandpa Francesco Pugliese lived.
Sad to say that the numbers stop WAY short of the 1500s. I'm not sure why,
although number schemes in NYC could have been changes decades ago; or, more
likely, that stretch of Thompson Street (right around where I play music, by
the way) was obliterated when they built one of several park areas in lower
Manhattan in the early years of the previous century. But, no matter, the
bottom line is: the streets or buildings may be gone, but evidence that they
were here and that they made an impact on the development of our country is
irrefutable. You, reading and contributing to this blog, are proof positive
of that!
I'm sure you can tell by now - if you don't already know me - that I am seldom at a lack of words. But hopefully, rather than put you to sleep I hope my sentiments connected with a deep feeling of pride and love that rests in all of our hearts. We may
travel to the ends of the world, we may marry into different families with
different names, the years may march on and with that bring a whole new cast
of characters on the stage of our world, we may even speak different
languages, follow different religions, live different life-styles and differ
in politics, lifestyle or culture - but we'll always be family. And for
that, I always have and always will be thankful.
Thank you for your time and for being kind enough to read this and I look
forward to writing more in the near future - and seeing you all next Summer!
Love Always,
Your Son, Brother, Cousin, Nephew and Friend,
Kenn Rowell, Jr.
My name is Kenn Rowell, Jr. I'm Rose Barone Rowell and Ken Rowell's son.
Like many of my cousins I was born and raised in Nyack, NY. Currently, I live in Manhattan, NYC.
One of the reasons that I live in NYC is because I've been writing and
playing music with an independent band for several years. The band's name
and what kind of music we play is really not important now - I'd rather have
my family get to know me before I come off like an infomercial. When
I'm not busy starving as an "artist" I work in the Publishing Royalties
department for EMI-Capitol Records.
I’m looking forward to introducing you all to the “love of my life”, Maureen. I met Maureen roughly 8 years ago. She is a very special woman, who loves to laugh and have fun! She loves her own family very much and she has embraced and captivated my family with her sweet demeanor and sincerity.
About 8 years ago I and a bunch of fellow Rockland County musicians founded
a benefit concert to help New York City's homeless. The name of the benefit
is "Blank-Fest" and it's an all-day event, usually held the 2nd Sunday
before Christmas, where we get a bunch of our musician friends together at a
club in Nyack and we jam all day. We don't ask for money at the door -
rather we ask for a "suggested donation" of one blanket per person, any
condition. On Christmas Eve we drive around New York City and hand them
directly to whoever we find on the streets of our City. What we can't
dispense in one evening we leave with one or more of the many homeless
shelters that we have around Manhattan. The first Blank-Fest, in 1997
netted 40 blankets. Last year's show totaled 659 donations!
Over the last few years I've watched, albeit from a distance, while my
sister, Jennifer has gone out of her way to document our Mother's family's
history. Because many of the original central characters in our family
story have since passed on - and because of other challenging factors:
language barriers, the distance between relatives, the passing of years and
the dimming of memories that naturally occurs - she's had to go above and
beyond the call of duty to get the real story - to separate the myth and
speculation from what really happened. I believe that this is a just and
honourable endeavor. Our family is NO different than any other American
family - and that's why it is SO important that we mine the important facts
and set them down for future generations to read. There are many of us
(myself included) who are (or were) unaware of the incredible hurdles and
challenges that the Puglieses and Barones faced in order to achieve a
position that many of us today take for granted: the making of a life in
America. And, just like that old Emma Lazarus inscription on the Statue of
Liberty our ancestors came to these shores yearning for the freedom to have
the right to make a life for themselves and their children and to any future
generations that would come after them. What little I know about the
Italian peninsula that my Grandfather and Grandmother came from painted a
picture that looked daunting at best - and bleak at it's worst. Today the
children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Bruno and Jennie have
limitless futures: I was swelled with pride when I read of how my cousin's
son, Richard, selflessly gave of himself to help those in dire need in the
flood-ravaged areas of Louisiana. Less than a century ago our very own
Grandmother and her immediate family - as well as their surrounding village
- needed that same, exact kind of help. If only Reggio Calabria had their
OWN Richard Barone - how many more lives would have been saved!
I was also touched by the personal stories that I read - again, I was moved
by the depth of humanity that I saw on this blog. I have to admit that
reading my cousin, Shelly's tribute to her late-husband, Pat, drove me to
the brink of tears. Similar stories and sentiments reverberate throughout
this site and make me proud to be a part of this family! Reading all of your wonderful posts and loving tributes only reinforces that overwhelming feeling that - even residing deep within the concrete canyons of "the Big Apple" - that you are all with me and I am
never truly alone.
I want you to know that I've tried to locate 1577 Thompson Street, in the
Village, where the man who sponsored Great-Grandpa Francesco Pugliese lived.
Sad to say that the numbers stop WAY short of the 1500s. I'm not sure why,
although number schemes in NYC could have been changes decades ago; or, more
likely, that stretch of Thompson Street (right around where I play music, by
the way) was obliterated when they built one of several park areas in lower
Manhattan in the early years of the previous century. But, no matter, the
bottom line is: the streets or buildings may be gone, but evidence that they
were here and that they made an impact on the development of our country is
irrefutable. You, reading and contributing to this blog, are proof positive
of that!
I'm sure you can tell by now - if you don't already know me - that I am seldom at a lack of words. But hopefully, rather than put you to sleep I hope my sentiments connected with a deep feeling of pride and love that rests in all of our hearts. We may
travel to the ends of the world, we may marry into different families with
different names, the years may march on and with that bring a whole new cast
of characters on the stage of our world, we may even speak different
languages, follow different religions, live different life-styles and differ
in politics, lifestyle or culture - but we'll always be family. And for
that, I always have and always will be thankful.
Thank you for your time and for being kind enough to read this and I look
forward to writing more in the near future - and seeing you all next Summer!
Love Always,
Your Son, Brother, Cousin, Nephew and Friend,
Kenn Rowell, Jr.
posted by kgb at 11:27 PM
1 Comments:
Kenn,
Read your thoughtful sentiments, and appreciated your remarks about our grandson Richard. We were truly amazed at the success of your "blanket drive". Keep it up. Looking forward to more articles from you and other family members. See you all next July.
Uncle Charlie and Aunt Lee
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