Historic Brighton 24th Annual Meeting
& Program to Follow
Thomas W. Boyde, Jr.
Photo courtesy RMSC collection
- Sunday, October 1, 2023 – 2 p.m.
- Brighton Town Hall – 2300 Elmwood Avenue
- Presented by:
- Christopher Brandt
- Katie Eggers Comeau
- Jeffrey A.”Free” Harris
- Free and open to the public
Program – A Legacy Deferred:
The Architecture of Thomas W. Boyde Jr.
During the 1930s-70s, architect Thomas W. Boyde Jr. (1905-1981) designed over seven hundred projects, approximately three hundred of which are buildings in the Rochester region. Boyde was the first African American architect in Rochester, and would not have been welcome as a resident of many suburban neighborhoods where he worked.
This presentation will explore Boyde’s life and his prolific career, challenges in documenting the work of African American architects practicing in the mid-twentieth century, and ways to bring new appreciation to the work of a supremely talented architect who left a remarkable legacy in the Town of Brighton, and in the greater Rochester region.
About the speakers:
- Christopher Brandt, Architect and Project Manager at Bero
Architecture, PLLC - Katie Eggers Comeau, Architectural Historian at Bero Architecture,
PLLC - Jeffrey A. “Free” Harris, Historian and Independent Preservation
Consultant
Historic Brighton Spring Event
The Urban/Suburban Program in Brighton Schools
Justin Murphy and his book.
- Sunday, May 21, 2023 – 2 p.m.
- Brighton Town Hall
- 2300 Elmwood Avenue
- Presented by Justin Murphy
- Free admission
On Sunday, May 21st, Democrat and Chronicle education reporter Justin Murphy will discuss the findings in his book, Your Children Are Very Greatly in Danger: School Segregation in Rochester, New York. Drawing on never-before-seen archival documents as well as scores of new interviews, Murphy shows how discriminatory public policy and personal prejudice combined to create the racially segregated education system that exists in the Rochester area today. He will discuss efforts in the Brighton school district to find a solution to the problem of racial segregation.
Historic Brighton Spring Event
Holocaust Survivors at Mt. Hope Cemetery
photo by Pat Corcoran
- Sunday, March 26, 2023 – 2 p.m.
- Brighton Town Hall
- 2300 Elmwood Avenue
- Presented by Marcia Birken and
Marjorie Searl - 2 p.m. – Free admission
On Sunday, March 26th, Marcia Birken and Marjorie Searl will present an illustrated program about the Friends of Mount Hope’s Holocaust Survivors Archive project. Over 100 survivors of Nazi-era horrors found their way to Rochester, New York, lived in Brighton and other neighborhoods, and are buried in Mt. Hope. Learn about the website that has been developed to share their stories, the self-guided tour that will be available, and preview the monument that will be dedicated on May 7.
About the Speakers: Marjorie Searl and Marcia Birken are co-chairs of the Friends of Mount Hope Holocaust Survivors Archive project. Marcia Birken is RIT professor emerita and award-winning photographer and quilt maker. Marjorie Searl, retired chief curator at Memorial Art Gallery, is a Historic Brighton trustee and Friends of Mount Hope board member. Both speakers are longtime Brighton residents.
Historic Brighton Winter Event
Relatively Speaking – A Genealogy Class
- Presented by Kory Yerkes
- Sunday, January 29, 2023
- Brighton Memorial Library
- 2300 Elmwood Avenue
- Admission: Free
On Sunday, January 29th, you can learn how to use library and internet resources including Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest, and Family Search.org to find long lost relatives. Kory Yerkes’ presentation will include how to access the Democrat & Chronicle database, other
historical newspapers of the Rochester region, and additional resources that are available out in the world.
Following the presentation, Ms. Yerkes will welcome questions from the audience.
About the Speaker: Kory Yerkes is the Media, Network, and Volunteer Services Manager of the Brighton Library, and is a successful amateur genealogist.
