WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. From the Office of the City Clerk. January 6, 2005: Renoda Brown Hoffman, Historian of The City of White Plains since 1970, has died, here in the City she so loved.  Long before it became trendy to study genealogy and trace our roots, Renoda Hoffman understood the importance of preserving the past, and capturing the present, for future generations.

RENODA HOFFMAN

The Herodotus of White Plains

1909-2005

           Born October 5, 1909, Renoda came to White Plains at nine months of age. Renoda Brown Hoffman’s ancestral tree is representative of Who’s Who in Colonial America...on her father’s side her family goes back to Jeffrey Ferris who came to America in 1632/33, and on her mother’s side, one uncle Thurston Horn sailed with William Kidd, venturing out of New York City Harbor in 1692 never to return.  In fact, Jacob Purdy’s great granddaughter married Renoda’s ancestor James M. Ferris and they lived in the Purdy House. 

            Renoda grew up in a time of innocence when children skipped and laughed their way to the Ranch House on Saturday afternoons, free from the fears that plague us today, and whiled away the hours watching Tom Mix defeat villains and rescue maidens.  Coming from a family that saw Black Tuesday and the long, sad years of the Great Depression, Renoda’s dreams of archaeological digs in far away deserts, succumbed to the reality of Hake’s Business School where, like other young women of the day, she studied typing and shorthand to become a secretary.  Upon completing school, Renoda went to work for two attorneys, Monday through Saturday, for $10.00 week. 

            It was during these years that she met Howard C. Hoffman who worked for the City of White Plains.  They were married in 1937 and had a son Richard. When her son was school aged, Renoda was encouraged by a friend to lend a helping hand a few mornings a week at the Purchase School.  Mornings, turned to days, followed by years, and in 1979, she retired from the Purchase School, with 33 years of service.  During that period, she was introduced to the Westchester Historical Society and soon became a very active member, serving as it’s first woman President for three years.   She  served as the Editor of their quarterly publication, “The Westchester Historian”, for 20 years.   

            All of her life, Renoda embraced history.  First she studied the Civil War, and then later the Revolutionary Period.  It was during that time that she discovered the wealth of history to be found in Westchester, and particularly in White Plains. It was during these years that Mayor Richard Hendey asked  Renoda to take over the reins as White Plains City Historian.  She often quoted Mayor Hendey when telling how she became Historian explaining that he told her that she should “...just go out and do whatever Historians do.”  It was with this charge that she began to amass the enormously rich and varied collection of artifacts, documents and photographs which would eventually become the foundation of the White Plains City Archives.  Probably the most significant acquisition she made was an original map drawn by a soldier in 1776 during the Battle of White Plains.

            Renoda was one of the founding members of the Battle of White Plains Monument Committee, which later became the White Plains Historical Society. She was also one of the key players in the movement to save the 1720 Jacob Purdy House from demolition during the Urban Renewal period. She was honored by the White Plains Historical Society with their first presentation of the Citizen Extraordinaire Award and by the Westchester County Historical Society with their Tomahawk Award.

           During her time as Historian, Renoda Hoffman authored and published three books: "Yesterday In White Plains", "It Happened In Old White Plains", and "The Changing Face of White Plains."  She also authored three booklets, “Historic Highlights of Westchester,” “Throw Back” and “The Battle of White Plains.”  All monies generated from the books support the Jacob Purdy House and the Mission of the White Plains Historical Society. Here, Jack Harrington, President Emeritus of the White Plains Historical Society holds two of Ms. Hoffman's books, recently reprinted and available from the Historical Society. Photo by WPCNR News.  

            From the moment that Mayor Hendey sent her forth with the charge of “doing whatever Historians do,” Renoda never once looked back.  The City of White Plains can never in words thank her for her unflagging spirit and depth of understanding of the importance of preserving history for future generations.  Thanks can only come in the concrete form of continued commitment to conserving her legacy for future generations and continuing her charge to preserve the past, and capture the present for the future.  Today we do not mourn her passing, but pay tribute not just to her 35 years as Historian, but we pay tribute to the purity of her spirit, and the depth of her understanding, that “Past is Prologue.”

But Renoda was ever so much more to the City than Historian...she was artist, preservationist, collector, activist and photographer.  She took thousands of photos and slides of White Plans as it changed and grew through the decades.  As time passes, her work becomes more and more valuable for capturing moments in time as a legacy for future generations. Over time she compiled a rich and varied array of historically significant materials, accomplished almost entirely through donations from concerned individuals and organizations.  She also worked tirelessly to obtain a permanent place to house all these wonderful glimpses of past history, and succeeded in establishing the White Plains City Archives, now permanently named in her honor.       

Renoda never did small things in a great way, but rather has done great things for our City and it's citizens, past, present and future. When asked once how she saw her work she stated, ".....nourished by those who have gone on before, we have fallen heir to the precious liberty won at such a terrible price. This, along with our great nation, was bequeathed to you and to me, to all Americans. This is our heritage."

Office of the City Clerk

City of White Plains

January 6, 2005