WPNCR Names in the News. By Carl Albanese. May 21, 2005: At the Garden of Remembrance last Sunday, former Councilman Glen Hockley addressed the gathering, and the community learned something new about Mr. Hockley that we had not know before. Carl Albanese reports:

Glen Hockley Addressing Survivors, Guests, Dignataries Sunday, May 15. Photo by Carl Albanese. All rights Reserved

It was nice to see your coverage of "The Garden Of Remembrance" 60 Years Later story on your site posted May 9, 2005. My family and I attended the Memorial on May 15, unfortunately the news media coverage neglected to mention many significant elements and guest speakers at this great important ceremony.

One very significant and very important individual and family who played a major role in the history of the Holocaust and this particular ceremony on Sunday, May 15 in White Plains honoring the many Holocaust survivors is Mr. Glen Hockley, our very own, and his family.

Glen's mother herself is a Holocasut survivor who proudly attended the Garden of Remembrance -- 60 years Later ceremony with her family proudly at her side in honor of the many who did not survive the events of World War II. Mr. Hockley attended, as a private citizen proudly embracing his personal history and Jewish heritage paying respect to those who gave their lives to save his own mother. A moving story that I personally feel should be told here in our own city of White Plains, a story significantly worth telling as one of our own political leaders.

Ruth Hockley. Former Councilman Hockley's mother and a Death Camp survivor. Photo by Carl Albanese. All rights reserved.

A story that touched me personally on Sunday watching Mr. Hockley's mother Ruth, proudly standing among her family and many other survivors of the death camps when asked to rise among the crowd. A moment for me embellished with happiness and sadness respectfully proud to experience this moment. Witnessing Mrs. Hockley standing honorably her family at her side sixty years later as a survivor of the death camps is a moment I will always remember. Never to forget, Mrs. Hockley giving life to two generations of her own family sixty years later at her side in this moment of remembrance.

I forward this information to you with the hope that you would consider writing a story on the Garden of Remembrance ceremony, acknowledging the fact that Westchester County, White Plains has a personal history and connection to the events of the Holocaust of World War II. Respectfully paying honor and tribute to all those who survived the death camps, all those who perished, and all those who proudly died and fought as Americans during the events and history of World War II, our honorable World War II veterans.

Best,

Carl Albanese

WPCNR Notes:

Glen Hockley of White Plains, former White Plains Councilman and Director of Marketing for Trans-Continental Credit & Collection Corporation in White Plains, has been named to the Advisory Board of the Westchester Holocaust Education Center (WHEC), it was announced by Richard Laster (Chappaqua), Chairman of the WHEC Board of Directors.

Mr. Hockley, who currently serves on WHEC’s Membership and Garden Committees, is a dedicated community activist and volunteer. He was the founding chair of the White Plains Interfaith Holocaust Committee, a group that brought together priests, rabbis, ministers and other community leaders to build awareness of and intolerance toward hate crimes and bigotry in the White Plains community. He served as president of B’nai B’rith of Westchester (1996-2000) and was a founding member of the Second Generation of Jewish Holocaust Survivors of New York City. 

In 2002, he was a member of the Westchester County Hate Crimes Task Force, headed by County Executive Andrew Spano; the group was instrumental in creating an anti-bias law that defined hate crimes as a felony. Mr. Hockley is a founding member of the White Plains Junteenth Heritage Week, the first city-supported African-American historical / cultural event and parade, and was chosen as the 2004 Westchester ARC Government Advocate of the Year

“We are pleased to have Glen Hockley join WHEC’s Advisory Board,” said Richard Laster.  “His professional involvements, enormous energy and deep personal commitment to promoting human rights and Holocaust education have already proven invaluable to our organization.”

“As the son of Jewish Holocaust survivors who were protected by Christians during World War II, I grew up understanding the importance of respecting people from all different backgrounds.  As a result, I believe that, regardless of race, religion, or gender, everyone deserves the same consideration and opportunity. Working with the Westchester Holocaust Education Center gives me an opportunity to help advance the values with which I was raised,” observes Hockley.

Founded in 1990, the Westchester Holocaust Education Center (WHEC) is a not-for-profit, interfaith, Holocaust and human rights education organization dedicated to assisting middle- and high-school educators in teaching the universal lessons of the Holocaust and their relevance for today.  WHEC carries out its mission through a wide variety of programs and special events for teachers and students, as well as for the general public, to raise community awareness of the Holocaust and its relationship to human rights issues, past and present. For more information, please call 914-696-0738 or visit www.holocausteducationctr.org