Originally a Dutch celebration of the renewal of life after a long winter, the first day of

Pinkster corresponded with the Episcopal Whitsunday, the 50th day after Easter which fell in
early May. By the nineteenth century in America, Pinkster was known as an African American
Holiday. It reached its zenith between 1790 and 1810. From its Dutch roots came the spiritual aspects of giving thanks, preparations to greet the spring through building of elaborate arbors and temporary shelters, the cooking of special foods, serving of beer and wines, playing games, telling stories and
singing songs.
Whites along with free and enslaved Blacks gathered to witness the parade of the court and arrival of King
Charles, an elder elected to preside over the festival. The name of the character was taken from an Angolan
born captive given the name of Charles who was highly regarded, gifted in speech, dance and athletics and
claimed by an early mayor of Albany. A market was held during Pinkster for people with produce, crafts, and
handmade goods to sell. As the Pinkster King walked through the market stalls and vendor tents, he would demand tribute. If anyone failed to pay, their tent or stall was removed and they were asked to leave. There were
exhibitions of skills and athletic contests along with storytelling and dance that were judged and rewarded.
For the Dutch, Pinkster was a religious holiday; a time to reflect, take a break from work and visit family and
friends. For the enslaved Africans it was a temporary respite where they got to revisit the songs and dances they
were forbidden to do elsewhere and pass on cultural expressions. They reunited with family and friends, exchanged information as well as goods and turned the tables on those who denied them power over their lives.
The festival lasted three to four days.
In Albany the Pinkster Festival took place on the hill overlooking the Hudson River, where the State Capitol sits today. In 1811, an Albany city ordinance banned Pinkster.
- FIGAH, 2006. All rights reserved.
Two centuries later, in an effort to revive a tradition from Albanys past, members of the University
Club petitioned the Common Council to repeal the prohibition. The Pinkster ban was lifted on
May 16, 2011.
Since then the University Club has been honoring the traditions of Pinkster at an annual
celebration. This year, Scott Christianson, PhD. will join us on Friday June 3rd to share
some of New Yorks history of slavery and abolitionism through the life of a man known
only as Caesar.
Christianson is a journalist, criminologist, historian, filmmaker,
human rights activist and teacher and an award-winning author of
several distinguished non-fiction books.
In addition to the presentation on Caesar, he will sign copies of
two of his books, Freeing Charles: The Struggle to Free a Slave on
the Eve of the Civil War (University of Illinois Press; January 22,
2010), and 100 Documents That Changed the W orld: From the
Magna Carta to Wikileaks (Universe; November 10, 2015).

Continued on page two...

Caesar

Pinkster continued from page one

BOOK SIGNING & RECEPTION

Caesar lived his entire life on a colonial estate in Albany County, and was
the last living slave north of the Mason-Dixon Line. The daguerreotype
on page one, courtesy of the NewYork Historical Society, shows him at
the age of 114.
He was born into slavery in Bethlehem, NY in 1737 and died at the age
of 115 in 1852 having served the
Nicoll-Sill family for six generations.
He was the last person in NY to die in
bondage, though slavery ended in
New York on July 4, 1827. He is buried in the gravesite of the family he
served so long and faithfully.
In 1808, under the law, all slaves under the age of 65 years in New York
State were freed. Those over that age
remained slaves and their masters had
to provide for them. Caesar, being
over the age limit, remained a slave.
His children and grandchildren were
freed but chose to remain as servants
in the Bethlehem House.
Join us for cocktails (cash/sign) and
light fare from 6-7 p.m., followed by
Christiansons presentation. Tickets$40. Reservations required. Call the
University Club Foundation at 518414-3555 or make your reservations
at www.universityclubalbany.com.
Proceeds benefit the University Club
Foundation. Support for educational
programming presented by the Foundation is provided by AT&T.
JOIN US AFTERWARD
DINNER AND MUSIC

The Greater Love Combo, known for

their classic, up-tempo jazz, will perform from 8-10 p.m. in the Gr ille
room after the Pinkster presentation.
The performance is free. Ala carte
dinner will be available until 9 p.m.
Reservations required. Call the
club at 463-1151 if youll join us.

A Mid-Summer Nights Eve

Monday, June 20
6 8 p.m.
What if Shakespeare had been involved with the Gunpowder Plot in
1605 while writing MacBeth?
Thats the premise of the new novel
License to Quill, by Albany author
Jacopo della Quercia (Giacomo Calabria ).
License to Quill is a page-turning
James Bond-esque spy thriller starring William Shakespeare and
Christopher Marlowe during history's real life Gunpowder Plot. The
story follows the fascinating golden
age of English espionage, the tumultuous cold war gripping postReformation Europe, the cloak-anddagger politics of Shakespeare's
England, and lastly, the mysterious
origins of the Bard's most haunting
play: Macbeth. You won't want to
miss this fast-paced historical retelling!
- MacMillan Publishing
Join us for a Meet the Author Reception with cocktails (cash/sign)
and light hors doeuvres at 6 p.m.,
followed Mr. della Quercias presentation at 7:00 p.m. Books will be
available for purchase and signing.
The event is co-sponsored by the
University Club Foundation and the
English Speaking Union. There is no
charge, however, reservations are
required. Call the UC Foundation at
518-414-3555 and let us know if
you plan to stay for dinner.
2

AUTHOR PRESENTATION
DINNER & RECEPTION

A letter penned in 1944 uncovers the

powerful and heartfelt story of Helen
Gregg, one of eight children of Irish
immigrant parents, raised in the miseries of Hells Kitchen during the
Great Depression, and Clarence Raymond Stephenson, a young aspiring
B-17 pilot from the small, struggling
city of Ironton, Ohio. Fate brings
them together in New Yorks Central
Park during the summer of 1942.
This captivating and poignant story
of their struggles and romance, his
exploits as a highly decorated B-17
pilot during World War II, and the
tragedy that tears them apart, will
inspire you, while tugging at your
heart.
With sensitivity and grace, Ray
OConor reveals a secret about the
dashing and brave young aviator who
stole Helens heart, and he divulges a
promise that Helen made to Raymond in the summer of 1942 that she
had to keep, no matter how long or
how hard it might be to fulfill.
Join us Friday, June 24th for a special evening with Ray OConor, the
author of She Called Him Raymond.
Light hors doeuvres and cash/sign
bar at 6:00 p.m. Dinner buffet at 6:30
p.m. followed by dessert and book
discussion/signing at 7:15 p.m. $35
per person.
Books will be available; hardcover
$25; softcover $20. Reservations are
required. Please call the University
Club Foundation at 518-414-3555.

The Club is still digging out from under a mountain of bills from the Big Dig
of 2016. So far we have received invoices totaling
almost $25,000.00. Those costs include clean up
after the Grille Room was flooded by 300 gallons
of water, installation of a sump pit and pump,
plumbing and electrical work and, the biggest expense, excavation of Dove street outside the clubs
main entrance and installation of a 10 foot long lateral pipe from the citys line to the clubhouse.
University Club Foundation to the rescue
Those huge, unexpected, expenses are only part of the picture. Though lovingly maintained, the 100+ year old clubhouse is very needy. Theres always
something that has to be taken care of. Fortunately, part of the mission of the
University Club Foundation is to assist in the maintenance and upkeep of the
clubs building and property. The Foundations most recent effort on behalf of
the club, was the Big Dig campaign, which began late last month. We are
humbled by the response, notes Vito Grasso the University Club Foundations
President, and truly grateful to those who responded by contributing. Many
donors are members of the University Club, others are friends of the Foundation. Every donation, big or small, allows us to continue to help the club meet
its obligations to maintain its nationally recognized historic building, ensuring
that its doors are open and welcoming for generations to come. Thank you for
your support.
We would also like to extend a special thank you to Off The Record. They
put a tip bucket out during their performance at the Club on Friday, May 6th
and collected more than $200...and donated it to the Foundation for the Big
Dig! Many thanks for that gestur e of kindness and to all the people in attendance that evening who dropped money in the bucket to help.
The current list of Big Dig donors is at right. Theres still time to make your
donation (the Foundation is a 501c3, so its tax deductible). Its easy! All you
have to do is fill out the form below and return it to the club, call Ellen at 518463-1151 to make a credit card donation over the phone or donate online at
https://www.youcaring.com/university-club-foundation-561770.

THANK YOU!
Allen, Joseph*
Ambrecht, Michael*
Barnard, Sylvia*
Berkley, Richard*
Boettner, Doug & Debbie*
Brogna, Mark*
Burns, Elizabeth
Bush, Brian*
City Club of Albany
Davies, James*
Eberle, Donald
Esposito, Anthony*
Flood, Keith*
Grasso, Vito and Susan*
Gretter, Worth
Hochfelder, David*
Katz, Holly
Kinsch, Noelle & Shahinfar, Darius*
Krupka, Lew
MacAffer, Kenneth & Ursula*
Mackin & Casey
McCauley, Ken & Genevieve*
McCauley, Peter and Jean
Meserve, Donald*
NYS Academy of Family Physicians
Palladino, Joanna
Polomaine, Casey
Praus, Paul
Rosen, Elliott*
Ross, James
Ryan, Colleen*
Ryba, Christina*
Selzam, Paul
Sheppard, James M.*
Stewart, Damon & Nicole*
Stone, James
Sullivan, Mary*
Torch Club of Albany
Van De Loo, Kathy*
Webber, Cheryle
Wilson, Lois*
Wutzer, Edmund*
Wyld, John S.*
*University Club Members

Yes! I/We would like to help The University Club of Albany Foundation
Name ............................................................................................................................. .............................................................................
Address, City, State ZIP ............................................................................................................................. ..............................................
$250 $200 $150 $100 $50 $25 other _________
My/Our check is enclosed, payable to the University Club Foundation
Please charge my MasterCard Visa American Express (circle one) in the amount of $_______________
Name as it appears on card: .............................................................................................................................................................
Account #: ............................................................................................ Expiration Date: ................................CVV: .....................

Signature: .........................................................................................................................................................................................
Please return to: The University Club Foundation, 141 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12210
3

Officers: Nate Maloney, President

Amy Hines-Kramer, Vice President
Tim Varney, Treasurer
Secretary, Robert Crudden
Colleen Ryan, Past President

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY
1 Lunch

Directors: Mark Brogna

Teresa Casey
Jim Davies
Jeffrey Hill
David Hochfelder

THURSDAY
2 Lunch

FRIDAY
3

Lunch & Dinner

PINKSTER 6-8 pm
The Greater Love
Combo 8-10 pm

Club Closed

Lunch & Dinner

Torch Club 6 p.m.

Lunch & Dinner

8 Lunch

9 Lunch

Geoffrey Hoderath
Ken McCauley
Frank Nemeth
Chuck Seifert

10 Lunch & Dinner

SATURDAY
4
Club Closed

11

Club Closed

Yoga @ 4 pm

Yoga @ noon
Lunch & Dinner

14

Lunch & Dinner

12

13

Club Closed

Yoga @ noon

Yoga @ 4 pm

19

20

21

Club Closed

License to Quill
Author Jacopo
della Quercia 6pm

Yoga @ 4 pm

26

27

28 Lunch & Dinner

Club Closed

Yoga @ 10 am

Lunch & Dinner

Lunch & Dinner

Lunch & Dinner

15 Lunch

16 Lunch

17 Lunch & Dinner

18
Club Closed

22 Lunch

29 Lunch

23 Lunch

30 Lunch

24 Lunch & Dinner

25

Author Ray OConnor

6 pm

Club Closed

JULY 1

2
Club Closed
through Monday,
July 4th

Lunch & Dinner