By Denise VanBuren, President of the Beacon Historical Society
Though I don’t remember the date, I do recall the week: the first of January 1984. I was a new reporter at WGNY, and my first assignment was the organizational meeting of the Beacon City Council.
I clearly remember crossing the bridge, heading south on Route 9D and there it was: a historic marker noting Beacon’s founding on May 15, 1913. It seemed as though fate had sent me here – as May 15 is also my birthday.
Within a year of that visit, I was hired at Local Cable News at U.S. Cablevision as an anchor, enabling me to meet hundreds of Beaconites. In 1988, I produced a program to celebrate the city’s 75th birthday, which connected me with the Historical Society.
I’ve been an active member ever since (now serving my ninth year as president). I’ve also had the honor of co-authoring two books about Beacon with the late Bob Murphy and editing a volume of his Society newsletters.
Four decades later, the city and I share so much more than just a birthday.