Town Historian Richard Forliano and Cornell’s True Value recognized
The Eastchester-Tuckahoe Chamber of Commerce (COC) Board of Directors has named Eastchester Town Historian Richard Forliano and Cornell’s True Value Hardware on White Plains Road as its 2010 Persons of the Year.

Forliano, who taught seventh to 12th grade in Eastchester schools for 27 years, was named town historian in 1988.

Both Forliano and John Fix III, who owns and operates Cornell’s True Value along with several other family members, expressed their appreciation for being recognized by the award. 

“I was really flattered and humbled,” said Forliano, who added he was honored to be among the many illustrious town residents to have been named in previous years. 

“We’re very happy about it [the chamber’s award],” said John Fix III, speaking on behalf of the rest of the family. “We’re in our third generation. All three generations of Fixes grew up in town. We have a [strong] relationship with the community from the business and community sides.”

Kathy Muscat, COC co-president, described some of the rationale for this year’s choices. “John Fix is a pillar in the community,” she said, “[and Richard Forliano] worked with us so diligently when we did our historical tour.”

Both honorees received the COC award partially in recognition of their work to prepare for or celebrate a milestone. 

Cornell’s True Value was opened in 1909 and celebrated its centennial just last year.  John Fix Sr., who began working at the hardware store as a teenager, purchased it from the Cornell brothers in 1932.

Receiving the award this year, Fix III said, was a great way to “cap off” last year’s anniversary of the store’s founding.

“I guess I got the award in support of the work I’m doing,” Forliano said, referring to his current project to compile historical information for the 350th anniversary of the town in 2014 as well as a number of previous events he has helped with to highlight various aspects of Eastchester’s history.

Fix said that the award reflects not only the business’s longevity but also the interest the proprietors have taken in the local community. “In … any business,” he said, “the character of your business tends to reflect the community.”

Fix said that this attachment to the community comes out in both business decisions and a broader form of outreach. “If you don’t have arugula and broccoli raab, you’re out of luck,” Fix said, referring to the importance of stocking Italian vegetables on Cornell’s seed rack as an example of one aspect of the business that relies on the pulse of the community.

As a town business, Cornell’s is proud to support the town in which it resides. “We try to play up the Eastchester connection and the history,” Fix said.

Forliano cites last year’s “Living History Tour” of Eastchester, alluded to by Muscat, as one of several historical programs he has helped to orchestrate. “People played different parts. They came out of buildings and different historical sites,” said Forliano, who wrote the scripts for the historical program.

In addition, for the past three years, Forliano has run a weeklong summer history camp for fifth and sixth graders (and last year for returning middle schoolers as well), in order to impart to the next generation a great deal of local historical knowledge that he has collected in his years as town historian.

Forliano, who is also a contributor to The Town Report, is currently investigating the life of the Town of Eastchester during the Great Depression and says that a good bit of new information has been unearthed in recent years from the Civil War and beyond. He plans for a collaborative historical project in honor of the 350th anniversary to emphasize how the town changed in the 20th century.

Fix alluded to Forliano’s helpfulness in preparations for his own business milestone last year. “We tapped his knowledge several times to check some facts,” Fix said. As part of its 100-year celebration, Cornell’s distributed “maps” with the hardware store in the center and littered with fun historical facts and myths about the town and the store.

The honor, which according to Mariam Janusz, COC executive director, has been awarded for over 50 years, has been commemorated in recent years with a dinner-dance in honor of the recipients. This year’s dinner dance will take place on Thursday, April 22 at the Lake Isle Country Club.