The book will explain in my terms The West when I was growing upall the people, friends, and families that made it such a memorable and lasting creation and foundation of childhood, youth, as an adolescent right up to my high school years. The book will explain the neighborhood where we all played, shopped; bought our baseballs, lemon ice, candy, newspapers, bologna sandwiches, pizza; or just hung outour neighborhood schools, church, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. Hopefully, my memories, reflections, and experiences of The West will bring you joy and many great memories like I have endured! Good reading to you as I return you to Growing Up in the West End of New Rochelle in the 50s60s the way I remember itmy memoirs.

Beginning with its settlement by refugees seeking religious freedom to its present standing as a diverse and vibrant city, New Rochelle's 325-year-old story reflects many great American trends and social movements. From a small town of farms to one of New York's leading suburbs, by the turn of the 20th century, New Rochelle was a fashionable spot from which to "drop a note." The "Golden Age of Postcards" arrived at an ideal time for the rapidly growing community, which boasted an array of winning characteristics, including 12 meandering miles of Long Island Sound shoreline, attractive neighborhoods styled as "residential parks," an up-and-coming downtown, and many impressive structures. In New Rochelle, vintage postcards from the New Rochelle Public Library's local history collection provide a wonderful glimpse into the years New Rochelle's core identity took shape.