May 8, 1945: Plettenberg Germany

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Plettenberg, Germany was the last 75th Infantry Division command post in 1945 at the end of World War II. My father, 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken was leading C-Company of the 75th Infantry Division. The 75th was tasked with occupation duty in a large area around Plettenberg Germany, known as Westphalia.

On May 8, 1945 Nazi Germany signed an unconditional surrender of its armed forces to the Allied forces. The Stars and Stripes newspaper headline declared, NAZIS QUIT! Donitz Gives Order. Grand Admiral Donitz, Adolphthe successor to Adolph Hitler. Ordered the surrender. Celebrations broke out in New York City and London immediately. The 75th Infantry band marched through Plettenberg to celebrate the good news.

Relief was felt by every soldier, but the world war was still far from over. The 75th Infantry Division was engaged in routine duties of occupation in the Westphalia region of Germany. This was no easy task since they had to feed and care for 90,000 displaced persons many of them forced laborers and Prisoners of War.

Though victory in Europe was being celebrated, every soldier worried that they might be shipped off to the pacific where the war was still raging against Japan. Occupation duty meant that the soldiers were no longer being pushed from one battle front to another. The pace had slowed down and with peace in Europe men began to hope that they might get to go back home.

The military had a points system for discharging soldiers at the end of hostilities. Each soldier was granted one point for each month of service. They received 2 points for each month overseas. They would be given 5 points for each ribbon, and 5 points for each star. Soldiers with children under the age of 18 received 12 points for each child. Soldiers with 85 points qualified for immediate discharge. The demobilization system began on May 10, 1945.

So in May of 1945, Arthur Thorspecken would have built up the following points…
1 point per month in service… Arthur Thorspecken entered the service on February 4, 1943. On May 8, 1945 he would have served 2 years and 3 months. This amounted to 27 Points.
2 points for each month overseas. Arthur was overseas for 16 months. This amounted to 32 points.
5 points for each ribbon and 5 for each star. Arthur Thorspecken was awarded an American Campaign Medal, an African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal with 2 battle stars, a World War II Victory Medal, and a Combat Infantry Badge. Each medal equals a ribbon, so that amounts to 20 Points and 2 stars adds 10 points for 30 points total.

12 points for each child. Arthur Thorspecken married Elvira Corr while he was in Camp Davis in North Carolina. Elvira had her first child while he was still in infantry school. Elvira’s baby girl was born while Elvira was in Massachusetts. Arthur  did see pictures of his baby girl before being shipped overseas. That amounts to 12 points.

That would be a total of 101 points which would qualify him for immediate discharge. Arthur still served on Occupation Duty in Europe for 3 more months until his discharge could take effect.

In August of 1945, the 75th Infantry Division strength was 20,785. Of these 11,147 had less than 65 points. 7,183 had scores of 85 and higher. Arthur Thorspecken likely departed Europe on about July 29, 1945 when he would have taken the week long boat ride back to America. He was officially separated from the military on August 4, 1945 at Fort Dix, New Jersey, which was just 2 days before the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima Japan. The idea of a world at war took a seismic shift towards peace.

The Saratoga Springs Studio

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KC and Bob moved to Saratoga Springs two months ago. KCs sister scouted out the rental property before hand by walking through and shooting a detailed video. The place is beautiful with old wooden floors and four huge skylights in the upstairs studio area.

KC is an oil painter and she set up her large easel across from the skylights and she illuminates the ceiling with bright LED lights set up in movie style lights with shutters.

While I was doing this sketch she was taking care of all the tasks that come after a move to let businesses know the new address. Frankie their adorable English Terrier rested on the floor. I can only dream about finding a studio as gorgeous as this.

After a crazy week of looking at New York homes, I now realize that I will have to find a rental like this as a home base and keep looking for the perfect studio. to buy

One of the doors at the back of the studio leads to an outdoor patio, which was a great spot for dinner and watching the sunset. From the patio, Frankie, the terrier has a view overlooking the next door lot. She tensed up and locks on anytime she sees a rabbit. One time, she broke free from her leash and she darted down the wooden steps to chase the rabbit. By the time she got to the ground the rabbit was gone. The next door neighbor however is the wicked witch of the west and she complains any time someone steps foot on her property including the puppy. She should really live way off in the woods, where the next neighbor is a mile away. She is a yoga instructor, but evil.

Except for rain the day I arrived, and rain the day I left, the weather in Saratoga Springs was beautiful. The grass was soft to the touch and there was always a cool breeze. The homes were beautiful and the people I met while sketching were friendly. The only reason I would not consider living there is that it is north of Albany and therefor much too far from New York City. KC gave me a book to keep track of all the properties I would be seeing during the week. She was shocked that I was just carrying around a few scraps of paper with notes. She wrote on the back page the things I should consider as I looked at properties

  1. In budget.
  2. Within an hour if possible from NYC.
  3. Reasonable size. About 1,000 to 2,000 square feet.
  4. Place should be in reasonable/good condition.
  5. Decent neighborhood.

Several met all the criteria, but one had asbestos and the other sold before I could look at it. That last property was built for sculptor Dudley Pratt and I honestly think I would have made an offer has I seen it in person. Realtors simply didn’t show up and were quite frankly rude and unhelpful. My hope is that I can find one honest buyers realtor who truly has my interests at heart. That I understand now, is a rare breed in the New York metro area. Sigh.

FRINGE: An American Not In Paris

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Liv Rocklin Productions from New York City presented An American (NOT) in Paris. The show features 7 songs, 6 languages and 5 diagnosed conditions in a one woman show exploring OCD, loss of youth and an appreciation of the art of “C’est La Vie”.

Liv went to Paris as a student but the experience was interrupted by the pandemic which forced her to return to America. She had just met a Parisian man with American ties.  He promised not to kill her as he showed her a meat locker. Is there a better way to discover romance? She left that all behind.

The show explored uncertainties during those times and a brief return to Paris where she refused to explore the city as a tourist since she felt she was a native, even if short lived.

There was plenty of endearing humor in the show. At one point the guitar fell to the floor which seemed to punctuate her humorous point she was discussing to perfection. At one point the entire audience was singing along to the refrain of her song about “C’est La Vie”.

This is the type of show that is perfect for Fringe. I loved every moment. The show was light hearted and entertaining.

COVID Dystopia: Tanks Attack

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This shot from COVID Dystopia has tanks on the streets of New York City firing up the invading virus’ as they float down the side streets. I like how the shot is working.

The entire film was altered to get rid of he snap zoom effects between shots. Those snap zooms were the original reason I wanted to create the film but I am realizing the intensity and speed need to be dialed back a bit for the average audience to have any chance of digesting all that is being thrown at them.

A random Facebook message from a follower in South Africa convinced me to slow things down a touch. He said his wife kept asking him to freeze frame the movie so she could see all the details in each shot. I recognize that people might miss many details, but that is true to the times where the 24 hour news cycle keeps churning out viewpoint weather true or not and the internet further distorts simple truths.

This film has had a 17% success rate in getting into festivals. Those are slim pickings. The list of rejections is immense. I had tow festivals reject the film yesterday. Facing so much rejection eventually wears you down. But when I get a rejection I research a new festival that might accept the message and I also refine and improve shots. I hope I am polishing a gem and not something that everyone hates. From curse words in the lyrics to very adult themed images, I know I am facing an uphill battle. The audience is out there however I just need to find them. This will be a year of patience and perseverance.

In two days I fly to the Cleveland International Film Festival where COVID Dystopia will screen at 9:50pm. This is the first Academy Award qualifying festival that the film has been accepted into. Hoping to make the most of that 17% acceptance rate.

 

Empire State Demo

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This sketch was a demo for one of my online students. The class is called, “Sketching People, Places and things.” Since the class was held on Zoom we couldn’t go to a location to sketch. So I showed the student how to use Google maps and turn on street view.

I explored around Cleveland to see what the theater looks like where my film will be screened on April 12. I found the theater district and walked around until I found a good view of the Allen Theater.

My student decided to explore NYC. He wanted to draw the Empire State building. He stood directly in front of the building and looked up. From that angle you couldn’t see the top spire. So I advises him to walk around the building several blocks away and look back for the Empire States Building. He was delighted when he found this view so this became the focus of our lesson.

This became a lesson on using three point perspective. One point is at the end of the street as the road converges to the horizon. Another point is off screen to the left, and a third point is high in the sky which affects how the buildings converge and get smaller as they rise into the sky.

This is my old stomping grounds. I used to work in the empire State Building about 2/3 of the way to the top. I could open the office window and sit on the ledge looking out over the city. I vastly admired the window washers who would clean the windows from outside several times year. That is a job I could definitely not do. I clench my butt just thinking about it.

My student made a fun creative decision and he had a subway train run up the avenue. I finished this in the class, but his piece still needs work. Then again, is a sketch ever really finished? I see things I would like to change and details that could be added.

143 Washington Street NYC

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While Pam was meeting with 9/11 Museum colleges, I decided to sketch at 143 Washington Street, which was the home of the Hickey Family. My grandmother Josephine Marie Hickey grew up here. Augustus Arthur Thorspecken met her while he was stationed on Governor’s Island during WWI. He didn’t go to Europe because he caught the Spanish Flu. The Hickey store might have been on the ground floor of the 143 Washington Street address.

The brownstone is gone. 140 Washington, across the street is a huge hotel. The 9/11 Memorial is one block north. A large synagogue is between Washington Street and the 9/11 Memorial. The site where the Hickeys lived is now a utilities storage lot. The fence around it is covered with images of brownstones but they are not historically accurate representations of what used to be here.

It was bloody cold. I had to keep warming my drawing hand in my coat pocket. Shadows of the skyscrapers in the financial district downtown mean that you only have a half hour at most of sunshine. When I started sketching I was in sunlight reflected of the glass facade of a skyscraper. I was then plunged into the fridged shadows of a skyscraper. Just as I was about to give up, since I was so cold, the sun flooded out from behind a tower and warmed me up. With the sketch line work complete I was thrust info the shadows again. I decided to add color across the street where it was still sunny. Wearing a mask is actually helpful in the cold since it kept my lower face warm. Since I didn’t have my art stool, I kept dancing around as I sketched. Moving around probably also help keep me from freezing.

 

The Infected

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New York City rats carry COVID-19 and could be a risk to humans. A study published March 9, 2023 in the American Society for Microbiology “mBio,” determined that the rats could be infected with the Alpha, Delta and Omicron variants.

The rat samples were collected in the fall of 2021. The team set up two trappings near locations surrounding wastewater systems and captured 79 rats from three sites in and around city parks in Brooklyn in the fall of 2021, when Delta was dominant. 13 rats tested positive for the virus. The researchers also determined which specific variants could infected the vermin. the study “highlights the need for further monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in rat populations to determine if the virus is circulating in the animals and evolving into new strains that could pose a risk to humans,” Dr. Henry Wan, the study’s principal investigator warned. “Overall, our work in this space shows that animals can play a role in pandemics that impact humans, and it’s important that we continue to increase our understanding so we can protect both human and animal health,” he said.

By giving wild rats samples of different variants through the nose, the researchers also found that Alpha, Delta, and Omicron were able to infect the rats.

The National Library of Medicine published an article that concluded that Omicron could have evolved in another mammalian host like mice or rats. Omicron contains a large number of mutations that are rare in other known human variants. Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences now report that they have found a pattern of mutations in Omicron that is typical of a virus that has infected mice. They believe SARS-CoV-2 jumped from a human to a mouse in mid-2020, then back into a human in late 2021.

Mayor Eric Adams declared a war on NYC rats as the vermin sightings soared into the thousands.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Reformed Dutch Church of Newton

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Reformed Dutch Church of Newton is a historic Reformed church in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens in New York City. The neighborhood had been established in 1652 by the Dutch as Middenburgh, a village suburb of New Amsterdam (today it is New York City).

In 1664, the village was renamed New Town, later simplified to Newtown. When Newtown was renamed Elmhurst in the late 1890s, the church retained its original name.

The church was first established by Dutch immigrants in 1731. The original Federal-Greek Revival style building, completed in 1735, had survived the struggles of the colonial days and the disruptions of the American Revolutionary War (during which the British seized it for use as an armory).

It was replaced in 1832 by the present Georgian-style sanctuary. It has been designated a New York City landmark. The cornerstone of the original building can still be seen in the foundation of its present structure. The bell tower contains the bell from the original 1731 church building. Adjoining the Church building to the north is a small cemetery filled with simple tombstones dating from the early years of the church’s history.

The sanctuary and adjoining fellowship hall are, as noted by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, “one of the few all wood church groups remaining in the City.”The Reformed Church of Newtown Complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The originally Dutch church now had services in English, Taiwanese, Tamil and Mandarin Chinese.

Speedy Festival

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I am dreaming of life before the pandemic. In my New York City apartment I created a hot air balloon themed stained glass window for a transom over my bedroom door. For some reason I have always had a “thing” for hot air balloons. I have been up in a hot air balloon twice in my life. Once was  in Upstate New York before I started working for Walt Disney Feature Animation. The most vivid memory of that flight as quietly floating over a prison with all the inmates in the yard shouting for us to come on down so they could climb aboard for a jail break. I actually produced a whole series of sketches about that flight.

The next flight was many years later with Pam Schwartz. This balloon flew over an elephant retirement refuge, although I didn’t actually spot any elephants. The landing was at Wallaby Ranch which is an amazing spot to experience hang gliding, which Pam and I also experienced.

Between hang gliding and hot air ballooning, I preferred hang gliding since you really feel like a bird. You are rigged into the kite with a cocoon like sleeping bag. You steer by leaning from side to side. A highly trained pilot is strapped in with you. I remember that as I flew over the clouds, the shadow I cast created circular rainbows in the cloud. This would be the magic Icarus experienced before he flew too close to the sun.

Pre-Pandemic: O’Hara’s Pub near Ground Zero

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O’Hara’s Pub, on Cedar Street, badly damaged during 9/11, is a testament to the resiliency of New York City and its people. The pub was badly damaged in the wreckage of 9/11 but built itself back up to become a haven for first responders and tourists alike.

The bar became home base for ground zero recovery workers after 9-11. We found a tight little corner booth near the rest rooms to share drinks and stories with several museum staff.

The walls are covered with thousands of patches from the uniforms of firefighters and rescue workers which cover any free space throughout the bar. The tradition was established just one year after 9/11 when a construction worker ripped the patch off of a firefighter’s uniform and stapled it proudly to the wall.

Michael Keane, the owner, and five of his employees were there when the towers were struck. That day windows burst from their frames and dust engulfed the establishment. Keane watched the tower fall from the roof where he’d set about putting out small fires that erupted when the first plane hit.

It took the bar about a year to get back up and running. Regulars were slow to return, but construction workers from ground zero began to call the place home after the long days of work.