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January 31, 2008
HISTORY OF EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY PATERSON IS TOPIC OF PROGRAM AT WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY ON FEBRUARY 24
The history of Paterson during the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century will be explored by three local historians during a lecture and panel discussion, “A City Resurgent: Paterson 1890-1910,” on Sunday, February 24 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the David and Lorraine Cheng Library Auditorium at William Paterson University in Wayne. Admission is free; in the event of inclement weather, the program will be held on March 2. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Paterson Public Library and the Friends of the William Paterson University Library.
“The William Paterson University Library and our Friends have a long-standing interest in Paterson history,” says Anne Ciliberti, library director. “We look forward to this creative collaboration with the Friends of the Paterson Public Library.”
The program will feature a panel of three speakers, whose presentations will be supplemented by historical photographs. Vincent Parrillo, a professor of sociology at William Paterson University, will discuss Paterson during the 1890s, a period of great prosperity during which city and its silk mills were world-renowned. Glenn Corbett, an associate professor of fire science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, will speak about the Great Fire of 1902, which swept away the business center of the city. The effort to rebuild will be explored by Richard Polton, a planner and real estate appraiser, who will discuss the role of architect F.W. Wentworth in the city’s rebirth. The panel will be moderated by John Koontz, M.A. ‘89, a member of the Friends of the William Paterson University Library.
Parrillo was born and raised in Paterson. The author of many books and journal articles, some of which have been translated into nine different languages, he is the writer, narrator, and executive producer of the award-winning PBS television documentary, Smokestacks and Steeples: A Portrait of Paterson.
Corbett has an avid interest in firefighting history as well as the history of Paterson. He is the author of The Great Paterson Fire of 1902, co-author of Historic Fires of New York City, and is a technical editor of Fire Engineering Magazine. He is a former assistant chief in the Waldwick Fire Department
Polton also was born and raised in Paterson. His interest in architectural history, American urban history and the city of Paterson led to his research on F.W. Wentworth, which he has documented on a Web site, fredwesleywentworth.com. Polton is a principal in Value Research Group, LLC, an appraisal and real estate consulting firm.
For additional information, including directions, parking and weather updates, please call the Cheng Library at William Paterson University at 973-720-2113 or visit the Web site at www.wpunj.edu/friends.
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