Unable to attend our Story and Photo Share at the Hudson Area Library on November 18, 2013, yet wanting to share her memories and photographs, Gloria Hollenbeck had an envelope delivered to the Library adressed to the Prison Public Memory Project. Inside we found a 2-page typed letter and a selection of photographs. Gloria worked as a stenographer at the New York State Training School for Girls for two years in the 1950s.
Gloria sent a group of photographs taken on October 24, 1958 at Rocky’s, in Hudson, NY…
I married on November 15, 1958 to the love of my life, Joel G. Hollenbeck and am enclosing photos taken from the bridal shower given to me by my co-workers at the Training School.
In her letter, Gloria remembers:
I enjoyed my job there, and when Ms. Crosby would ask who would like to take dictation, I would quickly respond… I worked closely with the records of the girls and remember one case where her father was sexually abusing her, and he told her he would put some type of serum in her arm if she told and she would never speak again.
Gloria grew up in Hudson and graduated from Hudson High School in 1954. Since the library has all of Hudson High’s yearbooks we were able to find Gloria’s picture (nee Bartholomew)…
Gloria remembers that portions of the film, Odds Against Tomorrow were shot at the Training School…
The summer of the following year, portions of the movie Odds Against Tomorrow were filmed there. In the Church which was across from the main building where I worked I was fortunate to meet Harry Belafonte and Robert Ryan. Rev. Nixon was the Minister there and Mrs. Nixon was also employed by the New York State Training School for Girls. In fact, Robert Ryan asked me when my baby was due and if I wanted a girl or boy, which indeed was a highlight of my first pregnancy.
In conclusion, Gloria writes:
Although I did not return to work after the birth of our daughter, who is now 53 years old, I remained in contact with my co-workers for a long time and they will always be remembered, as will my experiences at the New York State Training School For Girls.
4 comments
Carolyn Smith Ressler says:
Oct 10, 2013
In Gloria’s last group photo taken at Rocky’s, Mrs. Cort was Lillian E.Cort and was my immediate supervisor at the Training School. She was head of the Business Office. Miss Pinkowski was Mary Pinkowski, who later became Mary Bell. She was secretary to the Institution Steward, Charles Davis. I used to fill in for Mary when she was on a day off or on vacation. I recognize women in the other photographs…thanks for a great walk down Memory Lane! Carolyn Smith Ressler
Joan E Gandy says:
Oct 11, 2013
My grandmother Palmyra Wilburn Blackstone worked at the New York State Training School for Girls in Hudson, NY in the early 1950s and I have confirmed through Ancestry.com that she was there in 1951 as an Assistant House Mother. She was a negro (however she is of mixed descent) and I looking for any information that anyone may have on her and pictures. I would greatly appreciate any information that anyone can provide me.
anonymous says:
Dec 5, 2016
I am quite at a lost of words to upon reading of the expressed joy and content people like Gloria Hollerbeck above expresses about her joy and elation working at the New York State Training School for Girls. Even more appalling she speaks about her experience having the opportunity to speak and observe the actors in the film being filmed there “Odds Against Tomorrow.” and the delight she shares reminiscing joyful moments. Well, at that same time my sister and my sister came through there as
Ours is the story of the abused and misused adolescent that was sent there for reasons I am only aware of now as I have started to research its history. Mrs. Hollerbeck seems to have no clue, yet she transcribed the records on us. I guess she thought we were the connoisseurs of our own mishap. She was so content with her environment and employment again she seemed to have no clue as to what was occurring with the population they were servicing. Or, perhaps she didn’t care. She need to hear and see our portraits that remain with the scars on our emotions and soul. Never to be erased. She need to dig out some of the portraits that may even include some of us and see the real horrow of our suffering and trying to copy. She needs to display the true portrait of the houseparent who walked around with the bat. I was in that cottage. She needs to dig out the portraits of unnamed graves in the shunned and abandoned grave site there.. I would like to share I would like to explore if perhaps, my sister had a pregnancy that ended up with an unnamed grave in their shunned and abandoned grave site. I would like to share portraits of unimaginably images that remain in our head that resulted in my sister dying from substance abuse and so many others from there going further and further astray. It is a perpetual system of denial that the system maintained in their abuse of these children they callously put in these places. It is a system of blatant distrust, dishonesty, abuse and misuse of families and children. Stop telling their stories for them. Instead let them tell their own stories. Please keep me abreast of future follow up. I would like those like that bat swingin house parent and others committed altrocities to continue to be held accountable and give retribution for all those who suffered and died as a result of their abuse.
anonymous says:
Dec 5, 2016
I revisited the pictures that Mrs. Hollerbeck posted. In it she has a pictures of Mrs. Panksoss. I attempted to spell it from its handwriting which was not that clear to me. Nevertheless, I recall her name to be something of that nature. If she is the correct person, that I am recalling from that similar name, she is the sister of that bat swinging houseparent in Cottage C. She worked there too. How dare they set there and have no idea of the abuse they perpetrated on those youth. The system would not let our own parents keep us if they had done that. And my mother hadn’t. Yet, they removed every last one of her children including a baby she had after they had already removed her then born children. That child today is mentally ill, without any inability to maintain a family life of her own. Mrs. Panksoss used to walk around and make “bully” faces at us. Nevertheless, I tried to warm up to her because she was in my opinion less threatening than her sister who carried the bat and I needed someone. Yet, when I look at her picture I have a distinct disdain for the bullying she put us through. Again, I think those houseparents and the system that allowed that should remain accountable and grant us retribution for the pain and shame they caused us. I have a few stories I could tell you. Please keep me abreast of future alumni event of New York State Training School for Girls during the above time.