Week of August 8

August 7, 1875 – 150 YEARS AGO

Rockland County Journal

TUB-RACE

        The regatta of the Tappan Zee Tub Club will take place Wednesday evening, Aug. 11th, at 7 o’clock, from John Van Orden’s beach, Piermont. Should the weather prove stormy, the race will take place the first fair evening following. As this will be the last race to be given under the auspices of this famous organization, much speculation is indulged as to the probable victor. An exciting contest is looked for.

August 7, 1925 – 100 YEARS AGO

Nyack Evening Journal

NOTED LECTURER COMING

        Announcement is made elsewhere in this issue for a treat that has been arranged for the good people of Haverstraw, Garnerville and vicinity on Sunday, August 9th. Mr. E. J. Coward, of New York City, will-deliver a free Bible lecture in the Foresters Hall, Garnerville, at 3 o’clock.

        His appeal is to all, whether Jew or Gentile, Catholic or Protestant, evolutionist, or fundamentalist, saying, as he does, that this is a time to stop and consider the evidence which concerns the happiness and welfare of every human being. Messengers of Peace is the subject of his lecture. The lecturer comes to Garnerville under the auspices of the International Bible Students’ Association, of New York and London, an organization which has for its sole purpose, we are informed, the stimulating of Bible study. We are informed that many upon whom they have called stated that they were looking more closely into their Bibles in recent months, and it is at the request of several of these people that the lecture of Mr Coward is to be given for the benefit of all.

August 8, 1975 – 50 YEARS AGO

The Journal News

EVEL KNIEVEL, JR.?

     Kirk Morgan of Nyack appears to have high hopes for the future as he practices ‘wheelies’ in Memorial Park, Nyack, Thursday. There aren’t any large canyons in Rockland, but Kirk can hope, anyway. Photo: Al Witt, Journal News.

INNOVATIVE CLUBS USED — WHEELCHAIR GOLF AIDS PATIENTS

A new golf club developed at Rockland’s Helen Hayes Hospital may make golfing more enjoyable for persons confined to wheelchairs.

According to Bill Davis, a recreation therapist at the hospital, an experimental club being used by patients allows for better contact with the golf ball than previous equipment used by wheelchair patients.

Two men have already tried the club at the Golf Haven Driving Range in Blauvelt, which has donated its facilities and its golf professional, Danny Sabia, for the experiment.

Helen Hayes specializes in physical rehabilitation for persons who have suffered severe physical injuries.

The new club has been adapted by bending the shaft so that its face lies flat on the ground and makes better contact with the ball. “I found that with practice I could drive the ball almost as far from sitting in a wheelchair as I can standing up,” Davis said.

         Golf helps develop the upper torso for those confined to wheelchairs, he said, as well as providing an enjoyable recreation for the patients.

         Thus far, only woods and irons have been bent into the new shape, he said. The hospital receives all of its clubs through donations and it has not yet received a putter, he said.

         Davis said virtually every sport has been adapted for participation for those in wheelchairs. “Just because a man is I a wheelchair doesn’t; mean he can’t play the sports that others play,” he explained.

         Eventually the hospital staff may develop special golf carts so that patients can move about the course without the burden of pushing the clubs from their wheelchairs, he said.

         “We have unlimited possibility for adaptations if we have the time and and the money,” he said.

         When the experiment is completed, the staff will request that a manufacturer develop a mold so that the clubs can be mass produced with better quality and balance, Davis said.

This Week in Rockland (#FBF Flashback Friday) is prepared by Clare Sheridan for the Historical Society of Rockland County. © 2025 by The Historical Society of Rockland County. #FBF Flashback Friday may be reprinted only with written permission from the HSRC. To learn about the HSRC’s mission, upcoming events or programs, visit www.RocklandHistory.org or call (845) 634-9629.