Return to Levittown

Return to Levittown

25 Winding Lane, Levittown, New York, in August 1958. An architectural photography company took this photo for House Beautiful magazine. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, Gottscho-Schleisner Collection written for Blue Ridge Press In the 1960s my three brothers, sister, parents,...

Bring Back Recess

written for The Washington Post On October 25, 2002, schoolchildren in the Washington area emerged gleefully from locked classrooms and ran out to the playground. “Recess is back,” proclaimed The Washington Post. But had the snipers who shut down ordinary life for...

Towels, Sunblock, and, Oh Yeah, Checkbook

written for The New York Times AS soon as beach season started, I set out on an odyssey to test the Connecticut Supreme Court ruling that municipal beaches must be open to the public, not just to residents. In the family van, my two daughters and I sought out beaches...

Bracelet Bears Legacy of Hope and Grief

written for The Day After the 25th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, I went looking for my old prisoner-of-war bracelet. It was tucked in a folder of childhood papers. The stainless steel band with “Capt. Richard G. Morin, 12-20-68” looks exactly as it...