The Beautiful Boats of Kingsborough
The Sculpture No One Knew Anything About at Kingsborough
Four decades after its creation and placement on KCC’s campus, the mystery of a perplexing sculpture has been solved. With the help of the alumnus artist’s friends, its maker was finally revealed. “The Ten Commandments,” sculpted by Marty Resnick, ’72, received recognition on October 30, 2014, with the installment of a commemorative plaque.
The corroding sculpture, made of scrap metal, stands about eight feet tall and is anchored into the ground near the T1 building. It has survived both the widespread construction of the college around it and Hurricane Sandy. Yet, until recently, no one at the college knew, or remembered, its origin.
“When Marty planted that in 1973, he wanted to show only two of the Ten Commandments above ground. He wanted the illusion of this thing sinking into the ground,” said Howard Fields, one of Resnick’s friends since high school.
Resnick attended KCC in the late 1960’s and early 70’s. He met Ken Gordon, ’71, there, who along with Fields was a driving force behind this memorial. The three became very close during that time and would remain lifelong friends. According to Gordon, Resnick’s sculpture was influenced, in part, by the final image of the original 1968 movie “Planet of the Apes,” which showed the Statue of Liberty buried up to its waist on a beach. The playfulness in its construction reflected Resnick’s humor and personality.
When Resnick passed away in August of 2013, Gordon and Fields assiduously worked to honor Resnick’s memory. They reached out to the college, and discovered that KCC knew little about the sculpture and Marty’s connection to it. After months of collaboration with KCC administrators, a plaque was installed. Afterwards, Gordon and Fields held a memorial with a group of Resnick’s old friends by the sculpture, near which they had once hung out and played music together.
Gordon and Fields played the hobosong “Big Rock Candy Mountain” on their guitars, which was one of Resnick’s favorites. According to Gordon, Resnick knowing that the sculpture’s original inscription and message on the back had practically worn away — he wondered if its continued existence might be compromised if it was misconstrued and seen solely as a religious artifact, and not as the more secular think-piece that it was.
The ecologically conscious piece, constructed from materials found on the campus’ former Maritime Training Station, makes this sculpture, literally, made of KCC itself. Today the sculpture has sunk over a foot deeper into the ground, becoming more and more like Resnick’s “Planet of the Apes” vision. “Marty used art to be thought-provoking and, like him, this sculpture is part-enigma, part-puzzle, and pure Marty,” Gordon fondly added.
How Kingsborough looks from Plumb Beach.
This photo is from the view at Plumb Beach in 1974 as the new campus at Kingsborough rose from the sand and landfill.
Originally an island,Sailors stopped by as early as the 1800s, perhaps snacking on the beach plums that gave the island its later name.
Then it was called Hog Creek and various temporary shantys were used by people who lived there- the inlet separating it from the mainland was filled in during the late 1930s.
Since 1972 it has been a part of The Gateway National Recreation area.
In May and June, Horseshoe crabs climb onto the beach to mate. The beach is often subjected to heavy beach erosion, as incoming storms often blow large amounts of water up the Rockaway Inlet past the beach into Jamaica Bay. Plumb beach was recently cleaned up and tons of sand added by the Army Corp of Engineers following Hurricane Sandy.
In the summer, the beach attracts kiteboarding enthusiasts (many of them FDNY), as the southerly sea breeze makes the area ideal for this use- you can see them often from the college, even on the coldest days.
Trolleys instead of the “Cheese Buses”
Just recently NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio recommended the use of a trolley or light rail system for northern Brooklyn by the Brooklyn Navy Yard to connect all the new and burgeoning neighborhoods of Queens and Brooklyn.
At one time Brooklyn had quite an extensive series of connecting trolleys and light rail (some of the tracks and poles for electricity still remain throughout Bklyn).
This is a view looking down Oriental Boulevard from the college gate on oriental Boulevard. This Trolley took pretty much the same route as our present day B1 bus, although it was “greener”, cheaper, more fun- and came more frequently-never stopping for breaks.
Maybe one day we can have a Trolley take our students to the front gates of our KCC campus instead of a “Cheese Bus”- sometimes older is better.
Superman would find it hard to change into his costume at Kingsborough
These pre-historic shelters that are littered throughout the Kingsborough campus (especially in the T -buildings) were once referred to as Phone Booths in ancient times .
Today sadly they are doorless, lightless and phoneless- serving more as reminders of a time when cell phones were only used on the pages of Dick Tracy, and you would sound very strange to say things like I-phone or Smart-phone. You were more likely to ask a stranger for a dime or a quarter to make a quick phone call.
Still they remain here at KCC as reminders of a not so distant past- but where would Superman go to quickly change into his costume without the sliding glass doors of the phone booth?- maybe he could duck into one of the KCC Wayfinders and put a coat in front of himself for modesty.
Stickball Club at Kingsborough- anyone at college can play-let us know if you’d like to join in.
A Group of dedicated Stickball Players is forming a club at KCC open to all faculty, staff, administrators and the occasional student (ringer). The club will meet either during lunch hours or after working hours by the MAC Building outdoors by the Kingsborough Stage (Rainbow Bandshell) during the spring of 2016 to play pickup games of stickball.
As most of you know Stickball is a traditional NYC game often played in Brooklyn the Bronx, and Uptown Manhattan. Played with a broomstick with black masking tape and a pink rubber “Spaldeen” or Spalding High-Bounce Ball.The rules are very similar to baseball-except instead of bases you often use sewer lids or car tires.
The group will be informal and fun- just to organize some exercise and collegiality on our beautiful campus. The game is open to all-genders, levels of skill, even to those not from NYC.
Contact this Blogger and you will be informed of dates and times when we will be playing.
The Great Debate- Are they Feral Cats or Stray Cats at Kingsborough?
You see them all over the 71 acre campus by the beach patio, on the rocks by the water in the grass by the MAC building-the cats of Kingsborough are really the permanent residents of the college.
They are often cared for by dedicated and committed Kingsborough employees who feed them and look out for their welfare.
The question is are they Feral cats or are they Stray cats?
What’s the difference you may ask?
The Feral cat is defined as one that has been born into wildness or has not had human interaction for a significant period of time and is able to survive in the wild.. While the Stray cat is defined as a cat which is a former socialized cat who no longer lives in a home, but could potentially be reintroduced successfully.
Which group do you think our cats fall under and what are your thoughts about them?
Alicia Keys a ” Kingsborough State of Mind”
It was the filming of the Nanny Diaries at Kingsborough and both Alicia Keys and Scarlett Johansson were both on the campus for the scene where they graduate from college.
But the one who stood out to the crowd of Kingsborough students was Alicia Keys who spent much of her off camera time signing autographs and offering encouragement to the students at KCC.
To Gold, the smell of the sea at Sheepshead Bay was a powerful call to clams on the half shell,shrimp, lobster or broiled flounder or bass. -Joseph Heller
Famed Author of Catch-22 , Joseph Heller, commenting on his memories of Sheepshead Bay by Kingsborough Community College in Good as Gold.
Students attending Kingsborough in 1887?
These aren’t really Kingsborough students, but they are walking where present day KCC students actually walk to classes everyday. This photo is from approximately 130 years ago and is of the Oriental and Manhattan Beach Hotels. To the right is the Bathing Pavillion for the Oriental Hotel and the sign announces the evenings entertainment of Fireworks and Live Music.
Photo is from the Kingsborough Historical Society founded by Professor Emeritus, and KCC Foundation Inc. Board Member, as well as former Brooklyn Borough Historian and noted author, John Manbeck.
The Kingsborough Blog 