Rebecca Patt Cohen Papers, 1937–1950s
Information, Description, and Finding Aid
Collection Information
Reference: MS-PATT
Dates: 1937–1950s
Extent: 0.33 linear ft. across 1 archival box
Finding Aid Information
Creator(s): Steven Payne, Ph.D., Librarian and Archivist
Date created/updated: September 21, 2021; additional items added to the collection on November 1, 2021.
Biography
Rebecca Patt (May 18, 1941–April 17, 2020) was born and spent most of her life in The Bronx. She was the daughter of Dr. Emanuel and Brucha Patt and the granddaughter of Jacob Pat, Jewish labor activists, Yiddishists, and refugees from Nazi-occupied Poland. Patt graduated from Walton High School and City College, later completing an MA in Business Education from NYU. She had two daughters with her first husband, Jack Gallers.
As a first-generation American, Patt dedicated her life to family, community, and service to others, first as a NYC public school teacher, then later working in Jewish organizations including Council of Jewish Federations, the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, the Workers Circle (then called the Workmen’s Circle), and the Jewish Council of Yonkers. Well into her retirement, Patt taught Holocaust education lessons in public schools by sharing her family’s story and connecting the European genocide to the students’ knowledge and experience of racial injustice in the U.S. She was politically engaged throughout her life, committed to civic participation and social justice. She also volunteered her skills at her synagogue and on the Board of her apartment building on Sedgwick Avenue. She loved and retained her native Yiddish language and culture throughout her life, her interest expanding to include other aspects of Jewish culture and history in the U.S. and around the world.
Since the 1970s, Patt was an avid collector of vintage toys, postcards, and ephemera. With her second husband, Dr. Joseph I. Cohen, she assembled an extensive collection of ephemera focusing on two main themes: the history of the labor movement and the history of New York City. A proud Bronx resident, she was a longtime member of the Bronx County Historical Society, the New York Botanical Gardens, Wave Hill and The Bronx Zoo, among other Bronx-based organizations.
Description/Scope and Content
The Rebecca Patt Cohen papers consist of assorted paper and photographic memorabilia from The Bronx during the middle part of the twentieth century. The material was assembled meticulously over many years by the donor's mother, Rebecca Patt Cohen, after whom the collection is named. The collection contains documentation of many Bronx restaurants, businesses, organizations, and institutions, but perhaps the most valuable part of the collection comprises extremely rare photographs and documents from the World War II-era WAVES U.S. Naval Training Center in The Bronx on the campus of what was then Hunter College (and is now Lehman College). The collection organized alphabetically into a general series.
Provenance
The Rebecca Patt Cohen papers were donated to The Bronx County Historical Society by Rebecca Patt Cohen's daughter, Donna Gallers, on September 20, 2021. A few more items were donated and added to the collection on November 1, 2021.
Preferred Citation
[Item name or description,] Rebecca Patt Cohen papers, box _, item _, The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
Points of Access
- Businesses and restaurants (The Bronx, New York)
- Cultural institutions (The Bronx, New York) -- Bronx Zoo (New-York Zoological Society)
- Fire Department of New York (F.D.N.Y.)
- Individuals -- Patt Cohen, Rebecca
- Kingsbridge Armory -- Kingsbridge Armory Speed Dome
- Movie theaters (The Bronx, New York) -- Dale Theatre -- Marble Hill Theatre
- Neighborhoods (The Bronx, New York) -- Bedford Park -- Crotona Park -- Fordham -- Grand Concourse -- Kingsbridge -- Marble Hill -- Morrisania -- Morris Heights -- Morris Park -- Pelham Parkway -- Riverdale -- University Heights
- Nursing Homes and Senior Care Centers (The Bronx, New York)
- Parks -- Van Cortlandt Park
- WAVES U.S. Naval Training Center, Hunter College (Lehman College), The Bronx, New York
Related Collections
- Bronx Old Timers Association records. The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
- Dietrich Family photograph collection. The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
- John McNamara photographic slides. The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
- Ron Schliessman photographic slides. The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
- Weisler-Langer Family film collection. The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
- Ira L. Zuckerman photograph collection. The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
Container List
|
Box |
Item |
Contents |
Date |
|
1 |
1 |
Advertisements and flyers: Koppelman & Smith Inc., Shipman Stationery Inc., Pat's Meat and Poultry Market, Buick (2332 Grand Concourse), Bear Service Institute Inc., Phil Olson Butter Eggs & Honey, Pilsner Brewing Co., Pen and Lighter Shop, Red New York New Year's Eve Party, Ely Avenue Live Poultry Market, Fordham Skating Palace (2), Morris Park Live Poultry Market, Leon's Wine and Liquor, Claremont Wet Wash Laundry Co., Sach's Quality Furniture, Camp New York/Camp Arden Hall (2), Maxim's Restaurant, Best Camp Chair Service Co., Hunter Farm Butter and Eggs, Capuano and Mula Wines and Liquors |
n.d. |
|
1 |
2 |
Amalgamated Housing Co-operative postcards |
1930s |
|
1 |
3 |
Broadcast frequencies |
n.d. |
|
1 |
4 |
Bronx Central Annex Post Office envelope |
1937 |
|
1 |
5 |
Bronx Zoo pennants |
n.d. |
|
1 |
6 |
Bronx Zoo postcards |
n.d. |
|
1 |
7 |
Buttons and pins: Jerome Park Reservoir, Bronx Zoo, J.W.S. Fund Bronx, Talmud Torah of Mount Eden, Crotona Park Boosters, The Bronx is Bouncing Back |
n.d. |
|
1 |
8 |
Eastchester Park Nursing Home |
n.d. |
|
1 |
9 |
FDNY badges |
n.d. |
|
1 |
10 |
Hebrew Home for the Aged |
1946 |
|
1 |
11 |
Kingsbridge Armory Speed Dome |
1947 |
|
1 |
12 |
Marble Hill Theatre/Dale Theatre |
n.d. |
|
1 |
13 |
Matchboxes: Baychester Diner, Ehring's, Office Lounge at 681 East Tremont, Jade Garden, Murray's Restaurant, Crosstown Diner, Bronx Zoo, Hillside Bowlodrome, Lido Riviera, Birnbach's, Club Maxim's, Zion Kosher Meat Products, Mayer's Parkway (2), Goldman's Restaurant, Schweller's Delicatessen, Boston Diner, Golf Lunch Bar, 7 Stars Restaurant, Hillmann's Restaurant, Gun Hill Tavern, The Riverdale Inn, Rosenhain's, Abalon Elegante Caterers, Adams Apple, Angela's Restaurant (2), Walker's Cafeteria, 167th Street Cafeteria (2), Michael's Lunch and Bar, Sheil's Bar and Grill, Bon Amis Lounge, China Ritz, New Paradise Restaurant, Maple Lounge, VA Hospital, Burke Restaurant, Tophill Diner, Crab Shanty, Pickwick, Donaghy's Carriage Inn, Mike's Deli, Pelham Heath Inn, Unionport Restaurant Bar & Grill, Riverdale Diner |
n.d. |
|
1 |
14 |
Postcards, miscellaneous |
n.d. |
|
1 |
15 |
Postcards, transit: trolley on Sedgwick Avenue |
1948 |
|
1 |
16 |
WAVES, documents |
1942–1944 |
|
1 |
17 |
WAVES, photographs |
1942–1944 |
|
1 |
18 |
Van Cortlandt Park, postcards |
n.d. |
|
1 |
19 |
Walton High School Blue Book |
1937–1938 |