CHAPTER SEVEN: biographical sketch of Dorothy Marie Clark (1901-80) & Thomas Edward O'Donnell (1898-1966) written by their son, Peter Clark O’Donnell


Dorothy Marie Clark entered the life of her loving parents by being born at their newly built home 887 Sterling Place, Brooklyn on Nov. 8, 1901. Family physicians often delivered babies in the home in those days. Apparently there had been a previous birth/miscarriage but no details are available. Her father was now 44 years of age and her mother 33 years old. In the next nine years 4 more children would be born. Abundant photos exist showing the children surrounded by their loving parents, nurses, housekeepers, etc..
Initially life on Sterling Place seems to have been comfortable. A seamstress/laundress cared for the clothing of the growing household. A cook/housekeeper made life easier for Genevieve. For the first eight years of her schooling, young Dot was sent off to the boarding school for young girls conducted by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood, Long Island from which she graduated in the eigth grade. It appears that Peter was able to use his inheritance as well as the income from the Price & Clark coal business to provide for his family. However as the years passed the economic situation of the Clark family deteriorated since Clark & Co. no longer provided coal for the winter heating of Brooklyn Public Schools. Printed data indicates that Peter then held a variety of jobs. He promoted the sale of stocks; he was employed by the finance Office of the City of NY; For a time, he apparently was a clerk for an Attorney, Edw. Stanton. Peter’s sister Mary Teresa was married to Henry Cochrane, a lawyer with connections to the political establishment. As the years passed the Clark family had to do more with less. Among Peter’s interests was the purchase at auction of fine furniture, books and art objects. The parlor at 887 Sterling Place was filled with these items as were the numerous sets of finely bound books in Peter’s library.
By the time Dot was an adolescent she was fortunate enough to attend Girls’ High School, a selective prep school for future teachers.She then attended the Maxwell Teacherr Training School in Brooklyn. Dot always admired her aunt Emma J. Fortune, the eldest of the Fortune daughters. Emma was a public school teacher and later a principal. Emma remained single and traveled extensively during the vacation periods. She read widely and her whole persona must have fascinated a young girl like Dot. Emma was not a homebody, busy with her children as were the rest of the Fortune sisters. I suspect she encouraged the studious and hard working Dorothy to achieve her first goal – to become an independent person, a wage earning school teacher. Prior to her marriage Dot began attending Hunter College in Manhattan as well as teaching in the NYC public school system. Dot finished her studies and received her degree from Hunter about 1933 and later in life about 1960 she renewed her teaching license & resumed teaching. She continued after retirement as a substitute teacher in the NYC School system.
During her youth Dot made numerous friends. Some of these remained part of her life until her stroke in 1978. Among them was Mary Foley who became a RSCJ nun and Dodie Ricci nee Mc Cormick, Mary Bodkin, Margaret Christ. All of these girls married well, the latter two, marrying physicians.

When Dot arrived in Scarsdale in 1932 a number of her social friends were former Brooklyn girls, who like herself, had married and were now living in the suburbs. It appears from family lore that Dot was the only Clark child who really applied herself in a disciplined way to studies. None of her siblings advanced beyond high school..
Dot’s second goal was to marry the right man, presumably some one who shared her interests and ambitions. Family photo albums show the young Dot at a variety of social activities where eligible young men were abundant. We are told that the Jesuit parish, (connected to Brooklyn Prep), St. Ignatius on Carroll Street in Brooklyn about 2 miles distant from the Clark household, sponsored amateur theatrical programs; an ideal forum for young Catholic people to mix, etc. It was a one of these events the Dot met her husband to be Thomas Edw. O’Donnell.
Tom was about 3 years older than Dot. Like her he was one of several children born to Irish Catholic parents. Like Dot the financial situation of the O’Donnell household was challenging. Like Dot, Tom was a promising student who transferred from Erasmus Hall Public HS to Brooklyn Prep, a Jesuit college preparatory school. After graduation Tom received a scholarship to a Massachusetts boarding college, Holy Cross. In this the influence of his mother’s first cousin, Rev. Thomas E. Murphy SJ (for whom he doubtless was named) was central. As an adolescent Tom earned pocket money in the summers employed at the row boat rental franchise in Prospect Park as well as working at Steeplechase in Coney Island. Tom, like many of his peers during WW I, took a break from his college studies, to earn a commission in the US Army. He became a second lieutenant. Fortunately, the war ended late in 1918 before he was shipped overseas where his older brother Joseph had been serving in the Field Artillery. He graduated from HCC in 1920 and received a scholarship sponsored by the Knights of Columbus for further studies at the Catholic University in Washington, DC. He appears to have spent no more than one year in Washington. Soon he was working as a traveling salesman. Apparently it was Dot (doubtlessly inspired by the successs of her uncle Harry Cochrane, Esq. )who persuaded him to attend night school at Fordham Law School in Manhattan where he obtained his law degree and subsequently was admitted to the NY Bar. His law career began in the Brooklyn law office of Joseph Kennedy who was well connected to the office of the surrogate judge. This led him into that part of the legal world: estates, trusts, wills, etc. Until the death of Joe Kennedy about 1939, Tom was relatively busy and like many of his Brooklyn peers, was able to relocate his growing family to the suburbs. Tom remained practicing law in Brooklyn at 187 Montague Street until his retirement about 1962. Because of his residence outside New York City, he was no longer a voting Brooklynite. Accordingly the patronage of surrogate work largely died with Joe Kennedy. Fortunately one of Tom’s closest friends, Alfred J. Hickey was a clerk to the Brooklyn surrogate judge. Both Tom and Fred were lawyers and were married to the Clark sisters. Their friendship lasted a lifetime; Fred’s father had also been a lawyer and was the US attorney for Brooklyn for many years.

Tom and Dot, like many of their generation, planned to move to the suburbs. Dot preferred the interesting hills and trees of Westchester; she had seen too much of the flatness and plainness of much of Long Island. In any event the young couple moved into a rented house in the Green Knolls section of Eastchester about 1931.

They used their free time to explore the available housing in the neighboring town of Scarsdale. About a year later they found a property which corresponded to their goals. It was a newly built house located in the Heathcote section. This mock-Tudor house offered 4 bedrooms, 2+ baths, a large living room as well as a comfortable dining room and kitchen. Also included was a heated garage, as well as front & rear gardens. The extensive property behind the house was undeveloped offering open woods extending several miles to the west. It was a perfect time to purchase a house since the Depression left many builders anxious to sell at distressed prices. This house would be their home for about 35 years until after the death of Tom and the marriage of the youngest child Dorret at which time, it was sold.. Check photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/padrepedro75/TomDotODFamilyFoto#

The newly arrived couple transferred their Catholic allegiance to the parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) which had been erected in 1916 and had a well equipped parochial school (grades K-8) under the care of the Sisters of Charity. At least 3 cousins of Tom’s mother were members of this large religious community which staffed numerous schools in th Archdiocese of NY. The pastor Rev. William P. Little, a Roman trained priest, had been a teacher and made the parish school the center of his interest. Scarsdale was filled with upwardly mobile, ambitious young couples for whom excellence in schools was a paramount concern; Dr. Little was anxious that his school should respond to this priority. In the worship and social life of the parish Tom & Dot would make many friends and be involved in many organizations. Each of them served as presidents of a variety of these organizations and their four children would graduate from the parish school. Both of them would become involved in a variety of civic and neighborhood organizations. When the Second World War broke out, Tom became deeply involved with the Scarsdale American Legion Post, serving as Commander and later as Westchester County Officer, etc. Tom also was deeply involved in the Scarsdale Boy Scouts, serving in many voluntary posts. All three of his sons were Eagle Scouts and they spent many summers at Camp Read, the summer camp serving Scouts of central Westchester. The Boy Scout movement was a big operation in Scarsdale involving 9 separate troops and hundreds of youngsters. Later on Dot would do her share as a Girl Scout leader when Dorret reached scouting age. Tom became very active in the Selective Service Program and when the war ended gave considerable time counseling returning GI’s. His many year of public service won him a host of friends; he was very well known by people of almost every social level in Scarsdale society. Check photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/padrepedro75/TomDotODonnell#

The economics of Scarsdale life were a real challenge for the O’Donnell budget. Tom was a Democrat in a Republican town; his office was in Brooklyn but he spent a lot of his time in Scarsdale. Gradually over the years he began to fulfill the legal needs of many of his Scarsdale friends. He helped them with the legal issues of starting a new business, buying/selling property and especially with advice in tax matters. The preparation of US Income Tax annual returns became increasingly more complex especially after 1940; many of Tom’s friends needed advice in the new world of tax preparation, etc. He was able to help and their “business” helped the O’Donnell household stay afloat.
When the urgency of making ends meet became especially challenging, Tom always spoke of the day “his ship would come in.” Dot patiently smiled but nothing practical occurred until one day, about 1960, a wealthy client of Tom died leaving him as the attorney of his estate. The Smith Estate gave Tom a measure of prosperity enabling him and his family to experience financial security. For many years Tom had been slowing down because of breathing problems. In his adult life he had been a regular cigarette smoker and constitutionally seemed to have had weak lungs. About 1960 he was diagnosed with emphysema which progressed with the years restricting his ease of movement. His first decision was to close his Brooklyn office and to continue a part-time law practice from his Scarsdale home. This solution functioned until the final years of his life when health issues took most of his time and energy.

Both Tom and Dot were totally dedicated to their family. They attended an unending round of school plays, athletic events, band concerts, graduations, Scout activities, etc. etc. always to encourage and cheer on their children. Summer vacations at Cape Cod, Allegheny State Park, (as Hickey guests) at Westhampton Beach, Valatie, Altamont, etc. were always built around the family. Since Dot’s mother lived with her daughter Margot Hickey, there was a regular pattern of visiting between these two families. The arrival of Dorret in 1942 was the answer to earnest prayers. Mothers of families realize that their sons one day will leave home to start a family. Having a daughter offered hope of care and love in old age and as events turned out, it was Dorret who did the major share of caring for Dot after her stroke.
In their younger years both Dot and Tom enjoyed playing golf. Dot was a dedicated long distance swimmer often spending over an hour each vacation day, swimming. She also enjoyed playing an easy version of tennis and would ride her bike as often as time and weather would allow. Both of them did their share of plant and garden management. Tom trimmed the hedges and the lawn; Dot took care of the gardens and shrubs. Tom was a gifted photographer leaving us a wealth of family albums covering large parts of the family history and celebrations. Dot playing the piano would lead her children in the singing of Christmas Carols. Tom with a strong baritone voice would support the group effort. When St. Pius parish was built c. 1954, Tom became a faithful choir member.

Both parents made considerable sacrifice to insure a solid education for their children After graduating from Scarsdale HS, Tod spent 4 years at the US Merchant Marine Academy located in Kings Point., NY, graduating with a commision in 1949. Clark, after graduating from Scarsdale HS, moved on to Holy Cross College, graduating in 1953. He then spent 5 years in St. Joseph’s Seminary, Yonkers where he received his MA prior to ordination in May 1958. Larry graduated from the newly built Archbishop Stepinac HS in White Plains, followed by Holy Cross College, graduating in 1957. Dorret after 4 years at the Ursuline School in New Rochelle, graduated from Salve Regina College, Newport, RI in 1964 prior to beginning her teaching career in Croton, NY PS.

Following the death of her husband Tom (1966) and the marriage of her daughter Dorret (1968), Dot arranged the sale of her house at 50 Carthage Road and then moved to a garden apartment located in nearby Hartsdale, NY. She kept busy as a substitute teacher, visited her growing number of grandchildren and traveled widely especially in the Mediterranean area. In 1978 she suffered a serious stroke which left her unable to speak or to easily walk. In spite of therapy she never recovered significantly and on July 16, 1980 died in her sleep. Following a funeral Mass in St. Pius X Church, she was laid to rest beside her husband in Gate of Heaven cemetery, Valhalla, NY.