Lehman College is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its founding as an independent Unit of the City University of New York.On May 21, the college presented "The United Nations at Lehman College: a Homecoming." To see photographs of the event (taken by David Stillman), see:http://www.flickr.com/photos/unasouthernny
President Ricardo Fernandez introduced a panel, which included Sir Brian Urquehart, former UN Under-Secretary-General for Special Affairs and Mrs. Margaret Bruce (Molly), whose work for human rights and women's rights began at Lehman. Professor Duane Tanenbaum, of the History Department, moderated the panel and also read the remarks of Ms. Betty Teslenko, who could not attend. She had begun her UN work at the founding Conference of the UN in San Francisco in 1945, as an interpreter. After the Symposium, Molly was interviewed by Channel 12 News of The Bronx.
Activities began in the "Old Gymnasium," site of the meetings of the UN Security Council in spring 1946. About 100 people attended, including UNA Southern NYS Division Officers and Board Members Catherine White, David Stillman, Phil Reynolds, Peg Shannon, Jackie Fisher, Sohrab Kheradi, and David Cockroft as well as members of the Bronx Chapter. Former ASG Lila Das also attended, as did Andres Castellanos, George Saddler and other AFICS members (Association of Former International Civil Servants). Brad Kaufman, who collects memorabilia about the UN in Queens also attended.
President Fernandez then led the re-dedication of a Peace Grove of trees, originally dedicated in 1996 on the 50th anniversary of the UN. Photos were taken of some of the crowd as well as of the Mohicans. The paragraphs below about the Mohicans are reprinted from the Summer 2006 newsletter of the United Nations Association of Maine. They appeared in a larger article by R. Bruce Stedman, retired Assistant Secretary-General of the UN and a member of the Mohicans. He was sorry he couldn't attend the Lehman College event.
"The first temporary headquarters of the United Nations was established at Hunter College in the Bronx in March 1946. The girls’ dormitories became offices, staff lounges were converted into meeting rooms, the girls’ swimming pool became the temporary home of the Security Council. The organization transferred into more appropriate headquarters in Lake Success in July of that year. Staff members who were on board at Hunter College established an organization to commemorate their pioneer status, called “The UN Society of the Mohicans”. I reported for duty at Hunter College in May of 1946 and thereby became a “Mohican”. We were a happy band, proud of our status as workers in the world’s best hope for peace — the United Nations.
It has been the custom of the Mohicans over a great many years to hold an annual luncheon at UN headquarters. I attended such a luncheon on June 15th, 2006, the organization’s 60th birthday. I’m told that there were about 500 of us at Hunter College. About 90 are still alive; eighteen attended the luncheon and decided that it would be our final formal affair. That makes me one of the Last of the Mohicans! These are old folks (in their eighties & nineties) — many quite frail — but all still filled with the spirit of the international civil service, deeply enjoying reminiscences of shared experiences over the years."
