Still Swinging: 92NY Celebrates 75 Years of Himan Brown Program

A rockin’ party was underway at the 92nd Street Y on Wednesday, June 17.

“Rock Around the Clock” marked the 75th anniversary of Himan Brown, 92NY’s program for individuals 60 and up. Offering lectures, discussion groups, fitness classes, gameplay, excursions, and more, Himan Brown is an integral part of the 92NY Center for Engaged Aging, which also houses the Program for Cognitive Strength and Ability, and Nexus, a social club for people in their 50s and 60s.

The program, originally called the 92NY 60-and-up program, was renamed Himan Brown in 2011 after receiving a grant from the Himan Brown Charitable Trust. Himan Brown (1910–2010) was a celebrated radio and tv producer, born in Brooklyn to Ukrainian immigrant parents, whose work earned him the nickname “Mr. Radio Drama.”

Longtime Himan Brown member Alexis (“Jake”) Garfield, who once ran nightclubs in the theater district, had been in charge of decor for the evening of June 17. As she prepared for doors to open, she said it was sure to be a success: “It’s really gonna be fun!” This was not going to be some lackluster social for sitting around and exchanging niceties.

At 5 p.m., some 200 guests quickly filled 92NY’s iconic Buttenweiser Hall. No sooner did the six-person band, led by award-winning bassist Dmitri Kolesnik, kick off with the 1955 hit “Rock Around the Clock,” than guests turned to the dance floor.

The evening’s event planners were delighted to see the turnout since Himan Brown meant a lot to them. Member Susan March, who had headed the planning committee, wore a polka-dot poodle skirt and red accessories to the event which was, for her, also something of a birthday party: she too had recently turned 75. Of Himan Brown, she said, “It’s not so easy to make friends at this age or start another life at this age. This has given me direction.”

Bobbie Schecter, a member and former school psychologist who worked until she was 80, also sang praises of the program, saying it provided crucial socialization at an age where it’s too easy to self-isolate. “When I retired I was petrified: What do you do?” she said. “This place saved my life.”

Though membership dwindled during the pandemic, Himan Brown now surpasses its pre-COVID numbers and has 650 participants, according to program director David Knapp. That includes 150 people who joined in the past year alone. The monthly fee is $80, and there are scholarships available.

Knapp said the program is unique because its events are drop-in, and there’s no need to sign up in advance: “We’re trying to create the least number of barriers for people,” he said. Wake up and decide you want to learn to paint today? Just show up.”

The party was the largest event yet for Himan Brown. With the 200 guests plus the caterers, musicians, 92NY staff, and several student volunteers from local high schools, and the room was packed.

Volunteers joined guests to dance as the band played classic American hits from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Acting teacher Marilyn Schulman and program member Kenneth Browne, though having never before met, partnered up for some sophisticated East Coast Swing dance. There were contests for the Twist, the Hand Jive, and freeze dance.

Norma Greenwood, a local painter, had found out about the event in the elevator when she arrived at 92NY with plans to work out that day. She said she got better exercise on the dance floor than she probably would have in the gym.

For refreshments, The Brooklyn Seltzer Boys, a family-run seltzer delivery business, offered homemade sodas and egg creams made of syrup, milk, and seltzer from an old-fashioned siphon bottle. Alex Gomberg, whose great-grandfather established the company in 1953, served the drinks alongside his father. Both wore traditional soda jerk hats.

As the evening approached its end, the program’s musical theater instructor, Mark York, announced the latest Himan Brown offering: "The Seasoned Citizens Theater Troop,” a musical theater class that will meet on Mondays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., starting in July. There will be singing, dancing, and acting—but, he specified, mobility is not a requirement, and participants who prefer to sit are welcome.

As was perhaps obligatory at any NYC festivity this week, York then mentioned The Knicks’ recent championship win, cueing the band for a celebratory cover of “New York, New York.” That was a win for the ages—all the ages.