S. Gary Schiller papers
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Date
Creator
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Language of Materials
Abstract
Papers of community activist S. Gary Schiller. Clippings, correspondence, fliers, photographs. Activism against incinerator and waste transfer station; parks dedications to veterans; campaign to open schools to youth groups without fees.
Biographical Note
S. Gary Schiller (1917-1999) was born January 26, 1917 in Borough Park, Brooklyn, the youngest of five children of David and Annie Schiller. Schiller's parents emigrated from Vienna, Austria to New York (Ellis Island) in 1903 where their last name was changed from Schuyler to Schiller. Gary Schiller lived the first 55 years of his life in Brooklyn before moving to Little Neck, Queens, where he lived from 1972 until his death in 1999. Schiller's connection to Brooklyn was retained throughout his life, even after he moved to Queens, with his involvement with the Flatbush Park Jewish Center, where he was past president and where he also attended various holiday services.
Schiller attended Erasmus Hall High School and Brooklyn College. Schiller married his first wife, Audrey, in 1940. They had a son, Justin, born September 10, 1943. During World War II, Schiller served with the infantry in the 3rd Armored Division and was awarded the Purple Heart after he was wounded in Mortain, France on August 10, 1944. Returning home to Brooklyn after having been wounded, Schiller and his wife, Audrey, moved into a house in Mill Basin in 1945. They lived there until Audrey Schiller died from cancer on May 10, 1970. Gary Schiller married his second wife, Teddi, in 1972.
Schiller worked as a traveling salesman, selling men's clothing for Merrill Sharpe and Countess Mara. In the mid-1960s, he opened an antiques shop for men on Greenwich Avenue in Manhattan. After Audrey's death in 1970, Schiller closed his own antiques shop and took over her antique jewelry business on West 47th Street, changing the name from Audrey Schiller Antique Jewelry to S. Gary Schiller Antique Jewelry.
Schiller was active in various issues that affected Mill Basin, his Brooklyn neighborhood. As Executive Chairman of the Emergency Committee Opposing the Mill Basin Incinerator, Schiller led the fight against various New York City government agencies in 1954 and again briefly in 1956 that blocked the constrcution of an incinerator and marine waste transfer station in Mill Basin. From 1955-1959 when juvenile delinquency was on the rise and with a belief that youth groups kept children out of trouble in New York City, Schiller helped lead the effort in having the city drop the fees charged to youth groups for using public schools as meeting places in the evenings. In 1965, Schiller was instrumental in getting two local laws passed to create two parks in Mill Basin. Evidence of his community ties and personal interest can be seen in who the parks are named after: a past president of a local civic association and a soldier from Mill Basin killed in action in Vietnam. Schiller's continued interest in keeping Mill Basin and the surrounding area free from unwanted development can also be seen in his interest in the fate of Floyd Bennett Field and Jamaica Bay in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
In addition to being the Community Mayor of Mill Basin, Schiller was active within many organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, Flatlands Post #391 (American Legion), Mill Basin Civic Association (president), and the Military Order of the Purple Heart (commander, Brooklyn Chapter 19). In 1970 Schiller reportedly belonged to 29 different organizations.
Schiller died in Little Neck on March 25 1999 at age 82 after a brief illness. He was survived by his second wife, Teddi, as well as a son, Justin, of Kingston, NY and a sister, Ethel Barasch, of Las Vegas, NV. Schiller is buried in Linden Hill Cemetery.
Arrangement
Any evidence of original order has been lost. The collection is arranged into two series. Series 1 is a small amount of biographical information pertaining to Schiller, mostly in the form of newspaper clippings. The bulk of the collection is in Series 2, which is divided into four subseries documenting Schiller's involvement in projects that attempted to improve the community of Mill Basin.
Correspondence is arranged chronologically within each subseries. Clippings are also arranged chronologically. Oversize material has been removed to Box 3 and there are separation sheets indicating where they fit into the arrangement. Supplemental material has been both added to the end of appropriate series/subseries and, when appropriate, interfiled. These materials are identified in the finding aid as supplemental and not original.
Scope and Contents
The S. Gary Schiller collection consists primarily of correspondence, clippings, pamphlets, notes, and photos pertaining to projects that Schiller was directly involved in to improve civic and community life in the Mill Basin community. The bulk of the Schiller collection covers the years 1954-1970.
The correspondence includes both copies of outgoing letters and letters that Schiller received. The clippings are primarily from the Brooklyn Eagle, the New York Journal-American, New York World Telegram and The Sun, Daily News, and Kings Courier. Pamphlets include local community newsletters such as Mill Basin Civic News, Flatbush Park News, and the Civic Monitor. Photographs include both black and white and color snapshots of houses and new housing developments in Mill Basin and the surrounding area in the 1950s, an area which was still being residentially developed. Notes and petitions contain many names and addresses of Mill Basin residents in the 1950s.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); S. Gary Schiller papers, BCMS.0085, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
It is unclear how the Schiller collection arrived at the Brooklyn Collection. Nothing within the papers gives any indication as to the provenance. Additional materials were given by Teddi Schiller in October 2004.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection was preliminarily arranged broadly by subject as part of the Brooklyn Rediscovery project, presumably some time in the 1980s, and fully processed in 2004.
