The End of the Hamptons: Scenes from the Class Struggle in America's Paradise

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments To tell this story of the Hamptons required an inordinate amount of help and generosity from a lot of people. I could never thank everyone who has had a hand in giving this book whatever good qualities it has. But I would like to try to thank those who have made the endeavor possible and enriched the narrative in significant ways. I interviewed almost one hundred people in trying to find voices from a broad spectrum of histories, classes, ethnicities, occupations, and political interests . In particular, I want to express appreciation to Mae Anderson, Melissa Arch-Walton, Robert Browne, Vince Cannuscio, Joanne Carter, Wendy Chamberlain, Jim Daly, Quentin Dante, Bob Danziger, Bob Deluca, Bob Fischer, Rebecca Genia, Nancy Goell, Joel Gomez, Julio Gonzalez, Liz Granitz, Jack Graves, Karl Grossman, Elizabeth HaileDavies , Peter Hallock, George Harney, Katherine Hartnett, Graham and Azba Hotchkiss, Mary Killoran, Michael Knight, Kathi Kugler, Linda Miller-Zellner, Enzo Morabito, Jackie Poole, David Rodriguez, Tony Rosalia, Hal Ross, David Rubin, Carlos Sandoval, Sherry Saunders, Jay Schneiderman, Ed Sharretts, Valerie Suzdak, Kathryn Szoka, Fred Theile, Carlos Vargas, Lou Ware, Cassie Watters, Lori Werner, Meagan White, Mauricio Zuleta, and Michael Zweig. Many of these folks gave hours of their time to me, and I hope, regardless of what they think of the final outcome, they know that I feel a great debt of gratitude for their contributions. I have to give a special thank you to friends in the Hamptons who hosted my family and me on numerous occasions and made it possible to conduct extended research in one of the pricier ethnographic sites in the world. Tom and Jeanne White, Scott Wilson and Jamie White, Bob and Linda Miller-Zellner, Kathleen Modrowski and Steve Marks, Peter Luibenov and Dawn Haight, Hugh McGuinness and Michelle Claeys, and their families all turned down beds, cooked up meals, and made my family feel welcome regardless of the time of year or tenure of our xiii stay. I would also like to thank Worcester State College for a number of summer research grants that also helped fund the work on this book. I have been blessed with a host of colleagues in the Hamptons and elsewhere who have given so generously of their time and talents, sharing insights and analysis, reading drafts and revisions, answering emails and distress calls. I want to thank Scott Carlin, John Strong, Herb Sherman, Kathleen Modrowski, David Goddard, Catherine Burnett, Karl Grossman, Tim Black, Mary Erdmans, Steve Corey, Jerry Lembcke, Sam Kaplan, and Michael Zweig for their intelligent and compassionate criticism. Family and friends have also acted as readers and commentators , especially Fred Dolgon, Richard S. Milbauer, Russ Haven, Bill Knapp, and Deborah Milbauer, and I want to thank them for helping me in my effort to produce a reader-friendly book. I have had great help from fine institutions throughout the research and writing process. Many productive hours were spent at the various libraries throughout the East End, especially at the Southampton, East Hampton, Riverhead, and Sag Harbor public libraries, as well as at the Southampton Historical Museum, the Southold Historical Society and Southampton Town Hall. Worcester State College was also generous in granting research funds that made summer research possible. I also received research help from David McAlpine, Cassie Watters, Peter Luibenov, Theresa Dawn Haight, Diana Dayton, Elizabeth Eastin, Emily Oster, Emily Raynor, Dorothy King, Richard Barons, and Jamie White. I must also thank the staff at New York University Press, especially my editor, Ilene Kalish, for their support, enthusiasm, and patience for the project. I owe much gratitude to many people for either granting permission to use their photographs or helping me track down difficult-to-find pictures. These folks include Ron Ziel, Peter Blake, Alastair Gordon, Geoffrey Fleming, David Martine, Richard Barons, David Rattray, Jack Graves, Rivalyn Zweig, Brenda Kenneally, Kathleen Modrowski, and Michaela Kennedy. And the most devout thank you of all goes to my wife, Deborah, and my daughter, Bailey. Both have made sacrifices with great charity and allowed me the time and energy to complete this project. I could not have done so without their love and support, and I hope to compensate their patience and good will sufficiently as I send this work to press. xiv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS THE END OFTHE HAMPTONS ...