For members of the Roslyn Landmark Society, the subject of the latest donation of artwork to the Roslyn Landmark Society in December was especially meaningful.
“We are very excited to receive this oil portrait of our founder Dr. Roger Gerry, painted by the renowned artist Raphael Soyer,” Roslyn Landmark Society Secretary Jay Corn said.
The painting, which was donated by Boston art dealer John S. Newburry, was put on display at the society office at 36 Main St., Roslyn, according to Corn.
Roslyn Landmark Society Executive Director Ann B. Tinder said the paintings location in Roslyn was fitting because of the role he played in how Roslyn looks today.
Gerry, who had purchased a small Victorian home in the Roslyn Village with his wife Peggy after serving in the Navy for World War II, led a fight to preserve historic homes and buildings in the surrounding area that were threatened by the expansion of the Long Island Expressway, according to a 1995 New York Times obituary for Gerry.
As part of that fight, according to the Village of Roslyn’s webiste, Gerry and his wife formed the Roslyn Landmark Society in 1960.
The society under their leadership, Tinder said, saved more than 80 homes in the area.
“He was instrumental in saving the street-scape of Roslyn,” she said. “The highway wanted to come in and take all the homes, but he saved main street.”
The couple also pushed for a Village Planning Board and a Roslyn Village Historic District Board, to educate the public and officials on the importance of restoration and regulate construction in designated historic areas, according to the New York Times obituary.
Newburry said when he found the painting he recognized the brush strokes as belonging to a Soyer.
Then, he said, he found the name Peggy Gerry and the couple’s Roslyn home address on the back.
“[Gerry] was an extraordinary man,” Newburry said. “Dr. Gerry gave so much to so many it seems appropriate I be just as generous as he and donate this portrait to the Society.”
Corn said the painting is 21 by 26 inches, and is signed with the name Soyer.
“Mr. Soyer, a Russian born American artist 1899-1987, is known as a social realist,” Corn said. “His work is displayed in the collection of the Whitney and many other Museums.”
Roger Gerry died in 1995 at 79. Peggy died in 2000 at 81.
