RyeCity REVIEW THE
August 7, 2020 | Vol. 8, Number 33 | www.ryecityreview.com
Scope widens in Gaynor case By MIKE SMITH Sports Editor A lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court last month leveled new abuse allegations against Edwin Gaynor, as yet another accuser has come forward against the former Immaculate Heart of Mary teacher and coach in an ongoing legal saga that began last November. This newest lawsuit however, is the first that does not name Gaynor as a co-defendant, but instead focuses on the roles played by IHM, the Archdiocese of New York and the Sisters of Charity, an order of nuns that were in charge of the Scarsdale elementary school during the time of the alleged abuse. On July 14, Elmsford resident Robert Reno became the 23rd plaintiff to accuse Gaynor of sexual abuse in a Child Victims Act lawsuit, filing court documents that allege that the now 85-year-old Ossining resident Westchester residents still remain without power nearly a week molested him between 1964 and after Tropical Storm Isaias ripped through the region and left 1965, when the plaintiff was a path of destruction in its wake. For more, see page 6. a student at IHM. Court documents show that at least eight of the 23 men who have come forward with similar claims against Gaynor say that the abuse occurred at IHM in the early-tomid 1960s, and at least one— Quentin Durning—can be idenone month early, Census workers local governments. This translates have staff enumerators start tified as a classmate of Reno’s, will now only have 1.5 months to a $1 million loss for every 400 knocking on doors of households according to a Jan. 26, 1966, in the field. households each year. It really is that have not yet responded to the issue of the Scarsdale Inquirer. But unlike his 22 fellow acThere are an estimated 370,000 crucial that all Westchester County Census, beginning Thursday, Aug. housing units in Westchester from families participate in the Census. 6. Please ask to see the official cusers who enlisted the legal single-family homes to accessory Most recently, with funding for ID badge of any individual who services of Lowey Dannenberg, apartments, to multi-family build- COVID-19 relief based on Census knocks at your door, or you can PC, and are seeking damages ings. At the current reporting of population data, the county needs confirm a Census taker’s identity from Gaynor, the Archdiocese approximately 64% of households accurate numbers to ensure fund- by calling 1-844-330-2020. The and IHM, Reno is being reprealready counted, there are still ing for health care, schools, road Census enumerators will follow sented by the Manhattan-based more than 130,000 housing units repairs and many other programs. all Centers for Disease Control Marsh Law Firm, PLLC and optthat have not yet had their resi- The Census Bureau will not ask COVID-19 protocols, including ed to include the Sisters of Chardents counted. The impact of this for any citizenship information wearing masts and will keep a safe ity among the co-defendants for is significant because the Census and you can complete the Census distance, but can assist any house- failing to provide a safe learning Bureau estimates that every res- in just minutes. hold with completing the Census. environment for their students. The Sisters of Charity of ident not counted is a loss of apTo help ensure an accurate To find out more, visit proximately $2,500 per year to count, the Census Bureau will www.2020census.gov. (Submitted) Saint Vincent de Paul is a
Census 2020 operations shortened by month Westchester County has been notified that the U.S. Census Bureau will be halting Census 2020 efforts one month early, with operations concluding on Sept. 30. With the new time frame restrictions in place, it is more important now than ever that all Westchester county families fill out their Census forms. During a normal Census, the Census Bureau recruits thousands of people across the country to do field work beginning in midMay through July 31, a total of 2.5 months. With the 2020 Census time frame being cut short
Bronx-based congregation that was founded in 1809 and, according to the organization’s website, has opened or staffed 185 schools and 23 childcare institutions since the mid-19th Century. The organization was tasked with educational and administrative duties at the IHM school in the 1960s, according to the June 25 testimony of Dan O’Hare, who replaced Gaynor as the athletic director at IHM after the latter was dismissed due to alleged sexual misconduct with a student. Several of the accusers from the 1960s allege that their complaints about Gaynor’s behavior were ignored by those in charge, while O’Hare’s deposition also shed some light into the hierarchical structure at IHM during the time period. “One [sister] was a principal, the others were teachers of various grades,” O’Hare testified. “The day-to-day operations were the sisters, and then the lay person and then the parish priest was . . . an underling of the pastor.” The Sisters of Charity were replaced by another order, the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill in 1967 or 1968, which coincides with Gaynor’s initial dismissal from the parish. Gaynor would move to a new position as a coach at Holy Rosary in Hawthorne in the late 1960s before returning to IHM as a CYO basketball coach at some point in the 1980s. He has been accused of sexual abuse at both stops following his initial dismissal from IHM. According to O’Hare’s testimony, the Dominican Sisters would remain in charge of education at IHM until the mid1970s when administrative duties were handed over primarily to lay people. CONTACT: sports@hometwn.com