Talk of WWII Hero at Van Cortlandtville Historical Society
The true and tragic story of an American Navy hero who survived fierce battles of World War II only to meet his fate just after the war ended in a plane crash on Mount Beacon in Dutchess County will be the topic of a talk on Saturday, January 19, at 2 p.m., at the Little Red Schoolhouse, 297 Locust Avenue, Cortlandt Manor, New York. Sponsored by the Van Cortlandtville Historical Society, the event is open free to the public.
Author, photographer and historian David Rocco of Yorktown will present a PowerPoint picture program based on his book—The Indestructible Man: The True Story of World War II Hero “Captain Dixie.” “Captain Dixie” was Commodore Dixie Kiefer of Blackfoot, Idaho, a much-decorated pioneering pilot who was seriously wounded in several naval battles in the Pacific, yet carried on to lead and inspire his men. According to Mr. Rocco’s book, when the Secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal, awarded Kiefer the Medal of Valor, he proclaimed the battle- scarred Commodore to be “The Indestructible Man.” Who knew that just five months later, Dixie Kiefer and his five crew mates would tragically encounter Beacon, New York —James Forrestal’s hometown!
In his informative and inspiring program, Rocco will tell the true tale of how no one could have foreseen the end to Captain Dixie’s heroic story on that foggy morning of November 11, 1945—at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, on 1,100-foot Mount Beacon—as his aircraft slammed into the northwestern slope of the landmark mountain overlooking the Hudson River. He will also point out what the public can see at the crash site today.
After his talk, Rocco’s book, which he co-authored with award-winning writer Don Keith, will be available for sale and signing.
As a photographer of the scenic Hudson Valley and beyond, Rocco has photographed some of the most important and historic restoration projects in the Hudson Valley Region. He is currently known for his stunning pictorial essay documenting the construction and completion of the new Tappan Zee Bridge. These photos have been exhibited recently at the Shrub Oak Library, the Warner Library in Tarrytown, and street festivals in Sleepy Hollow and Nyack. Additional exhibits are scheduled for this year, and Mr. Rocco plans to continue his unique photo coverage—on land and by air — this coming weekend (Jan. 12) when project engineers conduct a controlled demolition of the remains of the original east anchor span.
A number of his photos that were published in 2016 were considered for a Pulitzer Prize in Photography. Over the years, his photo work has been published in a wide variety of noted publications, and his photo images on the “Damage and Destruction of Hurricane Sandy” have been exhibited at the Arts Westchester Gallery in White Plains and The Museum of the City of New York. Some of these have been entered into the New York City permanent records.
Rocco has been a longtime volunteer and organizer of many charitable, cultural, historical and environmental initiatives in the local and regional area. He played a seminal role in the successful development and highly popular Walkway Over The Hudson project, the restoration of the historic Mt. Beacon Fire Tower, and the creation of the Yorktown Community Dog Park. He has successfully completed the “Fellows” program at the Hudson Valley Patterns for Progress. A consistent blood donor for the past 30 years, he has been organizing blood, bone marrow and organ donor drives at the popular Yorktown Community Street Festival since 2015.
He is one of the founding members of the Friends of the Mount Beacon Eight organization whose goal is to bring public awareness to the fact that eight U.S. Navy veterans—including Commodore Dixie Kiefer in 1945—were killed in two separate plane crashes on Mount Beacon. The first crash occurred on September 14, 1935, taking the lives of two crewmen, including Katonah native Clinton Hart, an Aviation Machinist Mate 2nd Class.
A native of Yonkers, Mr. Rocco has resided in Yorktown with his wife, Ruby, since 1995. They have three grown children and four grandchildren.
The Little Red Schoolhouse (the venue for the January 19 program) is located at the north end of Locust Avenue, next to Old Saint Peter’s Church and Cemetery on the hill just south of Oregon Road in the Town of Cortlandt. For more information, and in case of inclement weather, call (914) 736-7868, or visit: www.vancort.net.
