Yorktown Mourns Alice Roker, Local Trailblazer
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Alice E. Roker, a local trailblazer who became the first African-American elected to local office in Yorktown’s history, has passed away, an advisory last night from the Yorktown Democratic Committee announced. She was 77.
Roker passed away Monday afternoon at Phelps Memorial Hospital, surrounded by her family, after a career spanning more than three decades in local government and an earlier tenure as an award-winning journalist at WNBC-TV.
First elected Yorktown town clerk in 1989, Roker held the position for 26 years before serving on the town board. She helped modernize the clerk’s office, secured nearly $500,000 in grants, and played a key role in making local government more accessible, including launching live town board broadcasts.
“Alice Roker was more than just our town clerk – she was a trailblazer who transformed how local government served its citizens,” said Jann Mirchandani, chair of the Yorktown Democratic Committee. “The Yorktown Democratic Committee extends its deepest condolences to Ms. Roker’s family, friends, and all who were touched by her remarkable life of public service.”
Before entering public service, Roker built a distinguished journalism career at WNBC-TV. Rising from secretary to Emmy-winning producer, she became co-producer of Live at Five, a position New York Magazine once called “one of the most powerful in local news.” She won an Emmy for Anatomy of a Murder, an investigative report with Chuck Scarborough, and earned a New York Broadcaster’s Association award for Broadway, the Fabulous Invalid. She also taught broadcast consumer journalism at the New School for Social Research.
An experienced town historian, Roker co-authored “Images of America Yorktown,” and helped revitalize the Yorktown Museum.
“Working alongside Alice was an absolute privilege,” former Yorktown Supervisor Lanny Gilbert stated. “Her sharp intellect and unwavering dedication to Yorktown were evident in everything she did. Our shared commitment to community, family, and responsibility made working with Alice a pleasure. She brought professionalism, wisdom, and careful attention to detail to every Town Board meeting. Alice was not just smart and capable – she made everyone around her better at their jobs by consistently exemplifying these values.”
Diana Quast, Yorktown’s town clerk, emphasized how Roker “lit up every room with her smile and always knew how to make people laugh and feel comfortable.”
“She treated everyone with respect and compassion,” Quast also stated. “To paraphrase a quote by author H. Jackson Brown, Alice earned her success based on service to others, not at the expense of others.”
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