Senate Resolution No. 911 BY: Senator HARCKHAM MOURNING the death of Connie Hogarth, relentless social activist, distinguished citizen, and devoted member of her community WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to citizens of the State of New York whose lifework and civic endeavor served to enhance the quality of life in their communities and this great Empire State; and WHEREAS, Connie Hogarth of Brooklyn, New York, died on February 11, 2022, at the age of 95; and WHEREAS, Born to Stanley and Rose Holubar, Connie Hogarth was 7 or 8 when she was introduced to activism by her parents; she joined her father on the picket line during strikes led by the union and learned from her mother's early feminist ideals; and WHEREAS, Hoping to be a doctor, Connie Hogarth attended the University of Chicago as a pre-med and dance student; after earning bachelor's degrees in 1947 and 1948, she could not get into medical school and instead became a medical researcher; and WHEREAS, Upon moving to Manhattan, Connie Hogarth worked at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she researched a drug to treat multiple myeloma; and WHEREAS, In 1951, Connie Hogarth was introduced to the political scene when she marched around the White House to protest the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were accused of passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union; and WHEREAS, Inspired to act during the Vietnam War, Connie Hogarth became involved with groups like the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and Women's Strike for Peace; she was arrested for the first of more than 20 times during a "die-in" demonstration in Washington, D.C., where protestors laid down in front of the White House to represent the Vietnamese who were dying each day; and WHEREAS, As the war came to an end in 1973, Connie Hogarth formally started the Westchester People's Action Coalition (WESPAC) with a group of like-minded individuals; the progressive group serves as a vehicle for social action through protests, lobbying, pushing money for minority jobs on construction sites, and sending public speakers to raise alarms about issues like climate change; and WHEREAS, Connie Hogarth is passionate about many social issues, however, Nuclear power was most notably her focus; she was one of more than 1,000 protestors arrested in 1977 on the site of the later Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire, and in 1979 she was arrested for trespassing with more than 200 others at the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant in Buchanan, New York; and WHEREAS, Training volunteers in nonviolent civil disobedience, Connie Hogarth and WESPAC has embraced many causes, including ending apartheid in South Africa; working with two Westchester County legislators, WESPAC helped persuade the country to stop investing in banks that did business with South Africa; and WHEREAS, Regarded highly by her colleagues, Connie Hogarth was called The Conscience of White Plains by the Daily News in 1979, and in 1983, the Pre-eminent Dissenter in Westchester, by Suburbia Today; and WHEREAS, Connie Hogarth retired as WESPAC's executive director in 1996, after 23 years; two years later, the Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action opened at Manhattanville College, where she helped teach students to become effective social activists; and WHEREAS, Selflessly devoted to better the world and society, Connie Hogarth was also involved with organizations Climate Crisis Coalition, the New York Civil Liberties Union, and the environmental group Hudson River Sloop Clearwater; and WHEREAS, Connie Hogarth is survived by her sons Ross and Richard, and her grandson, all of whom cherish her loving memory; and WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of compassion, Connie Hogarth leaves behind a legacy which will long endure the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to all she served and befriended; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to mourn the death of Connie Hogarth, relentless social activist, distinguished citizen, and devoted member of her community; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to the family of Connie Hogarth.