Last night, the Westport Historical Society celebrated 2 new exhibits.
“Larry Silver/Westport Visions” is a fascinating look at our town, through 40 years of remarkable photos. Larry has focused a keen eye on Longshore, downtown, the railroad station — you name it, he’s captured it in a special way.
“Compo Beach Showers” (Photo/Larry Silver, courtesy of Bruce Silverstein Gallery)
His most remarked-on shot last night may have been the “Dragon Lady”: the striking woman who for years strode up and down Compo in heels. If you didn’t know her, don’t call yourself a Westporter.
Equally intriguing is the 2nd exhibit, in the smaller Mollie Donovan Gallery. “Faces in the Crowd” consists of a few dozen group shots from long (and longer) ago. Class shots, Little League teams, parties — if there was a gathering in Westport, it might be on the wall.
Here’s one, of teenage Hi-Y Club members at the YMCA:
And another of a crazy party in the barn at 57 Kings Highway North, owned by Ann Sheffer’s grandparents:
But what’s really fun is the interactivity. Each photo has a number; each number has a small notebook. If you recognize someone in any of the photos — Ed Hall, say, or Harold von Schmidt or Dan Woog — you can write where that person is in the photo, and add something about the scene.
Yeah, me. I’m in the WHS exhibit, in the photo below. Go, Apaches!
(The Westport Historical Society is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Saturday 12-4 p.m.)
I’m not sure if the Dragon Lady you refer to is a neighbor I grew up with, Mrs. Mars. She had a big black bouffant hair do and was quite eccentric, definitely one to wear heels to the beach. She was such a sweet and great lady! Her daughter, Melinda, was a Vegas showgirl (from what my mom tells me). This was back in the very early to mid 70’s. I think she would have liked the nickname, Dragon Lady! It’s a cool name and she was a cool lady!
Oh my, The Dragon Lady!!
I loved her!!!
The fur coat with a bikini underneath was my fave!
I remember the Dragon Lady! She always wore animal print print outfits, high heels, had long black hair, red lipstick and sunglasses …At least that is how I remember her 🙂 Can you post the picture of her Dan?
I remember the Dragon Lady from Stop & Shop. She was such an exotic creature to be doing something as mundane as buying groceries. I was told her husband was an executive at IBM. If true, she must have really stood out among the wives!
I misspoke about her daughter, Melinda, she worked at Circus Circus, a showy job, but was too short to be a showgirl. Her second husband had her on state with him and he was a mentalist! They were great neighbors! We all lived on Blue Coat Lane off North Avenue.
Another memory restored….”The Dragon Lady”! She certainly did stand out, especially wearing heels and a large hat at Compo, while many of us were barefooted or flip-flop adorned. It would be terrific to see a picture of her Dan. I have to wonder who came up with her nickname?
I am trying to get a high-res photo. If so, I will post it. She (Ms. Meagher) is certainly remembered by a lot of people!
I remember her — she wore a big red hat and a fringed bikini. Not knowing who she was, my sister and I called her “Big Red.” The last I heard, she was teaching aerobics at the Senior Center (when it was still at the Greens Farms School). But that must have been 20 years ago.
I don’t have a picture, but if you were at Compo Beach during the mid to late 70s and early 80s, you would know who Dan is referring to – long dark hair, older but keeping it together ok, always in a bikini, usually sporting a large, fashionable, floppy hat, and seemed to sit in the area in front of the pavillon (where we hung out, near the splinter-giving boardwalk) but towards the water. Surely someone has a picture . . . there may be other women known locally as the dragon lady, but we are talking about the Dragon Lady of Compo Beach. There should be a plaque for her down there . . .
Wow such memories. She was certainly fun to look at! I believe her name was Lee. I think she was a dancer.
Was she the one always yelling “Coney Island! Coney Island!” ?
Dan, I’ve been looking at those pics trying to pick you out, and I haven’t found you. Not in the party pic or the Hi Y pic, or baseball pic, so I can only guess, is thatr you in the shower?
I’ll never tell.
Is that you in the middle of the front row?
Fourth from left, front row. Great eye (yours, not mine…!)
That’s what I guessed, but you beat me to it.
U look adorable. Just as I remember !!
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And you made my day!
Wow, I remember the eccentric “beach lady” very well! (That’s what we kids, or at least my immediate friends, called her in the late 70’s, maybe early 80’s too – can’t recall for sure). Never heard the “dragon lady” reference in the past that I can remember. I do recall thinking that she was so blatantly obvious in her grandeur, trying a little too hard to stand out, and I actually felt a little embarrased for her, thinking in my young mind that she was trying too hard to look like “something that I couldn’t quite put into adolescent words” at the time. Now, I may come up with many, but, she was a cool cat, all the same. That’s not something you’ll see everyday in Westport. Vegas, yup, for sure, without a blink, but not oe’r here in ye ‘ol Wespo, LOL.