Giorgina Reid (née Anzulata;[1][2] November 3, 1908 – June 16, 2001) was an American textile designer and professional photographer[3] who was credited with pioneering the reed-trench terracing erosion control system used to preserve the Montauk Point Lighthouse.[2][4]
Giorgina Reid | |
|---|---|
| Born | Giorgina Anzulata November 3, 1908 |
| Died | June 16, 2001 (aged 92) |
Early life
editReid was born in Trieste, Italy.[2] While a teenager, she came to the United States with her mother.[2] She attended the Leonardo da Vinci Art School at the age of 15, despite the school normally only admitting college-age students.[2]
She was also a photographer and wrote a book titled The Delights of Photography.[2] Reid taught basic photography at the School of Visual Arts.[2]
Montauk Point Lighthouse
editReid originally developed the reed-trench terracing technique to fortify her ocean cottage in Rocky Point following a 1962 nor'easter storm.[2][4] The system protected her house the following year and then her neighbors' afterwards.[2] Reid patented the system in 1965,[5] and wrote a guide book on shoreline protection entitled How To Hold Up a Bank.[6][7]
In 1969 Reid learned about the erosion at the Montauk Point Lighthouse and approached the Coast Guard about using reed-trench terracing.[3] The Coast Guard allowed her to do a pilot, but wouldn't pay her.[8] She began working on terracing the lighthouse with a group of seven volunteers on Earth Day, 1970.[3][6] At the end of the summer, Coast Guard engineers unanimously voted to continue the project, impressed by the progress.[3]
The Coast Guard did help her though: in 1972, engineers installed a gabion wall to protect the terracing above it, and she complimented the cooperation she was getting from them.[3]
By 1983, she had spent around $35,000 to $40,000 of her own money to fund the project, receiving no local nor federal funds.[3]
She was able to stabilize the eastern bluff of Turtle Hill by 1985.[3] For the southwest bluff, Reid "sculpted the bluff face by hand," using a modification of her technique adapted for the steep slope.[3]
Reid was honored at the lighthouse on September 12, 1986, and received a commendation from President Ronald Reagan, who wrote: "There is no doubt that your ingenious trench terracing work saved the Montauk Lighthouse."[8][3]
She retired in 1987, seventeen years after starting the project.[6][3] That year, the Montauk Historical Society established a museum at the lighthouse and in 1996, dedicated one of the rooms to her and her husband.[8][3]
On June 1, 1996, during the bicentennial celebration of the lighthouse, Reid was honored for her work: "Twenty-six years ago she said it could be done. It's done."[3]
Personal life
editShe was married to Donald Reid, who was also in the textile design business.[2] The two had no children; instead she described the lighthouse project as her child.[9]
Reid died at the age of 92 and is buried next to her husband in Calverton National Cemetery.[2]
References
edit- ^ Bagieu, Pénélope (April 14, 2016). "Vous connaissez Giorgina Reid ? Une histoire de défense contre la mer…". GeoDunes (in French). Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bleyer, Bill (August 19, 2001). "How 'a little old lady' named Giorgina Reid stopped the Montauk lighthouse from tumbling into the sea". Newsday. pp. G14–G17.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Osmers, Henry (2008). On Eagle's Beak: a history of the Montauk Point Lighthouse. Outskirts Press. pp. 216–225. ISBN 9781432713461.
- ^ a b Lambert, Bruce (August 8, 1999). "For the Island's Icon, A New Lease on Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ US patent 3412561, Giorgina Reid, "Reed-trench terracing", issued 1968-11-26
- ^ a b c Donohue, Greg. "A Lighthouse Looks To The Future". Montauk Point Lighthouse Museum & Gift Shop. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Goldstein, Marilyn (October 10, 1984). "She Holds the Patent on Tenacity". Newsday. p. 19.
- ^ a b c Castagna, JoAnne (November 2, 2023). "Coastal project sheds light on importance of community collaboration". US Army Corps of Engineers New York District Website. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Hackley, Randall (October 16, 1985). "Woman dedicated to saving lighthouse". The Desert Sun. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
Further reading
edit- Reid, Giorgina (1969). How to Hold Up a Bank. A. S. Barnes. ISBN 9780498067297.