Robert Guskind's reporting on Coney Island, a subject he was passionate about, may turn out to be his greatest legacy.
Members of that community who are actively fighting to save that historic part of Brooklyn from short-sighted developers are mourning the loss of this blogger/ journalist who cared deeply about that vital and historic area.
This morning I heard from Tricia Vita, who works for the Coney Island History Project. She would frequently email Bob with information abut Coney Island "and would of course hear back from
him in the wee hours of the morning."
She doesn't have a blog but she does post regularly on the Coney Island USA messsage board as "electrica." They now have a GL thread on the board; Tricia added this, which includes an email from Bob.
wrote it was clear he cared very deeply about what was happening here.
After the press conference on 1/28 announcing the Astroland Rocket
would be donated to the city, I sent out a release to the media. Bob
replied:
Tricia. I'm happy to know it will be in Coney. I'm almost afraid to ask
if the city plans to put it back on display, uh, soon.
Somehow,
even happy Coney news makes me want to cry these days because I see
disaster looming for years to come and no plan to keep things vibrant
and it just breaks my heart.
In my writing it comes out as anger and rage, but in me it just comes out as tears and heartache.
But I am glad the rocket is staying.
Bob
During
the “deconstruction” of Astroland, GL's frequent “destructoporn” posts
about the dismantling of Astroland annoyed a few idiot readers, who
would post something like give it a break, enough is enough. Coney fans
would break in with, well no one’s forcing you to read it, it’s his
blog he can post about Astroland all day long if he wants etc
Since
Gowanus Lounge is down for now, we can’t revisit GL’s coverage, but
Bob’s videos– His user name is writerman000—are still up on YouTube.
He went to Astroland on the park’s last day, Jan 31, and made some vids, including one titled Astroland Snuff Film Final2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKuLYBJcWaQ
And there’s his visit with Jimmy Prince from Feb 12… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz5b8MLfcX8
Bob’s vid of the Astroland Memorial Shrine that Spidora & I started on the park gate is still up too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-s826XG_fk&feature=related
I
last heard from Bob on Friday. He said he’d try to make the CB 13
meeting, but I didn't see him there. That day GL was down, no reply to
my email.
RIP, Bob. Coney Island, or what’s left of it, will miss you this season.
Thank you to those of you who posted this on the blog. I am an old friend of Bob’s and I will miss him dearly. We went through a lot of coming of age stuff together in the mid to late 70’s and I always counted him as my closet friend.
Beyond being a top notch journalist and a man with deep community concerns he was also an incredibly gifted writer. I will do what I can to keep his work alive. To those in the blogging community I invite you to keep the spirit of his blogging efforts alive as well. It is truly touching to see the outpouring as we communally mourn the loss of this wonderful man.