Characters of the Village

Keen Berger – Educator, Author, Community Leader

By Brian and Joy Pape

So often, the people joining their neighbors in a continuing effort to make our community better are those volunteering without compensation. They bring their life experience to the effort. We’ve known Keen Berger for many years as a fellow Community Board 2 member and friend of Doris Deither (a beloved Village activist). We now share our interview with our readers.

What should our community know about you?
My major claim to fame is that I am the author of the bestselling developmental psychology textbooks in the world. I’m now working on the seventh edition of one of my books, where the last chapter begins and ends with Doris Deither and beautiful Washington Square Park (WSP). I am 84 years old, which shocks me, since I’ve been the same person all my life and I’ve been doing different things all my life. Certainly, a big piece is the Village which is clearly the most interesting stuff.

Born and raised in Minnesota, our family moved to D.C. for my father’s work in the Eisenhower administration and we later moved to Philadelphia. My college years were spent at Stanford and Harvard. Then I came to New York City where I met my husband, Martin Berger, in the human rights movement. A year and a half later we got married and lived on Washington Place until we bought a house on Bedford Street. We had four children: Bethany, Rachel, Ellisa, and Sarah. All of them graduated from PS 3, right in the heart of the West Village.

So in terms of my mothering and life, the Village and PS 3 were very important. I became a class parent and our parent group was involved choosing the next superintendent of District 2. This district encompasses about half of Manhattan, including the West and East Village and a lot of the upper East and West side. We lobbied for Anthony Alvarado who won the election. At this point, I’m not just a PS 3 parent, I’m a public school advocate. We wanted to make it clear we were pro-gay rights. We also spent many years fighting for a new middle school, which eventually became 75 Morton. I also served on the school board for six years.

Besides my family and career priorities, I’ve had four major focuses in my life including the school board and public education.

Judson Church is a Village institution that’s more than just a religious center. It sponsors many study groups and community outreach programs. It is an architectural gem and landmark. I continue my involvement as a member of the personnel committee, where we are now interviewing for a second Sunday school teacher.

I got actively involved with the Village Independent Democrat club after my husband was district leader. I went on to become district leader for 12 years and I continue my involvement with Democratic politics.

Community Board 2 (CB2) is one of the most vital and active community boards in the city. I am a long-time member, having served as an officer and chair of the education committee. It was important that CB2 endorse the 75 Morton project and made that funding request to the city as its #1 priority, leading to its creation.

What is your best memory?
I would walk to Judson Church with Doris Deither, having little talks as we walked through WSP. She was married 60 years ago at Judson Church by Howard Moody and she was well known there. We walked through the northwest corner of the park, which had the homeless and drug people who sat on benches. She was very friendly to everybody. There’s a wonderful story of when she was walking alone and some man came up to her asking for money. Another man who knew her came up and said, “Doris, let me walk you home.” When the first man left, it was clear that they were all watching out for Doris. It was a wonderful time there. She also had the squirrels and the pigeons as friends, but it was really Doris at home.

Favorite things in the Village?
We liked the Blue Mill Restaurant but it closed. Shopsin’s General Store, on the corner of Bedford and Morton streets, sold the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that I made and became famous for. The New Yorker’s Calvin “Bud” Trillin wrote a story about general stores and mentioned my cookies by name. My cookies now go to Judson for our monthly coffee hour and to the Union Square “Blue Busses.” I like that the cookies are still part of who I am.

WSP is very interesting and it’s my favorite place because it’s accessible to everyone. (See Berger’s article in the August Village View.) It’s always been a place for demonstrations and protests and musicians. There’s a bench commemorated to Doris who worked hard to save the open music scene at WSP.

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You can find Berger’s book: Grandmothering: Building Strong Ties With Every Generation at Amazon.com and booksellers.