Last month, Roslyn Rotary held a successful fundraiser to aid in the renovation of one of the area's most famous residences, Cedarmere, the Roslyn Harbor home of William Cullen Bryant.

The proceeds for the renovation were the result of an Oct. 28 cocktail-dinner party at the Swan Club, one that honored Nassau County Parks Commissioner Doreen Banks. At the dinner, Commissioner Banks received Rotary's "Service Above Self" award.

The proceeds from the fundraiser will go not only for renovation of Cedarmere, but also to the Ronald McDonald House in New Hyde Park. The Cedarmere proceeds will be used for restoration of the servants' wing of Cedarmere. This includes the dining room, linen room, guest room, pantry and the 1905 kitchen. The Ronald McDonald house is building a new addition to its existing structure.

The house specializes in taking care of children and their parents and siblings while the children are being treated at Schneider Children's Hospital and other nearby hospitals.

According to Freida O'Mara, a longtime Rotary club member, the event was "very successful," with over 100 people in attendance, including Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi.

Rotary awarded the "Service Above Self" honor to Commissioner Banks based her long history of public service. Before her appointment as Parks Commissioner, she served as Councilwoman to the Town Board of North Hempstead, North Hempstead Town Clerk and Nassau County Clerk. Commissioner Banks is listed on the North Hempstead Women's Honor Roll and has received many awards, including those from the League of Conservation Voters, the National Organization for Women and the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.

The renovation at Cedarmere is generally minor in scope and the house will remain open while the work on the interior is being done. Cedarmere was built back in 1789. The homestead around the structure was then known as Springbank, and was home to several owners, including Obadiah Jackson, William Hicks and Joseph Moulton, before Bryant purchased the home in 1844.

At the time, Bryant, who had earlier achieved fame as one of the young nation's most popular poets, was editor of the New York Evening Post. Bryant is also considered one of Long Island's "first commuters" as this native of rural Massachusetts made the three-hour journey from Cedarmere to lower Manhattan by ferry and train just so he could enjoy the country life on weekends.

In fact, Roslyn received its name while Bryant was one of the village's leading citizens. When Bryant moved to Roslyn, the village was simply called "Hempstead." According to Diane Tarleton Bennett and Linda Tarleton in their 1978 book, W.C. Bryant in Roslyn, a Scottish visitor to the area complained that there were already too many places and sites named Hempstead, including Hempstead Harbor. The visitor suggested "Roslyn" as the new name for the village, claiming that the area reminded him of a town named Rosslyn back in Scotland. A vote was held on the new name for the village. Bryant, according to the authors, thought the more prosaic "Hill Town" was a better name for his adopted hometown, but he was outvoted by those who preferred Roslyn. Another version of how Roslyn got its name came from a story that had the British army marching out of Long Island after the Revolutionary War to the tune, Rosslyn Castle.