"Biff" Has Seen It All Here in Harrison

I am lucky enough to love my next-door neighbor.

Elizabeth Ogden helped me meet other neighbors, pushed me to become active in local politics and now regularly calls to let me know if there are issues I need to be aware of in the neighborhood.

The only problem is that she is very busy. She is out most days, is often tied up with her boyfriend, entertains family and travels frequently.

Did I mention that she is celebrating her 90th birthday this year?

Elizabeth introduced herself to me in the first week I moved to Harrison, by yelling hello across our yards as I was out planting a vegetable patch. She welcomed me to the neighborhood from the other side of the fence, and explained that I should call her "Biff" as everyone else did. Apparently she was never able to pronounce Elizabeth when she was young, so has introduced herself as Biff ever since.

 I subsequently found out that Biff is a well-known and much loved resident. She is recognized wherever she goes in Harrison, by residents and town officials alike.

Mayor Joan Walsh is one person who not only enjoys Biff personally, but also respects the role she has played in local issues.

"Biff is one of my favorite people," Walsh said.  "She is a quiet force who gets things done without fanfare, but with energy and determination."

Biff has lived in her home in Harrison since 1947, when she, like many other families in Harrison, moved from New York City. She chose Harrison after a friend moved to a neighboring street and they still socialize to this day.

In the 63 years she has lived here, Biff has raised two sons, created the Winfield Area Preservation Area Association—which remains active today, and is a charter member of the Women's League of Voters.

It was Biff—through the Women's League—who was responsible for getting Harrison its first library, pushing it through three bond issue votes before it finally passed.

Elizabeth has seen many changes in Harrison and feels that the town has grown better over the years. "I think Harrison is even stronger than when I first moved here," Biff said recently. "There used to be a line drawn between uptown and downtown residents and a lot of anti-Semitism, which seems to have disappeared."

That antagonism resulted in some heated exchanges according to Biff, who recalls a story from years ago, when a Jewish resident spoke up at a town board meeting and someone pushed over a chair and yelled: 'If you don't like it here, why don't you go back where you came from?'."

At that time, Biff explained, town board meetings were held in the firehouse on Harrison Avenue, as Harrison did not build its current Municipal Building until 1975.

Biff's husband died in 1993 and she has been dating her current boyfriend for nine years. She still lives alone, drives, and has been traveling regularly to places that include Mexico, Palm Springs and Washington—where she has family and friends.

She  attributes her good health to her close relationships with friends and family, and a long-term active interest in yoga which she still practices in a weekly class.

Biff is still active in the Harrison Residents Group, the Winfield Area Association, which she co-founded, reviews each of the town board meeting agendas, and watches all official meetings on Channel 75, attending when necessary.

Her future wish for Harrison is that the recession will pass quickly, allowing the town to rebuild its finances, and that the town will continue to boycott cluster housing and town houses as it has in the past.