Cohoes Author Set to Release Memoir

By Randy Koniowka

Looking at the corner of College and 8th Streets in Troy, it is hard to see any trace of the gritty ethnic neighborhood that once was. The two and three story flats that once dotted the landscape have been replaced by what is known as EMPAC, a 250 million dollar performing arts center built by Rensselear Polytechnic Institute. It now graces the hill where the self identified protagonist Herbbie Hyde spent his childhood.

Herbbie, now Herb, is set to release his new memoir, College and 8th, on Wednesday, April 28th from 7-9pm at the Bread and Jam Cafe on Remsen Street.

For Hyde, the book is an attempt memorialize his family, friends, and his former neighborhood. "The neighborhood was like an extended family, there was a real sense of community."

I asked Hyde how he feels when he looks at where his former neighborhood once stood. "I feel a real sense of loss, I wish they could have left a sense of what was there, of the people that lived and worked there. It's all gone without a trace."

The book follows the life of young Herbbie from infancy to adolescence. It's filled with numerous tales of childhood mischief, and of those who Hyde cites as the many characters that had an impact on his childhood.

However, Hyde details how there was one person who failed to make an impact on his life. His father left the family when Hyde was in the 8th grade and his departure left a deep void for many years.

At 66, Hyde has come to terms with his fathers abandonment. "When he left, I had no male role models, I had to muddle through my childhood. Although growing up with a house full of women made me better understand the emotional side of life."

This is Hyde's first published work, although he plans two others in order to tell the complete story of his life.

I asked him what he wants people to take away from the book. "I want people to get a sense of how we were able to overcome the challenges we had to face as kids. Childhood is a very important step in who you are. I'm afraid it's going to be much more difficult for my grandchildren. We knew we were poor, but you could get out of poverty in those days. Today we have created a permanent underclass. We must redevelop our industrial base."

The affable Hyde looks the part of the grandfather, complete with a full head of white hair and glasses. But don't let looks fool you. "I feel 18, well 18 mentally," he says. Now retired, Hyde is devoted to writing, and his four grandchildren. "My grandchildren are the light of my life."

A portion of the proceeds of College and 8th, will go to the Troy Boys and Girls Club.