I wasn’t alone in noticing the “Erica Effect,” which drew not only individuals, but whole communities, to love her: She was written up in Psychology Today. Erica is “one of these rare, special individuals who gives to others in a way that is beyond what she could possibly receive in return,” wrote psychologist Dr. Glenn Geher back in 2015.
At the turn of the 20th century, the Hudson Valley was the brickmaking capital of the world, producing more than a billion bricks a year and employing nearly 10,000 people in more than 120 brickyards. By the late 1970s, the once-mighty molded-brick industry was no more. One by one, the great yards had closed their gates, leaving behind a small-but-colorful legacy of people who remember the industry in its prime.