Rye Lifer: Kendra Moran

Rye Lifers is a MyRye.com series that introduces you to people that have spent their lives in Rye – people who have grown up in Rye, worked in Rye, come back to raise their family in Rye. Do you know someone we should profile for Rye Lifers? Tell us.

MyRye.com: Why are you a Rye “Lifer”?

Moran: My parents moved to Osborn Road in Rye in 1974, and lived there for 50 years. Rye was a perfect middle ground between my fathers family in New Rochelle and my mothers family in Norwalk. I am the middle of three children and absolutely the last one my parents expected to move back to Rye! 

But, in 1997 I brought my then-boyfriend home to meet my family and he was immediately smitten with Rye. As we drove through town he remarked that it looked like I grew up “on a movie set”. Shortly after that, we bought our first apartment in Mamaroneck and then, in the summer of 2001 we bought a good, old-fashioned fixer upper in Rye. We moved to Hong Kong with his work from 2006 to 2014, and when we returned to Rye, we finally finished fixing it up :).

Tell us about the street in Rye you grew-up on.

Moran: I grew up on the corner of Osborn Road and Woods Lane, a stone’s throw from the border of Harrison. We had the most amazing little neighborhood and childhood adventures. Woods Lane is an idyllic cul-de-sac that backs into the Glen Oaks neighborhood, and we would spend all of our free time roaming in small packs on bikes (or skateboards or roller skates). We would take on every big hill we could find – full speed & no hands down the middle of Harding was a favorite, as was the walking path that used to run through the grounds of The Osborn and ended in a “T” where it met the sidewalk on Osborn Road. 

Some of the older boys had trick pegs on their bikes so it was common for those bikes to have more than one passenger! We would also climb to the very tops of the enormous trees, and create a host of games and adventures.  Once we followed Beaver Creek all the way from Theall Road (what is now a development of office buildings) down to Bradford and into the swamp in Harrison — we all ‘fell in’ at least once — and nobody’s parents were particularly happy with us that day but it was a blast. Then, based on our lunchtime location, we would pop into any one of the houses and someone’s parent would feed us before sending our little gang back outside.

Once the streetlights came on it was time to go home, or my parents would whistle for our return. Once in a while, usually in the summer, we would be allowed to play manhunt with flashlights and stay out past sunset. Those nights always felt special. It was us – the three Geoghegan kids – three Codispotis, three Carlsens, two Kuligs, two Hughes, three Kovacics, two Scibonas, and an occasional Latkany or Draddy would join the mix. Many of these ‘kids’ are still in town. Once we hit middle and high school, everyone started to move in different directions, but many of us are still in touch. 

Where in Rye do you live now? 

Moran: My husband and I bought a house on Oakland Beach that backs onto Hix Park, we loved the convenience and privacy of the location with the adjacency to a vibrant neighborhood. At the time, it was a split level that needed a ton of work: it had purple walls, dog-chewed kitchen cabinets, one bathroom was pink and another was yellow – the house was in dire need of an overhaul but it had a killer yard and my realtor (aka Mom) convinced us it had potential. Spoiler alert, she was right!

Who was your favorite teacher at Rye High School and what year did you graduate?

Moran: Graduated from RHS in 1991 with arguably one of the greatest classes of humans to go through the school (all of our adjacent year groups were also wonderful!). There were brilliant scholars, legendary athletes, and talented artists — but most impressively, a solid collection of genuinely good, kind and supportive kids. We lost one of our own recently when Maria Bach passed away. The outpouring of messages from our class was really heartwarming.

My favorite teacher, singular, is tough because there really were so many amazing people. Mr Roy was a favorite, and a fellow Villanova Wildcat. Sue Dickson was amazing, and Mary Henwood and Jeannie Little (Romano) were our gym teachers and lacrosse coaches — and loved by all. In Middle School Jim Kelly and Mary Henwood would give out a weekly “YES I CAN!” sticker to the kid who showed up with the best attitude — it was a different time, of course, but everyone wanted to be that kid each week.

Where do you work in Rye and what do you do? 

Moran: My early career was with Clear Channel (now iHeart) in media sales and marketing, but I pivoted to real estate when we moved back from Hong Kong.  Since 2016, I’ve been at Houlihan Lawrence in partnership with my mom, Pat Geoghegan. Selling this area is easy because I love it, and I’ve literally lived and breathed it my entire life. I particularly love helping people in these transition phases of life. During our years overseas, we moved eight times in 10 years, with little kids, in and out of all different kinds of spaces. So, despite my “Rye lifer” status, I actually have a lot of experience with moving!  

What in your view are the two or three greatest Rye traditions—current or past? 

Moran:

• The Big Game. It may be a small game to anyone from a big city school, but you can’t beat the energy and generational joy. 
• Playland. I still go at least once a year with my Dad to ride the Dragon Coaster and the Derby!
• Rye Historical Society’s Whisky Bash. This is a new-ish tradition that supports Rye History and is a fun, casual outdoor celebration and fundraiser for our beloved Knapp House. It’s a great way for those new to Rye to connect with some of the lifers;) 
• Halloween. Halloween stands out as one of the last, great kid-centric days in Rye. Packs of kids of all ages get to dress up, meet their neighbors by ringing doorbells to trick-or-treat and roam the neighborhoods like we used to do it. I love it.

What about the great Rye institutions—community organizations, shops, restaurants. Which ones are or have been part of the Rye fabric? 

Moran:

• Rye Historical Society. We have such a deep, historically significant and interesting town – dig into it! Rye Historical runs both the Knapp House and The Square House, and maintains the archives of our City.  It is a wonderful organization to support, and there is so much to learn and explore.
• Rye Beach Pharmacy. One of Rye’s key, multi-generational businesses, it is so important to have a local pharmacy in our town. Ken Giaquinto was in the RHS class of ’92, and I remember when his Dad and uncle ran the pharmacy.
• Jerry’s and Kelly’s Sea Level. Mary, Matt & Kelly were also part of those “adjacent” classes from Rye High. Food is always great, and both places are so welcoming.
• Poppy’s. Gerry is a gem and her chicken salad is my favorite. When I worked in town as a kid, I would go to Poppy’s to eat and chat with Gerry – back then it was Linda, too — on my lunch break.  

Thanks Kendra!