Tribute to a Survivor

Tribute to a Survivor
Photo HarperCollins

She’d hide behind

a new identity — that was it.

She wouldn’t be Zhanna.

She’d use an alias.

She’d drop the Zh from her name

become Anna —

smaller, plainer,

more able to blend in.

She’d begin again.

A for Anna.

A for alive.

 

In 1941, Nazi Germany launched a surprise invasion of the U.S.S.R., bombing buildings, executing political prisoners, and causing a mass exodus of Ukrainian evacuees who fled for refugee camps for the remainder of Germany’s occupation and the duration of World War II. Among the survivors was American journalist Greg Dawson’s mother, Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson, who as a child was able to hide her Jewish identity and wound up as a piano performer in a German variety act. She and her sister were eventually rescued by a U.S. Army Lieutenant and she was enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. This stranger-than-fiction story was turned into a lyrical nonfiction story-in-verse for children by Greg Dawson and author Susan Hood with “Alias Anna: A True Story About Outwitting the Nazis” published last year by HarperCollins.

On Sunday, July 16, Greg and his wife Candy Dawson will appear at Music Mountain in a pre-performance talk before The Chamber Music Sunday concert to discuss the life of Zhanna Dawson, who often played at Music Mountain in the 1950s and 60s. This will be followed by a concert Penderecki String Quartet with pianist Anya Alexeyev performing selections by Johann Sebastian Bach, Béla Bartók, who protested against the Nazis in Hungary, and Erwin Schulhoff, a Jewish composer who was blacklisted during World War II.

Latest News

Racecars roar in NASCAR’s return to Lime Rock Park

High-speed action made for a weekend of excitement at Lime Rock Park Friday and Saturday, June 27-28.

Photo by Simon Markow

LAKEVILLE — For the first time since 2011, Lime Rock Park hosted National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing events June 27 and 28.

It was billed as the largest event in modern track history with an estimated 20,000 fans attending.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joseph Robert Meehan

SALISBURY — Joseph Robert Meehan the 2nd,photographer, college professor and nearly 50 year resident of Salisbury, passed away peacefully at Noble Horizon on June 17, 2025. He was 83.

He was the son of Joseph Meehan the 1st and his mother, Anna Burawa of Levittown, New York, and sister Joanne, of Montgomery, New York.

Keep ReadingShow less
Florence Olive Zutter Murphy

STANFORDVILLE, New York — It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Florence Olive Zutter Murphy, who went home to be with the Lord on June 16, 2025, at the age of 99.

She was born in Sharon, Connecticut on Nov. 20, 1925, and was a long time resident of the Dutchess County area.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chore Service hosts annual garden party fundraiser

Chore Service hosted 250 supporters at it’s annual Garden Party fundraiser.

Bob Ellwood

On Saturday, June 21, Mort Klaus, longtime Sharon resident, hosted 250 enthusiastic supporters of Northwest Corner’s beloved nonprofit, Chore Service at his stunning 175-acre property. Chore Service provides essential non-medical support to help older adults and those with disabilities maintain their independence and quality of life in their own homes.

Jane MacLaren, Executive Director, and Dolores Perotti, Board President, personally welcomed arriving attendees. The well-stocked bar and enticing hors d’oeuvres table were popular destinations as the crowd waited for the afternoon’s presentations.

Keep ReadingShow less