John Jay is buried on land owned by the Jay family - descendants of John Jay and their spouses can be buried there if they wish. Problem is, this cemetery is not open to the public but for one day per year - Memorial Day. So, the covid pandemic being what it was, I checked well in advance to see if the Memorial Day festivities were still on and panned my trip. I had a brand new girlfriend at the time who lived in Pittsburgh, so I planned a trip staying one night at an AirBNB in White Plains NY and another night with m'new squeeze in the Burgh.

I met up with a fellow-John Zorn aficionado friend at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale NY where many famous people are buried, including James Baldwin, Malcolm X, Jam Master J, and Jeffery Miller (a casualty of the Kent State shootings of 1970). The next morning I skeedaddled as fast as I could to Rye NY to get out to the Jay Cemetery at a pre-arranged meeting spot where we all of us could travel together by foot. It was a small but interesting gathering, mostly of Jay family members. They were very welcoming of me and my photo mission, if not a little mystified ("All the way from Ohio? Really - wow!").

The cemetery ceremony was followed by a lunch program nearby, but sadly I had to pass on this as it was a long drive to Pittsburgh.