In the early 1950s, a development plan for Silver Lake in Roslyn generated such a controversy that a new political party in the village was soon born. The new organization was dubbed the Clock Tower Party. Last Wednesday, Oct. 22, one of the party's founders, Charles Robert Bell, died at his longtime home in Roslyn. He was 86.

When the Clock Tower Party came into being, Bell ran for, and was elected, to a board of trustee seat. He served on the board from 1955-1956. The next year, he was elected mayor of Roslyn and served for two years from 1957 to 1958. The issue that inspired the party's creation was a plan to fill in part of Silver Lake and replace it with a parking lot and eventually, a new village hall.

With the election of both Charles Robert Bell-who became known simply as Bob to his neighbors-and fellow Clock Tower Party member August J. Horn, any chance of going through with the construction plan was defeated. In addition to opposing the Silver Lake development, the new party also ran on a platform calling for an overall zoning plan. The elections marked the first major victories for the restoration movement in the village.

Serving as Roslyn mayor was only one of the many occupations Bob Bell performed in his lifetime. He was a longtime fixture in the world of communications, serving as a director and producer at several New York City television stations. From 1969 to 1980, he also served as general manager of WLIW, Channel 21 on Long Island.

Bob Bell was a native of Philadelphia and a graduate of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where he earned a degree in psychology. During World War II, he served in the Navy as a supply and disbursing officer with the rank of ensign. He served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters and was on the first unescorted supply ship to cross the Atlantic carrying supplies to the troops in Italy. He came out of the Navy four years later as a Lt. Commander, one of the youngest in the Navy at that time.

After serving briefly in the Naval Reserves, Bell became the Far East producer at the Voice of America broadcasting to Burma, Thailand, and Malaysia and working with people from these countries. The Bell family made strong lifelong friendships with these people and exchanged visits with them in their homes.

When the Voice of America moved to Washington, DC, with offices in New York City, Bell returned to the states. He eventually turned to producing and directing television shows on WNBC, WABC, and WOR. Such shows included Conversations with Adlai Stevenson from the United Nations, the Alan Shephard space shot, Girl Talk with Virginia Graham, The Merry Mailman with Ray Heatherton and Directions, an award winning show featuring the main religions of the world.

In 1953, Bell moved with his family to Roslyn, where they lived in a house on 100 East Broadway. They remained at that address ever since then, raising their three children in the village. When Bob Bell died on Oct. 22, it was at the house on East Broadway and with his wife, Elise, by his side. The couple had celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary only last month.

Elise Bell was a writer and the couple collaborated on many creative projects. This included working for Enrichment Material, records used in schools throughout the United States to teach history and literature by dramaticizing events and bringing significant works of literature to life in the classroom.

Along with Ray Heatherton, they also worked on Project Reach, a federally subsidized project that brought live performers in the arts into the schools. In addition, the Bells were also co-authors of a Dodd Mead career book, Television and Teamwork. Enrichment Material won a Freedom Foundations Award and The New York Times consistently rated its records as among the 10 best children's recordings of the year.

In 1969, Bell, as noted, became general manager of WLIW. At that time, WLIW had no studio and Bell had the news broadcast from the control room until the station built a state-of-the-art studio. In fact, Bell initiated the station's news program, which aired on Monday through Friday at 9 p.m. Under his leadership, WLIW was given a New York Emmy for community service. The award cited Bell for Úquot;his outstanding contributions to the cultural and educational growth of Long Island.Úquot;

After retiring from WLIW, Bell continued to volunteer his services to the production of the Ray Heatherton Breakfast Club, a weekly radio show performed to a live audience.

When Bell entered politics in the mid-1950s, the Clock Tower Party's opposition was the incumbent Economy Party. The 1955 election marked the first time that the Economy Party had faced an opposition slate since 1949 and the first time it had lost power since 1937.

The Clock Tower Party has remained in business ever since then, electing a score of mayors and trustee members. In 1994, when the village was caught up in another big controversy, this one over the possible construction of a Stop & Shop supermarket, Bell wrote a letter to The Roslyn News, urging that the debate be conducted in a civil manner. Úquot;The key words in this time of ugly, snarling attitudes of many in our country are-Be Kind!Úquot; he wrote.

In the letter, Bell noted the achievements of the Clock Tower Party throughout the years. Úquot;Forty years ago, when the Clock Tower Party came into being, there was pressure to make Roslyn quite different,Úquot; he recalled. Úquot;Streets would have been widened, and a community of apartment houses would have been built. The Clock Tower Party stood firmly in opposition to these changes, and its role has always stood for keeping Roslyn a unique community.Úquot;

The party, Bell continued, had also established open meetings in the village, a reform that served as a model for the state's Sunshine Laws for conducting public meetings.

In that 1994 election, Janet Galante was elected mayor of Roslyn. Several years later, she declared May 20, 1997 to be a Úquot;day of special recognitionÚquot; for Charles Robert Bell. In a ceremony at village hall, Bell received a key to the village from his longtime neighbor, Marshall Ward, who had carved and engraved the gift for his friend. Bell also received a proclamation that praised his Úquot;profound and significant impact on the lives of many individuals of our community,Úquot; and the fact that his administration marked the beginning of an Úquot;historical consciousnessÚquot; in the village, one that resulted in the formation of societies dedicated to preserving older homes and their landscapes.

Úquot;Our future is always based upon the historic steps of the past,Úquot; Ms. Galante said after hearing of Bob Bell's death. Úquot;Roslyn Village and the welfare of its residents is also based upon our ability to have such direction and vision. Former Mayor Robert Bell had that very insight and vision to maintain Roslyn's historic integrity. Our village is indeed built upon such good men who gave of their time for the betterment of their community. Mayor Bell will be remembered by his very devotion to historic Roslyn Village. He will be missed in the community and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.Úquot;

In addition to his wife, Bob Bell is survived by his three children, Jean Bell of San Francisco; Wendy Bell of Moss, Norway; and Robert Mead Bell of Stanton, NJ; his nine grandchildren, his daughter-in-law Tessa Bell and his two great-grandchildren. Following in his father's profession Robert Bell is a news producer for WOR in Manhattan.