Editor’s Note: Lou Sanders, who has his journalism degree from NYU, and his wife, Grace, a graduate of Adelphi University, founded the Mineola American in 1952, giving the village its first successful newspaper. Lou and Grace have lived in Mineola for 59 years and his popular column is a signature feature of this paper.
Mike and Maggie Oliva tell me that their son, Max, turned six months old on Christmas Day. Maggie is the former Maggie Powers of Mineola and Mike also lives in Mineola.
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Tom Adams Tree Services Inc. of Mineola has been in business since 1984. Tom and his wife, Laura, live on Watkins Drive. Their son James mostly runs the business now. Their daughter Nicki is a specialist teacher in childhood development. Their daughter Danielle, is also a teacher.
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Lud Odierna has moved to Breezy Point. He is the former mayor of Williston Park and the leading mortgage consultant on the eastern seaboard.
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Ed Walsh won 40 games for the Chicago White Sox in 1914. Few pitchers today even reach 20. He also had 14 losses so I figure he must have pitched just about every other day.
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Pat Salmon, who took my place in the advertising department at Anton Media Group, seems to be doing a great job. If you don’t believe it, just ask him.
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Bill and Diane Cassidy have been named the Irish couple of the year. They will be honored at the Knights of Columbus Center on March 14. Bill provides free-of-charge those wonderful calendars we get each year from Corpus Christi Church. Bill Jr. is a licensed funeral director and his son Michael is an assistant director. Bill and Diane were married 40 years in November.
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Dennis Liberato and his wife Virginia had a great vacation in Greece, and then later visited their grandchildren in Rhode Island. Dennis, who owns Davenport Press restaurant in Mineola, also owns several small pubs in Rhode Island. Virginia, who goes by Ginny, drives a flashy MINI Cooper. As far as business is concerned, Thanksgiving Day at the Davenport was a sellout, as were Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
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Would you believe that the President Apartments on Mineola Boulevard were once the biggest issue in Mineola? At the time of their proposed construction, there were no apartment buildings in Mineola at all. When the former mayor Joseph Nohowek wanted to sell his big plot of land to build an apartment building, there was much opposition. The Hometown Party was founded to oppose the apartments. Today, we have dozens and dozens of apartment complexes in the village. Thank goodness since they have brought many people to Mineola.
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Fifty years ago there was a tunnel that ran from the end of Searing Avenue into Mineola’s east end. People used the tunnel as a convenience to get from one end of the village to the other. Others thought it was a crime spot and demanded it be closed. After a long battle, the passageway was eliminated.
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Joseph Aferunti is the owner of Albertson Electric. He employs 15 workers and has been in the area for 52 years.
