Ben and Santa Leruen were at the Williston Town House. He is a retired tool and die maker—a rare trade these days.
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Also at the Town House was Vera Levine of Latham Road. She just recently moved from Walker Road. She is a nurse.
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It was good to see Ray Vaz and Tom Scardino honored for their being part of the D-Day invasion of Europe in which both men covered themselves with bravery. The D-Day attack and the successful D-Day landing led to the successful collapse of Hitler’s empire.
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It’s always good to see Jackie Luckas of Mineola on Channel 12.
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Did you know that Starbuck was the first mate of Captain Ahab in the novel, Moby Dick?
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We had a treat here at The Bristal when a group from East Meadow called The Harmony Singers entertained us. More than 100 people came to hear them play a series of patriotic songs in honor of Memorial Day, as well as a collection of hits by Frank Sinatra.
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Do you know the expression “to beat the tar out of a guy” comes from a practice of tending a sheep that had a sore on its back. Tar was applied to the sore to keep off the flies. After it was applied, it was very tough to get it off. Thus the expression when you hit someone hard that you “beat the tar out of him.”
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“Spick and span,” is a term with origins dating back to about 1300. The word span in Old English meant brand new. It was usually referred to a newly cut spoon. Spick was added in 1600 apparently just for the purpose of alliteration.
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Our daughter, Sister Annmarie, will be spending a week in Bogota, Colombia. Annmarie has been to many foreign countries in the service of the Catholic church. She lived five years in Peru, and also visited Rome, China, Spain, as well as Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa. Annmarie has also visited Jamaica, El Salvador, Bolivia, and Brazil.
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Speaking of our daughter, she recently was present when President Obama spoke to the Catholic Health Association.
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Alex D’Angelo and his wife Theresa live on Linden Road in Mineola. He is a salesman.
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Grace Weismantel was talking to us the other day. She used to bowl with Marge Hogarty of Latham Road, as well as Laura Lange of Mineola. A few people may remember Weismantel’s Bakery, which served Mineola for more than 50 years, located on Jericho Turnpike.
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Irene Krause of Horton Highway was born right here and has worked in Corpus Christi Church as a volunteer for 75 years.
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John Asam of Westbury Avenue has lived in Mineola for 44 years. He worked for NCR for 11 years. Right now he is retired and is enjoying his grandkids, Katie, Johnny, Samantha and Emily.
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Sister Beth Pearson, IHM, teaches young adults at St. Joseph College who are preparing to become teachers and psychologists. Like our daughter, she is a Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and she resides in East Meadow.
Editor’s Note: Lou Sanders, who has his journalism degree from NYU, and his wife, Grace, a graduate of Adelphi, founded the Mineola American in 1952, giving the village its first successful newspaper. Lou and Grace have lived in Mineola for 60 years, and his popular column is a signature feature of this paper.
