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.
Harry and Ruth VonElm now run K.J. Kenny’s Electric. The late Jack Kenny owned the company for 30 years. Ruth and the late Harry have now owned the company for two decades.
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Rabbi Perl of Temple Beth Shalom always talks about Ruth Kazden and is praying for Ruth’s upcoming operation at Mount Sinai.
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Brian Valente of Mineola has owned Yopp’s Service Station for the last three years, having purchased it from Fred Yopp. They do pretty well selling USA Gas.
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Popular Mineola ex-mayor Jack Martins, now a state senator, will seek the position in the Third Congressional District currently held by the retiring Steve Israel. Mr. Martins will have a powerful opponent in Tom Suozzi, a former county executive. Suozzi will be running as a Democrat, and Martins as a Republican.
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In current events here at The Bristal we zeroed in on the country of Laos. During the Vietnam War the Viet Cong operated frequently in that country, crossing the border which led to the American bombing of Laos and Cambodia. We then spoke of the disappearance of the hedgehog. Scientists cannot figure out why this animal has almost disappeared from the earth.
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Lou Panacciulli and his Nassau Pops Orchestra are offering their free summer concerts at Memorial Park in Mineola, as he has done for many years. Lou also holds those wonderful free Christmas concerts at Chaminade High School, which attract about 2,000 people.
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I met Phil Fortuna the other day. He is the owner of Checker Cabs. Here in Mineola and elsewhere on Long Island, he is the big rival of Long Island Taxi.
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Most people think that the Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest engagement on American soil. Actually, however, the Battle of Antietam was worse. Gettysburg was a three-day event, while the 22,720 casualties at Antietam made it the bloodiest one-day battle in American history.
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George Solano is a new executive director of The Bristal in Westbury. He formerly held the same position in Armonk but wanted to be closer to his family who live on Long Island.
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Rhoda Satlin is a professor of political science at Queens College. She comes to The Bristal four or five times a year, speaking and taking questions on politics. Rhoda says that Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump have caught the imagination of the youth, while Hillary Clinton is often regarded as the same-old, same-old. Bernie has been able to push Hillary to the left which finds her advocating for free college tuition for state universities. Many Democrats are thinking that Elizabeth Warren would be a better candidate than Hillary. Some would like to see a Clinton-Warren ticket, but feel that the public would never elect an all-female slate.
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On a personal note, I thank those who sent me their good wishes and prayers that my wife, Grace, who was in the hospital would recover. Ironically, Grace was taken to the hospital on the day of our 68th wedding anniversary. I would also like to thank Sister Beth McEneaney, IHM and Sister Beth Pearson, IHM for their visits to see me and to see Grace in the hospital.
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On a lighter note, Rhoda Satlin told us a joke about a discussion among three men about when life begins. The Catholic said, “At conception.” The Protestant said, “When the child is out of the womb.” The Jewish man said, “Life begins when the last of the kids has left home!”
