Editor’s Note: Lou Sanders, who has his journalism degree from NYU, and his late wife, Grace, a graduate of Adelphi, founded the Mineola American in 1952, giving the village its first successful newspaper. Lou and Grace lived in Mineola for 60 years, and his popular column is a signature feature of this paper.
The late Joe Wood did such wonderful work providing halfway houses for recovering alcoholics. He and his wife, Dorothy, lived on Emory Road for many years. I was sad when Dorothy visited me here in Brentwood and told me that Joe had passed on.
We were glad to see President Obama and President Xi of China make climate control their top subject as they reaffirmed the participation of their countries in the Paris agreement. The involvement of the world’s two biggest economies will help protect our environment.
It was good to see John and Eleanor Colbert at my wife Grace’s funeral. I remember when John was mayor of Mineola and he and I had a long-running battle regarding parking meters. I and the merchants on the streets wanted to keep the fee at 10 cents; Mayor Colbert wanted to raise it to 25 cents. After a long battle, the village gave in and Mayor Colbert actually awarded me a parking meter! At 50 pounds dead-weight it probably is still in the cellar of our old house!
Great to hear from our former neighbors on Beebe Road, Ron and Kathy Woyciechewski, who now live in North Carolina, but keep up with all the Mineola news.
Ruth Devanthal died recently. Her husband, Bill, died in the same year. Their house on Andrews Road, where they lived for so many years, has been sold. Bill and Ruth were married for 61 years.
Bob Hinck, another former mayor, is a big admirer of new Corpus Christi pastor Fr. Malcolm Burns. Bob told me that Fr. Burns also has a beautiful singing voice, which I did not know.
Glad to know that the Superfund site at the former Jackson Steel plant got cleaned up. I remember when people like Peter and Karen Smith withdrew their children, Connor and Nicole, from the nearby school when news came out about poison in the ground from the plant.
Marge Hogarty of Latham Road was recently injured in a fall. Her son, Andrew, takes her out every day. They recently went to the casino in Yonkers. Andrew and his mom have taken in a Broadway show and he often takes his mom out for breakfast.
Bernadette O’Brien also had a recent fall. She recovered at Sunharbor Rehabilitation Center in Roslyn. Bernadette said it was the fourth time she has been at Sunharbor. Madeline Biloto of White Road brings her communion every day. Bernadette is recuperating from a broken arm.
Our oldest granddaughter, Tracey, now teaches in the Merrick public school system and is a member of the teachers’ union. Tracey has 24 students in her class, all four or five years old.
Sean, Donna and Ryan Burke, who used to live right across the street from us on Beebe Road, recently toured eastern Canada, traveling to Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec. Sean is working on the new Kosciuszko Bridge in Brooklyn.
John Pavlovich will be 96 years old in October.
Karen Mulqueen visited Ireland last month to witness the graduation of her daughter, Megan, who has dual citizenship in the United States and Ireland. Karen used to work at her father’s store in Mineola, Weismantel’s Bakery.
