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.
Congratulations to Mineola native, Bishop Gregory Parkes, who serves as the bishop of the Pensacola-Tallahassee diocese in Florida. Born in Mineola in 1964, he is the youngest of all the Florida bishops. Bishop Parkes became a priest later in life after working in the banking industry in Tampa, having earned a bachelor’s degree in finance.
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Cuttin’ Club on Hillside Avenue announces that they have a new line of hair color. Stylists Laura, Pat and Janet are eager to introduce customers to this new option.
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Ryan Burke, was accepted at Bishop Kellenberg High School in its honors program. He was also accepted at Chaminade and is still waiting to hear from Xavier. Ryan is the son of Donna and Sean Burke of Beebe Road.
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Caren Donatelli and her son, Joshua, went to Mineola High School to see its Star Wars event.
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Fran Dempsey tells me that Mr. Felacio, who lives on Latham Road, has greatly improved his new house. He lives a couple of doors away from Fran, who is now 99 years old. Fran’s son, Bill, takes her out two or three times a week in the car. She has round-the-clock assistance at home.
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Eileen Leone is very fond of the new Corpus Christi pastor, Rev. Malcolm Burns.
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Jack Martins, the former mayor of Mineola, is now one of the three people that the Republicans are considering to run for the position of Nassau County Executive. Judging from the great job he did as the mayor of Mineola, I think he would make a great county executive. I am a Democrat, but I would vote for Jack if I had a chance.
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Bernadette O’Brien broke her pelvis and is receiving assistance from Winthrop Hospital home care. She lives on Horton Highway.
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Harrison Fairgrieve spent Christmas with his grandparents, Scott and Linda. Harrison lives in New Jersey with his parents, Ross and Nuge.
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Marge Haggerty of Latham Road has recovered enough from her recent operation that she can walk without a cane. Her second hip replacement was a success. She hopes to soon be well enough to pay me a visit here in Brentwood.
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Ruth Kazden who covered the Mineola Village Board and the Williston Park Village Board, as well as the Mineola and Williston Park school boards for the Mineola American for 25 years, volunteers in the Mineola Library a couple of times a week to give senior citizens any advice they might need. Her husband, Lennie, was prominent around town and could ski despite being blind.
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John Pavlovich of Dow Avenue sold a couple of his paintings. Although John is 96 years old, he can still walk without a cane and ride his stationery bike in his cellar.
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A great guy is Bill Kelly. Twice a week he comes here to Maria Regina Residence and goes table to table in the dining room, cheering people up. Not only that, but he remembers all your kids’ names. He has four children, one of whom is his son, John, who is severely handicapped. John, though, is well enough to land a job as a dishwasher at The Bristal, and can drive a car.
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Brand. In Old English, this word originally meant a piece of burning or smoldering wood or to mark something permanently with a hot iron. It dates from late Middle English. Later, people spoke of a brand as a mark of ownership made by a hot iron, such as the mark made on cattle.
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In the early days, firearms were often named after animals. Sparrowhawks were birds known to be avid hunters. Thus, the early rifleman named their firearms muskets. Centuries later, muskets gave way to rifles.
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We were treated the other day at the Maria Regina Residence to a performance by the Hamptones, a choir from Our Lady of the Hamptons Regional School.
