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.
Pat Salmon, my replacement in the advertising department at Anton Media Group, called me the other day to discuss the latest on the closing of Eleanor Rigby’s and the opening of the new restaurant in its place.
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Recently, the hero police officer Steven McDonald died at only 48 years old. When asked about what happened to him in Central Park where he was shot, wounded and left paralyzed, he would say he would do it all over again if he had to. His wife, Patty, faithfully stayed with him and is now the mayor of Malverne. His son, Conor, went to Kellenberg High School and was a classmate of our granddaughter, Kim Sanders. Kim is now a physician and an assistant professor of clinical sciences at the University of Bridgeport. She and her husband, Dr. Frank LaRosa, own a practice in Milford, CT called ArthroWell Naturopathic.
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Jim Agnew of Garfield Avenue likes the new pastor of Corpus Christ Church, Fr. Malcolm Burns. Jim has been an usher at that church for 33 years.
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Robbin Valentine, owner of Valentine Agency, and his wife, Stephanie, are grandparents. Their son, Abbie, and his wife, Ashley, had baby Logan. Valentine Agency is the oldest business in town, opening in 1916. J. Alfred Valentine was the founder and was also co-founder of the Roosevelt Raceway. He started the insurance agency and passed it to his son, Alfred, who then passed it to his son, Robbin. Robbin is on the board of directors of the Mineola Chamber of Commerce, the Kiwanis Club, and the local realtors’ organization.
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I was talking with Bob Hinck who was mayor of Mineola from 1989 to 1993. He was in charge of the Mineola centennial celebration, assisted by John DaVanzo and Candida Maia. The celebration was a great success. I had the pleasure of handling their publicity.
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I was very glad to hear that Bolla Market lost their case against the Village of Mineola. Bolla had signed an agreement with the village to close from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. They wanted to stay open 24/7. Mayor Scott Strauss says that the village only agreed to allow them to open their business here if Bolla agreed to these hours. Thank goodness the judge had the wisdom to prevent Bolla from reneging.
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Bill Dempsey, formerly the Nassau County assistant district attorney who now works for the Department of Labor, was recently promoted to be the assistant director of his district.
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Lou Diveglio, that quiet and unassuming man who lived for many years on Beebe Road, with his sister, Victoria, spent 25 years as an instructor with the FBI.
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In the 1950s the Mineola Skating Rink was a big place. Thousands used to go there to skate. It was just over on the east side of the Mineola Bridge. It was owned by Ed Van Horn and his wife. Their frequent marital battles that played out in public were the talk of the town.
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It was 50 years ago that the three astronauts burned to death on the launching pad at the Kennedy Space Center. They were Gus Grisson, Ed White and Roger Caffee.
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The expression “egg on” comes from the time of the Normandy Invasion of England in 1066. The Normans enslaved the Anglo-Saxons and would tie them together like in a modern chain gang and would goad them. In Anglo-Saxon language, the word spear was “eggja.”
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“To blow one’s horn.” In medieval times, when a rich man with beautiful horses and fancy carriages would enter a village, heralds would go in front of him blowing horns to announce the arrival of a VIP. Today, to blow one’s horn, means that a person is a great braggart.
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If you have ever been to San Francisco, you will agree that it is surely one of the most interesting towns in the world. It’s famous for its fog, steep hills, cable cars and the largest Chinese population in the world outside of Asia.
