Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino, Council Member Vicki Walsh and Town Clerk Rich LaMarca recently attended a bench dedication for longtime Oyster Bay resident Reginald Butt Jr., a veteran who often led Town Board meetings in the Pledge of Allegiance.
“Reggie was a man whose life reflected everything Oyster Bay stands for – family, service and community,” said Saladino. “His story is woven into the very history of this town, and this bench will forever honor a man whose heart was always anchored right here in Oyster Bay.”
Butt’s family came to Oyster Bay in 1939 – one of just 12 families brought from Brooklyn by Mr. Jacobson to work at the new shipyard.
He was a proud graduate of Oyster Bay High School, class of 1956, and just four days after graduation, he left to begin Navy basic training.
Inspired by his father, who served in the British Royal Navy during WW I, he dedicated 20 years of active duty in the U.S. Navy. Reggie served as a Radioman, transcribing Morse Code and teletype communications, and rose to the rank of senior chief petty officer. He later served another 10 years in the fleet reserve, completing three decades of military service.
“Reggie’s life reminds us that true service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off; it continues in how we live, lead and give back to others,” Saladino said.
