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TBR Staff

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TBR News Media covers everything happening on the North Shore of Suffolk County from Cold Spring Harbor to Wading River.

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Photo from LIM
Grant will help fund new online educational programming

The Long Island Museum (LIM) announced on June 30 its award of a $59,713 grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to help fund the Museum’s new online educational programs that will be offered in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are thrilled and honored that the NEH is supporting our proposal of a new virtual educational program,” said Long Island Museum Executive Director Neil Watson.

“Since closing our doors in mid-March, the LIM staff has been working both creatively and tirelessly at meeting the needs of our community, particularly our school children and teachers,” he explained.

As so many of the museum’s standard offerings have transformed over these past four months, the need to dynamically adapt is ever apparent. After only a few weeks of their temporary closing, the LIM Launched the successful At Home With the LIM, a series of online family art and history activities, based on the Museum’s collection, historic buildings and grounds.

With school visits from many local districts in the fall likely to be greatly constrained, the LIM has since been making plans to redesign what they can offer schools with the use of technology.

“We believe objects from our collections provide uniquely visceral connections and learning opportunities,” said Joshua Ruff, Deputy Director, Director of Collections and Interpretations. “Realizing we are unable to bring school audiences to our collection, this project plans to bring the collection to them through remote field trips.”

The LIM will establish a “portable virtual classroom unit”, a mobile virtual studio with live streaming capability, to broadcast interactive classes from their unique historic buildings and museum galleries. To accommodate the virtual classrooms, the museum’s data network will be upgraded and expanded to teaching-critical areas museum wide by facilities/IT personnel.

Funds received from the NEH grant will enable the Museum’s Education Department to address the challenges schools will face in the 2020/2021 school year and allow the purchase and installation of essential upgrades to the data network of the LIM campus.

“In what is certain to be a school year filled with many firsts and changes, with this funding we can offer enriching new ways to make sure schools do not lose important connections to our museum,” said Lisa Unander, LIM’s Director of Education.

The Long Island Museum, located at 1200 Route 25A in Stony Brook, is one of 317 humanities projects in this round of funding. The $40.3 million in total grants nationwide will support vital research, education, and public programs in the humanities.

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Luke Muratore

By Leah Chiappino

Each year, students who earn a cumulative grade point average of 4.0 or higher choose a representative to speak at graduation. This year Luke Muratore received the honor.

Muratore earned a final GPA of 4.52 and will attend University of Maryland, College Park, in the College Park Scholars program. He plans to major in computer science with a minor in business and hopes to work as a software engineer or program manager in New York City one day.

Throughout high school, Muratore served as president of the National Honor Society and as captain of varsity cross-country and varsity track. He was also the public relations officer for the Math Honor Society, Relay for Life team captain and was involved in Athletes Helping Athletes and DECA. Muratore says his favorite high school memory was competing in the Business Olympics.

“It was such an exciting moment to smile and present my team’s idea in front of a crowd of friends, family and teachers,” he said. “Later on in the night when it was announced that we won, I felt such a massive rush of energy.”

The honor speaker said he has his parents to thank for helping him succeed.

“My parents have always been comforting, helpful and inspiring and are a huge reason why I push myself to work hard in everything I do,” he said.

He added that he is grateful for the education he received at Smithtown West.

“I’ve never had a ‘bad teacher’ at Smithtown West,” he said. “Every teacher, coach and club adviser I have met has impacted the way I think in a unique and positive way.”

He added that the district’s efforts to try to “normalize” senior year helped him stay positive in the wake of having events canceled due to COVID-19.

Muratore encourages next year’s seniors to stay positive and to savor their time in high school.

“Make sure to smile, laugh and make the best out of every moment of high school,” he said. “Keep a positive mentality and don’t let the bad moments ruin your year. While we may be having more bad days in coming months, we must focus on the best parts of our lives rather than dwell on the worst. Achieving happiness means brushing off negativity and striving to do well as a person and community.”

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Above, the Vanderbilt Mansion Terrace Garden and quatrefoil fountain with Northport Bay in the background. Photo from Vanderbilt Museum
Transformed gardens on view through September

Eleven local nurseries and garden designers, plus the Museum’s corps of volunteer gardeners are taking part in the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum’s third annual Gardeners Showcase.

They redesigned and transformed garden areas, planted new perennials, annuals, shrubs, and trees  — and enhanced the beauty and ambience of William K. Vanderbilt II’s Eagle’s Nest mansion and estate, home of the Museum. The stunning results are on view through September. For now the Vanderbilt has reopened its grounds only – not its buildings – to visitors on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

All visitors are asked to wear a mask when unable to maintain 6-feet distancing from others.

“We are grateful for the enthusiastic response of local landscaping and gardening professionals who have volunteered their talents to beautify the historic estate,” said Elizabeth Wayland-Morgan, executive director of the Vanderbilt.

“These floral artisans, as well as our own veteran corps of accomplished volunteer gardeners, have invested their time, labor, and resources. Their enhancements will be enjoyed by thousands of summer visitors,” she added.

Jim Munson, the Museum’s operations supervisor, who created the event, said, “We thought the pandemic might prevent this year’s showcase,” he said. “However, thanks to the undying support and incredible talents of these designers, the showcase has become a reality.

“Many of the gardeners have been affected financially and personally by this health crisis, yet here they all are, once again selflessly giving their time, donations and incredible talents to the Vanderbilt to make it a better place for all. Simply sitting on a bench, listening to the birds and taking in the beauty of the gardens is an absolute gift,” he said.

Participating designers, identified by signage at showcase sites, are: Carlstrom Landscapes, Inc. (Terrace Pool); Centerport Garden Club (Rose Garden), de Groot Designs, Inc. (front entrance); Designs by Nelson (saltwater pool and balcony planters); Flowers by Friends (Sun Dial Garden and Saltwater Pool); Gro-Girl Horticultural Therapy (Sensory Garden); Haven on Earth Garden Design (Planetarium Garden); Mossy Pine Garden & Landscape Design (Clover Leaf Garden); Pal-O-Mine Equestrian J-STEP Program (Sensory Garden); Trimarchi Landscaping & Design (Courtyard Gardens), Tropic Al (Bell Tower/Bridge Garden); Vanderbilt Volunteer Gardeners (Memorial Garden, Columns Garden, Tent Gardens & Vegetable Garden).

The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum is located at 180 Little Neck Road in Centerport. The admission fee to tour the grounds is $14 per carload, members are free. Tickets are available online only. No tickets will be sold at the gate. Visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org to order.

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Stony Brook University Hospital. Photo by Rita J. Egan

By Odeya Rosenband 

Stony Brook University’s newest class of medical residents began their careers head first, graduating early to take on the fight with COVID-19.  Renaissance School of Medicine at SBU led a virtual graduation ceremony that took place two months ahead of schedule, in early April. 

SBU Vice Dean for Graduate Medical Education Dr. William Wertheim. Photo from SBUH

In line with other medical schools such as Hofstra University in Hempstead and New York University, SBU resolved to graduate their medical students in early spring in order to readily transition them into the workforce. This decision was “definitely a natural step,” said Dr. William Wertheim, vice dean for Graduate Medical Education at Renaissance School of Medicine at SBU. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) “took away a lot of roadblocks in helping us utilize the staff that were capable of doing this, so that was really helpful.” 

Starting in April, 52 residents began volunteering at SBU Hospital and predominantly focused on emergency COVID-19 cases, rather than their specialties. While resident education typically consists of 80-hour work weeks, the Renaissance School adopted a shift schedule that included five days off following every five days working, given the heightened emotional difficulty residents were facing. 

Beginning July, Stony Brook Medicine welcomed over 300 medical residents across SBU, Stony Brook Southampton and Stony Brook Eastern Long Island hospitals. This number included the residents who had been volunteering with COVID-19 patients.

“Residents are interesting in that they both are doctors taking care of patients, and they are learners in an educational program,” Wertheim said. Aside from in-person training in personal protective equipment, the residents learned other essential information such as employee benefits and payroll over virtual modules. 

“Top to bottom it’s a different place than we were in one year ago,” the vice dean said.

The continued focus on education was also felt by the new residents. Dr. Kelly Ieong, a urology resident and 2020 graduate of the medical school, said, “Going into my residency, I had the expectation that I’m just going to work, not learn much, and just help out as much as possible. But all of the teams did carve out time for our education and we had virtual meetings over Zoom, even during lunch. I felt very safe during my entire shift, unlike my friends who worked in other hospitals.” Additionally, she said residents were each assigned a specific mentor who provided the residents with an extra layer of support. 

After feeling helpless when some of her family were diagnosed with the virus earlier this year,  Ieong knew she wanted to be a volunteer when given the opportunity. 

“I definitely think volunteering was a helpful experience because a lot of the difficult conversations that I was having with my patients and their family members are something that you can’t learn in the books,” she said. “You don’t learn it in medical school, it’s something you have to learn through experience.” 

Although Wertheim said “everything is a bit slower when you can only put two people in an elevator,” he added that SBU was quick to adapt and optimize their eager students. Online platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams helped meet the demands for educational conferences, especially as residents may be on rotation at other hospitals. It’s clear that these platforms are here to stay, according to him. 

“Medicine in general tends to adopt things slowly unless we have to… and we really had to,” he said.

In thinking about the possibility of a second surge in coronavirus cases, Wertheim noted, “now that we’ve been through this experience once, as hard as it was, it is going to be easier to swiftly redeploy all of those residents as well as all of the other doctors.” Regardless of the future of the coronavirus, there have been benefits for the medical residents, according to the vice dean.  

 “I think the fact that all of these residents from different specialties had to work together to the same end, even though it was an arduous task, gives them a sense of mission that you don’t always get when everyone’s doing their own thing,” Wertheim said. “And I think that that’s definitely a positive that comes out of all of this.”

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Funds are being raised for St. James Dry Cleaners which has suffered financially during the pandemic. Photo by Rita J. Egan

By Leah Chiappino

St. James Dry Cleaners, like most businesses, is struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic. Melanie Bassi, the manager of the cleaners, said that during the past few months sales have dropped from around $16,000 per month to around $600 per month, a decrease of approximately 96 percent. Deemed an essential service by New York State, dry cleaners were able to stay open during the pandemic.

Looking for a way to save the dry cleaning service, Bassi started multiple online fundraisers. The community came through. A GoFundMe page, organized by the owner’s daughter, has since been deleted due to the fees the fundraising service charges, but raised $845. A Facebook fundraiser has raised another $228, so far. Bassi said that she has received $1,000 in donations from longtime customers and community members coming into the store to show their support.

The cleaners has been open for eight years and is owned by Peter Marinelli, who Bassi describes as an “old school” tailor, who has more than 50 years of experience.

“[Marinellii] is one of the most talented and selfless tailors there is,” Bassi said. “He’s just the nicest man. Everyone in the community loves him.”

To add to the business’ struggles, Marinelli has been in and out of the hospital, making the business’ daily operation even more difficult to manage.

“It’s just me and three part-time kids trying to keep this place afloat,” Bassi said.

Because they didn’t have updated bookkeeping to prove income, the cleaners did not qualify for government assistance or a payment protection program loan. Due to a dispute with Verizon, they were also forced to shut down their credit card machine and can only accept checks, cash or Venmo payments, adding to the business’ struggles. If the current sales stay the way they are, Bassi said she does not foresee the business being able to operate past the fall. They are looking to raise $10,000 in order to fully get back on their feet.

“From the bottom of our hearts, we are so grateful to the community,” Bassi said.

In the coming weeks, the dry cleaners is planning on having an outdoor fundraiser sponsored by a customer and several local businesses.

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A sign of the times outside Smithtown Town Hall. Photo courtesy of Smithtown Library

The Smithtown Library’s Long Island Room, located in the lower level of the  library’s main branch at 1 North Country Road in Smithtown, invites the community to participate in an important project.

Over the course of the last few months, the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdowns have had a dramatic impact on the entire world and our own community. As challenging as these times are, however, it is important to recognize and document the historical significance of this period so that future generations may learn from it.

Ways you can participate include collecting relevant items, keeping a journal reflecting on your experiences and sharing photos and/or videos of the way your life or surroundings have changed.

For more information about this project and collecting examples, please visit https://smithlib.org/documenting​. If you are interested in donating materials to this collection or have any questions, please contact the Long Island Room via email at [email protected]. Please do not bring any materials to the library at this time or before contacting the Long Island Room. For further information, please call 631-360-2480.

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Above, the Setauket Baseball Team. Hub Edwards is in the front row, center. Photo courtesy of TVHS
Photo from TVHS

The Three Village Historical Society had to make the difficult decision to cancel all of its in-person programs and events for the spring and summer. In light of the financial devastation caused by COVID-19, it recently launched a “Safe at Home” t-shirt campaign fundraiser in honor of Hub Edwards to help ensure that it can resume events this fall and continue to provide educational programs for years to come.

This limited run, made-in-the-USA t-shirt features the original 1950s Setauket Baseball Team logo with the words “Safe at Home,” a sentiment we can all relate to during the global pandemic. It is printed in a baseball diamond with Hub’s number on the community team, “24.” He has been riding out this quarantine, “safe at home,” and will be celebrating his 91st birthday later this year.

Hub Edwards: From Chicken Hill to the Three Villages, a man about community

The Three Village Historical Society works within the community to explore local history through education. Educational programs are developed by collecting and preserving artifacts, documents, and other materials of local significance. Ongoing research is conducted about the history of the people who have lived, from earliest habitation to modern times, in the Three Village area. 

A microcosm of the diversity of America, Chicken Hill was only one mile in diameter, but home to many different people, including Indigenous Persons, Eastern and Western European immigrants, and African Americans.  At its most robust, hundreds of people lived on Chicken Hill. Notable residents, such as Carlton “Hub” Edwards, called the neighborhood home. Chicken Hill and its residents continue to influence the Three Villages. 

Edwards was born in Stony Brook. When he was four years old, he and his family moved to Chicken Hill. A prolific baseball player, in eighth grade, he pitched for the varsity baseball team. In eleventh grade, he pitched for both the varsity team and the local semi-pro team. In 1950, his three no-hitters won him the attention of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Shortly thereafter, he got two draft notices: one from the Brooklyn Dodgers and one from the government.

After his service in the Korean War, he returned home to Chicken Hill. He met and married Nellie Sands. They lived with Edwards’ widowed mother and extended family in an apartment complex in Chicken Hill; in 1958, they purchased a house in the area formerly known as West Setauket. They still live there today.

Edwards’ baseball talents were fostered and nurtured in Chicken Hill. His maternal uncles played ball; one of them could have gone pro if not for the “color barrier,” according to Edwards. Games were held in the fields near the former location of the rubber factory, as well as at Cardwell’s Corner, and the Setauket School, which was “the best field, because it was level,” says Edwards.

He and Nellie remain pillars of the Three Villages, socially and civically engaged in many causes. For 40 years, he worked as a custodian in the Three Village Central School District before retiring in 2000. He has been a member of the Irving Hart American Legion Post for 64 years, and in non-pandemic times, speaks every Sunday at Three Village Historical Society’s exhibit, Chicken Hill: A Community Lost to Time.

To support the Society by buying a “Safe at Home” t-shirt, visit www.tvhs.org. T-shirts sell for $25 plus shipping. Shirts are available in 6 different colors, come in sizes Small to 4X and are proudly made in America. The fundraiser runs through Friday, July 31. 100% of the proceeds will be used to help support and fund the Three Village Historical Society’s education programs.

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Generous Long Islanders have been finding ways to lend a helping hand to staff at Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Commack who have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 battle, as well as Gurwin residents who are missing their loved ones due to the “No Visitation” mandate issued by the New York State Department of Health in March.

16-year-old Melville resident Emily Rind created 370 care packages filled with puzzles, word search books, activities and sundry items to help keep Gurwin’s residents entertained and engaged, as part of her “Put a Smile on a Senior Campaign.”

Rind, who was unable to visit her own grandmother due to New York State’s COVID-19 Stay-At-Home Order, said she could only imagine how seniors at Gurwin must feel not being able to see their loved ones. “I reached out to Gurwin to see which items were most needed, and then posted flyers around town to collect supplies,” said Emily. Affixed to the care packages was a note which read, “I know it must be hard not seeing your family and loved ones, so I hope this will brighten your day and put a SMILE on your face.”

Melville Girl Scout Troop 3650

In another show of support for Gurwin healthcare workers, fifth graders in Melville Girl Scout Troop 3650 dedicated their Bronze Award project to providing handmade personal protective equipment (PPE) for the staff. Troop members created face shields using 3D printers, as well as masks and ear guards, items that were in scarce supply during the onset of the pandemic.

“In these challenging times when our staff are working their hardest to protect the well-being of those in their care, and when are residents are missing their families, the thoughtfulness of people in our local community like Emily and the Scouts in Troop 3650 really make a difference in helping to keep morale and spirits high,” said Nicole Hopper, Director of Therapeutic Recreation at Gurwin.

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Goroff, center, won out amongst this year's slate of Democratic contenders to run against Lee Zeldin in November. Photo from Three Village Democratic Club

By Kyle Barr and David Luces

After nearly two weeks of anticipation since ballots were first cast, Stony Brook University scientist Nancy Goroff has come out on top of a slate of Democratic contenders running for the 1st Congressional District. She will run against U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY-1) in November.

With votes still to be certified, officials at the Suffolk County Board of Elections confirmed Goroff won by a margin of 630 with 17,905 votes, after all absentee ballots were finished counting Thursday, July 9. Last year’s Democratic contender Perry Gershon came out with 17,275 while Bridget Fleming, a Suffolk County legislator from Sag Harbor, finished with 13,696. Gregory Fisher had 773 total votes.

Goroff congratulated both Gershon and Fleming for the race, and extolled this year’s turnout of being nearly double that of 2018.

In her message to voters, Goroff also said that Zeldin had put “hyperpartisan spin over science and over the needs of our community.”

Gershon, on Twitter, congratulated Goroff on her winning the primary, adding, “I am confident that Nancy will offer real solutions.”

“It was an honor working to be your representative in Congress and I am very sorry I will not be our party’s torchbearer in November,” Gershon wrote on his campaign Facebook page. “I will be
honored to do whatever I can to assure Nancy’s victory.”

Goroff, 52, has been chair of SBU’s chemistry department until taking a leave of absence to campaign. She is also President of Gallery North’s board of trustees and lives in Stony Brook.

This post will be updated when comments from Zeldin and Fleming become available.

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