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Northport opens up big lead, Smithtown West battles back but falls short

by TBR Staff - September 15, 2022

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By Steven Zaitz

Have you ever gotten gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe?

It’s nearly impossible to get rid of.

The Smithtown West football team simply would not allow itself to be removed from its opening game against the Northport Tigers on Friday night, Sept. 9, as they battled back from multiple double-digit deficits against the heavily favored visitors.

However, the Bulls fell one bullet short, and Northport’s star quarterback, Owen Johansen, put the game away with a long run that gave the Tigers a first down in the final minute and allowed them to escape Smithtown with a 34-30 win.

The contest’s opening few possessions didn’t give off any signs it would be a close game. The Bulls went backwards on their first offensive possession and after a three and out, punted to Northport and their versatile weapon “Every-Down” Emmett Radziul, who took the kick 31 yards deep into Bulls territory. Radziul would also have an interception in the second half.

Three plays after Emmett’s punt return, Tiger tight end Andrew Miller pranced into the end zone with a 21-yard touchdown catch, one of Miller’s two touchdowns in the first quarter. When running back Andrew DeMarco plunged in from the two-yard line midway through the second quarter, Northport took a 20-3 lead.

“It felt amazing to score my first varsity touchdown,” Demarco said. “The offensive line definitely played great tonight.”

The Tigers rushed for 230 yards for the game and with five minutes to go in the half seemed to have complete control. But as they did in the 2021 regular season finale at Northport, West fought on.

A kickoff return to midfield by wide receiver Tim Vanderbink breathed some life into the Bulls. Their standout quarterback Brayden Stahl calmly hit wide receiver Jacque Lapraire, who got inside position on defense back Christian Raio, and made a toe-tapping, one-handed catch for a 22-yard touchdown and it was 20-9 with 2:30 left in the half. Raio had good coverage, but it was a perfect pass and a great play by Laprarie, capping a 50-yard drive in less than a minute.

After a Northport three and out, the Bulls got the ball back with under two minutes to play at their own 42. After two medium-sized completions, Stahl hit a wide open Jack Melore, who had gotten past everyone and had himself a 25-yard touchdown catch. It was now 20-16 and the home crowd, that up until that point had been reduced to a dull murmur, were shaking the bleachers with delight.

“We can’t let guys run free like that behind our defense,” said Northport Head Coach Pat Campbell. “I think they have a very underrated team and (Stahl) is a very good quarterback, but defensive breakdowns like that is stuff that we are going to have to clean up. It can’t happen.”

All Suffolk Tiger linebacker and team captain Tim Cleary led the team with six tackles and along with Miller, defensive end Matt Diaz and defensive linemen Justin Macke and Mason Hecht, put heavy pressure on Stahl from the opening whistle. The senior quarterback for West would finish with 19 for 32 with 267 yards passing and three touchdowns.

“We gave up a few long passes in the second half, but our run defense was great the whole game,” Cleary said. “We’ll polish our coverages in practice this week for sure.”

The Tigers defense got a respite to start the second half and the offense did a great job in keeping the suddenly smoking hot Stahl seated firmly on the bench. Johansen engineered at 13 play, 64 yard drive which included four 3rd down conversions and was capped off by the first of running back Giancarlo Valenti’s two second half touchdown runs. It put the Tigers ahead 27-16 and chewed up the first six minutes of the third quarter. Northport fans could relax again with a two-score lead, right?

On Northport’s very next possession Johansen, who had 106 yards passing and 98 yards on the ground, had a pass deflect off of Miller’s hands and into the arms of Lapraire and the Bulls again took to the comeback trail. Stahl took over at his own 38, hit four completions in a row and gave the ball to tailback Brian Hope to close the deal, which he did with a four-yard touchdown run off right tackle. With 10:30 remaining it was 27-22 — again a one-score game.

Valenti would answer. After an electrifying quarterback draw by Johansen went for 38 yards, the junior tailback would dart up the middle for his second touchdown in less than 10 minutes. Valenti finished with 91 yards rushing, 22 receiving and 2 TDs. This one put the Tigers up 34-22 and the Bulls were finally toast.

Except they weren’t.

Stahl would hit on a 37-yard bomb that got the ball to the Tiger 12. On the next snap he rolled to his right and threw what looked like a damaging interception into traffic in the end zone. But it was deflected twice and somehow ended up in the belly of Bull running back Nick Briffa for an extremely serendipitous touchdown for Smithtown. It was now 34-30 Northport after Stahl converted a two point try. The pendulum had swung West once again.

But it was Johansen, who made the keynote to Miller on the opening drive, put the final imprint on it as well. On a waggle keeper right, O.J. rumbled down the Northport sidelines for a gain of 26, carrying half the Bull defense on his back for the last 10 yards. The Tigers ran out the clock and finally cleaned the gum off their cleats.

“We need to read our keys on defense a lot better going forward,” said the never-satisfied Campbell. “We can’t let people run down the middle of the field like that, but it’s the first game. We ran the ball for 230 yards, so obviously I’m happy with that, and Owen hit some big time passes early on to Andrew and I think that opened up our running game. We have some work to do for next week.”

Northport will host Half Hollow Hills East for its home opener on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Thunderbirds beat the Tigers last October, 35-21.

Editorial: To heal a wounded nation, start locally

by TBR Staff - September 14, 2022

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On a national stage, two U.S presidents are in a tug-of-war for the soul of our nation.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden (D) and former President Donald Trump (R) presented disparate visions for the American future. Despite diametrically opposing messages, one theme unifies these speeches: Americans stand at a crossroads in our history, and our trajectory is undecided.

Numerous problems plague our policymakers in Washington, from national security, economic uncertainty, immigration policy, among many others. In the face of these seemingly unanswerable questions, we must remember that all politics is local. Before we can even consider pondering the great questions of our time, we must first get our affairs in order here at the community level.

From town and village halls to school boards, environmental demonstrations, civic meetings, and everything in between, our residents grapple with the most pressing issues confronting our communities. We find particular examples of the nation’s broader, systemic issues within these forums.

What does it mean to have a representative voice in government? What is an equitable distribution of public resources? How and where should we build, and to what end?

We are wrestling with these unsettled questions right now. At the local level, our citizens learn how systems operate. With this understanding, we begin breaking down the great questions into bite-sized, manageable tasks.

In time, we will accumulate small wins. This formula can be scaled, meaning we can soon apply our takeaways from local politics to the higher levels of government.

We hold that this bottom-up approach is the best course of action, both for our residents and nation. Locally, our voices ring louder, our votes weightier. Let’s fix our problems here first, then set our sights on issues further from home.

We must first create a solid foundation to build something meant to last. May we heal this divided but unbroken nation. May we find solutions to problems both near and far. And may we never lose faith in the principles that unite us as community members and Americans.

D. None of the Above: From Suffolk, UK, to Suffolk, NY, a family reflects on the late queen

by Daniel Dunaief - September 14, 2022

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queen-g3f20b7e4b_1920 — Queen Elizabeth II. Pixabay photo

By Daniel Dunaief

During the Platinum Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years on the throne, Clary Evans, a radiation oncologist who works at Northwell Health, her husband Tobias Janowitz, a scientist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and their families got together with another English family to mark the occasion.

They made a cake and had tea, “aware that this was probably the last time” they would celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s lengthy legacy, Evans recalled in an email.

Residents of Suffolk, England, Evans’s parents Philip and Gillian shared memories and thoughts on Queen Elizabeth II, who died last week at the age of 96.

Before Elizabeth’s coronation at the age of 27, Philip Evans, who was a teenager, traveled with his brother Anthony to Trafalgar Square, where they camped out near the fountain.

After a night filled with an early June rain in 1953, Evans and his brother awaited the moment to see the queen, whose coronation occurred 16 months after she became queen.

Gillian and Philip Evans with their Patterdale terrier puppy in Mettingham, Suffolk, UK in August of this year. Photo from Clary Evans

The next morning, as crowds continued to grow, the police pushed the newer arrivals in front of the group, which meant Phillip was in the third tier of onlookers.

Through the crowd, he caught a glimpse of the young queen, offering a stiff wave to her subjects.

“It was a marvelous thing to do,” Evans said by phone from his home. The travel and waiting in the rain meant it “wasn’t easy.”

Gillian Evans, meanwhile, traveled with her family to visit her aunt, who, at the time, was the only one in her family who owned a television.

“It was lovely to see what a beautiful spectacle it was,” Gillian Evans said.

The queen executed her duties admirably under an intense spotlight that never dimmed during her over 70 years of service, she added.

“What a remarkable lady she had been,” Gillian Evans added. “She said she would give herself to the nation for as long as she lived, and she did. Right up to the very, very last, which is wonderful.”

While Gillian Evans thought such conditions were akin to being in prison, with all the limitations and the constant responsibilities, she believed the queen “loved it. It showed in her face.” Being a part of a “love match” with her husband Prince Philip “must have helped enormously.”

The Evans matriarch, 83, who is a retired diagnostic radiographer, is amazed at the effect the queen’s death is having on residents.

Philip Evans, who said the queen did “jolly well,” recognized that the queen made mistakes, one of which arose during her muted reaction to the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in 1997.

“She had a really bad time when Princess Diana was killed,” said Philip Evans, who retired in 2000 as a general surgeon. “She was just pulled down by the power of the press. In legalese, ‘she was badly advised.’”

During a recent visit to the ophthalmologist, Evans chatted with three people about the queen and her son Charles, who has now become King Charles III.

People were saying “the queen had done a good job” and that they believed her son was “well suited” for his new role.

Philip Evans has noticed that the church bells ringing in the aftermath of her death don’t have their typical sound.

The sound alternates between loud and muted. The churches are using a so-called half-muffled peal, which creates a somber echo. The bells rang the same way last year after Prince Philip’s death.

“It’s very alarming and tells you that something is odd,” Evans said.

As the country prepares for the funeral of a queen born eight years after the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918 and who died two years after COVID-19, Clary Evans recognized that Queen Elizabeth II was a “link to those values of duty and service that were strong in those war and post-war years.”

Between You and Me: Ode to a good handyman

by Leah Dunaief - September 14, 2022

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handyman-g535cf623f_1920 — Handyman. Pixabay photo

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

If you grew up in an urban apartment, as I did, you would marvel, as I do, at living now in a house. Some of my earliest memories involve neighbors in the building.

For example, I loved to play jacks, a game on a hardwood floor with a bouncy rubber ball and 10 small metal pieces (called jacks), each to be lifted after the ball bounces but before it drops. When played, it surely made tapping noises on the ceiling of the apartment below, but that was nothing compared to the banging with what was probably a broomstick that the downstairs neighbor used to retaliate. The jacks trembled with each blow, and I certainly trembled at the attack. I remember bursting into tears and running to find my mother.

“You can’t play that game indoors,” my mother explained. “It bothers the neighbors.”

Another memory involves my husband and me, shortly after we were married and had moved into our first apartment. Canadian Royal Mounted Police aerobic exercises were popular then, we had bought the book and were in the first few lunges after work one evening when there was a loud knocking at our door. When my husband opened it, an older couple shouted at us that we were bringing down the ceiling on their heads, and what were we doing up there, anyway?

I’m skipping over the years of squeaky violin music being practiced in the apartment to the left of ours, the midnight screaming by the couple two apartments further down the hall, the acrid smell of cooking from the apartment to the right of us each night, and so many other instances giving proof that we were not alone in our building.

Of course, we made noises, too, and otherwise let our presence be known. That was apartment living and somehow, we all survived it.

The first time I lived in a house was when my husband was in the Air Force, and we were in base housing. To me, it was miraculously quiet, even though airplanes flew in regular intervals over our heads. “Someday we will have a house of our own, yes?” I asked my husband and kissed him when he agreed.

So then we moved to the North Shore of Long Island and had our own house. That was when I discovered that a house was a living thing. It needed tending regularly. The toilet wouldn’t flush, the kitchen faucet dripped, the light fixture sizzled out, the venetian blind got stuck in the open position, the dishwasher wouldn’t dispense soap, the cabinet door was askew, there were ants in the basement and the front door knob threatened to fall off.

But unlike in the service, there was no one to call who would cheerfully arrive, fix the problem, then wish us a good day and leave. Oh, we could summon repair people to come, but when they left, we were less than cheerful. They had each gone off with a large chunk of our disposable income. In fact, we were lucky if we didn’t have more than one problem per month. Usually, the breakdowns seemed to caucus with each other and happen all at once.

We still love our house. You might ask, why? The answer is simple. We have found a handyman. Just as every first baby should come with an instruction manual, every house should be accompanied by a handyman. This person is a quiet, unsung hero. He, and it’s almost always a he, arrives with little fanfare shortly after he is called, carries two screwdrivers, a regular and a Phillips head, a hammer, a wrench, maybe some tape and seemingly little else. He squats down and patiently analyses each problem, pulls out the uncomplicated tool and sets everything right.

Oh, and did I mention that he doesn’t ask a month’s mortgage?

Now this person is not easy to find. In fact, there must be several unsuccessful trials before Mr. Right comes along. Ask your neighbors, your friends, your cousin, the hardware store, anyone who might help with a referral, but they may not want to share. Good luck!

Goodbye Queen Elizabeth II, arise King Charles III

by TBR Staff - September 12, 2022

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Middy photo — Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the South of England Show in Ardingly in 1984 which our writer attended. Photo courtesy Mid Sussex Times/SussexWorld.co.uk

By John Broven

It was like a “JFK” or “9/11” remember-where-you-were moment when the news broke Thursday, just after 1:30 p.m. EST: “Queen Elizabeth II has died.” For this Brit expat, it was a big shock even though she was 96 years old. Only two days before, she had held the “kissing the hands” ceremony with new prime minister, Liz Truss (C).

It became clear the queen’s loss was being felt far beyond the United Kingdom as tributes poured in from every corner of the globe, signaling the enormous impact of a 70-year reign during which she performed her often centuries-old duties with wisdom, dignity, gentle good humor and an essential mystique.

The new King Charles III, her son aged 73, caught the moment when he said in a statement, “I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”

I am a member of the knighted Mick Jagger-Elton John-Paul McCartney generation (where did I go wrong?). It was Jagger who summarized our thoughts when he tweeted, “For my whole life Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, has always been there.” And now she isn’t. The second Elizabethan era is over.

The queen’s death Sept. 8 in Balmoral, Scotland, has been covered extensively by the media. Briefly, she was born in Mayfair, London, on April 21, 1926; married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh — her pillar of strength — on Nov. 20, 1947; became queen of the U.K. and other Commonwealth realms on Feb. 6, 1952, also head of the Church of England; was a working mother with four children including Charles; and owned a string of corgi dogs and racehorses through the years.

Such basic facts obscure the sweeping social and economic changes she saw in her reign, without revolution or revolt, from postwar austerity and the Swingin’ ’60s through to post-modern Britain, even as the sun set on the old British Empire. Soon the currency notes, coins and postage stamps bearing her likeness will be phased out and replaced.

Personal reflections? My first big memory was in relation to the death of Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, in 1952 while she was on a trip to Kenya, East Africa. I was in Mrs. Vidler’s class at Polegate Primary School, East Sussex, and you could hear the proverbial pin drop when we were told “the king is dead.” A dark February Wednesday morning became even darker. In our childhood grief, we had no idea nor cared that the queen’s first prime minister was Winston Churchill. She was only 25 when ascending the throne.

The coronation did not take place until June 2, 1953, but what a glorious affair it was with celebrations in every city, town and village. Some 20 million viewers were able to watch the glittering, expensive ceremony from Westminster Abbey live on television, with many households — including ours — buying their first TVs, in black and white.

As Jagger indicated, the queen was a constant, whether for the annual Christmas televised message that highlighted her strong Christian faith, the State Opening of Parliament, Trooping the Colour, the Royal Ascot and Epsom Derby horserace meetings, or various other occasions.

I saw her in person twice, both during my management spells at Midland Bank, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, in the 1970s and ‘80s. The first occasion was when she visited the neighboring headquarters of the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind. Imagine my surprise when I was walking to my car after work and, with nobody else around, she passed by me in the royal vehicle with no motorcade or security guards in sight. I swear she gave a little regal wave. The next time was when she presented prizes at the South of England Show in Ardingly, where the bank’s meet-and-greet pavilion gave us a ringside view. There was a majestic aura that seeped from her as she beguiled everybody at the agricultural showground — as she did elsewhere in a long lifetime of public service.

King Charles III

What of King Charles III, who represents continuity and has made a promising start to his reign. An often unfairly misunderstood man, he has been ahead of his time on environmental matters, wildlife preservation and climate change. His views on architecture were more controversial if personal. On a different level, his image was severely dented by the disastrous marriage to Diana, with whom he had William — now heir to the throne as Prince of Wales — and current-U.S. resident Harry. Charles married longtime flame Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 and she is now queen consort. Time has gradually healed the British public’s disdain toward them both.

It is not widely appreciated that Charles founded the Prince’s Trust. For a while I was a trust business counselor in Ashford, Kent, and can attest to the value of the scheme for young entrepreneurs. Another factoid is that he has been patron of The Goon Show Preservation Society. The website noted, in the spirit of the groundbreaking 1950s comedy show, that “we would like to thank Prince Charles for agreeing to be our patron and look forward to the coming years with trembling socks.”

Britain now has a novice king and a novice prime minister, both unelected by the people at large. There are difficult days ahead for a country badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the self-induced Brexit debacle, inflation currently running at 10% with soaring energy costs due to the Russia-Ukraine war, rumblings on the Scottish independence front, possible Irish trade confrontation, threatened departures from the Commonwealth and, indeed, concern for the future direction of the monarchy itself.

Still, as President Joe Biden (D) and First Lady Jill Biden said in a statement, “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era.”

Thank you Queen Elizabeth II — and God save the king. The state funeral, combining solemnity with pageantry, will be held Monday, Sept. 19, at Westminster Abbey, London, at 11 a.m. (6 a.m. EST).

East Setauket resident John Broven is subeditor and proofreader in the TBR editorial department and has written three award-winning music history books. He recently edited and contributed to “New York City Blues” by Larry Simon. His three Brexit articles can be found online at tbrnewsmedia.com. With thanks to Mark Dunford, editor of National World, and the website www.sussexexpress.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/nostalgia-3691487.

Northport man killed in single-vehicle crash

by TBR Staff - September 12, 2022

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Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating a single-vehicle crash that killed a man
in Fort Salonga this morning.

John Burke was driving a 2019 Nissan Rogue westbound on Route 25A when he lost control of the
vehicle, which struck a pole at Sunken Meadow Road. The vehicle came to a rest on its side, off the
roadway, and Burke was ejected from the vehicle into a nearby creek.

Burke, 57, of Northport, was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives are asking anyone with information on this crash to call the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452.

Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty kicks off island-wide fundraiser to support local food banks

by Press Release - September 11, 2022

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Island Harvest Group Shot with Check — Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty Chief Executive Officer Deirdre O’Connell and members of her executive team kicked off the fundraiser, presenting Island Harvest and City Harvest with an initial donation of $10,000 from the Daniel Gale Foundation.

29 Sales Offices from Brooklyn and Queens Across Long Island to Contribute Food and Funds throughout September, Hunger Action Month®

Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty (DGSIR), a luxury real estate organization serving Long Island, Brooklyn, and Queens has launched a month-long fundraiser to collect food and funds for Island Harvest Food Bank and City Harvest, two of the region’s largest hunger relief organizations. This companywide effort is part of Daniel GaleSotheby’s International Realty’s 100 Anniversary celebration, and the goal is to raise funds to provide 100,000 meals during the month of September, which is Hunger Action Month®.

Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty Chief Executive Officer Deirdre O’Connell and members of her executive team kicked off the fundraiser, presenting Island Harvest and City Harvest with an initial donation of $10,000 from the Daniel Gale Foundation.

“With sales offices across Long Island and more than 1,000 real estate professionals, managers and support staff enthusiastically committed to our goal, we are eager to make this significant contribution to alleviate hunger in our communities,” said O’Connell. “Every office will be contributing and accepting donations of nonperishable goods and monetary donations online, as well as rolling up their sleeves as the boots on the ground.”

Randi Shubin Dresner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Island Harvest, explained the continuing need for food banks such as Island Harvest and City Harvest and the ways in which the Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty community can help.

“While Long Island is home to some of the wealthiest ZIP codes in the nation, one in ten Long Island families experience food insecurity at some point during the year. This includes school children who may have trouble concentrating in class because they went to bed hungry and woke up to a minimal, or no breakfast; seniors who helped to build our communities and now must choose between medicine and a meal; and our veterans who served our country but now face hard times. It’s our responsibility to make sure that no one on Long Island goes without food.”

“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City was facing a profound hunger crisis—particularly in the marginalized communities that City Harvest has long served, with nearly 1.2 million New Yorkers, including one in five children experiencing food insecurity,” said Jilly Stephens, City Harvest Chief Executive Officer. “Those numbers surged during the pandemic and remain at historic highs with nearly 1.5 million New Yorkers, including more than 462,000 children, in need of assistance.”

In addition to contributing food and funds, Island Harvest and City Harvest will welcome volunteers from Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty to help them get food into the hands of those in need. Activities include volunteering at distribution centers, helping to sort donations or working at Island Harvest’s Brentwood farm.

“Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty has a 100 year tradition of serving our communities, and we couldn’t be more excited that to put our hands and hearts to work to help Island Harvest and City Harvest meet their goals to end hunger,” added O’Connell. “We will working individually and as a team to make a difference across Long Island from Brooklyn to our easternmost offices on the North Fork. Our team is ready and willing to work shoulder to shoulder with these two incredible food banks.”

Donations to Island Harvest and City Harvest can be made online at Island Harvest donation or

City Harvest donation.

Cold Spring Harbor whaler descendant visits The Whaling Museum

by Press Release - September 10, 2022

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Robert Archer. Photo from The Whaling Museum

The Whaling Museum in Cold Spring Harbor welcomed special guest and Huntington resident Robert Archer to its museum last week. Bob’s great-great grandfather, Benjamin Archer (1825-1868), sailed as a greenhand, or an inexperienced crew member on Cold Spring Harbor’s whaleship, the Monmouth. According to FindAGrave, Benjamin was an immigrant from England, and he married Phebe Wall (1827-1898) from Ireland. At the young age of 17, he signed on as a greenhand on the bark Monmouth, as shown in the Museum’s archives.

The Monmouth was Cold Spring Harbor’s first and smallest vessel, built in Massachusetts at 100 feet long. John H. Jones, agent for the Cold Spring Whaling Company, purchased the Monmouth in 1836. The bark had a relatively long career with multiple whaling voyages for the Long Island village.

Benjamin sailed on the Monmouth from 1842-1843, which journeyed to the Indian, North Atlantic, and South Atlantic oceans. The captain of the voyage was the well-liked Hiram B. Hedges of East Hampton (1820-ca.1861), who himself started as a greenhand and worked his way up to captain. Although just a few years older than Benjamin, Hiram was known as “always kind to his men, and highly respected by them.” He was also “the handsomest captain who made port in the Sandwich Islands in his time.” Benjamin would have had to follow Hiram’s no-liquor regulation on the voyage.

Like all greenhands, Benjamin’s earnings were small – a cut of 1/150. As a whole, the voyage was comparatively short and profitable, yielding 75 barrels of sperm oil, 1,550 barrels of whale oil, and 12,400 pounds of baleen & whalebone. One voyage seems to have been enough for Benjamin, because we do not see record of him returning on a future voyage. However, he kept his connection to working on the waters, sailing as a local captain of several schooners and sloops in the 1850’s-60s in Cold Spring Harbor (you can check out his licenses in the museum’s digital collection).

1855 License for the sloop Dispatch

Benjamin had four children; all but one lived past childhood. Our last record of Benjamin’s maritime career was an 1865 license; he passed away just a few years later in 1868. Benjamin was only in his early 40s.

Interestingly, Capt. Hiram B. Hedges – like Benjamin – also retired from whaling. Although Benjamin and many of his descendants remained local to our area, 37-year old Hiram called it quits and moved to Oregon with his wife and son where he became a farmer before vanishing around 1861, possibly in a boating accident – or by committing suicide while facing onsetting Huntington’s disease, which ran in the Hedges family. He left behind three young children. (See “The Woman Who Walked Into the Sea.”)

Bob Archer noticed some of the museum’s recent Facebook posts, and he came to see the collection for himself in person. As an added connection to the museum, Robert’s wife, Kathleen, was a descendant of Captain James Wright, whose home is used today for the museum offices and collection storage.

Interestingly, Bob shared that years ago, Cold Spring Harbor was not loally regarded as the “well-off” location it is thought as today — Cold Spring Harbor residents were nicknamed humble “clammies”!

# # #

About The Whaling Museum & Education Center

The Whaling Museum & Education Center is the only museum in the world open year-round which explores the whaling history of the Long Island region. The Museum engages the community in exploring the diversity of our whaling heritage and its impacts to enrich and inform our lives. The museum is located at 301 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724. Visit cshwhalingmuseum.org and follow The Whaling Museum on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @cshwhalingmuseum

Never forget: The role of the Sept. 11 attacks in the American memory

by Rich Acritelli - September 10, 2022

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new-york-4430931_1920 — This Sunday, Sept. 11, marks 21 years since of one of the darkest episodes in U.S. history. Pixabay photo

“You can be sure that the American spirit will prevail over this tragedy.” — Colin Powell

Those were the words of the former U.S. secretary of state who passed away last year. As a prominent military and political figure, Powell understood the terrible impact that the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, would have on the nation.

Though the 9/11 attacks were 21 years ago, the American public was and remains forever changed. Yet Powell was confident that America could overcome this tragedy.

This year marks the first time that the U.S. has not had a major military force in Afghanistan since the weeks after 9/11. A year ago, President Joe Biden (D) ordered the final withdrawal of soldiers from this war-torn nation. After the withdrawal, Afghanistan was quickly overrun by the Taliban.

The long-term fighting in Afghanistan contributed to the increase in post-traumatic stress disorder among American servicemen with many other soldiers who were severely wounded fighting in this conflict. For almost two decades, Americans tied yellow ribbons around their trees and kept stars in their windows to represent the military service of their loved ones who served in Afghanistan.

On May 1, 2011, Americans learned during a New York Mets game against the Philadelphia Phillies that Osama bin Laden was finally killed. Flying from military bases in Afghanistan, members of SEAL Team 6 were transported by helicopters to Abbottabad, Pakistan, where they cornered bin Laden in his compound. Chants of “USA” were heard throughout Shea Stadium once baseball fans learned of the death of this al-Qaida leader. The demise of the coordinator of the terrorist plot on 9/11 provided a sense of justice to the victims on that day and their families.

Despite ongoing political polarization domestically, many can still recall the moments of national solidarity in the wake of the attacks. After 9/11, citizens put their political differences aside for the good of the nation, just as they had done after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Americans in 2001 rallied around the importance of helping local rescue workers and first responders who worked around the clock in Lower Manhattan.

New Yorkers lined the streets with American flags and handed out food and water to the police officers, firefighters, demolition workers and medical personnel who heroically sifted through the debris at Ground Zero. A plume of smoke hung in the air, blocking visibility of downtown Manhattan. Yet within this cloud, rescue workers operated 24/7.

At Shea Stadium, the New York Mets organized supplies that were sent to the rescue workers. Prominent members of the New York Yankees — Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Tino Martinez — visited firehouses near the World Trade Center and thanked these public servants for their efforts. Both the New York Giants and Jets invited military and rescue workers to spread flags across their football fields. With tears in their eyes, football fans nationwide watched fighter planes soar through the skies above the stadiums. Rival fans who rooted against New York teams wore “NY” on their hats, showing support for the residents of the City.

Here on Long Island, locals need not look far to see patriotism that stirred from that day of infamy. Countless memorials depict the importance of this date. Pieces of steel that were collected by the NY/NJ Port Authority was given to towns across Brookhaven and Suffolk County that were placed at post offices, schools, libraries, and police and fire stations.

This past spring, the Rocky Point VFW organized the first annual 5K race to support War on Terror veterans as they work to better handle post-traumatic stress disorder.

And so 21 years ago, politics was put aside for the good of the nation. Americans from every corner of this country sent rescue, salvage and fire crews to help the search, and later recovery efforts at Ground Zero.

In a moment of profound despair, our nation came together. Through shared tragedy, people from diverse economic, social and ethnic backgrounds illustrated the meaning of national unity.

America today is a deeply divided nation. In the face of unlikely odds, the American people should never doubt their power to resolve their differences and overcome adversity.

Rich Acritelli is a history teacher at Rocky Point High School and adjunct professor at Suffolk County Community College.

Jaguar car show heads to Vanderbilt Museum this weekend

by Press Release - September 9, 2022

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Car Show 4 — From left, 1970 Jaguar XKE, 1966 Jaguar XKE, 1952 Jaguar XK-120. Photo by Heidi Sutton

The Jaguar Drivers Club of Long Island will hold its annual Concours d’Elegance, a show of vintage and modern Jaguars and other British and international makes on the Great Lawn at the Vanderbilt Museum overlooking Northport Harbor on Sunday, September 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (rain date: September 18).

Charity raffle proceeds will benefit Little Shelter Animal Rescue & Adoption Center (https://www.littleshelter.org/) and General Needs (https://generalneeds.org/), an organization based in East Northport, N.Y., that helps homeless veterans.

Visitors pay only the Vanderbilt’s general admission cost: adults $10; seniors (age 62 and up) $9; students (with ID) $9; children 12 and under $7; Members, active military, and children under 2 are FREE.

For additional information about the show visit the Jaguar Drivers Club of Long Island website at www.jdcli.com.

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