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Times of Middle Country

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Stony Brook University admissions office where about 10,000 students applied through the school’s first early action program. Photo courtesy Stony Brook University

By Daniel Dunaief

For Stony Brook University, 2024 will be the year of more, as in more college counselors, more classes, more study abroad opportunities, more artificial intelligence and more faculty.

The downstate flagship university, which is a member of the Association of American Universities and has been climbing the rankings of colleges from US News and World Reports, plans to address several growing needs.

“We have invested heavily in new advisors,” said Carl Lejuez, executive vice president and provost at Stony Brook, in a wide ranging interview. These advisors will be coming on board throughout the semester.

With additional support from the state and a clear focus on providing constructive guidance, the university is working to reduce the number of students each advisor has, enabling counselors to “focus on the students they are serving,” Lejuez said.

Advisors will help students work towards graduation and will hand off those students to an engaged career center.

At the same time, Stony Brook is expanding its global footprint. Lejuez said study abroad options were already “strong” in Europe, while the university is developing additional opportunities in Asia and Africa.

The university prioritizes making study abroad as affordable as possible, offering several scholarships from the office of global affairs and through individual departments.

Students aren’t always aware that “they can study abroad in any SBU-sponsored program for a semester and keep all of their existing federal aid and scholarships and in many cases the full cost of that semester abroad is comparable and sometimes even less expensive” than what the student would spend on Long Island, Lejuez explained in an email.

Stony Brook University Executive Vice President and Provost Carl Lejuez. Photo courtesy Conor Harrigan

As for artificial intelligence, Stony Brook plans to expand on existing work in the realm of teaching, mentoring, research and community outreach.

In efforts sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Learning and the Library, the university is holding multiple training sessions for faculty to discuss how they approach AI in their classrooms.

The library opened an AI Lab that will enable students to experiment, innovate and work on AI projects, Lejuez said. The library plans to hire several new librarians with expertise in AI, machine learning and innovation.

The library is training students on the ethical use of AI and will focus on non-STEM disciplines to help students in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

Artificial intelligence “has its strengths and weaknesses,” said Lejuez. “We are not shying away from it.”

As for the community, the hope is that Stony Brook will use the semester to develop plans for kindergarten through 12th grade and then launch the expansion later this spring.

Additional classes

Lejuez acknowledged that class capacity created challenges in the past.

Stony Brook is using predictive analysis to make decisions about where to add classes and sections. At this point, the university has invested in the most in-demand classes in fields such as computer science, biology, chemistry, psychology and business.

The school has also added capacity in writing, math and languages.

Stony Brook is focused on experiential opportunities across four domains: study abroad, internships, research and entrepreneurship.

The school is developing plans for additional makerspaces, which are places where people with shared interests can come together to use equipment and exchange ideas and information.

New hires

Stony Brook is in the middle of a hiring cycle and is likely to “bring the largest group of new faculty we’ve had in many years” on board, the provost said. “This is going to have a big impact on the student experience” including research, climate science, artificial intelligence and healthy aging.

The additional hires will create more research experiences for undergraduates, Lejuez said.

Stony Brook recently created a Center for Healthy Aging, CHA, which combines researchers and clinicians who are focused on enhancing the health and wellness of people as they age.

Amid a host of new opportunities, a rise in the US News and World Report rankings and a victory in the city’s Governors Island contest to create a climate solutions center, Stony Brook has seen an increase in applications from the state, the country and other countries.

This year, about 10,000 students applied to Stony Brook’s first early action admissions process, which Lejuez described as a “great success.”

Amid a world in which regional conflicts have had echoes of tension and disagreement in academic institutions around the country and with an election cycle many expect will be especially contentious, Stony Brook’s Humanities Institute has put together several programs.

This includes a talk on “Muslim and Jewish Relations in the Middle Ages” on February 15th, another on “The Electoral Imagination: Literature, Legitimacy, and Other Rigged Systems” on April 17th and, among others, a talk on April 18th titled “The Problem of Time for Democracies.

True to the core values

Amid all the growth, Stony Brook, led by President Maurie McInnis, plans to continue to focus on its core values.

Lejuez said some people have asked, “are we still going to be the university that really provides social mobility opportunities in ways that are just not available in other places? We will always be that. Everything else happens in the context” of that goal. 

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Goroff speaks to supporters at fundraising event on Jan. 18. Photo by Lynn Hallarman

By Lynn Hallarman

Talk to anyone about why they attended Nancy Goroff’s kickoff fundraiser event for the U.S. House of Representatives Democratic primary election for New York District 1, and they will mostly say the same thing: “She is smart, and she’s sane.”

Goroff, a Stony Brook resident, worked on perfecting her stump speech in front of a friendly crowd of supporters last Thursday night, Jan. 18, at the Port Jefferson Village Center. She seemed unconcerned about her primary competition, aiming most of her comments at incumbent Nick LaLota (R–NY1). 

“LaLota likes to talk about stuff but hasn’t done anything for the district,” Goroff said, in an interview with TBR News Media. 

A newcomer to politics in 2020, Goroff lost the House race by 55%-45% to four-time incumbent Lee Zeldin (R). But now Goroff sees this election cycle as winnable against first-termer, LaLota, who won the seat against former Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming (D-Noyac) in 2022. 

Goroff’s concerns now are the new redistricting maps currently being drawn by the state’s bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission to be filed by Feb. 28. 

“We’ll deal with whatever we get, but we feel pretty good about where the district is right now,” she said. 

Goroff, 55, has spent her adult life in Suffolk County, raising her two children and building a career as a scientist at Stony Brook University. Her pedigree is pure university professor. Starting with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1990 and a doctorate in chemistry from UCLA, Goroff then devoted her career to basic science research as faculty in the Department of Chemistry at SBU and then the department chair. She retired from her position in 2021 to focus on her political career. 

Goroff looked nonplussed at the assertion from some of her primary opponents that her academic credentials do not add up to enough experience working in government. 

Anyone that thinks that “hasn’t worked at a university,” she said. 

She sees her years navigating a career as a woman scientist and educator in a large state university as an asset. “I’m also the daughter of small business owners,” she said. “These things give me knowledge and experience that will be helpful as a policymaker.” If she wins in the general election in November, she will be the first woman basic research scientist in the House of Representatives.

Several of her former Stony Brook colleagues showed up for the event, commenting to TBR that Goroff’s leadership superpower is her ability to coalition build and work as a team member. They believe this makes her candidacy especially strong in the politically purple landscape of eastern Long Island. 

After losing the house race to Zeldin, Goroff did not retreat into an academic ivory tower, instead, she leveraged her skills to co-found the nonprofit Long Island Strong Schools Alliance. 

“Most candidates disappear after they lose— not Nancy,” said longtime supporter Shirley Hudson. 

Goroff explained that LISSA focuses on making sure Long Island public schools are places where children are welcomed regardless of their background. 

“We saw right-wing extremists win three school board seats in Smithtown in 2021, who had no interest in supporting public education,” she said. “They were trying to undermine it and make it fit their extremist ideology.” 

Goroff places the protection and well-being of children at the center of most of her policy positions, arguing that Long Island needs to be a safe and affordable place to work and raise a family.

“People are struggling,” she said. “Housing is a chronic issue on Long Island because of the cost.” 

Besides Goroff, other declared Democratic primary candidates to date are construction worker Andy DeCecco, former state Sen. James Gaughran (D-Northport), administrative law judge Craig Herskowitz and former Capitol Hill senior legislative aide Kyle Hill. 

The Democratic primary election is scheduled for June 25.

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Gov. Kathy Hochul delivers the New York State Executive Budget proposal at the State Capitol in Albany on Jan. 16. Photo courtesy Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul

By G.T. Scarlatos

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) delivered the Fiscal Year 2025 New York State Executive Budget proposal at the State Capitol in Albany on Tuesday, Jan. 16, where she announced her record-breaking $233 billion spending plan that looks to allocate funds toward public safety, education and the influx of migrants coming to New York. It also closes a $4.3 billion deficit the state faced. Although the budget proposes a roughly 2% increase from the previous year, this burden won’t be falling on the taxpayer as Hochul made it clear there would be no new increases in state income tax.

In the address, Hochul focused on the needs of everyday New Yorkers with an emphasis on investing in initiatives concerning public safety and affordability. 

“I stand by my commitment to fight the right fights for New Yorkers and pursue the common good,” Hochul said. “We must crack down on persistent crime, invest in children and families, and build the economy of the future. We’re taking action with common sense solutions that are simple, easy to implement. But the truth is, we can’t spend like there’s no tomorrow because tomorrow always comes.”

The governor outlined how the state will strengthen its public safety efforts by continuing to invest in initiatives that work with local communities, law enforcement and nonprofit groups to stem crime and gun violence statewide by devoting additional resources to youth mentorship programs, the police and district attorneys. 

The budget includes $40 million toward tackling property crime and retail theft that looks to bring relief to small businesses by creating a new state police enforcement unit dedicated to driving down the recent spike in retail theft.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my number one priority,” Hochul said in the address. “Over the last few years we’ve made historic investments in gun violence prevention programs and it’s paid off. Shootings and murders are way down. Gun seizures are up.”

The spending plan also proposes to increase school aid by $825 million, just a 2.4% increase from last year, considerably less than the 7.7% average increase in aid that districts have received in recent years. 

In an attempt to get ahead of the criticism she would potentially face, Hochul explained, “As much as we may want to, we are not going to be able to replicate the massive increases of the last two years. No one could have expected the extraordinary jumps in aid to recur annually.” 

She also attributed the disappointing figure to a decade-long trend of declining school enrollment for students K-12, by saying, “It’s common sense to ensure that the schools are getting the appropriate money based on their enrollments today compared to what they were a decade and a half ago.”

The governor then recalled how she worked with legislators to bring the state’s reserves from 4% of the budget to a now historically high level of just over 15%. The reserves can be used to stabilize public spending or for one-time emergencies that may leave the state vulnerable. 

In order to provide aid for what she referred to as a “humanitarian crisis,” Hochul plans to dip into the state’s reserves, allocating an extra $500 million of aid to support the approximately 13,600 asylum seekers arriving in New York each month, bringing state spending for the cost of shelter, social services and resettlement up to $2.4 billion. 

Hochul addressed the politically-charged issue and called out for additional support from Washington, saying, “New York continues to carry the burden of sheltering more than 69,000 migrants. Since day one, I have said that it is ultimately the responsibility of the federal government to address this crisis. Congress — the House of Representatives in particular — and the White House must remain at the negotiating table until they restore the rule of law on our border, fix our asylum system and provide relief to states like New York who’ve been shouldering this burden for far too long,” Hochul said. 

She continued addressing her efforts to combat the crisis saying, “I’ll be traveling once again to Washington to advocate for effective immigration reform, a stronger border and increased support from the federal government for New York. But until we see a change in federal policy that slows the flow of new arrivals, we’re going to be swimming against the tide.”

To see the whole budget presentation go to: budget.ny.gov.

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Pixabay photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Decades ago, doctors endorsed cigarette smoking, promoting it in advertisements. That was back in the 1950’s, in the decade after the U.S. government shipped cigarettes to members of the armed forces during World War II.

On Jan. 11, 1964, Surgeon General Luther Terry released a landmark report that showed a nine to 10-fold higher risk of lung cancer for smokers compared with non smokers. At the time, about 40% of the adult population smoked. The report helped dramatically alter the perception of smoking. Indeed, a Gallup Survey from 1958 showed that 44% of Americans believed smoking caused cancer. By 1968, that number surged to 78%, according to a report from the National Institutes of Health.

Pulmonologist Dr. Norman Edelman, a professor of medicine at Stony Brook University and a core member of the program in public health at Stony Brook, celebrated the legacy of that landmark report, even as he urged ongoing efforts to reduce smoking.

Dr. Norman Edelman. Photo courtesy Stony Brook University

“It was a momentous occasion,” said Dr. Edelman, who suggested that the number of deaths in the country would be even higher without this report. 

“By the beginning of the 1960’s, the medical literature was pretty clear that smoking causes lung cancer” but the tobacco lobby fought against warnings about the hazards of smoking, Edelman said.

Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County Health Commissioner, described the report as the “first step towards protecting the American people from the deleterious effects of tobacco use.”

Adult smoking rates have fallen from about 43% in 1965 to about 11.5% in 2011, according to Dr. Pigott.

The report, which was followed by 34 studies from the CDCs Office of Smoking and Health on the health consequences of smoking, validated the concerns of organizations like the American Cancer Society and helped reduce the prevalence of a habit that can have significant and fatal consequences.

“Smoking levels in teenagers are going down,” said Dr. Edelman. “It’s beginning to show up in the health effects” with lung cancer declining in men and plateauing in women.

Lung cancer deaths in men have fallen to 25.5 per 100,000 in 2021 from 65 per 100,000 in 1990, according to Dr. Pigott. More recently, smoking exacerbated the threat from Covid. An analysis of 22,900 people published in BMC Public Health in 2021 showed that 33.5% of people with a history of smoking experienced disease progression, compared with 21.9% of non-smokers. 

A ways to go

While smoking is not as prevalent as it had been in the 1960’s, it is still a killer, accounting for an estimated 480,000 deaths each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about one in five deaths each year.

“Smoking still kills more people than other preventable causes of death,” said Dr. Edelman.

Dr. Edelman recognized the severity of other problems like the opioid and overdose crisis. In 2023, the CDC estimates that over 112,000 people died from overdoses.

Still, even with a reduction in smoking, the number of people who are smoking is high enough that the public should continue to look for ways to cut back on the harmful habit.

Over 16 million people live with at least one disease caused by smoking and 58 million non smoking Americans are exposed to secondhand smoke, explained Dr. Pigott, citing CDC data. Second hand smoke causes 40,000 to 60,000 deaths per year in the country, while smoking-related illnesses, which combine direct medical expenses, lost productivity and second hand smoke exposure, cost over $300 billion per year. 

Increasing the cost of cigarettes has helped serve as a deterrent, Dr. Edelman said.

Suffolk County operates a smoking cessation program, which provides behavior modification and supportive pharmaceuticals to medically eligible participants, Dr. Pigott explained in an email. A nurse practitioner oversees the cessation groups, which the county provides at no cost to participants, who also receive personalized follow-up.Stony Brook has several cessation resources. Students interested in smoking cessation can consult a student health care provider who will help them develop a program.

Prescription medications, which are covered under student’s health insurance, are available at a pharmacy after a consultation with a student’s health care provider. 

As for vaping, Dr. Pigott described it as “highly addictive” and explained that its long-term effect is not yet fully understood.

The 2023 Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey found that more than 2.1 million youth currently use e-cigarettes, which represents 7.7% of students in high school and middle school. 

“We are especially concerned about the effect of vaping on young people,” Dr. Pigott added. 

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METRO photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

The number of Advanced Placement courses has expanded dramatically since parents were the age of their high school children.

Whereas we could have taken, say, four or five APs, the modern high school student can graduate with considerably more.

Current students can and sometimes do take as many as eight, nine, 10 or more AP classes, in the hopes of knocking the socks off college admissions counselors, guidance counselors and future prospective employers. All those AP classes can also give students enough college credits to help them graduate in under four years.

I’d like to propose my own list of AP classes for future generations.

— AP Listening. So many people love to talk, to hear their own voices, and to tell others how they’re wrong even before people can share a fully formed opinion. In this class, students would be required to listen to new ideas, to consider them and to react and interact with others. Speaking would be considerably less important than listening carefully.

— AP Conspiracy Theory. We all know that conspiracy theories are as ubiquitous as “Welcome” signs in corner stores. This AP class would look deeply at some of the most detailed conspiracy theories, giving students a chance to question everyone and everything, including those people who create and pass along conspiracies.

— AP Saying No. To borrow from former First Lady Nancy Reagan, saying “no” to drugs, among other things, is a healthy and important part of growing up and making the most of the college experience. The class could provide students with a wide range of situations in which students say “no” without damaging their ego or social status.

— AP Social Media Etiquette, or SME, for short. Some seniors get into colleges well before their colleagues. When they do, they post pictures of themselves on campus, their parents wearing gear from the school that admitted them, and the school emblem or insignia with confetti coming down from the top of the screen. Yes, you got into college, and yes, that’s wonderful, but other members of your class are still applying and don’t need to feel awful because they haven’t gotten in anywhere yet.

— AP It’s Not About Me (or, perhaps, INAM). Yes, this is a bit like a psychology class, but instead of studying theories and psychology legends, these students could explore real-life scenarios in which, say, Sue becomes angry with John. John may not have done anything in particular, but Sue may be reacting to someone else in her life, like her parents forcing her to take AP It’s Not About Me instead of going to soccer practice.

— AP Take Responsibility. When something goes wrong at school, work or in the house, it’s far too easy to point the finger at someone else. In this class, students can learn how to take responsibility, when it’s appropriate, and demonstrate courage, leadership, and initiative in accepting responsibility for their mistakes.

— AP Personal History. Each of us has our own story to tell. Colleges urge prospective students to find their authentic voice. That’s not always easy in a world filled with formulas and scripted and structured writing. In this personal history class, students could take a microscope to their own lives and to the lives of their extended family, understanding and exploring characteristics and life stories. Students might discover family patterns they wish to emulate or to avoid at all costs.

— AP Tail Wagging. While the world is filled with problems, students could explore modern and historical moments and ideas that inspire them and that give them reasons to celebrate. This class could blend a combination of historical triumphs with small daily reasons to celebrate or, if you prefer, to wag your tail.

— AP Get to Know Your Parents. High school students who are well ahead of their time emotionally and intellectually may come to the conclusion many others reach before their mid 20’s: that their parents are, big shock here, people! Yeah, we do ridiculous thing like send them in the wrong clothing to school, miss important dances, and embarrass them by kissing them in front of their friends. This course could help accelerate the process of seeing parents for the imperfect creatures who love them unconditionally.

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METRO photo

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

Not every student graduating from high school wants to go to college. In the middle of the last century, many traditional high schools in New York offered three tracks to a diploma: academic, vocational and general. Somewhere along the way, those last two seem to have disappeared or at least become less visible. But for those students not wishing to continue with their academic education, that’s a loss, and some educators and business people are realizing that.

In Boston, there is a new initiative to bring together high schoolers wishing career training with hospitals greatly understaffed and needing more workers. There is also at least one such effort locally to place interested students on a track to a well-paying job on Long Island’s north shore.

First the Boston story. The Mass General system, the city’s largest employer, needs people to fill the 2000 job vacancies in its hospitals. Bloomberg Philanthropies has stepped forward with a $38 million investment, to connect a small high school with the hospitals in a program that will involve some 800 students, leading them to jobs in medical services. “Students will earn college credits as they train for careers in nursing, emergency medicine, lab science, medical imaging and surgery,” according to an article in The New York Times this past Thursday.

METRO photo

Bloomberg, by the way, has pledged to invest $250 million over five years in ten cities and regions, pairing high schoolers with hospitals in an effort to help both. Howard Wolfson, education program lead at Bloomberg Philanthropies, was quoted by the NYT as saying, “There is a growing sense that the value of college has diminished, relative to cost. This [program] should not be construed as anti-college—every kid who wants to go should have the opportunity. But at the same time, we have to acknowledge the reality that, for a lot of kids, college is not an option, or they want to get on with their careers.”

The foundation was started by Michael Bloomberg, New York’s former mayor, who grew up in Boston. Funding will also go to New York, Philadelphia, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, Charlotte and Durham, as well as rural regions in Tennessee and Alabama. The idea is for students to choose a specialty by the end of tenth grade, and then train for the remaining two years in those areas of interest. Attention has been increasing on vocational education in the last few years, according to a state report in Massachusetts. Similar interest would probably be echoed here in New York.

Such an addition to the workforce in hospitals would also serve to better meet the needs of patients. And more well-paying jobs would ideally increase a city’s middle class, allowing students from some low-income households to graduate and move right into a good position. Some of the Bloomberg money is pegged for school social workers and mental health clinicians to further enable the students to succeed in this program.

And since a number of these students will probably come from minority families, they will help diversify the current staffs and better reflect the patient load in the hospitals. There are, according to NYT and Bloomberg’s Wolfson, some two million job openings that exist in health care across the nation. That number will probably double by 2031.

While this program targets hospital needs, other such feeder schools could aim to fill shortages of teachers and in other careers offering opportunity.

Our local program, similar in aiming to fill positions with guaranteed jobs for trained workers, is organized by the Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Ferry Company. Additional personnel will enable the ferry company, which employs a crew of 11 per boat, to continue carrying at least 450,000 cars and trucks, and some 300,000 walk-on passengers between the two states each year. That’s been their average, and perhaps it will increase as their newest boat, The Long Islander, is added in August to the fleet.

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Holtsville Hal’s handler, Greg Drossel, shows him to the crowd during a previous Groundhog Day celebration. Photo courtesy of Town of Brookhaven

By Heidi Sutton

Pennsylvania may have the legendary groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, but here in Suffolk County we have our very own prognosticator of prognosticators, Holtsville Hal. The cute little rodent with his buck teeth and short bushy tail will be the star of the day as the Holtsville Ecology Site and Animal Preserve celebrates Groundhog Day with a special event on Feb. 2. 

Hundreds will gather to hear Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Daniel P. Losquadro announce Holtsville Hal’s famous forecast. 

According to tradition, if a groundhog sees its shadow after stirring from hibernation on Groundhog Day, there will be six more weeks of winter weather; if not, spring should arrive early. Superintendent Losquadro will reveal Hal’s prognostication at approximately 7:25 a.m.

“Our annual Groundhog Day celebration is an enjoyable tradition for many local families,” said Superintendent Losquadro in a press release. “I’m always hopeful Hal will predict an early spring to help my snow removal budget, but either way this is a much-anticipated event each year in Brookhaven Town.”

Although he’s sure to be the center of attention, Holtsville Hal will not be the only animal available for viewing on Feb. 2. Following the ceremony, residents are welcome to enjoy complimentary hot chocolate, coffee and bagels provided by 7-Eleven and Bagel Lovers and visit the more than 100 non-releasable, wild or injured animals residing at the Animal Preserve, including its latest resident, Leonardo “Leo” DiCatprio, the Eurasian Lynx.

The Preserve is also home to a buffalo, black bear, bobcat, coatamundi, hybrid wolves, an artic fox, goats, horses, pigs, cows, alpaca, deer and many more.

Gates will open at the Holtsville Ecology Site & Animal Preserve, 249 Buckley Road, Holtsville, at 7 a.m.; parking is free. Residents are asked to arrive as close to 7 a.m. as possible to get a good view of Hal. Call 631-451-5330 for more information.

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Stock photo

Recently, our community has been grappling with many unfortunate deaths among local prominent citizens. These individuals, pillars of our area, have left a mark on the tapestry of our communities, and the impact of their departures resonates throughout the richness of our existence.

These losses create a void that extends far beyond the immediate circle of loved ones. These individuals served as architects of our community’s history, culture and progress. Their contributions, whether in business, academia or civic leadership, have shaped the very essence of who we are and how we live. 

The richness of our community is intricately linked to the diversity of voices and perspectives that local notables bring. These individuals are the stories of our shared history, the advocates for progress and the mentors who guide the next generation. Losing them means losing a part of our collective identity.

But grief, while consuming, can also be a catalyst. It reminds us of the precious fragility of life and the fleeting nature of moments we often take for granted. In these losses, we see the faces we sometimes neglect to notice, the hands we forget to clasp in gratitude. We become acutely aware of the interconnectedness of our lives and how each thread in the tapestry contributes to the vibrant richness of the whole.

In times of sorrow, our community needs to unite and support one another. The legacy of the deceased can be honored through our unity. Sharing memories, celebrating achievements and acknowledging the impact they had on our lives can be a source of solace for those of us left behind.

As we mourn, we must also recognize the responsibility of preserving and continuing the work of those who came before us. The best way to honor the legacy of these outstanding members we lost is to carry forward the torch of progress, compassion and community involvement that they lit. In doing so, we ensure that their contributions live on through the actions and endeavors of the following generations.

Let us remember and celebrate the lives of our lost loved ones, cherishing their impact on our community. In doing so, we can transform the pain of loss into a catalyst for positive change, ensuring that the richness of our community endures through the years to come.

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Jesse Owens. Pixabay photo

“It’s not a question of whether you will hurt, or of how much you will hurt; it’s a question of what you will do, and how well you will do it, while pain has her wanton way with you.”    ― Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

Gazing over the tens of thousands of foreigners entering the arena that would be the 1936 Berlin Olympic games stood the presence of dictator Adolf Hitler. During the midst of the Great Depression, the tyrannical leader of Nazi Germany promised to rebuild his nation to its former glory.

In 1931, the International Olympic Committee permitted the summer games to be held in Berlin as a peaceful way of putting World War I behind the Europeans. Instead, the world saw the flying of Swastikas signaling the rise of Nazi Germany. The games began on Aug. 1, 1936, with Hitler present to watch his country prove its status as a restored national power.  

A rumored American boycott to oppose the fierce Nazi treatment of its minorities, loomed over, though President Franklin D. Roosevelt granted his country’s athletes to participate in these games. 

Watching the ignition of the Olympic flame, stood Jesse Owens or “Buckeye Bullet”. Owens a famed-athlete, grew up in an Alabama sharecropping family, where much of his childhood was riddled with racism. Despite his adversarial childhood, Owens went on to become a talented track and field athlete at Ohio State University. It soon became a goal of Owen’s to dispel the Nazi “Aryan” propaganda promoting others inability to defeat Hitler’s “Master Race” of athletes.  

Hitler’s much-publicized hatred did not shake the American resolve of Owens and the other African American participants. American runners went on to earn 11 gold medals in track and field; six by Black athletes, with Owens earning four gold medals and two impressive Olympic records. 

Later in the games, a fatigued Owens sought rest, with this, he offered the torch to American teammates, Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller suggesting they could compete in 4×100 race in his stead. Instead, Owens was directed to race and Glickman and Stoller, both of Jewish culture, were barred from participating. Concerns arose that American coaches were fearful of upstaging Hitler by using Jewish-American athletes to gain additional medals. 

An aspect of these games often overlooked is the athlete’s personal contention with the economic and social issues of the Great Depression. The economy was poor in Germany and its regime paid for the training and living expenses of its athletes. Many American athletes looked at sports in a secondary manner as they tried to gain essential items to survive. Americans had to contend with twenty-five percent unemployment and a struggling economy.

On Christmas Day, Hollywood released a heartwarming look at the tribulations of the Great Depression through the production of ‘The Boys in the Boat’, written by Brown and directed by George Clooney. Like ‘Cinderella Man’ and ‘Seabiscuit’, this film delves into the intersection of sports and the Depression. 

Even as the New Deal was established by Roosevelt, American people faced difficulties in finding work and buying food. ‘The Boys in the Boat’ is based on the Washington State Rowing Team’s quest to win the gold medal during the Berlin Olympics.  

This film, set on the outskirts of Seattle, chronicles the harsh extent of the Depression. It focused on Joe Rantz, who was abandoned by his family and forced to care for himself. Actor Callum Turner portrayed an engineering student facing the threat of removal from Washington State for being unable to pay his tuition. With holes in his shoes and making a home in an abandoned car, this student desperately sought a chance to improve his economic situation by trying out for his school’s rowing team. 

Joel Edgerton stars as Coach Al Ulbrickson, an uncompromising figure who demanded athletic and physical excellence. The film takes some artistic liberties depicting the triumphs of the team modifying the succession to highest levels of college and Olympic competition to one year as opposed to the three years presented in Brown’s book.  

As a director Clooney scores in the eyes of film, history, and sports fans. He portrays the determination of the team’s coach in utilizing a junior varsity team that would eventually become the best in the nation and would go on to win a gold medal. 

There are many moments that present Rantz’s competitive side. In the film, Rantz found a father figure in the team’s boat builder, a man who took a special interest in his athletic talents by constructing and maintaining their equipment. The builder provided sustinent advice on handling the complexities of life and listening to authority. This film identifies the American-will to persevere, showcasing a team pitted against highly-respected Ivy League crews. The film shares an outstanding story of American resilience to achieve greatness through the masterful stroke of Clooney’s direction.

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Councilman Neil Foley being sworn in by Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico on Jan. 11. Snapshot from the town website

Newly elected Supervisor Dan Panico (R) headed the first Town of Brookhaven board meeting of the new year Jan. 11. Panico opened the meeting with a brief call to recognition of children, noting, “Children in this world do not ask for war and are the most innocent among us.” He urged everyone to “think about the children of our world and what they are enduring.” 

Before the meeting commenced, Panico swore in Councilman Neil Foley (R), for his 10th year in office. Foley serves District 5, which encompasses Blue Point, parts of Lake Ronkonkoma, Holbrook, Holtsville and Medford, North Patchogue, Patchogue, East Patchogue and Davis Park Fire Island. 

Following Panico’s opening acknowledgment, the members of the Town Board addressed their several agendas for the Thursday evening meeting. Each meeting has a built-in time slot welcoming public comments, though this particular meeting had no cards registered for comment. 

Some of the most important topics addressed were:

• Approval of a one-year intermunicipal agreement to provide demolition and disposal services for the Village of Port Jefferson for its blighted properties. Approval of this agreement further addresses Port Jefferson’s vacant, abandoned, derelict and blighted properties needing to be demolished.

• Establishment of a Suffolk County Water Quality Protection and Restoration Program for Cedar Beach Habitat Restoration. The cost of the program is projected around $120,000. The project plans to remove invasive plants, establish native plant species and install wildlife tunnels in order to reduce erosion. Additionally, to promote coastal resiliency, improve water quality in Mount Sinai Harbor and the Long Island Sound and support the improvement of vulnerable local diamondback terrapin populations.

• Approval of various improvements to the Brookhaven Town landfill using proceeds from serial bonds totaling $4.5 million. The funding will go toward the cost of various original improvements including, but not limited to, gas management, odor control and leachate control improvements.

• Improvements to localities such as town parks and recreational areas, town parking lots, road reconstruction and right-of-way improvements, among others, were also approved using bonds. 

• Authorized the issuance of $250,000 in bonds for the development of a Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan for the North Shore. 

More information on this Town Board meeting can be found at brookhavenny.portal.civicclerk.com. The next meeting will be held Feb. 1 at Brookhaven Town Hall.

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