Volunteers hold the immobile sea turtles they discovered at West Meadow Beach, where Brookhaven Ranger Molly Hastings is working to nurse them back to health. Photo from Molly Hastings
December’s wacky weather made life more difficult for everyone — but sea turtles at West Meadow Beach had a particular struggle.
Recent outdoor temperatures were largely above normal, with some brief moments of frigid cold. Molly Hastings, who serves as Brookhaven’s environmental educator and park ranger, saw some of the environmental consequences of this when she received an unusual knock on her door on Dec. 20 after a volunteer encountered two immobile, or cold-stunned, sea turtles.
An immobile sea turtle discovered at West Meadow Beach is being nursed back to health. Photo from Molly Hastings
Hastings said the knock came from Celeste Gorman, who was taking a hike along West Meadow Beach as a volunteer in search of turtles rendered immobile by the cold weather. She ended up finding two in a very short span of time.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration described sea turtles as cold-blooded animals with circulatory systems that can slow to the point of immobility when exposed to extremely cold temperatures. Various factors have helped contribute to the higher prevalence of cold-stunning, like more shallow bodies of water and more dramatic temperature changes, NOAA said.
Hastings said she was well aware of the impact an unpredictable climate has on the wildlife living not only at West Meadow, but across the town and country. She said this small, isolated incident with the sea turtles should serve a greater purpose.
“Hopefully, the turtles will recover from this climate change-caused incident,” Hastings said. “Regardless of their individual fate, let it serve as a gentle reminder that we all are charged of fixing what we’ve done to the great outdoors.”
Steve Sacco’s character Matthew Moon captures a ghost in a scene from ‘Distiller.’ Photo from Andy Schroeder
There’s no genie in the Distiller’s bottles — only ghosts. The community can catch a glimpse of these ghosts in H.A.M. Studio’s spooky film “Distiller” at a free Long Island premiere screening at Emma S. Clark Memorial Library in Setauket this Friday evening.
Filmed partially on Long Island, “Distiller” includes scenes shot locally along the North Shore and was produced by the husband and wife filmmaking team of Andy and Erin Schroeder, residents of Port Jefferson Station.
The film follows renowned ghost hunter Matthew Moon, who hunts and captures menacing ghosts in liquor bottles until his disappearance. Twenty years later, Moon’s niece Blue inherits his belongings and estate along with Moon’s collection of ghostly bottles. Moon’s niece and nephew Charlie discover what gives their uncle’s liquor bottles their kick when they open the bottles during their Fourth of July party.
Above, actress Amy Ciupek, left, and Andy Schroeder finalize audio for the film Distiller. Photo from Andy Schroeder
Andy Schroeder, who also directs the film, came up with the idea for the film in the summer of 2012 with the help of Steve Sacco, who plays the part of Matthew Moon in the film.
Sacco and Schroeder teamed up to write the script, which took four months to complete. Filming followed shortly after and extended into 2013. Although less than two weeks was spent filming the actors’ scenes, Schroeder said more than 280 days was devoted to filming the movie’s numerous effect shots.
Schroeder wanted to take an “old school” approach to the film when it came to props and special effects. Puppets, real animals and other tangible props were used to add depth and authenticity to the film. This approach to special effects allowed the film to attract adults and kids alike. “We felt like there’s really not a lot of movies you can watch with kids that are under 13,” said Schroeder. “It’s definitely a movie for adults but we made it to be a family-friendly film … We didn’t want it to be a blood and guts kind of movie.”
Actor Dan Noonan, 31, who plays Charlie Moon, said people should look beyond the old school effects. “I think in this day and age in regards to just the tone of the movie, go in with an open mind expecting to have a good time,” Noonan said. “People get way too involved in how effects should look.”
Noonan lives in Albany but he met Schroeder in college more than 10 years ago. He said Schroeder reached out to him about playing Charlie for the film. Noonan added that filming was an eye-opening experience that left him wanting to make more movies. Noonan is waiting to pursue acting opportunities until after the film’s official release.
The film may not have many big name actors, but it does includes local actors and actresses like Ward Melville High School graduate Kerry Logan. Logan also appeared in the CW’s “Carrie Diaries” and played Piper’s cousin in “Orange Is the New Black.”
Members of the cast and crew of ‘Distiller,’ from left, Ritch Harrigan; Amy Ciupek; Erin and Andy Schroeder; Dan Noonan; and Steve Sacco. Photo from Andy Schroeder
While the “Distiller” cast tackles their ghosts, the community can catch glimpses of Emma S. Clark Memorial Library in Setauket, Port Jefferson Village and the Berkshires in the film. Schroeder and his cast and crew utilized Emma S. Clark’s historic periodical reading room in several scenes, which was the original library building in 1892 according to Andy’s wife Erin who helped produce the film alongside her husband.
“It looks very rich and regal,” saidErin, about the older section of the library. The couple thought filming scenes in these areas of the library would improve the look of the film and save money at the same time. As a library assistant at Emma S. Clark, Erin helped secure the location for the film.
While her husband majored in music engineering and producing at SUNY Oneonta, Erin wasn’t as familiar with producing a film. She chose to help the film behind the scenes by designing props and helping her husband with effects, saying, “It was the two of us, Andy and I, doing all the editing, music production, doing all the sound effects.”
Andy Schroeder once worked at the Setauket library as a page while he was attending Ward Melville High School. Now he produces the Town of Brookhaven’s TV Channel 18 on Cablevision as an audio-video production specialist and is also the artist of a weekly comic strip based on “Distiller,” which follows “Uncle Matt,” the film’s ghost hunter, on his supernatural misadventures. While he has produced other short films and music videos in the past, this is Schroeder’s first feature film.
While Schroeder doesn’t plan on creating a sequel to “Distiller,” the money earned from this production will go toward creating more films in the future. While he grew up in Setauket, Schroeder and his wife currently reside in Port Jefferson Station with their parakeets Doc, Cuddles, Quattro and Baby.
Residents can find out what happened to Moon and his ghosts at the film’s free screening on Friday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Emma S. Clark Library, 120 Main St., Setauket. Andy and Erin Schroeder will be in attendance to answer questions and the film crew will distribute free “Distiller” posters and comics based on the film’s characters during the premiere. The film will be available nationally on digital Video-On-Demand on iTunes, Amazon Prime and Google Play this Friday.
For more information on the film, to view the trailer or to see behind the scenes footage, visit www.distillerthemovie.com.
Mummenschanz is headed to Stony Brook’s Staller Center in 2016. Photo from Staller Center
After a brief hiatus, Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts is gearing up for its second half of the 2015-2016 season with an exciting lineup filled with dance, music, film, comedy, theater and much more.
“The Staller Center season here at Stony Brook goes into full swing with the family-friendly mime theater troupe, Mummenschanz, on Sunday evening, Jan. 31. The humorous and whimsical sketches will surely entertain all ages. The season continues with variety in mind, from the actor, comedian and author Paul Reiser in a stand-up comedy show to a wonderful cirque theater, Company Finzi Pasca, in a surrealistic, Salvador Dali-inspired performance entitled ‘La Verita,’” said Alan Inkles director of the Staller Center. “We also have Philadelphia’s Walnut Theatre performing ‘A Moon for the Misbegotten,’ Eugene O’Neill’s romantic drama, which will give our patrons an unforgettable theater experience,” he added.
A scene from ‘A Moon for the Misbegotten.’ Photo from Staller Center
The lineup will be as follows:
Musical Performances
The Aulos Ensemble, featuring cellist Myron Lutzke; oboist Marc Schachman; violinist Linda Quan; harpsichordist Arthur Haas; and flutist Christopher Krueger will present a concert titled The Bach Connection on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. in the Recital Hall. Tickets are $38.
Starry Nights returns on Tuesday, March 8, at 8 p.m. in the Recital Hall with Carol Wincenc on flute; Nancy Allen on harp; Nicholas Cords on violin; Gilbert Kalish on piano; and Colin Carr on cello. Theprogram will include works by Bach, Ibert, Debussy, Ravel and Fauré. Tickets are $36.
Enjoy the sounds of Louisiana Creole dance music as celebrated accordion player and zydeco musician Stanley “Buckwheat Zydeco” Dural takes the stage in the Staller Center’s Recital Hall with his band, on Saturday, March 12, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $42.
Featuring current and former stars of Broadway’s smash hits “Jersey Boys” and “Motown: The Musical,” The Doo Wop Project will take the audience on a musical journey with tunes from Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and more on the Main Stage on Saturday, March 19, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $42.
The center’s Gala 2016will be held on March 5 at 8 p.m. on the Main Stage. Natalie Cole, who passed away on Dec. 31 from congestive heart failure, was originally scheduled to appear in concert. Peabo Bryson and Vanessa Williams have graciously stepped in as replacements. The two celebrated singers will entertain with solos and duets. Tickets are $75 each.
The award-winning Emerson String Quartet returns to the Recital Hall on April 5 at 8 p.m. for the third concert in their series, Passing the Torch, featuring works by Haydn and Beethoven. Tickets are $48.
A Judy Garland tribute featuring Hilary Kole will grace the Recital Hall stage on Saturday, April 9, at 8 p.m. Titled Over the Rainbow, the evening will feature songs made famous by Garland including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “The Trolley Song,” “Look for the Silver Lining” and more. Tickets are $42.
Berenstain Bears Live! is headed to Stony Brook’s Staller Center in 2016. Photo from Staller Center
Artists-in-residence The Calidore String Quartet will return in concert to the Staller Center on Wednesday, May 4, in the Recital Hall at 8 p.m. With special guests The Emerson String Quartet, the program will include works by Bach and Mendelssohn. Tickets are $36.
Dance
Without uttering a word, the famous Swiss mime theater troupe Mummenschanz will entertain the Staller audiences with their masks, shadow, light and endless creativity “turning the ordinary into the extraordinary” on the Main Stage on Sunday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $42.
Company Finzi Pasca’s “La Verita” will transport the audience to another world as performers pay a theatrical homage to the life and work of artist Salvador Dali on Saturday, April 16, on the Main Stage at 8 p.m. Tickets are $42.
The season will close with the Paul Taylor Dance Company and an evening of modern dance on Saturday, May 7, at 8 p.m. on the Main Stage. Tickets are $42.
Comedy
Comedian, actor and author Paul Reiser will bring his stand-up show to the Main Stage on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 8 p.m. as part of his national comedy tour highlighting the funny things about life, love and relationships. Tickets are $48.
Theater
The Walnut Street Theatre will present Eugene O’Neill’s final play, “A Moon for the Misbegotten,” on the Main Stage on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $36.
Buckwheat Zydeco is headed to Stony Brook’s Staller Center in 2016. Photo from Staller Center
Not Just for Kids
As part of the Not Just for Kids family entertainment series, the center will present An Afternoon with the Bach Family featuring The Aulos Ensemble on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 4 p.m. in the Recital Hall. The one-hour program is designed specifically for school-age musicians and their families. Tickets are $20 each.
Adapted from the classic children’s book series by Stan and Jan Berenstain, Berenstain Bears Live! will take to the Main Stage with “Family Matters The Musical” on Sunday, March 13, at 4 p.m. Tickets are $20 each.
Films
The Staller Center’s spring semester films are all scheduled for Friday evenings. The lineup includes the latestaward-winning documentaries and star-studded feature films.
The series begins on Feb. 5 with the screening of the documentary “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” at 7 p.m. followed by the thriller “Shanghai” starring John Cusack at 9:30 p.m. “A Ballerina’s Tale,” a documentary on the American Ballet Theater’s first African American Principal Ballerina Misty Copeland will be screened on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. followed by “Suffragette” at 8:45 p.m. “Harry and the Snowman” will be screened on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. followed by “Freeheld” at 9 p.m.
After a short break, the series returns with a screening of “Brooklyn” on April 1 at 7 p.m. and “The Danish Girl” at 9:15 p.m. The final films will be screened on April 8 and include “Youth” at 7 p.m. and “Macbeth” at 9:15 p.m. Tickets are $9 adults, $7 seniors, students and children. A film pass may be purchased for $25.
The Met: Live in HD
As part of The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD series, the center will present live performances of “Les Pecheurs de Perles” (Bizet) on Jan. 16 at 1 p.m. and “Turandot” (Puccini) on Jan. 30 at 1 p.m.; and encore presentations of “Manon Lescaut” (Puccini) on March 6 at 1 p.m., “Madama Butterfly” (Puccini) on April 3 at 1 p.m., “Roberto Devereux” (Donizetti) on April 17 at 6 p.m. and “Elektra” (Strauss) on May 14 at 7 p.m.
All operas are screened in the Main Stage theater. Tickets are $22 adults, $20 seniors, $15 children 12 and under.
Music Department
The Stony Brook University Music Department will also present a number of concerts and recitals, including performances by the Stony Brook Opera, Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, the Contemporary Chamber Players, the Stony Brook Composers and choral ensembles.
For tickets and further information, visit www.stallercenter.com or call 631- 632-ARTS (2787).
Steven Matz talks with Stony Brook Children’s patient Rachel Dennis. Photo from Greg Filiano
Three Village baseball star Steven Matz of the New York Mets brought holiday cheer and big smiles to the faces of dozens of Long Island’s youngest Mets fans: pediatric patients at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.
Steven Matz poses with Stony Brook Children’s patients Nicholas Reinoso, left, and Anmol Jaswal, both displaying their Mets-themed colored drawings, which Matz autographed. Photo from Greg Filiano
The Mets pitcher spent time talking to the children and encouraged them to keep getting better and to finish all their treatments. Patients like Nicholas Reinoso, 9, of Bellport, shared artwork with Matz – colored drawings of Mr. Met and other Mets-themed images.
“It’s great to see these kids at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and take time to learn about them,” said Matz. “That’s what it is all about this time of year.”
He signed their drawings and chatted with patients in the pediatric floor playroom and in some of their hospital rooms in the acute care and intensive care units.
“It was cool to meet him,” said Anmol Jaswal, 21, of Blue Point, a college student who attends Long Island University.
Zachary Cottrell gets a bedside visit from Steven Matz at Stony Brook University Hospital. Photo from Greg Filiano
Decked out in her tennis sweat suit, Anmol mentioned to Matz that it was her birthday the day before and talked about her tennis game and hopes to play for Long Island University. He wished her a happy birthday and said he would root for her.
Matz also visited the hematology and oncology clinic at the Stony Brook University Cancer Center, signing autographs and visiting with children undergoing chemotherapy.
Josephine Lunde poses with Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine during a back-to-school drive. File photo
Josephine Lunde never gives up.
More than a decade ago, Lunde started volunteering with the Town of Brookhaven’s annual Toy Drive. Her need to help Brookhaven residents landed her a full-time position at Brookhaven’s Youth Bureau two years ago, and because of her ongoing efforts to helping others, she has been named one of the 2015 Times Beacon Record Newspapers’ People of the Year.
“She was full time anyway,” said Maria Polack, a secretary to the tax assessor. “She does the work of, like, five men — for real.”
Polack met Lunde 15 years ago when Lunde started volunteering at the Town of Brookhaven. When it comes to helping others, Lunde’s work ethic is second to none. On many occasions, Lunde stayed up all hours of the night into the early morning to work on her many fundraising events. Lunde doesn’t only help organize Brookhaven’s Toy Drive, which helps about 7,000 children around the holidays, she also organizes a variety of events, including food drives, school supply drives, clothing drives, volunteer programs for senior citizens and the prom dress program, to name a few.
Lunde has led the prom program for around three years, according to Diana Weir, commissioner of Brookhaven’s Housing and Human Services department. The event allows girls from families in need to select prom attire, from dresses to purses, shoes and more. Schools allow their students to attend the event by appointment. Lunde started staying after hours to accommodate students and their families who couldn’t get a dress during the program’s daytime hours. Weir said Lunde’s dedication and desire to spend as much time as possible makes the Medford resident more special.
“She will never complain,” Weir said. “She never says boo.”
Josephine Lunde poses with Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine. Photo from Brookhaven Town
While every child who registers for the prom dress program gets special attention, Polack remembers Lunde going above and beyond for one high school student who thought she was too overweight to attend her prom. Lunde didn’t only get her a dress, she organized for the student to get her nails and hair done.
“The determination in Josie is bigger than both of us when she makes up her mind that she’s going to help somebody,” Polack said.
Brookhaven Town Superintendent of Highways Dan Losquadro (R) said Lunde is one who focuses her attention on those in need in the community, especially those who don’t always want to ask for help.
“A lot of those folks that she works with are people who are very proud, and who might not otherwise seek assistance. These things have gotten really expensive,” Losquadro said about Lunde and buying gifts around the holidays.
Lunde’s son Mike said his mother has always been one to help others but, almost to a fault.
“She doesn’t think of herself,” the son said.
When Mike was a child, his mother was a den mother for his Boy Scout troop, and took on other responsibilities when her kids were getting older.
Regardless of her accomplishments, Lunde likes to stay in the background. But whether she’s in the forefront at an event or working behind the scenes, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) said the Town is happy to have her.
“Someone like her really adds to what it means to be a part of a town,” Romaine said. “She’s the heart of Brookhaven because she takes the heart of all the problems and tries to make them better. … We should have more people like her in this world. If we did, it’d be a much better place.”
They have a sense of urgency that motivates those around them to push for better results. In fighting against diseases that kill millions of people every year, they are doing what they’ve done from the time they left their home country of Lebanon until they arrived at Stony Brook three years ago: They are supporting their colleagues, recruiting top talent from around the world and encouraging their staff to train and encourage the next generation of researchers.
Yusuf Hannun, the director of the Cancer Center at Stony Brook, and Lina Obeid, the dean for research, continue to build a deep and talented team, adding researchers focused on curing diseases while also developing the next generation of Stony Brook scientists. The Port Times Record recognizes Hannun and Obeid as People of the Year for their day-to-day leadership, their discoveries in their labs, and their focus on the future of science at Stony Brook.
“In terms of what they are building at Stony Brook, their vision is to grow that Cancer Center into a NCI-designated Cancer Center,” said Gerard Blobe, a professor and research director at the Division of Medical Oncology at Duke University Medical Center who earned his Ph.D. in Hannun’s lab more than 20 years ago. They want to make it a “force in clinical care and research and training. They have a mission up there and I have no doubt that they’ll accomplish it.”
Yusuf Hannun is constantly working to improve his team of dedicated researchers with the hopes of curing complicated diseases. File photo
Blobe said the National Cancer Institute designation is just the “icing on the cake” that enables the center to seek funding for some projects. What’s more important, he said, is “what they will accomplish by getting that prize,” in building and developing Stony Brook’s research abilities.
Scientists in the same field as Hannun were quick to praise his achievements and innovation.
Discoveries by Hannun about sphingolipids, which are molecules that are involved in a range of roles, including cell division, differentiation and cell death, provided key insights.
Hannun “pushed the field into the modern age,” said Tony Futerman, the Joseph Meyerhoff professorial chair of biochemistry at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. “He’s been innovative for 30 years in the field.”
In her lab, Obeid, who is the dean for research and a professor at the Stony Brook School of Medicine, is exploring the role of enzymes that control molecules involved in cell growth and others that play a role in cell death or differentiation.
Futerman said Hannun and Obeid have been instrumental in the careers of many other scientists, developing talented and dedicated researchers who have also made significant contributions.
“They are excellent mentors of younger people,” he said. “There’s a whole school of former post docs who went on to get independent positions. This speaks to their mentorship. … They push young people into leadership positions.”
Those who have worked for Obeid and Hannun in the past suggested that they offered the kind of guidance, discipline and approach that was applicable in and outside the lab.
“Part of [Hannun’s] success is he’s very good at planning,” said Supriya Jayadev, who was a graduate student in Hannun’s lab at Duke and is now the executive director of Clallam Mosaic in Port Angeles, Washington. “He plans out an experiment such that it works the first time.”
Corinne Linardic, Hannun’s first graduate student, said, “I remember him saying, ‘It’s important not to look where the light is, but to try to look into the dark and turn the light on. … I thought that was very brave.”
Linardic, who is now an associate professor of pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine, also said she felt fortunate to work with Obeid.
“It was extraordinary to have a female mentor as well,” Linardic said.
While they have come a long way from the beginning of their careers and their family, Hannun and Obeid have kept a consistent focus on the potential clinical benefits of their research.
“They get the translational aspects,” Futerman said. “When [Hannun] moved to Stony Brook to head the Cancer Center, that was one of the aims for his move, to be in a position where he can apply basic science to translational research.”
Futerman said Hannun and Obeid deserve recognition in the Long Island and scientific communities.
“They are considered leaders,” Futerman said. “They contribute a lot to the academic community.”
Carolyn Emerson, left, leads a discussion at Emma S. Clark Memorial Library. Photo by Dianne Trautmann
She is the librarian’s librarian and one of Emma S. Clark Memorial Library’s longest-serving employees.
Throughout her 30 years at the East Setauket library, reference librarian Carolyn Emerson, 61, can find almost anything, her colleagues said. But it’s her involvement with the library and caring attitude that’s made her an intricate part of the library and the community, and that is why Times Beacon Record Newspapers selected her as a Person of the Year in 2015.
Every other Wednesday, this soft-spoken librarian has organized the library’s senior bus program, which transports residents who would otherwise be unable to make it to the library. Although she didn’t start the program, Emerson took it over to help these seniors.
She also used her position at the library and her knowledge of Three Village history to organize and create programs like last year’s Culper Spy Day, which paid homage to the community’s ties to spy rings during the Revolutionary War.
On June 20, 2014, the library held its first Culper Spy Day program, in which residents could learn about the Revolutionary War, the Culper Spy Ring and its ties to Long Island. Three Village Historian Beverly Tyler, of the Three Village Historical Society, helped organize the event and said Emerson established a user-friendly site to spread the word about the spy ring throughout the community.
“She’s a very community-oriented [person] and easy to work with,” Tyler said. “She really makes the library a good common resource for more than just books and videos, but also history.”
Her efforts to inform the community stemmed from a desire to share her vast array of knowledge with others and help those in need, those close to her said. And her hard work is not only for the bigger programs, but also for little tasks that accompany her title as a reference librarian in Emma S. Clark’s adult section.
“Whenever anybody comes up to the reference desk, she just gives it 110 percent,” said co-worker Jennifer Mullen, the public relations manager and community outreach librarian. “She doesn’t stop looking until she finds it either, and everybody appreciates that. She digs deep.”
Mullen met Emerson a little more than 10 years ago. They worked side-by-side as reference librarians. Now, Mullen works alongside Teen Services Librarian Nanette Feder, who also commended Emerson for her insight on art, local history and literature, and dedication to her work and the community members she serves.
Emerson’s husband, Mark Rothenberg, said his wife comes from a line of people who share her tenacity and need to give back to their community. Emerson’s mother was recognized for her work following Hurricane Andrew, building homes for storm victims. Her father, a psychiatrist who ran a family clinic, counseled families in the Miami area. While her parents did their part to actively help those around them, they encouraged a young Carolyn Emerson and her siblings to be compassionate and stand up for themselves and their beliefs, Rothenberg said.
Emerson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. Despite the diagnosis, chemotherapy and surgery, Emerson remained resilient. She was cleared of cancer the following year and continued her work inside and outside the library.
“Many times, I’m in awe of her,” said Rothenberg, who works as the head of the Patchogue-Medford Library’s Celia M. Hastings Local History Room. “She’s been through a lot, including cancer.”
In addition to being a reference librarian, Emerson has also worked as a published poet. She has written poems in both English and French for publication. The librarian has also overseen poetry and book discussions at the library, which are a hit among residents, her coworkers said.
Mullen said Emerson acquired a large following for her evening book discussions and monthly poetry meetings. Her ability to listen appears to be one of Emerson’s many positive qualities that help further assist those who request her help.
While Feder didn’t pinpoint a specific moment illustrating Emerson’s character, she said, “It’s just how she works everyday at the library. She could be on a reference desk [or] helping a member of the library.”
Frank Turano leads an interactive discussion delving into the history of Three Village. Photo from Beverly Tyler
By Susan Risoli
Setauket resident Frank Turano delves deeply into local history. He uncovers compelling stories of everyday people and brings those tales to life for the rest of us to share.
For that reason, and for his ongoing service to the Three Village Historical Society as board member and past president, Turano is one of Times Beacon Record Newspapers’ People of the Year.
Beverly Tyler, the society’s historian, has known Turano since the early 1970s and described Turano’s leadership in unearthing details about Chicken Hill, the area of Route 25A around the current-day Setauket Methodist Church. It was once a thriving community of immigrants who helped each other make a new life in America. An exhibit about Chicken Hill is on display at the society’s headquarters in Setauket. Tyler said Turano, who is manager of the Chicken Hill project and curator of the exhibit, led the search for the community’s almost-forgotten past and wrote a successful funding proposal to create the exhibit.
“He’s there almost every single weekend, to give tours of the exhibit,” Tyler said.
He and Turano traveled in September to the annual meeting of the American Association for State and Local History, where the Chicken Hill exhibit received the association’s highest distinction, the Award of Merit.
Karen Martin, archivist for the Historical Society, said Turano leads the organization’s Rhodes Committee. At the group’s weekly meetings in the Emma Clark Public Library, Martin said, Turano facilitates the group’s far-ranging and free-wheeling conversations about the history of our area, and then mines the discussions for ideas to dig into.
“The big names, like the Ward Melvilles, make the headlines,” Martin said. “But Frank also wants to know about everyone who lived in a community, the everyday person, the guy who owned the general store.” If a historical topic comes up in a Rhodes committee meeting, Turano “wants to know all the details. He’ll say, ‘Who’s going to know about this? Let’s give them a call.’”
Turano also volunteers for the Society’s annual Candlelight House Tour every December, Martin said. He explains the history of houses on the tour, and in general “he loves to give presentations.”
Local resident Hub Edwards, who has worked with Turano on many history projects, said, “If people want to know history, they should listen to him. He goes to great lengths to get the true story of a project, with no shortcuts.”
Edwards said Turano is always featured in the Historical Society’s annual “Spirits” tour of local graveyards, dressed as one of the historical figures highlighted by the tour. Turano also frequently writes scripts for the tour’s performances.
Turano’s daughter Alyssa said her father is now combing through the archives of the Long Island Museum. He’s working on an exploration of the Long Island whaleship-building industry, she said, “focusing on Mr. Cooper, one specific whaleship builder who lived in the 1800s.” Turano is finding out about Cooper’s life by reading his diaries and looking over ship construction work logs. Alyssa said her father has been excitedly sharing stories with her and his friends, about the buried gems of history he is finding.
“Not everyone appreciates history in the way that he does,” she said. “It’s very inspiring. When you are so passionate about history, you can make it come alive again.”
Her father is committed to finding out as much as he can about local history, she said, because he believes strongly that “not all of these people have had their stories told.” And he has told her that “it’s better to know the back story, so you can know how your community has changed throughout time.”
State Sen. Ken LaValle works with North Shore elected officials and residents to ensure the community, and greater Long Island region, have quality health care. File photo by Barbara Donlon
Quality health care and, to hear state Sen. Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) describe it, home cooking are good for the body, mind, soul and community. That’s the argument the Republican senator has been making for years on behalf of the Stony Brook University medical center and its hospital.
After the university lost out earlier this year on a partnership with Peconic Bay Medical Center, which agreed to team up with North Shore-LIJ Health System, the longtime local senator has continued his unflagging support of Stony Brook, particularly with John T. Mather Memorial Hospital.
“If we think of a wheel, the hub of a wheel, and the local community hospitals are its spokes,” LaValle said, referring to Stony Brook as that hub in the center. “This is my vision and one that I think is good for the people I represent” to allow them to have the “best quality health care” close to home.
For his consistent and long-term efforts to lend the support of his office to an important area institution, and for the passion and dedication he has shown to the residents of the region for close to four decades, LaValle is a Times Beacon Record Newspapers Person of the Year.
Sen. Ken LaValle speaks with a biker as she rests at the Port Jefferson Elks Lodge in Port Jefferson Station in the middle of a 330-mile bicycle trip to support wounded warriors. File photo
Stony Brook officials appreciated LaValle’s work on their behalf and suggested that he played a seminal role in keeping their ongoing relationship with Southampton Hospital on track.
“It took perseverance to continue to push the Southampton relationship with Stony Brook through,” said Reuven Pasternak, the CEO of Stony Brook University Hospital. “He was absolutely critical in keeping those discussions going and seeing them to fruition.”
Pasternak said LaValle also facilitated a connection with Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport.
The senator has been “a big supporter” of that relationship, Pasternak said. “He’s always made himself available to speak to people in Albany.”
LaValle was instrumental in the building of the new Medicine and Research Translation building, a 240,000-square foot facility that is expected to be completed in 2016. Kenneth Kaushansky, the dean of the School of Medicine and the senior vice president of health sciences, said LaValle helped secure critical state financing.
LaValle identified $45 million that was earmarked for a law school at Stony Brook that was never built that he “was able get reallocated,” Kaushansky said. “The state support for MART was hugely dependent on the senator.”
Kaushansky said he and LaValle have regular discussions about any potential issues that arise.
If things aren’t proceeding the way the university would like, LaValle “always volunteers to help put them back on track.”
State Assemblyman Steve Englebright said LaValle deserves recognition for his work on behalf of Stony Brook and all the area hospitals.
“He is firmly supportive of Stony Brook’s role and mission, as well as for all the hospitals in our community,” Englebright (D-Setauket) said.
LaValle suggested his role as chairman of the Senate Committee on Higher Education gives him an opportunity to advocate on behalf of the SBU medical school. His chairmanship provides “a vehicle to be able to work with other people in the state university system and within state agencies,” he said.
The approximately 129 students in each medical school class contribute to area health care while they pursue their education, LaValle said.
“That is one of the very first helping points for the university,” LaValle said. “It’s being able to fulfill the education of their medical students. There are also people doing their clinical work and residencies.”
Sen. Ken LaValle speaks at a public forum on the Common Core. File photo
LaValle is contributing to Stony Brook’s effort to secure a longer-term connection with Mather. He cited numerous such two-way benefits for a potential longer-term alliance.
Stony Brook can provide services that “will save Mather a lot of money,” LaValle said.
For patients of the two hospitals, the quality and convenience are also a winning combination.
“If someone needs cardiac care, it is a hop, skip and a jump to get that care,” LaValle said. “They don’t have to be helicoptered some place or drive a long time distance.”
Kaushansky appreciated the support from the senator.
“He’s doing everything he can,” Kaushansky said. LaValle has “been a strong proponent of getting us and Mather to work together for the benefit” of the patient population in the area.
Kaushansky cited several other benefits to Mather of an ongoing and deeper connection with Stony Brook, including support for Mather’s stroke center with back-up cerebral artery intervention, and support for their radiology department.
While a deeper connection with Mather would be mutually beneficial for the hospitals, LaValle suggested, it would also create an important level of convenience for patients.
“I have started with the premise that patient care closest to home is the best care for the patient,” LaValle said. “The families can interact and it’s convenient. We are focused in a way to ensure that the quality of health care is at its maximum.”
From the leaders through the rank and file, Stony Brook health care professionals appreciate LaValle’s support.
“If anybody were to ask a person working in the dialysis unit, ‘Of all the politicians in the state of New York, who do you think is the strongest advocate for Stony Brook Medical School and Stony Brook University Hospital?’ most of them would say Ken LaValle,” said Kaushansky.
Pasternak, who considers LaValle a friend, called him sincere in his beliefs.
“It’s not the politics that drives him,” Pasternak said. “It’s his passion for the region and the people in the region.”
A view of Setauket Harbor. The Setauket Harbor Task Force works to preserve this local gem. File photo
By Phil Corso
They’ve covered a lot of ground — and water — in their first year, but members of the Setauket Harbor Task Force are only getting started.
The all-volunteer Setauket Harbor Task Force, led by residents and cofounders Laurie Vetere and George Hoffman, held its first general meeting on Oct. 29, 2014, and meetings have grown to host nearly 100 residents. Since the first meeting, members of the group have become a known force for North Shore environmentalism, and their efforts have washed upon the shores of civic leaders, elected officials and beyond. The group has spent the past year studying the harbor, influencing the public debate surrounding it and garnering public support for its preservation and sustainability.
For their contributions to the North Shore’s environmental discussion, members of the Setauket Harbor Task Force have been named 2015 Times Beacon Record Newspapers People of the Year.
On the ground level, civic members in the Setauket and Stony Brook communities have become big fans of the Setauket Harbor Task Force and have continuously teamed up with the group to help promote its mission of preserving the communities’ waterways. Shawn Nuzzo, president of the Civic Association of the Setaukets and Stony Brook, said he stood behind the Task Force’s work with hopes that it could help bring back a strong and vibrant Long Island economy based on the sustainable harvesting of coastal shorelines.
“We have a sordid and shameful history of polluting our Long Island waterways,” Nuzzo said. “For years, scientists and environmentalists have been warning of the harmful effects of nitrogen and other contaminants in our water. But it is only relatively recently that the politicians have begun discussing remediating the situation, thanks in part to advocacy groups like the Setauket Harbor Task Force.”
The Task Force has been hosting regular walking tours of the harbor and its surrounding environmental beauties with hopes of reminding the community just how important it is to maintain.
Some of the group’s key concerns have included making sure the town pays attention to the road runoff retention basin that forms near the inlet at Setauket Harbor and maintaining park property just to the west of the area’s footbridge.
The Task Force also launched its first Setauket Harbor Day back in September — a free event held at the Shore Road dock, established to inspire the community to join the Force in its efforts to clean and preserve the harbor.
Since the group’s inception, members have been working hand-in-hand with elected officials from various levels of government, and so far their messages have been heard loud and clear.
State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) has been a consistent voice in the North Shore’s environmental discussion, having held previous positions as a geologist and biologist before becoming a public servant. And with his expertise, Englebright referred to the Setauket Harbor Task Force as an epicenter of community pride that has made a tremendous impact on the North Shore.
“We have a sense of purpose now to work between our civic community and the town and the state — it’s just wonderful,” he said. “I guess everybody would hope that government would do all of this on its own, but the additional attention and focus being brought by citizens who have taken this initiative on is just terrific. So my sense is that by establishing the Setauket Harbor Task Force, and providing a forum where issues that relate to the overall health of the ecosystem in our harbor can be discussed, we have a matter of focus.”
The group has received support from Brookhaven officials as well. Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) said the Task Force represents the best of Brookhaven.
“These are citizens coming together and recognizing a common problem and looking to make a positive difference,” Romaine said. “We are prepared to spend money to enact some of the things they are trying to achieve. This is a commitment and what helps us is that we have partners on the local level — people who step up to the plate.”
Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station) echoed those sentiments after spending the year working closely with the Task Force.
“The formation of the Setauket Harbor Task Force is a significant step in addressing some of the environmental concerns in the area,” she said. “It is a vehicle for the community to work together to assist in preserving our harbor and improving our water quality. I thank the members of the Task Force for all of their hard work to bring awareness of the needs of the Harbor to the community. I had the privilege of attending the first Setauket Harbor Day this past summer, which I believe was a success, as it was both entertaining and educational.”
Looking ahead, Englebright said he’d hope to see the group follow through in working with the Town of Brookhaven to see what kinds of progress can be achieved in addressing road runoff issues and restoring the ecological balance of some of the most disrupted areas along the harbor.
“The fact that the town is planning to dredge the basin is, in part, a response to the initiative of local citizens,” Englebright said. “That partnership is really all too rare, and it’s ideally what government should be doing. I hope the town continues to realize that this is a wonderful and promising partnership.”
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