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New principal, John Holownia, in front of Ward Melville High School. Courtesy John Holownia

By Mallie Jane Kim

For Ward Melville High School’s new principal John Holownia, the first week of the 2024-25 school year has been a bit surreal — he grew up attending Three Village schools and graduated from Ward Melville in 1999. 

“It has been fantastic,” he said. “It’s not something I ever imagined when I was a high school student walking around the hallways.”

Holownia returns to his old stomping grounds after serving as an assistant principal at Shoreham-Wading River High School since 2019, and before that as a special education teacher in the Comsewogue school district.

It’s not his first time returning to his home turf, he said, as he coached football at Ward Melville for a few years as a young adult in the early 2000s after earning his bachelor’s degree in English literature from Princeton University. Returning mid-career as the high school principal, though, is a whole different ball game.

“My biggest priority right now is to just learn,” Holownia said, pointing to the high school’s reputation for excellence and his desire to keep it that way. “The most important thing I can do is learn how things work here and how things have been done in the past, and get a real feel for what has made Ward Melville such a successful place.” 

Holownia replaces acting principal Paul Gold, an assistant principal who stepped in last November after the previous principal, William Bernhard, was reassigned. Gold has since retired.

Superintendent of Schools Kevin Scanlon, who was a social studies teacher at the high school during the years Holownia attended, said he looks forward to the new principal’s successful administration.

“John will be a tremendous asset to Ward Melville High School,” Scanlon said in an email.

Holownia is already thinking ahead to the structural changes the district has planned for 2025-26. The plan is for sixth grade to move up from the elementary schools into the junior high schools, and for ninth grade to move into Ward Melville, making it a four-year high school. 

District staff and administrators have been working out over the past year the adjustments and structural modifications necessary for the high school to accommodate adding an academic grade level.

“Certainly that’s going to need to be well-coordinated,” Holownia said. “We’ll be putting all those programs and things in place to make sure we’re ready for that change.”

But for now, he’s focused on acclimating to the current set of students under his purview. 

Three Village Board of Education officially appointed Holownia to his position April 3, and he’s been working in the building since July 1. He has enjoyed seeing staff and students filling the corridors after a quiet summer of preparation, he said. 

“The energy in the building really comes from the kids,” Holownia said. “It’s been exciting, and definitely a great start to the year.”

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Brooke Raber from the service line, for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon COPYRIGHT BILL LANDON
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Michaela Legge with a kill shot for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon COPYRIGHT BILL LANDON
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Izzy Ruehle from the service line. Photo by Bill Landon. COPYRIGHT BILL LANDON
Ward Melville’s Keira Kenny with a kill shot for the Patriots in a home game Saturday afternoon. Photo by Bill Landon COPYRIGHT BILL LANDON

By Bill Landon

The Ward Melville girls volleyball squad finished last year’s regular season , atop the League I leaderboard.

With several core players returning, on Sept. 4, the Patriots opened their 2024 campaign with a 3-0 sweep of William Floyd, and followed it up with another dominant performance at home, that Saturday. The Patriots’ attack was overwhelming, as they blanked Central Islip 25-7, 25-8, 25-2. 

Ward Melville maintained the momentum by beating their hosts, Walt Whitman, 3-0, Sept. 9.

— Photos by Bill Landon

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File photo by Raymond Janis

Cancer and our environment

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New York has the fifth highest cancer rate in the country. Each year over 110,000 New Yorkers are diagnosed with cancer and 35,000 die from the disease. One in every two men and one in every three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. So, we must ask the question why?

In 2001, I founded the not-for-profit, Community Health and Environment Coalition, to address the high rate of cancer in my community. New York State Department of Health released cancer maps which showed areas with elevated cancer rates and as a concerned mother, environmental advocate and a dedicated community leader, I wanted answers. My coalition partnered with elected leaders, medical professionals and residents to challenge the state to do something about this issue, and it did. The state DOH moved forward with the New York State Cancer Mapping Project, also known as the Cancer Surveillance Improvement Initiative, and focused its investigation in Coram, Mount Sinai and Port Jefferson Station as a follow-up investigation.

It’s been 18 years since the report was released, and as I look back and see the higher-than-average elevated breast cancer rates highlighted on the cover of the report, I must ask why isn’t more being done to address the exposure to toxic cancer-causing chemicals?

I was never paid as I led the community in our quest to find answers. I worked with elected officials across party lines, and with Long Island’s most renowned breast cancer advocates including Huntington’s Karen Miller, West Islip’s Lorraine Pace and Babylon’s Debbie Basile. Most folks I worked with thought it was our water, and now decades later experts have identified concerning chemicals in our water including PFAS forever chemicals, and 1,4-dioxane used extensively by military contractors. 

After the follow-up cancer investigation report was released, I found that the state DOH used mainly data from its database and did not come to our town to take soil, water and air samples. If a farmer used a pesticide that was not registered, that information was not included. If a company dumped toxic chemicals in the ground, that info was not included. This left more questions than answers.

People are finally understanding that exposure to carcinogen and cancer causing chemicals can have a delayed cancer diagnosis, and it can take decades to see the consequence of toxic exposure, as we’re seeing with 9/11 first responders.

Come on folks, we should expect better than this.

I sat on the Brookhaven National Lab Community Advisory Committee for years as the committee partnered with BNL to clean up contamination. Northrop Grumman and the Navy should do the same for the residents of Bethpage.

I was born on a Navy base. My dad proudly served for decades in the military, but we must hold those who pollute accountable. Mistakes were made decades ago when chemicals were released into our environment. We know better now, and we’ve got work to do so let’s work together to clean up polluted sites and protect residents.

Years ago, I was one of only about five people to attend and advocate to clean up Lawrence Aviation’s groundwater contamination at a public hearing in Port Jefferson.

What followed was a massive effort by the EPA, DEC and Suffolk County Department of Health Services to remediate the contaminant plume.

The government needs to do the same for the groundwater in Bethpage and other contaminated areas on Long Island. I encourage residents to get involved and be part of the solution. Let’s do this together.

So many lives count on it.

Sarah Anker

Mount Sinai

Founder of Community Health and Environment Coalition

Former Suffolk County Legislator

Current NYS Senate Candidate

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Written by a member of Gen Z

When this editorial appears in our newspapers, it will be one day after the 23rd anniversary of 9/11. A day of which our young adults have no memory.

Members of Gen Z — those in their late teens and early twenties, mostly — were not alive for the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and those on Flight 93, which killed nearly 3,000 people in total, and continue to claim the lives of countless more as a result of 9/11-related illnesses. 

Not long after that solemn day, officials started to use the phrase “Never Forget,” as a sort of chant and message of solidarity, used in speeches, at memorials and in everyday life. Just one glance at Instagram or Facebook will show streams of different variations of that phrase, written over pictures, graphics and even just written out.

Many say 9/11 was our modern-day Pearl Harbor, but let’s face it: Who’s left that remembers Pearl Harbor? At least in a way that strikes a personal chord, worth keeping in ongoing conversation.

So, when every student who just graduated college has no recollection of a day in which we have been implored to “Never Forget,” what do we do to rectify that?

Perhaps, make 9/11 a national holiday. The conversation has been in the air for quite a while, but the compromise seemed to be regarding it as the National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Maybe, teach about how those tragic events unfolded in schools. Yes, it is already taught, but perhaps in more detail.

We’ve all heard the stories of horror from our family members who were in the City on that day. Whether our families lost loved ones that day or simply remember the pit in their stomachs as they watched the second plane hit on television, the testimonies are out there.

The answers are not known to this dilemma. Who knows how many members of Gen Z feel personally connected to the day enough to go to a memorial service or watch the names being read on television. In all honesty, who knows for how many more decades the names will be read on television.

All we can hope for is that no matter how many years go by, and how the iterations of national 9/11 celebrations change, as a people we keep 9/11 sacred. Yes, different people have different interactions with 9/11, but together we can all ensure that this day does not fade into the pages of our history shelves, if we don’t want it to.

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Jefferson’s Ferry resident and gardener Mark Saidens shared the bounty of his garden during a Garden Showcase on Aug. 16. Photo courtesy of Jefferson's Ferry

‘The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.’ — Alfred Austin

By Elissa Gargone

Elissa Gargone

Since it was founded in 2001, Jefferson’s Ferry residents have enthusiastically gardened, whether in their apartments, their patios, in the yards of their cottages or in a number of garden beds provided by Jefferson’s Ferry for resident use. Over the years, the demand for growing space has increased. Jefferson’s Ferry President and CEO Bob Caulfield has worked with the resident Garden Committee to help bring their wishes to fruition. Today, 36 elevated beds tended by Independent Living residents overflow with a variety of flowers, vegetables and herbs. Elevated beds are easier on the gardeners’ backs and knees, and are accessible to residents who use wheelchairs. 

Additional gardens can be found within the interior gardens and greenspaces of Jefferson’s Ferry Health Center residences. Of the dozen boxes within the interior garden, roughly half are used by residents as part of the recreational therapy program.  

Each year, the raised-bed gardeners have an opportunity to display the fruits of their labor at a community gathering, and this year was no exception. A special Garden Showcase and Happy Hour celebration was held during the height of the harvest on August 16. Display tables were loaded with bumper crops of summer flowers, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, basil, lavender and other herbs, as well as samples of Essie Freilach’s homemade pickles and a Chinese-inspired eggplant dish prepared by Mark Saidens. House plants also got their moment in the sun. Blooming orchids and violets in a variety of colors were in abundance. Resident Laura Lesch displayed a 100-year-old Snake Plant that has been passed down through several generations of her family.  

Anthropologist Margaret Mead famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” 

A cadre of Jefferson’s Ferry residents has taken that sentiment to heart, with a mission to give back to the environment what development has taken away. Since 2018, the Grounds Committee has spearheaded a project to protect the endangered Monarch Butterfly. When the project was proposed to the community, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Management has since expanded the Monarch project to restore native plants and trees to the 50 acre campus with pollinator, bird and aquifer-friendly native plants and trees, particularly in a meadow around its Melo Pond wetland. 

Hoping to obtain outside funding for the expanded project, Grounds Committee member Dorothy Gilbert initiated a grant application to Suffolk County. She was able to involve a diverse group of resident educators, scientists, engineers, construction experts and grant writers to help shape the application. These included a geologist who provided valuable information about soil and the effects of fertilizing, an expert photographer who took pictures during the early work, a resident who was able to get an endorsement for the application from a local government official, and the support of the resident chairs of the Jefferson’s Ferry’s Grounds, Conservation, and Public Affairs committees and the Residents Council.

Jefferson’s Ferry Melo Pond

“We may be the old guard but we are setting an example by doing something that other Long Islanders can do as well — protecting the environment for future generations. We are not wasting our talents after retirement; we want to continue to make a contribution to our community and to society. The new meadowlands include plants vital to important pollinators, including the Monarch Butterfly and other insects and birds. We have planted a variety of native milkweed, which the Monarchs need to reproduce, creating a way station for the them as they migrate south. The meadow provides food and shelter to other native creatures and thrives without the fertilizers and heavy irrigation required for lawns, which is very environmentally friendly to Long Island’s water supply,” said Dorothy Gilbert.

“The Jefferson’s Ferry community, from our management team to our fellow residents, have been immensely supportive of our endeavors, encouraging us every step of the way. There are costs associated with our undertaking, so we have been building the garden beds and the meadows in steps as the budget allows,” added Mark Saidens.

“One of the many things that has always made Jefferson’s Ferry stand out as an extraordinary community is the people who live here,” said Bob Caulfield. “They continue to be active and involved in important social activism. They are environmentally conscious and generous in their charitable donations and volunteerism. They embrace lifelong learning and new ideas and gladly share their talents and wisdom.”

Elissa Gargone is Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Jefferson’s Ferry Life Plan Community in South Setauket.

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Take part in this year's WMHO Scarecrow Competition. Photo courtesy of WMHO

Fall is almost here, and so is the Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s Annual Scarecrow Competition! This will be the 34th year that the spooky and silly six-foot creations will adorn the pathways of picturesque Stony Brook Village Center for visitors to enjoy while they shop.

Photo courtesy of WMHO

Registration is currently underway to craft and display a one-of-a-kind scarecrow masterpiece. The competition is open to everyone—whether you’re part of a Girl or Boy Scout troop, a local business, a family, or an individual. 

You can pick up a registration form at any of the shops in Stony Brook Village, or visit wmho.org or stonybrookvillage.com to download the form. Return the completed registration form with the entry fee of $30 by Sept. 23.

The public will vote for their favorite scarecrows by picking up a ballot at any of the shops and restaurants at the Stony Brook Village Center from Sept. 30 to Oct. 25 with exciting cash prizes up for grabs. Winners will be announced during the WMHO’s Halloween Festival on Oct. 31. 

For more information, please call the WMHO at 631-751-2244.

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By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

This is not so much a shaggy dog story, as a smelly dog story.

I recently brought my dog to a boarding facility for a long weekend. I feel less dog owner guilt that comes from taking him away from home, the cats he barely tolerates, the squirrels he chases, and the bed that serves as a place to sleep, a chew toy and more, because he seems so happy to race through the door to visit with his friends at the facility.

I suspect he’s much more excited to see the people who work there than the other dogs, although he gets along with every dog except the one on the block who attacked him in our driveway when he got away from his owner a few years ago.

Our dog was fine, thanks, but my wife and I try to avoid that aggressive dog whenever we walk our powder puff up and down the block. Sure, our dog now barks angrily when he sees that other dog and even seems to have convinced our neighbor’s dog to snarl and bark in sympathy.

Anyway, I left our dog for the weekend knowing he was in good hands.

When I returned from our trip, I reflexively opened the door to our house slowly, knowing that he often naps against the door. When the door didn’t present any resistance, I also looked down and listened for the tap, tap, tap of his nails across the wood floor.

I knew, of course, that I hadn’t picked him up and that no such tail wagging greeting was coming my way.

At the boarding house, I exchanged banter with the friendly tattooed young man who is a boarding house fixture. I tried to suppress a smile as I waited expectantly for my furry friend.

When he came through the door, he was as happy to go home as he was to visit. He threw his butt and tail into my knees and looked back at me as I pet him.

Mud and moisture in and of themselves don’t necessarily have a foul odor. And yet, somehow, stuck to a furry, matted dog, the scent was overwhelming.

“Hi, puppy!” I shouted repeatedly as I breathed out of my mouth.

When I got him in the car, the stench was so overwhelming that I had to open the windows.

I had far too much work to do to bathe him immediately and was glad my wife wasn’t home to endure the stench. The dog wandered in and out of my home office several times, which made it hard to finish sentences, much less to breathe.

I considered locking him out of the room, but that seemed unfair, especially after we’d been apart for a few days.

Finally, after I finished my work around 9:30 p.m., I climbed into bed, ready to relax and prepare for sleep. Happy to be home, the dog was sleeping on the floor at the foot of the bed.

I couldn’t possibly sleep with a foul odor that seemed to get stronger by the second. The scent was so powerful that someone might one day want to consider using it as a smelling salt.

Like “Harry the Dirty Dog” and many others, our dog hates to bathe. And yet, he seemed perfectly happy to head into the bathroom and even to get into the shower. He has, however, figured out how to push open the shower door, which means that he gets covered in water and shampoo and then wanders into the bathroom, shaking sudsy water all over the floor, wall and counter top.

I gave him such a thorough cleaning that he shined in the bathroom light. During the vigorous rub down drying, he moaned.

After his bath, he raced across the house and into the corner where he gets his post bath treat.

Once I settled into bed, I looked for my now sweet-smelling puppy. He and his shiny coat were, of course, in the next room because, after all, what’s the fun of sleeping near me when he smells like flowers and not smelly dog?

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By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

The first time I ate in a restaurant alone, I was propositioned. It happened like this. I was attending the New York Press Association Convention in the Albany area in 1978. We had only recently started the first newspaper, and I was eager to learn as much as possible about my industry. 

I checked into the hotel ahead of my staff the night before the workshops were to begin, dropped my bag in my room, then went to the dining room for some supper.

“One, please,” I said to the maître d’ and was shown to a table for two along the wall. Feeling adventurous, I looked around the room, noticed that there were mostly men quietly eating together, then studied the menu and ordered my meal. It was a new experience for me, and I was enjoying my entrepreneurial role, stepping out in the business world. As I began to eat, a man in a suit approached. 

“Hello,” he said with a grin. “How are you doing”?

I looked up, trying to recognize him. I had already met some of the other publishers but he was not one of them.

He threw down his room key at the edge of the table. “Come up in about an hour,” he instructed with a wink, his grin widening.

“Do I know you?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m the owner of the automobile dealership across the street,” he appeared to be boasting. 

There was a long pause as we stared at each other some seconds. Then he mumbled something, the grin disappearing, picked up his key, turned and left the dining room. At that point, it dawned on me what he was saying. I suddenly felt alone.

Fast forward to today. The CNN headline reads, “More people than ever are eating alone at restaurants.” It’s almost half a century later, women are totally commonplace in business and eateries are welcoming solo customers. 

In fact, OpenTable was quoted as saying that reservations for parties of one at sit-down restaurants had increased 8 percent in the last year, and that among 2000 of their patrons whom they surveyed in June, 60 percent had dined alone in the past year, including 68 percent of Gen Z and Millennials. Long gone were the days when single diners had to be accompanied by a book, pretend to be a restaurant critic with a pad and pencil beside the plate, or sit at a bar. Eateries are taking their cue and making pleasant and even social seating for solos.

So why this 180 degree change? It reflects societal change.

One explanation offered by CNN is that it’s convenient, with no cooking or cleaning up to do at home. Some are just trying out new restaurants. “Social media has made it easier for people to find restaurants well-suited for a meal alone.” Most telling is that some 30 percent of Americans live alone. People are marrying later and only 37 percent ages 25-39 are married with children. That compared to 67 percent in 1970. This last group is made up of those most likely to be eating meals at home and those missing from this last group are swelling the ranks of the solo diners.

In a recent survey of 1200 consumers, 60 percent felt comfortable eating alone at a casual dining restaurant.

CNN further suggested that some solo diners saw eating alone as ‘me time,’ a way of unplugging and treating themselves in an otherwise busy schedule. It’s also a way to make connections, if one wishes, chatting with bartenders, waiters, and other guests without any social pressure.

You might think that restaurateurs would not like a solo diner instead of a couple, but remember, restaurants sell seats, not tables, and they are finding ways to accommodate  this new trend.

So if you feel shy about going to eat alone, just go to the restaurant of your choosing, and you will find you will be welcomed without anyone caring.

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ArtABILITY 24

The Long Island Museum (LIM), 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook, has announced the opening of ArtABILITY ‘24, a traveling art exhibition organized by the Spirit of Huntington Art Center that showcases the talents of individuals on Long Island and the surrounding area living with various physical and cognitive challenges. 

Its purpose is to educate the community about the remarkable talents of people with diverse abilities, inspire people to reach beyond their limitations to explore their own creativity, and promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the arts. This year’s exhibition will be on view in the History Museum at the LIM from Sept. 19 through Oct. 13 with an Open House on Sept. 28 from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Ingrid Cuadra, the Spirit of Huntington Art Center’s ArtABILITY Program Director and Art Shows/Events Coordinator, and Michael Kitakis, Executive Director, said, “We are honored and thrilled to have partnered with all of our partners to host this amazing tour. I know this is an incredible opportunity for our exhibition to be on view during significant events the Long Island Museum is hosting.”

Spirit of Huntington offers art classes that provide a unique opportunity for students to enjoy a stress free, therapeutic environment that fosters creativity and self-esteem. ArtABILITY ‘24 celebrates the accomplishments of the artists and the many non-profit partner organizations that support their day-to-day lives and who believe in the impact the arts can have on individuals with varying abilities.

“It has been a wonderful process partnering with the Spirit of Huntongton to bring the ArtAbility ’24 exhibition to the Long Island Museum, said Kristin Cuomo, Senior Educator at the LIM. “We are thrilled to recognize the work that they do to make rich cultural and artistic experience accessible to all Long Islanders and look forward to sharing an exhibition that centers the stories of people with disabilities in our community.”

Other  partner organizations include: AHRC Suffolk, Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau, FREE-Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Life’s WORC, RISE Life Services, South Huntington School District, Pal- O- Mine, TSINY – Transitional Services of New York, Winters Center for Autism, SYJCC-Butler Center, and the Mid-Island YJCC-Adler Center for Special Needs.

ArtABILITY is funded in part by Suffolk County Department of Economic Planning, Legislators Stephanie Bontempi, Tom Donnelly, and Rebecca Sanin, and made possible with the support of  TD Charitable Foundation, AHRC Suffolk, RISE Life Services, Family Residences & Essential Enterprises, Life’s WORC, and Winters Center for Autism.

This event is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by the Huntington Arts Council.

For more information, visit www.longislandmuseum.org.

 

 

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Cathy Barbash (Sitting center) and Susan Barbash (Right sitting) present Stony Brook University Special Collections members Kristen Nyitray (Left sitting), Lynn Toscano (Left) and Jamie Saragossi (Right) a small collection of papers relating to their late activist father Maurice Barbash’s work to stop a proposed 4 lane highway down the spine of the Fire Island and the creation of the Fire Island National Seashore (FINS). Photo by John Griffin/SBU

Timed with the 60th Anniversary Establishment of FINS Becoming a National Park 

Stony Brook University Libraries have received a donation of historic documents that outline the battle to stop the construction of a highway on Fire Island while fighting successfully to create the Fire Island National Seashore (FINS), New York. The documents reveal the efforts of the Citizen’s Committee for a Fire Island National Seashore, the grassroots community campaign that prevented Robert Moses’ plan in the 1960s. The collection was gifted by the Barbash family. Maurice Barbash, the father of Cathy, Susan, and Shepard Barbash, and their uncle Irving Like led the committee’s efforts and organized it.

The collection has historical importance in the establishment of the Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) and includes committee meeting minutes, press releases, and correspondence with New York State Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Stuart Udall, Secretary of the Interior. The timing of the donation coincides with the upcoming 60th anniversary of the legislation that created FINS as a unit of the National Park Service (September 11, 1964).

“We are very excited to have the papers of the Citizen’s Committee for a Fire Island National Seashore as a part of Stony Brook University Libraries’ collections. With the upcoming 60th anniversary, preserving and providing access to this collection is of great importance,” said Jamie Saragossi, Associate Dean of Content Services.

These items will become part of the University Libraries’ Special Collections, which oversees and curates the university’s rare books, maps, archival materials, manuscripts, and historical maps. Details about the collection will be accessible via a dedicated webpage, and the papers will be digitized and made freely available online.

“The papers offer first-hand, historical evidence of the remarkable grassroots efforts that protected the natural environments of both Long Island and Fire Island for future generations,” said Kristen J. Nyitray, Director of Special Collections and University Archives, and University Archivist. “The papers are an important addition to Special Collections and highlight our commitment to collect, preserve, and provide access to diverse histories of Long Island.”

About the Campaign

The efforts of community citizen-activists on Fire Island were instrumental in the legislation that formally established the Fire Island National Seashore. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill into law in 1964, preventing the construction of a proposed highway extending eastward from what is currently Robert Moses State Park.

Cathy Barbash reflected on the decision to donate the collection and its research significance. “We are honored that Stony Brook University has agreed to accept the original minutes of the Citizen’s Committee for a Fire Island National Seashore and related research and correspondence. The Committee was founded on September 12, 1962, by fourteen volunteer citizens who worked tirelessly for two years to promote the creation of the National Seashore against steep odds. The Committee was founded and co-chaired by our father, Maurice Barbash, and our uncle, Irving Like.”

“This collection is significant because the minutes and other materials document in great detail the strategies, organization, and actions of a group of concerned citizens who came together spontaneously, pooling their intellectual, professional, and social resources to create an effective grassroots movement to fight the destruction of a natural area by creating a common good. The research included in the collection also sheds light on the political backstory and maneuvering between powerful political figures in mid-century America that shaped the overall battle and ultimate success of the campaign for the National Seashore,” she added.

In addition to the papers of the Citizen’s Committee for a Fire Island National Seashore, the collection includes digital files used in the exhibition “Protecting a Ribbon of Sand: The Creation of Fire Island National Seashore,” curated by Susan and Cathy Barbash for the 50th anniversary of FINS at the Fire Island Lighthouse Fresnel Lens Building.

When asked about why the family chose Stony Brook to be the home for the collection, Cathy Barbash said, “We are donating the papers to Stony Brook University for two reasons. First, both Stony Brook University and the Fire Island National Seashore are located in Suffolk County, New York and we believe it is important that these materials are in the library of a major research university so close to their subject matter. Secondly, Irving Like’s papers are already in Stony Brook’s special collections. Because he and our father were the prime movers in this campaign and in other civic causes, we felt it appropriate that the collections belonged together to promote ease of research.”

Susan Barbash added, “The epic battle against Robert Moses’ plan to build a four-lane highway down the center of Fire Island took place in 1964, when my sister Cathy and I were children. Though we had many memories of the role our father Murray Barbash played in the fight against Moses, and subsequent fight for National Seashore designation, we had no idea that the victory over Moses was far from inevitable.”

 

 

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