William Gaddis was born in Manhattan on Dec. 29, 1922, grew up in Massapequa, N.Y., and went to boarding school in Connecticut and Farmingdale High School. He graduated Farmingdale High School in 1941.
He studied English literature at Harvard University, and wrote stories, poems, essays and reviews for the Harvard Lampoon. In his senior year, he was asked to resign from the college after he and a friend were involved in an alteration with the police.
In New York, he worked as a fact checker at The New Yorker, and spent his free time in Greenwich Village with Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and other writers of the Beat Generation. He went to Spain and Africa, gathering experience and material while working on ''The Recognitions.'' He continued work on the novel through the early 1950's. Published in 1955, it weighed in at a hefty 956 pages. It received generally unappreciative reviews. Denied the life of a "successful" novelist, he began a long line of jobs in industry, working first in publicity for a pharmaceutical firm, then writing films for the U.S. Army, and later writing speeches for corporate executives.
It was 20 years before he published another novel. The National Book Award for fiction was followed by a steady stream of academic essays and dissertations, and his receipt of a MacArthur Foundation fellowship. Gaddis was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and he finished his third novel.
William Gaddis died in 1998 at the age of 75 from prostate cancer.
Sources:
“Gaddis, William 1922–1998.” Concise Major 21st Century Writers, Encyclopedia.com, 21 Apr. 2020, www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/gaddis-william-1922-1998
Gussow, Mel. “William Gaddis, 75, Innovative Author Of Complex, Demanding Novels, Is Dead.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Dec. 1998, www.nytimes.com/1998/12/17/us/william-gaddis-75-innovative-author-of-complex-demanding-novels-is-dead.html
With over 30 years’ experience, Academy Member and Oscar-nominated makeup artist Jane Galli started her career as an assistant, but successfully worked her way up to receive prestigious accolades and the highly coveted Department Head position.
Galli was inducted into The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science in 2010 for her body of work; an accolade only attributed to 116 makeup artists worldwide.
Galli graduated from Farmingdale High School in 1975.
Source:
“About Jane Galli.” Jane Galli Makeup. http://www.janegalli.com/about/
Thomas Gambino Jr. was a member of FDNY, Rescue 3. Gambino joined the New York Fire Department and spent most of his career there in Engine Co. 163 in Woodside.
A 17-year FDNY veteran‚ Gambino was a deeply religious person and attended Latin mass every week.
He founded the weightlifting club at Farmingdale High School. His son, Thomas Gambino III, is now an FDNY firefighter. While in training he has said that he thought about his father every day, that he was his motivation.
The last anyone heard of him, he had climbed to the 78th floor of the South Tower. His body was never recovered, though his helmet was found in the rubble. He left behind his wife and two sons.
Sources:
“Firefighter Thomas Gambino, Jr.” Better Angels: the Firefighters of 9/11, betterangels911.com/firefighter-thomas-gambino-jr/
Soergel, Matt. “Jacksonville Woman Organizes Bike Ride to Honor 9/11 Victims Including Her Brother, a New York Firefighter.” The Florida Times-Union, The Florida Times-Union, 12 Sept. 2019, www.jacksonville.com/news/20190911/jacksonville-woman-organizes-bike-ride-to-honor-911-victims-including-her-brother-new-york-firefighter
“Thomas Gambino Jr.” National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, 4 Aug. 2014, www.firehero.org/fallen-firefighter/thomas-gambino-jr
Peter J. Ganci‚ Jr. was the Chief of Department‚ FDNY‚ the highest-ranking uniformed officer. He died at the WTC while performing his duties. He was appointed to the FDNY on September 14‚ 1968 and assigned as a firefighter to Engine 92 in the Bronx and then to the 111 truck in Brooklyn. His climb to the top began as Lieutenant at Ladder 124‚ in August 1977.
While serving as a lieutenant at Ladder 124‚ Ganci was awarded the B.C. Frank Tuttlemondo medal in 1982 for performing an act of bravery and courage when he rescued a child from a burning apartment that was heavily engulfed in smoke‚ heat, and fire.
Chief Ganci was placed in charge of the Bureau of Fire Investigation in 1994. In 1997, Chief Ganci was appointed the chief of operations, the second-highest uniformed position in the Fire Department. In 1999, he was named acting chief, after his predecessor was injured in a car accident. His appointment became official in January of 2000.
Sources:
“Peter J. Ganci Jr.” National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. https://www.firehero.org/fallen-firefighter/peter-j-ganci-jr
“Peter J. Ganci Jr.” New York Times. September 13, 2001
John Gannon enlisted on October 20, 1864 in Kingston, New York. He was 25 years old. He was mustered in on October 24, 1864 with the 80th Regiment of the New York Volunteer Infantry. He served as a private in Company D. He mustered out on October 20, 1865 in Richmond, Virginia.
Source:
New York State Military Museum
Paul Geier's mother died when he was 22 and his sister Jeanne Kelly was 17.
"Paul took good care of me throughout some really tough times," she wrote in an e-mail message from London. "I really wasn't in the mood to go to my prom, but he encouraged me, bought me the dress, came home early from work to see me, and gave me spending money because he wanted me to try to be happy! I know it might sound silly since it was so long ago, but how many 22-year-olds do that for their sisters?"
Another sister, Kathy Healy, remembers how her brother's even temper got the family through a boat trip to Manhattan, when their 39-foot trawler ran out of gas and hit rough seas. He used to bicycle from his home in Farmingdale to Massapequa, arriving at her door on weekends.
Mr. Geier, 36, who leaves a wife and two young daughters, was one of two brokers not fired from his 22-person desk at eSpeed the Friday before September 11, Ms. Healy said.
Sources:
“Remembering September 11, 2001: Paul Hamilton Geier Obituary.” Legacy.com, www.legacy.com/sept11/Story.aspx?PersonID=96027
Born in Buffalo, Ambrose George moved to Long Island in 1835. He first purchased land in Farmingdale in 1838. In 1842, he purchased four acres of land from Charles W. Powell and Jacob Whitson.
Ambrose George opened a general store in Farmingdale. He also was in the real estate business. At that time, Farmingdale was named Hardscrabble. Anticipating construction of the Long Island Rail Road, he purchased a large tract of land between a community known as Bethpage and an area in Suffolk County called Hardscrabble.
In order to enhance the status of his property and to make it more attractive to prospective purchasers, George renamed the area "Farmingdale," for it was still very much a farming area, and in a dale south of the glacial sandhills.
He divided the acres he purchased into lots and two streets in Farmingdale are named after his family. Cornelia Street is named for his wife and Elizabeth Street is named for his daughter.
The Farmingdale Methodist Church began in 1842 as the Methodist Society of Farmingdale led by Philip Ketcham. The organizational meeting was held in his home on Sunday, March 29, 1842 when the land for the first Methodist meeting house in Farmingdale was given to the Society by Ambrose George. Perhaps George felt that a church in the depot area would enhance the area's attractiveness for new settlers, as the only other place of worship was the Quaker Meeting House northwest of the tracks.
Sources:
“Farmingdale United Methodist Church Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.” Farmingdale United Methodist Church Open hearts, open minds, open doors. http://www.farmingdaleumc.org
"History of Farmingdale." Jesse Merritt
Vining, Dorothy H. Farmingdale: A Short History from the Ice Age to the Present. Farmingdale Union Free School District, 1983
Platt Buffet Gildersleeve enlisted on September 4, 1862 in Huntington, NY. He was 25 years old. He was mustered in on September 8, 1862 with the 127th Regiment of the New York Volunteer Infantry. He served as a private in Company D. He mustered out with his company on June 30, 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina.
Source:
New York State Military Museum
Dr. Benjamin Giminaro was a life-long resident of Farmingdale and served as a reliable and trust-worthy physician for thousands of residents. Dr. Giminaro attended Hofstra University and went to medical school at New York Medical College. Dr. Giminaro served as physician for the Farmingdale School System and SUNY Farmingdale, where he started the on-campus health service. He was a member of the Medical Society of the State of New York and the Nassau County Medical Society.
He served his community in a variety of roles, including as chairman of the Farmingdale Zoning Board of Appeals, president of both the Farmingdale-Bethpage Historical Society and Farmingdale Rotary Club, former scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America, and as a board member on the Town of Oyster Bay's Board of Ethics.
Dr. Giminaro served as a Private in the U. S. Army in World War II and as a Lieutenant in the U. S. Navy during the Korean War. He was bestowed with the Jenkins Award, given by the Farmingdale PTAs and received a lifetime membership by the same group.
Dr. Giminaro and his wife Nancy had three sons. Dr. Giminaro passed away in 2015.
Sources:
“Benjamin Giminaro.” Our Schools. Spring 2014. https://www.farmingdaleschools.org
Genn, Adina. “Farmingdale High School Hosts 2014 Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony.” Farmingdale, NY Patch, Patch, 2 May 2014, patch.com/new-york/farmingdale/farmingdale-high-school-hosts-2014-wall-of-fame-induction-ceremony
“Meet Your Village Board.” Farmingdale Village
Al Giordano was born in 1931 in Farmingdale and died in 2009 in Tennessee.
While attending Farmingdale High School, he got letters in basketball, baseball, wrestling, and football.
Al Giordano played for Brooklyn’s Farm team, the Kentville Wildcats in Nova Scotia in 1950. He appeared in 43 games and had a batting average of 298. He also had 57 RBI’s, which were enough to be promoted to A Ball in 1951. Giordano went to the Valdosta Dodgers in the Georgia-Florida League in 1951. Before the season was over, he had moved up to the Class C Greenwood Dodgers in the Cotton States League.
He went back to Valdosta in 1952 where Al hit .234/~.453/.285 with 7 doubles in 53 games. He drew an amazing 54 walks in 192 plate appearances. In 1954, Giordano was still in the Brooklyn farm system. In 64 games with the Union City Dodgers of the Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League, he hit .346 with a .590 slugging percentage. His 14 doubles, 8 triples, and 9 home runs were the best numbers of his career to that point.
Despite his good numbers in 1954, 1955 saw Giordano catching for the unaffiliated Hannibal Citizens in the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League. In the fall, Giordano played football for Murray State University where he was an All-American and All-Ohio Valley Conference selection as a lineman.
Giordano finished out his baseball career with the Midwest League Michigan City White Caps in the New York Giants farm system. In 78 games, he hit .332 with 12 doubles, 2 triples, and 4 home runs. Besides catching, he also played some at first and third. He again excelled for the Murray State football team and again earned All-American and All-Ohio Valley Conference honors. In 1974, Giordano was inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame for his exceptional football career.
Giordano coached at Caldwell County High School in Princeton, KY for 45 years, including time as the football, baseball, boys golf, girls golf, softball and basketball coach. Al led the Caldwell squad to a runner-up finish in the 1999 State Fast Pitch Softball Tournament. He also led the Lady Tiger golf team to a state championship in the 1970s. He was inducted into the Dawahares/Kentucky State High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2003. He was also a member of the Caldwell County Football Hall of Fame, and the Kentucky State Softball Hall of Fame besides the Murray State Hall of Fame.
Sources:
“Al Giordano.” Tributes.com, http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Al-Giordano-101726820
“B-R Bullpen.” BR Bullpen, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Al_Giordano
The Glass Oven Bakery was located at 101 Fulton Street and opened in March of 1984. There were fifteen other Glass Oven Bakeries at the time of its opening. Owner Ellen Adler also owned the Creative Card and Gift Shop on Fulton.
It was a full-line retail bakery with a wide variety of breads, rolls, cookies, pies, and cakes. All the ovens in the bakery were made of glass so customers could see the products being baked.
They also offered breakfast & lunch specials.
Souce:
"Glass Oven Opens." Farmingdale Observer. March 8, 1984.
Patrick Gleason was born around 1880. He enlisted with the National Guard on June 23, 1916 with the 12th Regiment Armory. He was transferred to the Engineering Enlisted Reserve Corps in April, 1918 and to the 152nd Depot Brigade in August, 1918. He was a cook.
Patrick Gleason deserted his post on March 26, 1919.
Source:
Ancestry
NK 7/24
William Gockel was born on July 27, 1891 in Brooklyn to Henry and Anna Gockel.
William Gockel enlisted in the service on June 24, 1918 and served overseas from October 7, 1918- May 6, 1919. During Gockel’s time in the service, he served in the 127th Infantry to October 27, 1918. Gockel was then reassigned to the 331st Infantry until November 5, 1918. He was finally transferred to the Company B 320th Ammunition Train. William Gockel was honorably discharged on June 24, 1918.
After his time in the service, William Gockel married Anna and had a child. He was a farmer for over twenty years. Gockel passed away on June 6, 1974; he is buried at the Old Union Cemetery in Lincoln, Illinois.
Sources:
Ancestry
Fold3
ND 6/24
Mr. Alfred Graf serves as the representative of the 5th District in the New York State Assembly. Graf represented parts of the Towns of Brookhaven and Islip.
Alfred Graf graduated from Farmingdale High School in 1976. He is also a graduate of the State University of New York-Plattsburgh and Touro Law School. He currently serves as the representative of the 5th District in the New York State Assembly. Graf represents parts of the Towns of Brookhaven and Islip.
He is a veteran of the United States Navy. He rose to the rank of Operations Specialist Third Class Petty Officer and received the Good Conduct Medal and National Defense Ribbon. As part of the New York Police Department, he worked his way up from patrol to a plainclothes unit and was awarded numerous citations for exceptional police duty before being forced to retire due to an injury he received responding to a violent family dispute.
Graf was elected to the position of Town of Brighton Supervisor where he had a record of enhancing services while at the same time cutting taxes over the two terms he served as supervisor. During his time as supervisor, he opened a youth center, created a summer youth employment program, opened a food pantry for local seniors and managed three HUD grants he secured for the purpose of rehabilitating the homes of senior citizens.
He was elected to represent the people of the 5th District in the New York State Assembly on November 2, 2010. In his first term in the NY Assembly, he helped establish a parking violations bureau for Suffolk County. He pursued a myriad of other causes: more funding for local trade schools, college loan repayment for nurses who work in underserved areas, and enabling abused women to keep their children.
Sources:
“Alfred C. Graf.” Islip Town Republican Committee, 24 June 2019, www.isliptownrepublicans.com/team/assemblyman-al-graf
Genn, Adina. “Farmingdale High School Hosts 2014 Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony.” Farmingdale, NY Patch, Patch, 2 May 2014, patch.com/new-york/farmingdale/farmingdale-high-school-hosts-2014-wall-of-fame-induction-ceremony
“Newsday's endorsements for State Assembly.” Newsday, Newsday, 20 Apr. 2014 http://www.newsday.com/opinion/newsday-s-endorsements-for-new-york-state-assembly-election-2012-1.4144167
Greco Tailor was located at 225 Main Street. Joseph Greco began the business in 1922. The store at the time was located on Front Street. A fire caused him to move to Main Street in 1927. The building at the time was new and the tailor shop was the first tenant.
Joseph Greco moved to Farmingdale from Italy when he was 18. His son Charles, attended Farmingdale schools before joining his father in the business. The shop was known for its French dry cleaning and custom tailoring.
Source:
The Farmingdale Post
Warren Fred Green was born on August 14 in either 1893 or 1894 in Brooklyn. He served in the US Navy aboard the USS Martha Washington from November 27, 1918-January 10, 1918. He was a Yeoman 2nd Class and Storekeeper 1st Class.
He was married and worked as an accountant for Fulton Motor Truck Company. Warren F. green died on April 3, 1951 and is buried in the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, NY.
Source:
Ancestry
NK 6/24
Michael Grello was born on October 11, 1961 in Farmingdale. He attended East Memorial Elementary School, Mill Lane Junior High, and Farmingdale High School. After high school, he attended Nassau County BOCES. He married Denise Pinto and they have one child.
After working at local gas stations and meat markets, he became a trades union carpenter for the New York City Board of Education.
He is the founder and co-president of the Concerned Citizens Association of Farmingdale. It was formed to be a community force in the cleanup and re-development of the Liberty superfund site on Motor Avenue.. They were instrumental in achieving a recreational cleanup of the property and the creek that leads behind Farmingdale High School and the approximate 21 acres that were added to Ellsworth Allen Park.
He was a member of the Facilities Advisory Committee for the Farmingdale School District, the Town of Oyster Bay 2020 Visioning Committee, Restoration Advisory Board for the Grumman superfund site, and the Friends of the Massapequa Preserve.
He is a graduate of Nassau County citizen's police academy and a participant in the visioning process for the Village of Farmingdale.
He runs and maintains the Farmingdale, 11735 Facebook page.
Source:
Michael Grello
In 1930, Arthur Grey began working for the New York State Workers Compensation Board. Arthur Grey soon realized the needs of injured workers and decided to attend law school at night. With law school completed, Arthur Grey was promoted and obtained a position in the Board’s office of General Counsel. He eventually became a judge for Workers Compensation Law and continued his fight for individuals facing issues with workers compensation.
In 1967, Arthur’s son, David opened a law office called the Law Office of David P. Grey and followed in his father’s footsteps by representing injured and disabled workers. He opened this firm at 111 Ernest Street in North Massapequa to serve the Farmingdale area. David Grey’s quick, and growing, success meant that a second attorney was needed within just four years of opening the firm. With the demand for another attorney, Arthur Grey retired from his post at the Workers Compensation Board and became partners with David, which formed Grey & Grey.
In 1974, the firm moved locations to 145 Merritts Road. The firm then moved again, in 1986, to 195 Merritts Road. During this time, Arthur Grey retired from the firm in 1980 and soon after in 1990, David’s son Robert joined the firm to continue the family legacy. Eventually, in 1994, the firm moved one final time to 360 Main Street which is the present location. In 2008, David retired after forty years of dedicated service and left the firm in Robert’s hands as managing partner. The firm now has 15 attorneys and over 30 legal assistants. The firm now has multiple offices in Farmingdale, Suffolk, Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, and White Plains.
Source:
“History.” Grey & Grey, LLP. https://greyandgrey.com/history/
Grey, Robert. Email to Pignataro, Toniann. December 10, 2019.
James Guida of Massapequa, 57, passed away after a seven year battle with 9-11 related cancer. Survived by beloved wife, Alice and children, Jack and Melissa. Inspector Guida, a “no-nonsense” NYPD supervisor who battled drug dealers alongside an aggressive cancer, died of his illness on October 31, 2014. Guida began working as a Transit Police Officer in 1981 and then transferred to NYPD’s Detective Bureau.
The 33- year veteran, who was named the Daily News “Hero of the Month” in November 2011, left the force at the end of August 2014 after he was allowed to retire on a 9-11 disability pension. Guida also received the Theodore Roosevelt Award in recognition of endurance and performance of duty in the face of life threatening illnesses and injury.
Guida was a commanding officer of the Manhattan South Narcotics division when he retired, which he began leading in 2007. Before his time with the Manhattan South Narcotics division, Guida served as commanding officer for the 88th Precinct in Brooklyn, the 42nd Precinct in the Bronx, and Brooklyn North Gang Unit.
Sources:
O'Shaughnessy, Patrice (2011, November 25). Beating crime & cancer. Daily News, p. 12.
Tracy, Thomas (2014, November 1). Ex-NYPD big News' 'Hero' Guida was 57. Daily News, p. 18.
Daniel Gutheil was born on November 19, 1890 in Brooklyn to John and Elizabeth Gutheil.
Gutheil enlisted in the service on July 22, 1918; he did not serve overseas. During his time in the service Daniel Gutheil was assigned to the 152nd Depot Brigade in Camp Upton, New York to August 25, 1918. He was then reassigned to the Aviation General Supply Depot and Concentration Camp in Morrison, Virginia until September 5, 1918. Gutheil was finally transferred to the August Replacement 2nd Detachment in Morrison, Virginia until discharge. He was honorably discharged on December 16, 1918.
After his time in the service, Daniel Gutheil held various jobs such as a wood worker on both wagons and aircrafts, and as an operator of a silk dying machine. Gutheil passed away on October 6, 1971; he is buried at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.
Sources:
Ancestry
Fold3
ND 6/24
Conrad G. Guttenberger was born on July 14, 1892 in Bethpage to Konrad and Eva Guttenberger.
Guttenberger enlisted in the service on October 8, 1917; he did not serve overseas. During his time in the service, Conrad G. Guttenberger served in the Company E 308th Infantry until he was discharged. Guttenberger was promoted to Private 1st Class on May 28, 1918 and Corporal on July 1, 1918. He was honorably discharged on January 24, 1919.
After his time in the service, Conrad G. Guttenberger held various jobs such as a laborer, secretary and maintenance worker. Guttenberger passed away on October 10, 1964; he is buried at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.
Sources:
Ancestry
Fold3
ND 6/24