Upon meeting him, George Ambrosio's friendly smile and sense of humor are difficult to miss. Nassau County recently picked up on some of the Bethpage resident's other qualities - particularly - leadership and outstanding community service.

Named Nassau County Senior Citizen of the Year, Ambrosio is due to be honored today, Friday, at the 24th Annual May Luncheon/Conference sponsored by the Nassau County Department of Senior Citizen Affairs.

Ambrosio was surprised by the designation, not only because he was unaware of his nomination, but also because for this child of the Great Depression, giving comes naturally.

During a recent interview, the 75-year-old president of the Farmingdale Chapter American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) revealed the effect that growing up the son of a gardener/laborer in Huntington had on who he is today. "We were poor, but my folks gave us the idea that we weren't poor enough that we couldn't help people," he said. "You accepted what you had, and you were always taught to give a little more than you had."

A Navy veteran of World War II, Ambrosio has lived in Bethpage with his wife Helen since 1951. There they raised 3 daughters, and have 6 grandchildren.

Ambrosio was nominated by the Sagamore Life Member Club of the Telephone Pioneers of America, a retirees' service organization which he joined in 1983, after retiring from 37 years of employment with New York Telephone. He has done more than 10,000 hours of community service, serving as the group's president in 1988, and continuing as a member of its executive board from 1989 to present.

Ambrosio's volunteer activities benefit such organizations as Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf, the Golden Donor Blood Drive, the INN at Hicksville, Cleary School for the Deaf, the Knights of Columbus Drug Abuse Program, the Variety Pre-Schoolers Workshop, The American Kidney Foundation, the Nassau County 4-H Camp, the Muttontown Preserve, local schools and nursing homes, and others.

In their nomination of him, the Sagamore Club cited Ambrosio's leadership and innovative fundraising.

Ambrosio noted that he is constantly discussing with fellow Farmingdale AARP leaders ways to infuse those fund-raising techniques into that club. The combination of his skills and those of the other leaders - particularly, Clare Deucher, Joan Ganz, and the late Ted Jacques - have been effective for the group, which also does extensive community service and has the largest attendance of any Long Island AARP chapter, he noted. "They do a lot," he said, noting that his fellow leaders inspire the club with their words and actions. "And I ask them for advice. You should never be afraid to ask for advice."