The New Hyde Park/Garden City Park School District held a ceremony recently to install its newly elected and reelected school board trustees.

Attending the ceremony was former school board trustee Lawrence Montreuil and former school board president Louis Zacaresse.

School district attorney who is also a Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello was the installing officer and he installed all the trustees at the same time including school board trustees Annette Giarratani, Ernest Gentile and Joseph Bongiorno and reinstalled Joan Romagnoli. He also installed Hillside Library Trustee Peter Pinto.

After the installation ceremonies New Hyde Park Village Historian Florence Lisanti gave the following very enlightening address regarding the formation of New Hyde Park. Lisanti has a wealth of knowledge and a wealth of memorabilia of the village and has already shared much of it by framing historic photos that grace the walls of New Hyde Park Village Hall.

Lisanti said," Every community takes pride in its founders and New Hyde Park is no exception. In 1682 Thomas Dongan was appointed Royal Governor of New York by James, Duke of York. He proved to be an able leader and during his tenure he created the county system of government and called the first representative assembly in the province and issued the Charters of Liberties and Privileges in 1683, which would become the basis of the New York State Constitution.

"Dongan's popularity as governor earned him a gift of land on which he built a home. The property extended from the areas near Long Island Jewish Hospital, south to Jericho, which was all part of the Great Plains. When Governor Dongan was called back to England his successor was the Lt. Governor George Clarke who was married to Anne Hyde a woman from a family of royal standing in England?

"Governor Clarke, to honor his wife, he renamed the estate Hyde Park. Because this is brief history, we move forward to the 1800s and a man named Anton Herkomer who ran a small general store and lived in the vicinity of Jericho Turnpike. In his home he ran looms, which produced fine fabrics that were used to make the clothing for the royalty. The year was 1865 and on one of Anton's trips to New York City he was introduced to John Christ, a machinist and Philip Miller, a coppersmith and encouraged them both to move to Hyde Park to begin life in this new county. But, most of all he needed their talents to keep his looms in good working order.

"Christ and Miller were jointly responsible for the community's name. They purchased Herkomer's store and wanted to expand their business but recognized the need for a post office in Hyde Park.

"Rallying friends and residents of the area they increased the mail and the request for a post office was approved but they could not use the name Hyde Park, because it was already taken and they came up with name New Hyde Park which was accepted on Sept. 30, 1871 and the first mail was received in the store at Jericho and Millers Lane."

Lisanti then stopped to hold up the original 136-year-old first postal record and left it for anyone to "carefully" look at after the installation.

Lisanti continued, "Equally historic in growth of the country is the area known as Garden City Park. After the Revolutionary War and the occupation of Long Island, the Queens County Court House in Jamaica was burned down and a new building was needed. The site chosen was on the north side of Jericho Turnpike between Nassau Boulevard and Marcus Avenue in the area that would become the seat of government on Long Island.

"Developers were already starting to build home for those who left the crowded areas of New York. Naming the community was credited to Benjamin W. Hitchcock, an enterprising real estate developer, who attempted to benefit from the publicity given to Alexander T. Stewart's concept of a planned community named Garden City. He purchased the land in the vicinity of the courthouse. Hitchcock then divided the tract of land he purchased into 646 building lots in the summer of 1874. He could not use the name Garden City, already claimed by Stewart's planned community, so he added 'Park' to the name and Garden City Park has been in existence ever since.

"The first school for the children in New Hyde Park/Garden City Park was constructed in 1883 and can be seen on the grounds of the Baptist Church on New Hyde Park Road, north of Jericho Turnpike. In 1906 a large brick school, at the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and New Hyde Park Road, was built to provide for first to eighth grade students. It serves today as the New Hyde Park Village Hall.

"In 1925 it was necessary to add an annex to the building and the structure is still in use and is called Marcus Christ Hall.

"At the same time the parents of Garden City Park children demanded a school in their community and a small building was constructed. In 1927 two new permanent school buildings were opened, The New Hyde Park Road School and the Garden City Park School and still stand to serve the community along with the Hillside Grade School and the Manor Oaks School

Lisanti concluded by saying, "New Hyde Park is replete with history. Much, too much, to relate here, but it just gives you an idea of tremendous force that holds people together."

After the ceremony refreshments were served.