A memorial dedication was held last month honoring the late Victoria "Vicky" Rosenberg at the Wantagh Triangle. Rosenberg, a resident of Wantagh and avid community activist, passed away last summer. She was 66.

Rosenberg spent her childhood summers at Jones Beach, later working there from the age of 14. After graduating from college as a speech hearing teacher, she worked with mentally retarded and brain damaged children. She was appalled at the treatment of and educational opportunities offered to special education children and began her advocacy for these children. She became part of a program to bring deaf and hearing impaired children into regular schools and classes in Farmingdale. For 36 years she was a teacher of special needs children in the area, serving also as a trustee of the union and building representative.

Her interest in students continued when she joined the Wantagh Foundation for Education Excellence, where she served as president. At no cost to taxpayers, the foundation provided summer educational programs and youth center programs for middle and high school students in Wantagh. The special needs children were so important to her that after serving in Farmingdale SEPTA she went on to serve as president of Nassau Coordinating Council of SEPTA's for nine years and remained on the board for another five years.

As president of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association, Rosenberg fought to save the Seaman Venier house by convincing the developer to save and convert the home into two condo units while building his condo complex around the historic home in the same Victorian style. She worked diligently to provide vest pocket senior housing wherever possible in the Town of Hempstead and fought spot builders from siting two homes on formerly one-home sites. She also contacted LIPA and worked with their tree pruning department to prevent the butchering of trees when they needed pruning. Together with SCARE, Mrs. Rosenberg fought the proposed pelletization plant, scheduled to be sited between two elementary schools and networked with the Seaford Civic Association in stopping Pep Boys from moving in over a protected stream.

Other community involvements included participating in the Nassau County Master Plan Task Force, graduating from the Civilian Police Academy in 1999 and proposing the Town of Hempstead Cell Phone Technology Task Force and moratorium. Rosenberg helped many communities in their battles, from flooding streets, saving a park on Condor Road in Island Trees, saving the Quaker Meeting House in North Wantagh and fighting Terra Homes in Wantagh Woods. Through the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association, she arranged for water and electric services to be provided to the Mandalay Triangle and Wantagh Railroad Triangle and for street lamp electric and Christmas tree hookup at no charge to the chamber of commerce.

For her many accomplishments, Rosenberg was awarded the 2000 Make a Difference Award by the Town of Hempstead. Last month, the Wantagh Triangle was dedicated in her memory. As Rosenberg was very committed to the beautification of several areas of the community, the Wantagh Triangle was a fitting tribute to her memory. The Wantagh Chamber of Commerce, along with local Boy Scout Troop 96 and Girl Scout Troop 3105, planted dozens of spring flowering bulbs at the site in her honor.