Ilse Hirseland can still remember the late Phil Healy walking into the old office of the Massapequan Observer on Park Blvd. in Massapequa Park. "Healy was a constant guest," she said.

There were other regulars when Ilse was the owner of the Observer in the 1970's, such as Congressman Norman Lent, Senator Norman Levy and Supervisor Frank Hynes. Some would come into the office, spend some time with Ilse and Gerhard, and then leave to make history.

And then there was the office of the Farmingdale Observer. Published out of the home of its owner, the Farmingdale Observer used the address of the historic Powell House. And for years the names that made Farmingdale history were channeled through the community's oldest home.

But before Ilse and her late husband Gerhard purchased the two newspapers, there were other noteworthy names mentioned in them. Congressman Stuyvesant Wainwright, Assemblyman Edwin Fehrenbach, and Senator Henry Curran were just a few of the names that made their way into the Massapequan and Farmingdale Observers during the 1960's.

But the further back in time one looks, their ceases to be two separate Observers for each community. There was, at one time, only one Observer.

Founded in 1959 by Massapequa Park residents Caroline and Frank Klesh after they returned from a six-week tour of Europe, the Observer joined numerous community newspapers that served the area. Two of them, the Southeaster and the Farmingdale Post, no longer exist.

When they came home from their vacation, Frank and Caroline used their business Klesh and Klesh Consultants, a Long Island-wide public relations agency, to launch a new newspaper for Massapequa and Farmingdale.

Both Frank and Caroline were active members of the communities they reported. Frank was a founder of the Massapequa Rotary Club, and Caroline led the Great Books discussion at the Massapequa Public Library. Both Frank and Caroline were Quakers who moved from Pennsylvania to live in Massapequa Park.

"They were much more active," said Ilse. "They used to get more involved."

The first issue came out on December 9, 1959, featuring 16 pages of news, opinions, and happenings for the two communities; Massapequa and Farmingdale. "They covered everything weekly," said Liz Boecke, who worked for the Observer in the 1970's. "They really wanted to be a part of the area."

In its first year alone the Observer covered a great deal of major news stories.

Some notable headlines:

...Two Church Buildings Being Erected on Merrick Road...

...Fire Dept Marks 50th Anniversary, Founded in 1910...

...District 23 to Vote on Proposed Alfred G. Berner JH School...

...336 to Graduate in District 22...

... KENNEDY WINS, BUT NOT IN PEQUA & F'DALE...

A great deal happened in both communities during the Observer's first year in print. Governor Nelson Rockefeller signed an agreement granting 52 acres of land on what was to become John J. Burns Park, the Farmingdale Village Board received full opposition on election day for the first time since their incorporation, plans were first announced for the construction of Polytechnic Institute on Route 110 in Farmingdale, and thousands of local residents went to campaign rallies for Richard Nixon and John Kennedy just before the election.

It was a good year for the Observer in 1960. Subscriptions were high, local advertisements were sold in increasing numbers, and letters to the editor poured into the office.

Most notably, on the occasion of their first anniversary, the Observer received congratulatory letters from Richard Nixon, Nelson Rockefeller, Marjorie Post, John J. Burns, J. Lewis Ames, and numerous village, school district, PTA, governmental, and civic leaders congratulating the Observer for a year well done.

"It is a pleasure to extend greetings to you, your staff and readers as you celebrate the first anniversary of the founding of the Observer newspaper," wrote then vice president Richard Nixon. "All of you are to be congratulated as you work for a better informed citizenry."

The first year went so well in fact, that the Observer couldn't keep up with the high demand for more news and more advertising. By March of the following year the Observer split into two separate editions: the Massapequa/Massapequa Park edition and the Farmingdale/Bethpage edition.

Eventually Observer became the second word in the name and each paper was given their own name: the Massapequan Observer and the Farmingdale Observer.

And today, after several other editor and publisher changes, both newspapers continue to grow and succeed. The news and views may change, but some things remain the same.