We voted against the almost $28 million school bond issue last year. This time, however, we will be voting in favor of the $25.7 million bond on June 20. The bond has been trimmed to the essentials. When you realize that 80 percent of our kids have no computers and attend overflowing classrooms you can see the necessity of approving the bond. The Willis Ave. site will be rebuilt to alleviate some of the overcrowding. The public schools need our support.

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Former editor Jim Kennedy is now teaching at Friends Academy and doing some PR work.

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Jimmy, Kevin and Brian Hoey honored their mother Kathleen on the occasion of her 70th birthday at the Westbury Manor. Many friends and relatives enjoyed the grand party. Mrs. Hoey lives on Wardwell Rd.

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Andrew Reardon of Wilson Blvd. is a good friend of Pat McDonald, owner of the Shamrock gas station. Andy worked for 35 years at Con Ed.

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Margaret Fleming and her brother John enjoyed dinner at Mahoneys.

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Ed and Denise Savarese and son Dylan, age 3, had breakfast at the Jericho Diner. They were on their way to the library school held at the facility on Washington Ave. The last time he went, Dylan said, the children learned all about Easter.

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Denis McCarthy, 18 months old, is the grandson of Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy. We met Denis as he was getting a ride in the stroller with family friend Paul May doing the pushing. Paul and his wife Peggy live on Linden Rd.

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Alice Grom of Arlington St. never ceases to amaze us. She has a daughter living upstate who is ill and has a husband with severe back problems. So Alice travels upstate to do the gardening chores. She rototills the lawns and even chopped down a small tree. Alice's own husband Stan also has a bad back. Alice is also an avid hunter. When you see her walking briskly waiting on tables at the Jericho it's hard to believe that she is 79 years old. She is a direct descendent of Sir Walter Raleigh and comes from hardy stock. In her younger days Alice Raleigh performed on the stage.

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As it turns out we attended the final Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral at which the beloved cardinal was the celebrant and was able to deliver the homily.

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When Grace and I started the Mineola American in 1952 we looked over all Nassau and Mineola was the only village without a newspaper. The old HomeNews had ceased publication in 1945.

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Katie Girardi received her First Holy Communion at St. Martin of Tours Church. A celebration was later held at Cafe Rossini's on Main St. Her happy paternal grandparents are Anita and Al Girardi of Parkway Court.

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Glenn Curtiss, the early flier, is closely identified with our village. According to historian Tom Barrick, Curtiss and his "Golden Flyer" encouraged many young men of the village to take to the skies. Young men took off and landed in Mineola with their traditional white scarves and goggles. They used to refresh themselves with wondrous tales and good liquor at the old Gold Bug Hotel on Old Country Rd. In the early days of the last century Mineola was a hotbed of aviation activity.

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The interior public areas of the President Apartment house on Mineola Blvd. have recently been redecorated with an "early American" flavor in a luxurious warm atmosphere. There are many items of interesting Americana such as portraits of all our US Presidents, reprints of historical newspaper articles and copies of the founding documents of our great country.