Al Oliveira and his wife Natalie live on Strand Place. Al is the owner of Memories Pub in Williston Park. He is a busy fellow because he also has a band called Ipanema which performs most weekends.

Mineola now has a new travel agency called J&J Skyline Travel located over Queens Bridal Center on Jericho Turnpike. Grace Wissler is the owner. She and her husband Joe, and children, Joseph and Nicole live on Beebe Road.

Lou Gerstner, the CEO of IBM, is a man born in the village. Lou, one of America's most successful businessmen, is a graduate of Chaminade High School. His parents Marge and Lou lived most of their lives in Mineola and now reside out east.

Over Mother's Day weekend we had a delightful visitor from Buenos Aires, Sr. Katie Sitja y Balbastro who belongs to the same order, IHM, as our daughter, Sr. Annmarie. This gave us all a good chance to use our espanol. Annmarie speaks Spanish fluently, having spent five years in Peru. She is now director of communications for the congregation and involved in their weekly radio and TV productions.

Faust and Maryann Guarino of Oceanside have returned from a vacation in Hawaii. Maryann was formerly from Mineola.

Kathy Doherty and her baby son, Jack visited her mother, Victoria Mussa of Mineola. Kathy and her husband, Michael live in Massapequa.

Always good to see Izzy and Marge Irace of Horton Highway. I met Izzy long before I ever came to Mineola as we were classmates at NYU.

Ruth Pokorny of Barwick Boulevard and Evelyn Mercogliano of Mineola Boulevard often come to Mass together.

Jim and Donna Doran of Sheridan Boulevard lunched at the Jericho Diner.

My neighbors, Gavin Duffy and Ron Woyciechowski enjoy a good natured debate about Met pitcher John Franco. Gavin thinks he's great while Ron says he is not so hot.

Mary O'Donnell and Laura Blake who both work at O'Donnell's Irish Pub brightened up breakfast at the Jericho on a recent morning. Both ladies live in the village.

Bruce and Maryann Burns of Arlington Street entertained his parents from England.

Father Robert Batule of Corpus Christi made Maximillian Kolbe of Poland the subject of his homily recently. Kolbe, imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, offered himself to die in place of another man who had a wife and children. Father Batule said we should try to emulate Kolbe's feeling of self sacrifice. Maximillian Kolbe is now a saint.

Buffy Mehmdeoska of Jefferson Avenue now works as a hostess at the Williston Town House. She lives with her son Timmy, 9, and daughter, Nedzije, 12.

Tom Cooke is finally able to get around like his old self. Following a knee operation he has been off from work for a year. He will return to his job in construction in June. Meanwhile his faithful helper Phyllis Alfiere has held down the fort at TK's Gift Shop.

Kevin Richard Parente was born April 30. Dad Kevin teaches European history at Chaminade and mom Bonnie is an attorney. They also have an 18-month-old daughter Emma Margaret. The family lives on Marcellus Road. Pat and Lou Santosus and Ralph Parente are the grandparents. Ralph is a widower.

Always good to see the happy face of Angie Plaia around the village. Angie is a former village trustee.

Jack and Karen Gaysonenjoyed lunch at the Jericho. Jack is second assistant fire chief, having just completed his term as chief of the Mineola Fire Department.