T'was a grand Christmas party that Marta Hines organized for the village employees and their families and friends. Among those we met there were Nancy Kelly, Russ Sutherland, Florence Petersen, Lori McCarron, Gary Tuthill, Tony and Marian Bellissimo, Judge John O'Shea, Walter and Joan Hobbs, Charlie Melvin, Ruth Delventhal, Marguerite and Dick O'Callaghan, Bill Pokorny, Father James Bowman, Bill Urianek, Amelia Morelli, Deacon John Reinhart and Carl Marchese.

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Remember Pathe News at the movies, one of our biggest sources of information before TV took over so completely? Well, Oliver Wright was one of their photographers. Long retired, Mr. Wright and his wife Patricia and daughter Diane live on Royal Avenue.

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Mary O'Donnell who, along with her husband Martin own O'Donnell's Irish Pub, had her morning coffee at the Jericho Diner.

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Good to see School Superintendent Dr. Lorenzo Licopoli and Hampton Street School Principal Daniella Kaminsky at the Chamber of Commerce Christmas party.

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The big bright illuminated sign in front of the village hall looks very impressive at night.

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Dan and Betty Carolin, formerly of Mineola now of Florida, enjoyed lunch at the Jericho Diner. They were with Jack and Maryann Wynne of Mineola. Dan was active in the MAA for many years and once ran for village trustee.

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Mary Trotti has retired after 25 years as the head of transportation for the Mineola school district. She and her husband Roger live on Marcellus Road.

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Sal Scibilia stops in every morning for coffee at you know where. Sal, who is a retired carpenter, lost his wife Marian in August. Sal and Marian were married for 49 years and lived on E. Washington Avenue.

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The Mineola bridge will be completed shortly and dedicated in the spring.

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The village plans to close part of Main Street to traffic and set up a pedestrian mall and convert the area into a beautiful shopper's paradise. Main Street will be a dead end where the crossing gates are now.

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State Senator Mike Balboni has obtained a $30,000 grant for the Chamber of Commerce. He made the happy announcement at the chamber's holiday party.

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Donald Raad, son of Richard and Charlotte of Mineola, will open a new travel agency - the MSW Travel Group at 129A Hillside Avenue, Williston Park.

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The Rev. Thomas Murphy, formerly of Corpus Christi and now with a parish in Shoreham, had lunch at the Riverbay with a friend, Adam Zaid.

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Lou Buttacoli and his wife Catherine had lunch at the Jericho Diner. Lou has been a member of the fire department for 35 years.

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At the wake of Fred Calapietra special veteran services were held by the VFW. Fred served with distinction in the war against Japan. A longtime church usher Fred was buried wearing his usher pin. At the wake we met Catherine Murphy, Marilyn Donnellen, Marge Irace and Fred Ware. Some members of the Rosary Society recited the rosary as Fred's sister Mary is a member of the group.

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Almost a hundred years ago the Mineola Civic League put out a directory of the village. Mineola didn't yet have mayors and in 1920 the head of the government was the president William McCarthy and on the board was Ralph Latham. William McCormick was chief of the Mineola Police Department and Frank Godesky was fire chief. The village had five churches: the Presbyterian church with pastor George Dunshee, Corpus Christi had Fr. J.M. Burke, The Episcopal church with Rev. R. McMullin, the Lutheran Church was headed by Rev. Louis Wagner and in those days there was a Methodist church whose pastor was E.R. Zimermann

The directory also lists the daily trolley schedules. All the village organizations are noted including the Daughters of Rebecca, the Sons and Daughters of Liberty, the Mineola Basket Ball Club (two words in those days) and the Trapshooters Club. Our state assemblyman was Theodore Roosevelt, a cousin of Teddy's. Every business is listed among them we noted a bootblack, a coal company, fertilizer dealers, ice dealers, livery stables, a harness shop and those who specialized in wagon repairs. (Nobody was selling computers.) Our good friend Walter Weismantel sent us the booklet and we plan to give it to the Historical Society.

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