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Friday, September 7, 2018
Vol. 78, No. 36
Town to restore Levittown relic
SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE
BY GARY SIMEONE
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and the Town Board proudly partnered with Long Island Cares for their recent School Supply Drive, which took place over the months of July and August just in time for the new school year. The drive focused on collecting new school supplies for disadvantaged students.
DNA kit helps resident find lost family BY GARY SIMEONE
Plainview resident Stanley Borushik’s journey to find family members he never knew he had started with the website ancestry.com. After looking nearly 50 years to find his biological family, a recent DNA test he took, revealed a long-lost cousin and a half-brother and half-sister. “I was adopted when I was a baby and knew absolutely nothing about my biological family,” said the 76-year-old Borushik. “I have been searching since my 20’s with
the help of my wife, Vivian, to find any biological family members.” Borushik had to deal with bureaucratic red tape of the adoption agencies who by law seal their records to protect the adopting families. With the help of private search firms, he found out that the two people who actually adopted him were a brother and sister, who lied on the adoption papers about his real name and other crucial details. “I found out that my birth parents gave me the name Jerome Robert Roth on the original birth
certificate, but the name was changed legally in New York State to Stanley Jerome Borushik. I also discovered through a loophole in the state of Pennsylvania’s adoption records, that my biological mother’s name was Gladys Martin and my fathers name was Harry Roth.” The other big break in his search for biological family members came when his older son, Andrew, asked him to do a DNA test for the website, ancestry.com. “It was this past June when my
The concrete structure that sits near a strip mall off of Hempstead Turnpike has long held the curiously of Levittown residents and Hempstead Town councilman Dennis Dunne. Recently, the councilman uncovered the origins of the structure that resembles a miniature lighthouse. The structure was recently uncovered when Town workers cleared brush from the area near the Staples store on Hempstead Turnpike. “Most people know about Levittown’s rich history related to being the home of returning World War II veterans,” said Dunne. “This concrete structure was obviously a piece of Levittown history that has been forgotten by many, but I am proud to be able to solve this mystery.” Dunne said that the structure is what remains of a lighthouse that was placed in the area in 1977 by the Town as part of the LBJ Beautification of America program. “The lighthouse had been built at no cost to taxpayers, through funding through the federal government, during Lyndon B Johnson’s tenure as president. At the time the Levittown Chamber of Commerce, praised the initiative as a way to attract shoppers to the center at a time when malls were increasing in popularity.” The landmark beacon will receive a complete makeover, bringing the structure back to its former glory. Dunne said that his office has been in contact with Town carpenters, who plan to refurbish the structure. He is also seeking state grants that will allow for interior lighting to be placed in the lighthouse. He added that the refurbishing project would not be at the expense of taxpayers, as Town employees will use town owned materials to restore the lighthouse. Dunne said he hopes the work will be completed by the holiday season so that residents and shoppers will take notice. “If we can restore this beacon to its former glory and attract some more people to this area, it will be a victory for history and our business community.” Once the landmark is restored, the Town will seek landmark status to maintain the integrity of the structure.
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New faculty join the Levittown Schools PAGE 6 Orientations ease transitions to school PAGE 15