PROFILE: SOUTHAMPTON In the early 1960s, local residents in the seaside resort towns of the Hamptons established a committee to build a university that would serve the Eastern Long Island communities. In partnership with Long Island University, they purchased the Tucker Mill Inn, a 60-acre estate with a historic windmill in the Shinnecock Hills. In fall 1963, Southampton College of Long Island University welcomed its first class of 250 students—43 women and 207 men. Among that first class was Sands Point native Caroline Monti, who graduated from an all-girls Catholic high school and wanted to stay close to home for college. She applied to only one school, the recently founded Southampton College. On the other side of campus was Arthur Saladino, a recent graduate of Mount St. Michael Academy in the Bronx. After hearing about the new school on Long Island’s East End, Arthur visited the college and met Southampton’s director of admissions, who accepted him on the spot. Two weeks into the semester, fate took over. As Caroline was riding her bike beneath the verdant late summer boughs of the treelined main lane of campus to Southampton Hall, her chain broke. A handsome fellow approached and offered to fix her bicycle. “It was love at first sight,” said Arthur. “Fifty-two years later we are still grateful to Southampton College for bringing us together,” added Caroline. Fifty-two years, four children, 11 grandchildren, and a monumental family legacy of philanthropy and advocacy that has saved innumerable lives and revolutionized cancer care in Long Island, that is. Engaged while still in school, and following their parents’ demands, they agreed to postpone their wedding until after graduation. As the College’s first class, Caroline and Arthur were “seniors” for four years, building camaraderie with fellow classmates and experiencing a rapid pace of growth as the campus and student body expanded, academic course offerings increased, and the faculty nearly tripled in size. “We were very much a family, even with the professors. It was an exciting time to be there,” Caroline said.
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SPRING 2015 | LIU MAGAZINE
Caroline Monti Saladino S’67 & Arthur Saladino S’67 Southampton Couple is Leading the Fight Against Cancer in Long Island By Sarah DeCamp