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ROCKVILLE CENTRE
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HERALD School board election preview
An update from Peter King
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Vol. 34 No. 20
MAY 11 - 17, 2023
$1.00
School workers help save a life District employees rescue man who crashed car near Watson Elementary By DANIEl oFFNER doffner@liherald.com
Tim Baker/Herald
And they’ve got the medals to prove it Jessica Goro, 34, and Brittany Berke, 30, of Rockville Centre, finished the Long Island Half Marathon last Sunday. Story, more photos, Page 16.
Two employees of the Rockville Centre school district were recently acknowledged for their heroism following an incident that took place in front of Floyd B. Watson Elementary School last month. John Scalisi and Ray Bookman, who are both volunteer firefighters, helped save the life of an elderly motorist after he lost control of his car and crashed into a telephone pole at the corner of Lakeview and North Centre avenues, across the street from the school. “We jumped in to do what
we’re trained to do,” Scalisi said. “At the end of the day, we were in the right place at the right time and were able to assist this person.” Scalisi, the district’s director of school facilities and operations and a Merrick volunteer firefighter, was on his daily rounds when he heard staff members calling for help. When he and Bookman arrived at the scene, two other men who had seen the crash were trying to break the car window so they could help the driver, who was slumped over the steering wheel, as the wheels of the car continued turning. Continued on page 23
Joe Scarola named Memorial Day Parade grand marshal By DANIEl oFFNER doffner@liherald.com
Joe Scarola, the American Legion commander of Nassau County, has been named grand marshal of the Rockville Centre Memorial Day Parade, which will take place on May 29, at 10 a.m. “It’s very much an honor,” Scarola said. “Memorial Day is the one day a year when we stop and show our gratitude for the people who sacrificed for our country. No other country in the world has the freedoms we have.” Scarola was a U.S. Navy officer for four years, from 1965 to 1969, and rose to the rank of lieu-
tenant. He was initially deployed to the Mediterranean, where he served as a programmer, handling computer operations on one of the fleet’s ships, helping track targets, plot courses and communicate with other ships. He was later deployed on a vessel that traveled near the Arctic Circle, tracking Russian submarines at the height of the Cold War. “It was an honor to serve my country for those four and a half years,” Scarola said. “God has been good to me in many ways. During the Vietnam War, I was fortunate to spend my time in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.” Having spent two months at a computer school, he returned
I
t has been a very rewarding year for me.
JoE ScARolA
Nassau County commander, American Legion home from the military and got a job building computers for companies on Wall Street. Eventually he settled down with his wife of 56 years, Regina, and they had four children. They now have nine grandchildren. “Sometimes when we all get together, it’s chaos and bedlam … and a blessing,” he said.
In 2008, Scarola took over as commander of American Legion Post No. 303 in Rockville Centre, and for the past 15 years he has been in charge of selecting others to serve as parade grand marshal. This year, however, marks a milestone for Scarola. For the past year he has served as the Nassau County commander of
the Legion, overseeing 52 posts across Long Island. “It has been a very rewarding year for me,” he said. “It has been an honor working with the posts and helping them.” Not only does the American Legion support local veterans, but it also supports the community at large. Post 303 supports Continued on page 26