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Jolly Fisherman founder dies at 95

BY STEVEN KEEHNER

Fred Scheiner, a Roslyn restaurant owner, pilot, political activist who earned a spot on President Nixon’s enemies list and father, died on the morning of June 5 at 95.

Scheiner was born on May 8, 1927. He joined his parents, Max and Frances, in the restaurant business in 1951, following a brief spell as a carpenter, where theylaunched The Jolly Fisherman & Steak House in Roslyn in 1957.

The Jolly Fisherman has been in the Scheiner family for three generations. Today, it is owned and operated by his son, Steven Scheiner, and it remains a signifi cant piece of Roslyn’s history.

Steven refl ected on his father’s life in a Facebook post. He said that The Jolly Fisherman is still going strong because of the great foundation he established.

“He had a full life. He was a businessman, a family man, a pilot, a political gadfl y,” he wrote. “When much younger, he worked towards various (far) left goals.”

Steven admitted that, while he was mentally alert, his father’s body had gotten physically drained towards the end of his life.

According to his obituary, he was deeply committed to social, economic and racial justice and equality. In 1978, the New York Times profi led him partially about this and his hobby as a pilot.

“Right now there are more people coming into fl ying than in a long time,” Scheiner told the Times. “I think it’s replacing golf. It’s a middle class thing and the airports out here are full of guys who want to learn.”

Scheiner was one of several North Shore Jews who were early and constant supporters of Dr. Marin Luthere King’s civil rights initiatives and were among his primary fi nancial backers.

“More than particularized categories of melting pot and salad bowl, more than a spectrum from ethnicity to acculturation to assimilation to cultural pluralism, North Shore Jews, identifi ed above, shared with Dr. King the deeper American Experiment commitment to a principled society in which all had a chance to proceed based on the content of their character,” then columnist Michael D’Innocenzo wrote in 2018.

This all came together on March 25, 1968, when he fl ew Martin Luther King Jr. to a conference in upstate New York in his four-passenger jet. King had traveled to Long Island after hearing from his Jewish acquaintances that there was a pressing need to combat escalating antisemitism, particularly in New York City and other major cities.

“Dr. King’s lawyer lived near Fred, and their sons were friends,” the Times article explained. “Between the two of them, they decided that Fred could fl y Dr. King to and from Monticello, keeping him within his calendar of appointments.”

He did so, heard King give a speech in Monticello, fl ew them back, and delivered a tape of the speech to a television station. King was assassinated about a week later.

Former President Richard Nixon had Scheiner on his “enemies” list in the 1970s, which he considered “a badge of honor.”

Scheiner siad he was a supporter of Sen. George McGovern for president and that he had donated a dinner that was part of a fundraising event to support Daniel Ellsberg, who had been spied on by Nixon and his administration for his role in releasing the Pentagon Papers history of the Vietnam War. But he never found out why he was on the list.

Regarding his father’s life, Steven Scheiner had a simple conclusion: “As we say in the restaurant business, raise a cocktail fork: to Fred!”

Scheiner is survived by his wife of 72 years, Rosalind; his three children, Terry, Steven and Carol; eight grandchildren; and fi ve greatgrandchildren.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ROSLYN LANDMARK SOCIETY

The outside of the Jolly Fisherman & Steak House. Fred Scheiner, who opened the Roslyn eatery in 1957, died on June 5 at 95. HE HAD A FULL LIFE. HE WAS A BUSINESSMAN, A FAMILY MAN, A PILOT, A POLITICAL GADFLY. WHEN MUCH YOUNGER, HE WORKED TOWARDS VARIOUS (FAR) LEFT GOALS.

Steven Scheiner

SON

Rain cancels Floral Park street fair

Continued from Page 1 promotes local businesses, outdoor dining, and live entertainment along Plandome Road, was also canceled. The event takes place every other Sunday starting June 12 and ending on Sept. 18. The new kick-off date is slated for Sunday, June 26, at 4 p.m.

In Mineola, the Portuguese Day parade was pushed back one hour from its original 11 a.m. start time. Village residents, elected offi cials and local organizations were among those who participated in the parade that eventually ended at Wilson Park for the Mineola Portuguese Center’s Annual Portuguese-American Feast.

PHOTO BY BRANDON DUFFY

Floral Park’s Tulip Avenue, as seen on Memorial Day.

Herricks says goodbye to Celano during last meeting

Continued from Page 3 whole country among public high schools.

As a district, Herricks was ranked No. 7 on Niche.com’s list of best school districts in New York, according to their most recent rankings.

In unrelated district news, Thursday night was the last meeting as board president for Trustee Henry Zanetti, who said he was privileged to be in the role for the last two years.

“It’s been very interesting, it’s done a lot to enhance my experience on the board,” Zanetti said. “I’m happy that we made so much progress.”

Zanetti took the presidency from Trustee Juleigh Chin during the COVID-19 pandemic. Accomplishments include overseeing the Herricks reopening plan and capital improvements through the district.

Herricks Middle School math teacher Josephine Bruno was recognized by the board for being named Teacher of the Year by the Nassau County Mathematics Teachers Association “for the talent and creativity she brings to her classroom.”

The board also approved a personnel report that partly included appointments of Lily Ho to become the assistant elementary principal of Denton, replacing Beth Roseman, and Thomas Sposato to become the district’s director of pupil services, replacing Lois Jankeloff .

The next meeting for the Herricks Board of Education will be held on Friday, July 1, with the board’s re-organization meeting beginning at 10:30 a.m. before beginning a regular meeting at 11 a.m.