Bethpage-Tribune_1990-05-17

              YOUR OFFICIAL HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER
Serving Bethpage, Island Trees, Plainedge, Seoford, Old Befhpage and Plainv'mw
VOL. 23 NO. 27 Celebrating Our 23r^1 Year MAY 17-MAY 23,1990 Celebrating Our 23rd Year 15 CENTS
On Tuesday, May 8th, Stella Fin-amore,
a resident of Bethpage for over
50 years was honored by the Town
of Oyster Bay as Senior Citizen of the
year...a tremendous honor for a
tremendous senior. Certainly all our
senior citizens in Bethpage deserve our
admiration, although Stella certainly
is outstanding in every way and the
entire community of Bethpage should
be honored to have this "senior
celebrity" living in our town. She
along with Faye DiMeglio of North
Massapequa were bestowed this
honor at Town Hall with a luncheon
following at the Fox Hollow Inn in
Syosset,
Stella who is 85 years young has
a long and impressive history of
community involvement and dedica­tion.
Her involvements certainly have
not gone unnoticed as her friends at
the Golden Age Club in Bethpage
nominated her for this prestigious
award. Each senior citizen club was
asked why their candidate should
receive such an honor and the Beth­page
Golden Age Club had many
reasons for nominating Stella. They
wrote:
Among the many talented and
dedicated members of the Golden Age
Club of Bethpage we have unanim­ously
selected Sella Finamore as
Senior Citizen of the Year. Stella has
literally devoted a lifetime dedication
of services to others.
in 1933 she became very active in
the P.T.A, of the Bethpage Schools
helping in the many functions at the
school, in addition to the P.T.A, and
since Stella's family was young, she
also devoted time to the Girl Scouts
of Am.erica, supervising meetings,
trips, camp-outs, cookie sales and
other activities associated with Girl
Scouts. She worked in P.'i'.A. and
Scouting for about seven years. 1934--
1S)41. Stella was also a member of the
Christian Mothers at St. Martin oi'
Tours, Bethpage.
Whenever someone asked for
volunteers, Stella was quick to
respond. She spent more than ten
years helping at St. Christopher's
home in Sea Cliff, making Easter
baskets and other goodies, donating
articles and soliciting from the mer­chants
for contributions iio the home.
By Linda Antonelli
At St. Mary of the Angels home in'
Syosset, where the children were
older, Stella with several other moth­ers
would conduct outings for the
children to amusement areas and many
fun places of interest. When they
returned from their outings the
children were treated to cupcakes and
cookies that were home baked by the
same mothers.
In 1935 tireless Stella Finamore
became involved in her pet project the
Archie McCord Auxiliary Unit 86 of
the American Legion. Her htisband
had returned safe from the first world
war, and Stella wanted to show her
gratitude. She joined other ladies in
soliciting sheets to make cancer pads
and roll bandages for the American
Cancer Society. She was a regular
member of the team going out to
Kings Park and to Northport to do
whatever they could to help the
veterans. They would bake cookies
and cupcakes, write letters, provide
holiday packages etc, but mostly bring
OYSTER BAY TOWN SUPERVISOR (left) presents a citation to Stella
Finamore of Bethpage, on being named one of two Senior Citizens t>f the
Year."
cheer and conversation io many a
lonely veteran. Stella was such a
HAPPY 9JSth BIRTHDAY
COMMUNITY PARK
The urtists rendering of the Betispage ( ommunity Purk m it appeurvd on
the Dedication Progrmn in 1965.
ay 22. 1990 marks a
special day in Bethpage
history as it is the 25th
anniversary o! the fieth-page
Community Park, which was
dedicated on that day in 1%5. Ccr-at
one time ot atuuhc! and can tiuK
take pride in its facilities, programs
and 18 acics of beauty. Mrs. Mar>
Moran of Bethpage telephoned the
Tribune ubt^u a month ago and
brought this special birthday lo our
tainiy all Bethpage residents have i attention. She wa?* also kind enough
enjoyed and utilized the park facility ; fConfinu^d on #^age 4;
dynamo of energy that s!ic became
president of the auxiiiary ;md ctniid
always be seen marching \r\ ihe
MemcH'ial Day parade.
In h)H5 the legion auxilian' .ua\c
Stella a testimonial dinner htMioring
her tifty years of work fot ihc Iciilon
and veterans. Howeser, Stella diii noX
retire Irom seivicc. lo this da\ siic
is active ai the legion auxihar\ hclpmg
out in an\ way SIK- can.
Wlieji ?hc tioidcn Ajx* i. !ub v.as
formed in Bcllipagc SicHa hccanu; a
inenilici. !u>i to plus ci-ads r-; t);itij;^i
and jusi sit arn(in(i. \o iliis da\ sht.-
ha.s ;ici(iari> ioadc nevtTul do/eii affjians
lo he u^cd as fund !a;:^ci>. Wlicts the
Ictsvu ul OvsSet Ixiv asksjii \\>\ \uiiiu-iccrs
So crt'ohcf li.Us .trsd scar\t.'s ior
orjihan ciuUircii Slcli;! scspoiuied
Rcccnti). ilic NafiiUial ('aucc'i
SiK-iCi) nicntit'Sicd ihc\ ucre in ricci!
<»i uiiiiiv ti'i'ic ha'is iur pcrs'jual iScinN
when palicHts iea\e !heir rooms \o\
j treatment or icst. V<m tiuc^sed it. Sieila
I wuN araiHig the girls who u;spuiulcd
I to this next], she suadc nui a Irw but
i two di>/c{K \~ov this she recciscd a
I bcautitul ciUitiun lrui« the ciiMrici
i director oi the /Xmerican C'ancei
j Sociei\. Speaking oC cilaiions. Stella
j can duipiay a porilolio ol citations she
j hUh recti%cd (ncr the \caib acknowl-
; iCoritmueii on Paqa 5-'