Faces of Long Island celebrates the uniqueness of everyday Long Islanders and their life experiences in their own words. Join Newsday on this journey as we shine a light on the diverse people who call this island their home.

‘Seeing this racial hatred around me, I knew I had to do something.’

Huntington Station

“As a Jewish South African, the first black person I ever met was our maid, Miriam Lusenga. When I was 2 years old, my mother died, and when I was 9, my stepmother passed away, too. Miriam became my surrogate mother. She used to make the best gefilte fish for Passover. I loved her. Her son, Reggie, was the first black kid I ever knew. He didn’t speak much English, but we communicated through soccer, water guns, hide-and-seek and just being boys. Being a child, I was curious; who were these people who lived in my backyard?

I remember when I was 13, my sister’s boyfriend came over with his classical guitar. He played in our living room, a piece by Fernando Sor, and I was mesmerized. He offered to take me to see a concert of the Classical Guitar Society of Johannesburg. After that, I was hooked. But my musical influences came from other places as well. I would often hear the sound of the black gardeners outside my window as they sang their beautiful melodies and whistled their tunes, which they brought with them from their homes hundreds of miles away, all the while tending to the gardens of the white middle class.

“I would learn about their lives, leaving their wives and children to go earn a meager living in Johannesburg or one of the many other large South African cities. Speaking little or no English, having no real education, they did backbreaking jobs with little pay for long hours. My home away from home was the Hillbrow Record Library. Hillbrow was a neighborhood of tall residential buildings and had a vibrant nightlife, similar to New York City. I listened to records by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, and my favorite, George Benson. As I look back now, something stood out as unusual. Everyone in the record store was white. Blacks were not allowed in. I listened to the music of white and black musicians, but the people in the store were all white.

“This bothered me. Seeing this racial hatred around me, I knew I had to do something. So, at the age of 18, when I was called up to join the army, I said no. This meant, by South African law, that I had to leave the country. I moved to Israel.”

“Israel was the place where for the first time I felt free to follow my heart, free from the constraints of a repressed society. I spent six months on a kibbutz near Tel Aviv, where I learned Hebrew. In Jerusalem, I met Michele, a beautiful curly-haired woman from Far Rockaway, Queens. We married, started a family.

‘In 2009, tragedy struck; Michele died from breast cancer. She was only 47.’

“Jerusalem was a magical city. There was always a line outside Abu Shukri’s restaurant and we, a South African and an American, would wait 45 minutes in line with Palestinians and Israelis with one common goal: to enjoy the best baba ghanoush in the Middle East! I booked a steady gig playing country music at the Dallas Restaurant, a Palestinian steak house in Arab East Jerusalem. The Palestinian owner and his Israeli partner stuck a ten-gallon hat on my head and I sang Hank Williams, John Denver and Bob Dylan songs to American and European tourists. I truly believed that, unlike South Africa, people here lived side by side, in peace, harmony and respect. I was wrong. That spring, the first Arab uprisings occurred. I wanted to stay in Israel, but Michele wanted to go home to America. She got a teaching job in Far Rockaway, and her cousin, an attorney on Wall Street, got me a job at his firm as a legal assistant, where I remained for 23 long years.

“In 2009, tragedy struck; Michele died from breast cancer. She was only 47. My family had given my life meaning, but my kids were grown and my wife was gone. I left my job to become a full-time musician and played in bars on Long Island. I realized I was playing those same songs that I first heard on the turntables in Johannesburg and that I played in the steak house in Jerusalem. My eyes are wide open now. Racism and segregation still prevail across the world, but I believe we can change that. We can spread the message of unity and respect for all people. So, I’ve taken a new path, to share my life experience as a white man of privilege by telling my story in a new theatrical presentation called “Journey from Johannesburg,” as well as in my daily actions and activities aimed at connecting with people of all walks of life, to find our common ground, our humanity and to bring joy to this world.”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

‘If we can just save one person, it’s worth it.’

Bayport

“Six years ago, I lost my son James to a drug overdose. He was 19 years old. We found out that he was going to be a father; now I have a granddaughter. She’s my pride and joy; her name is Violet. She is everything to me, and I see her all the time. She looks like him and certainly is a heavenly gift.

“I was lucky enough in a weird way to know someone who was heavily connected to the Neighborhood House in Sayville, a professionally run support group for anyone who has lost someone to drug overdose or suicide, because both of those things carry a heavy stigma. I knew nothing about grief, and the Neighborhood House gave me so many necessary tools to navigate what we like to say is our new normal.

“There’s life before James and now there’s life after. One of the most shocking truths was that the grief journey is a lifelong journey. Over time it does soften, but it doesn’t go away. You need to do the work to navigate that and find joy in your life. We talk about our kids; they’re so much more than their addiction. The program runs four times a year, eight-week sessions, and it’s professional counseling, family-style meals, art therapy, meditation. It’s a wonderful program. Very recently, they asked me to join the board. I go into the groups on week five or six and speak to them so they can gain perspective of what it looks like six years out.

“Through that, I met Linda Nuszen, who lost her son Adam seven years ago. He used to make beads that have inspirational messages on them when he was in rehab and at home. Linda started Beading Hearts; she makes these beads and started giving them to other angel moms, moms who lost a child to an overdose.

“She started with two people and it grew to 700 members. A large part of that is COVID; when we wouldn’t meet live anymore, we went national through Zoom. I’ve been part of the Beading Hearts for four years. It’s all about the camaraderie and community of people who have lost a child to an overdose.”

‘We believe our journey mirrors theirs because recovery is a lifelong journey and grief is a lifelong journey.’

“I’m head of the Beading Hearts jail committee. Suffolk County Undersheriff Kevin Catalina asked me if we wanted to work in the jail; he thought it could be very impactful. We work with Sheriff’s Addiction Treatment Program. We go in twice a month and speak to the inmates and let them know their lives matter. James was never in jail, but after working with SATP, I wish he was. Insurance pays for 28 days of rehab, and it’s not enough. With SATP, they get that gift of time, and they get to know themselves as a sober person. We believe our journey mirrors theirs because recovery is a lifelong journey and grief is a lifelong journey. And we’re that motherly hug that so many of them need and crave. We’re there to support them, hope for them and dream for them.

“It’s my most favorite thing to do. We also bring premade beads to the jail and go around in a circle and read the message that they get. The words always seem to land with the right person. We also work in sober living, New Hope Rising, which are really good quality recovery housing in Shirley and Mastic. The homes are a homey feel. They really do care; they’re very hands on. We go there once a month, and we share our stories, and we make the beads with them with their own inspirational messages.

“Linda [Nuszen] inspired me to start my own foundation, the James Pinka Foundation. I raise money for Beading Heart, Neighborhood House and New Hope Rising, and then very recently I got approval to launch a CrossFit program in the jail. It’s the idea of replacing a bad addiction with a good one. [In] an addict’s mind, the thrill and the chase that you have with CrossFit and the endorphins that are released are similar to what addicts chase with drugs. If we come across an inmate who’s interested in fitness, James Pinka Foundation would fund training them. We’ll offer scholarships to gyms once the inmates are released.

“How to fight recidivism is family, faith and fitness. When I found that out, I thought this is just the perfect marriage. We should launch very, very soon. I really do think this is going to be impactful. If we can just save one person, it’s worth it.”

Interviewed by Rachel O’Brien – Morano

‘Until I was 3, I could hear maybe 10 to 15 percent, but it was like hearing underwater.’

Lynbrook

“Until I was 3, I could hear maybe 10 to 15 percent, but it was like hearing underwater. I could hear vague musical vibrations coming out of audio speakers. When I was finally diagnosed, I had a surgical myringotomy to release fluid backup and, after that, was able to hear. Then I adapted, but what I did notice is that it made me very inhibited because I wasn’t speaking. I’d hold back emotion because I didn’t know how to express myself except through the music; this trailed me through my teens. I had to find alternative ways to understand, perceive, communicate. I started taking lessons when I was 7, and two and a half years later, I went through all the method books and was playing Chopin. Although the piano is an instrument, it is also a tool of communication. Why do I think out of the box to that extent? It could have to do with my roots because I had a handicap of not hearing when I was a child. Music became my ally, and thinking out of the box on how to communicate has been important to me.

“As a professor at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College since 1999, teaching is very important because of the traditions handed down to me. The way my life has evolved, as I get older, the more I realize what we do is not truly about us. It’s about our legacy. There were so many musicians, so many pianists, and I love playing the traditional classic music. I’ve also composed original music and arrangements and have my own piano concerto, ‘Three Reflections,’ that will get premiered in November. I’ve always felt as though, rather than swimming in a pool with all the fish, how can I create my own pool and swim in it and bring other fish into my pool? How will that impact future musicians and audiences? It’s a combination of embracing the past, but also embracing the future and making things happen in the present so that they have that impact. That to me is very important as a musician.

“There were moments of inspiration that became the seeds for going further in my early years. My mother used to sing along to records, which became part of my consciousness. My father loved music, especially ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ which became one of my trademark pieces. My oldest sister played piano, and she inspired me just in the way she played it, so much emotion that stayed with me.”

‘My grandmother’s sister played by ear, and she never took a lesson, which also inspired me.’

“One of the earliest moments where I felt that I wanted to do this, and that music chose me, was a recording of Vladimir Horowitz playing Beethoven’s “Appassionata Sonata in F Minor.” I was 7, and perhaps it spoke to me because there was such inner turmoil that Beethoven felt when he realized he was growing increasingly deaf. My grandmother’s sister played by ear, and she never took a lesson, which also inspired me.

“Part of my work as a pianist is playing the traditional repertoire, but the other part has been in cultivating new music. I’ve raised $750,000 for over a dozen composers, with over 77 orchestras taking part in these projects, bringing new works for piano and orchestra into the world. One reason I wanted to create commissioning projects with living composers is, I could never ask Beethoven certain questions that I can ask a living composer, and I felt it part of my earthly duty to help foster the creation of new works for piano and orchestra and chorus. I felt as though it was important to have this for the future, like 50 years from now, for pianists as they look back to 2000, 2010, 2025 and find all these pieces that are there for them to perform. Otherwise, you’re just going to be living in a museum, which is wonderful, but is no guarantee to sustaining the evolution of audiences. You have to have new pieces.

“There are people playing interesting new music, so we need to embrace that. This new 50-state project I’m doing, based around the centennial of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” in 2024, is very dear to me because my father loved that piece. I remember when he heard me play it and said, ‘You finally got it!’ The 50-state project is for Peter Boyer’s ‘Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue.’ My teacher, Adele Marcus, used to say, ‘There are no substitutions for living, and when you get older, it’ll come out of your fingers.’ I always feel that everything about the person comes out in how they play, and I teach that way, too. My teaching is that we play piano from our body, not from our fingers, which is where we sing when we practice and how we feel.”

Interviewed by Liza Burby

‘Once you commit to the Lincoln look, it’s hard to turn it off. Even when I’m in street clothes, people ask for pictures and I’m happy to comply.’

Sea Cliff

“I began dressing up as Abraham Lincoln for my middle school students on the Friday before Presidents’ Day weekend. It was a cheesy costume with a fake beard, but it worked!

“Having grown up in Sea Cliff, home of Jim Foote, the late, great Teddy Roosevelt impersonator, I had acquired an appreciation for a quality presidential impression.

“So, I upgraded the outfit, grew a beard, and began speechifying at Civil War reenactments in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

“It was enjoyable but required long hours in the scorching heat while wearing a black wool frock coat. Then I met an entertainment agent in Washington, D.C., and I’ve been getting steady bookings ever since.

“I don’t by any means have an encyclopedic knowledge of Lincoln’s life. There’s always more to learn. But I’ve read enough books and articles to be able to answer most questions that come my way. I’ve always believed that Lincoln was a hero who saved the Union.

You haven’t lived until you’ve been on a conga line with Ben Franklin, Rosie the Riveter and 50 accountants!

“Maybe he acted too slowly in some areas and was heavy-handed in others, but it’s indisputable that he held our country together and abolished slavery.

“It’s been a fun experience. I’ve done weddings, parades, marathons and an episode of ‘The Bachelorette,’ but mostly I’m meeting and greeting at corporate and professional association gatherings in the Washington, D.C., area.

“Whether it’s politicians, turkey veterinarians, crop insurers or cataract surgeons, my job is to mingle, chat them up and pose for pictures. Sometimes I work alone, sometimes with other characters.

“You haven’t lived until you’ve been on a conga line with Ben Franklin, Rosie the Riveter and 50 accountants! I enjoy engaging with people from all over the world, talking about Lincoln and learning about their own lives. I live in an area with a steady demand for my services, so I’ll keep opening the door while opportunity knocks.

“Once you commit to the Lincoln look, it’s hard to turn it off. Even when I’m in street clothes, people ask for pictures, and I’m happy to comply. Kids are the best. A young boy at the Lincoln Memorial once asked, ‘How come the statue looks younger than you?’ It was the first time I was speechless!”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

‘I always wanted to do good in the community at large, and through Dagger, I’m able to do that.’

Massapequa

“As an artist, I was working in my studio one day. My dog, Dagger, came over and nudged me with his snout. I jokingly said to him, ‘Would you like to paint like Mommy?’ His tail started to wag, and I went with the joke. I took all the command words that he had learned in advanced training, incorporated them, and taught him how to paint. He has been painting since 2015 in the ‘DogVinci’ style of painting, which is true, pure abstract art.

“It has evolved so greatly. We have been featured on the ‘Rachael Ray Show,’ ‘Inside Edition’ and Animal Planet’s ‘Cute as Fluff.’ But the greatest was when a producer from PBS contacted us and wanted to do a whole show about Dagger. It’s called ‘Shelter Me: The Art of Kindness.

The greatest part about Dagger is that all the money, proceeds and paintings go to charity.

“Dagger won the [Bethpage Federal Credit Union] Best of Long Island Artist/Painter over people four years in a row, was the only non-human that’s won Channel 7’s ‘Hidden Heroes’ and has been inducted into the Animal Heroes Hall of Fame.

“He’s been in several books. One of them was written by award-winning Australian author, Laura Greaves. She wrote a whole chapter about Dagger in her book called ‘Amazing Dogs with Amazing Jobs.’

“Recently, he was in a book called ‘Adventure Dogs’ by Fern and Lauren Watt. Dagger was also included in the University of Oxford’s 2022 student workbook. It’s for students learning English as a second language, so they use these books all over the world.

“But the greatest part about Dagger is that all the money, proceeds and paintings go to charity. There’s a whole dropdown menu on our website [https://www.dogvinci.com/] so that when you purchase a painting, you pick out a charity and then all the money goes to that charity. We’re very passionate about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Canine Companions, of course, which is his family. I coined him ‘The Do Good Dog’ because I thought, ‘Wow, everything he does is really good.’

“His message is education and community service. So we try to promote that with everything that we do, which is so gratifying to me because that’s where I always wanted to be. I always wanted to do good in the community at large, and through Dagger, I’m able to do that. It’s just been so rewarding really and a great journey so far.”

Interviewed by Victoria Bell

‘One day he says to me, “Joe, how would you like to work as an actor in a movie?” – which turned out to be “The Godfather.”’

Bellmore

“I’m originally from the South Bronx, but moved to Bellmore in 1972, and I’ve been living here 50 years now. I’m turning 91 in September. When I was a young kid, I used to pitch pennies and then secrete them into my pocket until I had enough to go to the movies. I’d go every chance I got. I’d spend all day Saturday at the movies, and I was a big, big fan.

“I did school plays as a kid, and in high school I did shows on stage. But at that time, that was the extent of my becoming an actor. I then got drafted and went to fight in the Korean War — I’m a combat veteran — and when I got back, I got married and got a job in the post office, but I didn’t like it.

“Some of my buddies from the neighborhood who also went to Korea took the police test and said I should, too. I wasn’t sure I wanted to, and my mom said no — because I got back safely from the war, and she didn’t want me going into danger again. But I did take the test and joined the NYPD.

“I was assigned to the 20th Precinct on the Upper West Side [in Manhattan]. I was originally a foot cop, assigned to a radio car, and ended up stationed at the Museum of Natural History for 7½ years. I was the liaison between the NYPD and the museum, so anything that occurred there, it was my responsibility.

“Across the street from the museum is the Beresford Apartments, where a lot of celebrities lived, and I got friendly with some because there’s a bus stop there, and I wouldn’t chase away their limos! They called me Joe the Cop.

“I befriended Mike Nichols [director, actor, producer, winner of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony awards], and one day he says to me, ‘Joe, how would you like to work as an actor in a movie?’ — which turned out to be ‘The Godfather.’ I told him I wasn’t an actor, but he said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll make you one.’

“He called Paramount Pictures, I went down for an interview, and they asked me why I thought I could act, and I said, ‘Well I’m a cop, we’re the best actors in the world.’ And she said, ‘You’re right,’ and they gave me a small role, which unfortunately was cut from the film, but I still get residuals from it. From that, it all just blossomed.”

‘I appeared in “Ghostbusters.” I’m the guy who says, “You do your job, pencil-neck. Don’t tell me how to do mine.”’

“I was a cop for 20 years, and we weren’t allowed to moonlight until 1970. But when they passed that law, I started acting in 1971. In 1976, the ‘Kojak’ series was being shot in California at Universal Studios. But one season, they decided to shoot in NYC to get the real feeling of New York. The producers called police headquarters looking for an officer who was knowledgeable about movies and could work as a bodyguard for [actor] Telly Savalas.

“They gave me that job, and I became very friendly with Telly, who ended up asking me when I could retire. And at that point, I was two months from being able to do so. He told me if I did, I’d have a job. So, after I retired, I started working for him. I became a technical adviser for the ‘Kojak’ series. I worked on about 16 episodes, and that was my steppingstone.

“The producers of Kojak also decided to do a new show with [actor] Joe Don Baker called ‘Eischied,” about a chief of detectives based on a real chief from N.Y. They sent a producer to the city and asked me to help him out, and we opened a production office, hired crews; we did everything together. So because of that, he also gave me a co-starring role. The show was well-reviewed, but only lasted a season.

“However, I then went on to appear in several movies and TV shows. I appeared in ‘Ghostbusters.’ I’m the guy [in a scene with actors including Bill Murray and Harold Ramis] who says, ‘You do your job pencil-neck. Don’t tell me how to do mine” to the environmental guy [actor William Atherton]. I appeared in ‘Splash’ with Tom Hanks, in which I also worked security and even doubled for Eugene Levy. When you see him jump out of the way of a car in one scene, that’s me.”

‘I enjoyed my 20 years as an officer, and it was being a police officer that got me to acting.’

“I’ve been in the movie business for 50 years, and I have never paid an agent. I got everything myself. I knew a lot of casting directors, so I’d just walk in, and they’d have me read in front of directors or producers for roles. I had also formed a security company and worked with several celebrities, but I was also very respectful of the stars around me.

“I never ever asked for a favor, or asked, ‘Hey, can I get a part in something?’ It was always about respect. Sometimes I think God granted me so much success because of how I went about my career.

“I’ve since written my autobiography, and although I’m not acting anymore, I have a production company and we’re working on making a movie right now. I’ve written screenplays and I worked on a script that is also in the process of becoming a film.

“I have two musicals in the works, and I even wrote a Christmas song. I go on speaking tours to talk about my career. The last line in my book is, ‘I’m so busy, I can’t find time to grow old.’ I enjoyed my 20 years as an officer, and it was being a police officer that got me to acting.

“I always wanted to be an actor, but the opportunity only came after meeting all these big stars. I got into showbiz through them, but I don’t think I would have done it without being in the PD first. And I’m blessed; I have three children, nine grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. The only thing I’m missing is my wife, who passed away in 2010. But I have since met a lady, and while we’re not married, we love each other and I’m enjoying life. I wouldn’t change a thing. No way.”

Interviewed by Ian J. Stark