‘If it wasn’t for my art, I don’t think I would be alive today.’

Ronkonkoma

“I am an artist who shouldn’t be alive. In 2013, I survived a car crash on the Southern State Parkway where my car was hit, went airborne, spun and landed on the grass median, only to be hit for a second time by the same car on the driver-side door.

“I survived the accident, but I suffered memory loss, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and permanent disabilities. Art has helped me heal. If it wasn’t for my art, I don’t think I would be alive today. I’ve always been a creative person.

“I attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. I received a BFA in textile/surface design and was classically trained in watercolor gouache. I got a great job in Manhattan.

“The TBI affected my job because I simply couldn’t translate what was in my head onto paper. I eventually had to give up my career. In December of 2018, I decided to dive back into art. I brought an easel, a canvas, oil paints and brushes and started painting over my accident report and doctor’s notes. It was very therapeutic.

“From there, I started painting with acrylic paints, and I then discovered alcohol ink, which produces such vivid and saturated colors. One day, I got frustrated and set a piece of yupo paper on fire. Instead of burning like normal paper, it started to mold itself into a three-dimensional shape. This appealed to me, and I started creating three-dimensional sculptural wall hangings.

“As I created pieces, I went into a meditative state and my memories — which had been lost during the accident — started coming back to me! I started calling this series of work my ‘Hearts’ because they kind of look like hearts, and they helped me recover my memories, essentially bringing pieces of my heart back to me.

“I can say things through creating that I can’t express in words, and it has also helped me find a community of likeminded people. In September of 2022, I entered a juried art show at the Babylon Arts Council, where I won first place and third place for sculpture.

“It’s wonderful to have my work recognized, as I’m still getting used to being called an artist, because I primarily do this for my mental health. I’m just happy that my work connects with people and brings them joy.”

Interviewed by Meagan Meehan

‘I think every kid in America that puts on a helmet wants to play professionally, and I was one of those, but it wasn’t meant for me.’

Garden City

“I survived a brain aneurysm in 2008; I’m blessed every day I get out of bed. People ask all the time if it was related to football. It wasn’t; I never even had a concussion. I couldn’t hear; I was not hearing correctly out of one ear, and obviously when you get an MRI of the ear, you get the whole head, so they discovered it before it ruptured. I had surgery, and I’m alive and well. I was very lucky.

“I started playing football in the Police Boys Club of New Hyde Park. From there, I went to New Hyde Park Memorial High School. We actually won the Long Island championship; we had an undefeated team our senior year. Then I went to the University of Maryland. I got a football scholarship and a degree in recreation. I always wanted to be a coach, and I wanted to be involved in the corporate world. Back then, corporate fitness was just starting to come about. I learned about how to get ready to become an athlete; it was always second nature.

“I did not play professionally. I think every kid in America that puts on a helmet wants to play professionally, and I was one of those, but it wasn’t meant for me, so I went and did the next best thing.

‘We talk about everything except news of the day, fun stuff, things that I’ve done with these people. My motto is, I tell the story behind the story.’

“I earned the ‘Big Daddy’ nickname in 1985 when I was at the University of Maryland; one of my teammates gave me that nickname. He was actually bigger than I was — and I was 6 foot 4, 270 at the time — but he had his own nickname already.

“I started Coastal Advisors LLC. I’m CEO and founder, that’s my main business, my insurance practice. I’m an insurance consultant for over 500 professional athletes — injury, life and all other kinds of insurance. Clients are people I know; Obviously, people research me, people see me on TV, I’m all over the place. You Google me, my name comes up quite a bit.

“My second business is Gas It Up Inc. I’m chief communications officer and I’m also a partner. We provide mobile fueling for trucking companies; we provide fuel for cars, fuel for construction companies, machinery. I fell into it. I was asked to insure the first truck that the company had. I remember scratching my head, thinking what am I doing with this one? Four years later, we have a successful company, with offices in Dallas, Philly and New York.”

“Giving back is so important. The Big Daddy Football Camp came about when some guys I knew from the neighborhood wanted to do it. I did it one year, and then the second year, my brother, Jimmy, partnered with me to host the camp. It’s at New Hyde Park High School, where we both went to school. We limit it to 100 kids, first come, first served. We have the good fortune to have connections in the NFL. We have college coaches and pro coaches and players come as volunteers to give back as well. Some of these kids’ parents can’t afford to take them to a game. We’re extending an opportunity to these kids to see people they see on TV and they look up to. The camp has been around seven years. We have some kids playing in high school doing very well.

“My podcast, ‘Big Daddy and Friends,’ airs once a week on sportsnaut.com. We bring out big-name celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment, I’ve got a Who’s Who on there — Andy Reid, head coach of Kansas City Chiefs; Adam Schefter from ESPN (also from Roslyn); Joe Buck, lead host of ‘Monday Night Football.’ I’m saving my brother, Jim Salgado, assistant coach of the Buffalo Bills, for a little later. We talk about everything except news of the day. [It’s] fun stuff, things that I’ve done with these people. My motto is, I tell the story behind the story. I’ve had the good fortune to make guest appearances on Fox before the Super Bowl, but someday want to host a TV show.

“There’s also the Big Daddy Celebrity Golf Classic and SHER Women’s Luncheon at Oheka, usually in June. We’ve done five so far, and we have some big names — Tracy Morgan, Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, the list goes on and on. It benefits a different charity every year. We’ve done St. Jude, Long Island Children’s Museum, Kids Need More. One of my proudest achievements is my connection to SHER, a group that works for women’s empowerment. My best friend and business partner, Anzhelika Steen-Olsen, is the founder and CEO. I’m the ambassador for the group. It’s part of the United Nations initiative HeForShe, which focuses on gender equality. I attend events, and a bunch of my celebrity clients support the group. I’m a big believer in the saying, ‘Behind every good man is a great woman.’”

Interviewed by Barbara Schuler

‘The toughest part about being 100 is outliving so many dear people.’

Glen Cove

“Nobody believes it when they learn I will be 101 in November. When I had a scholarship named in my honor at the Glen Cove Library — I’ve been president of the Friends of the Glen Cove Library for 15 years — and told the audience at the ceremony how old I was, they gasped. And, then they gave me a standing ovation!

“It’s been like that since I hit the century mark. But I don’t think it’s a big deal. In addition to my work at the library, I’m co-vice president of RCT — Retired Council of Teachers. I belong to a book club. I swim regularly at the YMCA. Twice a week, I take exercise classes at the Glen Cove Senior Center, followed by lunch there — only $3 for a hot meal, the best bargain in town! I go to museums on Long Island and the city. I saw the fantastic Jasper Johns and Christian Dior exhibits recently.

I have a pacemaker, which is supposedly good for six years. So I hope to get another one after that!

“I don’t watch TV during the day. The lone exception was the January 6 insurrection hearings. But at night, I watch the ‘PBS NewsHour,’ Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, and, if I’m still awake at 10 p.m., I tune in to Lawrence O’Donnell. And on Sundays, since COVID started, I have a Zoom session with my children and grandchildren who live in California, St. Louis, the Berkshires, and Mauritius in Africa. It keeps the family together!

“There is some longevity among the Rubins. My grandmother lived to 98. My mother made it to 98, too, and probably would have lived longer if she hadn’t broken her leg. I’m not even the oldest in my family; I have a cousin who will be 102! The toughest part about being 100 is outliving so many dear people. The biggest losses were my parents and my husband, Mort. In 2005, Mort and I took a South American cruise. Afterwards, we were staying on for a bit in Buenos Aires. At our hotel, Mort closed his eyes and went to sleep. He died in my arms. I had to wait a few days before returning home. I had to fill out papers, go to the morgue, but I was determined to keep going. The hotel staff found a driver who spoke English for me, and he gave me a tour of the city. It was wonderful!

“Future plans? Goals? Well, I have a pacemaker, which is supposedly good for six years. So I hope to get another one after that!”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

‘Thus far, all roads lead back to Glen Cove, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without it. Long Island is my home.’

Glen Cove

“I was always an artist. In high school, my art teacher would get frustrated with me for always doing my own thing in class. I even failed one semester. Now one of my paintings hangs in the main office.

“When I was 17, there was going to be an art exhibit at this landmark mansion in Glen Cove. The mansion was 300-plus years old. It ended up containing 150-plus murals inside from renowned artists who came in from around the world.

“They were looking for kids from our local high school to make it interactive. One of my teachers asked if I’d be interested. After I got on board, I went back to school and got other kids, even teachers to join. I ended up painting one of my first murals there.

“The guy who owned the house ended up liking me and hired me to work for him. In little time, I became an art assistant and co-curator of the project. I was just a kid, but I was learning the basics of the business.

“Around that same time, I was lucky enough to assist on several murals at the World Trade Center. A project called 69th floor ‘Art4WTC.’ There, I met a ton of artists and made lifelong connections. ’Til this day, I consider it a huge milestone in my career.

“I began working on my own shortly after high school. My next job would be lead artist and creative director of a pharmaceutical company. I was able to employ my high school photography teacher, who taught me graphic design during photography class. We got to make marketing material for supplement companies. It was really cool.

“A few years ago, I ended up becoming friends with Murr from ‘Impractical Jokers.’ I bought 250 copies of his first book and donated them to my old high school. The kids ended up doing a book report on it. Murr himself had this idea of coming in as a substitute teacher to surprise the kids and grade their reports. It was amazing!

“I have never stopped building my brand. I go by the name Bel Air in the art world and have over 100K people who follow my journey on social media and YouTube. It’s not always easy, but I try to share my truth with the world even when I have to be vulnerable. Thus far, all roads lead back to Glen Cove, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without it. Long Island is my home.”

Interviewed by Maggie Melito

‘When the Coliseum closed for the first time, it was a tough year in my life. My dad passed away that year.’

Levittown

“I became an Islanders fan day one. My dad was a huge Islanders fan. Two or three days after I was born, he went to a game and caught a puck. I got the puck signed by Denis Potvin this year.

“When the Coliseum closed for the first time, it was a tough year in my life. My dad passed away that year. I lost my dad, who brought me up with hockey and the building I grew up in. My second home. I lost both of those in the same year.

“This will be my 14th season with season tickets. I’ve been to at least 700 to 800 games. If you want to include away games, I’d say that’s around 900. I’ve seen the Islanders play in every arena but two, which I’ll be doing this year. I have to go to Winnipeg and Seattle, and I’ll be done seeing the Islanders play everywhere. I’ve been to probably another 20-30 playoff games in my life. We’re almost at 1,000 games that I’ve seen the Islanders play.

We were trying to do something to bring some life into the building.

“I helped start the Blue and Orange Army. A few of my friends sat in section 329 for a while. We were getting student tickets in 330. We started to move over and sit with them. Our friend Westfall (not actually Ed Westfall, but he always wore a Westfall jersey) and his friends used to sit at the top, and we’d yell stuff, and they’d yell stuff back. So eventually we just started getting tickets to move up there. The team wasn’t really good in the mid-2000s, so it was like, ‘Let’s just have fun and yell things and sing.’ We were trying to do something to bring some life into the building.

“The one claim that I brought to the group that we started doing, that now the whole fan base does, is the ‘Yes!’ chant. They do it after goals at Red Bulls games. Daniel Bryan, the wrestler, is the founder of the ‘Yes!’ chant. He started the whole thing. I’d been watching and thought, ‘This would be fun to do at hockey, too. Why not?’ It started with a few of us, and it got bigger and bigger. One home opener our section did it, then two sections next to us did it, then the next goal, half the building was doing it. We were like, ‘This is insane.’ They started putting ‘Yes!’ up on the board after the goals. Our friends were like, ‘Dude, look at the LED board around the ice.’ I looked and they were saying ‘Yes!’”

Interviewed by Tracey Cheek

‘I was a tomboy and always wanted to box, but my father, a retired Marine, didn’t think it was an appropriate sport for a girl.’

Valley Stream

“I grew up as the only girl in a house with two older brothers and an older cousin. I was a tomboy and always wanted to box, but my father, a retired Marine, didn’t think it was appropriate for a girl. My mom enrolled me in karate, but I hated it, too structured. A few months later, my dog had puppies, and my brother gave the one I wanted to keep to a local Muay Thai gym owner. When the owner found out what had happened, he allowed me to attend the gym for free. I trained Muay Thai for years until I suffered a knee injury playing soccer, followed by a spinal injury due to a car accident, which pushed me further into coaching as opposed to competition. It was a huge adjustment and I battled depression because of it. I was not able to do the thing I loved.

“Being in the gym kept me safe and out of trouble while my brothers did the complete opposite. I battled in the ring while they battled the law and in the streets. In my neighborhood, there was always fights or uncomfortable situations, and I’m happy I had the awareness to maneuver them properly. When you’re walking down the street as a young woman, it’s vital to be confident and defend yourself. There was a series of stabbings and gang initiations my senior year of high school. One of my classmates was sliced in her face. This made me grateful to have boxing as my escape.

A lot of people doubted me because I was a tiny, young 120-pound female.

“I started coaching at the UFC gym in 2012. A lot of people doubted me because I was a tiny, young 120-pound female. I had male clients tell me they had issues learning from me because of how I looked, but that fueled me. I like the challenge of showing people that I can do what they say I can’t. You have to roll with the punches.

“I’ve trained women who used boxing to build up their self-confidence after escaping from abusive relationships. I’ve taught kids how to be confident and safe. There’s nothing like the feeling of having an impact. I like to personalize lessons depending on the student’s pace, so nobody gets lost in the sauce. I would like to further develop my children’s programs because I know what a positive impact the gym had on my life. Boxing is empowering and fosters a healthy lifestyle. I want to help as many people as I can.”

Interviewed by Meagan Meehan

‘There’s a stigma sometimes associated with stuttering, that stutterers aren’t too bright, or they’re nervous, or there’s something wrong psychologically.’

Medford

“I have always stuttered, even as a small child. I was teased in grade school. They would imitate me and make fun of the way I spoke. It was a challenge getting through high school and things like dating and socializing, and it caused me to be withdrawn and shy.

“There’s a stigma sometimes associated with stuttering, that stutterers aren’t too bright, or they’re nervous, or there’s something wrong psychologically. But it’s neurologic, and we don’t really know what causes it. The stutter creates stress, and then just the anticipation of stuttering makes it even worse; it’s an endless loop. I moved out to L.I. from the Bronx for graduate school. I now live in Medford, but have also lived in Patchogue and Bellport.

“I always wanted to be that person who was fluent and could communicate well, so I would put myself into tough situations. For example, while in graduate school, I was teaching television production courses and given class assignments to teach. I didn’t quite have a handle on my stuttering at the time, so it was a little bit rough speaking to groups of students not much younger than me.

“I remember one former student once told me, ‘I felt so bad for you, I just wanted you to get those words out, and we were rooting for you.’ That was very sweet, and while it clearly was difficult for me, I did it because I didn’t want it to hold me back. I went to a speech therapist in my 20s, and she said if I decreased my rate of speaking by 20%, I would decrease my stuttering by 50 percent, and she was right, but what really helped me get it most was hypnosis.

“I was seeing a psychotherapist after my first marriage ended. I was going through stress and other things, and I was dealing fairly well, but the therapist said I should also deal with the stutter. I would say that of all the speech therapies I tried, that was the one that helped most significantly. He would put me under in the office, and we would talk specifically about words and sounds that I would have difficulty saying, or would be triggers, and he would have me imagine talking to other people, saying those words. He also made recordings for me, and I would do self-hypnosis at home, and for whatever reason it worked for me.”

That was a large growth spurt for me, as self-teaching myself to be a public speaker and learning how to engage a group of people also served as the thing that made me want to try stand-up comedy.

“Words I had a hard time with were ‘women’ and ‘money,’ and I would joke about how those were things that cause some anxiety as well, which didn’t help my stuttering. But while his methods work for me, you’re never cured of it; you just find ways to cope and control it.

“One of my past government jobs was working with Mario Cuomo as his representative on Long Island. He was a master communicator, a master articulator and so eloquent. I learned so much from him. I later worked for the Department of Labor for about five years, right after the Great Recession, and I had to do lots of public presentations. That was a large growth spurt for me, as self-teaching myself to be a public speaker and learning how to engage a group of people also served as the thing that made me want to try stand-up comedy.

“It comes from what I used to do to try and break the ice. Weaving in a joke to the beginning of a presentation, even a boring one, had people coming up and saying I was a good speaker and a funny guy. And so, through the friend of a friend, a few years later I learned about Stand-Up University comedy classes at the Brokerage in Bellmore, and it showed me the pathway. It was life-changing for me. They prepared me to get ready to be on stage, and my first show was the day before my 60th birthday. I found I had a knack for it.

“I developed material, started doing some open mic nights, and that led to calls to do some paying gigs. I haven’t done much since the COVID period, but before that I would do about a show a month, working as the opening act, doing about 10 minutes of material. This was another plateau where I overcame the challenge. I’ve also worked in the public relations industry, first in ’94 after Cuomo lost, when I started a firm working out of my home that grew into a small business with a brick-and-mortar office, and did that for about 10 years before getting back into government as a deputy supervisor to then-Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian Foley. I shut down that PR business and worked in government in various positions, town and state, until about eight years ago, when I left government for good and started the PR again. I do that now as a one-man band.”

Everything I do is about connecting with people and engaging people. Maybe that comes from not having the connections I wanted as a kid who stuttered.

“Today I teach college communications classes, including public speaking, introduction to communications, things like that. It wasn’t easy at first, but I use the fact that I stutter and I talk about it. I let them know about the challenges I faced, and that when they have to give a speech in public speaking, I understand that they are reluctant or nervous or self-conscious, because I’ve been there. It’s been a daily challenge; you never turn the switch off.

“If I don’t use all the ways I’ve learned, I could slide right back into disfluency and have trouble communicating. The coping mechanisms are always switched on. There are times when I feel like I’m speaking effortlessly, but believe it or not, it’s often when I’m onstage doing comedy. There are celebrated performers who stutter but rarely do so onstage; it’s something about working off a script or playing a role. You tend to stutter less. Stutterers, when they sing, don’t stutter.

“When you go on to perform, you just enter a different headspace. It becomes effortless at that point. I also have two grown daughters, and with them I’m not so self-conscious. I tend to be more fluent around family. I think the anticipatory anxiety isn’t there, and when I’m with them and I stutter, I’m not so concerned. I know they are not judging me in any way.

“Performing, teaching and family are about making connections. When it comes to my students, I really enjoy engagement with them. When you connect with an audience, after getting those first laughs, you’re developing a relationship. All these things help put my mind at ease. Everything I do is about connecting with people and engaging people. Maybe that comes from not having the connections I wanted as a kid who stuttered.

“I always work in a stuttering joke in the beginning of my act to kind of put the audience on notice that I’m a stutterer, and if I do stutter later, it’s sort of part of the act. It helps me get past it, too. Even today, speaking can still be a struggle. But it’s manageable, and I’m more accepting of my own stuttering. If I have a bad day, I don’t beat myself up over it like I used to. I embrace it more. It doesn’t hold me back.”

Interviewed by Ian J. Stark