‘My advice to others? Go out after work and explore on your bike.’

Dan Bailey, Glen Cove

“In the past five years, I’ve biked over 100,000 miles. Cycling is great for the mind, body and soul and gives you an avenue in which to stay fit while enjoying the outdoors. Lance Armstrong was my inspiration. After watching him dominate the Tour de France I decided in 2005, to bike-ride to work.

“On weekdays, I wake up at 1:30 a.m. [after going to sleep at 7 p.m.], eat half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, collect my water bottles and GU energy gels, and I’m out the door by 2:30 a.m. I bike-ride 26 miles from my home in Glen Cove to New Hyde Park, where I work from 4:45 a.m to 1:30 p.m. as a sanitation driver. On Tuesday and Thursdays, I do an additional 50 miles — and get only three hours of sleep. And on Saturday and Sundays, I do anywhere from 62 to 110 miles with a group called the Triangle Cyclists. When I arrive at my job, I’m loaded with energy and have a hard time sitting still.

Today, at 47, I weigh 138 pounds with 5 percent body fat, and 110/70 blood pressure. I feel great and hope others can get on the bike.

“At the end of my shift, I change from my work clothes back into my bike clothes and take a longer ride home: 48 miles! I go to bed at night thinking about riding and wake up thinking about riding, and that’s all the motivation I need. In 2007, I started riding with the Triangle Cyclists, eventually averaging 500 miles per week. They are an amazing group of men and women, always motivating one another. One special friend, Mike Bergman, who, sadly, died from a heart attack, called me ‘The Bunny’ after the Energizer Bunny because of my endless energy.

“Today, at 47, I weigh 138 pounds with 5 percent body fat, and 110/70 blood pressure. I feel great and hope others can get on the bike. Cycling is clean. There are no toxic fumes coming off of your bicycle like there are from a big diesel tractor trailer. I wish we could live more like the Europeans where bicycles play a much larger role in their lives. This would be beneficial in combating high blood pressure and our high rates of obesity as well as giving people a much higher sense of self-worth.

“My advice to others? Go out after work and explore on your bike. Absorb all that vitamin D from the sun. Let the freedom of two wheels take you places four wheels never could. You’ll then discover what living truly is!”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

‘The developmental disabilities community needs a safe and welcoming place to gather and learn.’

MARISSA LEE DAMIANO, GLEN COVE

“When I noticed that residents of the AHRC [Association for Habilitation and Residential Care] visiting the Glen Cove Public Library were not engaging in our services, I created a program called Hooked on Books to serve this overlooked community. The AHRC supports people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. It began in November 2022 — and it’s been a great success!

“We meet weekly on Wednesdays, beginning our sessions with poetry, then read from our current book selection, and we finish with a craft. Among the books we’ve read are ‘A Flag for Juneteenth’ by Kim Taylor and ‘Mercy Watson to the Rescue’ by Kate DiCamillo. We’ve brought in guest readers such as Marsha Silverman, Glen Cove City councilperson, and local trumpet player Nick Mondello, who demonstrates the magic of music. The program promotes togetherness, inclusivity, diversity, acceptance and most importantly love.

“We enjoy listening to and singing along with songs by Johnny Cash, Randy Travis, Katy Perry, Kenny Rogers, Neil Diamond and our theme song, ‘Smile,’ by Vitamin C. Through their own drawings, we celebrate birthdays and holidays together.

Working with these individuals has changed my life.

“Outside the library, the group helps out tending to our seed garden. Among the more memorable moments was the time we had a class about sign language, and the members asked me to copy the book for them to take home so they could show their families how to sign. It was so touching!

“One of the members excitedly told the group that her family member commented on how her reading has improved, and she responded that it was because of our group. Working with these individuals has changed my life. I am a graduate student, focusing on becoming a disability support librarian.

“The developmental disabilities community needs a safe and welcoming place to gather and learn. I plan on continuing this program and will invite other librarians to our meetings with hopes they can implement the program in their neighborhood. Perhaps this program will go national!

“Many of our participants say that because of this program, Wednesday is their favorite day of the week. After working with these individuals, I can cheerfully say it is mine, too!”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

‘If I can build bridges and come up with solutions for other folks who are struggling, then I’m doing what I’ve always needed to do.’

Stevens Martinez, Glen Cove

“When I was in college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I thought the easy path for me to be successful was go to college, study finance and make money on Wall Street. But I learned quickly that if you don’t have a passion for the work you’re doing, you’re not going to succeed. I wasn’t doing that well my first year in college. I had this lack of motivation.

“But then the 2016 election came around. It was Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton. Something about Trump rising to the platform that he had and eventually becoming president switched the light on in my brain. I’ll never forget that night; I just knew that this is what I needed to dedicate the rest of my life to.

At the end of the day, I love working in government and channeling my passion into public service.

“I ended up switching majors to the public policy and public service degree program. I interned in the New York State Assembly in 2018. I graduated from Hofstra University in 2019, and the very next day started working in the Nassau County comptroller’s office for about two and a half years. After I left Nassau County, I ended up working at NBCUniversal on their government affairs team for a couple of months before I came to the governor’s office.

“Now I’m the Nassau County regional representative for Gov. [Kathy] Hochul. The primary responsibility of my job is to be the direct point of contact for the governor’s office in Nassau County. There’s been times where my identity as an openly gay, Gen Z, first-generation Salvadoran American has put up a hurdle for me, but it’s never been a hard brick wall. I do recognize that other people put labels on me. But at the end of the day, I love working in government and channeling my passion into public service. I know what it feels like to grow up in a society where you’re not always supported, and not always expected to succeed just because of who you are.

“If I can build bridges and come up with solutions for other folks who are struggling, then I’m doing what I’ve always needed to do. In the future, my mission is to get more young people up and involved in government and politics. Maybe some of us are not ready to be leading that path, but at the very least, we need to be at the table listening, engaging and learning.”

Interviewed by Victoria Bell

‘I had been arrested so many times that when I would inevitably end up back at jail, the corrections officers would say to me, “Welcome home…”’

Glen Cove

“I started drinking when I was 12 years old and was even thrown out of sleepaway camp for getting drunk. I got into hard drugs after my father passed away when I was 18.

“By 24, I was a full-blown drug user, including smoking crack and shooting heroin intravenously. I have been in and out of rehab since I was 25, and usually never even made it past the 28-day period.

“I had been arrested so many times that when I would inevitably end up back at jail, the corrections officers would say to me, ‘Welcome home, Barone.’ But I discovered I had guardian angels, starting with my mother.

“One day, I received a card from her, and it was at that moment that I decided to turn my life around. She wrote that she loved me, enclosed a picture of my daughter, and $100.

“After all I put her through, she still had my back — and still does today. After I got out, my mother made a phone call to Lisa Cohen of Living Water For Women, an organization that helps women like me, who I knew from both attending her groups in the jail, and from previous attempts to sober up years earlier.

“Lisa sent her wonderful house manager, Kelly Cavanaugh, to pick me up at the jail on my release date. I was ready to do whatever was asked of me in order to become a responsible, mature, independent woman.

“Through Living Water, I learned how to be a human being again, how to just live like a normal person in a house with chores and responsibility, and how to be around other people. I had been in the streets so long that I didn’t know how to talk to people anymore.

“After a few months, I was able to get a job at a lumber company. I am so grateful that I get to go to work every day and have been blessed to be working all through the pandemic.

“I am currently trying to obtain grants to enable me to go back to school to become, first, a peer advocate, then a drug counselor or therapist. The best advice I can give to other women in my former position is just to dream big, write down your goals and work towards them every day. And take suggestions from people who know better, because if your way isn’t working, find another way!”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

‘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

‘I was concerned about these women. When they were released from jail, many of them had no place to go. I wanted to help.’

Glen Cove

“I am a product of the ’60s, a true hippie! I met my husband hitchhiking. We traveled cross-country for three months, and we got married two years later. I was never addicted to hard drugs, but I sure liked getting high! But this life was not for me, and we both found God and he cleaned us up. In 2001, when I was 48, I was asked to speak to women at the Nassau County jail’s Drug, Alcohol, Rehab Treatment program. Most of the women I spoke to were Black and Hispanic. I only mention this because I was white and stood out like a sore thumb and felt I wouldn’t reach them. But they listened to me. It was because I had something to say, because I had something to share. For me, a notoriously shy person, I came out of my shell. I was invited back.

I am so proud to be a part of such important work.

“I was concerned about these women. When they were released from jail, many of them had no place to go. I wanted to help. I went back to college and got my degree in human services management at 53. My husband and I sold our business, his in-laws passed, we came into some money. We decided to buy two adjacent dilapidated houses and, with the help of volunteers, fixed them up. We called our home Living Water for Women, a term from the Bible.

“When the women come to us, they are drug, alcohol tested, and have to follow a curfew. They eat together from Monday to Thursday but are free to cook at other times. We have a morning devotion time, counseling and workshops every afternoon ranging from nutrition, Alcoholics Anonymous, Bible study and job searches. Approximately 250 women have gone through our program. My favorite success story is about a woman who got out of jail with nothing more than a paper bag containing her belongings. She had been incarcerated over 50 times. We gave her, like the others, clothing, toiletries, bedding and self-esteem. When she couldn’t find work, I asked a local business, Sorenson Lumber, to let her volunteer because she was very strong. They hired her, then they paid her, she’s still there and she’s five years sober!

“These women have lived in shame, but I see them as God sees them: with value to do something of value. I am so proud to be a part of such important work.”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

‘We were American citizens, and my father was a veteran, so we had to stay hidden to avoid being killed by the Nazis.’

Glen Cove

“I was born in 1929 in New York City. I was one of the first incubator babies. My father, Constantine, was in World War I. He was a doughboy and was mustard-gassed. He had 17 honors. He was always in VA hospitals. My mother was a volunteer nurse at the VA hospitals. That’s how they met. She was an immigrant from Greece too. Both my parents had ailments. Since he was suffering from the mustard gas, he would black out at certain times and was having trouble. She had a heart condition.

“After she gave birth, it was worse. Then, the Depression came, and it was too much. So he decided to take us to Greece, where some relatives could help. It wasn’t supposed to be that long, but then, unfortunately, World War II came, and we were stuck. We weren’t allowed out and had to be careful because we were American citizens, and my father was a veteran, so we had to stay hidden to avoid being killed by the Nazis.

The man who would become my future husband was a guerrilla fighter in the mountains who would help hide people and bring food.

“I was about 13 years old when the German occupation came outside of Sparta, where we lived. This was a mountain area. My father had remarried a Greek woman after my mother passed away and had another child, my brother, who was just a baby at the time. And we had to bundle up and run into the mountains with whatever food and things we could get and hide out in caves while the Germans were in the area.

“I was in charge of my baby brother and had to carry him while we went through the mountains. This went on for about three years. The man who would become my future husband was a guerrilla fighter in the mountains who would help hide people and bring food. There was a lot of starvation going on since the farming and the fishing couldn’t continue with the occupation. He was 35 when we married. I was about 19. In New York, I fell out of a second story apartment when I was 2 years old and only broke a leg. Later, in Greece, I fell into an empty swimming pool when I was pregnant with my daughter and survived. I fell down a flight of stairs going into the Greek Archaeological Museum when I was pregnant with my son and survived. I survived the Nazis. How I got to 93, I don’t know! My daughter calls me the ‘Unsinkable Molly Brown.’”

Interviewed by Jay Max

‘Why do I do this? To thank the veterans and to listen to their stories.’

Glen Cove

“I was always curious about my dad’s service in World War II. My late father, Paul Clare, suffered from PTSD, having nightmares and often screaming his friend Jay’s name. In 2006, I was recovering from shoulder surgery, had time on my hands, decided to research my dad. I remembered he had been in the Battle of the Bulge and served in the 8th Armored Division. I immediately found 8th-armored.org, and knew I would literally be going places.

“I found the website for Dad’s division and posted a note on its bulletin board. Turns out the site was started by a man in Dad’s company. He put me in contact with Leonard Justofin from my father’s squad, and we spoke over an hour on the phone. Soon, I drove three hours to his house in Sugarloaf, PA., to meet him. We became great friends, and when he died, I was asked by the family to be one of his pallbearers.

I meet families, find information of their loved ones, report back to the families.

“In 2010, I flew to California to find the gravesite of my namesake, my Uncle Dave, who died in a plane crash during WWII. Found a Sgt. Albert Meyer, who was the last man to see my Uncle Dave. When I called him, he nearly dropped his phone. Said he had been waiting 55 years to talk to a family member of Uncle Dave! We went to the crash site — very emotional day.

“That year, I started going overseas. Been to Europe 10 times; this year will be No. 11. I’ve been to Normandy three times and have visited all five D-Day beaches. I’ve met mostly British veterans, some Canadian and Australian. Those were on my Normandy visits, correlated to the D-Day anniversary in early June.

“I meet families, find information of their loved ones, report back to the families. I always look forward to visiting Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten, where more than 8,200 soldiers are buried. Another 1,722 names are memorialized on the Wall of the Missing.

“Every time something happens, I call it a ‘Margraten miracle.’ I meet someone or see something that feels like I am being guided by Dad and his buddies. There are 11 of my father’s friends — including his best buddy — that were killed there in direct combat.

“Why do I do this? To thank the veterans and to listen to their stories. To let them know their buddies who died wouldn’t be forgotten.”

Interviewed by Saul Schachter

‘Pianos and cars are both mechanical devices that lend themselves to disassembly, and hopefully, reassembly.’

Glen Cove

“I grew up in a tenement in Manhattan’s San Juan Hill neighborhood, demolished in the ’50s to build Lincoln Center. Whenever my mother went visiting, she took me along. Everybody had a piano in those days, so I entertained myself fiddling around on the keys. I wanted a piano, but we had no space or money. When I was 19, I took over a gas station, and in a few years, I owned an auto body shop in Glen Cove. I repaired all brands from Ford to Rolls Royce.

“I had just finished painting a Corvette a special color, blue pearl. Months later, the owner showed up saying sheepishly, ‘I had an accident with the car.’ I was very upset that all this beautiful work got destroyed. Though depressed, I continued working on automobiles. I don’t often remember my dreams, but one Saturday night I had a dream of only a woman’s name written in yellow script in the black sky. Sunday night, I called information in all the boroughs and finally found a listing by that name in Brooklyn. A woman answered the phone. To make a long story short, we made a date for dinner, we had a bite and talked, but never got beyond that night. She was just a catalyst.

Never deprive a child of what he wants because someday he might overcompensate.

“The movie ‘The Sting’ had come out, and there was a guy at the restaurant playing ragtime on a big upright piano. He was a piano restorer and dealer. We became friends, and I kind of morphed into the piano business, working on pianos in my house. I’d go out and buy what I thought was a good piano, drag it home in my pickup truck and fix it up. As a boy I used to take everything apart to see how things worked. Pianos and cars are both mechanical devices that lend themselves to disassembly, and hopefully, reassembly.

“I started buying, restoring and selling pianos, and when I had 11 in my house, I needed a larger place to work on and sell them. A friend with a storefront operation in Sea Cliff sublet me a space. In 1977, I found the place that I have now. I started off with a small space and kept taking over more space until I had most of the building. Today, I have over 700 pianos in four locations, including my Glen Cove store, The Piano Exchange. The moral is: Never deprive a child of what he wants because someday he might overcompensate.”