Bethpage-Tribune_1986-06-05

              BETHBOGE
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Island Trees Plainedge
also serving
Seaford
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Old Bethpage Plainview
VOL. 21 NO. 8 Week of June 5 - June 11,1986 20 cents per copy
That Family Is Back In Town Again 8th Precinct Top Cop
Nassau County District
Attorney Denis Dillon
today warned Nassau
County homeowners to be
on the alert for a family of
flim-flam artists that come
to Long Island every spring
to bilk people out of money.
The family, last known as
the "Williamsons", number
up to 2,000 nationally, and
prey primarily on the
elderly.
According to Dillon,
"The Williamsons offer the
homeowner a variety of ser­vices,
such as termite inspec­tion
and treatment and roof
coating, at low prices. How­ever,
their too good to be
true bargains end up being
very expensive for the
homeowner."
The District Attorney
said initial contact with the
Williamsons may be
through a well dressed and
polite child. The pitch may
be "Our daddy has just done
a driveway job (or roof or
termite job) in the neighbor­hood
and he has some mate­rial
left over. He can give
you a really good deal if you
let him do the job right
now." If you fall for the
swindle, you will end up pay­ing
a price that is usually
more than a reputable com-
Honor Our Nation's Heroes
by Rep. Norman F. Lent
This year, 1986, marks the
125th anniversary of the
Congressional Medal ,pf
Honor. Our nation's highest
military honor, the Medal is
awarded to individuals who
have performed e.xtraordi^
nary acts of heroism above
and beyond the call of diity.
A grateful nation should
never forget its heroes, but
over 200 Medal of Honor
recipients have been buried
inunmarked paupers' graves
or without the recognition
due to national heroes.
This unfortunate situa­tion
was brought to my
attention recently by a con-stituent,
Mr. Thomas
Brenker of Massapequa.
Mr. Brenker's great­grandfather.
Captain James
Smith, was a Civil War hero
and recipient of the Con­gressional
Medal of Honor
for his bravery during the
Battle of Mobile Bay,
December 31, 1864. When
he died in 1881, however, he
was buried in an unmarked
grave in Calvary Cemetery,
Queens, New York. ,. .
Mr. Brenker spent many
years tracing his family's his­tory
in an attempt to locate
his great-grandfather's
grave. The lack of a central
clearinghouse of informa­tion
on Congressional
Medal of Honor recipients
made this a difficult task.
But fortunately, Mr.
Brenker found Captain
Smith's final resting place,
and he contacted me for help
in having the Captain's
remains moved to the
Nation's Capital for inter­ment
at Arlington National
Cemetery.
Island Trees Opening Day
^-' r£0W^ ofHEMPSTJEAD
THOMAS S.G«10TTA ,r-^\ JAMES D.8EHNeTT
My office worked closely
with the U.S. Department of
the Navy on this case, and 1
am happy to report that on
May 30, the day officially
designated as Memorial
Day, Captain Smith was
buried with full military
honors at Arlington,
However, there are many
more near-forgotten heroes
like Captain James Smith
whose courage and valor in
battle deserve proper recog­nition.
To commemorate
the Medal of Honor's !25th
anniversary and in honor of
Captain James Smith, I
have introduced legislation,
H.J. Res. 501, which makes
clear the resolve of Congress
to acknowledge the honor
these national heroes by
examining the need for a
central clearinghouse for
information on Medal of
Honor recipients. This
effort will honor Captain
James Smith and all those
who have served our coun­try
valiantly in the cause of
peace and freedom, and will
help preserve for future gen­erations
the history and
integrity of our nation's
highest military award.
pany would charge for the
same work. In addition, the
"top quality" materials that
are promised are usually
nothing but a cheap substi-'
tute.
Dillon said although they
may not use the name Willi­amson,
there are ways to dis­tinguish
a Williamson fam­ily
member from an honest
businessman. For example,
each year the Williamsons
sell their cars, vans and
trucks and purchase the
newest models. The van or
pick-up truck will be
marked only with a mag­netic
sign. He will ask you to
pay cash, or if you write a
check, will insist that you go
to the bank with him to cash
it.
The District Attorney
addedi '*The family
members generally go out in
groups to work an entire
neighborhood, if you notice
such gravity in your area,
contact your local police
department. If you have any
questions regarding a con­tractor,
call the County
Consumer Affairs Office.
All contractors must be
licensed in Nassau County."
Remember to investigate •
before you invest your hard
earned dollars. Deals which
sound too good to be true
usually are," said Dillon.
March, 1986
because of his quick thinking and professional­ism
in the face of danger, Police Officer John
Gibel has been selected the Eighth Precinct Top
Cop for the month of March 1986.
At approximately 0845, on March 13,1986, Police Officer
Gibel was on a school crossing assignment in Farmingdale.
A bus transporting children to Northside School stalled with
the front end of the bus across the railroad tracks, with the
gate coming down on the roof of the bus. It was raining
heavily and visibility was poor. Police Officer Gibel assisted
the bus driver with evacuating thirty-seven children from the
bus and then, with the train approaching, helped the driver
push the bus with seven children still onboard, from the
tracks. Long Island Railroad was contacted and the train
was stopped.
Police OfUcef John Gibel (left) is presented with his award
by Deputy Inspector Matzen (right) at the 8th Precinct.
4th Annual Senior Games
Seniors throughout
New York are putting
on their sneakers and
gearing up for the
fourth annual New
Hempstead Town Presiding Supervisor Thomas S. Gulotta
and Hempstead Town Councilman Joseph N. Mondello
attend the Opening Day of the Island Trees Little League
teams and the official dedication of the Fred J. Neist Mem­orial
Park, in Levittown. Shown are: Youngsters, Phil Espo-sito
and James Lawlor, of Levittown; Christine Rich, James
Sguigna and Marc Rich, of Bethpage. Rear: Kevin Regan;
Rosemary Charpin; Councilman Mondello, Rosemary
Neist, all of Levittown; Supervisor Gulotta; Coach Nicholas
J. Sguigna, Bethpage, Commissioner of the Island Trees
Little League; Assemblyman Fred Parola, Levittown.
World's Greatest Fireworks
Show Planned
The world's greatest fireworks show ever will take place just
off Manhattan Island at 9:00 p.m. on July 4.
Millions of people in the tri-state area will be able to view
this international fireworks display which will be choreo­graphed
to specially prepared music broadcast on radio.
Fireworks from nine countries will make this the largest and
most intricate international pyrotechnic display ever.
Thirty barges positioned from the Brooklyn Bridge,
around the southern part of Manhattan and circling Liberty
Island will be the base of operations for this spectacular
show celebrating the 4th of July and the 100th birthday and
restoration of the Statue of Liberty,
The producers of Liberty Weekend need a huge volunteer
work force of more than 2,000 people to assist in production,
props, wardrobe, and support areas.
If you want to volunteer for Liberty Weekend, to be a part
of one of the great historic occasions in American history,
contact Dorothy Gardner, Team Liberty Chief immediately
at 212/213-5410.
York State Senior
Games, June 20-22 at
the SUNY College at
Cortland.
"Each year, through
Senior Games partici­pation,
more and more
men and women are
learning *You don't
stop playing because
you grow old; you grow
old because you stop
playing' ", noted State
Parks Commissioner
Orin Lehman, whose
agency operates the
program in coopera­tion
with the NYS
Office for the Aging
and the State Univer­sity
of New York.
New York men and
women age 55+ join in
tennis, golf, swimming.
bridge, track and more.
Two levels of participa­tion
insure that people
at all levels of expertise
enjoy taking part in the
Games.
Most participate in
the Recreational Div­ision,
for fun, fitness
and fellowship. There
are no minimum quali­fications.
The Compet­itive
Division, how­ever,
is limited to
serious competitors
wishing to qualify for
the US National Senior
Olympics or train for
the Empire State
Games Masters and
other competitions.
Gold, silver and bronze
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