' A Happy Marriage' With
A Community On The Move
Caroline Klesh stopped at my desk the other day. We talked
for a while about various things, such as the exciting Washington
trip she had just made. Casually into our conversation, she
slipped a request that I write an article on why Farmingdale
should be proud of Bankers Trust, whose local office I manage.
" You mean why Bankers Trust should be proud of Farming-dale,
don't you?' I asked. " Well, both ways," she responded,
explaining that she was planning the special " Pride in Farmingdale"
edition of the Observer that you are now reading.
" Let me think about it a bit," I said, " I ' m not quite sure how
I should go about it." Later as I pondered the matter, it occurred
to me that the considerations that led to our coming to
Farmingdale amost four years ago really tell the story.
To get the shoe on the right foot,
we sought out Farmingdale, so it is
apparent that there were things about
Farmingdale we liked. We were fortunate
in being able to acquire the
former First National Bank of Farmingdale,
whose origins went back to
1907. It had literally grown up with
die Village. We, thus, " inherited" many
valued and long- standing relationships.
We saw in Farmingdale a progressive,
attractive residential community, a bustling
retail business center, and a growing
industrial area that already included
such large companies as Republic
Aviation and was attracting many
excellent new concerns from other areas.
Farmingdale, we felt, was unique in
having so many attributes to such a
marked degree. It stood out sharply as
one of die communities in which we
wanted to do business.
Then, too, we felt we had something
to offer Farmingdale. Our desire was
to retain die close personal touch that
die First National Bank of Farming-dale
had engendered as a " country"
bank, and at die same time bring to
250 Attend Ground Breaking
die rapidly growing community die great-"
er resources and depdi of services of
a large metropolitan bank. Modern technology
has made a great many new services
available to individuals, as well as
business organizations. We were prepared
to offer die full range. Farming-dale
today has many commercial and
industrial enterprises diat require fairly
sophisticated and specialized banking
services that would be difficult for
a smaller institution to provide. Municipal
governments at various levels
also require facilities that a small
bank frequently does not have.
So it has been a " happy marriage."
Farmingdale,: community on die move,
has much to make us proud and glad
to be here. On die other hand, die combination
of extensive resources and
home- town ties, made possible by die
1963 merger of Bankers Trust and die
First National Bank of Farmingdale,
makes it possible for us to offer something
of value to Farmingdale.
Caroline, I hope this tells die story
reasonably well.
Donald H. Black
Jewish Center Began
( Continued from page 7S)
mittee. A full staff of qualified teachers
conduct the religious school program.
Membership in the congregation is
open to residents of Farmingdale and
immediate area. Further information
may be obtained by communicating with
Rabbi Teicher.
For the future, the Board of Trustees
see an ever- increasing congregation.
On Sunday March 12, ground was broken
for a new addition to the Center which
will include a new permanent sanctuary,
social hall, additional classrooms, a
library, offices and study facilities.
In summary, the Farmingdale Jewish
Center offers residents of this area a
rich and varied program of religious
activities designed to uphold Judiasm
and die traditions of family involvement.
J. Schleichkorn
250 members of the congregation
of the Farmingdale Jewish
Center gathered Sunday morning
for ground breaking ceremonies
for the Center's new facilities
at Fulton Street and Cobb Place.
Prior to the outdoor services,
a special program was conducted
in the center which included songs
by the Children's and Adult choir
led by Cantor Herbert Harris. Sol
M. Nash, past President, Metropolitan
Region United Synagogue
of America.
The outdoor program was
chaired by Jack Zeldin, Building
Committee chairman.
The new facilities will provide
additional classrooms, offices,
Synagogue, social hall and ancillary
facilities. The basic building
contract i 8 for approximately
$ 300,000 and completion is expected
in the fall.
F u r n i t u r e Buyers G u i ld
The Better Business Bureau
of Metropolitan New York has
published a new booklet " The
Careful Art of Buying Furniture.'
The booklet, published
in English and Spanish, is written
and designed to help die
consumer shop intelligently and
to make wise choices in furniture.
A copy of " The Careful Art
of Buying Furniture" is available
free from die Better Business
Bureau of Metropolitan New
York, 220 Church Street, New
York, 10013. Those requesting
die booklet should specify if diey
wish to receive die Spanish or
English version and should include
a stamped business size
envelope with dieir return address
on it.
Junior League Gets Job Done
( Continued from page 15S)
and has been added to over the years,
and a 16 volume set of die Golden Encyclopedia
was given to the Farming-dale
Public Library. Monetary donations
have been made to the District
22 Welfare Fund, which is used to help
needy students. Our school nurses and
public health nurse always know diey can
count on us for support. Layettes have
been made for needy families; dentists
bills paid; children's shoes purchased;
a washing machine bought; groceries
purchased for a family in need; new
beds provided; a special duty nurse provided
for a badly burned child, and
Thanksgiving and Christmas cheer provided
for a local family.
We have tried to make our community
aware of other matters. A panel discussion
on Mental Health and the facilities
available led to the formation of the
Farmingdale Auxiliary of the Central
Island Community Mental Health Center,
of which we are charter members.
Monetary support has also been given to
the center. Literature, provided by die
National Foundation on Birth Defects,
was distributed throughout die community
urging expectant modiers to " Be
Good to Your Baby Before It's Born."
Vietnam is something we hear about
almost every day, but unless we have a
loved one serving there we give it little
thought. Well, we thought about it and
about our men serving over there. We
felt we wanted to let diem know diat diis
country was not made up entirely of
draft card burners and peaceniks. We
started collecting paperback books, but
found diat die men at the front have
little time to read. We were told, by a
soldier in Vietnam, diat die nicest
thing any organization or community
could do was to adopt an entire unit,
approximately 700 men, and to support
tiieir Civic Action program " Helping
Hands." We knew we could never do this
alone, so we contacted approximately
sixty local organizations and die 4th
Battalion, 9th Inf., 25m Infantry Division
has been adopted.
I have tried to give you an insight of
what has been accomplished over a 25
year span of time, there are many other
projects, both large and small that are
too numberable to mention. Ithink Farmingdale
can find many ways to be proud
of die Junior League, mainly for its continuing
support wherever and whenever
it is needed.
Patricia Finger ( Mrs. Walter C.)
President
Jr. League of die Women's Club
of Farmingdale
next week Part II
Read a b o u t - t h e r e a l l y great
• F a r m i n g d a l e P u b l i c L i b r a r y -
open more hours to the p u b l i c than any other p u b l i c l i b r a r y in Nassau County and
o f f e r s one of the l i v e l i e s t and a d u l t e d u c a t i o n discussion programs in the S t a t e.
• The State U n i v e r s i t y A g r i c u l t u r a l and T e c h n i c a l C o l l e g e in F a r m i n g d a l e —
i t s h i s t o r y and some of the reasons why it has an i n t e r n a t i o n a l r e p u t a t i o n t o d a y.
• The Thomas P o w e l l Home -
i t s r e s t o r a t i o n , one of the best examples e x t a n t in the State of New York of 18th
c e n t u r y a r c h i t e c t u r e and i n t e r i o r d e s i g n.
• The f i n e shoe stores on M a i n Street
• The Banking i n s t i t u t i o n s in F a r m i n g d a le
• The musical h e r i t a g e of F a r m i n g d a l e -
and how St. K i l i a n ' s Boys C h o i r has an i n t e r n a t i o n a l r e p u t a t i on
and how the F a r m i n g d a l e Public Schools music program ranks as one of the ten
f i n e s t in the n a t i o n , a c c o r d i n g to the U . S . Department of E d u c a t i o n.
• The w o r l d ' s l a r g e s t camping supply house is r i g h t here in F a r m i n g d a le
• The F a r m i n g d a l e Youth C o u n c i l has the o u t s t a n d i n g p r o g r a m , which served as a
model for the Town of Oyster Bay's new r e c r e a t i o n p r o g r a m.
• The f i n e drug stores in F a r m i n g d a l e in a two block a r e a.
• • • . The h i s t o r y of the f i n e a u t o m o b i l e a g e n c i e s and s e r v i c e s t a t i o n s in F a r m i n g -
d a l e - the brake r e p a i r s e r v i c e s t a t i o n s , the c o l l i s i o n shops w h i c h are known from
f a r and w i d e . .
• The e x c e l l e n t b a k e r i e s in the heart of F a r m i n g d a le
• The f u e l o i l companies w h i c h r e f l e c t much of Farmi ngda l e ' s proud past and growing
f u t u r e •
and many many more - if we c a n ' t reach you a l l by next week - w e ' l l publish Pride In
F a r m i n g d a l e , Part I I I on March 3 0.
We a r e o v e r w h e l m e d by your i n t e r e s t in our idea -
I f you want to be a part of this e f f o r t c a l l MY 4 - 6 3 6 7 and w e ' l l try to see
you as soon as we c a n.
16S Thursday, March 16, 1967 Farmingdale Observer Supplement
