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54 per year by mai! AN OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF FARMINGDALE
SERVING GREATER FARMINGDALS. BETHPAGE & MELVJLLE
Vol. 6 No. 4 Se- ond Class Postage has been pain* at Farmingdale, N„ Y* H735 Thursday, September 19, 1968
TEACHERS UNIONIZE The Farmingdale Classroom Teachers Association decided to
affiliate with the American Federation of Teachers of the A F L /
CIO. on Tuesday at a meeting at the Mill Lane J r . High School.
President of the Association Kenneth Deedy told The Observer
that the vote was about 580 yes to 98 no with 60 teachers absent
or whose votes were not included.
" The most important motivating factor for unionizing," accord
ing to Deedy, was the " e x t r e m i s t right wing movement in Farmingdale.
There is no longer a place on Long Island for militant
independent groups, Deedy said. Deedy r e f e r r ed to the Classroom
Teachers Association which has been the bargaining unit with the
school board for a number of y e a r s . The affiliation of the Farmingdale
group now makes the Farmingdale AFT unit the largest
unit in either Nassau or Suffolk county. Application for AFT
membership was to be filed this Thursday.
A spokesman for the teachers told the Observer that the r e s i g nation
of library trustee Edward Horton J r . last week because
he feared the right wing element take over( was a contributing
factor to the teachers decision.
At Monday night's school board meeting, Farmingdale Public
Library Trustee Carl E. Gorton toid of being restrained that
afternoon when he attempted to attend a Classroom Teachers
meeting being held at Mill Lane J r . High School. Gorton, who
claimed that the meeting was being held on tax- supported property
said that only after some policemen arrived on the scene
was he able to enter the meeting with his taperecorder. He and
several others asked the school board whether the teachers or
the board were running the school system. Several taxpavers
sought to censure CTA member Joseph Lubell for statements
he had allegedly made to the daily press. Taxpayer Edward
Werner asked that ' such* teachers should resign.
Mrs. Lucille Goulding9 Board President who attended the
Monday teachers meeting said that she was there as an invited
guest. An address was delivered to the teachers by former
school board member Bernard Lang who spoke about the right
wing extremism and told the teachers that in the past Farming-dale
had supported good schools and had provided a good negotiations
climate.
It was explained that Gorton was first denied admission to the
teachers meeting because of an Albany temporary ruling which
was immediately rescinded and Gorton was allowed entry.
Gorton made an attempt to play back a portion of the recording
of the Monday proceedings at the school board meeting but the
school board denied his request. The portion of the tape he wanted
to play was Lubell* s statement.
Trustee Leroy Mollineaux made a statement that1' non resident
members of the staff should stay out of our politics and stop
labeling our taxpayers'^ He added " t h e r e is an oH saying that h^
who labels is hiding behind one himself. ' ' He welcomed all good
teachers to work in Farmingdale whether they live in the district
or not. But those who a r e condemning us, please stay out of our
p o l i t i c s ."
Trustee A. Terry Weathers took exception to the remarks that
this was a community of double standards. He was s o r r y for the
Monday incident and said that when we employ a teacher we can't
cut off his freedom of speech.
Hillary Boss ( center), who recently moved to Half Hollow Hills
from Farmingdale was the recipient of a gag memento at a
testimonial dinner for him Sunday night. Pictured presenting
him with a Bull in remembrance of their fight against Gorton,
Farmingdale Public Library Trustee who had confiscated the
Paris iieview issue containing an alleged pornographic story
about a bull named Sky Blue are George Fain ( left) and Chuck
Gerston ( right). The bull replica contains the inscription the
" T r o i e a " , a nickname Gorton is alleged to have called the1
three. Boss and Gerston were the authors of a widely read
column in the Farmingdale Observer entitled " Vs We See I t ."
Boss also received a pewter ice bucket in the shape of a
huge mug as a going- away present.
Luita Turner Jones ( center) who has been r e t i r ed as a social
studies teacher from the Farmingdale Public Schools for 12 years
was honored Tuesday night by the Farmingdale- Bethpage Historical
Society at their annual dinner held at the Beau Sejour
for her inspiration to the junior historical society program
and for her inspiration in compiling ' From Farms to Flights,'
a book of Farmingdale History written by seventh graders.
She is being presented an inscribed silver fruit bowl by her
principal, Weldon E. Hewitt who brought her to Farmingdale
to teach from upstate New York. She taught here from 1925 to
1956. Society President Gregory Carman ( left), a former student
of Mrs. Jones, smiles his approval. Not pictured was guest
Speaker Halsey A. Knapp who also payed tribute to Luita Jones.
