Category Archives: Seniors

Bay Ridge People Features Seniors

The Voice of Experience: Senior Helps Immigrants

August 20, 2012 – 3:30 pm

Mary Nolan, a proud Irish-American, works on immigration causes with elected officials.

By Paula Katinas

Mary Nolan has lived in Bay Ridge since 1965 and has been active in politics since the time she moved here from Park Slope. Nolan, who emigrated from her native Ireland to the U.S. in 1953, became an American citizen in 1959. Much of her political work is devoted to immigration reform.
“This is a great country. There’s so much opportunity here. That’s why people want to come here. We shouldn’t act like people are criminals because they’re looking for a better life. This country was built by immigrants,” said Nolan, who was born and raised in County Limerick and still has traces of her Irish brogue when she speaks.
Nolan is the president of the Bay Ridge Irish-American Action Committee, a group that used to hold annual marches in Brooklyn to commemorate the victims of “Bloody Sunday,” the infamous incident in the city of Derry in Northern Ireland in 1972 in which British troops shot and killed 14 unarmed men and boys taking part in a protest march. read more »

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Bay Ridge People Features Seniors

Uzzi Family Patriarch Arrived From Italy 100 Years Ago

August 11, 2012 – 9:33 am
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Michele Uzzi-Lamagna and her husband Mike wore T-shirts celebrating the Uzzi family’s 100 years in America.

By Paula Katinas

“Will everyone please be quiet for a minute? We’re trying to Skype with Italy!” Richard Uzzi shouted across the vast Saint Finbar Confraternity Center.
In the front of the hall, a small group of Uzzi’s relatives fiddled with a laptop computer, trying to get a Skype connection to a group of Uzzis in Italy.
While that was going on, clusters of stateside family members were seated at tables festooned with balloons and Italian and U.S. flags, chatting and laughing. In a clever touch, the balloons were anchored to the tables by boxes of spaghetti. read more »

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Bay Ridge People Features Seniors

The Voice of Experience: Self-Taught Artist Enjoys Life

August 11, 2012 – 1:15 am

Artist Tony Faiella presents Stella Tedesco a drawing he created of a Hawaiian scene. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas

By Paula Katinas

Tony Faiella says he can draw pretty much anything. A self-taught artist, Faiella, 83, once recreated the scene outside his hotel window when he and his wife Jean were staying on the beach in Hawaii in 1987.
“When we looked out the window of the hotel, we saw Diamond Head. It was so beautiful. The water looked like it had diamonds in it,” he said.
Months later, a relative of his who worked in a bank gave him a calendar that contained a picture of Diamond Head. She suggested that Tony and Jean frame the picture.
“But I said to her, ‘We don’t need to do that. I can draw it.’ And I did. It took a lot of work. I had to get all the details right. The beach on the other side was lined with hotels. I had to get them right. The picture came out nice,” Faiella said. read more »

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Bay Ridge People Features Seniors

The Voice of Experience: Joe DeFina — Soldier, Officer, Politico

August 3, 2012 – 3:52 pm

Bay Ridge resident Joe DeFina, 83, has vast experience in law enforcement and politics. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas

By Paula Katinas

Bay Ridge — If Joseph DeFina had to write his resume, he would need more than one page to describe his work history. His diverse background includes the military, law enforcement and politics.
DeFina, 83, a retired police detective, also served in the U.S. Marines, and ran for Bay Ridge’s City Council seat twice in the 1990s.
“I think I’ve done a lot,” said DeFina, a Bay Ridge resident.
DeFina is an active member of the American Legion and is the commander of the George Washington/Victor Allegretti Memorial Post. Allegretti is the late co-owner of the Bayside Fuel Corp.
DeFina is a past Kings County commander of the American Legion. He currently serves as chairman of the National Immigration and Naturalization Sub-Committee and is a member of the National Americanism, Children, and Youth Committee. read more »

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Features Seniors

Shore Hill Center Offers Meals, Exercise, Company

July 27, 2012 – 2:13 am

Sister Frances Picone, director of services for older adults, shows a book that was created by a young student as a gift for a senior citizen. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas

By Paula Katinas

Bay Ridge — At the Shore Hill Center, the staff recognizes that it’s not just what you do that’s important. It’s how you do it.
“We serve hot, delicious, nutritious lunches here,” said Sister Fran Picone, director of services for older adults at the senior citizens center at 9000 Shore Road. “Our chef takes great pride in his work and always presents the meals in a wonderful way. The meals always look so attractive on the plate. There’s always parsley, or a slice of lemon to decorate the plate. We always try to make everything nice for our members.” read more »

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Bay Ridge People Features Seniors

The Voice of Experience: World War II Veteran, 88, Deciphered Japanese Code

July 27, 2012 – 1:57 am

Ruth Soranno served in the U.S. Navy in World War II. At age 88, she enjoys spending time at the Shore Hill Center. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas

By Paula Katinas

Bay Ridge — Ruth Soranno wanted to enlist in the U.S. Navy after Pearl Harbor.
“But the Navy wouldn’t take you until you were 20, so I had to wait a little while,” she said.
She was 17 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the nation was plunged into World War II. She eventually got her chance to serve her country and make her contribution to the war effort.
Soranno served in a U.S. Navy office in Washington, D.C., helping the Allies decipher Japanese code.
“It was mostly about the weather,” she said.
The communications might have been about the weather, but these were not casual conversations. Commanders had to take weather patterns into consideration when planning military operations, she said. read more »

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News Seniors

Bensonhurst Cheers New Senior Center

July 24, 2012 – 5:48 pm

State Sen. Marty Golden (center) is surrounded by seniors and officials at the site of the senior citizens center at 7907 New Utrecht Ave. Photo courtesy of Sen. Golden's office

By Paula Katinas

Bensonhurst – A popular senior citizens center is being revitalized by the city, according to state Sen. Marty Golden, who made the big announcement on Monday.
Golden was joined by Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, commissioner of the city’s Department for the Aging (DFTA), at a press conference at the center at 7907 New Utrecht Ave.
The center will now operate under the umbrella of Homecrest Community Services. The Dept. of the Aging will oversee operations. read more »

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Bay Ridge People Features Seniors

The Voice of Experience: Senior’s Autobiography Recounts Life in Brooklyn

July 21, 2012 – 2:14 pm

Turning the Corner on Life is available for purchase at such sites as Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

By Paula Katinas

Dyker Heights — Writing a book is something Arnold Silveri has always wanted to do.
“I had written poems, one of them about the 1940s. I wrote another poem. I got the idea for a book from that,” he said.
Silveri, 77, has written his autobiography, Turning the Corner on Life, and is hoping readers will find something of themselves in his life story.
“I hope people just have some happy memories. I wrote not just about my own life, but about the times I was living in and the culture. And I wrote about the whole atmosphere of the neighborhood,” he said.
Turning the Corner on Life has been published by Xlibris, a publishing house based in Bloomington, Ind. It is available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and other websites.
Silveri was born in South Brooklyn, but spent his adolescent and teenage years in Dyker Heights. The family lived on 70th Street between 12th and 13th avenues.
He graduated from P.S. 176, on 69th Street and 12th Avenue, and from McKinley Junior High School, at 7301 Fort Hamilton Parkway. read more »

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Features Seniors

Center Director Enjoys Feedback From Members

July 17, 2012 – 12:56 am

Marianne Nicolosi (second from right), executive director of the Bay Ridge Center, takes time out from a busy day to pose for a photo with staff members and volunteers. Pictured with Nicolosi are Manuela Advincala, Linda Farrell, Norma Renda, Kim Laraichi, Samantha Churak, Mae McGinn and Winnie Langley (left to right). Eagle photo by Paula Katinas

By Paula Katinas

Bay Ridge — Marianne Nicolosi, executive director of the Bay Ridge Center, said one of the best things about her job is the interaction she has with the senior citizens who come to the center to spend the day.
“Older people don’t hold anything back. If you ask for their opinion, they give you an honest answer. I like that,” said Nicolosi, who has been the center’s executive director since January. read more »

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Bay Ridge People Features Seniors

The Voice of Experience: Salvatore De Angelis, 97, Was Stowaway From Italy

July 15, 2012 – 11:30 pm

Salvatore De Angelis enjoys life in his 90s, thanks to the loving support of his family. Pictured with him in his Bay Ridge home are his sons John, Salvatore Jr., and Louis (left to right), and Louis’s daughter Christina. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas

By Paula Katinas

Bay Ridge — Salvatore De Angelis is a deeply patriotic American. His love for this country was evident even before he arrived here as an immigrant in 1947. He risked his life to get here.
De Angelis, who will turn 97 in October, recalled his journey to the U.S. during a recent interview with the Bay Ridge Eagle in the Bay Ridge home in which he has lived in since 1956.
In 1947, he stowed away on a freighter, sneaking onto the ship in Calabria, Italy, and landed in Baltimore, not speaking a world of English.
“Was I scared? No, I wasn’t scared,” De Angelis said. read more »

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