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Long Island historian visits Wantagh

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Ralph Brady, a 72-year-old Mount Sinai resident and published writer, is educating Long Islanders about their homeland’s rich history — one presentation at a time.

The author of “Landmarks and Historic Sites of Long Island” has given about 80 history talks at schools, libraries and assisted living homes across the region since the book hit shelves in 2012. He stopped by the Wantagh Public Library on July 12. 

While speaking to patrons about the homes of Walk Whitman and Theodore Roosevelt — and even a 100-year-old carousel  — his eyes lit up. He encouraged Wantagh residents to pass his stories and information onto their neighbors and families. 

“It’s our job to preserve history and share it with our kids and grandkids,” he said. 

For about one hour, Brady spoke to locals about many landmarks that have shaped Long Island and the country, including the first U.S. submarine base in New Suffolk and the site of Charles Lindbergh’s take-off from Roosevelt Field. During his lecture, he showed patrons a PowerPoint presentation of new and old photographs of the historic sites. 

“I want to educate but also entertain to keep their interest,” he said. “There are so many fun stories to be told.”

Brady said that while he has always had a passion for history, he only recently began to teach others about it. The veteran said he reinvented himself after retiring from an executive position in the transportation industry. 

After earning a bachelor’s degree in American Studies at SUNY Old Westbury, Brady said he never dreamed he’d be able to make a career out of his major. He went on to be a salesman, start his own manufacturing company. 

In early 2012, Brady was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. “I just thought ‘I need to something to get my mind off this,’” he said.

He’d been to library presentations and listened to historians ramble about a single subject for too long, he said. He had also heard from his two daughters, both of whom teach on Long Island, that local history is often not emphasized in public schools. 

All of these experiences inspired him to create a book that covered a wide and general range of Long Island’s history. His goal was to interest readers with anecdotes that they might not have heard before. 

For eight months, Brady toured landmarks, called and visited historic museums and travelled across the region, taking notes and photographs along the way. History Press published his research and writing in July 2012. 

Since then, Brady has also published a novel called “Borrowed Time,” in addition to the Glendale edition of Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series. But he said his true love lies in teaching others what he’s learned, and meeting great people along the way. 

“I found a talent for presentations that I never knew I had,” he said.

At one recent presentation, Brady said he was talking about Charles Lindbergh’s take-off from Roosevelt Field. A man raised his hand and said, “I was there!” Brady learned that the 89-year-old, who was just a baby at the time of the historic event, was strolled there in a carriage by his mother.

Another “wow” moment from crowds at his lecture typically comes when Brady tells them that Long Island is home of the first Valentine’s Day poem and the game of Scrabble, he said. From little tidbits to pivotal moments in history, Brady said he hoped he kept his audience in Wantagh and others across the area engrossed. 

Brady donated a copy of “Landmarks and Historic Sites of Long Island” to the Wantagh Library. He encouraged patrons to tell their children not only what they heard at the lecture, but also about family tales, traditions and recipes. “It’s all history,” he noted.