Rockville Centre Letters to the Editor

Aug. 11-17, 2016

Posted

Name the Rec Center, or the sports complex, after  ‘Mr. B.’

To the Editor:

I have been a Rockville Centre resident for 44 years and I love this village. My wife, children and grandchildren are also residents, and reap the benefits of living in such a wonderful community.

As we mourn the death of a great friend and fellow resident, Anthony Brunetta, “Mr. B,” I ask that we take into consideration honoring this wonderful man in a fitting way.

Perhaps renaming the Rec Center after him, or naming the unnamed sports complex on Peninsula Boulevard after him, would be appropriate.

Mr. Brunetta spent his life working with the young and old of this community, and he deserves a fitting tribute. 

Fred Sieling

Rockville Centre


Condolences from the Odd Fellows

To the Editor:

The Brothers of the Rockville Centre Odd Fellows Lodge #279 would like to offer their condolences to the Brunetta family on the passing of Rockville Centre icon Tony “Mr. B” Brunetta.  

This is a death the whole village will mourn. Many of our members are lifelong RVC residents, and do not know the Rec Center without the smiling, energetic presence of Mr. B. The Odd Fellows join in our town’s grief.

Every year our lodge makes a Thanksgiving food donation for village residents. While we always enjoy helping the members of our community, we have also always looked forward to the interaction we would have with Mr. B as we dropped off turkeys, canned food and other nonperishables at the Rec Center. Every year we made sure to take a picture with him. It was an honor. 

He was a class act and a village fixture, and if there is ever a Rockville Centre Hall of Fame, he would be among its first inductees. 

The Brothers of Rockville Centre Odd Fellows #279

 

Our Mr. B

To the Editor:

Last weekend in Rockville Centre, we lost a legend: Anthony Brunetta, our beloved Mr. B. He is now reunited in heaven with his lovely wife and son he lost way too soon.

I’ve lived in Rockville Centre for over 60 years. In my opinion, in those years no man has touched more people’s lives than Mr. B did. He served this village for over 50 years — all the way back to the ’60s, when the Rec Center was in the water building on Maple Avenue, up to today, when our Recreation Department was voted best on Long Island, due in large part to Mr. B.

Every softball player knew that even if it rained all day, but stopped 10 minutes before the game, you had to get down to that game, because Tony would be at the field with his Quick Dry and the game would be played!

I went to visit him in rehab and stopped at CJ’s Coffee Shop. John, one of the owners, made up a nice blue plate special. They wouldn’t take my money. They said, “Tell Mr. B it’s on us.” Everybody cared about him.

I have so many memories of Mr. B, but one lasting one will be of taking my 5-year-old granddaughter Caeleigh to gymnastics on Friday mornings. We would walk in and she would tell me, “Let’s go say hi to Mr. B.” We would walk over to the office, she’d say hi and give a shy wave and smile, and he would wave back and smile. 

He was our Derek Jeter. He played for one team for over 50 years. His team was the kids of Rockville Centre. 

Many people had said he’d never retire. If any man had the right to die on the job, it was Tony. So I say to those who tried to force him out over the last few years, shame on you.

R.I.P. Mr. B. 

Larry Schnabel

Rockville Centre

 

God bless Mr. B

To the Editor:

Rockville Centre lost a great man with the death of Tony Brunetta. Mr. B, as everyone called him, led and grew our recreation program over several decades into one of the finest anywhere. He worked tirelessly to see that everyone from ages 2 to 90 who came to the Rec enjoyed themselves and wanted to come back for more.

Mr. B. was also a great educator. He taught us, our children and grandchildren what it meant to hold a job. He led and taught by example; he arrived early and stayed late; he never asked anyone to do something that he hadn’t done many times himself; and he always encouraged those he worked with to perform better. 

Children, teens and young adults saw in Mr. B a man who worked hard and loved his job. This taught them that doing a job well was important, and could even be fun. This first work experience for our youth was his gift to the village and its residents, and will live on in our memories and the stories we tell our great-grandchildren.

May God bless Tony Brunetta.

Jack Matthews

Rockville Centre

 

To hoop or not to hoop

To the Editor:

It seems that this debate has occupied the Letters section of the Herald for the past month. However, the only ones who have the power to address the issue have not yet opined — the mayor and the board of trustees. So, Mr. Mayor and members of the board, the choice facing you is easy. Either you repeal the rule against basketball hoops or you enforce it. What’s it to be?

Marc Wieman

Rockville Centre

Where’s the All Lives Matter editorial?

To the Editor:

Your recent editorial told us why black lives matter (“On Black Lives Matter, let’s opine less, listen more” July 28-Aug. 3).

It gave me a sick feeling. Why didn’t you tell us to understand why all lives matter? Will you have an editorial next week about the Democratic National Convention on July 28, when a speaker asked for a moment of silence for the police officers who have been murdered, and delegates shouted back “Black Lives Matter”?

Frank Venis

East Rockaway

Clinton’s nomination isn’t exactly life-changing

To the Editor:

After reading Randi Kreiss’s column (Aug. 4-11), I had a gut reaction of both disbelief and amazement regarding her opinions. Ms. Kreiss said that having the first female candidate for president has been a long time coming. That is absolutely correct and unarguable.  However, in a decade that has seen the first black president, and now the first female candidate, the choice, although precedent-setting, has been and will be between the two worst candidates for the office.

Ms. Kreiss touts Hillary’s virtues. I thought that virtues were positive traits, but apparently Ms. Kreiss’s view of the meaning of this word is different somehow. 

Clinton continues to try to bulldoze the truth by claiming that FBI Director James Comey has cleared her of wrongdoing in the email scandal, which is a lie. Just listen to the report that Comey gave before Congress. The final result of the hearings was that she did not tell the truth, and in my book that means lying. Even today she cannot answer questions squarely, but skirts and manipulates the truth.

I admit that Donald Trump may not be the ideal candidate for the Republican Party at the moment, but at least he is not a congenital liar. Yes, he lacks some of the polish demonstrated by lawyers and career politicians, but I believe that he will surround himself with the best and brightest people and speak with citizens in a reasonably candid manner. He will restore our country’s prestige on the world stage. He may not be perfect, but at least he’s not part of the problem.

Eric Spinner

New Hyde Park