Local pens book about Oceanside

An Oceanside resident has penned a paean to his hometown and the people who lived there in years gone by.

The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s “Legendary Locals” series is “Legendary Locals of Oceanside” by Richard Woods. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images of days gone by and the people important to the community.

Through its history, Oceanside has been a community packed with personalities. Some of these personalities include the first Eagle Scout, first female Jewish cantor, two Freedom Riders, noteworthy scientists and caring citizens.

It is where War of 1812 general Daniel Bedell shot his musket, Ziegfeld’s Gilda Gray practiced her shimmy, basketball great Art Heyman dribbled and NFL quarterback Jay Fiedler threw his first football. Academy Award nominee David Paymer studied acting, Disney chief executive officer Robert Iger watched the Mouseketeers and New York Yankees president Randy Levine played Little League baseball.

This is the neighborhood where Jeanne Marion Doane orated for women’s suffrage, Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter navigated canals and Goldman-Sachs chief executive officer Stephen Friedman filled his piggy bank. Its foundation is the people in its religious institutions, fire department and school district. The area’s business people are unified, hard working and charitable.

The new book showcases the rich heritage of active citizens that have contributed their time and efforts on local, state and even national causes to make this region viable and includes business leaders, cultural leaders, medical leaders, military leaders, political leaders, sports leaders and community founders and leaders