Facebook groups keep Valley Stream's past alive

Part 2 of a series

When Facebook launched on the campus of Harvard University in the mid-2000s, it wasn’t long before it picked up steam and became an international sensation. During its infant stages, Facebook was open exclusively to college students, but due to popular demand it was then expanded so that anyone could use the social networking platform.

Sure high school and junior high school students have flocked to Facebook as if they were training for the Olympic 100-meter sprint, but teenagers certainly aren’t the only ones who have taken a liking to Facebook. More and more people who were teenagers decades ago are also using Facebook as a fun way to keep in touch with former classmates and even organize get-togethers. There are no shortages of groups and pages that allow people who grew up in Valley Stream a chance to remember their hometown, their favorite spots, their schools, their teachers and those who have passed away.

Nancy Duncan, a graduate of South High School in 1975, created the group “Valley Stream South High: Gone But Not Forgotten — May They Rest In Peace” last year as way for people to remember family members, friends and classmates who have died over the years. Duncan got the idea when she came across a similar page dedicated to people from a nearby town. She said once the group launched, people were quick to join and post memories.

“I think a lot of people that had siblings or knew people that died posted right away because they wanted to let people know,” she said. “It’s still being used, just not as frequently.” She added that the page has been more active in recent days.

When the group first launched, Duncan was unsure if she had made a mistake because it seemed to make people upset, but said she is happy she stuck it out.

John Urgo is a frequent poster in numerous groups and pages that pertain to Valley Stream. The 1971 graduate of Valley Stream Central High School even organized a class reunion through Facebook that was held at the Valley Stream VFW hall last October. The reunion was for Central grads from 1969 through 1973. Urgo said that about 300 people attended.

“Rather than the old way of doing it, which is sending envelopes to parents’ houses or to a prior address, this is so much easier,” he said. Urgo added that the major drawback of using Facebook to organize the reunion was the fact that not many people from his graduating class use social networking sites, but through word of mouth the event was a success.

Urgo helped create the page “Baby Boomer Growing Up in the 50s 60s & 70s in Valley Stream” about two years ago. It’s a page where people post pictures and memories from their childhood. “If I have your phone number and we’re friends, maybe I’ll call you once a month,” Urgo said, “but if you have Facebook I’ll usually talk to [you] once a day. It makes everything closer and you keep in contact day to day.”

The page “I grew up in Valley Stream, NY Between 1970-2000” was created by Ally Azzarelli, a 1990 Central grad, in January 2010. Azzarelli said she originally started the page to connect with people who she went to school with, but then widened the age range shortly after.

For Azzarelli, who currently lives in Florida, Facebook is a great way to stay connected to her hometown. “The majority of people on the page are no longer living in Valley Stream or even New York, so it helps them,” she said. “It’s really just to jog the memory and help people remember a fun time in their lives.”

Earlier this month, a photo of Alexander’s, a department store that opened in 1967 on Sunrise Highway, was posted on the page and quickly generated a lot of buzz. As of Tuesday, the photo had been shared more than 300 times, liked by about 920 people and has garnered 250-plus comments. “More people relate to a photo of a shop, restaurant or school than they do of an actual event,” she said, “because I guess if you weren’t there at that exact time, it doesn’t mean as much to you.”

Anthony Basile, a 1978 Central grad, frequently posts pictures on various groups about Valley Stream. He said he finds most of the pictures on the Internet, although he has posted a few from his personal collection. Basile enjoys finding pictures of stores or restaurants that are no longer in business to help jog people’s minds “It brings back a lot of memories for people who grew up here,” he said. “It’s changed incredibly over the last 20 years.”

Basile said that Facebook is a great way for him to connect with his old classmates and added that he recently talked to someone he went to grade school with that he hadn’t been in contact with for more than three decades.

“It’s fun to go down memory lane,” he said. “I don’t live in the past, but I like to visit it on occasion.”

Anthony Basile is requesting any photos of Valley Stream from the 1980s or earlier. He would like to scan them, return them and share them. If you’re interested you can reach him at anthonybasile@yahoo.com.