Thursday, April 24, 2025
The Hempstead Chamber of Commerce, under the leadership of President LaShawn Lukes, formally donated 130 historic news articles and photos to the Hempstead Public Library on March 7.
The historic items, which were discovered in the chamber’s archives early in January, clarify the massive changes in Nassau County that affected the village during the 1950s.
The articles detail how the Hempstead Chamber of Commerce fought back then to protect Hempstead’s business base in the face of the opening of Roosevelt Field Mall, the closing of Mitchel Field Airbase, and the reconfiguration of roads caused by Robert Moses’ extension of Peninsula Boulevard from Lynbrook up to Fulton Avenue in Hempstead.
Hempstead Public Library Director Irene Duskiewicz received the items on behalf of the library. Village Historian Reine Bethany delivered a slide presentation that incorporated the information from the donated articles.
Elected officials who attended the event, and endorsed the chamber, were Mayor Waylyn Hobbs, Jr., Trustee Kevin Boone, Assemblyman Noah Burroughs, Nassau County Legislator Scott Davis, and a representative for State Senator Siela Bynoe.
