The Herald put a call out on Facebook for readers to send in their photo with a celebrity. Former East Rockaway resident Valerie (Van Buren) Ruggerio is pictured at right with singer Janis Ian, center, who, Ruggerio said, was a great influence in her life with popular songs such as "At Seventeen" and "Society's Child." Ruggerio's friend, Joyce, is pictured at left.
In 1975, Ian won a Grammy Award for her song, "At Seventeen." Born to a Jewish family in New York City, she was primarily raised in New Jersey, initially on a farm, and attended East Orange High School and the New York City High School of Music & Art. Her parents, Victor (a music teacher) and Pearl, ran a summer camp in upstate New York. Janis started the non-profit "Pearl Foundation" for her mother. Ian still performs and has a tour schedule at www.janisian.com
