By JOSEPH KELLARD
Woods' enthusiasm for this book project springs from his interest in the past and love of discovering obscure information about the town where he's always lived. Inspired by the history captured in photos at the sports Hall of Fame at Oceanside High School, Woods has long collected Oceanside memorabilia, including news clips, pictures and post cards he's found on eBay.
"This book is something I always wanted to do," said Woods, a biology and environmental science teacher for 22 years at OHS, "but I think it would have been a lot harder if I didn't have a legitimate publisher."
While browsing in book stores, Woods chanced upon a series by Arcadia, a publishing company that specializes in regional histories, which included pictorials on Levittown, Hicksville and Syosset. Why not a book on Oceanside, Woods thought. Next he proposed to compile such a book for Arcadia, but the publisher required that he first come up with enough intriguing information about the town to interest a broader audience other than Oceansiders.
His application included the Roadside Rest, a 1920s fruit stand that expanded into a large food and entertainment facility which hosted such acts as Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey -- and that became Nathan's in 1959. Another great attraction to outsiders was an underground shrine at St. Anthony's Church built in 1928 but that burned down in 1960. Some outstanding facts he included are that Oceanside boasts the first motorized fire-fighting vehicle in Nassau County, and Arthur Eldred, the first Eagle Scout of the Boy Scouts of America.
He also threw in a list of notably accomplished Oceansiders, such as Robert Iger, president of Walt Disney Company, Jay Fiedler, quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, Gilda Gray, creator of the shimmy dance of the 1920s, and Steven Friedman, George W. Bush's chief economic adviser, among others.
Arcadia granted Woods a June 22, 2004 deadline to compile his information and up to 240 photos complete with extensive, descriptive captions. The photos will span the late nineteenth century to possibly the early 1970s and include various long-gone or often-renovated structures, businesses, landscapes, and individual Oceansiders of note.
In pursuing his needs, Woods quickly found that one person led to a host of other people, from his own students to elderly collectors of photos. After teaching all day, Woods tries to perform some kind of work for his book, either going to libraries or historical societies for research or calling and meeting with people.
"I met with a 90-year-old woman who grew up on Foxhurst Road and remembers the Davison General Store that was there," Woods explained. "I have a picture of her on a makeshift swing on an apple tree on Foxhurst. These are the type of people and things I've come across. You get together with people who love to talk about Oceanside history, and they get a kick out of it and so do I."
The "Circle of Pride" ceremony, held by the OHS Hall of Fame committee at the Knights of Columbus last spring, propelled Woods to finally get his project up and running. Many Oceansiders, current and former, some with family ties stretching back over a hundred years, attended that event and told their Oceanside tales.
"I was riveted by everyone who talked that night," Woods recalled. "I loved every minute of it, and could have stayed forever and just listened to all the old stories. So after that I just felt it was time to finally make something happen."
Much of his book will focus on the families so rooted in Oceanside that streets were named after them: Soper, Terrell, Brower, Bedell and Wright, to name a few. One of their members is Tracy Noon, an 87-year-old man who grew up on a hay farm on what is now Roosevelt Street and Lincoln Avenues, who contributed greatly to Woods' photo collection.
"Everyone so far has been unbelievably generous," said Woods, who fashions himself the catalyst between these Oceansiders and the final, published version of his book. In his talks with people, he often finds their stories overlap, but the greatest joy comes when he unearths a gem -- some outstanding fact or a remarkable photo.
"I get excited and feel really good about doing this project," Woods said. "I like the idea of hunting for things that haven't been found yet, information and pictures. I like that searching type of feeling of going into libraries and put together histories."
People with information, photographs or other materials that may be useful to Richard Woods can call him at 867-3167, or send information to his attention at Oceanside High School, 3160 Skillman Avenue, Oceanside NY 11572.
