By: Anne Marie Allocca
In 1986, Lynbrook celebrated its 75th anniversary as an incorporated village, and Mattson worked on a journal detailing its history. Through the years he has written a number of articles for the Herald on historic events in the village. When he retired from a 30-year banking career, Mattson decided to write a book about the town he has come to love.
If not now, when?, he recalls thinking. If not me, who? He had a publisher ready to take on the project, but Mattson didn't want to conform to the publisher's rules and regulations about photo size and text blocks, so he found a printer in Dexter, Mich., and put up his own money for this labor of love. Mattson wouldn't say how much he spent to complete the project.
"I can't forget the feeling I had when I sent this off, and then when the truck pulled up. I was so nervous that I would have two page 36s or some major screwup," Mattson laughed.
Twelve hundred hardcover books arrived in December, bringing Mattson's dream to fruition. When the delivery truck rolled up to his home, the driver pushed the more than two tons of books to the rear of the truck and waited while Mattson and his wife, Nori, unloaded the boxes themselves. "My wife works out in the gym every day, and I'm a gym rat, too, so it wasn't too bad," said Mattson.
"The History of Lynbrook" covers the village's history up to 1940. Mattson, who attends the Professionals and Executives in Retirement (PEIR) program at Hofstra, spent many hours at the Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra, looking through microfilm of every South Shore newspaper from 1834 to 1940 that covered the area. "It cost me hundreds of dollars just for the microfilm copies," he said. "I have a stack indexed in my basement."
Mattson also obtained photographs from area residents, including Steven Grogan, a local firefighter, and Leo Bock, a Lynbrook photographer from 1914 to the 1930s, whose photos are in the Lynbrook historical collection.
The most rewarding research, Mattson said, was his unearthing of the tragic deaths of three patrolmen - Frederick Secker, William Everett and David "Kenneth" Frost - and a firefighter, Lt. Fred Schnorr, who died in the line of duty between 1929 and 1931. Mattson discovered that two of the policemen were killed in motorcycle accidents and one was struck and killed while inspecting a car for then-illegal alcohol. The police department thought the men had retired.
Mattson submitted a request to the National Law Enforcement Office and Memorial in Washington, D.C., and to officials in New York state to have these men listed on the appropriate police department memorials. "My wife and I got to see their names inscribed on the wall memorials, and that was very rewarding," said Mattson.
Similarly, the Lynbrook Fire Department was unaware of the death of Schnorr. Mattson came across a microfilm story on the firefighter, and discovered that he was killed in 1932 while battling a fire. Mattson didn't ever remember hearing Schnorr's story, so he checked the Fire Department's Memorial Stone on Sunrise Highway. Schnorr's name was not inscribed there.
"My hair stood up on the back of my neck," Mattson recalled. "How could that be? At the time of Schnorr's death, the mayor said Fred Schnorr's service to the people of Lynbrook would ever be remembered by all of us, yet it was completely forgotten, as were the deaths of three policemen. The truth is, at some point in the past 70 years, not one person in Lynbrook cared enough to preserve this history. It may be lost again unless there is someone who cares."
On Thursday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m., Mattson will sign copies of his book at the Lynbrook Library. He will also show slides of photos from the book and answer questions about his work. On Feb. 26, he will sign books at A La Carte on Atlantic Avenue from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., while regaling patrons with the adventures of one Henri Charpentier, a world-renowned chef who invented Crepe Suzette.
"He came to Lynbrook after slapping a maitre d' with a side of beef in Europe," explained Mattson. "He wanted to set up the best restaurant on Long Island, and so he opened a restaurant right on Scranton Avenue."
Mattson's book can be found at the Lyn Gift Shop and Noel's Garden Cottage on Atlantic Avenue. "Each of the store owners have told me this is the best-selling book they've ever had in all the years they've had their stores," Mattson said proudly. The book can also be purchased from (and signed by) Mattson himself, who can be reached (516) 887-7673.
Comments about this story? KBarone@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
