The Hicksville Connection
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- Karl Schweitzer, Class of 1981
- Category: The Hicksville Connection
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As we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of our nation, a country born from what many have called one of history's greatest experiments in self-government, I am equally proud to pass down to my grandchildren another cherished title: Patriot.
Genealogy has been a passion of mine for more than twenty-five years. My maternal grandparents emigrated from Italy, while my paternal grandparents came from Germany. When I began researching my wife's family history, I knew I was about to uncover the treasure trove I had been hoping for. Her father's ancestry was primarily Irish and Polish, but it was her mother's family that opened an extraordinary window into America's colonial past.
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- Stefanie Cedar Shames, Class of 1977
- Category: The Hicksville Connection
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Hicksville Redevelopment
Stefanie Cedar Shames, Class of 1977
Recent news from Hicksville describes a redevelopment project that appears to have some opposition. On May 19, 2026, the Patch reported that the Town of Oyster Bay approved a $61 million project near the Hicksville LIRR station. The project is called Cornerstone Hicksville, and construction is expected to begin in early 2027. This project is just the latest in a series that began in 2017 under the umbrella of the Downtown Hicksville Revitalization Initiative, a partnership between the Town of Oyster Bay and local organizations, including millions of dollars from the private sector.
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- Wendy Elkis-Girnis, Class of 1977
- Category: The Hicksville Connection
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Wendy Elkis Class of 1977On July 4, 1776, the vote for the Declaration of Independence was cast, the words adopted, and copies printed. There was still one colony who hadn’t voted yet, the colony of New York.
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- Wendy Elkis-Girnis, Class of 1977
- Category: The Hicksville Connection
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Wendy Elkis Class of 1977As we approach the 250th anniversary of the British Colonies declaring independence, this next to last article starts as a recap of important events and then leads us to Philadelphia, where the delegates of each colonial assembly met to discuss their dissatisfaction and eventual break with Great Britain.
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- Ryan Vicino, Class of 2020
- Category: The Hicksville Connection
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by Ryan Vicino, Class of 2020
Richard Allan Kasso Jr., known as “Ricky” to close friends and family, was a Long Island local born in Huntington on March 29, 1967. Described as a troubled teenager, Richard would often be found in the town of Northport throughout his youth as a drugged-up young man who survived living in the streets with a local marijuana dealer group known as the “Knights of the Black Circle”, despite his father's role as a local football coach at Cold Spring Harbor High School. Richard had left his home for a rougher life at around the age of 15, despite both parents attempting to admit him into psychiatric care and drug rehabilitation.
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- Wendy Elkis-Girnis, Class of 1977
- Category: The Hicksville Connection
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Wendy Elkis
Class of 1977
New York Harbor 1600From the beginning, New York was a popular port city. The harbor was used as a main port dating back to the 1600s. At that time, trade was centered around bartering for furs. Around 1625, the Dutch West India Company established themselves at the harbor in what was then known as New Amsterdam. It was such a popular port that by the 1650s, you could find people from around theworld, and you could hear approximately 18 different languages. Commerce kept growing year after year, regardless of who was in control of the area.
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