December 2024: Volume 25 - Issue 3

Newsletter for the Alumni and Friends of Hicksville High School - Hicksville, New York

Dear Readers,
We hope you enjoy our latest HixNews issue. We have an interesting article from Ron Wencer about nurses who served in the military. Article contributions, suggestions, and news are always welcome. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Next month we hope to include an article about Allied Shopping Center so email us your memories and any pictures you may have.
- Your HixNews Team

Introduction

In October’s issue, the article by Wendy Elkis Girnis (HHS ’77) about military nurses reminded me that two Hicksville women served in the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) during World War I: Mary Keller, whose parents operated a hotel/tavern at the corner of Woodbury Road and Park Avenue, and Elise Bergold, whose family had a farm on Old Country Road, near the border with Westbury.

Background

1916 Recruiting Poster

World War I began in 1914, but the U.S. could not declare war until 1917 – it took nearly three years to draft, train, and equip an Army of the requisite size. Such an Army would need thousands of nurses, but when the nation finally declared war, it had only 401 of them. Ironically, the civilian American Red Cross (ARC) had 8,000 trained nurses, and many of these were already serving in France and the UK, primarily caring for wounded British soldiers. Both groups worked hard to recruit more.

The two groups reached an agreement: the Army would draft willing Red Cross nurses into the Nurse Corps for wartime service. Today, this practice may lead to confusion. For example, the question “How many Army nurses served during the war?” yields different answers depending on which nurses one counts. Only nurses inducted into the Army Nurse Corps? Or also Red Cross nurses in non-U.S. hospitals who treated American and other military Allied casualties as well?

Danger Everywhere

Trained nurses were essential to the Army on both sides of the Atlantic. We may think that working stateside at an Army camp was safer than being in Europe, treating men from the Front -- but that was not so for a nurse. The global influenza pandemic was at its peak in the U.S., and spending a day face-to-face with thousands of soldiers – who were fresh from overcrowded cross-country troop trains that took them from one huge training encampment to another – was highly risky. During the war, 272 ANC nurses died of disease; many had never left the U.S.

In this context, note that the Army did not knowingly send women to or near the Front at that time. Nurses and orderlies at the Front, or in Field hospitals, were male. The closest female nurses came to combat were the Base Hospitals, often near but still removed from the Front. Note that Hicksville’s Mary Keller spent some months assigned to a Base Hospital.

Base Hospitals

During the War, the U.S. Army established more than 130 of these “mother ship” hospital units, receiving patients from frontline medical units, which triaged them and gave them emergency treatment. The earliest B.H.s began stateside before American troops were in combat as quasi-experiments. At first, each B.H. was only a team of people -- hospital administrators, medical specialists, and technicians assembled by the Army in conjunction with a major medical school. The teams worked out how their future hospital would work: what equipment would be needed, what medical practices would be standard, what procedures would be followed, etc.

As the months passed, the teams set up operational hospitals in buildings, becoming more familiar with equipment and procedures and learning how to work smoothly. When the American Expeditionary Forces left for France, B.H. units went as well, the teams eager to test the lessons they’d learned. Feedback from the experience was positive, and eventually, the Army used the experience’s lessons to create new B.H.s with little input from private medical schools.

Note that Base Hospitals were not all made from the same cookie-cutter – the idea was adapted to different settings. At Limoges, for example, there was a lush campus of many B.H. units laid out among lawns and trees, each unit with its own new pre-fab buildings, some with multiple levels. It resembled a civilian cluster of research facilities more than a wartime hospital. In contrast, many a B.H. built later, when American forces were spearheading the push that swiftly moved the German Front back east, simply requisitioned the nearest suitable shell-scarred school or business and got to work ASAP.

Mary Frances Keller

Keller: Abstract of her ANC Service Record

Mary Frances Keller was an experienced nurse when she joined the ANC “from civilian life” in September 1918. She was 33, and she had resided at – and presumably worked at -- Greenpoint Hospital. (In this era, many hospitals still demanded that nurses be single and live in the hospital’s nurses’ residence, where senior nurses were expected to guide and “keep an eye on” the younger nurses.) Keller began her ANC duties at the Army’s NYC Mobilization Station, assisting doctors who assessed draftees and recruits by taking temperatures, recording test results and observations, treating/bandaging minor infections, looking for signs of communicable disease, etc. The hours would have been long, and the work monotonous.

She soon was added to the Base Hospital #91 team, which, in early November 1918, set sail for Europe to relieve another B.H. team, which had spent months dealing with the carnage of the intense American advance through the Meuse-Argonne region. The willingness of Germany to finally seek an Armistice is often attributed to this determined and extremely bloody effort. Although the fighting was over when B.H. #91 took over, Nurse Keller would be busy for months, caring for hundreds of gassed and machine-gunned soldiers -- not all of whom would survive.

Elise Bergold

Bergold: Abstract of her ANC Service Record

25 years old when the U.S. declared war, Elise Bergold was younger than Mary Keller and likely a less experienced nurse. Her initial ANC assignment was at Camp Upton in Yaphank, a “warehouse” at which large numbers of draftees and recruits were collected, processed, and dispatched for training elsewhere in the Eastern U.S. After training camp, many were funneled back to Upton to await assignments to ships bound for France.

For some of these same men, the post-war trip home was not as smooth because of wounds or other infirmities. Nurse Bergold was transferred from Upton to Debarkation Hospital #3, a temporary hospital for more than 4,000 patients – then the largest hospital in the world! – which was carved out of the old Mercantile Exchange in Manhattan.

Back Home to Celebrate

Returned soldiers with visitors at a lounge in Debarkation Hospital #3Nurse Bergold’s active service in the ANC ended in the Spring of 1919 when she was honorably discharged. Officially, Nurse Keller’s European tour and active service ended in mid-July; she was discharged stateside two weeks later. However, she was able to “cut class” and get back to Hicksville by July 4^th.

We don’t know if Nurses Bergold and Keller had been acquainted before the war, but on that day, they surely met. All of Hicksville stopped what it was doing that morning and began a celebration for all the village’s sons and daughters who had served in uniform.

The festivities were grand and varied, including a parade that featured as many of the honored 141 survivors as could make it, not to mention Hicksville’s two surviving veterans of the Civil War. There were speeches, a picnic, a baseball game at Cantiague Park, a formal dinner, and open-air dancing nearly until dawn on Broadway.

The names of Hicksville’s ANC Nurses are listed on the WW I commemorative boulder, taking their proud places among the names of the men from Hicksville who also had served in uniform during the war.

Life After the War

Grave Marker, Plain Lawn Cemetery

Grave Marker Long Island National CemeteryBoth women maintained their ties with Hicksville. Bergold married; she and her husband, Charles Camden, settled down on Newbridge Road, adjacent to a farm owned by one of her siblings. She worked as a nurse in a doctor’s office. Elise Bergold Camden passed away in 1962 and was buried at Plain Lawn Cemetery.

Keller lived on East John Street and worked as a nurse for Nassau County. She outlived the younger Bergold by 13 years, dying in 1975 at the age of 90. Her grave marker proclaims her service in the Great War.

Appendices

Sources

What I’ve written in this article is based primarily on these two sources:

• Contributions of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in World War I co-authored 2014 by Col. Elizabeth Vane, Army Nurse Corps Historian, and Sanders Marble, Senior Historian, Office of Medical History, US Army Medical Command

Note that this article can be read online at https://e-anca.org/History/Topics-in-ANC-History/Contributions-of-the-US-Army-Nurse-Corps-in-WWI

• Abstracts of World War I Military Service for Army Nurses, a collection of index card records, as illustrated by the examples included in the body of this article

Discrepancies

It is common for different sources to present statistics about this topic that seem to disagree, especially with regard to the number of wartime deaths of Nurses. As noted earlier, such disagreement may stem from failure to disentangle Red Cross and ANC nurses, but there may be other reasons. Phrases like “died in the War” and “died as a result of enemy action” can have very different implications. A nurse who died of influenza at one of the huge, jam-packed Army training posts certainly died in service to her country during the war, but she did not technically die as the result of enemy action. A nurse who died in France when an ambulance crashed after hitting a crater left by German artillery could be said to have died in an accident – but that accident was the direct result of enemy action.

Sources of Images

• Photo of War Memorial boulder in its original location: old postcard listed for sale on ebay.com
• 1916 ARC Recruiting Poster: ebay.com
• Abstracts of Service Records: Ancestry.com
• Lounge at Debarkation Hospital #3: Library of Congress (I think)
• Hicksville’s Biggest Day: Huntington Long-Islander, July 11, 1919
• Grave Markers: findagrave.com
• Photo of Private Frank Kowalinski (below): Soldiers of the Great War, Volume 2 (accessed via Google Books)

Post-Script

In a way, this article is personal for me.

In October 1918, my mother’s first cousin, childhood friend, and neighbor Frank was wounded by enemy machine gun fire during the American advance that pushed back the German troops. With the aid of a Chaplain, he wrote home afterward from a Base Hospital, praising the care he was receiving and the people who helped him. He died a few days later. In 2015, a street in Queens, NY -- Frank Kowalinski Way – was co-named in his honor.

Ciao!

 By Wendy Elkis Girnis, Class of '77

Welcome to December.  When we think of this month, we think of snow, celebrations, Santa, lit menorahs, and kinaras. There are many celebrations taking place during this month.  There are also many festivities taking place in and around Hicksville.  By the time this issue has gone to press, a few have passed, but you will know to look for them in the local papers and online next year.

• Sunday, December 8: Bodhi Day (Buddhism) - Also called Buddha’s Enlightenment Day, it commemorates when Siddhartha Gautama attained awakening — or enlightenment — some 2,600 years ago, becoming the Buddha. It is a day of prayer, meditation, chanting, and reading the scriptures (Sutras).

• Thursday, December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe Day (Christianity) - A Catholic holiday celebrated on December 12th to commemorate the Virgin Mary's appearance to Juan Diego in 1531.
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration was held at St. Bridgid Catholic Church in Westbury on December 9, 10, and 11.  Celebrations were held in English and in Spanish. 85 Post Ave, Westbury, NY 11590 | 516-334-0021

• Monday, December 16 – Tuesday, December 24: Las Posadas (Mexican/Southwestern US Christianity) - A Mexican Christmas tradition that commemorates Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem and is celebrated with processions, singing, and piñatas.
  • The nearest Las Posadas celebration is taking place at the Riverhead Free Library on Monday, December 21, 4 – 4:45 pm. Join them for making crafts and listening to stories. No registration is needed. For more information, call 631.727.3228, ext. 120https://patch.com/new-york/riverhead/las-posadas-celebration-0

• Thursday, December 21 – Monday, January 1: Yule (Pagan)- Celebrates the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, and the rebirth of the sun.
  • Celebrate Yule, with a Solstice Hike on Saturday, December 21, 2024 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM at Hempstead Lake State Park. It will be a 3-mile hike.  Registration is required.  To join us for this event: Register Online  https://parks.ny.gov/events/event.aspx?e=31-41254.0

• Wednesday, December 25: Christmas Day (Christianity)- Celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God.
  
  • Santa will be at the Broadway Commons until December 24th- https://atbroadwaycommons.com/events/photos-with-santa/
  • Christmas House Long Island is open at the Broadway Commons- Christmas House Long Island is an indoor, one-of-a-kind, fully immersive Christmas experience!  https://christmashouselongisland.com/
  • See The Nutcracker- a one-hour children’s version at Holy Trinity High School on Sat. Dec. 21, 2024, from 02:00 pm to 03:00 pm. Enjoy a holiday tradition performed by the dancers of The Dance Place. This perfect one-hour narrated version is especially great for kids and families.

• Wednesday, December 25 – Thursday, January 2: Chanukah (Judaism) - Celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after a Jewish victory against the Greek-Syrian Empire in the 2nd century BC.
  • Join the Great Neck Chabad for a variety of Hanukkah festivities like ice skating, menorah lighting, latkes, and even a carnival. Check here for details- https://www.chabadgn.com/templates/section_cdo/aid/4554955/jewish/Chanukah.htm 
  • Come to the Hanukkah parade and experience in Merrick on December 25th at 5 pm. Celebrate Hanukkah with the Chabad Center for Jewish Life. Meet at the Merrick LIRR station for the lighting of the 12-foot menorah and other holiday festivities. https://www.chabadjewishlife.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/4541791/jewish/Grand-Menorah-Lighting.htm 
  • The Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City has its Hanukkah program on December 29th from 1-3 pm.  Learn all about the dreidel. Discover the game’s history and rules, and decorate your own dreidel to take home. https://mommypoppins.com/long-island-kids/event/events/happy-hanukkah-at-licm 

• Thursday, December 26: St. Stephen’s Day (Boxing Day) (Christianity) - Commemorates the life of St Stephen, a Christian deacon in Jerusalem who was known for his service to the poor and his status as the first Christian martyr. This holiday is celebrated by giving to charity, church services, and feasting.

• Thursday, December 26 – Wednesday, January 1: Kwanzaa (Pan-African) - Kwanzaa is a week-long holiday that celebrates African American culture and heritage. 
  • A Kwanzaa celebration was marked with engaging activities, discussion, and lively performance in Westbury on Sunday, Dec. 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. at 255 Schenck Avenue. The event was presented in partnership with Westbury Arts. https://www.longislandpress.com/2024/12/06/westbury-celebrates-kwanzaa/ 
  • Celebrate Kwanzaa at the Long Island Children’s Museum on December 27th from 1-3 pm.  Join the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority to learn about the rich traditions and meaning behind Kwanzaa while you create festive symbols of this holiday. https://www.licm.org/calendar/event/celebrate-kwanzaa-2024/ 

Terry Wallace, Hicksville High School Class of 1966, played lacrosse at Hicksville on the early teams from 1964-1966. Bill Meyer was his coach.

After high school, he played lacrosse at Nassau Community College, where he scored 117 goals in two years. He still holds the Junior College scoring record of 9 goals in a game, which he accomplished in 1969. After his time at Nassau CC, he graduated from Adelphi after being a two-time All-American.

Terry served in the Marine Corps and received three Purple Hearts in Vietnam.  He is extremely proud of not only his service to our country but also of many of his classmates who participated in the military during this controversial time.  When he returned from Vietnam and decided to go back to school, Howard Finnegan, a reporter for the local paper, gave him $100 for books.  The minimum wage at the time was $1.25 per hour.  While Mr. Finnegan’s gift was not an earth-shattering amount, it represented to Terry that someone else besides himself believed in his future.  Mr. Finnegan encouraged Terry to do the same in the future if he was able to financially. Terry has been awarding one scholarship every year to a HHS lacrosse player since the early 2000s.

In 1987, Terry started the first professional lacrosse league in the United States with six teams—Long Island, Boston, Syracuse, New Jersey, Baltimore, and Denver.  While the league failed, the rule changes he instituted were adopted by the NCAA and changed the game.

In addition to his athletic abilities, Terry Wallace is a 19th century fine art dealer and the Director of the Gardiner Mill Cottage Gallery Museum in East Hampton.  He has also authored several books on Long Island art . . . Caroline M. Bell and the Peconic Bay Impressionists, Helen M. Krueger and Otto J. Kurth, The Anchorage Studio and Peconic Bay Impressionism and Cappy, the Life and Art of C. Hjalmar Amundsen for which he was awarded Best Non-Fiction in the North-East United States in 2011.

Etcetera for December 2024

*HixNews has always included a section for the Hall of Fame Inductees. In fact, we still have that section on our website. Hicksville Public Schools has a complete list, dating back to 1946, on their website. The link can also be found on our Hall of Fame page.

* Congratulations to the Hicksville Water District! Elected officials, civic organization representatives, and neighbors joined them in cutting the ribbon for their Plant 8 treatment facility! This project represents one of their most advanced efforts to treat emerging contaminants, furthering their mission to provide their residents with top-quality drinking water service. Read more here.

In Memoriam 

*Mr. Gregory Pisani, Teacher at Fork Lane School, passed on November 23, 2022

 *Richard Stahley, Class of '74, passed away on Sunday morning. He has lived in Florida for the last 25+ years, enjoying many beaches.

*Tragically, on Saturday, 11/16/2024,  John McMahon Jr., Hicksville Class of 1973, died. John was living down in Florida for the past forty years and was a retired deputy fire chief with the South Trails Fire District in Fort Myers.   Submitted by,  Gene Pietzak - Class of 1973

Editor's Note: Ted Urban posted this on the Hicksville High School page on Facebook and has granted us permission to repost it here.

The Hicksville High School graduating class is approaching 500 students. The PTA needs to pay for 100 apples, so every little bit helps! Please consider making a donation, and if your employer matches donations, be sure to leverage that as well. Go Comets.

This is a "Save the Date" for the Class of 1975's 50th Reunion next year.  We have an active, private Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/67266179651 (Hicksville High School Alumni Class of 1975) that will have the most current information. The group needs approval to join and is currently at nearly 500 members.