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________________ LONG BEACH _______________ When You Think Real Estate , Thin k...
HERALD Also serving Point Lookout & East Atlantic Beach
Vol. 37 No. 16
LICENSED REAL ESTATE
C: 516-313-2700
Page 3 APRIl 16 - 22, 2026
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30A West Park Ave. | Lon
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Spring Forth: Resetting The Market • Open house strategies results • Seasonal maintenance yields • Upgrades to boost curb appeal
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Remembering Gerrin Hagen
Mural celebrates ‘Many Hands, One Earth’ By CHRIS ColUCCI ccolucci@liherald.com
Chris Colucci/Herald
The energetic fundraising team — Susan Gallo and her daughters, Avellina, 13, Fiora, 11, and Toni, 6 — encouraged boardwalk passersby to leave a handprint and become part of the mural.
“The water is the life blood of Mother Earth. The water that I carry is the blood of Mother Earth. The water is the life blood of our bodies.” Susan Gallo sang the Algonquin water prayer, in its original indigenous version, each time a volunteer applied a handprint to the boardwalk-facing mural on the wall of the vacant Hebrew Academy of Long Beach last week. The song honored the nearby ocean, which is also celebrated in the artwork. The building-length painting is a collection of handprints of all sizes overlaid on three crashing waves. Vinyl art prints, supplied by Long Beach’s Artists in Partnership and showcasing local artists, adorn plywood planks covering the former school’s broken windows. Around each corner, on the sides of the building, which has been shuttered for nearly a decade, mural artists were invited to create their own water-themed ConTinued on pAGe 10
Longtime L.B. lifeguard steps down from alumni group By AIDAN WARSHAVSKY awarshavsky@liherald.com
Whether through his service in the U.S. Navy, the Long Beach lifeguards or the Long Beach Lifeguard Alumni Association, Lynn Brown has long believed in serving his community. His story begins on Lincoln Boulevard and Beech Street. Starting in 1969, Brown patrolled the beaches as a member of the Lifeguard Patrol’s West and Central crews. As a youngster, he grew up idolizing local lifeguards like Jack Murphy, Randy Dodd, George Schilling and Jean and John Carbona. “My skills as a leader really
s t a r t e d w i t h t hose guys,” Brown, 73, said. “They really molded me into who I am as a lifeguard and a person, the way they gave back to the community.” One memorable rescue took place near Edwards Boulevard. From the lifeguard chair, Bernie Birne, a future East Crew captain, spotted man in the ocean with his hand raised for help. “I remember Bernie telling me to go,” Brown said. “And I just went.” When he wasn’t on the beach, Brown played lacrosse at Long Beach High School, and was a member of the school’s
Nassau County champion swim team in 1971. During his school days, he crossed paths with Sherman Brown — no relation — the first African American lifeguard in Long Beach. An All-State wrestler and football player, Sherman Brown set an admirable example that Lynn Brown did his best to follow. “He was an amazing individual,” Lynn Brown said. “He taught me respect.” Brown went on to swim for a semester at SUNY Cortland before shifting his focus. In 1972, he enlisted in the Navy. His father, Joseph Brown, had served as an aviation gunner’s mate second class in World War
II, aboard the USS Gambier Bay. He told tell Lynn stories about the war, including when the Japanese vessel Yamato sank the Gambier Bay. Despite having been hit by three gunshots, Joseph, wearing a life preserver, survived in the water with his comrades for 49 hours. Listening to those stories motivated Lynn Brown to
enlist. “I really wanted to join the Navy, because my dad was in it,” he said. Toward the end of the Vietnam War, when he received his draft number, he was sworn in at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. He served as a petty officer third class above the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy ConTinued on pAGe 14