Serving Williston Park, East Williston, Mineola, Albertson and Searingtown
$1
Friday, May 7, 2021
Vol. 70, No. 19
MOTHER’S DAY GIFTS & DINING
ADAM SANDLER VISITS TOWN EXTENDS MANHASSET IHOP OUTDOOR USES
PAGES 29-36
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Viscardi to honor Piazza
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W H E AT L E Y ’ S W I N N E R S
Celebrity sports event goes viral BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z The Viscardi Center will hold its 54th annual Celebrity Sports Night virtually on May 20, with a pair of famous New York athletes sending pre-recorded messages. The center, which educates and works with people young and old with disabilities, typically holds the annual event as PHOTO COURTESY OF WHEATLEY ATHLETICS an evening of dinner and cocktails in which the organization The Wheatley Wildcat girls soccer team won the Nassau County Class B championship last week. showcases students’ talents and honors celebrities for their accomplishments. Past honorees include Gleyber Torres of the Yankees, Clark Gillies of the Islanders, Joe Namath of the Jets and Jose Reyes of the Mets. This year, former Mets catcher Mike Piazza and former Giants quarterback Eli Manning will be featured in She spoke about the role of Dominicans in 1931 after being years old in April, making her BY R OB E RT the ceremony, with Piazza being one of the country’s oldest fe- independence her mother taught turned away from several other PELAEZ honored as the center’s Sportsher and the importance of al- religious communities due to her male religious figures. man of the Year. disability. Piscatella earned her Sister Piscatella’s life has not ways lending a helping hand. An East Williston resident Piazza spent 16 seasons in “Nobody has ever had to bachelor’s and master’s degrees Major League Baseball before and a member of the Sisters of lacked adversity, starting with retiring in 2007. Of those 16 St. Dominic of Amityville, Sister her left forearm being ampu- help me,” Piscatella told Catho- in education at St. John’s Unitated at just 2 years old. Born in lic News Service. “If anyone was versity before becoming a grade Continued on Page 50 Francis Piscatella, turned 108 Central Islip on April 20, 1913, helping somebody, it was I help- school math teacher in Brooklyn. Piscatella also spent 52 years Piscatella has survived ing them. My mother made me both world wars, the Great completely independent. When teaching at Molloy College and Depression, and now two I went to the convent, I had to worked at its Financial Aid Ofworldwide health pandem- prove to my superiors that there fice before retiring at the age of 84. ics (Spanish flu and CO- was nothing I couldn’t do.” Continued on Page 49 Sister Piscatella joined the VID-19).
E.W. sister celebrates 108th birthday Francis Piscatella is one of the oldest female religious figures in U.S.
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