2011 in Review: Farmingdale People Who Mattered

As 2011 comes to a close,  is recapping the top stories of the past year. Today we're honoring the people behind the stories who made a difference in the community.

Richard Tarello,

The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) named Tarello their  The honor is a state-wide award given to one firefighter who has a commitment to fire safety education in the community. Chief Tarello has been involved in fire safety education for 28 years, teaching all age groups from preschoolers to senior citizens, as well as at other local associations.

Ellen Krammer,

After 43 years working in the Farmingdale School District, Krammer retired in 2011. Over the course of her time in the district , first as a teacher and later as an administrator. She is credited with creating partnerships with dozens of community groups and securing more than $20 million in grant money for the district.

Jennifer Quigley and the Volunteers at the 

Quigley, an 11-year-old, was among the volunteers who spent days preparing and working at the local shelter during Hurricane Irene. As Hurricane Irene hit Long Island, Quigley spent the weekend helping to register hundreds of evacuees, set them up with cots, serve them meals and any other task that needed to be done.

Bob Hartranft,

Hartranft, who has been coaching for 42 years, led the boys lacrosse team to in June, defeating the long time dominant West Islip team . Hartranft also for a policy change this fall to allow middle school athletes to play on high school teams.

George Starkie,

This was a pivotal year for development in the village and Starkie was behind much of it. Starkie and the trustees approved , for mixed use development, moved forward further with the and is advocating

Theresa Patnode Santmann, 

 celebrated a $1 million contribution from alumna Patnode Santmann in September, the largest gift in the 100-year history of the institution. Santmann, of Babylon, is a health care advocate and entrepreneur. The college’s School of Health Sciences has been named for Santmann and her donation will establish endowed scholarships and support faculty research within the health sciences and bioscience progroms.

Debbie Podolski,

Podolski oversaw this year, including a new side entrance, an expanded space for children, a family bathroom, additional computers and other technology. She is also the president of the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce and . 

Eva Pearson,

Pearson ran against incumbent Republican Joseph Belesi for the District 14 seat of the legislature this year. After the race , both candidates had to await a . Ultimately she lost to Belesi , but she ran a competitive campaign marked by some

Chuck Gosline,

Gosline leads the and the , both working to promote positive future developments for the area. Gosline was pivotal in getting the YMCA interested in the Liberty Site property and continues to work to secure funding for land trust projects, a model officials say . 

Rosemarie Trudden,

The Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce named Trudden, of , as its Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce 2011 Outstanding Small Businessperson of the Year. She has been a Farmingdale resident for more than 30 years. She raised two sons in Farmingdale and they are now the fourth generation to run McCourt and Trudden Funeral Home. She has helped with the displaying of the flags on Main Street, assisted with the Christmas Tree Lighting service, is the past-president of St. Kilian Women’s Guild and Farmingdale Women’s Club and currently is a committee member of , which attracts hundreds of visitors to the community every year, a member of Farmingdale Columbiettes and the Farmingdale Historical Society. She is also a trustee of the Farmingdale Public Library.