Larry Udell: Decoy carver Larry Udell is retired from the lumber industry and he is also a retired waterfowl guide. He took friends hunting for pleasure. Although commercial duck hunting was outlawed in 1917, guides continue to take recreational hunters to the various marsh islands of the south shore. Like other duck hunters, Larry’s grandfather […]
Lenny Nilson: Bait fisherman Lenny Nilson was born in Bay Shore in 1947 and spent the first five years observing his father who had a shrimp and killie business. By age 16 he began working on the bay. He has worked as a commercial fishermen for the Sunrise Fish Company, and currently owns L & […]
John Davi: Lobsterman John Davi is a lobsterman who works out of Port Jefferson. He catches thousands of pounds of lobsters in a good year, but due to a variety of factors there are fewer lobsters on Long Island Sound. As a result John has worked at other things in order to work year-round. John […]
Pete Ames: Master Fishing Rod Maker Born in Little Neck, Queens, Pete Ames is a 3rd generation fishing rod maker who has made hundreds of fishing rods for sport fishermen on Long Island. He is one of a very few traditional rod makers left on Long Island, a craft that he learned from his father […]
Tony Sougstad: Dragger Fisherman Tony Sougstad was a dragger fisherman who lived in Freeport from the 1960s. He became a dragger boat captain in 1970, after working as an engineer, because he preferred working on the water—a tradition common in Norwegian families. He caught a variety of species, including fluke, flounder, squid, and whiting. Like […]
Ranjan Desai Ranjan Desai is a resident of Deer Park. Born in India in 1948, she learned the art of Rangoli and Mehendi from her mother. Upon completing her education, she served as a middle school teacher in India for over 20 years. In 1994, she moved to Spartanburg, SC, where her sister lived. Ranjan’s son […]
Malini Srinivasan: Indian Dancer Malini Srinivasan, originally from Maryland, practices, promotes and teaches the dance-art of Bharatanatyam in Lake Grove, Long Island. A third generation performer, Malini is the disciple of Sri C. V. Chandrasekhar, a world-renowned dancer and choreographer based in Chennai (formerly Madras), India. She has received intensive training in the Kalakshetra style, […]
Mark Pezzano: Italian Folksinger Mark Pezzano is a 2nd-generation Italian American and singer — scholar of traditional Italian folksongs. A resident of Bethpage, he was born in 1961 and grew up in Jamaica, Queens in an Italian and Polish community. As a young boy he learned many folksongs and other cultural traditions from his grandparents […]
Ed Maday: Violin Maker Ed Maday of Woodmere is a traditional violin maker, having learned this historic craft from a master violin maker, Vincent O’Brien in New Hyde Park, along with help from books, and by examining other violins. Ed first learned about violins, like many people, by playing it in elementary school. As he […]
David Herman: Violin Bow Restoration Expert David Herman learned to make violin bows while teaching violin in the Sewanhaka school district, a profession he entered because he loved music. Growing up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, David’s first musical memories were of a violin maker in a small shop. “I remember falling in love with a violin […]
