We could all use some good role models … and guess what? We’ve had plenty of local heroes we can celebrate and perhaps even emulate on February 26, which is Set a Good Example Day.
First is Richard Gilmartin, seen in front of the Montauk Lighthouse in the photo above. A dedicated historian and sport fisherman who also served in local government, he became an advocate for the disabled after a car accident left him paralyzed in 1944. Gilmartin founded Skills Unlimited on Long Island and served as a member of Governor Rockefeller’s Committee for the Employment of the Handicapped. In this photo, possibly taken in the late 1940s or 1950s, he was demonstrating the difficulty of access at Montauk Point.
Along with Greg Donohue, a fellow erosion-fighting trailblazer, Giorgina Reid has been hailed as a savior for her efforts in the 1970s and ‘80s to stabilize the terrain near the lighthouse, even patenting a method of terracing with reeds, sand, and 1-by-4s. This she achieved despite the sometimes-withering disrespect she encountered as a woman of advanced age.
Montauk Point seems to be a magnet for local heroes, probably precisely because the terrain is such a challenge. Rescuers have responded to many shipwrecks, and surfers and surfcasters at times take serious risks, near the Point. Volunteers like the ones in the photo above, which Richard Lewin shot in 2017, included East Hampton Village Ocean Rescue, most of whose members are ocean lifeguard certified. EHVOR trains with other local agencies like the Montauk Fire Department, the Coast Guard, and Marine Patrol to safeguard swimmers, kayakers, and others in distress in the water or even in the ice.
Speaking of ice, the Montauk Fire Department historically has gone beyond the old rescue-the-cat-in-a-tree type of community service. In addition to fighting fires and dispatching trained technicians to medical emergencies, the MFD once freed a horse trapped in ice near Deep Hollow Ranch. Dick White of Company #4, the Ambulance Company, said afterward that the animal, which had wandered onto the frozen surface, proceeded to walk off after it was pulled out “as if nothing happened.”
Back in the day, there was no medical center in Montauk. Spearheaded by Lucille Jarmain, the Chamber of Commerce teamed up with community members, businesses, and elected officials to raise money to purchase a brick building from the telephone company to entice a doctor to establish a local medical practice there. Today the clinic operates as Meeting House Lane Medical Practice, making it possible for Montauk residents and visitors to be treated when they are ill without having to cross Napeague.
From soldiers recovering from the Spanish-American War to military troops in the First and Second World Wars and then the Cold War, Montauk has historically served as a home base for both members of the military and their caretakers. Along with Navy, Army, and Air Force men piloting dirigibles, testing torpedoes, and practicing gunnery, the Montauk Library Archives includes photos of Red Cross nurses tending to diseased soldiers at Camp Wikoff and American Women’s Voluntary Services members driving ambulances, running stretchers, changing tires, and organizing emergency blood drives like the one above.
Looking for more exemplary community members? Check out the library’s digital archives to discover some on your own.
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