LIers born July 20, 1969, share moonlight with Apollo 11
Teacher Nicole Atkins, 49, of Roosevelt, plans to celebrate her half-century with trips to California, Las Vegas and possibly the Caribbean. Credit: Matilde Garcia
For a small contingency of Long Islanders, July 20, 1969, wasn’t just the day man landed on the moon, it was also when they arrived in the world. Here are four Long Island women who will share their 50th birthday with Apollo 11’s golden anniversary.
RANDI MILLER
Special delivery four days early, Miller, of East Meadow, was born in the middle of the Apollo 11 broadcast.
“I was born just after 10 p.m., which was post-moon landing and just before the moonwalk,” she says. “They were actually watching it in the delivery room.”
The nurses at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park even offered name suggestions.
“They were joking around, saying that if I was a boy were they going to call me Neil [after astronaut Neil Armstrong],” says Miller, who works as a school psychologist for Nassau BOCES. “But when I was born, the nurses nicknamed me Moonbeam.”
Having a historic birthday has worked out well for Miller.
“It’s easy for people to remember,” she says. “When Facebook says, ‘It’s Randi’s birthday,’ everyone makes the moon connection.”
When asked what she’s doing for her 50th, Miller says, “My plan is to wake up on a beach somewhere.”
NICOLE ATKINS
When Atkins, of Roosevelt, arrived between 2 and 3 a.m. at Queens General, her mother saw stars.
“Everyone in the family was focused on the moon landing, but she was in ‘twilight’ and not fully conscious,” says Atkins, a grade school teacher in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Through reading newspapers and books, Atkins discovered her Apollo 11 association.
“I saw the date and was like, ‘That’s my birthday!’ I enjoyed the fact that my birthday was famous,” says Atkins. “I love any movies about space exploration and always read about it.”
Because her mom was 17, she was put up for adoption and was brought to the Atkins family of Roosevelt at 9 months old. However, she reconnected with her birth mother 20 years ago.
“I met her on the platform of the D train. She ran up to me and started kissing me all over my face,” she recalls. “It felt like a piece of the puzzle was found.”
To celebrate her half-century, Atkins is planning trips to California, Las Vegas and possibly the Caribbean.
JOANNE DOWNES
When Downes, of Seaford, was born at the now-closed New York Hospital in Manhattan, her father was home watching the moon landing while her mother was in labor.
“My father had taken her to the hospital. They told him it was going to be a while, therefore, he went home and came back later,” says Downes, who works as school psychologist and mental health counselor for AHRC of Nassau. “Back then, fathers weren’t allowed to wait in the room.”
While growing up, Downes was excited about the significance of her birth date.
“In school when they asked us to look up an event that happened on the date of our birth, I always had a great subject to write about,” she says. “It was fun to have this huge historical event associated with my birthday.”
Downes will be going to Turks & Caicos with her husband and another couple for her birthday this year.
ANGELINA SALERNO
Born at 7:24 a.m. in UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pennsylvania, Salerno, of Hicksville, always felt a special connection to the moon.
“Every time I see a full moon, it speaks to me,” says Salerno, who works in human resources. “It’s beautiful and breathtaking. Sometimes it gives me peace.”
Raised by immigrant parents from Avellino, Italy, Salerno discovered in her social studies class that her birthday was a landmark date.
“It was always a treat to see my birthday in the history books. I liked that it was a milestone for mankind,” she says. “I was always intrigued by interviews with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. I felt special because I came into the world on an important day.”
Recently she went to Washington, D.C., with her husband and children to visit the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where there was a special exhibition on the Apollo 11 moon landing.
“It was wild to see how archaic the equipment was compared to today’s technology,” says Salerno. “Looking back at the grainy videos and knowing that these astronauts risked their lives was just amazing.”
She will celebrate her 50th birthday with a family trip to Italy this summer.
David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.
