John F. Kennedy swept into the Presidency in 1961 with the promise of a "New Frontier." Despite that optimism, the nation would soon be beset by challenges - challenges no less present on prosperous Long Island.
As the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. rose to prominence and the civil rights movement gained momentum, Long Island saw its own racial turbulence. A local group challenged school integration in Malverne in court, while pro-integration marchers picketed at other schools. The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) won a groundbreaking agreement to hire more Blacks at all employment levels at the Franklin National Bank, though discrimination was still widespread.
The Vietnam War escalated, ensnaring more and more local men. By decade's end, 527 Long Islanders would die there.
The region's ties to world events were significant: In 1962, Grumman won a contract to build the $1.5-billion Lunar Excursion Module. It added 5,000 jobs, and an infusion of local pride when Americans walked on the moon seven years later.
On Nov. 22, 1963 Long Islanders staggered under the shock of the president's assassination.
Locally, development in Suffolk was exploding, with potato farms giving way to housing developments. Though Nassau's population leveled off, Suffolk's nearly doubled, to 1.1 million. A Suffolk County police force was established.
A 1963 Newsday series about the costs of Suffolk's runaway growth built support for a master plan and a regional planning group, which began in 1965. And the unprecedented growth, as well as some long-entrenched political bosses, led to corruption.
In Nassau County a Democrat, Eugene Nickerson, won the county executive's post for the first time. During his tenure, Nassau Community College grew from a few hundred students to 16,500, and the acreage of public parks quadrupled.
The year 1968 saw the assassinations of King and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, one of New York’s U.S. senators. The death toll in Vietnam was still rising. As elsewhere, local youths were burning draft cards, protesting the war and, in growing numbers, using drugs. As Long Island's aircraft industry declined, joblessness was growing.
In 1968, Richard Nixon, as he did in his losing 1960 presidential race, carried Long Island by more than 100,000 votes. This time he won, and Newsday reported after his inauguration that the average American "stopped to catch his breath."
That pause wouldn't last for long.
-- Melanie Lefkowitz
THE DECADE
- A president's life was cut short, and racial upheaval and war in Vietnam also stirred the nation. Meanwhile, Long Island's population continued to grow.
- Eugene Nickerson celebrated a Democratic victory as Nassau County executive in November 1961.
- The New York World's Fair opened in April 1964.
- An investigation of land dealings in Islip went public in October 1967.
- Two astronauts landed on the moon in July 1969.
- The Mets truly amazed in October 1969 by winning their first World Series.
NEWSDAY HIGHLIGHT
A redesign influenced by TV news gave the paper a distinctive modular look.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep.16: From Island to island, how football helped overcome tragedy Newsday's Gregg Sarra talks to Carey football player James McGrath about how he has persevered after losing his parents at a young age, and to the Lahainaluna (Hawaii) High School football coach about how his team persevered after the Maui wildfires of 2023, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the All-Long Island teams photo shoot.
