Herald Person of the Year: Gene Vandermosten

Some know him as a firefighter, others as a Boy Scout leader, and to others he’s simply a good friend. Each December, he sits in a bulky red velvet suit and delights local children as Santa Claus. Others know Gene Vandermosten as the kind gentleman who cooks a mean roast beef at community events.

If you live in Island Park, chances are you’ve seen him somewhere.

“I’ve never known him to say no,” Island Park Mayor Michael McGinty said of Vandermosten’s willingness to help out. “For the longest time, you would hope that he would volunteer — or you could volunteer him — to make his famous, and I’m telling you famous, roast beef. I kid you not, this roast beef was the size of a house, and tasty as can be.”

McGinty, who has known Vandermosten for 40 years or so, said he worries about locals forgetting certain members of the community as they get older, and he was delighted to learn of the Herald’s recognition of his longtime pal as its 2016 Person of the Year.

“There’s just no finer man; [he’s] just a tremendous fellow,” McGinty said. “I’m very proud to call him my friend. I’m just sorry it took this long to honor him, but that would be Gene. He wouldn’t look for anyone to honor him.”

Vandermosten, 80, grew up in Island Park and later moved to Baldwin before returning to his hometown, where he has lived for the past 38 years with his wife, Carol. He has seven children and “too many” grandchildren to remember, Carol said, as well as two great-grandchildren.

A firefighter for decades in Rockville Centre and Baldwin, Vandermosten has been with the Island Park Fire Department for the past 13 years. He has also been involved with local Boy Scouts for nearly 60 years, according to his wife, and was president of the Island Park Kiwanis Club for seven years.

He was a board member and the property chairman of St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baldwin for 19 years, and appears as Santa Claus at Village Hall and for the Baldwin and Island Park fire departments’ various holiday events.

“Is that enough now?” Carol laughed, taking a breath as she finished reading a list of her husband’s past and current community efforts.

Not quite. There’s also Vandermosten’s culinary expertise. His dedication to serving residents delicious meals is not overlooked by his peers, especially the mayor.

“Here’s the thing,” McGinty began, his voice hushed and serious, as if he were about to share secret Village Hall codes with the Herald. “I’m not a roast beef guy. I had it to be polite, and I never left the table.”

Carol said that a roast beef dinner is her husband’s favorite meal to cook, and added that everyone who tries it is an instant fan. But Gene can be found whipping up other specialties in their kitchen or behind the grill at many Kiwanis events, according to Mickey Hastava, a fellow club member who grew up with Vandermosten. Along with the annual pancake breakfast and lobster dinner on the beach, he is set to cook at the club’s spaghetti dinner in March, and has prepared food at events for the Boy Scouts, the Fire Department and St. Peter’s, for families in need.

“Gene’s contributions to the Island Park community are unmatched …,” said State Sen. Todd Kaminsky. “Whether in his involvement in the Kiwanis Club or as a Boy Scout troop leader, he’s dedicated to improving the life of his neighbors and investing in the future of Island Park.”

Joe Papocchia, cub master of Cub Scout Pack 312 in Island Park, who has known Vandermosten for two years, said he has been a constant resource for the scouting program, and helped keep it going after Hurricane Sandy. “The guy has scouting in his blood,” Papocchia said. “It’s something that’s near and dear to his heart. He’s Mr. Scout to me.”

Now an assistant scoutmaster and merit badge counselor for Boy Scout Troop 312 in Island Park, Vandermosten took over its leadership in 1954, when he was still a teenager, and was its scoutmaster — and also headed Troop 530 in Baldwin — for decades. Over the years he has helped roughly two dozen young men become Eagle Scouts, according to fellow Assistant Scoutmaster Philip Treglia, who has known Vandermosten for 16 years.

In fact, Treglia created a new label for his mentor. “To me, Gene is sort of like a Library of Congress of knowledge,” he said. “A fountain of knowledge, a wealth of knowledge is insignificant … to [describe] what Gene has in all of his years of scouting and what he can do.”

Vandermosten has shared his love of scouting with the IPFD, creating a junior firefighter program over a decade ago. He recruited 14- to 18-year-old scouts to the program, former Fire Chief Ed Madden said, which has helped supply the department with young, already seasoned volunteers.

Madden said that Vandermosten still does “behind-the-scenes work” for the department as well. “He goes about and does his job without looking for any pats on the back,” Madden said. “Whatever you ask him to do, he’ll be more than happy to help.”

Carol explained that her husband’s willingness to aid others keeps the two of them busy, but, she added, all the effort is very rewarding. No matter what the favor might be, Gene never hesitates to lend a hand to those who need it.

“Even the smallest things,” Carol said. “…If he can do it, he’ll say yes.”