Fred Santopetro has been in the American Legion longer than some of his fellow members have been alive.
This year is the 98-year-old U.S. Army veteran’s 70th in the Williston Park post, a distinction that earned him a spot as grand marshal of the village’s Memorial Day parade.
“It is a memory that I will never forget,” he said. “As my grandchildren would say, the day was ‘awesome.’”
Santopetro joined the Legion in 1945 after finishing his duty in World War II.
Many others who fought in the war were getting involved with their posts, he said, and he wanted to meet other veterans.
He and his wife, Viola — who were married in 1943 — formed lasting relationships with others in the legion.
It was those friendships that motivated Santopetro to stay active in the post for so long, he said.
“It is so hard to name all the people that made my time there so enjoyable,” he said.
While Santopetro said he is currently “taking it easy” with legion activities, he has previously held leadership positions in the Williston Park chapter.
In 1979, Santopetro became the post’s historian, charged with keeping track of the legion’s activities over the course of a year.
He compiled them into a book that was later selected as a runner-up in a statewide competition.
He also served as the head of the post’s Children and Youth program and ran its bowling league.
In addition to his activities in the Legion, Santopetro has been an active member of the Williston Park Senior Club for 36 years.
He has also long been a parishioner at St. Aidan’s Catholic Church, where he and his wife were married.
Santopetro’s daughter, Judy Santopetro, said he has gotten to know Nassau County Clerk Maureen O’Connell and Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar through his decades of civic engagement.
“He likes to keep busy,” Santopetro said.
