Freeport Authors: P

Biography by Cynthia J Krieg, Village Historian

Julie F. Parker was the protestant chaplain at Hofstra  University.  She is married to the Reverend Bill Crawford who was the minister at the Presbyterian Church in Freeport.  She is a marathon runner and has a purple belt in karate.  She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Hamilton College

Denise A. Pascale donated a copy of her book, Tragedy On the Horizon to the library in April 2024.

[Biography by author]

I was born in Brooklyn in 1948.  My family to Baldwin when I 4 1/2.

I put myself through college.  Because I was a single mother, it took several years. In my bachelors degree, I took the Paralegal Certificate Program.  That's when I became interested in Supreme Court history.

I thought to myself that there should have been a case to prevent the Civil War.  The Dred Scott Decision said that slave could never be full citizens of the United States.

This decision was the tragedy that caused the war.

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Biography by Cynthia J Krieg, Village Historian

Raymond R. Patterson was a poet, writer and professor emeritus of English at CUNY.  He was born in Harlem and earned his B.A. in political science at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and his M.A. in English from NYU.  He ran the Langston Hughes Festival from 1973 to 1993.  Besides his poems, he also wrote two opera librettos, “David  Walker” and “Goree.”  His poetry has appeared in the Transatlantic Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, ELF and many anthologies.  He has lived on Long Island in Roosevelt, Freeport and Merrick and read his poetry at the Freeport Memorial Library.

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Biography by Cynthia J Krieg, Village Historian

William Harwood Peden’s father was a banker and both his parents were active in the Freeport community.  His mother was involved with library activities and was an avid reader.  Peden enjoyed the boating and shellfishing available on the south shore.  In high school, he was on the track team and graduated with the class of 1930.  He went to the University of Virginia where he earned his B.S. (1934), M.S. (1936) and Ph.D. (1940).  He taught English at the University of Missouri from 1946 through 1979.  He contributed articles to the Saturday Review, The New York Times Book Review, and the Virginia Quarterly Review of Books.  He was a Guggenheim Fellow

Biography by Darren Paltrowitz, Librarian & Podcaster

Shelly Peiken is a GRAMMY-nominated songwriter whose work has shaped the sound of pop music for decades. She may be best known for penning a variety chart-topping hits -- including “What a Girl Wants” and "Come On Over Baby" (Christina Aguilera), “***ch” (Meredith Brooks), and “Almost Doesn’t Count” (Brandy) -- beyond notable songs for the likes of Jessie J, Keith Urban, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Cher, Ed Sheeran, and Celine Dion, among many others. In addition to her musical success, Peiken is the author of Confessions of a Serial Songwriter, a memoir that was nominated for a GRAMMY in the "Best Spoken Word Album" category, and the artist behind the 2020 studio album 2.0, Etc. 

Biography by Cynthia J Krieg, Village Historian

Patricia M. Phelan graduated from Adelphi University with a degree in English.   She was a managing editor in the college department of St. Martin's Press.  Additionally, she worked as a senior manuscript editor for Van Nostrand Reinhold.  She is now a free lance editor and serves as agent and publicist for novelist Tom Phelan, her husband.

Biography by Cynthia J Krieg, Village Historian

Tom Phelan was born in Strahard, Mountmellick, County Laois, Ireland.  He is a former Roman Catholic priest who graduated from St. Patrick’s seminary at Carlow in Ireland.  He served as a priest in Brighton, England from 1965-1970.  He emigrated to the United States in 1970 and in 1972 worked in a parish in Rockville Centre. He earned an M.A. in pastoral counseling in 1972 from Seattle University.  He was assigned as a priest in Mineola, Freeport, and Syosset.  Until 1974, he taught English literature at Harriman College.  After he left the priesthood, he married Patricia Mansfield.  He worked in the Garden City school district.

Biography by Cynthia J Krieg, Village Historian

Walter Pietsch, a former hospital; administrator, was the chair of A.R.I.S.E. in 1991 (Americans Removing Injustice, Suppression, and Exploration) located at P.O. Box 11057, Westbury.  This organization is concerned with a variety of issues including: election and tax lien reform, ending United States aid to the Nicaraguan Contras and the economic blockade of Cuba.  Its stated mission is “to expand the democratic process.”  Its membership protested the war at the Freeport Post Office every Saturday.  Pietsch instituted a court action challenging the Persian Gulf War in Pietsch v Bush et. al.  His suit was denied because “the plaintiff did not have standing merely because as a citizen of the United States he has an ‘interest’ in seeing the government act constitutionally.”

Biography by Cynthia J Krieg, Village Historian

Born and raised in Freeport, Richard Pirodsky graduated from Freeport High School.  He works at NYIT as the Director of Media Services at NYCOM (NY College of Osteopathic Medicine.).