Meet the Board

Evie (pronounced Eh-Vee) moved to Lindenhurst from Manhattan with her family on December 24, 1970. Leaving after graduation in 1980 to serve with the Red Cross in Korea, she returned to Lindenhurst in 1983 and never left again.  She leads the Discipleship Committee at St. John's Lutheran Church, is a member of the Mayor's Beautification Society and held board positions in the Lindenhurst Rotary, BACCA Board and the Village Two Family Board.  She was elected President of the Historical Society in  July 2024 and hit the ground running. With the Society's incredible board, she is  focused on reopening the museums, raising funds to continue restoration of artifacts and to bring programs promoting the  history of Lindenhurst to the community. Evie is excited to see where this first term leads her.  

Norma's family moved to Lindenhurst from Brooklyn in 1949. They loved Lindy from Day One. Norma became a member of the Lindenhurst Historical Society in 2003 and is looking forward to the reopening of our Museums where she works as a docent.  She is looking forward to getting back to sharing the history of Lindenhurst with all who visit.

Vera was born and raised in Lindenhurst.  She has been a member of the Society since 1991 holding the position of Treasurer from 2008 through 2024 and continues her service as the Membership Secretary.  She retired from teaching 1st and 2nd grade after 31 years and volunteers her time at the Good Samaritan Hospital on the Executive Board, Thrift Shop and Gift Shop.  

Jessica Feliciano, originally from Whitestone, has lived in Lindenhurst Village since 2010.  Jess and her husband, Al, immediately fell in love with Lindy and purchased their home in 2012.  In 2022 she became a lifetime member of the Society and was soon elected for the role of Corresponding Secretary.  Jess has established a presence for the Society on social media, achieving over 2k friends on Facebook.  She believes in the importance of community as well as the history which built it and looks forward to doing her part to preserve our history here in Lindenhurst. 

Anna Jaeger is a lifelong 'Lindyite'. Although her family history goes way, way back, she didn't become  active in the Historical Society until after she retired from teaching at Rall School in 1998, when Dottie Papps, (another lifelong 'Lindyite') asked her to serve on the museum board. Her election to the board encouraged her to join the Society. Mayor Tom Brennan appointed her the Village Historian in 2012 after the passing of long time historian, Nudie Ellis, whose very big shoes have been hard to fill. In her words "It has been fun!" 

Lynda Distler was two weeks old when her parents moved to Lindenhurst in 1957, making her a nearly lifelong resident of the Village. In 1996, Lynda was elected to the Lindenhurst Village Board and served as Trustee and Deputy Mayor until 2000 when she was elected Mayor, making her the first and only woman to serve as Mayor to date. Lynda has enjoyed a multifaceted career including roles in government, the nonprofit sector and in early childhood education. She has served as President of the Historical Society is the founding member of the Mayor’s Beautification Society, a past Lindenhurst Rotarian and was elected to serve on the Lindenhurst Memorial Library Board of Trustees. She is the Society’s publicist, grant writer and administrator and is married to her best friend since 1982. Lynda and her husband Bob are proud to call Lindenhurst home, settling in Meridale Park since 1987.

Edward L. Meinhold ( aka "Skip") is a Lindenhurst Historical Society life member and the Site Manager and Historian of the 1901 Restored Long Island Rail Road Depot and Freight House Museum for over 20 Years.  He is a disabled United States Naval Aviation Vietnam Veteran, retired Special Occupational Education instructor for Eastern Suffolk BOCES and a retired Bay Constable for the Town of Babylon & Town of Smithtown, a retired Village of Lindenhurst Dockmaster Sergeant and member of Long island Sunrise Trail (L.I.S.T.).  He served in several positions on the board of the Lions Club and is the acting Chair of the New York State & Bermuda Executive Board and Steering Committee  He served on the boards of the New York State Harbormaster & Bay Constable Association and the New York State Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #55 where he is the current State Trustee. And if that wasn't enough to keep Skip busy, he is also a member of the Rail Road Historical Society and the National Rail Road Historical Society. 

June and her husband, Shawn, purchased their home in Lindenhurst in 1983. She is a lifetime member of the Lindenhurst Historical Society with a passion for dancing and dressing in period garb - (you can sometimes find her enjoying both simultaneously! She is a hard physical worker who spent countless hours at our House Museum painting, wallpapering, sewing and "enjoying every minute of it!"  She spreads her boundless energy across several organizations in our community, and we're fortunate to have her.  Ask her what keeps her going and she'll likely say "I've met wonderful passionate people throughout the years."   We've met one too.

A 'lifer', Angela is the 3rd generation in her family line to be a Lindy resident, and like those before her, "still lovin' it!"   She devotes much of her time to community.  You'll find her hanging wreaths wreaths or planting with the Mayor's Beautification Society, acting and in period costume re-enactments with Historical Society, helping  out with the annual Lindy Cares COLOR RUN, singing with the Choir at OLPH RC Church, participating in The Great South Bay clean-up, chillin' at a Gazebo Concert in the Village Square or at Venetian Shores.  She considers herself BLESSED for her community-minded family & friends, her long time friend Anna who knew her Mom, and most lucky to call Lindy 'Home'.  When asked about volunteering she explained "Volunteering gives ya a special joy that you just can't buy!" Her emphatic support of the Historical Society is shared..."LET'S GO METS!  LET'S GO BULLDOGS! LET'S GO RUCKERT!" 

Dr. Marian Conway is the executive director for the NY Community Bank Foundation which has provided over $33 million to a wide variety of nonprofits on Long Island since 1997.  She is an adjunct professor at SUNY Empire State University and has been with the Society for more than 22 years. For almost all of her life (all but three years) Marian has lived in Lindenhurst. She is a graduate of Lindenhurst High School, has two daughters who were also Lindenhurst graduates. and now has two grandchildren in Lindenhurst schools. Marian is a past president of the Lindenhurst Historical Society, served on the NY Forward Grant Committee, and is a member of the Lindenhurst Economic Development Committee. She is married to a another life-long Lindenhurst resident, Philip Santoli.

John has been a Lindenhurst resident since 1953 and attended Lindenhurst schools from 3rd grade to graduating Lindenhurst HS in 1963. After graduate school, two years in the Army and two years in Freeport. he moved back to Lindenhurst in 1972. He considers his greatest  accomplishment as getting Miss Diane to move back here with him. Many know Miss Diane as the prior owner of Diane's Dance, here in Lindenhurst, which she ran for 38 years.  They welcomed baby Christine and in 1974, baby Jay.  John then took an early retirement from NY Telephone in 1995 and became active in Knights of Columbus (Grand Knight), Meridale Park Civic Association (President for nine years) and Lindenhurst Rotary Club (President 2004-2005). Along the way he ran for Village Trustee in 2000 against Tom Brennan (guess who won that one!) He is in his  second year as a Society Trustee and his third year as a docent at the 1901 Restored Railroad Depot.  John has been to all 50 states at least once and his daughter just matched that feat in August of 2024 with their family  vacation to Hawaii.

Krista Jo moved to Lindenhurst with her parents in October  of 1960.  She left temporarily in 1974 to serve our country by joining the Air Force.  She returned to Lindenhurst in 1990, and joined the Society as a lifetime member.  In 2018 she became the Corresponding Secretary and served for four years. In 2020 she was elected as the Society President, and served in that position until June 2024. She remains an active and dedicated member, heading committees and lending her time and talents whenever possible. 

Shawn Cullinane served as President of the Society for two terms and is a lifetime member.  He was also the longest serving Clerk/Treasurer of the Village of Lindenhurst serving our community for 28 years in that office.  He serves on the boards of both the Lindenhurst Public Library these 10 years and is the President, and on the Board of Directors of B.A.C.C.A. (Babylon Community Council on the Arts) He also serves on the Board of Directors of the B.I.D. (Business Improvement District) Shawn's  family came to Lindenhurst in 1962 and he and his wife June have 3 children and a grandchild.