24 The Courier sun • JUNE 26, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com JAMAICA NURSING HOME CELEBRATES MORE THAN A DOZEN CENTENNIAL RESIDENTS Queens GOP: Chairman Phil Ragusa died BY LIAM LA GUERE [email protected]/@liamlaguerre Phil Ragusa, chair of the Queens Republican Party, died Tuesday after a short battle with Leukemia, party officials confirmed in a statement. He was 74. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our very distinguished Chairman, Phil Ragusa,” the statement said. “Chairman Ragusa will be remembered for his integrity and commitment to the democratic process and was viewed by many as not just a friend but a mentor.” Ragusa died in a bed surrounded by family members, Queens Republican Party Chairman Phil Ragusa died Tuesday after a short battle with leukemia. according to the statement. THE COURIER/File Photo He survived a challenged to lead the county committee last year from former Congressman Bob Turner. Ragusa has been Queens GOP chairman since 2007. BY ERIC JANKIEWICZ @ericjankiewicz [email protected] This week, the Chapin Home for the Aging will have more than a dozen residents who are a century or more old. The Jamaica nursing home, which started out as a women’s home in the 19th and much of the 20th century, can hold up to 220 elders. On Tuesday, one of the residents turns 100, giving the nursing home 13 residents who are at least 100. Many of them have some degree of dementia, according to Ferrara, but for the most part they are very lucid for people who have lived for so long. “In all my years of working at nursing homes I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Kathleen Ferrara, the recreational director of Chapin Home. “They’re so unique and such a special group.” Ferrara is in charge of making sure that the residents stay active and keep busy with various recreational activities. The centennials occupy themselves in a variety of ways from playing bingo to playing bowling on the Wii. Mildred Gent is the oldest of the centennial cohort and in October she will be 107. Gent has lived in the nursing home since 2010 and lived in Greenwich Village where she worked as a clerk during the 1920s and 30s and into WWII. Gent doesn’t pay much attention to the modern world and when asked about the Internet she said, “It’s a lot of bunk.” The youngest to join the group of ultra-elders is Mary Nuccio, who turns 100 on June 24. Born in 1914, Nuccio has witnessed three generations of her family develop. Her great-grandchild starts college in the fall. “This is pretty rare in my family,” she said about her age. “I’m going to be 100. Everything is broken but not my mind.” During WWII, Nuccio and her husband James, who is now deceased, left their Astoria home to live in the Nebraskan city of Omaha, where James served as an MP at an Italian prison war camp. In her spare time, Nuccio likes to play bowling on the Wii. Her bowling partner and fellow resident Carol Martin complained that Nuccio is very good at the game. “I’m very determined,” Nuccio said. “I don’t like to be dependent on anybody. I’m very independent.” As Nuccio played on a game console that is less than a decade old, resident Jimmy Key sat outside enjoying the warm weather. In a very heavy southern accent — reminiscent of blues singers like Lead Belly — that Ferrara said most people can’t understand — Key said he was from Nashville, Tenn. “I’m a country boy,” Key said. “I’m over 100 years old. I’m so old, I don’t remember how old I am.” THE COURIER/ Photo by Eric Jankiewicz Mary Nuccio, who is turning 100 this summer, plays a Wii bowling game with her friend Carol Martin in the Chapin Home. BECOME A 2013 THE QUEENS st of the QueensCourier.com Place SHEET METAL WORKER WITH LOCAL UNION 28 Local 28 will recruit applicants for its apprenticeship program for two full months in July and August 2013. Come in person to the Sheet Metal Workers Training Center at 139-20 Jamaica Avenue any weekday 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM to enter our lottery for a chance to take the program entrance exam for classes entering in 2014. Local 28’s Joint Apprenticeship Committee (JAC) admits students of any race, color, national origin, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. The JAC does not discriminate against any student or applicant to the apprenticeship program on the basis of race, color, national origin, or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies and admission policies. Women are encouraged to apply. Come in person with photo ID any weekday July 1 through August 30, 2013 For more information call 718-297-5570
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