Huntington Booster Club to Honor
Pete Sansiviero
Pete Sansiviero is "Mr. Huntington," who still enjoys attending football games and other events at his alma mater. The Huntington Booster Club will honor the former physical education teacher and athletic coach at the organization's annual golf outing slated for Monday, October 8 (Columbus Day) at Indian Hills Country Club in Northport.
A member of Huntington High School's Class of 1956 the colorful Sansiviero went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Ithaca College in 1960. He earned a Master of Arts in 1968 from Columbia University in physical education and health.
A star football player for the Blue Devils, Sansiviero was a team captain in 1954 and earned All-Sufolk and All-Conference I first team honors under head coach Al Donofrio. Huntington finished 6-2 that season with Sansiviero standing out as part of a "power packed" Blue Devil "forward wall," according to The Huntingtonian yearbook.
Following college, he was hired by the district to teach physical education and assigned to Robert K. Toaz Junior High School (now Touro Law School) in September 1961. He was on leave from the district almost immediately, serving in the military during parts of 1961 and 1962. He returned to Toaz in September 1962 and stayed there through June 1965. He joined the founding faculty of J. Taylor Finley Junior High School for its opening in September 1965. He remained at Finley until his retirement in June 1995.
Sansiviero served as a junior varsity wrestling coach for several seasons, but he left his real mark in football, coaching the junior varsity team and serving as a varsity assistant for many years. The longtime resident sent a daughter and three sons through the Huntington School District and they all remain proud alumni and community members.
The sixth annual Booster Club golf outing is expected to draw a full field of golfers to the majestic Indian Hills course, which is nestled along the shores of the Long Island Sound. The clubhouse is a throwback to an earlier era.
The outing will begin with check-in, lunch and practice on the driving range from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at which time a shotgun start will kick-off the action. Play will utilize a scramble format.
The fee for individual golfers is $250 (foursome - $1,000). Blue Devil supporters wishing to attend only the 6 p.m. dinner and awards presentation in the clubhouse can do so for $100. (The individual golfer fee also includes lunch and dinner.)
An assortment of special prizes and awards will be presented, including longest drive, nearest to the pin and hole-in-one. Proceeds from the festivities will go toward the Booster Club's efforts to provide annual scholarships, purchase equipment, support summer camps and a variety of related programs.
Last year's golf tournament honored the Booster Club members themselves on the fifth anniversary of the club being reinvigorated and re-launched. Earlier outings recognized Charlie Forte, Hutch Vanderschuyt, Steve Henry, Karen Fischer and Todd Jamison.
An event flyer will be available soon and posted on the Huntington School District's website at www.hufsd.edu. The golf outing and dinner annually attract dozens of Blue Devil alumni, current and former teachers and coaches and a large crowd of parents.