1,000 Words

June 19, 2019 1:53 PM

Print Share

This series explores the stories behind some of Newsday’s most compelling photographs. At the time these photos were taken, they were part of a news story. But for many of the men, women and children featured in them, these photos – years later – tell a bigger story. They recall memories of a particular era, summon details of past relationships and represent some of the favorite, and funniest, stories their families have to tell.

Walking the walls

Stony Brook's Experimental College was short-lived but within its walls -- which Rena Kornblum used as her gymnasium -- Kornblum found the freedom to move and eventually, an unexpected career.

Newsday / Rex Lyons

Ticket to drive

Most people dread dealing with the DMV, but for Curtis Long, who was born legally blind, going there and getting his license was one of his most prized achievements. For his son, it meant a lifetime of inspiration.

Newsday / David L. Pokress

beat the heat

Long before he became a star on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, a 16-year-old Rino Aprea was stuck at work in Amityville while his friends headed to the beach. That didn't stop him from staying cool.

Arnold Lewis

don't tell dad

One day, Carl Russo asked his son Jason why the floor of his car was wet, so Jason fed him a little white lie. The next day, Jason was outed by Newsday.

Newsday file photo

big hair don't care

As the '80s came to a close, so did the era of 'big hair.' But the epoch of hair spray and perms did not leave Long Island with a whimper, but a bang during one summer in 1991 at the L.I. Exchange nightclub.

Newsday / Susan Farley

Catching 'Superfrog'

Tom Collery was just doing what boys did -- catching frogs in the woods with friends. But when he nabbed a distinctly peculiar amphibian one day in 1972, someone made a call to Newsday. A story immortalized the find under the name 'Superfrog!'

Newsday / David Pokress

Shelter from the Storm

Alex Kabbaz and Donna Pyne-Trosin expected a quiet winter season in the Hamptons, but an ocean flood changed their plans, and ultimately, their lives.

Newsday / Mitch Turner