Mario C. Buonpane passed away on Monday 7 September, after a courageous battle with prostate cancer which he never stopped fighting. He was born in Ozone Park, Queens on 19 December 1931, to Mario and Flora Buonpane. He enjoyed a happy childhood with his older Brother Vincent, delivering newspapers and playing Junior League Football as a scrappy Offensive Guard. Following graduation for Newtown High School in Elmhurst NY, Mario was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was a Technical Specialist assigned to the first mobile guided missile crew that served in West Germany. The ‘Corporal Missile’ was an important deterrent because it was the first guided missile with nuclear weapon capability. This deterrent was vital to the protection of Western Europe, especially during the Korean War when most of the Army’s resources were committed to the campaign in Korea. Following his Honorable Discharge from the Army, Mario attended and graduated from Long Island College where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. Mario began his Electrical Engineering career at Potter Instruments in Plainview NY. He later returned to Long Island University and earned his Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Mario then went on to join the Grumman Corporation where he was assigned to the momentous Lunar Module segment of the Apollo space program. The Apollo program is arguably the greatest accomplishment in the history of the human kind because it historically landed astronauts on the moon and then returned them safely to earth. Mario designed electrical harnesses for the ‘Descent Stage’ of the Lunar Module, which performed flawlessly during the Apollo missions. The ‘Descent Stage’ of the Lunar Module remained on the surface of the moon after the landing. The stage duel-purpose, it also served as the launch platform for the ‘Ascent Stage’, which transported the astronauts back from the lunar surface. Mario’s brilliant Engineering work on the ‘Descent Stage, will remain forever on the lunar surface as part of his legacy. After the Apollo program ended, Mario continued his career at Grumman as a Procurement Analyst and ultimately retired in the late 1990’s after several encore stints as a Contractor/Consultant. Mario dedicated his retirement to helping veterans and improving quality of life in his community. It was more like a second career than a retirement: Mario joined American Legion Post 694 in Northport in 1978 and went on to hold several leadership positions including Post Commander in 1985 and a seat on the ‘Board of Directors’. Mario skillfully used his influential leadership roles within the American Legion, to bring his visions for improving the community, into reality. As Chairman of the ‘American Legion Post 694 Golf Tournament Committee’, he saw the opportunity to restore the Northport VA Hospital Golf Course, which had been dormant and unkempt for over 5 years. In 1996, he negotiated a new lease bringing together the VA Hospital and an outside vendor, to bring the course back to life and improve it far beyond its original from. Mario dedicated nearly 20 years of work to the continuous improvement of the course. Prominent upgrades included a new clubhouse with a paved parking lot, elevated tee boxes, a practice putting green and 16 new gardens. It now ranks as one of the finest 9-Hole courses on Long Island. The course continues to generate increased revenue year over year, which is given to the VA Hospital to help wounded veterans with their medical expenses. Mario was a founding member of the Town of ‘Huntington Veterans Advisory Board’ with the purpose of helping any veteran who is requesting assistance. As a Charter Member of the Board, he worked closely with Town of Huntington Officials to create ‘Veteran’s Plaza’. The Plaza is located in front of Huntington Town Hall and features monuments which list the names of Huntington natives who served in the U.S. Military during World Wars I and II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The Plaza is a wonderful way to honor Huntington’s own citizens who have contributed to the defense of our country. It has become a cherished place for people to come and read the names of those who served our nation and protected the Republic. Veteran’s Plaza is now a landmark of invaluable historical significance to Huntington. It is visited year round by people of all ages from school children on field trips to veterans who find names of those who they served beside. The monuments are an important part of Mario’s legacy. It will always stand as a reminder of his belief that military service is a significant sacrifice and those who served should always be honored. He served as Chairman of the American Legion Post 694 ‘Boys State’ Committee. He recognized the importance of the Boys State program, which is a course sponsored by the American Legion to teach young men and women about the mechanics of government. At ‘Boys State’ and ‘Girls State’, model governments are formed and mock-legislative functions are conducted with the purpose of teaching young citizens about democratic process. The program inspires many of its young participants to pursue careers in government and therefore it helps create future generations of leaders. In fact, one ‘Boys State’ participant named William Clinton, went on to become the President of the United States. When Mario joined the ‘Boys State’ Committee in 1983, only one boy represented Northport 694. During his tenure and to present, over 20 participants represent Post 694 at Boys and Girls State each and every year. The selection process to represent Post 694 is rigorous and competitive. Those who are selected to attend, will always have a prestigious honor for their college and employment applications. Hundreds of ‘Boys State’ and ‘Girls State’ alumni from Northport, use the valuable lessons they learned there to be better citizens and assets to their communities. Despite being “retired” there seemed to be no limits to Mario’s capabilities. Naturally, he was also able to teach Business Administration courses at Dowling College as an Adjunct Professor. He believed that it was important to share his knowledge of industry and the business world with students who were striving for a brighter future. He was such a popular Professor that he was selected to represent Dowling College in their international exchange program. He made trips to China and Russia where he taught Business courses and served as an exemplary ambassador of American academia. Countless professionals have gone forth from Mario’s classroom, ideally prepared to achieve great success in their careers and for their communities. In addition to all of his amazing accomplishments in his career and for his community, Mario was also the greatest Husband, Father and Grandfather who ever lived. His family was always the most important part of his life and he gave an ideal home life to his wife Beatrice and to his three children, Karen, Nancy and Mark. At home Mario fostered the perfect balance between being a friend to his children while instilling discipline and important life-lessons. Homework from school took precedence above all else and he was always willing to sit, help and teach for as long as it took. Household Chores were assigned and accountability was non-negotiable. But when the work was done, then it was time to have plenty of fun swimming in the pool, driving golf balls at the range or going for ice-cream sodas. He taught his kids to work hard, keep their word and treat others with dignity and respect. Mario’s impeccable value-system was apparent in all that he did and his children learned by example. He loved sports and always had time to teach his children how to train and compete while respecting the proper rules of sportsmanship. When Karen was wobbly on her new skis, he taught her how to carve her turns like an Olympian. Nancy’s junior league soccer teams were unbeatable and Mario attended every game as her biggest fan. Mark’s little league football team needed a Coach so Mario grabbed his clipboard and whistle and coached like Knut Rockne. Mario also relished the thrill of competing with and against his children. One of his children once doubted his ability to complete the Great Cow Harbor 10 kilometer running race. So he began training the very next morning. In less than a year he progressed from jogging a few laps around the track to completing the Cow Harbor Race in under 45 minutes. And then true to form, he set his goal even higher and he ultimately went on to complete the New York City Marathon. Mario was also the world’s greatest Grandfather. He created wonderful memories for his Grandsons Vincent and Joseph Chang. He enjoyed teaching them the fine arts of playing chess, poker and many other board games. Mario never lost his wonderful sense of inner-child as he enjoyed trips to Adventure-land Amusement Park just as much as his Grandsons. And even though his physical mobility was declining in recent years, he always found the strength to ride the “Hurricane Coaster” with Vincent and Joe who will always have cherished memories of their Grandpa. Mario’s life was full and complete: His faith in God remained strong throughout his entire life. His 58 year marriage to Beatrice was story-book and romantic. He was a loving family man, a brilliant Engineer and a dynamic leader within the American Legion and his community. He brought about momentous changes which improved quality of life for veterans and the citizens of both Huntington and Northport. He accomplished more great things during his retirement than many people accomplish during their whole lives. Mario will be missed by all those who knew and worked with him. Extraordinary people like Mario are rare. He leaves all of us who knew him missing him yet feeling honored and privileged to have known him. We love you Mario.