Dolores Thompson, recipient of the Larry Kushnick Memorial Award for Community Service, remembers a time when Huntington Station had a thriving business district, with a bank, a supermarket and other essential operations that locals depended on.

In order for Huntington Station master developer Renaissance Downtowns to move forward with proposed revitalization projects, it needed to ink a community benefits agreement with the Town of Huntington earlier this year.

Every year, Long Islander News honors a person who has made a significant contribution to the Town of Huntington. We look for a dynamic force who has made history, gone above and beyond a call of duty, and made Huntington a better place.

For 2014, that person is Legislator William Spencer.

In addition, a second, equally accomplished community leader is featured in this edition – Vita Scaturro, the first recipient of the Larry Kushnick Memorial Award for Community Leadership.

Read on to learn more about both of these incredible individuals and why they truly deserve to be our Persons of the Year for 2014!