East Northport – Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone and Councilman Eugene Cook joined their colleagues on the Huntington Town Board and leaders of multiple first responder agencies on Sunday June 26 to officially rename Verleye Park in memory of Charles A. Oddo, a New York City police officer and Commack volunteer firefighter who was killed in the line of duty 20 years ago.
More than 250 people – family, friends, neighbors and former colleagues on the police force and on the fire department – attended the ceremony, which included a color guard from the New York City Police Department and the Commack Fire Department, spiritual words from a Suffolk County police chaplain and an emotional address from Oddo’s sister, Maria Oddo Forger. Following the remarks the Town Board and the family officially unveiled the sign identifying “Charles A. Oddo Verleye Park.”
“We want to mark today as a day of memory, a day of celebration, as a home town recognizes a hero by dedicating a park in his name,” Supervisor Petrone said in his remarks. “Charles was an inspirational person, as a family member and as a person everyone liked. And when he was lost, people came by. They came in droves because people recognized who he really was and today, we want to put that memory here, in his home town, and we want to make sure it is everlasting…We don’t do this very often, renaming a park. This is very special whenever we rename a park.”
“Recent events, like the tragic attacks in Orlando just two weeks ago, are a sobering reminder of the courageous, selfless contributions that police officers, firefighters and first responders make every single day across the country,” said Councilman Cook, who sponsored the resolution to rename the park that was unanimously passed by the Town Board in May. “That is part of the reason why it was so important for my colleagues and me to take this step to honor Charles Oddo’s memory in his hometown.”
Oddo grew up walking distance from Verleye Park and played there as a child. He graduated from John Glenn High School in 1981. In 1982, he joined the Commack Fire Department, where he served as a volunteer firefighter, paramedic and mechanic.
He joined the New York City Police Department in 1990. Five years later, he was transferred to Brooklyn’s Highway Unit #2, following in the footsteps of his father, who was a Suffolk County Police Department Highway Patrol sergeant. In February 1996, while placing flares around an overturned gas truck on the Gowanus Expressway, Oddo was fatally struck by a car. He was 33.
The Commack Fire Department had asked Councilman Cook about creating a memorial. After a discussion with Supervisor Petrone, it was decided that renaming the park would be most appropriate.
“For generations to come, children are going to come here, and they will ask, who was Charles, what did he do, why is the park named for him?” Councilwoman Susan A. Berland said in her remarks. “What they will hear is the story of a selfless man, who gave of himself to the fire department, to the police department, who helped his community. The best legacy he could leave would be to encourage youngsters to pursue the same goals.”
Speaking for the Commack Fire Department, John Bicocchi, the department’s president and himself a retired NYPD sergeant, said, “Charlie Oddo has long been an example of what our members hope to be. He lived by a code of conduct, a work ethic instilled by his parents. He was a dedicated public servant, both at work and at home. The Commack Fire Department has always been proud to call Charlie as one of our own. We will be will be especially proud to pass this park and continue his legacy as best we can, bringing public safety and service to the community we serve.”
The most emotional part of the ceremony came when his sister, Maria Oddo Forger, spoke on behalf of the family, as their parents, Rose and Joe, looked on. Earlier, as they arrived at the park, they were greeted by a line of saluting uniformed firefighters and NYPD motorcycles, perched under a giant American flag suspended between two fire trucks.
“Today, we gather together once more in the town he and I grew up in, in our neighborhood park, and celebrate his memory, his fervent heart and selfless love which sent itself out daily in helping others, never blowing a trumpet before him and never seeing his actions as being noble, no, just necessary to ensure a better outcome for someone in need,” Forger said. “Today, you show us by your loyalty to him and his memory that you are indeed, family, for you have not forgotten him nor ceased to honor his memory.”
She added, “This memorial intimately resonates with me. In the past this used to be our playground, and we passed through it daily for a variety of reasons…..Standing here brings back happy memories for me of a carefree time when life was simple, innocent, fun, filled with love and laughter under the protection of my brother.”
The ceremony also included an invocation and a blessing of the sign by Suffolk County Police Department chaplain John Trodden and performances by the NYPD Pipes and Drums band. Also attending were Town Clerk Jo-Ann Raia and Assembs. Andrew Raia and Chad Lupinacci.
“Now, when a child walks into Verleye Park and asks, ‘who is Charles Oddo?’ we can tell them the story of a brave, generous man who gave so much to his community and was taken from us far too young,” Councilman Cook said. “The children of the East Northport community will now have two angels to look after them at Verleye Park, Charles A. Oddo who the park was dedicated to and Kristin Scarabelli who the playground Kristin’s Playground is dedicated to.”