Page 8 The Shoreline May 2009
Meet Anthony Modugno Jr.
Advocate for Seniors
By Jim Scanlon
Editors' Note: This is part of the series of
"Employee of the Month.
When I started looking back at my
career choices three things seem to
have motivated me. Well, maybe four
actually, but I'll tell you about the three
first—skiing, sailing and fighting fire.
No t really related, I know, so I'll explain.
I grew up sorta close to Long Island
Sound in Bedford, N. Y., close enough that
when I was young I got enrolled in some
sailing lessons and found I was pretty
good at it. As I started to get better, I got
into competitive racing so regattas and
training really took care of my summers as
a kid. Through high school summers, but
eventually year round, I sailed. Winters
were for skiing. This led me to choose
the University of Vermont for college,
the only school where I could ski in the
winters and sail in the spring and fall.
They also have a great geology program,
which I majored in. Why Geology?
Because I concentrated in hydrology, a
study of water, which goes back to the
relationship I had with Long Island Sound
and sailing. Also, in the winter I could
study snow hydrology, which meant
hiking into mountains to examine the
snowpack, read and ski.
So how does fighting fire fit into all
this? It just does. My mom was an ER
nurse at Belleview Hospital in Manhattan.
My uncles and cousins are police, fire
or military. I've been in the Boy Scouts
since before I can remember; now I'm an
Eagle Scout. So maybe it's in my blood.
Maybe that's why one day over 12 years
ago I walked into the local volunteer fire
department and asked to join. It's stuck
with me ever since.
W ith influences from the fire department,
I started taking EMS classes at college.
Wilderness First Responder, EMT-B.
While taking these courses the thought
was put into my head about ski patrolling.
Being an EMT and a decent skier got me
an invite at Smugglers' Notch Vermont
to volunteer patrol. I put in two years
there becoming the first ever to patrol
on a snowboard.
After college I thought about staying
in Vermont but an opportunity was
dropped in my lap because of my sailing
background. I moved to Clearwater,
Florida, to learn the yacht charter
business. The Moorings took me all over
the Caribbean and Bahamas, somewhere
I had spent time before teaching and
leading sailing expeditions. I loved being
down in the islands but could never get
used to Florida. So I went back up to
New York where I got more involved
with the fire service again while also
managing a yacht club where I used to
teach sailing.
When the events of September 11
happened, I was at a crossroads—settle
down in New York or keep moving. My
experiences that day and the months
to follow helped me decide to take a
chance and move to Colorado. I had
encouragement from friends already
there. ITie plan was to get hired on a
professional ski patrol at a "big" Colorado
resort. It worked and I wound up on
Aspen/Snowmass Ski Patrol. While there,
I couldn't escape my fire experiences
and soon found myself hired with the
Snowmass Wildcat Fire Department.
This arrangement worked well for
several years until a little bird got me
interested in moving back to New York.
The little bird, now my wife, had never
been to the east coast. As soon as we were
back, I got recruited for the fire department
but this time as a Lieutenant and then on
to Captain. At the same time and again
by chance I got an opportunity to use
the skills I learned in college to work for
the NYC Department of Environmental
Protection as a hydrologist. Wanting to
continue to give my college education a
chance I transitioned out of the fire service
totally and into Hydrology by taking a job
with the United States Geological Survey,
Water Resources Division in Baltimore,
Maryland.
Finally though, after a few years
reflecting on my recent experiences, I
decided a career in the fire service was
really where I belonged, what I missed. A
call from a friend here in Pine Knoll Shores
got me headed in the right direction. All
the places I've been and things I've done
may seem erratic to some, but it does
follow an underlying theme and gives
me great perspective. I'm happy to be
the new A-Shift Captain for Pine Knoll
Shores Fire and EMS, fighting fires at
the beach.
The North Carolina Senior Tarheel
Legislature is an organization that was
established in 1993 when the General
Assembly approved Senate Bill 479,
with then Senator Beverly Perdue as its
primary sponsor.
The Senior Legislature is composed of
one delegate and one alternate delegate
from each of the state's one hundred
counties. Its mission is to assess
the legislative needs of older adults
and to promote citizen advocacy of
solutions to meet these needs. The STHL
convenes itself periodically in a forum
modeled after the North Carolina General
Assembly, where issues important to
senior adults are discussed and priorities
are established for legislative advocacy.
The STHL convened its first meeting
of 2009 in March. Held in Raleigh, the
meeting marked the fifteenth anniversary
of the organization.
Among the highlights of the meeting
were presentations about services and
initiatives focused on older adults
made by state officials, including
Walter Dalton, Lieutenant Governor;
Dennis Streets, Director of the Division
of Aging and Adult Services and Maria
Spaulding, Assistant Deputy Secretary
for Long-Term Care and Family Services.
Governor Perdue hosted a special
fifteenth anniversary reception for
delegates at the Governor's Mansion,
where she emphasized her continuing
commitment to the welfare of the state's
older citizens. The assembly of senior
delegates also discussed and solidified a
list of priorities for legislative advocacy
during its two-day meeting.
The priorities established by the STHL
for advocacy during the next two years
include the following:
• Sustain the funding of "Project
Caregiver." This program provides
information, referral, consultation, and
linkage for caregivers of persons afflicted
with Alzheimer's disease.
• Increase by $5 million the funding
for the existing Home and Community
Care Block Grant program that provides
services for older adults.
• Increase by $2 million the recurring
funds for senior centers.
•Captheincreaseof assessed valuationof
property determined during revaluations
for persons over the age of 65 who are
eligible for the Homestead Exemption.
• Increase the income limit for the
Homestead Exemption to $35,000.
• Implement practical and cost-effective
steps to address concerns regarding the
mixing of populations, including young
adults with mental illness and frail older
persons, residing in long-term care
facilities.
For additional information regarding
the North Carolina Senior Tarheel
Legislature, you may contact the delegate
for Carteret County, John Thompson, at
johnt@ec.rr.com or 726-7221.
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