The Bay Shore Historical Society was honored to host Barry Donadio at our April meeting. Donadio was born and raised in Bay Shore and lived most of his life on Long Island. He has a long history of public service working in the volunteer ambulance corps, law enforcement, the military, and the U.S. Secret Service. Donadio wrote “TWA Flight 800 First Responder Witness Account,” which is the only book about the tragic flight written by someone who was on the rescue scene. In his presentation, Donadio recounts his experience as an East Moriches ambulance volunteer who was called to the emergency scene. The first responders set up a boat house as an emergency triage center and stood by waiting to administer aid. Unfortunately, there were no survivors from the TWA Flight 800 incident. Shortly after the crash of TWA Flight 800, Donadio wrote notes on the incident, which he compiled into his book. Donadio continues to speak about the incident as a way to help families find closure and to honor the memories of the deceased.

The Bay Shore Historical Society holds monthly meetings at the Bay Shore-Brightwaters Public Library on the third Thursday of the month. Meetings are open to the public and refreshments are served. Stay up to date with our 2025 meetings and events at: bayshorehistoricalsociety.org