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Health & Fitness

Aasad Miller Wins Howard Munson Scholarship

It seems a good bet that a dish Aasad Miller is capable of whipping up in the kitchen would have appealed to Howard Munson’s taste buds. The Huntington High School senior can cook, bake and create the most delectable pastries. He studied in Wilson Tech’s culinary arts program for the past two years and impressed his teachers.

An active member of Wilson Tech’s Skills USA chapter, Mr. Miller never met Mr. Munson and almost assuredly hadn’t even heard of him or knew until recently where his automotive shop was located in Huntington village. But, the businessman’s good fortune and generous nature will now play a role in the teenager’s future

Mr. Miller sported a wide smile while being presented with the $3,000 Howard N. Munson Scholarship by the Huntington Fire Department during this past spring’s senior academic awards night in the Huntington High School auditorium.

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Although Mr. Munson once admitted that he never really enjoyed school, he knew it was important. So he did what needed to be done, graduating Port Washington High School and keeping his eyes glued to the future. The award presented in his honor is made payable to the recipient’s college of choice.

Mr. Miller is headed to Monroe College in the fall. The institution’s main campus is in The Bronx, with smaller campuses in New Rochelle and St. Lucia. The school is a private, proprietary college with about 7,700 students spread over its three campuses and online programs. It offers two year, four year and graduate degrees.

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Born June 28, 1908 to Frank and Dora Hill Munson, Howard “didn’t like school very much,” said Neil D. Getter, an ex-chief and the current financial secretary of the Huntington Fire Department, who was on hand in the Huntington auditorium to present the award. “He liked being around cars and told his dad to forget about the new car he had been promised if he stuck it out and graduated, because he would rather use the money to study engineering at Pratt Institute, which he did, graduating in 1928. After Pratt, he went on to graduate from General Motors Tech.”

Mr. Munson opened an auto repair shop in Huntington in 1930 and continued running it until the very day he passed away on October 22, 1999. “During the almost 70 years he was in the auto repair business he served the local fire department, the rich and famous, the poor who could not pay, the local town folk and those who came from afar,” Mr. Getter said

A telling episode in Mr. Munson’s life was shared with a crowd of about 300 at the awards night. “On one terribly cold and icy night, when there was a very bad fire in Huntington, he worked all night to keep a truck pumping and got it out of the way when the building started to collapse,” Mr. Getter said.

“Over the years, the business continued to grow, largely due to the fact that he cared about his customers, never once over charged nor cheated them in any way and while he got his hands dirty, he was noted for always wearing a necktie with his uniform and keeping the shot neat, clean and organized,” Mr. Getter said about Mr. Munson.

Mr. Miller has volunteered a minimum of 10 hours per week at Tri-CYA, beginning as a sixth grader and continuing through his senior year. He has been involved in numerous initiatives there, including community clean-ups, the homework help program and organizing programs for the center. 

An enterprising young man, Mr. Miller was chosen to work on a special grant funded program through the Long Island Community Agriculture Network, where he helped lead a group of 20 children in understating and implementing plots in the Huntington Station community garden. He’s also held several local jobs.

Mr. Miller and Huntington’s guidance department feel his post-high school plans will put him on career track in the food service industry. “Monroe College provides professional, career oriented higher education to students from diverse backgrounds,” states the school’s mission statement. “We proudly offer access and opportunity to motivated students who desire to enrich their lives in a personalized and supportive environment. We provide caring and effective teaching and sustain faculty who are passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated to student success. We build on these strengths to prepare graduates for successful careers.

Mr. Getter closed his remarks at the award’s night by wishing the same type of success Mr. Munson enjoyed on the soon-to-be Huntington grad. “Though he chose blue collar work, he died a wealthy man and we hope that you will do as well in your chosen career,” Mr. Getter said.

This marks the 13th year the Munson Scholarship was presented to a Huntington senior.

 

 

 

 

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