User:TinaTigerz1964/sandbox

THIS WIKIPEDIA IS A NEW WORK IN PROGRESS  ...... to be continued

Vickie bio contribution....

He reenlisted in reserve. He was also a special agent. The two are separate jobs


 * Michael J LaPaglia was born in Brooklyn NY on October 26, 1931 to Josephine (Giuseppe) Grippaudo LaPaglia and Felice LaPaglia.  They came to America from Sicily,Italy in the 1920/s. He is the second oldest  with three siblings, sisters Marie and  Vincenza and a younger brother Giacomo. They grew up living in a tenement house  with other LaPaglia relatives also  living in the apartments in the building. Their backyard had a canal off the  porch and he spent many days fishing  off it with his father and brother.As a teen he spent a summer working on a farm  in Cobleskill NY where he said he  really enjoyed the country life. After graduating high school he decided to  enlist in the Air Force and while doing  his military training in Macon Georgia tragedy struck the family. In 1952 while  doing basic training Mike/s father  was hit and killed by a drunk driver while he was fishing off a bridge in  Brooklyn. Being the eldest son he became  the head of the family at 20 and was honorable discharged so he could take care  of his mother and siblings.He reenlisted  in the US Air Force Reserves and was an Agent of the Office of Special  Investigations. He joined the ranks of NYPD in 1957  and was assigned to the Homicide Organized Crime Squad. His experiences and  people he investigated became material for his  writing days later in life.In the mid 60/s he bought a house in Lake Hill NY  where he relocated his mother and family.  He commuted back and forth from the city to the country for years. Every weekend  he enjoyed working on his property with  constant projects which he seemed to love doing. In 1976 after retiring from  NYPD, he joined the Ulster County Sheriff  Office in the Special Investigation Division where he worked his way up the  ranks becoming Lieutenant then Captain.  He just moved from Boiceville to Shandaken NY to a house he built himself which  was located at the top of Foxhollow Road,  in the Catskill Mountains. He did have framers come in for the main frame but  every nail and plumb after that was with his  hands. Every weekend he would have new projects working on this beautiful  mountain home with it/s magnificent view. During  that time he also he did side work as a Private Investigator and was hired to  work the Frederick W.I. Lundy case. With his  help they uncovered the largest scam if it/s time and the arrest of 5  conspirators who were fraudulently acquiring and then  selling assets from the Lundy estate in the Ulster County area. From 1981 / 1986  while living in Shandaken, he stayed  involved in his town by serving as TownConstabulary Administrative Chief and  then became Town Councilman. In 1986 he was  elected to Sheriff of Ulster County NY where after years of hard work and  overhaul his proudest accomplishment was the  accreditation of the Ulster County Sheriff Office in 1992. He served three terms  as Sheriff retiring in 1998. In 1987 at  age 55 get got he married. After retiring he vacationed all over the New England  area but one place kept drawing him  back so he decided to move to Conway, New Hampshire. It became home but his  heart always stayed in Ulster County where  he was always available with advice whenever his colleagues called and he also  came to Ulster County faithfully to visit  twice a year, tending to his parents graves on Route 28. He spent most of his  time in NH writing crime novels from his  experiences with organized crime and also enjoyed the scenic views offered by  White Mountain.In 2007 at the age of 74,  he decided to move back to NY. He always stayed interested in the happenings of  the Ulster County Sheriffs office so moving  back made sense plus the travelling back and forth was not as easy to do as it  was when he was younger. His final years  were spent in Greenville NY where he had a view of the Catskill Mountains in his  backyard. He would sit for meals at his
 * dining room table which was located in front of his sliding back door, curtains wide open. In the morning you would see  all the fog settled on the mountain but when that cleared it was breathtaking.  On May 2, 2017 he passed away at Albany  Medical Hospital He loved nature and he loved his mountain views. Every property  he purchased throughout his life seemed  to have a similar theme. A beautiful view, where he lived a beautiful life

Tina bio contribution - Michael LaPaglia was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Oct. 26, 1931 to Italian Immigrant parents Josephine Graupauddo LaPaglia and Felice LaPaglia. Mike was an Air Force enlistee and upon completion was honorably discharged. He re-enlisted in the US Air Force Reserves as Special Agent for the OSI (Office of Special Investigations).

Mike was attending college in 1952 to become an attorney when his father, a longshoreman, was killed by a hit and run driver. Mike was the oldest of 4 children and decided to leave school to go home and take care of his mother and siblings, brother John (Mino), and sisters Vincenza and Mary. In 1954 he obtained a job as a Private Investigator in New York City. In 1957 he joined the ranks of the NYPD assigned to Homicide-Organized Crime Squad.

After vacationing in the Hudson Valley for many years, Mike fell in love with the area and decided to move the family to Lake Hill, a few years later he moved to Boiceville while building his home in Shandaken where he lived til after his retirement.

In 1976, he joined the Ulster County Sheriffs Office where he headed a Special Investigation Division. During this time he was able to provide missing pieces to an 11 million dollar securities fraud scheme that was victimizing an Ulster County business owner. In 1979 he received praise for his

involvement in that case from New York City and The Ulster County Law Enforcement. Later at the Sheriffs Office, he was promoted to Leutenant and then Captain in charge of all police services.

In 1981 he became administrative chief of the Shandaken constabulary and in 1983 he was voted in as a Councilman also for the Town of Shandaken.

In November 1986 Mike (Republican-Conservative) won the election for Ulster County Sheriff. In January 1987, he started his career as Sheriff and immediately updated the rules and regulations of the department to prepare for accreditation. In 1989 he accomplished that goal with the help of the people he worked with whom he was extremely proud. The Ulster County Sheriffs office had become the first in the State to recieve accredidation for the Road Patrol, the Jail and was honored for the Civil Division. Mike was also responsible for bringing electronic monitoring (to prevent escape attempts) and "modern day chain gangs" as alternatives to jail time. In 1996 he was involved in a program that gave cell phones to domestic violence victims in the event the order of protections failed.

In 1990 Mike won the election for his second term. In 1994 he was cross endorsed and won his third term. He retired December 31, 1998.

Mike loved a good debate and challenge, and he fought long and hard to have a new jail built due to the overcrowding and sometimes having to send prisoners to jails in other Countys. He finally won that fight and a new jail was built and completed after his retirement.

He loved to write short stories, crime dramas and had published to name a few, "Vendetta: Sicilian Justice", and the Ulster County Sheriff book.

He was working toward having an active tourist train running along the scenic Kingston-Pine Hill corridor. He also stayed active with the New York State Sheriff's Association.

He loved his family and although he had no children of his own, he treated the children in his life (nieces, Barbara Fillyaw Ullah, Joanne Fischetti Lyon, Victoria LaPaglia and Tina Caswell Albright and nephews, Harold (Jr) Fillyaw, Tony Fischetti, Ricky Fischetti and Matthew Fillyaw) as his own. He loved all animals and it was common for him to bring his dog to work with him.

Mike married his wife Carol and became a stepdad to her children, Cheri Garrison Matthews and Michael Garrison and step-grandfather.

Michael LaPaglia passed away May 1, 2017 after being hospitalized for unknown condition at the age of 85. He was cremated immediately after and a memorial service was held a month later.

DEDICATION OF THE SHERIFF MICHAEL LAPAGLIA BRIDGE IN PHOENICIA, NEW YORK ON AUGUST 26,2019 AT 3PM.

Posted August 27, 2019 from Ulster County Legislature site.

PHOENICIA, N.Y. – Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, joined by members of the Ulster County Legislature and Shandaken town officials, announced the dedication of the Bridge Street Bridge in Phoenicia as the “Sheriff Michael LaPaglia Memorial Bridge” in honor of the former Ulster County Sheriff. The bridge, which crosses the Esopus Creek on County Route 40, is one of only two access routes to the Shandaken hamlet of Phoenicia.

Retired Ulster County Sheriff Michael LaPaglia passed away in May, 2017. LaPaglia’s career began in 1954, when he started his over 40-year career in law enforcement as an investigator in New York City, later spending almost 20 years with the New York Police Department, commuting back and forth every day from the city to his home in Ulster County. LaPaglia began his service to Ulster County in 1976, serving in the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office in the Special Investigation Division where he worked his way up the ranks becoming Lieutenant then Captain. LaPaglia was elected to his first term as Ulster County Sheriff in 1986, where he served for three terms until 1998. Under his leadership, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office achieved accreditation in 1992.

In addition to his role in the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, LaPaglia served his community in Shandaken as Town Constabulary Administrative Chief and as a Shandaken Town Councilman.

“Former Ulster County Sheriff Michael LaPaglia dedicated his life to service, working to keep our community safe,” said County Executive Pat Ryan. “After his over 40-year career in law enforcement, this bridge, which connects residents right into the heart of Shandaken, will remind residents and travelers of Ulster County of his enduring legacy protecting and caring for his community.”

“Former Sheriff Michael LaPaglia served three terms as Ulster County Sheriff. He was a dedicated law enforcement officer at all levels, highly respected by his peers and deeply devoted to his family,” said Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa. “As Sheriff of Ulster County, he brought vision and change. His accomplishments during his time as Sheriff helped clear a path for increased professionalism and earned the respect of the men and women of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff LaPaglia passed away in 2017, but his legacy lives on.”

"Michael LaPaglia found beauty and serenity in the Catskill Mountains," said Ulster County Legislator Kathy Nolan. "He encouraged many members of his extended family to move here, and he manifested his love for this place not only by serving as a police officer and a local elected official but also by living in close connection with his community and with the wild nature around him. I am delighted with the bipartisan, unanimous decision from the Town of Shandaken and the Ulster County Legislature to honor Michael LaPaglia with the dedication of this bridge spanning the Esopus Creek he cherished."

“I'd like to thank the Ulster County Executive and Legislature for supporting this dedication. This is but a small token for us to show our endearing respect for the service Sheriff LaPaglia provided our community as well as the County of Ulster,” said Shandaken Town Supervisor Robert A. Stanley. “The Michael LaPaglia Bridge should lead to endearing his legacy of public service due to his love for his community for generations to come.”