Senator Kaminsky Honors Dr. Bennett Gallinaro for Lifetime of Service Upon The Occasion of His Retirement

PHOTO (Left to Right): Judy Fantozzi, Joe McMahon, Jackie McMahon, Kate KcMahon, Nancy Sullivan, Ryan McMahon, Ben Gallinaro, Senator Todd Kaminsky, Will Gallinaro, Reese Gallinaro, Jennifer Gallinaro, Andrew Savinelli, Mike Savinelli, Jessica Savinelli, Joe Gallinaro, Thea Gallinaro, Joanna Gallinaro

(LONG BEACH, NY) --  On Saturday, June 20th, Senator Todd Kaminsky presented a proclamation to Dr. Bennett “Ben” Gallinaro on the occasion of his retirement from dentistry. Dr. Gallinaro is being recognized for his dedication to the Long Beach community, his support of the Long Beach Catholic School, and local sports teams, as well as his impactful mentorship of countless people. 

Dr. Gallinaro retires from a more than four decade career as a dentist, with 44 of those years in private practice in Long Beach. Prior to his career in the private sector, Dr. Gallinaro spent two years as a Captain in the US Airforce as a dentist before building his practice in Long Beach. 

In addition to Dr. Gallinaro’s career in dentistry, he spent considerable time giving back to the Long Beach community, most notably dedicating six years as president of the school board of the Long Beach Catholic School. Some of his proudest achievements in this capacity include establishing the first kindergarten class, the building of the school playground, raising funds for the gym annex, setting up the “Adopt-a-Student” program which is a fund that pays tuition for a current student when the family has endured a hardship and could no longer cover the cost, and hosting the Crystal Ball -- a major fundraiser for the school. Gallinaro’s four children are proud graduates of the Long Beach Catholic School. 

Growing up on Louisiana Street in the West End, Dr. Gallinaro has always been an active member of the Long Beach community his whole life, participating in numerous events for charities, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Polar Bear Plunge, which he has taken over 15 times, and the Michelle O’Neill Volleyball Tournament. Dr. Gallinaro has also been a proud sponsor of the Long Beach Little League Baseball Team “Dr. Ben’s Molars” for at least 20 years and has coached the recreational league baseball and football teams.

Upon receiving the proclamation from Senator Kaminsky, Dr. Gallinaro’s family released the following comments:  “We are so proud of dad for his commitment to dentistry and for serving his community for over decades. We admire his dedication to his patients shown through his kindness, compassion and generosity,” said the children of Dr. Gallinaro in a joint statement. “Through example, he taught us the importance of a strong work ethic, and perhaps more importantly,  the value of family.  Dad worked hard every day, but was always home for our family dinner.  We look forward to spending more time with dad in his retirement, and we celebrate the career he had and the father he is!  Congratulations dad, we love you!” 

In retirement, Dr. Gallinaro has plans of “golf, golf and more golf!”, building off his past successes as a 6-time Lido Golf Course Champion. In-between rounds, Dr. Gallinaro expects that we’ll find him on the beach or spending time with his family and friends, or perhaps doing cannonballs in the pool with his 8 grandchildren.