Posted Friday, August 4, 2017 3:03 pm

To celebrate the memory of a man who sold ice cream and candy to Five Towns residents for 60 years, the Town of Hempstead dedicated a street sign to Dominick “Tiny” Magliaro on Aug. 3 at the intersection of Maidien Lane and Henry Street in Inwood, where he lived.

“It’s mindboggling,” said Lyda Magliaro, Tiny’s sister-in-law. “You live long enough you see everything, and I never thought I’d ever see something like this in the family. I’m going to cry, it was very emotional.”

Councilman Bruce Blakeman said he was “disappointed” that he wasn’t aware of Tiny before he died or he would have honored him earlier. “I’m just very gratified that we were able to honor him, Blakeman said, “but I know he’s looking down on us now and he’s very proud of us, and he knows it’s a hot day and he could make a lot of money so he would probably be out in his truck right now.”

Tiny’s nephew, Mike Magliaro, spoke after Blakeman. He thanked the town for the street dedication and told a few stories about the man they were honoring. “Mostly what I’ve learned is from people telling me because he was always out selling ice cream, he was never home,” Mike said jokingly. Mike and Lydia were presented with a facsimile of the street sign.

It’s very clear that Tiny was a small man with a big heart who left a lasting impression on three generations of families here in Inwood and across the Five Towns,” Town Supervisor Anthony Santino said after the sign was unveiled. “He will never be forgotten by those who knew him, and now for even more generations those who come here to Maiden Lane and see this sign will hopefully ask and learn a little bit about Tiny Magliaro, a man who gave of himself, who never said no, and who really made a difference in the lives of the people of Inwood.”

Tiny was known for his generosity. He refused to send a child away without ice cream even if they were short on money. More 1,300 residents from across the Five Towns and states such as South Carolina signed the petition on change.org that attracted attention to his life and their desire to thank him with a dedication such as this.

“It means everything,” Mike Magliaro said, “just imagine you live your life, you serve people, you do what you do and then you know that your family name will be put on a street sign, that’s a mark on history in itself.”