A beloved face in the halls of Greenport schools who devotes his life to children was honored recently for his dedication.
Frank Musto, 72, a retired New York City detective, spends every day of the school year volunteering his time to sit in the main lobby, signing in visitors and ensuring the safety of the students.
Last week, the Greenport Rotary honored Musto, 71, for his dedication, awarding him the Paul Harris award, the highest honor a club can bestow on a person, acknowledging “service above self”, which the person has offered to their community, nation, or world.
Previous Paul Harris award winners include distinguished names such as Mother Theresa, Prince Philip, Ronald Reagan and Clint Eastwood.
But for Musto, the award came as a complete surprise. His selfless volunteerism was not meant to bring recognition. Instead, he said, “I love children. I do it for the kids.”
Musto worked for the New York Police Department from 1963 until 2001; he used to live in Valley Stream with his wife Phyllis.
After he retired, Musto went back to Queens College and got a masters in special education; his BA was in criminal justice at John Jay College.
He began teaching in New York City as a crisis intervention teacher. “I went to apply for a job, and when they found out I was a retired detective, they sent me to an area that was not the best, where the kids had problems,” he said.
At the school, which was located in Brooklyn, Musto said, “I felt bad for the kids. I felt I could help them.”
Later, he taught in other high crime areas — and eventually, at Rikers Island prison.
Educating underprivileged children, Musto said, was rewarding. “It was a good teaching experience,” he said. “You always think that kids that come from high crime areas are from gangs. But these were mostly very good kids, and very smart.”
Even after he’d left, and was in the hospital, the kids sent him letters. “They called me ‘Grandpa,'” he said.
During his time with the inmates at Rikers, Musto organized a construction program, teaching the young people how to build, create blue prints and models to scale — and imbuing them with employable skills. “People always need work done on houses,” Musto said. “This way, the can get jobs and stay out of trouble. I hope a lot of them did that, and got back on the straight and narrow.”
Next, after leaving Rikers Island in 2006, Musto and his wife — the couple have two children, Frank and Joseph — moved out to Greenport, where he began subbing at Greenport High School, and running an after-school program at Cutchogue-East.
But on Dec. 14, 2012, everything changed, when the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT draped a heavy cloak of grief across the world.
“When I saw that incident, I said, ‘I have to do something,'” Musto said.
Musto met with the Greenport school superintendent and asked to volunteer his services as security, where he’s been ever since, sometimes subbing in a teacher is out.
“I’m with the kids all the time, and the kids appreciate it. I talk to them,” Musto said. “School isn’t only a place for books — you have to talk to kids, be social with them. Kids respect you for that. They always ask if I’ll be back and I tell them, ‘God willing.'”
Musto, who’s also a volunteer firefighter and gives back at St. Agnes, said he enjoys helping others. “I love being with people,” he siad. “It’s very satisfying and rewarding. We’ve been lucky. I was never hurt badly at the police department, our kids grew up well, we’ve been married 52 years this year. God has been good, and you’ve got to try to give back. I try to impress that upon the kids.”
Greeting the students as they get off the school bus each morning, Musto said he’s a long way from the inner city. “It’s a big difference,” he said. “I loved the kids in the city but it was a different atmosphere. They came in troubled in the morning and had problems. Here, it’s different, the kids are great.”
Although he’s retired, Musto said he’s still learning from his young charges. “Kids are sometimes afraid to tell you they need help, but when you talk to them, you become a part of their life and they open up, and that’s a great thing. They need someone to help them vent and someone to listen to them.”
Of his award, Musto said he was very surprised. “When they called my name, it was kind of embarrassing to have people say such good things. You don’t look for people to say nice things — you do things from your heart.”
The award includes $1000, donated by the Rotary to a children’s charity.
Of his Greenport community, Musto said, “This community is more like a family. Everyone is concerned for everyone else. It’s a good thing. It’s another world. I feel like I found a home, when I came here.”
