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Health & Fitness

The King of Hampton's Fireworks

A touching story about a legend of the Hamptons


It is the 4th of July and around the nation fireworks will be set off tonight. On July 21, Three Mile harbor in East Hampton will be filled with a flotilla of sailboats and power boats to watch the amazing display of fireworks sponsored by The Clamshell Foundation's annual Geat Bonac Fireworks Show over Three Mile Harbor. Thousands more will watch at private homes around the harbor, as well as from the decks of the posh restaurants. Most likely the one person who created the concept in 1979 will not be there. That would be Tony Duke who told me a few years back that he will forever be proud of the fact that for so many years so many families, residents, and visitors were able to have a special moment watching the fireworks. He was also proud that through those fireworks he helped raise millions of dollars for the vision he had at age 19, back in 1937, to help the less fortunate. In 2005, the event raised over one million dollars that very night. The story of his Boys and Girls Harbor summer camp in East Hampton is a closed book, however its legacy will live on forever in the over 30,000 young underprivileged kids who attended the summer camps over the years. He was glad the tradition of the fireworks over the harbor is continuing, although he personally is not involved.

          He recalled how the first year they used the Grucci family to stage the fireworks; the contracted cost was $27,000. Tony recalls,  “Old man Grucci, the father, called me and said he wanted to see the camp himself. I offered to show him around but he wanted to see it by himself. That night he came to me just as the fireworks were to begin. He asked for the contract, worried I sent my oldest son Tony to get it from my office, when he returned I nervously handed it to Mr. Grucci as everybody was waiting for the fireworks to begin. He looked me in the eye and ripped up the contract. From then on the fireworks were his donation to the camp. In the end it was $50,000 worth of fireworks for the charity at no cost.”

      Of course the special guests and wonderful donors, some donating $25,000, are memories that Tony Duke cherishes along with sharing it with his family. However an episode that first comes to mind was ten years back he noticed a handsome 52’ Ketch floating off the camp flying a French flag. “I grabbed a boat and went out to see who it was. With my limited French language skills, (Tony participated in the Normandy Invasion of World War II) I spoke with the visitors who thought it was great we were celebrating Bastille Day!” he recalls with a hearty chuckle. For many years he remains in touch with the French visitors who made it a yearly event to come to the fireworks. This is just a small window into the personal touch Tony Duke has, a touch that opens others up to share his vision.

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      In a celebrated life, Tony’s modesty is sobering. An example of his inventory of amazing life experiences is the story of a summer break from Princeton that had him on a chartered sailboat cruising the waters to go to Martha’s Vineyard. He said to me, “One friend says we must stop off in Hyannisport to pick up Jack, off course Jack was Jack Kennedy, who after the five day sail became a dear friend of mine.”

       Due to “private” family matters Tony Duke and his wife are now on different life’s paths. It is she who is now staging the fireworks for worthy charities other than Boys and Girls Harbor.  Tony Duke now 94 years old is very ill. No doubt much love and thanks goes out to him and the so many who made his vision a long lasting reality. 

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        The wonderful thing is Tony Duke took time out from his busy schedule to pen a wonderful autobiography that is a must read for anybody who loves the Hampton’s. UNCHARTERED COURSE, (Bayview Press) and is available via Amazon.com. The personal story of Tony Duke’s life experiences is a must read. At 94 years old Tony Duke cherishes his family. Perhaps being around young children for so many years is why Mr. Duke stayed so active for so long. Yet this also is a man whose mother and step-father had the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor as house guest yearly in Southampton after WWII.

     This July 21, while you see cloudburst upon cloudburst of fabulous fireworks above Three Mile Harbor say a toast to Tony Duke, a man who could have spent his life toasting himself, but instead worked to help so many others, less fortunate than himself. His gift is treating everybody as if they are the most important person on earth. Godspeed to you Hamptons legend, Tony Duke.

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