Gary Clinton has been on the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association Board for twenty of the past twenty-five years. Since early 2023 he and his Board colleague, Russell Saray, have been organizing, digitizing, and researching FIPPOA’s records going back to 1953, which they have dubbed “The FIPPOA Papers.”

Based on that research, Gary has written “Keeping Out the Gays: The Pines in the late 1950s” for the Fire Island Pines Historical Society.

After purchasing the Pines Yacht Club and Botel with partners model John Whyte eventually bought them all out owning it all on his own. It was time to build his castle in the sand, and yes it had to have an ocean view. It would survive the Hurricane Donna of 1962 as others got washed away. Home to the sounds of Opera, food, friends, and famous guests, but most of all the memories of a time gone by…

Like her hit song, singer Dionne Warwick maybe had to ask about the way to San Jose, but she found her way to Fire Island instead. She initially visited in 1968, but returned to the Pines in 1991 to support many AIDS benefits.

In 2004 longtime owner John Whyte sells the Pines properties to Eric Von Kuersteiner. Von Kuersteiner begins sweeping changes with a plan to revive the Pines and bring a new generation. With that comes a new Pavilion Nightclub changing the cornerstone of the Pines…

Mel Cheren was an entrepreneur, record company founder and nightclub boss who funded his lovers dream of the nightclub called “Paradise Garage.”

An image is worth a thousand words they say, and so it went with Photographer Michael Rock and the erotic images that became greeting cards known as Rockshots of an era…

Fire in the Pines November 14-15 2011. Pavilion and LaFountaine building burn…

Everything about Fire Island for the Holiday gift giving season.