Stony Brook Southampton honored frontline healthcare workers at the annual Lighting of the Windmill on Monday, Dec. 14.

From left to right: Southampton Supervisor Jay Schneiderman; New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele; Althea Mills, Chief Nursing Officer at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital; Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Chief Administrative Officer Robert Chaloner; Robert Reeves. Associate Provost of Southampton Graduate Arts Campus; and Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Flemming.

The ceremony, a campus tradition, was dedicated to local healthcare providers in recognition of their tireless and continuing efforts to care for the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of participants was limited this year, following health guidelines, and those who attended wore masks and maintained social distancing.

New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele spoke briefly at the ceremony before giving the honor of flipping the switch to Althea Mills, the Chief Nursing Officer at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

Other local officials who attended the ceremony included Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Chief Administrative Officer Robert Chaloner, and other healthcare workers from Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

The Windmill is an iconic landmark that has been located on the Shinnecock Hills campus since 1888, and was designated a Literary Landmark in 2013. It hosts many different events, including readings, receptions, orientations, celebrations, workshops, and fundraising dinners.

The lighting ceremony, initiated by former Southampton College provost and later United States Congressman Tim Bishop, was was re-invigorated in 2010 by then-Stony Brook University president Shirley Strum Kenny and has continued ever since.