A preventive medicine philosophy and total fitness approach to enhance one's quality of life; positive attitudes and their effects on neuro-transmitters - that's the sort of research that captivates Ernest Luongo, who became a member of the SUNY Oswego Health & Physical Education faculty in 1957 and one of the earliest drug education voices in the State University of New York system.
Luongo, one of 10 children born to Italian immigrants, grew up in Staten Island, N.Y. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was wounded by enemy mortar fire while fighting in Guam. Honorably discharged from the service, Luongo enrolled in 1945 at Cortland, where he played on the soccer team and was a starting outfielder on the Red Dragon baseball unit. "While a student at Cortland, it was my good fortune to have been coached by two of the most likeable, competent, and unusually successful coaches in the glorious history of Cortland athletics, namely Carl "Chugger" Davis and Professor Fred Holloway, " Luongo fondly recalled. "These men became synonomous with Cortland's students, faculty and alumni," he continued. "It is difficult to express appropriately the appreciation and gratitude for the intangibles they passed on to me and the many young men they so profoundly influenced athletically, academically and socially. Participation on Cortland athletic teams was the highlight of my life at Cortland."
Luongo earned a B.S. from Cortland in 1948 and an M.S. from the same institution in 1957. In 1948, a tight job market forced Luongo south to St. Michael's Maryland, where he became a physical education and science instructor, as well as full-time coach. Between 1951 and 1957, Luongo taught and coached at Middleburgh (N.Y.) High. His soccer teams had a 50-5 record and won three sectional titles during a five-year stint without a league loss. In basketball, Luondo directed Middleburgh to a 56-14 conference mark, including a pair of league crowns. In baseball, his teams were 27-3, with two undefeated seasons and three league trophies.
Luongo joined the SUNY Oswego faculty in 1957. He coached the Laker soccer squad until 1966, when Oswego won the SUNYAC title. He holds the distinction of coaching Oswego to its only soccer victory over Cortland since the series began in 1929. In 1967, Luongo took a sabbatical leave when Governor Nelson Rockefeller appointed him Chief of the Bureau of Professional Education for the Narcotic Addiction Control Commission. In 1970, he was cited for Distinguished Service by Commissioner Laurence Pierce of the Narcotic Commission Control.
The 1970 recipient of the SUNY Oswego Alumni Association's Distinguished Faculty Award, Luongo has remained active within the Oswego community by serving on numerous health related committees. He has also been a visiting scholar at St. Lawrence University and a visiting professor at SUNY Potsdam.
Luongo and his wife, Helen, have four children.
UPDATE: Luongo passed away on October 2, 2011, at the age of 88.
