If you’ve ever driven down County Road 16 in Lake Ronkonkoma, chances are you’ve passed David Baker. Baker, a resident of nearby Nesconset, can be seen almost every day collecting litter and removing weeds along a roughly three-mile stretch of the heavily trafficked thoroughfare, also known as Portion Road, as well as at various spots around Lake Ronkonkoma. On an average day, the 75-year-old said he spends several hours walking or riding his bike along the sidewalk to clean up the garbage and overgrowth between Gibbs Pond Road and Cenacle Road.
“I’m out there every day all year round, unless it’s like 20 degrees out or 30 mile-per-hour winds,” Baker said. “I guess I just got so disgusted, because there were places where you couldn’t even walk. .
. . I figured, hey, somebody’s got to do it.
” Baker, who grew up in Kings Park, spent decades working as a horse jockey starting at the age of 19 and said he competed in hundreds of races at tracks including the legendary Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. His life changed in 2000, though, when he was thrown from a horse in Pennsylvania and suffered a brain injury that caused doctors to keep him in a coma for three months, he said. From breaking news to special features and documentaries, the NewsdayTV team is covering the issues that matter to you.
By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . “They said the horse threw me, then turned around and came back and ran over me again, and I was out co.
