East Meadow Resident Celebrates His 100th Birthday

Dr. Sam Grochow is joined by his son Robert and his granddaughter Jaimie Bornstein as they celebrate Sam's 100th birthday.

Dr. Samuel Grochow, a resident of the Bristal Assisted Living Community in East Meadow celebrated his 100th birthday on Friday, August 12. He was joined by friends and neighbors from the Bristal, where he has lived for the last five years since moving there from the North Shore Towers.

Dr. Grochow was a dentist from 1942 until retiring at the age of 77 in 1993. He and his late wife, Frances, were married for more than 70 years at the time of her passing in 2014. He says his wedding was quite elaborate, with a budget of $3.85 per couple. He has two sons, Jerry and Robert, four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Dr. Grochow served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps, which later became the U.S. Air Force, during World War II. He spent three years in Italy providing dental services to the troops and then was shipped to the Pacific where he served until the end of the war.

His sons say he drove until he was 97, and when they convinced him that it was time to give up his keys, he drove himself to the local car dealer, but before handing over the keys and registration he inquired about a three-year lease on a yellow mustang.

When Dr. Grochow grew up during the depression, his family was so poor that he used to climb on top of the coal cars to “borrow” some coal so they could heat their stove. He was the first in his family to attend college, receiving both his Bachelors and Dental degrees from NYU. He says he financed the opening of his dental practice with the proceeds he won playing cards while in the military.