Born To Run

As the son of first-generation Italian Americans, Peter Zinno has been campaigning for others for decades. He was born of humble beginnings and as a young child shared a two-room apartment with his parents, the late Ralph and Jean, and his two sisters, Rosemarie and Donna, in Corona, Queens. After his family moved to the suburbs, his loving parents took in an abandoned toddler named Roy Wachtel who became an honorary member of the family. As a young boy, Zinno watched his dedicated father faithfully report to work every day as a mail carrier and his loyal mother care for her growing family with admiration and an eye towards his own future commitments. 

	Zinno made his mark at H. Frank Carey High School in Franklin Square, becoming an All-County Track & Field Honoree and setting several school track records.  Zinno was also steadfast in pursuit of his learning which includes a Bachelor of Science in Education and Masters in American Government and Politics-International Relations from St. John’s University, as well as a Masters in Public Administration from New York University.

Growing up with his parent’s active community involvement as members in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Mutual Aid Society, and his father’s elected post as Franklin Square Water Commissioner, Zinno heeded his calling to local politics in the 1960s. During this time he served as:  President of the Franklin Square Kiwanis Club; a Member of the Legislative Advisory Committee in the New York State Assembly; an elected Library Trustee in the Franklin Square School District;  President of the Franklin Square Republican Club; and elected Committeeman on the Nassau County level for five consecutive two-year terms.

Already a beloved Social Studies teacher at East Meadow High School teaching Government, Economics and History, Zinno’s illustrious coaching career also began in the 60s. Hired as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science and the Head Track & Field Coach at the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury in 1973, Zinno went on to become one of the premier coaches in the nation. Always a champion for the underserved, he founded the Women’s Track & Field program at NYIT in 1979, one of the first of its kind in the U.S. Zinno also spearheaded a symbiotic relationship spanning 25 years with the University of Technology, Jamaica. By providing scholarships and personal guidance to countless Jamaican athletes, he was able to help maximize their potential to eventually rank among the world’s best track & field athletes.

Over a stellar 40-year coaching career, Zinno had 350 athletes earn NCAA All-American honors and has had students medal in every major international competition including the World University Games, Pan American Games, Goodwill Games, the World Championships and the Olympics. In addition, Zinno has served as a national coach for USA Track & Field for various teams over the past 20 years which has allowed him to travel internationally and interact with renowned world leaders. Awarded several times himself, Zinno was a seven time NCAA Division II District Coach of the Year, a three time ECAC Women’s Coach of the Year and the Nassau County Sports Commission Coach of the Year in 2002.

In 2001, Zinno retired as Dean of Students at East Meadow High School and also from a special teaching assignment he held for over 25 years at the Nassau County Correctional Center, providing guidance and education to incarcerated teenagers. Then in 2003 he left NYIT to return to his alma mater for a position on the St. John’s Women’s Track & Field coaching staff for the following two years. Although officially retired from coaching since 2005, Zinno continues to volunteer his skills and counseling as a mentor to young track & field athletes in Baldwin, nearby to his Rockville Centre home where he has lived for over 30 years.

In addition to the scores of students he has inspired, Zinno’s passion for excellence is found in his children. Daughters Jessica and Alison, as well as her husband Rich all have careers in the education field and his late son Steven was pursuing a law degree at the time of his death in 1998. Remarried since 1996, Zinno is also devoted to his wife Barbara and her daughters Joanne, Gina and her husband Chad. Also a dedicated grandfather to Alison’s children Caroline and Daniel, and Gina’s daughter Jacqueline, Zinno now proudly adds adoring babysitter to his resume.