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Helen S. Rattray, Longtime Star Editor and Publisher, Dies at 90

Fri, 04/18/2025 - 14:45

Helen S. Rattray, the former longtime editor and publisher of The East Hampton Star, died early Wednesday morning at Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport.

Ms. Rattray, who was 90, became associate editor of the paper in 1976 and took over as editor in chief in 1980. Her "Connections" column appeared in The Star for 43 years, until 2020. 

A memorial gathering and celebration of her life will be held on Sunday, April 27, at 11 a.m. at Ashawagh Hall in Springs, with a potluck lunch to follow.

Villages

Buddhist Monks on the Path to World Peace

Twenty of so monks from a monastery in Texas are making their way to Washington, D.C., on a mission of compassion, while locally a class on the Buddhist path to world peace will be held in Water Mill.

Jan 29, 2026

‘ICE Out’ Vigils on Friday

Coordinated vigils for what organizers call victims of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement will happen across the East End on Friday at 6 p.m. and in Riverhead on Saturday at 10 a.m., with local events scheduled in East Hampton Village and Sag Harbor.

Jan 29, 2026

Item of the Week: The Reverend and the Accabonac Tribe

This photostat of a deposition taken on Oct. 18, 1667, from East Hampton’s first minister, Thomas James, is one of the earliest records we have of “Ackobuak,” or “Accabonac,” as a place name.

Jan 29, 2026

 

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