New York City Fire Department
Our 78th Annual Scholarship Dinner Dance will be held
June 21, 2012
at
Russo’s on the Bay,
162-45 Cross Bay Blvd.
Howard Beach section of Queens
details to follow
As always, your support in making this special affair a success
is deeply appreciated.
Fraternally,
Craig Silvino
Dance Chairman
Contact Craig Silvino for more info
516-303-4209
Hotel information available upon request.
2011 Man of the Year
Bill de Blasio
Public Advocate
On November 3rd, 2009, Bill de Blasio was elected New York
City’s third Public Advocate. For the prior eight years, de Blasio
served in the New York City Council where he fought to make City
Hall more responsive and accountable to New Yorkers.
Bill de Blasio began his work in New York City government as an aide
to Mayor David Dinkins. During the Clinton Administration, de Blasio
was appointed Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development, where he served under former Secretary Andrew
Cuomo. In 1999, de Blasio was elected to the School Board for
District 15 in Brooklyn. In 2000, he managed Hillary Rodham
Clinton's successful campaign for U.S. Senate. The following year,
de Blasio was elected to the New York City Council where he
represented District 39 in Brooklyn for eight years.
In the City Council, Bill de Blasio fought to improve and protect
public education and child care. In the spring of 2008, de Blasio
organized a successful coalition of elected officials, parents,
students, and advocates to win back millions of dollars in classroom
funding slated for cuts.
De Blasio has also been a dedicated advocate for affordable housing,
sponsoring a City law that prevents landlords from discriminating
against tenants who depend on Section 8 vouchers to help pay for
housing.
As the Chair of the Council's General Welfare Committee, Bill de
Blasio spent the past eight years working to protect New York City's
most vulnerable populations, including children and the homeless.
Bill de Blasio holds a Bachelors degree from New York University and
a Masters in International and Public Affairs from Columbia
University. De Blasio and his wife, Chirlane McCray, met while
working together in the Dinkins Administration. They live in
Brooklyn with their two children, Chiara and Dante
2011 Humanitarian Award
Journalist Larry Mendte
PIX11 Commentator
Larry Mendte writes, produces and delivers a news commentary every night for PIX11 News at 10 in New York. The commentaries also air at Tribune TV stations across the country. Mendte’s commentaries have been credited with helping to pass the 9/11 First Responder’s Health and Compensation Bill. For his efforts, Mendte has been named an honorary board member of The Fealgood Foundation, the leading advocacy organization for the heroes of 9/11. Mendte recently returned from Libya after travelling with former Congressman Curt Weldon on his peace mission. Mendte was the only journalist permitted to sit in on negotiations between Weldon’s delegation and the government to end the Libyan crisis. His reporting was quoted by news organizations around the world.
One of the nation’s most honored broadcasters, Mendte this year won two New York Emmy awards for his PIX commentaries, giving him a total of 84 regional Emmy awards for his 30 years in broadcasting. He also has 12 Edward R. Murrow Awards, a National Sigma Delta Chi Award and dozens of other local and national journalism awards.
Mendte comes to New York from Philadelphia, where he was the 6 and
11 PM anchor at KYW, a CBS station. He is a member of The Broadcast
Pioneers of Philadelphia’s Hall of Fame. Mendte earned 40 of his
regional Emmy Awards in Philly, a record four of them in the "Best
Anchor" category. From the anchor desk and in the field, Mendte has
covered some of the nation's biggest stories of the past decade. He
was on the air for several days in a row helping the area through
the pain and panic of 9/11. He anchored live from Washington, D.C.
for the
Clinton impeachment hearings and for the funeral of Ronald Reagan.
Mendte also has anchored coverage from the Super Bowl, The Olympics,
The World Series and the NBA Championships. His special assignments
have also included the Republican National Convention in
Philadelphia and live coverage from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway during the
historic Live 8 concert.
In 2005, Mendte received several awards from Veterans groups for a
series of reports that prompted the city to re-light Philadelphia's
Eternal Flame in honor of the nation's war
dead. It had been extinguished for more than a decade. His work on
behalf of the Eternal Flame was honored on the floor of the United
States Senate that year and is now part of the Congressional Record.
Mendte is also an accomplished documentary film maker. His documentary Alex Scott: A Stand for Hope, about the little girl who started the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation before she died at the age of 8, won over 20 film festivals across the country and was the inspiration for a yearly telethon. Larry hosted the telethon and produced several touching stories about children with cancer. The telethons have raised over three million dollars to fight pediatric cancer.
Mendte has also at the forefront of another civic project – the worldwide celebration of Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday. In addition to many special reports and public appearances at Ben events, Mendte wrote, hosted and produced the Emmy Award-winning Stealing Lightning from the Sky, a half hour documentary about Franklin that aired locally and in 22 additional markets across the country.
Before joining CBS 3 in July, 2003, Mendte was evening news anchor for WCAU-TV, the NBC station in Philadelphia. Mendte was also the main anchor at the NBC station in Philadelphia. Previously, he co-hosted Access Hollywood, the daily half-hour entertainment news magazine produced by NBC in Los Angeles and was weekday anchor and investigative reporter at Chicago's WBBM-TV. While at WBBM, Mendte earned a record 27 Emmy Awards and was twice named "Best Reporter" in Illinois by the Associated Press. His series of reports on school bus safety in Chicago led to two new state laws. Prior to WBBM, Mendte was a main anchor for KFMB-TV in San Diego and a weekend anchor at WABC-TV in New York.
In his free time, Mendte is active with a number of charities including The Alzheimer’s Association, Autism Speaks and the juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Raised in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, Mendte graduated from Monsignor
Bonner High School and has been inducted into the school's Hall of
Fame. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from
West Chester University and has been awarded the school's
distinguished
alumni award and the President's medal for community service. Mendte
and his wife, former Fox and CBS Anchor Dawn Stensland, have four
children.
.
2011 Special Recognition Award
Congressman Peter T. King
Congressman Peter T. King, a Republican, is serving his tenth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. King is Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and also serves on the Financial Services Committee and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Congressman King has been a leader in the ongoing effort to have Homeland Security funding based on threat analysis and is a strong supporter of the war against international terrorism, both at home and abroad. As Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee he brought about vital legislation regarding port security and chemical plant security. He has led the effort to restore funding to the Secure the Cities Program to protect the New York-Long Island region from nuclear dirty bomb attacks.
Rep. King is a strong supporter of our military and has fought hard to bring veterans’ benefits into the 21st century. Congressman King has been a consistent leader in the fight against illegal immigration and a strong supporter of funding to combat deadly illnesses such as breast cancer and prostate cancer. He has also received the AARP’s Legislative Leadership Award for combating elder abuse and exploitation.
During his years in Congress, Rep. King has attained a reputation for being well-informed and independent. The New York Daily News has said that "Pete King is as knowledgeable as they come about terrorism and the need for emergency preparedness," while the New York Post has credited Rep. King as being "smart and solid and a long time student of terrorism and homeland security matters." Even Newsday has admitted that Congressman King is a "stand-up guy who isn’t shy about tangling with the powerful, even those in his own party. King has become a national figure who delivers for the region and his district."
Prior to serving in Congress, Pete King was elected to three terms as the Comptroller of Nassau County. Before serving in county government, Rep. King had extensive experience as a practicing attorney and civic leader. He began his political career in November 1977 by winning election to the Hempstead Town Council.
Peter T. King was born on April 5, 1944 and is a graduate of St. Francis College, Brooklyn, and the University of Notre Dame Law School. He is a lifelong resident of New York and has lived in Nassau County for more than 40 years. Rep. King and his wife, Rosemary, reside in Seaford. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.