[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 16, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1762-E1763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
1997 ELLIS ISLAND MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS
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HON. DAN BURTON
of indiana
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, September 16, 1997
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following:
Ellis Island, NY, May 4.--Standing on the hallowed grounds
of Ellis Island--the portal through which 17 million
immigrants entered the United States--a cast of ethnic
Americans who have made significant contributions to the life
of this nation, among them President William Jefferson
Clinton, NYS Attorney General Dennis Vacco, National Football
League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Little Caeser
Enterprises Chairman Michael Illitch, today were presented
with the coveted Ellis Island Medal of Honor at an
emotionally uplifting ceremony.
NECO's annual medal ceremony and reception on Ellis Island
in New York Harbor is the Nation's largest celebration of
ethnic pride. This year's event was dedicated to the memory
of Albert Shanker, a 1995 Ellis Island Medal recipient and
former President of the American Federation of Teachers and a
Vice President of the AFL-CIO.
Representing a rainbow of ethnic origins, this year's
recipients received their awards in the shadow of the
historic Great Hall, where the first footsteps were taken by
the millions of immigrants who entered the U.S. in the latter
part of the nineteenth century.
``Today we honor great ethnic Americans who, through their
achievements and contributions, and in the spirit of their
ethnic origins, have enriched this country and have become
role models for future generations,'' said NECO Chairman
William Denis Fugazy. ``In addition, we honor the immigrant
experience--those who passed through this Great Hall decades
ago, and the new immigrants who arrive on American soil
seeking opportunity.''
Mr. Fugazy added, ``It doesn't matter how you got here or
if you already were here. Ellis Island is a symbol of the
freedom, diversity and opportunity--ingredients inherent in
the fabric of this nation. Although many recipients have no
familial ties to Ellis Island, their ancestors share similar
histories of struggle and hope for a better life here.
Established in 1986 by NECO, the Ellis Island Medals of
Honor pay tribute to the ancestry groups that comprise
America's unique cultural mosaic. To date, some 700 ethnic
American citizens and native Americans have received medals.
NECO is the largest organization of its kind in the U.S.
serving as an umbrella group for 75 ethnic organizations and
whose mandate is to preserve ethnic diversity, promote ethnic
and religious equality, tolerance and harmony, and to combat
injustice, hatred, and bigotry.
Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients are selected each
year through a national nomination process. Screening
committees from NECO's member organizations select the final
nominees, who are then considered by the Board of Directors.
Past Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients have included
several U.S. Presidents, entertainers, athletes,
entrepreneurs, religious leaders and business executives,
such as Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, George
Bush, Richard Nixon, George Pataki, Mario Cuomo, Bob Hope,
Frank Sinatra, Michael Douglas, Gloria Estefan, Coretta Scott
King, Rosa Parks, Elie Wiesel, Muhammad Ali, Mickey Mantle,
General Norman Schwarzkopf, Barbara Walters, Terry Anderson
and Dr. Michael DeBakey.
Congratulations to the 1997 Ellis Island Medal of Honor
recipients.
Beny Alagem, Israeli, business leader; Manfred Alstadt,
German, business leader; Denis Andreuzzi, Italian, business
leader; Stuart Appelbaum, Lithuanian/Russian, labor leader;
Edward F. Arrigoni, Italian, business leader; Ralph A.
Balzano, Italian, government official; Raphael Baron,
Russian, business leader; Herbert F. Boeckmann, II, German,
entrepreneur; William Bolster, English/Irish, media
executive; J. Frank Brown, Irish, business leader; Young In
Chung, Korean, community leader; William Jefferson Clinton,
President of the United States; Hon. Nicholas Coffinas,
Hellenic, community leader; Joseph M. Cohen, Polish/Russian,
business leader; Geneos Pete Cokinos, Hellenic, oil producer.
Jerry Colangelo, Italian, business leader; Hon. Martin E.
Connor, Irish, NYS senate minority leader; Daniel F. Cremins,
Irish, business leader; Sr. Catherine Crumlish, RSM, Irish,
community leader; Richard E. Dauch, German, manufacturing
leader; J. Morton Davis, Hungarian/Polish, business leader/
author; Hon. Vincent A. Delorio, Italian, attorney; Ralph
Destino, Italian, business leader; George Douris, Hellenic,
business/community leader posthumous; Irma B. Elder, Syrian/
Mexican, business/community leader; Dr. Saul J. Farber,
Lithuanian, physician/educator; Ralph D. Farkas, Israeli/
Czech, business leader; George Filios, Hellenic, business
leader; Michael C. Finnegan, Esq., Irish, business/government
leader; Edward Fredkin, Russian, scientist.
Peter C. Gazes, MD, Hellenic, physician/educator; Peter A.
Georgescu, Romanian, business leader; Kenneth J. Gorman,
Irish, business leader; Salvatore, ``Sonny'' Grosso, Italian,
television & movie producer; Rajat Gupta, Asian Indian,
business leader; Marife Hernandez, Hispanic, civic leader;
Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC, German/Irish, president
emeritus U. of Notre Dame; Thomas Y. Hobart, Jr., English/
German/Italian, labor leader; Harry G. Hohn, German/Irish,
business leader; Hirair Hovnanian, Armenian, business/
community leader; Thomas M. Hricik, Slovak, fraternalist;
Denis M. Hughes, Irish/Italian, labor leader; Michael
Ilitch, Macedonian, business/community leader; Elham
Jabiru-Shayota, Chaldean, business leader; Caroline R.
Jones, African, business leader.
Myong Y. Juch, Korean, business/community leader; Charles
Kanakis, Jr., MD, Hellenic, physician/community leader;
Constantine N. Kangles, Esq., Hellenic, attorney/publisher/
community leader; Adib Kassis, Lebanese, business/community
leader; Henry Kaufman, German, business leader; John H.
Klein, German/Irish, business leader; Herbert V. Kohler, Jr.,
Austrian, business leader; Kamil Kubik, Czech, artist;
Andreas C. Kyprianides, Cypriot, community leader;
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John Lam, Chinese, business leader; Hon. John J.
Leskovyansky, Slovak, community leader; Pamela Anagnos
Liapakis, Hellenic, business leader; David W. Longaberger,
German/Scottish, business leader; Earle I. Mack, Russian/
German, government official; Tony J. Mafoud, Lebanese,
business leader.
Leonard A. Mancusi, Italian, public official; Ronald Joseph
Mannino, Italian, business leader; William J. Marino,
Italian/Eng/Ire/Scot, business leader; William T. McCaffrey,
Irish, business leader; Jim McCann, Irish, business leader;
Hon. William A. McClain, African, religious/legal/community
leader; Norman P. McClelland, Irish, business leader; Edward
J. McElroy, Irish/Italian, labor leader; Michael A. McManus,
Jr., Irish, business leader; Jerry D. McMorris, Italian/
Irish, business leader; Dennis Mehiel, Hellenic, business
leader; Robert Meister, Russian, business leader; Frank
Mercede, Italian, real estate developer; Ernest S. Micek,
Polish, business leader; Nicholas G. Moore, Irish,
business leader;
Nikos Mouyiaris, Cypriot, business leader; Paul H. Mullan,
Irish, business leader; Thomas V. Murphy, Irish, educator/
labor leader; Andrew Patrick O'Rourke, Irish, community
leader; Frank A. Olson, Swedish, business leader; Hon. Louis
J. Papan, Hellenic, member, California State Assembly;
Panayiotis Papanicolaou, Cypriot, community leader; Philip E.
Parker, Esq., Irish, business leader; Hon. Jeanine F. Pirro,
Lebanese, chief law enforcement official; Carlos P. Portes,
Cuban, community leader; Patrick J. Purcell, Irish,
publisher; Nido R. Qubein, Lebanese, international
consultant/author; James H. Quello, Italian, business leader;
Stewart Rahr, Russian, business leader; Daniel Rappaport,
German/Greek/Russian/Turkish, business leader; James A.
Regas, Hellenic, business/community leader.
Walter G. Rich, Scottish/Irish/English, business leader;
Dennis Rivera, Puerto Rican/Irish, labor leader; Valerie B.
Salembier, Russian, business leader; Naseeb M. Saliba,
Lebanese, business leader; Marvin Samson, Russian, business
leader; Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa, Italian, educator. Richard Dale
Schultz, German/Irish, business leader/educator; Karen
Silberman Scott, Russian, media executive; Hon. Peter
Secchia, Italian, business leader; John J. Shalam, Middle
Eastern, business leader; Michael J. Sherman, Eastern
European, business leader; Stephen B. Siegel, Russian,
business leader; Albert J. Simmons, African, business leader/
community activist; Anwar Soliman, Egyptian, business leader.
Hon. John D. Spencer, Irish, mayor; Nicholas Anthony
Spilotro, Italian, labor leader; H.E. Archbishop Spyridon,
Hellenic, religious leader; Jose Suquet, Cuban, business
leader; Dennis D. Swanson, Swedish/German/Irish/English,
business leader; Paul Tagliabue, Italian, business leader;
Martin James Tandler, Czech, business leader; George
Tenet, Hellenic, CIA Director; Michael E. Tennenbaum,
German/Russian, business/community leader; Albert N.
Thompson, African, business leader; Hon. Vito Titone,
Italian, judge; Thomas Ralph Tizzio, Italian, business
leader.
Robert J. Tomsich, Sloven, business leader; Louis R.
Tomson, Eastern European, State executive; Richard
Torrenzano, Italian, business leader; Savas C. Tsivicos,
Cypriot, business/community leader; James G. Tsunis,
Hellenic, business leader; Charles Uribe, Chilean, business
leader; Hon. Dennis C. Vacco, Italian, NYS attorney general;
Peter L. Venetis, Hellenic, business leader; Herbert N.
Wallace, Esq., Latvian/Russian, attorney/business leader;
Iris Walshin, Austrian/Russian/German, business leader; Scott
R. Watterson, Danish/Eng/Welsh, business leader; Sam Hanna
Zakhem, Lebanese, Ambassador.
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