[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 30, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1946-E1947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS 2001 ELLIS ISLAND

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 30, 2001

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, standing on the hallowed grounds 
of Ellis Island--the portal through which 17 million immigrants entered 
the United States--cast of ethnic Americans who have made significant 
contributions to the life of this Nation 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. 
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 United States in the latter part of the 19th 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, approximately 1,400 American citizens have received 
medals.
  NECO is the largest organization of its kind in the United States 
serving as an umbrella group for over 250 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. NECO has a new goal in its humanitarian mission: 
saving the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions. 
NECO has found The Forum's Children Foundation, which brings children 
from developing nations needing life-saving surgery to the United 
States for treatment.
  Ellis Island Medals 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 Medals of Honor recipients have included several 
U.S. Presidents, entertainers, athletes, entrepreneurs, religious 
leaders, and business executives, such as William Clinton, 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, Dr. Michael DeBakey, Senator John McCain, and Attorney 
General Janet Reno.

  Congratulations to the 2001 Ellis Island Medals of Honor Recipients

       This year's recipients and their ethnic communities are 
     Melvyn Aaronson, Treasurer UFT, (Lithuanian/Polish/Russian); 
     Monte Ahuja, Chairman and CEO, Transtar Industries, Inc. 
     (Indian); George L. Argyros, Chairman & CEO, Arnel & 
     Affiliates, (Hellenic); Ted J. Balestreri, Chairman and CEO, 
     Cannery Row Company/Sardine Factory, (Italian); Stasys J. 
     Baras, Executive V.P., Director, Lithuanian Foundation Inc., 
     (Lithuanian); Richard H. Bard, Chairman & CEO, Bard & Co., 
     Inc. (Russian); Donald D. Belcher, Chairman and CEO, Banta 
     Corporation, (Irish/Scottish); Robert A. Belfer, Chairman & 
     CEO, Belco Oil and Gas Corporation (Polish); John Montgomery 
     Belk, Chairman and CEO, Belk, Inc. (English/Scottish/Irish); 
     Lawrence Peter ``Yogi'' Berra, Retired Yankee great, 
     (Italian); Bill C. Beutel, WABC-TV Anchorman, (German/
     English); Madeline Boyd, Member of the Board, NY Mercantile 
     Exchange, (Irish); Rick Boyko, President and CCO Ogilvy & 
     Mather, (Ukrainian/Italian); David D. Carr, President & CEO, 
     Brennan Industries, (Russian/English); Thomas F. Carr, 
     President, Thomas F. Carr & Associates, Inc., (Irish); Henry 
     J. Caruso, Chairman and CEO, HJC Investment

[[Page E1947]]

     Corporation, (Italian); Sonny Chabra, CEO, AMC Corporation 
     (Indian); Gus A. Chafoulias, Chairman, Chafoulias Company 
     Inc., (Hellenic); Arthur Cheliotes, President, CWA Local 1180 
     Communications Workers of America, (Hellenic); Mary Higgins 
     Clark, Author, (Irish); Hon. Una S. Tomlinson-Clarke, NYC 
     Council Member, (Caribbean); Robert A. Cornog, Chairman, 
     President, and CEO, Snap-On, Inc. (Welsh); Christos M. 
     Cotsakos, Chairman & CEO, E* TRADE Group Inc., (Hellenic); 
     George E. Danis, CEO, IntegraTECH Solutions, (Hellenic); 
     William E. Davis, Chairman & CEO, Niagara Mohawk Holdings, 
     (Irish/English).
       Erroll B. Davis, Jr., Chairman, President & CEO, Alliant 
     Energy, (African); Earnest W. Deavenport, Jr., Chairman & 
     CEO, Eastman Chemical Company, (Irish/Scottish); Sr. Marion 
     DeFeis, Chaplain, NYC Department of Corrections (Italian); 
     Philip R. DiGennaro, Managing Director/Group Leader, TIAA-
     CREF, (Italian); Simos C. Dimas, Attorney, Pavia and 
     Harcourt, (Hellenic); H.E. Bishop Stephen H. Doueihi, Office 
     of the Bishop, Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn, 
     (Lebanese); Nikitas Drakotos, President and CEO, M & N 
     Management Corp., (Hellenic); Brigid Driscoll RSHM, Ph. D., 
     President Emerita, Marymount College, (Irish); Col. Brian 
     Duffy, Astronaut, NASA/USAF (Irish); Anthony Drexel Duke, 
     Founder & President Emeritus, Boys & Girls Harbor, (English/
     Spanish); Archie W. Dunham, Chairman, President & CEO (Native 
     American/English/Irish/Scottish/German); John R. Durso, 
     President, Local 338, (Italian, Irish, German, Danish); 
     Robert M. Dutkowsky, Chairman, President, & CEO, GenRad Inc., 
     (Polish); Charles S. Ensley, President, AFSCME Local 371, 
     (African); Joseph J. Esposito, Chief of Department NYPD 
     (Italian); Jamie Farr, Actor, (Lebanese); James L. Ferraro, 
     Esq., President, Ferraro & Associates, (Italian); Kenneth 
     Fisher, Partner, Fisher Brothers (Russian).
       Renee Fleming, Soprano, (Czech/Scottish/Welsh); Charles L. 
     Flynn Jr., Ph.D., President, College of Mount St. Vincent, 
     (Italian/Irish); Harry C. Fotopoulos, President & CEO, INT 
     Management, (Hellenic); Joseph L. Fox, President, J. Fox 
     Investigations, (Irish/English); William P. Galatis, 
     Executive Director, Sports Museum of New England, (Hellenic); 
     George G. Gellert, Chairman, Atalanta Corp., (Russian/
     Hungarian); Michael J. George, President, Melody Foods, Inc., 
     (Chaldean); Lt. Col. Rodney W. Gettig, Commander, U.S. Army 
     Garrison, (French/German); Hon. Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mayor of 
     New York City, (Italian); Jack M. Greenberg, Chairman & CEO, 
     McDonald's Corp., (Eastern European); Pedro J. Greer, Jr., 
     M.D., Assistant Dean for Homeless Education, University of 
     Miami School of Medicine, (Cuban/Irish); Gedalio Grinberg, 
     Chairman & CEO, Movado Group Inc., (Cuban); Hon. Felix 
     Grucci, Jr., Congressman, United States Congress, (Italian); 
     Edward Guiliano, President & CEO, New York Institute of 
     Technology (Italian); Charles J. Hamm, President, CEO, & 
     Chairman, Independence Community Bank Corp., (Irish/Swiss); 
     Marion R. Harris, CEO, International & Domestic Development 
     Corp., (African); Alan G. Hassenfeld, Chairman & CEO, Hasbro, 
     Inc. (Polish); Ralph Hittman, Retired Executive Director, 
     Boys Brotherhood Republic of New York, Inc., (Austrian/
     Polish); David R. Holmes, Chairman, The Reynolds & Reynolds 
     Company, (English/Irish/German); Morton P. Hyman, Chairman & 
     CEO, Overseas Shipholding Group Inc., (Russian).
       Joseph F. Inzinna, M.D., Founder & Medical Director, 
     Medical Imaging, P.A., (Italian); U.S. Army General George 
     Joulwan (Ret.) (Lebanese); Vice Admiral Michael P. Kalleres, 
     USN (Ret.), Naval Fleet Commander, (Hellenic); Dimitrios 
     Kaloidis, Owner, Terrace on the Park, (Hellenic); Bozena 
     Kaminski, President, Polish and Slavic Center, (Polish); 
     Stephen P. Kaufman, Chairman, Arrow Electronic Inc., 
     (Russian/Romanian/Austrian/Hungarian); Hon. Bernard B. 
     Kerick, Police Commissioner, NYCPD (Russian/Irish); Peter E. 
     Kilissanly, President & COO, Preferred Employers Holdings, 
     Inc., (Lebanese); Soonja Park Kim, President, M.K. Enterprise 
     Inc., (Korean); Richard Jay Kogan, Chairman & CEO, Schering-
     Plough Corp. (Russian/Austrian/Hungarian); Evris Kontos, 
     President & Founder, Kontos Foods, (Cypriot); John A. 
     Koumoulides, M.A., Ph.D., Professor of History, Ball State 
     University, (Hellenic); Richard L. Krzyzanowski, Esq., Crown 
     Cork & Seal Company, Inc., (Polish); Vello Alexander 
     Kuuskraa, President, Advanced Resources International, Inc., 
     (Estonian); Ralph J. Lamberti, Executive Vice President, 
     Staten Island University Hospital, (Italian); Evelyn H. 
     Lauder, Sr. Corporate Vice President, The Estee Lauder 
     Companies Inc., (Austrian); Jay Lee, President & CEO, By 
     Design LLC, (Korean); Joseph H. Lemieux, Chairman & CEO, 
     Owens-Illinois (English/Canadian); Howard Li, Chairman & CEO, 
     Waitex International Co., Inc., (Chinese); Michael F. 
     Manzulli, Chairman & CEO Richmond County Bank, (Italian); 
     Markos Marinakis, President & CEO, MKM Chartering Inc., 
     (Hellenic); Hon. Dominic R. Massaro, Justice, Supreme Court 
     of New York (Italian); Joseph A. Melillo, Chairman, Richmond 
     Investment Corp., (Italian); Samuel H. Miller, Co-Chairman & 
     Treasurer, Forest City Enterprises, Inc. (Polish/Russian); 
     Sidney A. Miller, Chairman, Delta Financial Corp., (Romanian/
     Russian); Larry A. Mizel, Chairman & CEO, MDC Holdings, Inc., 
     (Russian/Polish).
       Joseph Monti, President, Crest Hollow Country Club, 
     (Italian); Nicola Mossa, President, Nico Hairstylists, Inc., 
     (Italian); John H. Myers, President, GE Asset Management 
     Inc., (German); Richard J. Naclerio, Ret. President & CEO, 
     Naclerio Contracting Co., Inc. (Italian); Richard Nicotra, 
     President, The Nicotra Group, (Italian); Hon. George Onorato, 
     Senator, NY State Senate, (Italian); Paul J. Orfalea, Founder 
     & Chairperson Emeritus, Kinko's Inc. (Lebanese); Constantine 
     Papadakis, Ph.D., President, Drexel University & MCP, 
     Hahnemann University, (Hellenic); Peter J. Pappas, CEO & 
     President, P.J. Mechanical Corp. (Cypriot); John Youn Young 
     Park, President, Four Seasons Fashions, (Korean); Margaret 
     LaGana Pataki, Volunteer & Homemaker, (Italian/Irish); 
     Kathleen M. Peslie, Principal, Peslie Financial Group, 
     (Italian); Joseph Pfeifer, President, Joseph Pfeifer 
     Foundation (German); Vincent T. Pica, Vice Chairman Voyant 
     Corporation, (Italian); Diane Portnoy, President/Director/Co-
     Founder, The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc., (Polish); 
     Leslie C. Quick, (Posthumously) Former Chairman & CEO Quick & 
     Reilly/Fleet Securities, Inc. (Irish); Peter Quick Jr., 
     President, American Stock Exchange, (Irish/English); Richard 
     S. Rhee, M.D., Clinical Professor of Neurology, UMD of NJ & 
     President of KAHF, (Korean); Daniel D. Ricciardi, M.D., 
     Chief, Division of Rheumatology, LI College Hospital, 
     (Italian); Marie Rust, Director N.E. Region, National Park 
     Service, (Italian).
       Jim Ryan, TV Anchor, FOX 5, (Irish); Peter John Sacripanti, 
     Attorney/Partner-In-Charge, McDermott, Will & Emery, 
     (Italian); Nicholas J. Sakellariadis, Managing Director, 
     Salomon Smith Barney, (Hellenic); Charles G. Samiotes, 
     Chairman, Samiotes Consultants, Inc., (Hellenic); Camille F. 
     Sarrouf, Esq., Attorney, Sarrouf, Tarricone & Flemming, 
     (Lebanese); Hon. Bret Schundler, Mayor Jersey City, (German); 
     Robert A. Sgarlato, President, Slater & Sgarlato P.C., 
     (Italian); Joseph Shaker, Chairman, Shaker Advertising 
     Agency, Inc., (Lebanese); Sinan Sinanian, President, Sinanian 
     Development Inc. (Lebanese/Armenian); Shun Yen Siu, Chairman 
     & CEO, Lafayette 148, Inc., (Chinese); Kaloust P. Sogoian, 
     CEO, Director of Engineering, K P Sogoian Mfg. Inc., 
     (Armenian); Daisy M. Soros, Philanthropist, (Hungarian); Ted 
     G. Spyropoulos, President, TGS Petroleum Co. Inc., 
     (Hellenic); Jerry Stiller, Actor, 2000 Medalist, (Polish); 
     Frank Stillo, Chairman & CEO, Sandy Alexander Inc. (Italian); 
     Christopher Stratakis, Senior Partner, Poles, Tublin, 
     Patestides & Stratakis LLP, (Hellenic); Fred R. Sullivan, 
     Chairman, Richton International Corp., (Irish/Welsh); Thomas 
     C.C. Sung, Chairman & CEO, Abacus Federal Saving Bank, 
     (Chinese); Anthony J. Szuezczewicz, President Polonia Bank, 
     (Polish); Ivan Tiger, Secretary/Treasury New York State 
     United Teachers, (Russian); Joseph Volpe, General Manager, 
     Metropolitan Opera, (Italian); Farah M. Walters, President & 
     CEO, University Hospitals Health System, (Persian); Bruce D. 
     Wardinski, Chairman & CEO, Crestline Capital, (Irish/Polish); 
     Ludwik Wnekowicz, President, Doma Export Co. Inc., (Polish); 
     James G. Wood, Executive Director, New York State United 
     Teachers, (German/Welsh); Emily Woods, Chairman J. Crew Group 
     Inc., (Dutch/Austrian/Russian); Stephen G. Yeonas, Chairman, 
     Stephen G. Yeonas Co., (Hellenic); Hon. Dennison Young, Jr., 
     Counsel to the Mayor, Office of the Mayor, (Russian/Polish/
     Latvian) and Dr. Joseph Zagame, Philatelist, Italia 
     Philatelic Society, (Italian).

     

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