[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 1] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 1023-1025] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]ELLIS ISLAND MEDALS OF HONOR AWARDS CEREMONY--NECO CHAIRMAN WILLIAM DENIS FUGAZY LEADS DRAMATIC CEREMONY ON ELLIS ISLAND, NY, MAY 6 ______ HON. DAN BURTON of indiana in the house of representatives Tuesday, January 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--a 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 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. Fugzay 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 [[Page 1024]] 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 1,300 American citizens have received medals. NECO is the largest organization of its kind in the U.S. 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 founded the Forum's Children Foundation, which brings children from developing nations needing life-saving surgery to the United States for treatment. This year alone, NECO's efforts have helped save the lives of twelve infants from around the world. 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 executive, 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 Mantel, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Barbara Walters, Terry Anderson and Dr. Michael DeBakey. Congratulations to the 2000 Ellis Island Medals of Honor recipients. Medalist List: Ellis Island 2000 Richard A. Abdoo, Business Leader, Lebanese. Anthony R. Abraham, Business/Community Leader, Lebanese. Dr. William A. Athens, Physician/Surgeon, Hellenic. Nelson Viriato Baptista, Business Leader, Portuguese. Amin J. Barakat M.D., Physician, Lebanese. Edward J. Bergassi, Business Leader, Italian. Bharat B. Bhatt, Business Leader, Indian. Norman P. Blake, Jr., Business Leader, English/German. Gunter Blobel, M.D., PhD, Scientist, German. Jules J. Bonavolonta, Business Leader, Italian. Patricia R. Brandrup, Business Leader, English. Hon. Jesse Brown, Business Leader, African. Art Buchwald, Syndicated Columnist, Austrian/Hungarian. Gerard L. Cafesjian, Investor/Philanthropist, Armenian. Dr. Vincent J. Calamia, Physician & Business Leader, Italian. Charles V. Campisi, Chief of Internal Affairs, Italian. Carlos H. Cantu, Business Leader, Mexican. Elvira M. Carota, M.D., Physician/Educator/Humanitarian, Italian. David E.A. Carson, Business Leader, English. Frank Carucci, Educator, Italian. Margo Catsimatidis, Advertising Exec./Philanthropist, Russian. Leonard A. Cecere, Attorney, Italian. Michael Chakeres, Business Leader, Hellenic. Alvah H. Chapman, Jr., Business/Community Leader, English. Dr. Ben John Chen, Community/Business Leader, Chinese. George C. Chryssis, Community/Business Leader, Hellenic. Sam C. Chung, Banker, Korean. John R. Climaco, Attorney, Italian. Vance D. Coffman, Business Leader, German/English. Paul F. Cole, Labor Leader, Irish/German. Evanthea Condakes, Community Leader, Hellenic. James Costaras, Educator, Hellenic. Stephen J. Dannhauser, Esq., Attorney, German/Irish. James DeCuzzi, NYC Commissioner, Italian/British. James F. Demos, Community Leader, Hellenic. James L. Doti, Educator, Italian. Hon. Dennis C. Droushiotis, International Business Leader, Cypriot. Walter E. Dunn, Jr., Labor Leader, Irish. Joseph P. Dunne, Law Enforcement Officer, Irish. Jean C. Emond, M.D., Surgeon/Humanitarian, Canadian. Gaetana Enders, Author/Community Leader, Italian. Jack W. Eugster, Business Leader, Swiss. John D. Feerick, Lawyer, Irish. Steven Fisher, Business Leader, Russian. John S.T. Gallagher, CEO Healthsystem, Columbian/Irish. John E. Callagher, Sr., Business Leader, Irish. Laurance W. Gay, Business Leader, Italian/Irish. Louis C. Generali, Business Leader, Italian. Liz Giordano, Business/Community Leader, Italian. Robert C. Golden, Business Leader, Irish. Alan Harvey Goldfield, Business Leader, Austrian. Hon. Norman Goodman, Attorney/Government Official, Russian/ English. Milton Gralla, Publisher, Polish. Hans G. Hachmann, Attorney, German. Michael Haratunian, Business Leader, Armenian. Dr. L.P. Hinterbuchner, Educator/Physician, Slovak. Dr. Eugene M. Holuka, Dip. of Internal Medicine, Ukrainian. James J. Houlihan, Business Leader, Irish. Raffy A. Hovanessian M.D., Community Leader, Armenian/ Lebanese. Henry J. Humphreys, Community Leader, Irish/English. Hon. Charles J. Hynes, District Attorney, Irish. James S. Isray, Business Leader, Polish/Hungarian. Mjr. Gen. Robert R. Ivany, Maj. Gen.--United States Army, Hungarian. Jay S. Jacobs, Business/Civic Leader, English/German. Dr. William A. Athens, Physician/Surgeon, Hellenic. Thomas H. Jacobsen, Business Leader, Norwegian. Willie James, Labor Leader, African. Albert Joseph, Business Leader, Lebanese. William H. Joyce, Business Leader, Swedish/Irish. Dr. Kirk P. Kalemkeris, Doctor/Author/Community Leader, Hellenic. Sok Hui Kang, Community Leader/Activist, Korean. Mike Kojaian, Business Leader, Armenian. George P. Kokalis, Community Leader, Hellenic. Elyse Kroll, Business Leader, Russian/English. Glenn Kummer, Business Leader, Swiss/German. Leonard A. Lauder, Business Leader, Hungarian/Czech/ Austrian. Hon. Peter K. Leisure, Sr. District Judge, English/French. Alfred Lerner, Business Leader, Russian. Leo Liebowitz, Business Leader, Romanian/Polish. Anthony J. Limberakis M.D., Nat'l Cmdr Order of St. Andrew, Hellenic. Dr. Herbert London, Educator, Russian/Polish. Robert Lopez, Business Leader, Puerto Rican. Susan Lucci, Emmy Award Winning Actress, Italian/Swedish. Robert W. Mahoney, Business Leader, Irish. Gerald F. Mahoney, Business Leader, Irish/Scottish. Hon. Guy James Mangano, Presiding Justice, Italian. Colonel William J. Martinez, Commander, Spanish/Mexican. James S. Mavromatis, Special Agent, Hellenic/Yugoslavian. Hon. John McCain, United States Senator, Scottish/Irish. Royce Neil McNeill, FSA Scot, Scottish Clan Leader, Scottish. C. Dean Metropoulos, Business Leader, Hellenic. William D. Modell, Business Leader, Hungarian. Zena, Mucha, Government Relations Specialist, Ukrainian. Hon. Michael B. Mukasey, Chief Judge, So. District NY, Russian/Polish. Joseph P. Nacchio, Business Leader, Italian. Fred Nauman, Labor Leader, German. Joseph Neubauer, Business Leader, Israeli. Peter M. Nicholas, Business Leader, Hellenic. Hugh O'Brien, Philanthropist/Educator/Performer, Irish/ German/Scottish. John Pappajohn, Business Leader, Hellenic. Ike Pappas, Television Journalist, Hellenic. Nazario Paragano Sr., Builder/Real Estate Broker/Banker, Italian. Hon. Michael L. Pesce, Adm. Judge, Italian. Thomas M. Reich, Attorney, Russian. Hon. Janet Reno, Attorney General of the U.S., Danish. Chita Rivera, Entertainer, Puerto Rican. Douglas L. Rock, Business Leader, Austrian. John Roland, TV News Anchorman, German. Hon. Eugene T. Rossides, Business/Community Leader, Cypriot/Hellenic. John P. Rousakis, Community Leader, Hellenic. T. Timothy Ryan, Jr., Investment Banker, Irish. George E. Safiol, Business Leader, Hellenic. Edward M. Salem, Community Leader/Humanitarian, Lebanese. Tamir Sapir, Business Leader, Russian. Albert Schwartzberg, Business Leader, Russian. [[Page 1025]] Cristina Schwarz, Spanish Language TV Executive, Argentina/ Austria/Chile/Croatia. Irving J. Shulman, Business Leader, Russian. Nathaniel L. Sillis, Business Leader, Lithuanian/Polish. Sam Simonian, Business Leader, Lebanese/Armenian. Louis H. Siracusano, Sr., Entrepreneur, Italian. David S. Slackman, Business Leader, Polish. Richard A. Smith, Business Leader, German/Dutch/English. Salvatore F. Sodano, Business/Community Leader, Italian. Taraneh Sohrab, Banker, Persian. Harold A. Sorgenti, Business Leader, Italian. Hon. Eliot Spitzer, NYS Attorney General, Austrian/French. Robert G. Stanton, Conservation Leader, African. Jerry Stiller, Polish. Thomas C. Sullivan, Business Leader, Irish. Dr. William A. Athens, Physician/Surgeon, Hellenic. Sidney Taurel, Business Leader, Spanish. W.R. Timken, Jr., Business Leader, German. Joe Torre, New York Yankees Manager, Italian. William Ungar, Business Leader, Polish. Hon. Thomas Von Essen, NYC Fire Commissioner, German. Michael Wach, Television Executive, Polish/Russian. LaDane Williamson, Business Leader, English/Italian. Gary Winnick, Global Financier/Philanthropist, Eastern European. Barry Zorthian, Communications Consultant, Armenian. ____________________