At his sixth annual “Women of Distinction” Awards ceremony on Saturday night at the Albertson VFW Hall, state Assemblyman Tom McKevitt (R-East Meadow) offered a succinct explanation of what motivates him to hold the event each year.
“Over the years I have met countless women whose work has enriched the lives of everyone in our community, but too often their contributions have gone unnoticed,” said McKevitt. “The ‘Women of Distinction’ ceremony allows our community the opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication of these women and thank them for all they have done to make a difference.”
The event honored 22 women in the 17th Assembly District for the impact they have had on their communities, including nine women from the Willistons, Mineola, New Hyde Park and Garden City Park, including:
Tess Fiorentino
The senior member of the group, 63-year Albertson resident Tess Fiorentino, is a fixture at Herricks School Board meetings who celebrated her 90th birthday in March. She was a member of the Albertson-Roslyn Heights Republican Club for the past 55 years, never missing a meeting and serving as treasurer and financial secretary.
Applying her artistic talents to serve those in need, Fiorentino often crochets lap robes for Veterans at the Northport VA Hospital and blankets for children through the LINUS Project. She also makes ceramics in an effort to raise money for charities, which sell her works to raise funds.
“It’s overwhelming and I thank everybody for their thoughts about me,” Fiorentino said.
Rose Marie Farrar
Rose Marie Farrar, dubbed the “Nightingale” of Williston Park, has been singing all her life. The choir at St. Cecilia’s Church in Manhattan was her first stage, followed by singing lessons at Carnegie Hall. A professional singing career was not to be, as a young man named William came along and swept FarraR off her feet. They married and became parents of four children.
After William’s death, she began singing at Mass at St. Aidan Church in Williston Park, which she continues to do today. Farrar also sings for the patients at the A. Holly Patterson Nursing Home and serves lunches.
Farrar has served as a eucharistic minister at St. Aidan, as well as a member of the Ministry of Consolation. She also felt it was very important to pass her faith on to another generation, teaching religious education for 17 years.
For eight years, Farrar volunteered for the Mineola chapter of the American Red Cross. Farrar is also the corresponding secretary for the Herricks Senior Citizens, is a member of Albertson VFW Post 5253 and Willistons American Legion Post 144 Ladies Auxiliaries and the Brave Hearts at St. Francis Hospital. Earlier this year, Farrar was named to the Town of North Hempstead’s Women’s Roll of Honor.
She spends much of her free time with her six grandchildren and her neighbors in Williston Park.
“I was overwhelmed,” she said of being honored by McKevitt. “When somebody does something like that for you, you feel humbled. I’m grateful that I’m able to do these things that I do.”
Mary Ann Zweibel
Mary Ann Zwiebel was described as a dedicated member of the Williston Park community, working full-time as a registered nurse while studying for a master’s degree in nursing.
Zweibel has been a Girl Scout Troop Leader for over 10 years and is currently chairwoman of the Williston Albertson Roslyn Mineola Association of the Girl Scouts on Long Island. She is also member of the Rosary Altar Society for the Church of St. Aidan, offering prayers and support for members of the community.
She and her husband, Pat, have three daughters, Kelly, Colleen and Emily.
A Girl Scout her self, her daughters prompted her to take a leadership role in the organization.
“I loved girl scouts and I wanted my girls to love girls scouts,” she said.
She said she was pleased to be honored by McKevitt, saying, “It was nice to have people express how they fell about what you do. Sometimes you don’t think people notice what you do.”
Doreen Ehrbar
Doreen Ehrbar’s community activism began in the Herricks School District when she joined the Center Street PTA, eventually serving as president, of both the Middle School PTA and the Herricks Athletic Boosters Association.
Ehrbar eventually ran for office in Williston Park, serving as village trustee starting in 1996, deputy mayor in 1998, and becoming the village’s first female mayor in 2000.
As mayor, Ehrbar oversaw various projects, including the makeover of Hillside Avenue and secured grants to refurbish the LIRR parking lots and Gazebo Park. She also initiated the Neighborhood Watch Program and the Senior Advisory Committee.
She is currently coordinator for the Neighborhood Watch Program, the Williston Park Beautification Committee, the Senior Advisory and New Resident Committees, the Advisory Board of the Herricks Alzheimer’s Program and the co-president of the Herricks Community Fund.
She and her husband, Paul, the current Williston Park mayor, have three children and two grandchildren.
“I was very honored to be honored,” she said. “You just do these things because you want to make a difference. You don’t do them to be honored.”
Lucy Gaglione
Lucy Gaglione, a lifelong resident of Mineola, is a dental hygienist and a volunteer firefighter in the Williston Park Fire Department for the past 16 years.
For the past 14 years, she has also been an emergency medical technician (EMT).
Gaglione was among the volunteers who went to the site of the World Trade Center towers after the attack on September 11, 2001. In 2004, when she received a memo seeking volunteers to form Operation Wounded Warrior, Gaglione immediately joined that effort. Her work with Operation Wounded Warrior over the past eight years has taken her around the country to such places as Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune and Pope Air Force Base, among others.
In June 2012, Gaglione received community service award from the Mineola-Garden City Rotary in her volunteerism.
Diane Thorp
Diane Thorp, a Williston Park resident since 1976, is a registered nurse with over 36 years of experience as a staff nurse, a nurse manager and a health care administrator. Since 2003, she has worked for IPRO, the Quality Improvement Organization for Healthcare in New York State, ensuring that healthcare organizations and providers adhere to state and Federal health care regulations.
Prior to working at IPRO, she was director of patient services at Metropolitan Jewish Home Care in New York City and also worked at Winthrop-University Hospital’s Certified Home Health Agency, advancing from staff nurse to supervisor. Thorp opened Winthrop at Home as director of patient services and used her advocacy skills to obtain a $1.5 million dollar grant from the NYS Department of Health for training of healthcare professionals.
She also has been involved in many community programs, including the Herricks PTA, the Herricks Music and Athletic Boosters, Nassau County Girl Scouts, Nassau County Boy Scouts, St. Aidan CYO and various Little League organizations. She is also Sunday School teacher and ordained Deacon and Elder on the Board of the Williston Park Reformed Church.
Thorp has two children, a son and a daughter, three granddaughters, and one great grandson.
Yurika Saito Karasz
MIneola resident Yuri Karasz earned her bachelor of science in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and her master’s degree in biochemistry and biophysics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
She served on active duty in the U.S. Army for nearly 10 years, rising to the rank of captain. She led truck company platoons and served as company executive officer in Germany, operated Supply Support Activity at Fort Eustis, Va. and taught military science at Rensselaer, Siena College and SUNY Albany, as well as general chemistry at West Point.
Karasz received two Army Commendation Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Parachutist Badge and qualified as “expert” in M16 Riflery.
A member of the County Seat Kiwanis Club and a board member of the New Hyde Park Running Club, she recently became the first woman inducted into American Legion Post 305 in Mineola.
She is the mother of two children.
Mary Lane
New Hyde Park resident Mary Lane career as a community volunteer began in the year 1990 when she volunteered to be arts and crafts teacher for an annual vacation Bible school. A few years later, she became the director of the program, a post she has held ever since.
In 1990, she also started teaching religious education at Holy Spirit Church in New Hyde Park. Eventually, she became coordinator of the special needs program, working with children of all disabilities, including children with Downs Syndrome and Autism. She also became a part of the board for religious education.
In 2002, Lane helped establish the Holy Spirit Singles Association. Lane serves as director of the association, coordinating monthly meetings and activities, and volunteer activities, including visits to patients at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Northport and holding brunches for families at Ronald McDonald House
Mary LaClair
Mary LaClair is a native of Garden City Park, where she grew up with her parents, two brothers and five sisters.
LaClair is telecommunications operations manager at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York.
A religious education teacher at Holy Spirit Church in New Hyde Park while raising her two children, she also coached CYO Basketball and helped establish the girls division of the New Hyde Park Little League. She was also treasurer of the New Hyde Park Memorial PTSA.
LaClair was involved in the revival of the Garden City Park Civic Association and currently serves as its treasurer.
She also is a lector at Holy Spirit and facilitator for a renew prayer group.
