Mineola Chamber seeks Wall of Honor nominees

Noah Manskar

The Mineola Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for the next addition to the John DaVanzo Wall of Honor.

The honor is open to anyone who has “had a positive impact on making Mineola a better place,” chamber President Tony Lubrano said.

“We’re looking to get as many applications as possible, as broad a spectrum as possible,” he said.

A committee comprised chamber members Steve Ford and Gary Katz, Village of Mineola Trustee George Durham and Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira, and three “community leaders” will choose the honoree, Lubrano said.

This is the first time the chamber has collected nominations since it unveiled the Wall of Honor, a partnership between the chamber and Mineola’s village government, in the fall.

The annual award is named for John DaVanzo, a former Mineola trustee and World War II veteran who was known as “Mr. Mineola” for his dedication to and love for the village. He died in 2014 at age 92.

Members of the chamber and the Village Board made Lou Sanders, founder of the Mineola American and a chamber co-founder, the inaugural honoree in September. 

He and DaVanzo are the first to get a bronze plaque in their honor in Village Hall.

From now on, the chamber will now take up the annual nomination process to determine the winners, Lubrano said.

“It took us a while to figure out the ‘how’ of it,” he said.

Nomination applications can be found online at mineolachamber.com or picked up at the chamber’s monthly meetings, Lubrano said. The deadline for nominations is April 1.

The committee will announce a winner in May, and the winner’s plaque for the Wall of Honor will be unveiled in June, Lubrano said.

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