New York State Senate Veterans' Hall of Fame
Albany, N.Y., April 12—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R-C, Big Flats) announced today that he’s currently seeking nominations for the New York State Senate’s Veterans Hall of Fame, an online tribute to the military and civilian lives of distinguished veterans from across New York State.
“So many veterans served our nation courageously and honorably, and then returned home to lift the lives of our local communities. The Senate Veterans Hall of Fame is just one more way to give a veteran a well-deserved and well-earned expression of our gratitude and admiration,” said O’Mara, who’s in his first term representing the 53rd Senate District encompassing Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben and Yates counties, and part of Tompkins County (the city and town of Ithaca, and the towns of Enfield, Newfield and Ulysses).
State Senators conduct induction ceremonies within their respective legislative districts and at the Capitol coinciding with veterans-related observances throughout the year. O’Mara said that the Senate’s next Veterans Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Albany is planned for Flag Day, Tuesday, June 14th.
The Senate established the Hall in 2005. It’s designed to honor New York veterans whose service in the United States Armed Forces is accompanied by service to the community and accomplishments as a civilian, and includes veterans representing Senate districts from throughout New York State.
The following area veterans were inducted during the tenure of O’Mara’s predecessor in the Senate, former state Senator George Winner:
-- the late Frank C. “Fritz” Pesesky, a veteran of World War II and former director of the Chemung County Veterans Service Office, who was the region’s inaugural inductee in 2005;
-- William K. Kastner, a Vietnam veteran and longtime director of the Steuben County Veterans Service Agency, who was inducted in 2006; and
-- in 2008, Robert Laskaris, a highly decorated combat veteran and well-known figure in Chemung County veterans’ affairs, who passed away on March 31, 2011, at the age of 82, at the Bath Veterans Hospital. Laskaris was inducted in 2008.
Nomination letters, which include a short biography highlighting the nominee’s military and civilian achievements, can be sent to O’Mara’s Albany office: Room 812, Legislative Office Building, Albany, New York 12247.
Nominations can also be e-mailed.
Or see the link below to an online nomination form:
