From the Town of Newburgh Democratic Committee
The Town of Newburgh Democratic Committee will honor outstanding community leaders Anthony R. Marino, Anita Manley and Sandra Kissam at its first annual Heroes of Democracy testimonial dinner on October 20 at the Hilton Gardens Inn in the Town of Newburgh. The invited guest speaker is Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-22 NY). The inaugural honorees are three individuals who personify the democratic values of public service, concern for the needy, senior citizens, workers, protection of the environment and coalition to achieve goals. They are the best examples of President Harry S. Truman’s judgment that “America was built on courage, on imagination, and on an unbearable determination to do the job at hand.”
Anthony Rocco Marino, the youngest child of Mary and Angelo Marino, graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 1959. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Social Studies from SUNY, New Paltz, and certification as a Guidance Counselor at SUNY Albany. Tony later earned an Advanced Certification degree in Education and Administration from SUNY, New Paltz. He began his teaching career at Newburgh Free Academy as a Social Studies teacher in 1964 and was appointed Director of Community Education for the Newburgh Enlarged City School District in 1986. Tony retired as Director of Community Education in 2001.
Tony’s interest in politics began when he was just a young boy and became a reality while teaching an elective in politics at NFA. He was approached to seek a position on the Orange County Legislature in 1969 and finally, after two races, running as a Democrat in a very Republican County, he won in 1977. He has the distinct honor of being the longest serving Legislator in the County, having served thirty-two years or eight consecutive terms.
Anita Manley grew up and was educated in Boston, MA. Her mantra is: “What really distinguishes this generation is the determination to act, its joy in action, and the assurance of being able to change things by one’s own action” and she has certainly lived her life that way. In addition to raising five children with her husband David, Anita worked as a writer for two weekly newspapers published in the capitol district where they lived for seven years.
In 1973, the family moved to Utica, NY where Anita was the hostess of a radio talk show. After moving to Newburgh in 1975, Anita became a reporter for the Newburgh Evening News, covering news out of the Beacon office. In 1983, she was hired by the New York State Civil Service Employees Association as a public relations coordinator. She retired from the union in 2000.
Because of a lack of services for seniors in the Town of Newburgh, Anita successfully persuaded town officials to adopt the Friends of Seniors volunteer program to serve those who needed transportation to medical appointments and grocery shopping, and a weekly friendly visit. She was instrumental in winning partial NY State funding for this project with the help of then Assemblyman Frank Skartados. The program is administered by Jewish Family Service of Orange County.
Anita, a breast cancer survivor, also volunteers with the American Cancer Society, serves on the Orange County Mental Health Association’s Cultural Equity Task Force and brings home delivered meals to seniors every other week with her husband David.
Sandra Kissam, who has lived in the Town of Newburgh since 1973 when she married her late husband Ben Kissam, has led the fight to save the Stewart Buffer lands.
In 1987 she and Ben started the Stewart Park and Reserve Coalition, or SPARC, and Sandra continued the struggle after Ben’s passing in 1992. The coalition united the efforts of sportsmen, environmentalists, and hundreds of local citizens, to a victory in 2005 that saw the lands transferred to the management of the NYS DEC as Stewart State Forest, almost 7,000 acres for public recreation and wildlife habitat.
Prior to that, in the mid ‘80’s, Sandra was active with the CEAN Task Force, a town-wide group that was successful in saving the watershed of Chadwick Reservoir from creeping subdivisions. Their efforts also brought Charlie Walczak, a Democrat, onto the Newburgh Town Board, and supported Bob Kunkel as well.
Sandra is a retired special education teacher, who devoted 25 years to mentally challenged youngsters attending Ulster County BOCES. Before moving to Newburgh she served on the Conservation Advisory Council of Rosendale, N.Y., which held regular paper recycling drives long before everyone was doing it.
Tickets for Heroes of Democracy are available by contacting TNDC Executive Board member Ellenjane Gonyea at 845-564-6634 or pumpkin001@aol.com by Oct. 1.
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