Honor Parade and Grand Marshal

Senate Resolution No. 522 BY: Senator BONACIC COMMEMORATING the 41st Annual Mid-Hudson St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 12, 2017, and honoring George W. Anderson upon the occasion of his designation as Grand Marshal of the Parade WHEREAS, St. Patrick's Day is a time to celebrate the rich heritage of the Irish people, unlimited in their contribution to this State and Nation; and WHEREAS, A St. Patrick's Day Parade reflects and records the ongoing history of the United States and Ireland and provides an opportunity for people of all generations to assemble in ethnic pride and pageantry; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the 41st Annual Mid-Hudson St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday, March 12,

2017, and to honor George W. Anderson upon the occasion of his designation as Grand Marshal of the Parade, to be held in Goshen, New York; and WHEREAS, The Mid-Hudson St. Patrick's Parade Committee, organizer of this fine event, is comprised of representatives of several Orange County organizations; the parade is the largest cultural event in Orange County, and is also the biggest single-day celebration in Goshen; and WHEREAS, The Mass in honor of St. Patrick, as well as the Grand Marshal's Breakfast on the morning of the parade, have also been planned by the Parade Committee members, who work diligently all year to make these events successful and memorable; and WHEREAS, The Grand Marshal for the 2017 Parade from LAOH Division 5, George W. Anderson has lived and worked in Monroe, New York, for 29 years; he was born in Manhattan to George A. and Catherine M. (Moore) Anderson on July 8, 1961; his grandmother, Mary (O'Shea) Moore, was from County Cork; and WHEREAS, The family spent the first six months of George W. Anderson's life on Nelson Avenue in the Bronx, and then lived on Shaffer Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, for six years; the Andersons next moved to Stephen Street in Ridgewood, Queens; and WHEREAS, George W. Anderson attended public schools up through high school, and received Catholic religious instruction at St. Matthias School in Ridgewood; upon his graduation from Grover Cleveland High School, he studied pre-medicine at City College on Convent Avenue in Manhattan; and WHEREAS, After he realized that medicine was not to be his life's work, George W. Anderson joined the New York City Housing Police Department in January of 1982, and began his career on patrol in Police Service Area (PSA) 5; and WHEREAS, In July of 1994, George W. Anderson was promoted to the rank of Captain; one year later, he became a member of the New York Police Department (NYPD) during the merger of the Housing Police; and WHEREAS, George W. Anderson continued to move up in the ranks, attaining the title of Assistant Chief in August of 2007; he continued to patrol in PSA 5, and commanded the Personnel Bureau's Staff Services Section and the Police Academy; and WHEREAS, In August of 2011, George W. Anderson retired from the NYPD Office of the Chief of Patrol; he then joined the security firm of AlliedBarton Security Services, the largest privately-owned American security firm, where he served as Vice President of Operations for the New York City region; and WHEREAS, In this role, George W. Anderson was responsible for management of security operations for a host of commercial, residential and government clients in the New York City region; notably, he managed the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey contract, providing security services at the major airports of New York and New Jersey, and the World Trade Center; and WHEREAS, In October of 2015, George W. Anderson began to work at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, holding the position of Director of World Trade Center Security; in this capacity, he is responsible for the security of this iconic location; with his team, and in partnership with the Port Authority Police and NYPD, he works to ensure that all who work at and visit the World Trade Center campus are safe and secure; and WHEREAS, Proud of his Irish descent, George W. Anderson is an avid Hibernian, serving as Vice President of the Division in both 2012 and

2013, and President in 2014 and 2015; in addition to his service with the Ancient Order of Hibernians, he served as Headquarters Vice President of the NYPD Emerald Society for the better part of his police career; and WHEREAS, George W. Anderson and his family are faithful members of Sacred Heart Parish in Monroe; and WHEREAS, With him throughout have been his wife, Kathryn, and their daughter, Kaitlyn, both of whom feel privileged to be a part of his life and rejoice in his accomplishments; and WHEREAS, The St. Patrick's Day Parade celebrates the spirit, purity and strength of the Irish culture and its fine traditions; and WHEREAS, Through this heartfelt and compassionate expression, as well as through their sustained commitment to the cultural vitality of their Irish heritage, the Irish-American people of Orange County, the Mid-Hudson area and the State of New York bear witness to the deep faith and love of humanity which is their rich tradition; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 41st Annual Mid-Hudson St. Patrick's Day Parade on March