East Rockaway Kiwanians host awards dinner

Kiwanis Man of the Year, Dr. Richard Meagher.

Susan Grieco/Herald

Daughters Gail Beyrer and Heather Massa toast their father.

Susan Grieco/Herald

Lt. Gov. Gregory Abbate, right, installed Kiwanis Board members Denise Lobascio as secretary; Debbie Hirschberg as treasurer; Charles Hirschberg as vice president, and Carmine Tufano as president.

Susan Grieco/Herald

Award recipient Richard Meagher, left, and John Beyrer with their mutual grandson, Quinn Richard Beyrer.

Susan Grieco/Herald

Kiwanis President Carmine Tufano introduced Dr. Richard Meagher, the organization’s Man of the Year.

Susan Grieco/Herald

Kiwanis President Carmine Tufano, far right, presented an award to the East Rockaway Fire Department Juniors.

Susan Grieco/Herald

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The East Rockaway Kiwanis Club named Dr. Richard J. Meagher its “Kiwanian of the Year,” and lauded the East Rockaway Fire Department Juniors for their community service efforts.

“It is an honor for me to be a member, let alone to be named 2011 Kiwanian of the Year,” said Meagher. “I am grateful for this honor, but would issue this challenge to community members: consider joining East Rockaway Kiwanis and help us help others — learning to give back can never happen too late in life!”

Meagher is a widower with four grown children — all of who graduated from East Rockaway High School —and six grandchildren. He holds a B.A. and M.A. from Long Island University and an Ed.D. from the Teachers College of Columbia University. He worked at The Fashion Institute of Technology, for 31 years with the title of Emeritus Dean of Continuing Education. He served 13 years on the East Rockaway Board of Education — five and a half years as its president — and 16 years on the East Rockaway Village Board, with eight years as Deputy Mayor.

He was the founding president of several community organizations, including the East Rockaway High School Alumni Association, the East Rockaway Education Foundation, and the Village Foundation of East Rockaway. In 2010, He continued his work and helped establish the Coalition for Youth in East Rockaway in the first half of the year and the Freedom Party of East Rockaway in the second half.

He has received recognition from a number of community organizations, in 2006 when the East Rockaway Union Free School District unveiled the new “Dr. Richard J. Meagher Library/Media Center” at the Centre Avenue Elementary School. Meagher joined the Kiwanis Club of East Rockaway in 1994 and is a Distinguished Past President and a past Vice President.
Kiwanis is all about helping kids, Meagher added, “and so we are also today honoring the advisors and members of the ERFD Juniors. The Juniors are an especially important organization in our community because they are the gateway to the ERFD, helping to guarantee the ongoing stream of future volunteers flowing to the ERFD to keep us all safe.”