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Overcast Boardwalk race honors Long Beach civic leader
Memory of Larry Elovich lives on
More than 100 Long Beach residents gathered on the boardwalk last Saturday to honor the memory of one of the city’s longtime civic leaders. The Fourth Annual Larry Elovich 5K Fun Run event kicked off at 9 a.m., starting and finishing at New York Avenue.
“The event celebrated Elovich and everything he did for our community,” City Council Vice President Anthony Eramo said. “It was interesting because he was able to bring people from all walks of life.”
The event was hosted by the Larry Elovich Scholarship Fund, in cooperation with the City of Long Beach. Elovich, a venerated political advisor and attorney who served as Long Beach Democratic Committee chairman and president of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, died in 2012, at 77.
“My family and I look forward to this day every year so that we can celebrate the life of our dad with the members of the Long Beach community,” Lisa Elovich told the Herald. “It was a beautiful day and we were surrounded by so many people who loved our dad.”
Following the completion of the 5K run, a memorial ceremony was held in honor of Elovich on New York Avenue. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and U.S. Rep. Peter King addressed the crowd to speak about Elovich and his contributions to the city and its people.
“It was a great event for the community,” Eramo said. “His family, friends and old business partners came and talked about how he had the ability to touch so many lives in front of everyone that came.”
Event proceeds go to the Larry Elovich Scholarship Fund — and in turn, to deserving college-bound students from Long Beach High School who exhibit strong character and a sense of community, as well as academic and athletic skills. Last year’s scholarships went to Sammy Imberman, who will be attending State University of Oneonta, and Carly Chernoff, who will study at Penn State University.
“Our dad loved running on the boardwalk and he loved helping the youth in the Long Beach community,” Lisa said, “so having a race that achieves both of those things by raising funds to assist a Long Beach High School student with college tuition, is a great way to honor his memory.”
