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Mostly Cloudy PHOTOS: Patriot Award dinner honors lives of Seaford alumni, others lost on 9/11
Raymond Buckley, Patriot Award honoree in 2003 for former principal, encouraged the nearly 300 individuals at Crest Hollow Country Club last Tuesday to grab their miniature American flags, get up out of their seats and gather in a tight-knit circle in the center of the ballroom.
“The idea is, and you’ve heard it so many times tonight from all of the recipients, about Seaford family and pride,” Buckley said. “That’s what this is all about. Seaford is a very special place….it’s because of people like you, and people like this,” he said, gesturing to the Seaford 9/11 Memorial Committee’s past and present honorees, “that makes it so great.”
“Seaford Pride” and patriotism were at the heart of the Seaford 9/11 Memorial Committee’s annual Patriot Awards dinner, held last Tuesday at Crest Hollow Country Club.
The event was instituted back in 2002 to remember all who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and celebrate the lives of the five Seaford High School Alumni who were among those lost: Tommy Haskell, Timmy Haskell, John Perry, Rob Sliwak, and Michael Wittenstein.
The Patriot Award is presented annual to Seaford High School seniors who have distinguished themselves in service and the community. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 recipients were not honored last year and were recognized alongside the 2021 recipients at the dinner.
The ceremony also this year honored three devoted members of the Seaford community: Donna Jebaily, Erin King Sweeney, and Marianne Pensa.
“After a year of unusual loss and hardship, it seems especially important to appreciate the ability of our communities to come together in response to tragedy,” said Senator John Brooks, who took photos with the awardees earlier that evening. “There is no better example than the Seaford 9/11 Memorial Committee and the lives they are able to change in honor of loved ones tragically lost. I am reminded this year of the poignancy of this Committee’s mission and I want to thank all of you who support it.”
Local elected officials, school district administrators including outgoing high school principal Steve Bersin, and other past and present awareness and committee donors spoke at and attended the event.
