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Massena, Potsdam, Norwood and Clifton-Fine community leaders honored with NY Senate’s Liberty Medal

Posted 2/2/15

POTSDAM – Sen. Joseph A. Griffo today awarded Liberty Medals to seven individuals for their lifetime meritorious service to St. Lawrence County and its people. Those recognized were Clarkson …

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Massena, Potsdam, Norwood and Clifton-Fine community leaders honored with NY Senate’s Liberty Medal

Posted

POTSDAM – Sen. Joseph A. Griffo today awarded Liberty Medals to seven individuals for their lifetime meritorious service to St. Lawrence County and its people.

Those recognized were Clarkson University President Anthony G. Collins, Potsdam Village Deputy Mayor Ruth Garner, labor leader Ernie LaBaff, restaurateur Sam Spagnolo, restaurateurs Dominick and Ross Violi and former Ranger School Director Christopher Westbrook.

The Liberty Medals, which were bestowed during a ceremony at Clarkson University, are the New York State Senate’s highest honor.

• ANTHONY G. COLLINS

Clarkson University's 16th president, Anthony Collins is a regional and national advocate for higher education - industrial partnerships that couple research discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise for commercialization and economic development with a focus on advancing sustainable energy solutions and environmental technology innovation.

Collins was among the primary architects of the Vision of a Clarkson Education that has guided evolution of the curriculum since 1995. As president, he elevates the University’s academic reputation, strengthening its financial resources, and increasing the lifetime engagement of alumni and greater Clarkson community. In addition to connecting with Clarkson alumni across the globe, Dr. Collins; his wife, Karen; are active in the Potsdam community and have provided volunteer service to numerous organizations and youth programs.

• RUTH GARNER

Ruth Garner has come to epitomize civic engagement in the North Country.

Born Ruth Finnegan on Nov. 18, 1915 in Norwood, Garner’s interest in politics blossomed through talks about current events with her father, a station agent for the railroad.

Ruth married her high school sweetheart, George Garner, and the couple had six children. They also opened a funeral home in Potsdam in 1947 and ran it until 1980.

Ruth became active in local politics in 1973, when she became the first woman ever elected to the Potsdam village board. Ruth was elected mayor in 1977, but stepped down in 1981 to care for her ill husband.

Ruth became an outspoken advocate for AIDS education and research after learning in 1985 that her son, Dr. John Garner, had contracted the disease. She has talked often of the need for support groups to help loved ones of those suffering from AIDS, similar to what she experienced while living in San Francisco and caring for her son.

Ruth returned to the North Country and became Potsdam’s mayor from 1993 until 2005. She was immediately returned to the board as a trustee and appointed deputy mayor, a position she still holds today.

Ruth is often credited with the rebirth of downtown Potsdam and the rehabilitation of the old hydro dam, and oversaw the village when the Route 11 bypass was constructed.

Ruth is believed to be the oldest serving elected official in New York and is possibly the oldest elected representative in the United States. In addition to her government service, Ruth has been a board member of the Potsdam Public Library, the St. Lawrence County Historical Society, the Canton-Potsdam Hospital Guild, the Potsdam chapter of the Zonta Club and Renewal House, an agency that helps battered women. She was also heavily involved with the Merwin Rural Services Institute and Potsdam’s Diversity Day Festival, as well as the New York Conference of Mayors.

She’s chaired the annual New York State Local Government Conference, been named the state’s outstanding senior worker by Green Thumb Inc., awarded the Governor’s Rural Service Award, and received a North Country Citation from St. Lawrence University, a civic engagement award from SUNY Potsdam and the Silas Wright Award from the St. Lawrence County Democratic Committee.

Ruth enjoys genealogy research, bridges, trips to the movies, crossword puzzles and, of course, dogs. Her love for canines – and her pride in her Irish heritage - resulted in her receiving a small shamrock tattoo at the age of 93.

“I found a lot of women didn’t realize they had the power to change things,” Garner once told a reporter about her civic involvement. “I told them: ‘You’d better be involved, because someone somewhere is making decisions about how your life is going to be from when you’re born until you die.”

• ERNIE LaBAFF

A union and civic leader, Ernie LaBaff has dedicated his life to improving the working conditions for workers across the county and creating a climate that would encourage the creation of jobs for the next generation of workers. Ernie understands that everyone had to live and everyone deserved to be treated fairly whether they worked in the hot conditions of a smelter or in a corporate office. He has held fast to the belief that without a honest relationship between union and company, the union worker suffered.

Ernie been famously quoted as saying, “Unions are important because they provide one voice and allow you to work together.”

"Jobs is not just a word. Jobs is a life and what it means to your family, how your going to raise your kids, how you’re going to be able to go to college, how you’re going to have health care. That’s what a job means."

“The key to a better life is to belong to the union, which means you need to get out and work and organize.”

“In the 1950’s people used to talk about their differences you just don’t see that any more.”

"I never dreamed so many people would say so many good things about me for some of the troubles I’ve caused. It’s hard to believe that after all these years that people respect me for what I do.”

"It’s great to get something when you’re alive. Normally it’s about a year later when they recognize you. But at least I’m breathing and know what happened here today.”

• SAVERIO “SAM” SPAGNOLO

Sam Spagnolo has been feeding people in Potsdam for nearly 50 years – and employing many of them too.

Sam and his wife, Carmela, were married June 14, 1959 in Italy. Soon after, Sam joined his wife in the North Country and opened a barber shop in Potsdam at what later became the Roxy Theatre.

In 1966, he and Carmela opened up Sergi’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria with Sam’s sister, Maria and her husband, Sam Sergi.

One year later, Sam and Carmela Spagnolo opened up Sergi’s Italian Restaurant in Potsdam at 10 Market St., which was the location of the former Vernon Restaurant. The couple continues to operate at this location today.

In their 48 years in business, the Spagnolos have given opportunities to hundreds of St. Lawrence County residents, including teenagers looking for their first job; single mothers and senior citizens. Sergi’s in Potsdam currently employs about 20 people and has been recognized by several organizations, including the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce, for its continued excellence.

Sam received the Gertie LaBaff Community Service Award and was inducted in the Potsdam Central School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.

Sam and Carmela have two children, Lisa and Frank, and four grandchildren, who are Sam’s pride and joy. On occasion of Sam and Carmela’s 50th wedding anniversary in 2009, Canton-Potsdam Hospital dedicated its physician’s lounge in their honor.

Sam is also a longtime owner of racehorses; his colts have raced in several states across the Northeast and into Canada. One horse, Dear Star, was a former world champion in 1979.

The Spagnolos continue to live their lives with great dignity and genuine grace, always demonstrating a deep and continuing concern for human values and ideals. They’ve hosted dozens of organizations and political groups in their restaurant, and provided countless pizzas and Italian dishes to people in the community.

• DOMINICK & ROSS VIOLI

Restaurant co-owner Dominick Violi, 80, owns Violi's with his brother Ross, 77, said the pair was getting on in years and decided to call it quits after sixty-nine yrs.

Dominick and Ross, and the rest of the Violis, have not only been long-time, family-business owners, they have also been there for local groups who have been in need of assistance. Whether it is raising funds for the local Hospice, the Louisville Fire Department, Trinity Catholic School, Massena Memorial Hospital or the Remington Museum, the Violis have been an active part of the community.

While the Violis credit their families for keeping the restaurant going through all the years, they also thanked their loyal workers.

Violi's was founded in 1945 by the Violi brothers' parents Rosario "Ross" and Maria Violi. They first operated on Willow Street.

In those days, there were neighborhood bars and grills," Dominick said. "You offered spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, pork chops, cabbage rolls were big at that time, everyone had cabbage rolls, meatball sandwiches."

After the brothers took over in 1961, they added another of their most popular dishes, steak a la Violi.

”It's something that my mother used to do. I added to it, changed it a bit," Dominick Violi said. "The tribute is to my mother and father. They came from the old country.”

• CHRISTOPHER WESTBROOK

Christopher Westbrook’s name has become synonymous with growth in the Clifton-Fine region.

Chris, a 1973 graduate of the Ranger School, returned to his alma mater in 1989 to be an instructor in its forest technology program. He became an integral part in the development in an surveying concentration that caused an increased enrollment at the school.

In 1995, Chris was named as director of the Ranger School and held the position until his retirement in June 2013 – becoming the second-longest tenured director in the school’s history. The director successfully installed two new programs, oversaw a $6 million capital project, added more women and Ph.D.s to the faculty and generated a boost in endowment. He received the 1996 Chancellor Award for Excellence in Teaching and a similar award in 2004 for Excellence in Faculty Service.

Chris helped found the Clifton Fine Economic Development Corp. in 1998 to help improve the conditions of his struggling community. The nonprofit has been responsible for sprucing up housing, expanding needed infrastructure and hosting numerous “meet the candidates” nights for political hopefuls.

Chris has also raised funds to keep the Clifton-Fine Hospital in operation. His expertise in Adirondack issues led him to open a consulting business, ADK Compliance, with his wife, Susan, and his brother, Timothy. The group helps developers – both public and private – comply with myriad requirements within the park, including environmental concerns.

Chris received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana in 1977, returned to the Ranger School as a technical assistant from 1980 through 1982 and then earned his master’s degree from West Virginia University in 1988.

Chris and his wife, who is also a graduate of the Ranger School, have two children, Timothy and Maria.