Assembly Resolution No. 508
BY: M. of A. Heastie
HONORING the memory of the deceased members of the
New York State Assembly, in recognition of their
careers in public service
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that the quality
and character of life in this great Empire State is enriched by the
efforts of those individuals who commit their lives to public service;
and
WHEREAS, The Assembly, representing the people of the State of New
York, is moved this day to pay tribute to recently deceased members of
the New York State Assembly who include: Frank J. Barbaro, Ray Chesbro,
John T. Flack, Thomas R. Frey, Robert Garcia, Benjamin A. Gilman, R.
Stephen Hawley, Ivan Lafayette, Murray Lewinter, Helen M. Marshall,
William R. Nojay, Joseph T. Pillittere and Clarence D. Rappleyea; and
WHEREAS, Born on December 18, 1927, to immigrant parents in
Brooklyn, New York, Frank J. Barbaro was first elected to the New York
State Assembly in 1972 to represent the 47th Assembly District; and
WHEREAS, During his 24 years of distinguished service, Frank J.
Barbaro was a fierce advocate for organized labor, tenants and minority
groups; upon retiring from the Legislature, he went on to serve as a
Justice for the New York State Supreme Court from 1996-2003; and
WHEREAS, Survived by his wife of 19 years, Patty, his three
daughters and four grandchildren, Frank J. Barbaro died on Sunday,
September 4, 2016, at the age of 88; and
WHEREAS, Born and raised on a farm in Pennellville, New York, Ray
Chesbro was appointed Deputy Sheriff of Oswego County in 1953 and rose
through the ranks holding several positions including: Identification
Office, Investigator and Lieutenant; in 1973, he was appointed as
Sheriff of Oswego County; and
WHEREAS, First elected to the New York State Assembly in 1980 to
represent the 117th Assembly District, Ray Chesbro focused on the needs
of law enforcement and agriculture; in this capacity, he served as a
member on the Agriculture and Tourism Committee, along with committees
on Aging, Transportation, Arts and Sports Development, and as Ranking
Minority Member of the House Operations Committee; and
WHEREAS, Ray Chesbro died on Friday, March 3, 2017, at the age of
91; he is survived by his wife of 70 years, Eileen; his three sons, Gary
(Adrienne), Ray (Eleanor) and Scott; five grandchildren, Jennifer,
Joanne, Alexander, Kimberly and Kyle; and five great-grandchildren,
Sabrina, Kenneth, Bryanna, Lydia and Richard, as well as several nieces
and nephews; and
WHEREAS, Born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 4, 1928, John T.
Flack proudly served his country as a member of the United States Air
Force from 1950-1954; and
WHEREAS, John T. Flack served as a New York State Assemblymember,
representing the 33rd Assembly District from 1969-1982; in addition, he
was President of the Library Park Homeowners Association, and a member
of Parents and Taxpayers, Knights of Columbus, Catholic War Veterans,
Polish Legion of American Veterans, American Legion, Greater Ridgewood
Historical Society, Glendale Catholic Church, St. Pancras Roman Catholic
Church and Holy Name Society; and
WHEREAS, John T. Flack died on Friday, August 19, 2016, at the age
of 87; predeceased by his wife, the former Elfriede K. Muller, his son,
Christopher, and grandson, John Palmato, Jr., he is survived by his two
children, John and Linda; four grandchildren, Sharon, Jennifer,
Elizabeth and Christopher; and one great-granddaughter, Peyton; and
WHEREAS, Born in Corning, New York, Thomas R. Frey proudly served
his country as a member of the United States Marines; upon his
discharge, he attended Princeton University before graduating from Boalt
Hall, the law school of the University of California at Berkeley; and
WHEREAS, Thomas R. Frey served in the New York State Assembly from
1973 until 1977, representing the 132nd Assembly Distrtict; he acted as
Director of State Operations to Governor Hugh Carey, then as General
Counsel to the New York State Power Authority; he also served on the
Board of The Heastman House, Board of AIDS Rochester, Board of the
Mental Health Association, Board of Rochester General Hospital, and as a
Trustee to the New York State Power Authority and a New York State
Regent; and
WHEREAS, Thomas R. Frey died on Saturday, February 11, 2017;
predeceased by his parents, Rena and Sebastian; two brothers, Jack and
Jim; and three sisters, Teresa, Mary and Gerry; he is survived by his
wife, the former Jacqueline Cady; his three daughters, Sarah, Kate
(Quentin Gable) and Jen (David Jones); one son, Matt (Melissa); and four
grandchildren, Cella, Griffin, Ana and Charlotte; as well as two
sisters, Kay Canty, Rosanne Clancy and a brother, Dick Frey; and
WHEREAS, Born in the Bronx, New York, on January 9, 1933, Robert
Garcia was the son of immigrant parents who were from the United States
Territory of Puerto Rico; in 1950, he proudly served his country as a
member of the United States Army during the Korean War as a Radio
Operator with the Third Infantry Division; and
WHEREAS, Robert Garcia was elected to the New York State Assembly in
1966 to represent the 83rd Assembly District; in 1968, he took his seat
in the State Senate, where he remained for 10 years; from 1975-1978, he
acted as the Deputy Minority Leader for the Senate; he furthered his
political career by being elected to the United States Congress from his
district in 1978; he held that esteemed position for 12 years; and
WHEREAS, At the age of 84, Robert Garcia died on Friday, January 25,
2017; he is survived by his wife, Jane; a sister, Aimee; two sons,
Robert and Kenneth; one daughter, Rosalyn; two stepsons, Edward and
Robert; and two stepdaughters, Caroline and Kirsten, as well as 15
grandchildren and step-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Born on December 9, 1922, in Poughkeepsie, New York,
Benjamin A. Gilman proudly served his country as a member of the Army
Air Corps During World War II; for his selfless dedication to the United
States, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal for
35 missions over Japan; and
WHEREAS, After serving as a member of the New York State Assembly
from 1967-1972, representing the 95th Assembly District, Benjamin A.
Gilman went on to serve as a member of the United States House of
Representatives, serving under seven presidents during his 30-year term;
in this capacity, he was Chairman of the House Committee on
International Relations during the 1990s; and
WHEREAS, Benjamin A. Gilman died on Saturday, December 17, 2016, at
the age of 84; predeceased by his son, David, and daughter, Ellen, he is
survived by his wife, Georgia; two sons, Jonathan (Monica) and Harrison;
two daughters, Susan and Nicole (Nicholas); and one stepson, Peter
(Jody), as well as 11 grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Born on December 16, 1921, in Batavia, New York, R. Stephen
Hawley proudly served his country for three years as a member of the
United States Army, two years in the China-Burma-India Theatre as
Captain in the Field Artillery during World War II; and
WHEREAS, Elected to the New York State Assembly in 1973 to represent
the 137th Assembly District, R. Stephen Hawley remained a State
Representative until his retirement in 1993; during his career in
government, his proudest achievement was the establishment of the New
York State Veterans Home in Batavia; and
WHEREAS, R. Stephen Hawley died on Thursday, August, 25, 2016, at
the age of 94; predeceased by his first wife, Ellen, his brother,
Warren, and two sisters, Elizabeth and Nancy, he is survived by his
wife, Gennette; his three sons, Stephen M. (Theresa), James and Theodore
(Patricia); two daughters, Susan and Charlotte (Chris); two
step-daughters, Susan (Edward), and Barbara; and 10 grandchildren and
five step-grandchildren, as well as many great-grandchildren, nieces and
nephews; and
WHEREAS, Born on July 28, 1930, in Monticello, New York, Ivan
Lafayette grew up in Brooklyn; he proudly served his country as a member
of the United States Army from 1952-1954 before moving to Jackson
Heights, New York, with his wife in 1956; and
WHEREAS, Ivan Lafayette served in the New York State Assembly from
1977 until 2008, representing the 34th Assembly District; in addition,
he was Speaker Pro Tempore and Deputy Speaker; he sponsored numerous
bills including the Truth in Testing Law for college applicants; the
Uninsured Motorist's Law, and the law which allowed the creation of
banking development districts to spur economic growth in certain areas;
and
WHEREAS, Ivan Lafayette died on October 4, 2016, at the age of 86;
he is survived by his wife, Bertine, three sons and nine grandchildren;
and
WHEREAS, Born in the Bronx, New York, on December 12, 1926, Murray
Lewinter proudly served his country in World War II; and
WHEREAS, Elected to the New York State Assembly in 1961, Murray
Lewinter represented the 6th Assembly District until 1965; he was then
appointed Executive Director of the New York City Council and served as
a Law Secretary for a Supreme Court Judge in the Bronx; later, he became
Executive Director of the Ways and Means Committee in Albany, New York,
before retiring to become a lobbyist; and
WHEREAS, Murray Lewinter died on Saturday, July 2, 2016, at the age
of 89; he is survived by his wife of 40 years, Iris, along with his
stepchildren, Solitar and Debbie Murray, and five grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Born in Harlem, New York, on September 30, 1929, Helen M.
Marshall graduated from Queens College with a bachelor's degree in
education; upon graduation, she was an early childhood education teacher
for eight years; and
WHEREAS, Before entering politics, Helen M. Marshall was active in
her East Elmhurst community; she was a member of the City Council for 10
years before being elected to the New York State Assembly where she
served from 1983 until 1991, representing the 35th Assembly District;
she furthered her political career by serving three four-year terms as
Queens Borough President; in this capacity, she focused on library
projects and created the Queens General Assembly, which promoted
cross-cultural exchanges among ethnic groups; and
WHEREAS, Predeceased by her husband, Donald, Helen M. Marshall is
survived by two children, Donald Jr. and Agnes Marie; and one sister,
Joan; she died on Saturday, March 4, 2017, at the age of 87; and
WHEREAS, Born November 24, 1956, in Rochester, New York, William R.
"Bill" Nojay was appointed as Commissioner of the Rochester Genesee
Regional Transportation Authority in 1996; he also served as a member of
the Executive Committee of the Genesee Transportation Counsel, and
Chairman of the Regional Trails Initiative Steering Committee for the
Rochester region; and
WHEREAS, After his career as a business attorney with the law firm
Hiscock and Barclay and the host of a daily radio show which ran on
several stations around Upstate New York, William R. Nojay represented
the 133rd Assembly District from January 2013 until his death; and
WHEREAS, On Friday, September 9, 2016, William R. Nojay died at the
age of 59; predeceased by his brother, Robert; stepson, Patrick;
grandparents, Anna and William Randtke and Lottie and Joseph Nogaj, he
is survived by his parents, Normal and Katherine Nogaj; his wife, Debra;
and his three children, Matthew, Kiva and Elizabeth; and
WHEREAS, Born in Buffalo, New York, Joseph T. Pillittere proudly
served his country as a member of the United States Navy from 1955 until
being honorably discharged in 1957; he continued to serve in the Navy
Reserve until 1961; and
WHEREAS, During his lifetime, Joseph T. Pillittere served as an
Assemblyman of the 138th District in New York State from 1979 until
1998; during his 11 terms, he initiated the Right to Know Law,
implemented the Superfund Act associated with the Love Canal, and
assisted the development of Niagara Falls High School; and
WHEREAS, Joseph T. Pillittere died on Friday, June 24, 2016, at the
age of 83; predeceased by his wife, the former Joan A. Bella; three
brothers, Russell (late Irene), Vincent, and David; sister, Phyllis; and
daughter, Georgine; he is survived by his two sons, Donald and Joseph
Jr.; his two daughters, Michelle (Richard) and Jennifer (Matthew); one
sister, Marida; and 12 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, as well
as several nieces, nephews and cousins; and
WHEREAS, Born on November 2, 1933, in Norwich, Chenango County, New
York, Clarence D. "Rapp" Rappleyea served as City Attorney of Norwich,
and was active in an array of charitable and civic organizations
throughout Chenango County; and
WHEREAS, For more than 22 years, Clarence D. Rappleyea served in the
New York State Assembly, representing the 122nd Assembly District;
elected in November of 1972, he became the Minority Leader in January of
1983, which he held until 1995; he went on to serve as Chairman of the
New York Power Authority, the position from which he officially retired
in 2001; and
WHEREAS, Clarence D. Rappleyea died on Sunday, September 4, 2016, at
the age of 82; predeceased by his parents, Clarence Sr. and Mary, and
brother, Ronald Coleman, he is survived by his wife of 60 years, Nancy
Oates Rappleyea; three daughters, Pam (Don), Stacy (Rob Towne), and
Susan (Paul); seven grandchildren, Jacob (Amanda), Zachary (Kara), Sam
Towne, Sarah Towne, Katherine (Lucas), Mia and Matthew; four
great-grandchildren, Gracelyn, Charlie, Benedict, and Molly; one sister
in law, Dorothy Benenati; a brother-in-law, Frank, two brothers, Richard
and Robert; and a sister, Linda (Coleman); as well as numerous nieces
and nephews; and
WHEREAS, It is with hope that future generations understand the
values of public service to the citizens of this great Empire State,
while this Legislative Body recognizes these 13 former members of the
New York State Assembly; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor the memory of the 2016-2017 deceased members of the New York State
Assembly, in recognition of their careers in public service; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed be
transmitted to the families of the aforementioned Assembly members.
