Stanley Gurda is Pine Island Citizen of the Year

Reception to honor award winners to be held Oct. 25 Pine Island — Stanley Gurda, a lifelong Pine Island Citizen, has been named Pine Island Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year 2009 for his many years of dedicated service to the Pine Island Seniors, among the most active seniors groups in the region. With 120 members, the group has a waiting list 50 names long. Two outstanding students at Warwick Valley High School were chosen for the Chamber of Commerce Youth Achievement Award, given to youngsters who give service to the community while maintaining high academic grades. They are Pine Islanders Katie Brosnan and Shannon Quackenbush. All three will be honored at the chamber’s annual social at the Hickory Hill Golf Club, Warwick from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25. Gurda has not only taken his senior years as an occasion to be extremely active in his community, he has done so in order to improve the quality of life for other seniors. As president of the Pine Island Seniors for many years, he keeps them informed, involved, and active, with lunches, visits to restaurants, casino gambling, holiday dinners, barbecues at the Polish Legion, tennis, bowling and bus trips. And he does it all with high spirits, and great modesty. Gurda has been a community man for years. As a youngster he was New York State Jaycees Outstanding Farmer, he served on the Town of Warwick Planning Board and with his wife Doris was a member of the Pine Island Volunteer Ambulance Corps. He and Doris live on Treetop Lane, Pine Island. They have two adult children, Suzanne and Steven. Katie Brosnan, a senior at Warwick Valley High School, is a member of the National Honor Society. She is active in the Warwick Valley Future Farmers of America and serves as Orange County Diary Princess. As a member of the Orange County Diary Court she was selected for an exclusive group promoting the diary industry around the country and has dedicated many hours to volunteering at the Pine Island Elementary School. She plans to study animal science at Cornell University. Shannon Quackenbush is also a senior at Warwick Valley High School, where she has maintained a 93 percent grade average since eighth grade. She has captained her varsity soccer team for two years and is vice president of the Pine Island Junior Corps. She has volunteered many hours at the Pine Island Elementary School and worked over Thanksgiving and Christmas to help provide local families with holiday provisions. She will attend college in North Carolina. Nominations for the Citizen of the Year and Youth Achievement Award are made by the public, and sent to the Pine Island Chamber Selection Committee, which is a strictly anonymous group made up of Pine Island citizens. The public is invited to attend the Oct. 25 reception where the recipients of the awards will be honored. Local dignitaries and elected officials will present at the annual event. There will be hors d’ oeuvres and a cash bar. Tickets are $30 and may be reserved by calling Sondra Hall at 258-1000 or e-mailing bizdata@warwick.net. Tickets will not be sold at the door. The scenic Hickory Hill Golf Course Clubhouse is off Rte 94, Warwick, just past the NJT Park and Ride parking lot.