Wesley McDonald Holder Democratic Club

13 th Annual Awards Gala, May 15, 2005

Grand Prospect Hall, Brooklyn, NY

The thirteenth annual Wesley McDonald Holder Democratic Club Gala was a great event. Everyone received a warm welcome by Mr. Bob Frederick, from Island Radio. After Mr. Frederick spoke, Bishop Cecil Riley, who was one of the honorees, gave the invocation, and Samuel Clarke sang the National Anthem. Mr. Asquith Reid then got up to give greetings as well.

After Mr. Reid spoke, District Leader Gail Reed-Barnett, accompanied by Dr. Kendall Stewart, who was also an honoree, himself, receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, announced the honorees, presenting them with their awards. The honorees were Ronald Alan Atkinson, Chief of the Adjustment of Status section of the New York District office of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, who won the Man of the Year Award; Kim Medina, the President of the Teaching and Relation Organizations Local 253 of District Council 1707 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, who won the Distinguished Union Leadership Award; Robert J. Groghan, President of the Organization of Staff Analysts, who won the Distinguished Labor Award; Joanne Challenger, a mentor principal with New York City’s Leadership Academy, who won the Distinguished Education Award; Peter N. Gilette, M.D., the director of the Kings County Adult Sickle Cell Program, who won the Distinguished Health Service Award; Bishop Dr. Cecil George Riley, Pastor of Freedom Hall Church of God in Brooklyn and overseer of the Freedom Hall Churches of God which are currently operating in New York, Baltimore, St. Vincent and Jamaica, who won the Distinguished Ecumenical Service Award; Shavon Frazier, a seventeen-year-old graduating senior at Samuel J. Tilden High School, from Brownsville, Brooklyn, and participant in the NYPD Explorers program, Church, and a volunteer at a Christian daycare center, who won the Distinguished Community Service Award; David Heskeil, the Chaplain for several Policy agencies, an active member of the Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol (as well as their liaison to the Separdic Jewish Community, who also won the Distinguished Community Service Award; Flatbush Gardens (who’s award was received by one of its representatives); Haji Mohamad Asghar, Consultant/Advisor to the Grenadian government on Pakistani trade issues; Dennis Hawthorne, the owner of a high-profile shipping company called Dennis Shipping, who won the Distinguished Business Award; and Linett Plunkett Campbell, a highly success Caribbean restaurateur, owning several restaurants in Brooklyn, who won the Distinguished Business Award;

Other politicians on hand were Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Speaker of the Council Gifford Miller, Council Member Yvette Clarke, Council Member Una Clarke, Council Member David Yassky, Council Member David Weprin, Council Member Melinda Katz, State Senator John Sampson, Brooklyn District Attorney, Charles Haynes, Council Member Lew Fiddler, and many more political organizers, union heads, and business people.

After the awards presentations, there was two performances, one by Hilton Samuel, and another by Angela Cooper. This was a great event. We at Liberty News Online Magazine would like to thank Council Member Dr. Kendall Stewart for his kind invitation.

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