For the 18th consecutive year, The News-Review presents its People of the Year awards to recognize the honorees' contributions to Riverhead life. Person of the Year: Alan Shields RIVERHEAD--They say you don't know what you've got until you lose it. Such is the case with The News-Review's choice for 2005 Person of the Year, Alan Shields, who died March 8 at the age of 67, after a lifetime of public service. Mr. Shields was a volunteer for the Riverhead Fire Department for 38 years, he volunteered with Townscape, which works to beautify downtown Riverhead, and was the master of ceremonies for the Riverhead Country Fair every year since its inception in 1975, even after he lost a leg to diabetes. Mr. Shields was also a teacher at Suffolk Community College, a radio broadcaster at WLNG in Sag Harbor, a Neighborhood Watch coordinator for many years, and was active in numerous other volunteer and service endeavors. "I find it very hard to say something bad about Al," said Jim Lull, coordinator of the Country Fair. "Everything I know about him is service- or community-oriented." Mr. Shields "had a real talent behind a microphone and was somebody who really dedicated himself," Mr. Lull said. But Mr. Shields's charity went beyond public events, as Riverhead resident Debra Armstrong, who nominated him for Person of the Year, pointed out in a letter to The News-Review. "I first met Al Shields shortly after moving around the corner from him," she wrote. "He stopped by to welcome us and invite us to join the neighborhood watch, which Al served as coordinator of for 20-plus years. "Upon learning I was raising a small child alone, Al appointed himself our guardian angel. He frequently checked in on us and made sure my daughter had pocket money by regularly hiring her for odd jobs." Ms. Armstrong said the more they got to know Mr. Shields, the more impressed they became with his extensive community service. In addition to his work with the fire department and the Country Fair, she said he had also been a master of ceremonies at the Polish Town Fair, a member of the town's code revision committee, a merit badge counselor for both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and a Kiwanis Club member. In addition, he taught at Suffolk Community College, was a faculty advisor for the Business Club there for over 20 years and was grand marshal of the college's graduation in 2000. Mr. Shields received the first Citizenship Award from the Riverhead Daughters of the American Revolution and was also, according to Ms. Armstrong, "a foster parent on and off for a number of children." "Unfortunately, the world lost Al Shields in March 2005," she wrote. "However, I think his many contributions and years of service to the Town of Riverhead quality him as your 2005 Person of the Year." We wholeheartedly agree. The News-Review's choice for Public Servant of the Year 2005 is the Riverhead Town Volunteer Ambulance Corps. The corps is an independent not-for-profit organization that contracts with the town ambulance district to provide emergency medical services to the Riverhead community. Its 65 volunteers, many of them certified emergency medical technicians (EMTs), serve the community day and night, in every kind of weather and under every imaginable circumstance. Answering some 3,000 calls per year, they save the lives of friends, neighbors and strangers, 365 days a year, around the clock. In 2005, tragedy struck and we were reminded of how ambulance corps members put their own lives on the line each time they rush to someone's aid, a fact very few of us gave any thought until then. One of the corps top responders, volunteer EMT Heidi Behr, and one of its two paid employees, EMT Bill Stone, were killed when the ambulance in which they were rushing a cardiac patient to the hospital crashed on Main Road in Aquebogue last May. Both Ms. Behr and Mr. Stone were in the rear of the ambulance treating their patient, working to save his life without regard for their own safety. That's what the ambulance corps members do, and they do it every day, quietly and with little notice from the rest of us -- until we need them. Riverhead's volunteer corps has one of the best response rates in the county. Its members are well trained, highly skilled and extremely dedicated. Riverhead is most fortunate to be served by a group of men and women like the members of the Riverhead Town Volunteer Ambulance Corps. To thank the corps members and acknowledge their service, The News-Review names the Riverhead Town Volunteer Ambulance Corps 2005 Public Servant of the Year in honor of and tribute to the memory of Heidi Behr and Bill Stone. Businesspeople of the Year: Jeff Hallock & amp; Dr. Frank Arena How's this for a triple whammy? First, you rescue a historic Victorian-era mansion that was slated for the wrecking ball and restore it to its former grandeur. Then, you convert the building into an elegant country inn, and, in the process of doing that, you allow it to be used as a fund-raiser for Central Suffolk Hospital. That's what Jeff Hallock and Frank Arena did with the 142-year-old Captain Jedediah Hawkins House on South Jamesport Avenue this year. And as a result, they are The News-Review's dual choice for the 2005 Business Person of the Year award. Mr. Hallock is a builder and Jamesport native with experience in historic restoration, and Dr. Arena, who has a home in Jamesport, is a renowned oncologist specializing in breast cancer treatment. The building was built in 1863 by Capt. Hawkins, a successful sea captain who had made a lot of money in shipping during the Civil War. But in recent years the building had fallen on hard times and was declared unsafe a few years ago by the town, which ordered that it either be secured or torn down. "It was almost beyond hope," said Richard Wines, chairman of the town's Landmark Preservation Commission. "I like to think any building is repairable, but the issue is finding someone willing to do it." Mr. Wines said Mr. Hallock, who grew up down the street from the building, and Dr. Arena, who has summered in the area since he was a child, "both cared about that house forever." When he heard that the building's previous owner was concerned about fines from the town, Mr. Wines said he met with Mr. Hallock and recalls standing in the attic of the building with him. He said Mr. Hallock then called Dr. Arena on his cell phone, and they decided on the spot to buy and restore it. In September 2003, Mr. Hallock and Dr. Arena came to the structure's rescue, unveiling a plan to restore the building and open it as a country inn. Along the way, the suggestion was made to use the structure as a fund-raiser for Central Suffolk Hospital. From Sept. 15 through Oct. 31, 2005, the Hawkins House was opened to the public as a "designer showcase," with admission charges being used to benefit the hospital. About 30 designers and landscapers from all over Long Island and New York City dressed up the house and grounds with donated time and materials that were then sold at the end of the showcase, and that money also benefited the hospital. "It definitely helped," said Joe Van de Wetering, president of Central Suffolk Hospital's board of directors. "In addition to raising money for the hospital, it created an awareness that the hospital is there," Mr. Van de Wetering noted. "We got a lot of good press out of that, and we hope to do similar things in the coming years." Mr. Van de Wetering added that about $100,000 was raised for the hospital through the designer showcase. "This was a real win for everybody," he said. And how'd they do on the restoration? "They've done the best restoration job I think I've ever seen around here," Mr. Wines said. "From the quality of the carpentry to the paint scheme, this is exactly what restoration is about." Congratulations to two community members who made business work for everyone. Educator of the Year: Frank Rotenberg By Ashley Macomb When it's time for the Regents' exams, most students have only one teacher they want to go to: Mr. Frank Rotenberg, The News-Review's 2005 Educator of the Year. Mr. Rotenberg teaches English as a second language and is a skills development teacher at Riverhead High School, specializing in history, social studies, English and reading. In the Riverhead school district for more than 26 years, starting at the middle school and moving on to the high school, Mr. Rotenberg has given aid, comfort and direction to students facing the Regents, advanced placement tests and SATs. "Frank is a universal teacher," said school board member Kathy Berezny. "Throughout the years he's polished his art of teaching to such a point that I believe he is a brilliant gem." Ms. Berezny added that Mr. Rotenberg also teaches the virtue of modesty by never calling attention to himself. Matthew Thorenz, a senior at Riverhead High School, has benefited from Mr. Rotenberg's teaching, especially by his teacher's cultivation of Matthew's interest in history since Matthew's sophomore year. "He's such a great guy," Matthew explained. "He never gives up on his students. He does his best and always helps out those in need." Matthew described Mr. Rotenberg as a relaxed teacher, who students can easily talk to. He helps out any student who needs help in history, according to Matthew, who said the educator willingly gives up his lunch break for students. "He'll be more than glad to help you out," Matthew said. When Matthew took advanced placement European history and received low test scores, he went to Mr. Rotenberg, and his grades when up significantly. "He's been a very good friend to talk about history to." Matthew said. Mr. Rotenberg's dedication is apparent to anyone who knows him. He never coasts in his profession and is eager to push his students to go the extra mile with him. He stays after school for extra help in the library, never turning a student away. Every year he teaches summer school. "He is dedicated, more than dedicated, above and beyond dedicated as a teacher, and Riverhead should be proud of him," Ms. Berezny said. "He's there all the time." "He's very quiet, always doing his job," Ms. Berezny added. She noted he takes special care of his students, even buying birthday cakes for the less fortunate ones. She said Mr. Rotenberg is "a true old-fashioned teacher who truly loves his work ... and never misses a day." Mr. Rotenberg has a knack for helping out history students still learning English. "He doesn't give up on people," Matthew explained. "Many of his students have been able to pass the Regents with honors." He also coordinates with classroom teachers for Regents preparation, keeping students and teachers all on the same page, and helps students keep up with their work. According to Ms. Berezny, Mr. Rotenberg has a 99% passing rate for his students. "That was his goal. Make sure kids could graduate," she said. He focuses completely on the student, respects them and never raises his voice, Ms. Berezny said, adding that he is "a true asset to our fine district." Over the years, Mr. Rotenberg has served on various committees, including several English language arts committees, the small learning community grants committee to draw up applications for state-funded grants, and the principal's committee. "He really is phenomenal and nobody knows he's there. He's just doing his job," Ms. Berezny said. "He really is one of a kind." Civic Person of the Year: Sid Bail By Ambrose Clancy A familiar figure at Riverhead Town Board meetings recently rose to speak and offered his association's help, which in itself is a familiar occurrence. The board had listened to the town's consulting engineer to the water district discussing a project to kick off a public education campaign on water conservation. Sid Bail, president of the Wading River Civic Association, was one of the first members of the public to speak, offering ideas on getting organizations and student groups involved, and pledging that his association would help get the word out. The News-Review's Civic Person of the Year has not only been at the forefront of volunteering on projects that improve Riverhead, he's also guided his organization into a leadership role in educating the public at large on some of the major issues facing the town. Mr. Bail, who has been with his association for more than 16 years, is one of the first people to actively oppose Broadwater Energy's plan to float a natural gas plant in Long Island Sound nine miles off Wading River. He has also assumed a lead role in the community in investigating a proposal to build a mammoth incinerator that would truck in garbage as well as take on garbage from New York City via barges. Mr. Bail has also been the best informed civic leader on the perennial question of constructing a ferry port on the north shore. Being in the vanguard doesn't mean he's acted without serious consideration of the issue at hand. It's typical of Mr. Bail that he is usually one of the few people who makes it a point to have control of the facts and information on complicated projects before speaking out. And political partisanship is never voiced, said Michael Harrigan, a longtime civic association member and a Riverhead Republican committeeman. "Sid's a consummate gentleman and his approach is always smart, fair, and never politically motivated," Mr. Harrigan said. "Serious issues now on the drawing board, like Broadwater, ferries and other less serious but still important issues, would have been lost in the shuffle if it hadn't been for Sid's leadership. He presents the issues to his community fairly, concisely and with all the facts." His good humor is always evident, even on projects that have taken a decade or more of constant prodding to get officials to act. An example of this is that there is finally movement on improving the center of Wading River and its symbol, the Duck Ponds. The ponds have silted over so much from road runoff and inadequate drainage that Mr. Bail has said soon the ducks will look like they're walking on water rather than swimming. He and his organization kept the pressure on two towns, Riverhead and Brookhaven, and several administrations to get action to improve the ponds, and finally it seems to be working. The towns have signed an intermunicipal agreement, the money has been secured, and an action group meets regularly to work toward getting the job done. Meetings of the Wading River Civic Association are always well attended, an agenda is adhered to, and real work is accomplished. John Huck, a member for about three years said, "Sid keeps us abreast of things. He's a very congenial man and he can unruffle any ruffled feathers at the meetings." Riverhead Supervisor Phil Cardinale had nothing but praise for Mr. Bail. "Since I've been involved nine years ago in town politics, Sid has been the most consistently active and the most consistently dedicated civic leader I've met," he said. "He's informed, articulate, tolerant of the views of others, but persistent on the path he's chosen to pursue. I can't think of a better choice for Civic Leader of the Year."
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