Dr. Olivia J. Hooker of White Plains, a civil rights and women’s rights advocate for most of her 96 years, received the top honors at the 29th Annual Westchester Senior Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon on Dec. 2 at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown.

Dr. Hooker is one of the 43 Westchester residents from the “Class of 2011” who were inducted into the Senior Hall of Fame at the luncheon and candle-lighting ceremony in the hotel’s Main Ballroom from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

The Senior Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS), Westchester County Parks and the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services. It is co-sponsored by Visiting Nurse Services in Westchester and Putnam (VNSWP), a not-for-profit Medicare-certified home heath care agency, which began in 1901 and serves people of all ages.

DSPS established the Senior Hall of Fame in 1982, and since that time more than 900 seniors have been inducted. “The Hall of Fame gives Westchester County a chance to showcase the achievements of individuals who have made enduring contributions to enhance the quality of life of our county and in their home communities,” said County Executive Rob Astorino. “The county has benefited greatly from their years of service and they continue to inspire us.”

Dr. Hooker is an extraordinary example of those honorees. The Tulsa, Okla. native was 6 years old when she survived the Tulsa Race Riots in 1921, where many African-Americans were killed and their community was burned to the ground. That horrific memory has helped to shape her entire life. As an adult, Dr. Hooker was founder of the Tulsa Race Riot Commission, an advocacy group seeking restitution for Tulsa Race Riot survivors. She also testified about the riots before Congress, and continues to speak about the riots and civil rights issues before many organizations and houses of worship. 

Long retired, Dr. Hooker received her Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and worked as a psychologist in Yonkers schools and was a professor at Fordham University. She also has served as a board member and adviser to the NAACP Education Committee, and was a member of the board of VNSWP from 1988 to 1994. She was a pioneer in other ways as well, being  the first African-American woman to enlist and go on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. 

Today, Dr. Hooker likes taking part in senior programs at the Theodore D. Young Community Center in Greenburgh, reading and attending concerts at Carnegie Hall.

Mae Carpenter, DSPS Commissioner, said that the Hall of Fame is a special opportunity to recognize and thank the seniors for their selfless work.

“They are truly role models, whose spirit and outreach to others enhances our quality of life,” Carpenter said. “Their positive, can-do attitude and community service is an example for people of all ages.” 

Five seniors received “special recognition” at the luncheon:

Joan DiPalma, RN, of Rye is a former operating room nurse, who has always been a strong advocate for giving senior citizens access to health-related information that they can play a greater role in their own care. She launched and expanded the “Ask the Visiting Nurse Program,” a community outreach initiative that provides seniors with health screenings and one-on-one health discussions and counseling with nurses from VNSWP. The program began in 1988, and today has operations at more than 60 senior residences and community sites. DiPalma served on the VNSWP board from 1984 to the present, and was chair from 1999 to 2003. She also was a board member of Hospice and Palliative Care of Westchester from 1986 until the present day.

Armando V. Galella of Sleepy Hollow is 90 years old, and has lived in Sleepy Hollow for virtually his entire life. A long-time member of the Pocantico Hook & Ladder Co., he has held every position with that organization, including president. As fire commissioner of Sleepy Hollow, Galella developed and implemented a volunteer team, which evolved into the current volunteer ambulance corps. As a young man, he served in the military and was part of the 53rd Signal Corps at Hickam Air Base near Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. He survived the Pearl Harbor attack and the invasion of Okinowa and eventually rose to become a battalion sergeant major. Over the years, Galella has spoken to students in social studies classes in many local schools about his wartime experiences and the importance of good citizenship.

Carol Greenberg of White Plains has more than 30 years of experience in nursing home administration, community based programs and proprietary home care agencies – years, which have earned her an excellent reputation in the home health area. Since 1995, she has been president and chief executive of Concept: Care Inc., a home health-care agency in White Plains. Long active in the community, Greenberg has served as president of the New York State Association of Health Care Providers and is a former chair of the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Service. The partnership honored Greenberg with its prestigious Golden Harvest Leadership Award in 2004 for her work with seniors.

Louise D. Muller of Pelham has been a community leader and volunteer for many years, and her work has centered on the education of children and young people. At various times, Muller has served as president of the Pelham Board of Education, Southern Westchester BOCES, the Westchester Putnam School Boards Association and the Westchester Children’s Association. As a young woman, Muller graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Mount Holyoke College and received a master’s degree in international affairs from the Harvard/Radcliffe Graduate School of arts and Sciences. Today, she enjoys ceramics, music and gardening.

Stephen J. Siegel of White Plains worked in the information technology industry for 40 years, and was founder and president of two national computer consulting companies. More recently, the Mount Vernon native has been a volunteer with Westchester Jewish Community Services’  “Amazing Afternoon” program. Here, he volunteers every week at Mount Vernon elementary school where many of the children qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, come from single-parent homes and may live in homeless shelters. Recently when state funding threatened to discontinue the afternoon programs, Siegel reached out to his fellow congregants at the Westchester Reform Temple and they raised almost $160,000 to sustain the program for the 2011-2012 season.

Seniors are nominated to the Hall of Fame by members of the community and the winners are selected by a screening committee composed of Hall of Fame members and the DSPS staff. 

The names of Hall of Fame winners are engraved on plaques that are permanently displayed at the DSPS office in Mount Vernon. This year’s honorees are:

BEDFORD: Dr. Marian Rose, PhD.

BEDFORD HILLS: David F. Brown

BRIARCLIFF MANOR: Douglas Paddock

BRONXVILLE: Dr. Joan O’Gorman, PhD.

CHAPPAQUA: Betsey Casey Metz
          
CROTON-ON-HUDSON: Annette Birnbaum

HARRISON: Paula Tarantino, Charlotte Vaughn

HARTSDALE: Alan Hochberg

IRVINGTON: Claire Mastroianni

KATONAH: Richard Salvaterra

LARCHMONT: Ruth M. Lewis, Robert Waldman

MAMARONECK: Friedhilde Milburn, Josie Santangelo

MONTROSE: Theresa McHale

MOUNT VERNON: Barbara McElveen, Henrietta Rush

NEW ROCHELLE: Betty A. Barker, Maurice Brick

PEEKSKILL: John D’Angelo, Fran Green, Tina McDermott

PELHAM: Louise D. Muller**

PLEASANTVILLE: Anthony Sardanelli, Elizabeth Sardanelli

RYE: Joan DePalma,** Lou Jaskow, Helen Roman, Thomas M. Saunders

SLEEPY HOLLOW: Armando V. Galella**

SOMERS: Fedora C. DeLucia

TARRYTOWN: Robert F. Patterson

WHITE PLAINS: Michael Chiarvalle, Carol Greenberg, ** John W. Harrington, Dr. Olivia J. Hooker, PhD.*  Mercedes Leis, Stephen J. Siegel **

YONKERS: Selma Charkin, Angela Mastromarco, Nick Mastromarco

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS: Jennie Menton Grasso

 * top honors       ** special recognition