Hometown Heroes of 2005

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by Paul Bass | Dec 23, 2005 1:01 pm

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Posted to: Hometown Heroes

A group of grandmas in New Haven (including Margaret Thomas, in photo) were willing to start all over again raising children — their children’s children. Along with a cop who climbed a pole to save people’s lives, and eight other heroic groups and individuals, they made the New Haven Independent Honor Roll of 2005.

* * *

The Winners

Greg Smith. Before the politicians and the police started figuring out what to do about a wave of youth violence in the city this year, including rampages by kids on bikes, Greg Smith was on the street making a difference. He organized a parent patrol in the Dwight neighborhood. Look for him to do more in 2006 in the neighborhood with money from a new City Hall youth initiative. Click here to read the story that inspired others to deal with one of the city’s biggest challenge.

John Lugo. New Haven is fortunate to be able to welcome thousands of new, motivated citizens thanks to a wave of Latin American immigration. The community faces challenges in helping new arrivals adjust to life here. Organizer John Lugo and his group Unidad Latina en Acci√É¬≥n, along with the people at Junta for Progressive Action, have been at the forefront of pushing the community to face up to the challenge. Besides organizing demonstrations and public hearings, Lugo brought to light the exploitation of undocumented workers at construction sites and helped some of them get paid; click here and here to read about that.

Steve McMorris. Officer Steve McMorris was on his final rounds of an overnight shift when he saw flames leaping from the Three Judges Motel. He scurried up a pole to save the lives of some people trapped in a room. He was treated for minor injuries at Yale-New Haven Hospital, then released. He, and the people at Three Judges, all emerged safe. Click here to read about it.

Margaret Thomas and Tishe. Margaret Thomas is one of the “Grandmothers on the Move,” a group of New Haven grandparents who have risen to a challenge: They’ve stepped in to replace their children who are no longer able to care for their own children. They offered their lessons in double love upon the occasion of receiving one of this year’s Morris Wessel Prizes. Click here to read about it.

Lt. Stephanie Redding. Lt. Stephanie Redding has 20 years on the police force. And she knows how to keep her cool. She proved it again when a crazed gunman was barricaded inside a house on Stevens Street, and she talked him outside without anyone getting harmed. Click here for more.

Helen Kauder and Schneur Katz. Where other people see washed-up vacant buildings, Schneur Katz sees a future. This year, working with Artspace’s Helen Kauder, he invited graphic artists from around the state to show their stuff inside a five-story former Olin building he’s turning into new offices (and artists’ lofts?) on Shelton Avenue in the Newhallville neighborhood. Click here to read about how he did it, and why.

Kari Hartwig and Sheldon Toubman. Unlike a hamburger, say, or a Corvette, the “public interest” can be a hard concept to visualize. Yale public health prof Kari Hartwig and legal aid lawyer Sheldon Toubman had a clear picture of the public interest when they saw private HMOs doing a lousy job with $625 million in public tax dollars meant to deliver health care to poor people — and refusing to let the public know how the money was being spent. Working with other health advocates, the pair made vivid the notion of the public interest to the Freedom of Information Commission and won a landmark victory requiring HMOs to open themselves to public scrutiny. Click here to read about their mission and here to read about how they won.

Stephen Kobasa. Stephen Kobasa has devoted his life to his convictions. So he didn’t back down under a new rule at the high school where he taught that required him to fly the American flag all day. He got fired — and taught his students a lesson they’ll never forget. Click here to read about it.

Bruno Suraci. Other towns were making it easy for Bruno and Marc Suraci to take their metal finishing factory out of New Haven. But the Suracis were determined to find a way to stay here; the city’s Office of Economic Development worked hard with them to find a new home for their expanded business in Fair Haven. Their new factory will keep 50 good factory jobs here, a number that may grow to 200. It will also help a hoped-for new industrial district keep building on River Street. Click here for the story. The momentum continues.

The Career High drama crew. The Bard caught on at Career High School this year. Click here for the story of how drama became cool at a science high school and opened up a world of new possibilities for kids in the city.

Comment

posted by: stranger on December 24, 2005 10:43am

This list is typical of the establishment in New Haven. African Americans are typically left off the lists(except for the one or two tokens). There are a lot of good people out there doing good things. Where are they on your list?

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