2009 Chamber Gala Profiles

Chamber pays tribute to Hanson, Dietz, Fr. Levesque and NU

Prepared by Sandy Hays Mies and Terry Duffy
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, June 6, 2009

An unofficial kick off to summer's spectaculars on the Niagara Frontier gets under way Friday evening, June 13, at the Niagara Falls Country Club.

The event? "Halfway to the Holidays!" the annual gala of the Lower Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce, appropriately titled as being a midpoint to the traditional December holiday season and a celebration of all that's summer -- festivals, musicals, and much more - on the lower river scene.

The premier event of the chamber, each year it honors prominent and deserving individuals and businesses for their contributions to the quality of life in northern Niagara County. Over past weeks, the Sentinel has profiled six notable contributors, and today we conclude with a final three - Margaret "Peggy" Hanson, Village of Youngstown Citizen of the Year; Suzanne Simon Dietz, Town of Porter Citizen of the Year; and recipient of the Chamber Chair's Award - the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., and Niagara University.

Peggy Hanson - Village of Youngstown Citizen of the Year

Youngstown Mayor Neil Riordan has selected Peggy Hanson for this honor for her dedication to the village, both as a public servant and a private citizen. Although Peggy was born in Niagara Falls, her father's career as a Great Lakes Carbon Corporation executive caused the family to relocate to Morganton, N.C., and then to Manhasset,  a suburb of New York City. Hanson attended Adrian College in Michigan and earned her degree in education. As a teacher for the Morenci Area School System, she met her husband Curt. After a couple of career moves, they ended up in Mamaroneck, N.Y. It was there that Hanson lost her young husband to cancer. By that time, her parents had retired to Youngstown. Hanson believed that indeed "it takes a village to raise a child," and Youngstown seemed like the perfect place to raise her three children as a single parent. She began working in the judicial system as Judge Roy Cornell's part time clerk. Along the way, she landed a job as Judge Dave Truesdale's and Judge Walter Holmes' court clerk, a position she held for 25 years. She took it because it gave her enough flexibility to manage her children's schedules. She kept it because she genuinely liked the work. Hanson first became interested in government when she was frustrated with what she felt were outrageous water bills. Her friends convinced her to run for a seat as a village trustee and she was successful. At her first board meeting, she voted to raise the water rates when she found how much it actually cost the village to deliver.

Margaret "Peggy" Hanson - 2009 Village of Youngstown Citizen of the Year.

Over time, she worked successfully to lower the rates through tighter controls. Her stint as a village trustee spanned just over a quarter of a century. Her work on the village board caused her to leave her handprint on nearly every project the village undertook - from the development of the waterfront to the enhancement of Falkner Park, Gazebo Park and Veterans Park. She has worked diligently on Youngstown's insurance and recycling programs. Hanson served as deputy mayor to both Norm Swann and Riordan.

Her children are now grown. Shari is a charge nurse in the cardiac step-down unit at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. Kirsten is an engineer with C & S Engineers and lives in Syracuse, and her son Chris is an architect at New York Presbyterian/Weil Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

The year 2007 was one of change for Hanson. She retired from her position as court clerk and she left public life. She has spent the last two years learning to relax and focusing her attention on her grandchildren and the Community Basket Program that she has chaired for the past eight years. Hanson and her team of volunteers mobilize the generous spirit of many organizations and individuals who work to prepare and fill through contributions, more than 40 baskets that are delivered to families in need. They contain everything from gifts to a complete dinner. In true Hanson style, she quickly turned the credit for this project away from herself and noted that this group of volunteers works like a well-oiled machine. Maybe so, but Hanson is sincerely dedicated to this cause.

Mayor Riordan is pleased to bestow upon Hanson, the title of 2009 Citizen of Year. He noted that, "She's an exemplary public servant and citizen volunteer dedicated to community service and helping the less fortunate. It was an honor to have served the village with her."

Suzanne Simon Dietz - Town of Porter Citizen of the Year

Sue Simon Dietz - 2009 Town of Porter Citizen of the Year.

Suzanne Simon Dietz was selected by Supervisor Mert Wiepert to receive the Town of Porter Citizen of the Year Award for her dedication to the preservation and interpretation of the Town of Porter's history.

She is the oldest of 12 children and daughter of the late John and Sally Simon, well-known Niagara County residents. She is a retired counselor, a former college instructor, a mother of three, grandmother of five, and wife of her high school sweetheart, Ray Dietz. But what defined her in this community are the connections that she has made between our nation's history and those from Porter who served our country during World War II.

Her parents met in law school. Her mother served as a law clerk to John Foster Dulles, who went on to become Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He also negotiated the peace treaty with Japan. Her father practiced law in Lewiston and was also the Niagara County attorney.

John himself was a legend of sorts. He was also a war veteran who ironically did not share his war experiences with his daughter, which is perhaps what sparked in her such a keen interest. While working in her father's law office, she admits that by overhearing conversations between her dad and Cora Gushee, Dick Cary and other local historians, she became even more historically inspired.

She is the author of a book entitled "Honor thy Fathers & Mothers: Niagara Frontier's Legacy of Patriotism and Survival," which is a comprehensive look at the "greatest generation" from a local perspective. Lee Simonson of the Lewiston Historical Association recently introduced her by noting that, "Sue conducted more than 70 interviews with former soldiers and pilots, American POWs held in Europe and Japan, farm families who worked with German POWs from Fort Niagara, aircraft design engineers and mechanics at Bell Aircraft, staff serving Gen. Eisenhower and Operation Overlord, concentration camp survivors, and displaced children - all of whom shared their experiences at home and abroad with Dietz."

The book honors so many local residents who served our country and lists by name hundreds who played a role in the war from a local platform. Through her research and oral histories that she gathered, she was able to hear and touch those who served in the war and those who served in the war industry. She considers herself a lifelong learner and would rather talk about the people from the greatest generation than herself.

She served on the committee of the Axis POW Coalition whose purpose was to further the understanding of the social and historical impact of the 1944-1946 POW camp at Fort Niagara, and co-chaired the Allied POW program. Through her work, she was inspired to carry the message that we must get involved with our government, and we must ask questions.

She is a member of the Town of Porter Historical Association and the former editor of its newsletter. Dietz authored a book on Porter and on Lewiston as part of the Images of America Series and has contributed to various other local history books in Niagara County. She is presently the Town of Porter historian.

Sue and her husband, Ray, are the fourth generation to live on the Dietz family farm in Porter. Their daughter Olivia Belter is a director for Univera in Buffalo. Jessica is an attorney in New Orleans, and Aaron lives in Fort Worth, Texas, and is a supervisor with the U. S. Department of Homeland Security.

Rev. Joseph Levesque and Niagara University - Chamber Chairman's Award

Rev. Joseph Levesque and Niagara University - 2009 Chamber Chair's Award

George Osborne, chairman of the board of the Lower Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce, has selected the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., and Niagara University to receive the chamber's top honor.

Lewiston's beloved NU plays a prominent role in the local community, just as it has for more than 150 years. It is a tremendous asset - academically, economically and culturally. It is among the major employers in the county, responsible for the existence of 1,000 jobs. It has an annual operating budget of $68 million and an economic impact in Western New York estimated at more than $178 million annually. More than 4,000 students attend classes on its campus in Lewiston and at sites in the Toronto area, where the university offers both bachelor's and master's programs in education.

Since the year 2000, NU has invested more than $70 million in construction and improvements, providing employment for hundreds of construction and trades people. Projects in excess of $40 million are planned for the near future, including a new $25 million science center.

Throughout its history, and in accord with its Vincentian spirit, NU has willingly contributed its resources to the many challenges that confront the local community. Today, more than 2,000 NU students annually contribute in excess of 60,000 hours of service to local agencies and causes. Half of those hours are spent tutoring children in local school districts to give them the academic skills they need to be successful in school and in life.

NU has developed a number of academic centers that, among other things, help strengthen the stability and long-term viability of family-owned businesses, provide local industries with training and professional development in logistics and transportation management, and help train and educate employees for the local tourism industry. Students and faculty in NU's Academic Center for Integrated Sciences are doing important research with the Heart Center of Niagara on the prevalence of heart disease in Niagara County.

NU has also supported the efforts of area law enforcement agencies to eliminate crime from neighborhoods and to develop and implement a process to map crime in the county. The university also operates a community outreach center on Main Street in Niagara Falls to assist residents in the north end area of the city. Hundreds of volunteers have been trained to assist the community in times of need through the Border Community SERVICE program (Special Emergency Response Volunteer Initiative for Community Empowerment).

Niagara's Castellani Art Museum, its theater program and athletic teams offer the community a wide variety of cultural activities and entertainment options.

Since becoming the 25th president of NU in January of 2000, Levesque has directed a process of transformation that is impacting both the physical character of the campus and the university's approach to teaching and learning. He has also emphasized community involvement, and has been a leader in building town-gown relationships.

Tickets are still available for Friday's gala. Call 754-9500, ext. 102.