By The TimesLedger
The Boys’ Club Of New York recently announced details of its 26th Annual All Sports Hall of Fame Dinner.
The dinner, which last year raised more than $2.1 million to benefit the New York charitable organization, will be held Wednesday, Nov. 7 at the Waldorf Astoria’s Grand Ballroom. The theme of this year’s dinner, to celebrate The Boys’ Club’s 125th anniversary, is Wall Street: A Century of Investment in our City’s Youth.
Oscar Robertson, considered by many to be the greatest basketball player in history, will be awarded The Boys’ Club’s fourth annual Northrop Award, given to an individual whose life and achievements make him an extraordinary role model for today’s youth. Past recipients of the Northrop Award have been Lance Armstrong, John Madden and Jim McKay.
Joining the 12-time NBA All-Star and Basketball Hall of Fame member will be several newly inducted members of their respective Halls of Fame. To date, commitments to attend the dinner have been received from football’s Nick Buoniconti, Jackie Slater, Ron Yary and Jack Youngblood and hockey’s Dale Hawerchuk, with more to come.
Albert H. Gordon, the former Chief Executive of Kidder, Peabody and a 50-year supporter of The Boys’ Club of New York and a trustee for more than four decades, will receive the organization’s Harriman Award. This honor is bestowed annually to the individual and his corporation for extraordinary contributions to keeping sport a part of American life.
Past Harriman Award recipients have included Roone Arledge, President, ABC News, Dick Ebersol, President, NBC Sports, and Richard Grasso, Chairman/CEO, The New York Stock Exchange.
Joining the honorees will be more than 80 additional athletes who will serve as table hosts for the expected 1,000 guests. They will include Bob Cousy, Orlando Cepeda, Bobby Thompson, David Thompson, George Blanda, Anthony Munoz, Wesley Walker, Allie Sherman, Frank Mahovlich, Peter Stastny, Gene Mayer and Rosie Casals. NBC-TV sportscaster Len Berman will serve as the evening’s Toastmaster. John Amirante will sing the National Anthem.
The Boys’ Club of New York was founded in 1876 by E. H. Harriman in a rented basement on St. Mark’s Place to provide help to impoverished kids on New York’s lower east side. Today, The Boys’ Club operates four clubhouses in New York City and a camp in New Jersey helping thousands of our city’s neediest and most deserving youngsters with programs in education, guidance and athletics.
For additional media information contact John Frew or Todd Gershwin, The Hamilton Group, (212) 946-4860 or jfrew@thehamiltongroup.net.
For further information regarding the All Sports Hall of Fame Dinner contact Wilkie Pretorius at Projects Plus, Inc., (212) 997-0100 or wpretorius@projectsplusinc.com.
