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BOB HOPE, YOGI BERRA, CICELY TYSON, DR. ANTHONY FAUCI AND WWII HERO ABIE
ABRAHAM HONORED AT ELLIS ISLAND
Ellis Island, NY (April 10, 2003) -
Today in the historic Great Hall, five esteemed individuals who trace their family roots through the Golden Door of
Ellis Island, were honored by The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation for their contributions to the American
Experience.
The 2003 Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards were presented by the Foundation’s Founding Chairman,
Lee Iacocca in a ceremony hosted by Frank Gifford. Tributes were paid to the group of accomplished honorees whose
diverse backgrounds share the common thread of an Ellis Island heritage.
The awards were given in the fields of:
Entertainment: to Bob Hope, one of the most famous Ellis Island immigrants who arrived as a very young child in
America at Ellis Island in 1908.
Medicine & Science: to Dr. Anthony Fauci - a pioneering AIDS researcher and
scientific leader who serves as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the NIH, and a
grandson of Ellis Island immigrants.
Performing Arts: to Cicely Tyson, star of stage, screen and television,
whose family immigrated through Ellis Island from St. Kitts and Nevis, British West Indies.
Sports: to Yogi Berra,
beloved baseball legend whose Italian parents came through Ellis Island.
Government Service: to Abie Abraham
(Master Sergeant, United States Army, Retired) son of Ellis Island immigrants, whose heroic service in World War II was
profiled in the best-selling book, Ghost Soldiers.
The honorees were presented with a framed copy of the original
ship’s passenger manifest documenting the arrival of their family in America, obtained from the database of the American
Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island and online at www.ellisisland.org.
The Ellis Island Family Heritage
Awards were instituted in 2001 to mark the first annual Ellis Island Family History Day and to celebrate Ellis Island as
the Golden Door to America for the 17 million immigrants who first set foot on American soil there. Annually a select
number of Ellis Island immigrants or their descendants are chosen to be honored.
In his closing remarks Lee Iacocca
stated, “Ellis Island is a landmark that is half physical building, and half an emotional marker – a doorway to our past.”
In congratulating the honorees he added, “How wonderful to come from this immigrant stock, rooted in dreams, and boldness,
and endurance. It is a pedigree to be proud of.”
For further information on the American Family Immigration History
Center™ visit:
www.ellisisland.org, AOL Keyword: EllisIsland.org, or write:
The Statue of Liberty-Ellis
Island Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box ELLIS
New York, NY 10163
Email: historycenter@ellisisland.org
# # #
Peg Zitko
(212)561-4517
pzitko@ellisisland.org
Maria Antenorcruz
(212)561-4542
mantenorcruz@ellisisland.org
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