New York OSIA Grand Lodge Foundation President Joseph J. DiTrapani announced that the 21^st Golden Lion Dinner would be held on Friday, April 16, 2004 at the world-renowned Garden City Hotel, Garden City, New York. The Golden Lion Award recipients for this event will be Nicola Arena, President and CEO of Mediterranean Shipping Company (USA) and Vincent C. Vesce, Executive Vice President of Business Services and Administration of the New York Power Authority.

Nicola Arena was born in Messina, Italy and raised in Genoa. He left his native land knowing that America was being built on "dreams" and he had an opportunity to build on his own dream. He now oversees Mediterranean Shipping, a steamship company that specializes in ocean and intermodal transportation worldwide.

Vincent C. Vesce is directly responsible for all the support services, corporate procurement and real estate activities for the New York Power Authority, as well as the human resources functions. Extremely active in the civic arena of Peekskill, New York, he was elected and served as Mayor of Peekskill in 1991.

Receiving the very prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts will be the "elegant and vivacious" Cristina Fontanelli. Ms. Fontinelli is a favorite vocal artist with many prestigious orchestras and has appeared at such prominent venues as Lincoln Center and Kennedy Center.

The 2004 Citizenship Award will be presented to Joseph Farber, Esq., partner in Farber, Rosen & Kaufman. Mr. Farber received his Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School and whether working as a Staff Attorney for Queens Legal Services or as a partner in his law firm, he is known by his peers as a "man of great accomplishment".

We are very fortunate to have Channel 2 News Special Assignment Reporter Tony Aiello as our "celebrity" Master of Ceremonies for the evening.  Mr. Aiello served in this capacity at our 2002 Golden Lion Dinner and added a special professional touch to our program. 

This major fund raising effort helps our OSIA Foundation to raise the vital funds needed to continue its charitable, educational and philanthropic work through the sale of dinner tickets and journal advertisements.

If you have any questions regarding the 2004 Golden Lion Dinner or would like to support this event, kindly contact Executive Director, Marianne Principe O’Neil at the Foundation Office, (516) 785-4623.