Basralian to receive Ellis medal.

Joseph L. Basralian, managing partner of the Hackensack, N.J.-based law firm of Winne, Banta, Hetherington, Basralian & Kahn, P.C., has been awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Basralian will receive the Medal at a ceremony taking place on Ellis Island on Saturday, May 14. Besides the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor is the only other award sanctioned by both houses of the United States Congress and recipients are listed in the Congressional Record. The award was created in 1986, with previous recipients including U.S. presidents, senators, congressmen and Nobel Prize winners.

The medal recognizes Mr. Basralian's longstanding service to his Armenian ancestry, in particular to the global Armenian diaspora and to his local community. He serves as secretary on the central board of trustees of the Armenian General Benevolent Union, which was created in 1906 to preserve and promote the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs throughout the world. Mr. Basralian was also a trustee and the secretary of the Armenian Fund USA, which was established to assist Armenia in the reconstruction of its infrastructure after the 1988 earthquake. He also serves as a pro bono legal advisor to several Armenian churches and philanthropic organizations.