COALITION OF ETHNIC GROUPS FETE OWNER-PRESIDENT OF GALPIN FORD.Byline: TRACY VALERI Bert Boeckmann, Galpin Ford owner and president, is no stranger to awards, but he says the honor presented to him in May - the Ellis Island Medal of Honor The Ellis Island Medal of Honor was established in 1986 to pay tribute to the immigrant experience and individual achievement, and are awarded to U.S. citizens from various ethnic backgrounds. - was especially meaningful. The medal was presented to Boeckmann in the Grand Hall of Ellis Island Ellis Island, island, c.27 acres (10.9 hectares), in Upper New York Bay, SW of Manhattan island. Government-controlled since 1808, it was long the site of an arsenal and a fort, but most famously served (1892–1954) as the chief immigration station of the United in New York Harbor New York Harbor, a geographic term, refers collectively to the rivers, bays, and tidal estuaries near the mouth of the Hudson River in the vicinity of New York City. This is sometimes construed in the sense "the Ports of New York and New Jersey". , where immigrants were processed into the United States. ``This medal of honor Medal of Honor highest American military decoration for wartime gallantry. [Am. Hist.: Misc.] See : Bravery has special significance for me, not just because my grandfather came through Ellis Island,'' Boeckmann said, ``but also because the award is a celebration of courage and sacrifice and hard work. It is a tribute to the global community that makes America great.'' Boeckmann's grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl , Adolph and Sophia Boeckmann, were among the millions who stood in the Grand Hall after arriving from Germany in the late 1800s. As a recipient, Boeckmann joins approximately 700 American citizens who have received the award since its establishment in 1986, including presidents, entertainers, athletes, religious leaders and business people. Boeckmann joined his wife, Jane, and family members at the ceremony. The Ellis Island Medal of Honor awards are sponsored by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations Foundation Inc. Recipients are selected each year through a national nomination process. According to foundation spokeswoman Lonnie Miller, leadership qualities and involvement in ethnic and community activities are strongly considered. A Calabasas project to improve pedestrian safety, traffic circulation and accessibility to stores and other businesses has received a big financial boost. On Wednesday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky presented $1,110,400 in federal earthquake recovery funds to Calabasas Mayor Lesley Devine to fund the program, called the Old Town Calabasas Streetscape street·scape n. 1. An artistic representation of a street. 2. Surroundings composed of streets: the urban streetscape. Improvement Project. Construction is scheduled to begin July 14. According to Calabasas City Manager Charles R. Cate the improvements will provide the Old Town area with an ambience of the Old West. With the help of the Los Angeles County Community Development Commission, the funding was provided as an Earthquake Recovery Grant from the Economic Development Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Studio City resident Gabriella Aratow, 23, recently was honored by the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. , School of Theatre, Film and Television for her feature-length screenplay titled ``The Glass Harmonica.'' ``I knew I had a chance to win but didn't expect to,'' Aratow said. Aratow was one of five winners chosen nationally. Her adventure comedy has Ben Franklin conning young Wolfgang Mozart into smuggling smuggling, illegal transport across state or national boundaries of goods or persons liable to customs or to prohibition. Smuggling has been carried on in nearly all nations and has occasionally been adopted as an instrument of national policy, as by Great Britain documents crucial to the American Revolution from Paris to London. All nominees were participating students in the UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX 1996-97 Professional Program in Screenwriting, a one-year graduate-level program. Aratow says she will pursue a career in the film industry. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Bert Boeckmann Honored at Ellis Island |
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