Two to receive Lewis Rudin Awards for Public Service. (Transcripts).

Coro New York will present the first annual Lewis Rudin Awards for Public Service to two distinguished New Yorkers at its "Commitment to Leadership" Gala Dinner on June 10 at the Starlight Roof of the Waldorf Astoria in New York. The awards were created to memorialize the visionary leadership that Lew Rudin demonstrated throughout his life.

Rudin, one of New York's most influential business and civic leaders for more than four decades, founded the Association for a Better New York (ABNY) and devoted much of his life to making the city a better place to live and work. The new awards will be presented annually by Coro New York - a non-profit organization that helps to prepare individuals for leadership in the public sector - in such categories as Visionary Leadership in the Public Sector and Visionary Leadership in the Private Sector.

This year, the recipients will include Robert B. Catell, CEO of Keyspan Corporation and chairman of the New York City Partnership, and Bernard B. Kerik, former New York City Police Commissioner and currently director of Giuliani Partners, Inc.

Prior to his death in September 2001, Rudin along with his brother, Jack, was at the helm of one of New York's oldest and most prestigious, private real estate firms. The Rudin family owns and manages 40 buildings in Manhattan. Rudin became one of the city's biggest boosters during the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, when he helped persuade other developers and corporate leaders to prepay millions of dollars in property taxes so that the city avoid fiscal disaster. In addition to founding ABNY, one of the city's leading civic groups, he played a pivotal role in popularizing such events as the New York City Marathon and U. S. Tennis Open. Throughout his lifetime, Rudin took an active role in a number of charitable organizations and was awarded the Bronze Medallion, the city's highest civic award.

"No one epitomized the Coro legacy, and the spirit of public service and community support, more than Lewis Rudin," said Philip Li, executive director of Coro New York Leadership Center.

William Rudin, Lewis's son, said, "Every year my father looked forward to meeting the young people who were in Coro's program. He strongly supported Coro's mission of preparing the next generation for community service."

The recipient of the Visionary Leadership in the Private Sector award, Robert B. Catell, CEO of Keyspan Corporation, is involved with many community organizations. Among his activities are serving as chairman of the New York City Partnership, Trustee of the Brooklyn Public Library Foundation, Brooklyn Law School, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Cabrini Mission Foundation. Catell is a member of the Advisory Board of HeartShare for Human Services and serves as chairman of the Board of the Utility Business Education Coalition.

The recipient of the Visionary Leadership in the Public Sector award, Bernard Kerik is the former Commissioner of the New York City Police and Correction departments. He was decorated on 30 separate occasions for meritorious and heroic service, receiving the Police Department's prestigious Medal of Valor.