It takes a strong man to be a dad
Awards ceremony celebrates top pops
Friday, May 30, 2008
BY ALEX ZDAN
The Trenton Times
TRENTON -- Thirteen Mercer County men will be recognized for their excellence in fatherhood at the third annual Platinum Dads awards celebration June 7.
The recipients were announced yesterday morning at a City Hall press conferenceattended by organizers, boosters, and past recipients.
"Trust me, I did not expect this," 2008 recipient Rudolph Galiber said.
Award presenters UIH Family Partners, Children's Futures and the Trenton Housing Authority say a father honored with a Platinum Dads award must value education and be loving and encouraging as well as display teamwork with the mother of his children. Candidates also must not be incarcerated and free from outstanding warrants.
"The word 'dad' is a big word," Galiber said. "We are dads and it's a big word because we are dads forever."
For the second year, the "Legacy of Fatherhood Award" for a senior gentleman who has inspired subsequent generations of men will also be presented at the breakfast ceremony.
Last time, the award went to George H. Palmer, community leader and father of city Mayor Douglas H. Palmer. This year, John S. Watson Sr. will posthumously receive the award. Watson, the county's first black freeholder, was patriarch of a family that remains powerful and influential in the state's political scene.
"He always had time for us," said Deputy Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner John Watson Jr., who attended the press conference along with his brother Aaron.
City Council President Paul Pintella congratulated the recipients.
"Your good deeds are now being recognized," he said.
Newly installed UIH Family Partners Executive Director Karen Andrade-Mims said naming the award for fathers "platinum" was appropriate.
"It is a metal that is strong, that is precious, that is rare," she said. "And that's what our dads represent."
Members of the 2008 Platinum Dads are: Kenneth Dodson of Trenton, Rudolph Galiber of Trenton, Irvin Harmon of Trenton, Ja maal James of Trenton, Peter Kasabach of Trenton, Jean F. Massenat of Trenton, Jason Mills of Pennington, Daryl Nicholson of Trenton, Stanley Reece of Trenton, Jose Sanchez of Trenton, Terrance Stokes of Trenton, Keenan Ward of Ewing and Bryan Wyszynski of Trenton.