MC_2006_Spring_27
5/9/06
10:10 AM
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Charles Maikish, executive director of the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center, accepts the De La Salle Medal from Brother Thomas Scanlan as Thomas O’Malley ’63, chair of the Manhattan College board of trustees, and Peter Davoren, dinner chairman and president & CEO of Turner Construction Co., applaud.
Charles Maikish Receives the
2006 De La Salle Medal More than 600 friends, colleagues and associates gathered in the grand ballroom of the Waldorf=Astoria for the College’s largest annual fund-raising event. Brother President Thomas Scanlan presented the 2006 De La Salle Medal to Charles J. Maikish, executive director of the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center. The proceeds from the De La Salle dinner benefit scholarships, academic programs and library resources. Of special significance was the presence of four distinguished De La Salle medalists. These included 1991 recipient Alfred McNeill, then chairman and CEO of the Turner Corporation; 1994 recipient Thomas O’Malley ’63, then chairman & CEO of the Tosco Corporation and current chairman of the Manhattan College board of trustees; 2003 recipient Eugene McGrath ’63, chairman of Con Edison; and last year’s recipient Sy Sternberg, chairman and CEO of New York Life Insurance Company. The De La Salle Medal celebrates individuals who demonstrate Lasallian values in action: leadership, public service and commitment to education. Jim Ryan ’60, special correspondent, CBS 2 News This Morning, officiated as master of ceremonies. He thanked members of the dinner committee: John Magliano ’66, chairman & CEO, Syska
Hennessy Group; the Honorable Rudolph Giuliani ’65, 107th mayor of New York and chairman and CEO, Giuliani Partners; Eugene McGrath ’63, chairman, Con Edison; John Thomann ’87, vice president & general manager, Turner Interiors; John Zuccotti, chairman, Brookfield Properties; and Curt Zegler ’93, purchasing agent, Turner Construction. Dinner journal chair John Roth ’70, senior vice president, group account director, Lowe Worldwide, was also acknowledged. John Cahill, secretary and chief of staff to Governor George Pataki, made a special presentation in honor of Maikish. Cahill’s message of appreciation for Maikish’s leadership set a tone for the evening in terms of recognition for commitment to New York at both the city and state levels. O’Malley thanked the attendees for coming together to celebrate the life and work of Maikish. He introduced Peter Davoren, dinner chairman and president & CEO of Turner Construction Co., and accorded him special recognition for his time and energy in support of the event. Davoren emphasized the role Manhattan graduates have played in building the physical infrastructure of the city. Currently, Turner Construction employs 40 Manhattan graduates. And among the dinner guests were many Manhattan
alumni employed by the city’s most respected construction and civil engineering firms, including Turner. Br. Thomas introduced Maikish and described his long and distinguished career overseeing the infrastructure at economic and cultural institutions throughout the city, including the Port Authority, Columbia University and the World Trade Center. Br. Thomas drew “the striking parallels between Manhattan College and the honoree,” including his possession of “a global gestalt and respect of others that enables him to thrive in a multicultural environment.” He revealed the three-word mantra that Maikish has adopted for the Construction Command Center: facilitate (construction), mitigate (the environmental impact) and communicate. As Br. Thomas spoke, a group photo of Maikish on his first World Trade Center job — as one of the field engineers working on the original slurry wall — was shown. When Maikish took the podium, he explained how he came to be there. “Thirty-eight years ago, a young college senior was sent by Brother Leo, head of the Manhattan College civil engineering department, to see the head of surveys for the Port Authority at the original World Trade Center construction site,” he said. continued on page 5
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