Connellsville chamber honors community members
Lori C. Padilla
The Athena Award was presented to Fayette County Judge Linda Cordaro, who was honored for her continued community service. Chamber president Michael Bowman presented the award.
Lori C. Padilla
Daniel Cox, a city resident since 2002, was recognized by the Greater Connellsville Chamber of Commerce with their Community Service award.
Lori C. Padilla
Robert McLuckey received the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Greater Connellsville Chamber of Commerce for his continued support of the area’s youth and his endless hours of volunteering for his church and his community. A citation was presented to him from the state House of Representatives by Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Perryopolis.
Lori C. Padilla
Community awards were handed out on Tuesday evening by the Greater Connellsville Chamber of Commerce annual dinner. Tony Grasso, owner and operator of Grasso Greenhouse in the city, addressed the gathering following a special recognition for his continued support of the community with his business and personal contributions.
Connellsville Area Chamber of Commerce officials honored a handful of community members last week for their contributions in continuing to make Connellsville a thriving business community and exciting place to live.
The accolades began with an award that isn’t necessarily given each year but instead when it seems fitting to honor an individual who has gone above and beyond throughout their life.
“This is given to a very special member of the community who has sustained being a part of the business community and the charitable community for a very long time — a lifetime in fact,” said chamber board member Gretchen Mundorff who presented the award to Tony Grasso, owner of Grasso’s Greenhouses.
His family began the business as East Connellsville Greenhouses in 1927. Grasso worked at the business as he was growing up and before receiving degrees from Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania in the fields of horticulture and landscape architecture.
Grasso moved to the Laguna Beach, Calif., area where he was involved in several green space projects but returned home after his dad unexpectedly died of a heart attack and his mom fell and broke her hip.
He helped to continue growing the family business and also began to get involved with the community, joining the Connellsville Rotary Club as well as the chamber. He has continued to help the community throughout the years.
“Because his star continues to shine on our community, we are so blessed and we shine just a little bit brighter,” Mundorff said.
The Honorable Linda Cordaro received the Athena Award, and former Connellsville Area School District teacher and administrator Robert McLuckey was awarded as this year’s distinguished citizen.
Chamber board member Leah Bierer cited Cordaro’s numerous accomplishments throughout her lifetime, including becoming just the second woman to ever win a seat as judge in the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas.
“The Athena Award is to recognize women who inspire others to achieve personal excellence,” Bierer said.
Her involvement with various volunteer organizations, including the downtown steering committee, the Uniontown Salvation Army and the Connellsville Area High School Mock Trial team, contributed to her rise to the top of a list of community servants.
“I’m completely at a loss for words — I’m just astounded,” said Cordaro as she accepted the award.
“I thank the chamber and my community, which I love wholeheartedly, my mom and dad and wonderful friends and supporters,” she added. “I can’t tell you how grateful and proud I am to accept this award.”
Chamber vice president Bob Topper Jr. presented the award to McLuckey, mentioning his 35 years of teaching — 29 of them in the Connellsville School District — his coaching as well as the many ways he’s volunteered as part of his church (Wesley United Methodist Church), his time helping at Wesley Health Center and his involvement with the Connellsville Falcon Foundation.
“He is motivated by his strong faith in God, and I’m not shocked at all that he has done but how quietly he goes about doing it,” said Topper.
McLuckey said he was humbled by the honor.
“I know the things that you all do and I think the things I’ve done pale in comparison to what others have done,” he said. “My wife and I are blessed in this life and we like to help when we can.”
Chamber board member Eugene Lint presented Dan Cox with the community-service-as-an-individual award for his tireless efforts to make Connellsville better, from his opening of Artworks and his involvement in securing a 501(c)3 status for Fayette County Cultural Trust to his running of the farmer’s market and operations at the Connellsville Canteen.
Rolling Thunder Chapter 5 PA was recognized with the community-service-as-a-group award for their commitment to the needs of veterans as well as their continued efforts to bring attention to Prisoner of War and Missing in Action veterans.
“They’re not a motorcycle club,” said award presenter Bryan Kisiel. “The bikes are just a means of getting the public’s attention to support their cause of helping veterans.”
This past year the group has helped dozens of veterans and their widows with projects ranging from installing new windows in a home to paying for heating fuel.
Finally, the beautification award was given to Judy Lynn Craig for the recent renovations made to Lynn’s Dairy Queen that include a meeting room as well as a beautiful fire place.
Craig was not able to attend but the business’s manager Rae Spellman accepted the award on her behalf and read a letter written by Craig that said the renovations were not just a “random remodel,” but a part of Craig’s ongoing efforts to keep the local dairy queen on the cutting edge.