Pattern for Progress Celebrates 51st Anniversary with Yankees Great Bernie Williams; Honors Middletown’s Joe DeStefano, IBM’s Sheila Appel; Presents $10,000 Donation to Wappingers Central School District Music Program
NEWBURGH – For 51 years, Pattern for Progress has been the leading regional planning and policy organization in the Hudson Valley. Last night, Pattern celebrated this milestone at a reception at Anthony’s Pier 9 in New Windsor attended by around 500 people, including featured guest Bernie Williams, the Yankees legendary center fielder who helped lead the team to four World Series titles, and has forged an award-winning musical career since retiring from baseball.
Joined by three members of his band, Williams treated the audience to a set of soulful, jazzy musical selections–mostly his own compositions–including his unique interpretation of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” In between songs, he took questions about his life and career from Pattern President & CEO Jonathan Drapkin.
Williams talked about growing up in Puerto Rico, raised by parents who pressed him to keep his focus on schoolwork even as he developed his burgeoning athletic skills. As a child, he often found it hard to communicate with others, leading him to turn to music to express himself, he said. Even after he joined the Yankees, music never faded from Williams’ life; he recalled jamming with teammate Paul O’Neill, and others, before games.
As for his time with the Yankees, “words cannot describe” the thrill of riding down Broadway for a World Series ticker tape championship parade, said Williams.
Before Williams came out on stage, Middletown Mayor Joe DeStefano and Sheila Appel, US Regional Director of Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs at IBM, received awards from Pattern, DeStefano for his role in spearheading Middletown’s downtown revival and Appel for a career supporting innovative education programs such as P-TECH schools to give high school students access to technical skills training.
Supporting public education in the Hudson Valley is one of Pattern’s priorities; starting last year, the organization made a commitment to provide $10,000 each year to support an aspect of K-12 education in the Hudson Valley. The recipient of this year’s donation, selected by Bernie Williams, was the nationally recognized music program at Wappingers Central School District. Music teacher Jim Weinrich and a group of student musicians accepted the donation on behalf of the district before the students brought the audience to their feet with a moving a cappella performance of “America the Beautiful” to end the night.
Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress is a not-for-profit policy and planning organization that promotes regional, balanced and sustainable solutions to enhance the growth and vitality of the Hudson Valley. Founded in 1965 by business, academic and civic leaders, and based in Newburgh, N.Y., Pattern works within the nine-county area that includes Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester.
PATTERN FOR PROGRESS, 3 Washington Center, Newburgh, NY 12550
