Group holds event Thursday
Society of Friends of Saint Patrick to have annual dinner
TROY, N.Y. » The Society of the Friends of Saint Patrick will celebrate its 112th annual dinner Thursday, March 15, at Franklin Terrace on Campbell Avenue.
The first gathering of the society was a corned beef and cabbage luncheon held March 17, 1906, at the Elks Lodge on 3rd Street and attended by six people. This year’s event begins with a reception and cash bar at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7, with entertainment by Artie Januario, a comedian, from Boston.
The dinner will also include the induction of new directors:
• Elijah Legault lives in Green Island, after graduating from Heatly High School and Schenectady County C o mmu n i t y College. While in high school Elijah was an e x c e pt i on a l scholar being a member of the National Junior and National Honor Society. He excelled in baseball, soccer and basketball and in his senior high school year was captain of all three sports. In community service Elijah was a participant in the American cancer society relay for life and the American cancer society strides against breast cancer walks. He is currently employed by the Village of Green Island Water Department.
• Patrick Madden is the mayor of the city of Troy. He previously served for 30 years as Executive Director of the Troy Rehabilitation and Improvement Program ( TRIP), an organization dedicated to helping local families purchase their first home. Born and raised in the City of Troy, Patrick is a graduate of Catholic Central High School. He attended SUNY Albany where he graduated with a BA in Philosophy and Political Science, and earned his J.D. at Albany Law School. He is a current board member with the Northeast Health Foundation. He previously served as a board member for numerous community organizations, including Rensselaer County ARC, the Neighborhood Risk Management Corporation, Joseph’s House and Shelter, Troy Community Land Bank, and the Rensselaer County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. Patrick lives in Troy’s Eastside neighborhood with his wife Amy.
• Edward Manny has been a Rensselaer County Legislator since 2010, and is currently serving as the Deputy Minority Leader. He is a retired Troy Fi r e - fighter with 28 years of dedicated service. He is the past President and 36 year member of the Troy Flag Day Parade. Ed has been a lifelong resident of Troy and a graduate of Catholic Central High School, Class of 1969. He has been married to Martha (Grady) Manny for 46 years, and they have three children and seven grandchildren.
• Liam Murtagh lives in Rensselaer and had been attending the dinner each year with his grandfather, Jack McNulty. He graduated from Columbia High School and Hud-
son Valley Community College where he majored in Exercise Science. He is currently employed by Olympia Sports.
• Michael F. Zwack is currently a program manager at 3M. He is the son of Henry and Laura Zwack, of Stephentown. He has been attending the annual Friends of St. Patrick dinner for many years, once his mother approved of the comedians. Michael graduated from Berlin Central School in 2007, received his B. S. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2011, and a M.B. A from Union Graduate College in 2014. Michael participates in a variety of student and alumni activities with RPI, serving on their library board as well as an
officer of their local alumni association chapter. He is a member of their Annual Patroon Society and received Rensselaer Alumni Association Director’s Award in 2017. As a member of the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department for over 10 years, Michael manages their annual fund drive. A lifelong Stephentown resident, Michael now also splits his time on Washington Park in downtown Troy.
For more information about the dinner or the society, visit www.friendsofstpatrick.com or email stpatstroy@gmail.com.