April 17, 2007 (Ellis Island, NY) - Today in the historic Great Hall, four esteemed individuals were honored by The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. for their contributions to the American Experience. The date marks the 100th anniversary of the record-breaking day at Ellis Island when 11,747 immigrants were processed, more than double a normal day.

The Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards, given annually to a select number of Port of New York and Ellis Island immigrants or their descendants, were presented by Tommy Lasorda, Foundation Board Member, and Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior, in an 11:00 a.m. ceremony hosted by Lynn Sherr of ABC News at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

The 2007 honorees are:

BUSINESS: John Mack – Chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley, he previously headed up Pequot Capital Management, Credit Suisse Group and Credit Suisse First Boston. His philanthropic work involves serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital as well as on the boards of Duke University and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. His grandfather entered America through Ellis Island.

PUBLIC SERVICE: Bill Novelli – A recognized leader in the international practice of social marketing, he is CEO of AARP. He began a second career in public service in 1990 after retiring from Porter Novelli, one of the world's largest public relations agencies, which he co-founded. He is the grandson of an Ellis Island immigrant.

SPORTS: Mike Krzyzewski – Known by fans as “Coach K” of the three-time National Champion Duke University Blue Devils basketball team, he is the winningest coach in NCAA Tournament history. He sets the bar high as a humanitarian of sport and an ambassador of education. His grandfather came to America through Ellis Island.

PEOPLING OF AMERICA AWARD: This award honors an immigrant to the U.S. who does not trace roots to Ellis Island but arrived at another time or through another port of entry. The 2007 award honors Josie Natori. Born in the Philippines, she came to America in 1964 to study economics, later becoming an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. In 1976, ready to move on to something more creative, she boldly quit her job and ultimately reconfigured the lingerie industry as CEO of Natori Company.

The Ellis Island honorees received a framed copy of the original ship’s passenger manifest documenting the arrival of their family in America, obtained from the database of the American Family Immigration History Center® at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and online at www.ellisisland.org. The database contains the arrival records of the more than 25 million people who entered through the Port of New York and Ellis Island from 1892-1924. Forty percent of Americans have family immigration records in this database.

For more information on Ellis Island, visit www.ellisisland.org.

About The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.
The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 1982 to raise funds for and oversee the historic restorations of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, working in partnership with the National Park Service/U.S. Department of the Interior. In addition to restoring the monuments, the Foundation created a museum in the Statue’s base and the world-class Ellis Island Immigration Museum, The American Immigrant Wall of Honor® and the American Family Immigration History Center®. Its endowment has funded over 200 projects at the islands.


CONTACT:
Suzanne Mannion (201-445-8451)
smannion@newsmakergroup.com
Peg Zitko (212-561-4517)
pzitko@ellisisland.org