Rockland Revolution 250 Luncheon

ABOUT OUR HONOREES

Eileen O’Brien & Jose Cardona, Lifetime Service Award 

When Eileen and Jose moved from New York City to West Nyack in the late 1990s, they were fortunate to have John Scott, then the Senior Historian of the HSRC, as their neighbor. He “planted a seed that bloomed and continued to grow” with the couple as they pursued professional careers in mental health care and law enforcement and engaged with the Rockland County community as civic volunteers. Now retired, Eileen and Jose remain active as volunteers with, among others, the Orangetown Historical Museum & Archives, NAMI-Rockland, and Keep Rockland Beautiful, and Eileen currently writes a senior lifestyle column for the Rockland County Times. We honor Eileen and Jose for their long service to the HSRC and the cause of spreading awareness of local history and for their deep commitment to the Rockland community as a whole. 

The Battaglia Family, Rockland Bakery,  Business Landmark Award 

Established more than seventy-five years ago, Rockland Bakery began in Nanuet as a small retail outlet. The Battaglia Family purchased the bakery in 1996 and is marking its fortieth anniversary of successful ownership this year. The family of five brothers and their father have used their experience, combined talents, and passion for baking to mold the business into the premier bakery in the U.S. Northeast, operating distribution centers that serve New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. We honor the Battaglia Family and Rockland Bakery for their dedication to providing high-quality baked goods and outstanding customer service as a landmark business of Rockland County. 

Carl Wright,  Living Landmark Award 

Carl Wright, Village Historian for the Village of Sloatsburg since July 2025, is a proud member of the Sloatsburg Historical Society, Friends of Harmony Hall, and the Historical Society of Rockland County. Further, Carl served as the mayor of Sloatsburg for a record-breaking thirty years (1975–81, 1985–89, and 2000–20). He is also a sixty-two-year active Life Member of the Sloatsburg Fire Department, a fifty-year active Life Member of the Rockland County Volunteer Firemen’s Association, and a fifty-year active Life Member of the New York & New Jersey Volunteer Firemen’s Association. While performing this extensive public and community service, Carl pursued a successful thirty-nine-year career as a social studies teacher at Tappan Zee High School. “I've always looked at the community as an extension of my family,” Carl has been quoted as saying. Few can match, let alone surpass, the contributions to the quality of life in Rockland made by our 2026 Living Landmark honoree.