Editor’s Note: The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. 

Former City official and aide to three former Bronx borough presidents, Robert “Bob” Francis Nolan, who died on Dec. 15, 2023 at the age of 75, as reported, was honored with a posthumous award in the presence of his family during an Irish Heritage Month celebration hosted by the Office of the Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson on Wednesday, March 27.

 

Held at the Rambling House on Katonah Avenue in Woodlawn, the borough president’s office partnered with Montefiore Medical Center for the event, which was emceed by the president of the Bronx Economic Development Corporation, Rob Walsh. Fidel Malena, the Bronx representative for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, District 11 City Councilman Eric Dinowitz, and Bronx Community Board 12 District Manager George Torres were also in attendance, among other dignitaries, while Fr. Daniel O’Reilly from St. Philip Neri Church in Bedford Park delivered the invocation.

Paying tribute to Nolan, Gibson, who was jokingly dubbed “O’Gibson” by Walsh for the duration of the evening, paid tribute to Nolan, saying he had served alongside [three] former Bronx Borough Presidents Stanley Simon, Fernando Ferrara, and Adolfo Carrión Jr., was the Bronx representative for NYC Health + Hospitals, and also a member of the community advisory board.

 

According to part of his obituary, “Born in the Bronx on Nov. 16, 1948, Bob was raised on Amethyst Street by his parents Benjamin and Agnes Nolan, with his older sister Carol and younger brother James. In August 1974, Bob met Susan Gannascoli of Graves End, Brooklyn, after Bob befriended Susan’s brother, Rudy, at a New York State Young Democrats Convention. On August 2, 1975, Bob and Susan were married in Brooklyn on a day that was said to be a 99-degree scorcher.”

Susan, along with her two children, was in attendance at the celebration and accepted the award honoring her late husband from the borough president. Continuing her tribute to Nolan, Gibson said in part, “I want to say thank you to his family, to his beloved wife, Susan, to his daughter, Vivian, and to his son, Chris. Thank you for sharing your husband and your father with all of us. We are a better borough because of Bob Nolan’s service.”

 

The borough president also presented a posthumous tribute to the Nolan Family by issuing a proclamation declaring March 29, 2024, “Robert Francis Nolan Day” in The Bronx and also introduced the creation of the Robert F. (Bob) Nolan Memorial Award. Presenting the glass award to the family, Gibson delighted in adding, “And…..Ladies & Gentleman, it’s green! It’s green!”

Irish American community leader, representative of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), and union leader, Joe McManus, also paid tribute to Nolan, saying he had a great heart and was a great friend. “God bless the borough president for recognizing that he was a solid, important person in Bronx County and from now on, he always will be,” McManus said.

 

Accepting the award, Susan said, “I didn’t realize how many people my husband mentored. One of them. Tom (inaudible), who’s here.” She spoke of her husband’s other roles with the Northeast Bronx Senior Citizens Center and on the executive board of the Van Nest Association, adding that he had grown up in that neighborhood. “I said, ‘Bob, why are you on Van Nest? We live in Indian village,’ which is a part of Morris Park,” she said. “He said, ‘Sue, they don’t need me there. They have plenty of people to guide them. Van Nest doesn’t have that.’ So, my husband was there to advise and guide them for probably about 15 years.”

Susan also spoke of Bob’s work securing grants for Mindbuilders to help support children’s programs, his work with the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) and its president, Marty Gallagher, his role as Grand Marshal at different St. Patrick’s Day parades and his legislative work in Washington D.C. and in Albany. Susan added that Bob loved liaising with the various borough presidents’ offices for over 30 years.

 

“He thought the world of Vanessa Gibson, and was thrilled when she became our president,” Susan said, adding that in advance of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations each year, he would get a call as a trusted source asking for names of who to honor each year for their work in the community, and was happy to suggest people.

 

“He loved helping people, and so that’s why this is so important what the president is doing because he was such a part of the celebration that we have,” Susan said. “So thank you all.”

For his part, the councilmember said he was excited for all the honorees and happy to represent the Irish American community in Woodlawn  and beyond, giving a special mention to An Béal Bocht [Irish restaurant and bar] in his district, and Ciara Gannon, who works for the borough president.

 

Dinowitz talked about the diversity of the borough, saying, “What’s amazing about our community here, and really about America, is as I walk around and speak to everyone, everyone has a lot of Irish pride, and you hear it in the Irish brogue, in their accent. They’re very… you are very, very Irish, but you are also very American and it’s a very special thing to be able to simultaneously have pride in where you come from, in your past, in your heritage, and where you are, and to marry those two things together.”

 

The councilman added, “And even if you were just listening to the national anthem, it was the words that we know so well but it was sung in a way that I had never heard before. It was like I was listening to an Irish tune but it was our national anthem and that’s such a beautiful thing about our community, and our country, is all of us coming together, and of course with Irish American heritage, that says it all – Irish and American.”

The councilman also paid tribute to the work of Gibson in her role as borough president and spoke about recent funding for stem labs at P.S. 19, working with the Sanitation department on a clean-up route on Katona Avenue, and with NYC Parks on Indian Field. He added that there would also be some outdoor summer movies happening.

 

Gibson thanked community partners, the NYPD, Deputy Inspector Jonathan P. Korabel of the 47th Precinct and community affairs team, Emerald Isle Immigration Center, Women of Woodlawn, the Woodlawn Taxpayers and Home Owners’ Association, local school districts and labor unions. “One thing I truly appreciate about these celebrations is that it reminds us of the story of many of our immigrant communities, coming here for a better life to achieve the American dream, to make sure that we prosper, that we have economic opportunity,” she said.

 

“As we have pathways to college and careers and the middle class, we make sure that we are reminded of the important work of labor, and so I want to recognize many of our partners in the labor sector, many of our incredible Irish American leaders, and let me celebrate and recognize Mr. Joseph McManus,” Gibson said. “Thank you, Joe, for all the great work you do.”

The evening featured special performances by the New York State Court Officers Pipes and Drums, the New York Céili Band, comprising musicians, Pamela Geraghty, Aoife Fleming, and Sean Tierney, and Irish Celtic dances performed by both Tierney and 14-year-old Aoife, who has competed in various international Irish dance and musical competitions, and who sang both the American national anthem and the Irish national anthem (both in the Irish language, and in English). She was also honored on the night with the youth award.

 

Introducing Aoife, Walsh said her dedication and hard work was evidenced in her musical, vocal and dance talents. Accepting her award, Aoife said her mom, from Tyrone, and her dad, from Sligo, both emigrated from Ireland to Yonkers. She said she grew up playing and learning music, singing, which she said she loved, dancing from the age of three, and also plays Gaelic football with St. Bridget’s and camogie (another Irish field sport). She added that she used to play with the boys before she aged out and is traveling to Ireland this summer with the Girls New York football team for a tournament. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to get three years in a row, the first time in history for the New York football team,” she said. “Thanks for this award and congratulations to all the other honorees.”

 

Before the invocation, Fr. O’Reilly explained that he was the epitome of Irish America, his mother’s family having hailed from Counties Galway and Mayo, and his father’s family from Counties Tyrone and Cavan.

 

He added that he grew up across from Van Cortlandt Park, and attended St. Margaret’s Catholic School. After congratulating Aoife on winning the youth award, he joked, “My grandfather, John O’Reilly, played the tin whistle in the Cavan Marching Band, and the Cavan Marching Band was not always very professional. They sometimes would gather in January to start rehearsing for the parade, but after five minutes of playing, they turned to the Guinness and the Jameson’s [Irish whiskey] and then the band went downhill from there!”

 

Other honorees this year were Tiana Sloan, director for the Office of Veteran and Military Services at the University of Mount St. Vincent; Michael Carey, president of Cardinal Hayes High School in the South Bronx, Bronagh Harmon; manager of An Béal Bocht Café, who was not present on the night, Deirdre Branley, executive director of communications & public affairs of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Daniel O’Keefe, president of Cardinal Spellman High School.

 

Introducing Sloan, Walsh said she had also worked at Manhattan College where she built the veterans program helping people transition from the military to students and “to unbelievable careers.” Sloan also worked with three nonprofits, the American Lung Association, Continuum Health Partners, and the Osborne Association. “I’ve had the honor to work with Tiana and she is a remarkable woman,” Walsh said.

Accepting the award, Sloan said it was a great honor. “I wish my grandparents and my great grandparents who emigrated from Ireland to the Bronx could be here to see me. I think this is just fantastic. The Bronx has always brought opportunity to so many, but especially the Irish. My family members, when they came from Ireland, opened businesses on Webster Avenue, so this just is fantastic. Thank you very much and congrats to all the honorees tonight!”

 

Introducing O’Keefe, Walsh said that in addition to being president of Cardinal Spellman High School in Edenwald, where he began as principal in 2011, over a 35-year career, he had served as a teacher and administrator of several Catholic high schools throughout the metro area, and traced his Irish roots back to Counties Cork and Kerry.

 

O’Keefe thanked Gibson for the honor. “My grandparents emigrated from Ireland after the end of the First World War and settled in New York City, and that connection to my Irish roots has always been part of my family’s traditions and history,” he said. “I always remember them talking about growing up in Cork and Kerry, particularly stories about Killarney.” He said his affinity for his Irish heritage could be seen most clearly in the Irish names of his “four beautiful daughters, Erin, Tara, Bridget, and Nora.”

“I do have to let everyone know that I’m not a Bronx boy!” he said. “I was born and raised in Queens, but since I started at Spellman High School, I’d say that I’ve really come to know and love The Bronx very much. It’s one of the most unique and beautiful places to live and work. The diverse cultures of The Bronx create individuals who are hard working, resourceful, and resilient, and I’m privileged to work with 1200 young men and women every day who affirm the strength of the Bronx character.”

 

He said in his role, he’s been blessed to be able to provide students with opportunities to grow spiritually, socially, and academically. “So I actually accept this award on behalf of the alumni and current students of Cardinal Spellman High School, many of whom can trace their heritage as immigrants to our beloved borough of The Bronx. They are the true success story, part of Spellman High School, so thank you.”

 

Introducing Branley, Walsh said in her role at Albert Einstein, she directed Einstein strategic communications and had also held a number of leadership positions with other communications organizations. Before Branley accepted her award, Cebollero said, in part, “On behalf of Dr. Phillip Ozuah, president and CEO of Montefiore Einstein, I just want to say congratulations to my colleague. I have had the privilege of working with her, sometimes a bit more closely than others, but she’s always someone to call on. She’s always someone that’s thoughtful.”

For her part, Branley said she was humbled to represent Montefiore Einstein and commended her fellow honorees’ “incredible work.” She talked about representing Montefiore Einstein and how Albert Einstein lent his name to the school because it agreed to welcome students of all creeds and races. “If you think about what the 1950s looked like, that certainly included Irish Catholics,” she said.

 

She continued, “So it was really founded on social justice, and as someone else referred to, The Bronx might look different over the years and different groups come in and out but there’s always people struggling. The Bronx is like the gateway to not only New York, but the whole country. This is a top immigrant location, and we want to welcome them and all the students who really want to enter this amazing field and serve the people of The Bronx.”

 

Branley added, “So, as you may have heard recently, Dr. Ruth Gottesman gave an unbelievably generous gift of a billion dollars to ensure that no student in perpetuity will pay tuition, and the goal is really just to welcome those students who saw the tuition costs, which are very high for medical school, and that wouldn’t stop them because for a lot of new people coming to this country, taking out a loan for $300,000, it’s just not an option, psychologically, financially, or anything.”

She concluded saying it was an honor to be at the Irish Heritage Month celebration, and an honor to applaud Dr. Gottesman and Dr. Ozuah for securing the funding needed to help future medical students.

 

Introducing Carey, Walsh said that over the last four years, he had served as the president of Cardinal Hayes High School on the Grand Concourse. “During his tenure, he has built out a new health and wellness center, a very popular entrepreneurial financial literacy center, and these days, he’s very proud of his football team, the New York State champions!” He then joked that the team had been honored by the borough president during a special ceremony at Bronx Borough Hall, before host Michael Strahan honored them on “Good Morning America.”

 

Accepting the award, Carey thanked the borough president and said in part, “My mother came to Woodlawn in 1956, and she never left, so she came to 239th Street originally, then 236. She and my father got married in 1961 in St. Barnabas Church. I was born and raised four blocks from here. I drank beer in there when it was the Tara Hill, and I was underage!”

Carey said the Irish people in the neighborhood were phenomenal. He paid tribute to his “unbelievable” parents, saying his father was from Kilkenny and his mother was from Clare, adding, “They’re both deceased now.” He said he played Gaelic football his whole life, playing for the New York Minors, in Croke Park in Dublin, and all over Ireland, and paid tribute to Paddy Markham, who he said the local playing field was named after. “I couldn’t be prouder of this neighborhood,” he continued, in part. “I love that I come from here. I love what I learned here. I got to go to great educational institutions [..] so I wanted for nothing here.”

 

Of his current role, he said, “I work at a place where the story is the same and the color of the skin is the only difference. Their parents are immigrants. They want an education for their kids; they’re working hard to get it done. They’re sending them to Catholic schools, and we’re sticking with these Catholic values. It’s loyalty, it’s discipline, it’s the faith in God we talked about this morning at a retreat for our freshmen.”

 

Carey also paid tribute to the Cardinal Hayes High School principal who he said has been with the school since 1971. “He does an incredible job. I get the credit but he does all the work,” Carey said. “He’s an unbelievable Catholic and a Bronx native as I am. So, thank you very much.”

Wrapping up the evening, Gibson presented a special surprise award to Walsh, saying in part, “It’s simply because not only do you [inaudible] represent your Irish heritage, but you are an amazing president for us at the EDC. I have seen you find money that no one else could. We have found $10 million of a community advance loan program. We have found legacy businesses in this borough 50 and 75 and 100 years [old], we have been able to get money from SBS and SBA and all these other acronyms. When it comes to the Bronx, we mean business, and it is because of your leadership, your vision, and your blueprint that we are able to make all these great announcements.”

 

Gibson talked in part about working with the New York Power Authority and the governor on other initiatives as well as the Green Action Challenge Grant for public and private colleges and universities, as reported, where students were asked to come up with a plan of sustainability, energy efficiency, green jobs, renewable energy, and how to reduce waste and encourage recycling. “We were able to award a $1 million grant to CUNY Bronx Community College because of President Rob Walsh so this, you deserve,” said Gibson. We celebrate you and we say thank you.”

 

Meanwhile, of Nolan, Gibson concluded, saying, “I am so grateful to have known him and to have been a part of his life, and it is my solemn commitment that as long as I am borough president, and as long as we celebrate any recognition of Irish American heritage and culture, we will always have a Bob Nolan Memorial Award.”

 

Click here, here, here, and here to watch some of the evening’s musical performances.

 

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to correct some errors including that Bob Nolan was 75 rather than 70 when he died, he served under three borough presidents, not four, and did so in a volunteer capacity. We apologize for these errors.