Bill Text: NY J02456 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Commending Russell Banks upon the occasion of his designation for special honor by the Adirondack Film Festival on October 25, 2019

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2020-01-14 - ADOPTED [J02456 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-J02456-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 2456

BY: Senator LITTLE

        COMMENDING  Russell Banks upon the occasion of his
        designation for special honor by the Adirondack Film
        Festival on October 25, 2019

  WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor  and  pay
tribute  to  those  organizations  and  individuals whose commitment and
creative talents contribute to the cultural enrichment and entertainment
of their community and the entire State of New York; and

  WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud  to  commend  Russell
Banks  upon  the  occasion  of  his designation for special honor by the
Adirondack Film Festival, to be celebrated with a tribute dinner at  the
High Peaks Resort on Friday, October 25, 2019; and

  WHEREAS,  Russell  Banks  is an American poet and novelist known for
his portrayals of ordinary and often marginalized people  as  they  face
hardships in their lives; and

  WHEREAS,  This  respected  man is also well regarded for the time he
has given to strengthen the talents of others as a professor of  writing
at  Emerson  College  in  Boston, and the University of New Hampshire at
Durham, in addition to his time as the Howard  G.  B.  Clark  University
Professor of Writing at Princeton University; and

  WHEREAS,  Russell  Banks  has  also significantly contributed to the
Lake Placid Film  Festival;  in  1998,  he  arranged  for  the  national
premiere  of The Sweet Hereafter, a film which was based on his novel of
the same name, to first air at the festival; and

  WHEREAS, Subsequently, due to the popularity of the  event,  Russell
Banks  along  with  his  team presented the idea of the Lake Placid Film
Forum, which has since been renamed the Lake Placid Film Festival; and

  WHEREAS, A  few  years  into  the  Film  Forum,  Russell  Banks  was
influential  in  creating  the 24-hour competition known as Sleepless in
Lake Placid, which invited northeastern film schools to  send  teams  of
students  to  create  and  screen  short  films  using  local  sites and
residents of the community as actors; and

  WHEREAS, Furthermore, Russell Banks assisted in developing  a  theme
and  criteria for the teams to interpret and feature in their films, and
he  often  served  on  the  panel  that  selected  the  winners  of  the
competition; and

  WHEREAS,  Russell  Banks has been called upon to contribute his time
and talents to countless civic and charitable endeavors and  has  always
given of himself unstintingly; and

  WHEREAS,  Throughout  the  entire period of his community service, a
period of constructive involvement, Russell Banks has stood constant  in
dignity, good grace and humor; and

  WHEREAS,  Rare  indeed  is  the  impressive  dedication  shown by an
individual for the benefit of others which Russell Banks  has  displayed
throughout his life; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Russell Banks upon the occasion of his designation  for  special
honor  by  the  Adirondack  Film Festival on October 25, 2019; and be it
further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted to Russell Banks.