The names of Rita Pecora and Kathy Prinz were on facing pages in the booklet Assemblyman Rob Walker had prepared for the Women of Distinction award ceremony he sponsored on Aug. 16. Together, they are a dynamic duo that with the help of Kathy's husband Ben Jankowski, formed Save the Jewel by the Bay. While the two women were honored - it should be noted that they earned the praise since their work has had a large impact on the Town of Oyster Bay.

Ms. Pecora, Ms. Prinz and Mr. Jankowski co-founded Save the Jewel by the Bay, which asked the town to preserve the unique character of the historic hamlet of Oyster Bay and save it from overdevelopment to ensure its quality of life.

The Town of Oyster Bay used the foundational work of SJBB to create legislation, first for the hamlet of Oyster Bay and then, seeing a need for it in the entire township, began working area by area with moratoriums and plans to save the township. The ripple effect of their work has gone across the township since each area is facing the same dilemma that the town is solving by fine-tuning zoning regulations. Ms. Pecora said she and Ms. Prinz were nominated for the Women of Distinction Award by Oyster Bay Town Councilman Chris Coshignano. "It was just nice that we were nominated," she said, humbly. "What a lovely and moving ceremony! It was a privilege to share the stage with such inspiring women!" said Ms. Prinz.

Assemblyman Rob Walker commented after meeting the women, who often left the spotlight quickly, that they did not expect or need the recognition but that they each work selflessly for their communities.

The Aug. 16 award ceremony was held in the auditorium of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library. Mr. Walker said the event has outgrown the venue and that next year, the fourth for the program, they will have to find a larger space.

The 40 nominees sat on the stage. A dark red backdrop was in place with a photographic umbrella in place to aim the spotlight on the assemblyman and the women being photographed. The ceremony was well-planned and held everyone's interest. Two Girl Scouts, Carly and Samantha, read the paragraphs in well-articulated speech. Hopefully, they will earn a merit badge for their professional delivery.

A woman backstage handed the assemblyman a framed document for each nominee. As the women's name was announced, a Girl Scout read their credits as they were escorted to the assemblyman where together they held the glass framed award, which was turned slightly down, to prevent a glare. The official photographs were taken by Josef Helfenbein, including one taken before the reception, of all the women.

The brochure said, "Rita Pecora, of Oyster Bay, works hard for the families of Oyster Bay and the historical preservation of her town. Rita is the vice president of the Youth and Family Counseling Agency of Oyster Bay-East Norwich. This organization provides substance abuse counseling, crisis intervention, psychiatric services, child home care [the Parent Child Home Program], and safe recreation programs for teens [the BOB Program and the Bullock Scholarships].

"Rita also co-founded Save the Jewel By the Bay, an organization that protects the historic areas of [the hamlet of] Oyster Bay from overconstruction. Rita's work for Oyster Bay has been most impressive and she continues to distinguish herself as she serves its residents."

For Ms. Prinz, a Girl Scouts read: "Kathy Prinz, of Oyster Bay, is dedicated to the historic preservation of her town. Kathy is a member of the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum. She is also a member of the Oyster Bay Historical Society.

"Kathy is the co-founder of Save the Jewel By the Bay, an organization to protect the historical areas in [the hamlet of] Oyster Bay. She is also a supporter of Friends of the Bay, an organization that seeks to protect and restore the ecological integrity of the Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor estuary [and watershed area].

"Kathy was also instrumental in creating an enhanced tree ordinance within the Town of Oyster Bay, which led to the creation of the town's Tree Preservation Bureau to protect old trees and to prevent the unnecessary destruction of trees townwide.

"Kathy is very dedicated to caring for her community and ensuring that its historic and ecological value is retained," concluded the reading.

Tom Golon of Wonderland Trees attended the meeting, as a supporter of the tree preservation work Ms. Prinz has been doing. "I'm here to congratulate our community leaders, she and Ms. Pecora, and to commend them for their hard work and I'm happy to be with the tree committee."

Ms. Prinz said, "He's been very helpful. It's all of us working together."

Mr. Golon of Wonderland Trees helped plant the Paperbark Maple in front of the Oyster Bay Community Center in a ceremony announcing the new ordinance, on Arbor Day. He said he would have chosen an American variety but chose a Japanese one because it would be able to be in full sun and withstand a small growing area. The tree will soon turn a vibrant scarlet, showing its autumn foliage." Mr. Golon said he would monitor the tree's health and he has. On Saturday he mentioned to Ms. Prinz that he had checked the tree and saw that some irrigation was needed and he called the town and they are fixing the problem.

Also attending was Rita's husband, Joe Pecora who said "I think it's a positive force in the town." During his talk, Assemblyman Walker thanked the families of the women being honored for the time they spent away from their homes, helping the community.

Also among the 40 women honored was Rosalie Sandillo, of Locust Valley. She is currently the president of the Friends of the Locust Valley Library. The program for the ceremony gave her credits: "Under her direction, the organization has increased awareness of and focused attention on library programs for children and adults. The Friends group holds its annual book sale thereby providing funding to supplement the library's budget.

"Under Rosalie's direction, Friends of the Locust Valley Library has helped make available many parenting programs, young adult services and educational events for the community.

"Since Rosalie has become president, the Friends have started to co-sponsor family passes to popular local museums. Rosalie has done a tremendous amount of work for the library to ensure that it serves the community as best as it can and for this she truly deserved this honor." Helping a library is helping an entire community.