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James A. Nelson Hero Award | |
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| Jimmy Nelson was a member of the Centereach High School Fencing Team from 1975-1979. In those years Jimmy was a member of an exceptional epee team and anchored the efforts of the team to win three county titles in those four years. Jimmy earned a fencing scholarship to St. John's University where he was a saber fencer. On September 11, 2001, Jimmy was killed as part of a Port Authority Police unit attempting to evacuate civilians after the attacks on the World Trade Center. His group entered tower one after tower two had fallen. He was just forty years old. |
| The Jimmy Nelson Hero Award was created in his name to recognize the efforts of a young man and young woman who demonstrate the qualities that made Jimmy a vital part of the Centereach High School Fencing Teams. Jimmy was dedicated, a team player, and extremely loyal. He was an example by his actions on the team and later within the Port Authority Police Force. The young man and young woman chosen for this award have been selected through nominations by the coaches in Suffolk County with those criteria in mind. |
| Year | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Kevin Gordon - Centereach | Kerry Keegan - Ward Melville |
| 2003 | James Caston - Ward Melville | Jennifer Schiffner - Centereach |
| 2004 | Chris Rosado - Centereach | Danielle Bogenhagen - Ward Melville |
| 2005 | Aquasi Amanquah - Brentwood | Antoinette Leonardi - Centereach |
| 2006 | Joseph Mulvaney - Centereach | Sakia Anwar - Newfield |
| 2007 | Danny Burgos - Brentwood | Amanda Birro - Centereach |
| 2008 | Vincent Leombruno - Ward Melville | Lorena Guedes - Centereach |
| 2009 | Ellis Holmes - Newfield | Kelly James - Centereach |
| 2010 | Frank Hayward - Centereach & Travis Jean-Francois - Brentwood | Emily Brandsdorfer - Half Hollow Hills |
| 2011 | Rudolph Jean-Louis - Brentwood | Lily Michelson - Walt Whitman |