LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending Chuck Reichenthal upon the occasion of
his designation by Friends of Kaiser Park as the recipient of its Man of
the Year Award on May 7, 2009

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize that the
quality and character of life in the communities across New York State
are reflective of the concerned and dedicated efforts of organizations
and individuals who devote themselves to the welfare of the community
and its citizenry and are greatly enriched, as well, by the availability
of exceptional cultural and recreational facilities; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
Chuck Reichenthal, upon the occasion of his designation by Friends of
Kaiser Park as the recipient of its 2009 Man of the Year Award; and
WHEREAS, Chuck Reichenthal, District Manager of Community Board 13,
will be honored at Friends of Kaiser Park's Awards Dinner, to be held at
Paradise Caterers in Brooklyn on Thursday, May 7, 2009; and
WHEREAS, A fitting memorial to Dr. Leon S. Kaiser, an early 20th
century Brooklynite, lawyer, civic leader and a passionate educator,
Kaiser Park, located in Coney Island, is 26.26 acres dedicated to public
outdoor recreation which has for 75 years, first as Coney Island Lots
and, since 1951, as Kaiser Park, brought beauty and pleasure into the
lives of Brooklyn's residents; and
WHEREAS, Friends of Kaiser Park was formed in 2001 to help maintain
and improve the park; the clean up, painting, seasonal planting and
other interesting events it organizes throughout the year help make
Kaiser Park a place for all to enjoy; and
WHEREAS, Chuck Reichenthal has distinguished himself in his multiple
professions arid in service to his community, just as Dr. Kaiser did,
and truly merits recognition by Friends of Kaiser Park and this Legisla-
tive Body; and
WHEREAS, A native Brooklynite himself, Chuck Reichenthal was born in
Ocean Hill/Brownsville and has lived in the East Flatbush, Flatbush and
Park Slope neighborhoods, as well as his beloved Coney Island; growing
up he spent days and nights with friends and family at either the beach
or Ebbets Field, or in the theater district of what was Times Square;
and
WHEREAS, The theater was Chuck Reichenthal's first love and is still
one of his greatest passions; by age eight, he traveled alone to the
famous Henry Street Playhouse on the Lower East Side, where he ultimate-
ly emerged as a leading actor in such plays as "Ah, Wilderness" and "The
Canterville Ghost"; and
WHEREAS, He attended Tilden High School, where he was an editor of the
school paper and magazine and a member of the Arista national honor
society, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from
Brooklyn College, where he also served as a newspaper editor, club pres-
ident, yearbook co-editor and special events organizer; and
WHEREAS, Within a year of graduation, Chuck Reichenthal was Editor-in-
Chief of Courier-Life Publications, which publishes community and ethnic
newspapers and specialty magazines distributed throughout the New York
Metropolitan Area; and
WHEREAS, While there, he worked with and helped organize the develop-
ment of many civic groups, most notably the Brooklyn Arts and Culture
Association (BACA), with which he was associated for more than two
decades as its unpaid and then paid Program Director; in this capacity
he had the opportunity to work and become close friends with the
renowned stage and screen star Geraldine Fitzgerald; and

WHEREAS, Together they worked with Coney Island, Sea Gate and Graves-
end leaders to create The Everyman Street Theater Company; using area
residents to fill all roles - actors, technical crew, and all other
necessary theater personnel, the company staged its first show at the
Coney Island Houses apartment complex and in front of a local Phoenix
House; and
WHEREAS, The local Everyman cast was so impressive the show went on to
play at Lincoln Center's Fountain and Alice Tully Hall, The Brooklyn
Museum, and scores of other locations; it even had an off-off Broadway
run and was the subject of a PBS documentary which ran on New York
City's Channel 13, WNET, for years; and
WHEREAS, Chuck Reichenthal subsequently worked with a local BACA
offshoot, the Boardwalk Arts Council, and with BACA produced events at
the Asser Levy Bandshell at Coney Island's Seaside Park, on the Board-
walk itself, and at street festivals all over the borough; he also
worked on projects with the Brooklyn Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Lincoln Center, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music; and
WHEREAS, Chuck Reichenthal, in addition, wrote the hit off-off Broad-
way revue "Hit Tunes From Flop Shows," which eventually played to SRO
crowds at the Summergarden of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA); "Brook-
lyn!," a salute to Brooklyn songwriters for his alma mater, Brooklyn
College; and scores of other shows, some of which have been staged at
Henry Warren Theater, and being named "One of Brooklyn's Ten Best" by
the readers of a Brooklyn paper is among Chuck Reichenthal's many accom-
plishments of which he is most justly proud; and
WHEREAS, After leaving BACA, Chuck Reichenthal was a Special Events
Coordinator for the Gateway National Recreation Area at Floyd Bennett
Field before assuming the position of District Manager of Community
Board 13 full-time, a capacity in which he has ably served for 17 years
and one which he considers to be continuously exciting and one of the
highlights of his multifaceted career; he has been a valued member of
the board of the Coney Island Development Corporation dedicated to revi-
talizing Coney Island and acts as the Chief of the Community Board 13
Community Emergency Response (CERT) Team; and
WHEREAS, Much of Chuck Reichenthal's varied, full life has involved,
or revolved around, Coney Island; he has long been devoted to the Coney
Island and Brighton Beach communities and their citizens and has served
them well in numerous capacities over the course of many years; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
applaud individuals, such as Chuck Reichenthal, who distinguish them-
selves in their profession and work to meet the needs of their community
and its citizens with diligence, creativity, and compassionate commit-
ment to improving the quality of life in the community; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Chuck Reichenthal upon the occasion of his designation by
Friends of Kaiser Park as the recipient of the Man of the Year Award at
its Awards Dinner on May 7, 2009; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Chuck Reichenthal.