LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 53rd Annual German-American
Steuben Parade to be held September 25, 2010

WHEREAS, The German-American Steuben Parade is a time for all to cele-
brate the rich heritage of the German people, unlimited in their
contributions to this greatly diverse land of ours; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 53rd Annual German-American Steuben Parade on Saturday,
September 25, 2010; and
WHEREAS, The parade is named in honor and memory of General (Baron)
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, the great Prussian military strategist,
who was extremely critical to the victory by George Washington's forces
over the British army during America's War for Independence; and
WHEREAS, The New York Yankees will be presenting their own float in
the parade for the second time, to commemorate the life and contrib-
utions of George M. Steinbrenner III, a former Steuben Parade Grand
Marshal who passed away; last year, the Yankees' float commemorated the
70th anniversary of Yankee and German-American great Lou Gehrig's famous
"luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech; and
WHEREAS, Grand Marshals for the parade are: Dr. Ruth Westheimer, born
in Frankfurt, Germany, a noted relationship and sex therapist and one of
New York's and America's most recognizable celebrities; and Dr. Michael
Moeller, Managing Director of Staatliches Hofbraeuhaus Munich; Hofbraeu
is the fastest growing German beer in the United States market; and
WHEREAS, The 2000 U. S. Census and its 2005 update list Americans of
German ancestry as the largest ethnic group in the United States; in 24
of America's 50 states, Germans are the single largest ethnic group; and
WHEREAS, In New York, 28 of the state's 62 counties list Germans as
the single largest ethnic group; the German-American Steuben Parade
attracts visitors from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other overseas
nations, as well as from many American states and throughout Canada; and
Whereas, The 53rd Steuben Parade will honor the memories and contrib-
utions of prominent German-Americans, including President Dwight D.
Eisenhower, Yankees' baseball legends Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, physi-
cist Albert Einstein, Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Nobel Prize winner and New
York City's own Dr. Guenther Bloebel and legendary news anchor Walter
Cronkite; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body, in keeping with its
time-honored traditions, to recognize and pay tribute to those organiza-
tions which foster ethnic pride and enhance the profile of cultural
diversity which strengthens the fabric of the communities of New York
State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 53rd Annual German-American Steuben Parade; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the German-American Steuben Parade's General Chairman Lars
Halter, and to this year's aforementioned Grand Marshals.