LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending The Honorable Damian J. Amodeo upon
the occasion of his designation by the Mediation Center of Dutchess
County as the recipient of its Inspired Leadership Award at its Silver
Anniversary Celebration on April 2, 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 distinguish themselves in their profession and in
service to their community; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
The Honorable Damian J. Amodeo upon the occasion of his designation by
the Mediation Center of Dutchess County as the recipient of its Inspired
Leadership Award at its Silver Anniversary Celebration, to be held at
The Grandview in Poughkeepsie, New York, on Thursday, April 2, 2009; and
WHEREAS, Founded in 1983, the Mediation Center of Dutchess County
provides and promotes conflict prevention, management, and resolution
services to benefit more than 2,000 individuals, families, schools,
businesses, and organizations each year; and
WHEREAS, The Mediation Center is a non-profit agency, offering its
services under the auspices of the New York State Unified Court System's
Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution and Court Improvement (ADRCI)
Programs; and
WHEREAS, The Mediation Center of Dutchess County's Silver Anniversary
Celebration provides an opportunity for the Center to pay tribute to
those who have supported the Center and have helped to further its
efforts, as well as those who exemplify its mission of improving the
quality of life of the community and citizens it serves; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Damian Joseph Amodeo truly merits such recogni-
tion; and
WHEREAS, Judge Amodeo was born in Poughkeepsie in 1943, the only child
of Anna and Mariano B. Amodeo, a local attorney; he attended Our Lady of
Mt. Carmel grade school and Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, graduat-
ing in 1961; he then attended Fordham College, graduating in 1965 with a
Bachelor of Arts degree in history and went on to earn his Juris Doctor
(J.D.) degree in 1968 from Fordham Law School, where he was Articles
Editor of the FORDHAM LAW REVIEW; and
WHEREAS, After sitting for the July 1968 bar exam, Judge Amodeo
married Carol Ann Van Vlack and, upon his admission to the New York
State bar, he and his father formed the law firm of Amodeo and Amodeo;
and
WHEREAS, He began his career in Family Court in 1969 as the confiden-
tial law secretary to The Honorable John R. Heilman, then the only Fami-
ly Court Judge in Dutchess County, and later also serving Family Court
Judges George G. Bernhard, Judith A. Hillery, and George D. Marlow, as
their confidential law secretary; and
WHEREAS, In 1988 Judge Amodeo was elected to the newly created third
Family Court judgeship, a position he retained until his retirement in
December 2008; during his years on the bench, Judge Amodeo and his staff
worked closely with the Mediation Center of Dutchess County to establish
an active presence in Family Court, and he frequently helped educate the
Center's volunteer mediators in Family Court matters and he has also
served as guest lecturer on various family law related topics at Vassar
College, Marist College, and Dutchess Community College; and
WHEREAS, Judge Amodeo was designated a full-time Acting Supreme Court
Justice in 1999, and during his professional career, he has, in addi-

tion, served as President of the Dutchess County Bar Association and
Director of its Lawyer Referral Service, and he was President of the
Hyde Park Rotary Club, which named him a Paul Harris Fellow; and
WHEREAS, Judge Amodeo has served on many statewide committees, includ-
ing, among others the New York State Matrimonial Commission, New York
State Parent Education Advisory Board, New York State Judicial Institute
Committee, New York State Universal Case Management Committee, and New
York State Office of Court Administration Committee on Automation in the
Courts, as well as on the Ninth Judicial District Committee to Promote
Gender Fairness in the Courts and the Dutchess County Criminal Justice
Council; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such accomplishment are brought to its attention, it is appro-
priate to publicly proclaim and commend them for the edification and
emulation of others; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend The Honorable Damian J. Amodeo upon the occasion of his desig-
nation by the Mediation Center of Dutchess County as the recipient of
its Inspired Leadership Award at its Silver Anniversary Celebration on
April 2, 2009; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable Damian J. Amodeo.