LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Richard Torres upon the occasion of his
2012 induction into the SUNY New Paltz School of Business Hall of Fame
as Alumnus of the Year

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to take note of and
publicly acknowledge individuals who have distinguished themselves
through their exemplary careers, accomplishments, and purposeful lives
of service to their community; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Richard Torres upon the occasion of his 2012 induction into the SUNY New
Paltz School of Business Hall of Fame as Alumnus of the Year; and
WHEREAS, This special event will be held on Thursday, May 10, 2012, at
the Wiltwyck Golf Club in Kingston, New York; and
WHEREAS, A man of singular distinction, Richard Torres has continually
demonstrated extreme competence, extraordinary intelligence and diligent
leadership in his unwavering service to both his community and profes-
sion and consequently has been selected for this most prestigious honor;
and
WHEREAS, Richard Torres retired from the IRS in December 2011 after
almost 35 years of service; he began at the IRS as a mail clerk and
worked his way up to Senior Stakeholder Liaison; in this particular
position, he was instrumental in outreaching the Latino and minority
business communities in order to educate them about their rights and
obligations under the Federal Tax law; and
WHEREAS, Richard Torres' assistance and guidance aided others with
federal tax issues impacting small businesses; he was the IRS liaison
for the Chambers of Commerce, Small Business Development Centers, SCORE,
New York Business Development Corporation, as well as other financial
and educational institutions; and
WHEREAS, In addition, Richard Torres scheduled and organized tax semi-
nars and tax institutes on federal tax law topics for the payroll and
tax practitioner community; this was attained by partnering with several
colleges in Upstate New York, including SUNY New Paltz, where it
provided continuing professional educational credits to tax practition-
ers attending these events; and
WHEREAS, Born and raised in Puerto Rico where he started his federal
civilian career with the United States Army in 1977, Richard Torres
transferred one year later to the United States Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) in Puerto Rico; in 1979, he moved to the New
York City HUD office; and
WHEREAS, Richard Torres began to work for the IRS in Albany, New York,
in 1980; he was an IRS certified tax law instructor and certified bilin-
gual translator; in 1988, he graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a Bach-
elor of Science degree; and
WHEREAS, Richard Torres is a community minded person; he organizes a
golf tournament every year to benefit the American Cancer Society/Relay
for Life, and as the IRS disaster coordinator in Upstate New York, he
spent time at the disaster recovery centers in Kingston, Schoharie,
Cobleskill, Prattsville, Windham and Amsterdam; and
WHEREAS, Richard Torres is an honorary member of the Dutchess Regional
Chamber of Commerce and an Advisory Board Member of the New York State
Small Business Development Center's (SBDC) Organization of Latino Entre-
preneurs; he received the following awards: Foundation for Accounting
Education Distinguished Faculty Award; IRS Albany District EEO Employee
of the Year; Albany Federal Executive Association Presidential Award of
Honor; Hispanic Internal Revenue Service (H.I.R.E.) Regional V.P.

Service Award; and the New York State SBDC Federal Enforcement & Compli-
ance Good Guy Award; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Richard Torres upon the occasion of his 2012 induction into the
SUNY New Paltz School of Business Hall of Fame as Alumnus of the Year;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Richard Torres.