LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Kenneth D. Pasternak upon the occasion
of his designation as recipient of the Spirit of the Catskills Award by
the Coalition to Save Belleayre

WHEREAS, Individuals who give of their time and energies and serve the
best interests of their communities are an asset beyond remuneration and
cannot be sufficiently extolled; and
WHEREAS, Kenneth D. Pasternak has given not only of his time and ener-
gies but also of his competence, intelligence and leadership and conse-
quently has been designated for special recognition; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Kenneth D.
Pasternak upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of the Spir-
it of the Catskills Award by the Coalition to Save Belleayre at its 25th
Annual Snowball to be held on Saturday, January 29, 2011, at Belleayre
Mountain, Highmount, New York; and
WHEREAS, Kenneth D. Pasternak, a lifelong presence in Fleischmanns,
was chosen as the recipient of this auspicious award for his commitment
to improving the quality of life and economic vitality for everyone who
lives in, works in and visits that part of the Catskill Region; and
WHEREAS, Kenneth D. Pasternak attended the Fleischmanns Central School
from Kindergarten until high school when Fleischmanns merged with
Margaretville Central School, from which he graduated in 1972; after
earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from the State University
of New York at New Paltz, he taught briefly before heading to Wall
Street; and
WHEREAS, As he advanced from mail room to trading desk with increas-
ingly important roles, Kenneth D. Pasternak's quintessential American
story unfolded; he co-founded Knight Capital Group, a publicly traded
financial services company and built it into the leading wholesale
market maker in the United States securities markets; and
WHEREAS, In 1999, Kenneth D. Pasternak was named the Ernst and Young
Entrepreneur of the Year and later founded Chestnut Ridge Capital; and
WHEREAS, Kenneth D. Pasternak is the son of Heinz and the late Rose
Pasternak, both of whom set the standard for his tenacity and strong
work ethic; the elder Pasternak, who ran a business and also served as
Mayor of Fleischmanns, was instrumental in efforts to save Belleayre
Mountain in 1984; and
WHEREAS, Kenneth D. Pasternak and his family still maintain a home on
the outskirts of Fleischmanns and pursue local business interests in
addition to their global efforts; and
WHEREAS, A partner in the long-reviewed Belleayre Resort Project,
Kenneth D. Pasternak sees his legacy to the region in terms of the
area's ability to be viable and sustainable for those who continue to
live and work here; and
WHEREAS, Kenneth D. Pasternak has been a generous donor to a wide
variety of causes and projects for more than a decade; while his largest
efforts have gone to community institutions with deep roots and broad
missions, projects like painting a church or fixing Burroughs Hall in
Roxbury have also benefited from his benevolent support; and
WHEREAS, Moreover, the Margaretville Hospital as well as the Margaret-
ville Pavilion would not have been built without the strong support of
Kenneth D. Pasternak; the MARK Group, the Roxbury Arts Group and State
University of New York at New Paltz are some of the other beneficiaries
of the Pasternak Family Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Kenneth D. Pasternak has also given generously through the
Crossroads Foundation, established with partners at Crossroads Ventures,

to support community endeavors in health, arts, culture, education,
sports and youth activities; and
WHEREAS, A legendary philanthropist in the region, Kenneth D. Paster-
nak personifies the can-do spirit, warm generosity and entrepreneurship
of the people of the Catskills; and
WHEREAS, With him throughout have been his wife, Dorothy, and their
three children, Sara, Daniel and Rachel, all of whom feel privileged to
be a part of his life and rejoice in his achievements; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who
enhance the well-being and vitality of their community and have shown a
long and sustained commitment to excellence certainly have earned the
recognition and applause of all the citizens of this great Empire State;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Kenneth D. Pasternak upon the occasion of his designation as
recipient of the Spirit of the Catskills Award; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Kenneth D. Pasternak.