LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring P.J. Male upon the occasion of his
designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed
upon an individual by the New York State Senate

WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon the people of the State of New York to
recognize and acknowledge those within our midst who have made signif-
icant contributions to the quality of life therein; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize the
caring concern and heroic acts of those exemplary citizens, who take
prompt and appropriate action in emergency situations, and in doing so,
help others to avert life-threatening danger; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor P.J. Male upon
the occasion of his designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the
highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate;
and
WHEREAS, The New York State Senate Liberty Medal was established by a
resolution in 2014 and is awarded to individuals who have merited
special commendation for exceptional, heroic, or humanitarian acts on
behalf of their fellow New Yorkers; and
WHEREAS, On April 1, 2015, P.J. Male, an employee of the Peekskill
Parks and Recreation Department, looked out onto Depew Lake and saw a
nine-year-old girl calling for help and hanging onto a small piece of
ice while her dog was running around nearby; acting on instinct, he
immediately ran out to help her; and
WHEREAS, Unconcerned with his own health, P.J. Male trudged through
33-degree water, and swam 25 to 30 yards to rescue the young girl and
her dog; he quickly put the girl and her dog on his back and swam them
back to safety; and
WHEREAS, Even though this situation could have been a dire one, today,
the young girl and her dog are alive and well, and credits P.J. Male for
his quick and astute heroic actions in saving them; and
WHEREAS, A resident of Putnam Valley, New York, P.J. Male is a 12-year
veteran employee for the City of Peekskill; he is a former Junior Varsi-
ty Football Coach at Walter Panas High School, and currently umpires
men's softball games; and
WHEREAS, P.J. Male, through his spontaneous and heroic actions, demon-
strated his character and his compassion for the welfare of others,
personifying, by virtue of his actions, the collective concern of ordi-
nary citizens across the community of the State of New York who volun-
tarily respond when others are in need of help; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor P.J. Male upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of a
Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New
York State Senate; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to P.J. Male.