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Image provided by: Suffolk Cooperative Library System
2 0 1 0 W E S T B A B / L O N H A L L O F F A N E f T H > ^ - * “ — \ ' Honorees to be inducted October 2,2010 The honorees are individuals who have either graduated from West Babylon Schools or have had a positive impact on the schools and/or their community. Those to be inducted are: IESHCE RALPH COSTELLO Justice Ralph Costello was bom in Jamaica, Queens and moved to West Babylon in 1951 with his parents and his younger brother Frank and sister Marga ret, now Margaret Bonventre. He was a member of the Class of 1959. As a student, he played football and was an early mem ber of the marching band and the school dance band. After graduation, Justice Costello at tended Stony Brook University and St John’s University Law School earning his law degree in 1967. Soon after his admis sion to thè Bar, he joined the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County and for the next 22 years, worked in both the civil and criminal branches representing clients in all courts in Suffolk County and before various boards and agencies. Through the years, Justice Costello rose to the position of Chief Assistant Attorney of the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk. As the designated representative of the Legal Aid Society, Justice Costello served on various government advisory panels including the County Executives Public Safety Advisory Committee formed by the then County Executive John V.N. Klein. Also as a voting member of the Suffolk County Criminal Justice Coordinating Counsel reviewing and passing on various State and Federal funding applications, he sat on panels such as the Jail Overcrowding Committee and the Community Service Board of Advisors. Justice Costello was a founding member of the Suffolk County Community Ser vice Program, sponsored by the American Red Cross and he was a member of its board from 1980 through the early 1990s when he was elected to the District Court bench from Babylon Township. After serving five years of his six-year term in the District Court, he was elected to his current term as a Supreme Court Justice presiding over civil trials. Justice Costello has taken the opportunity to share his experience with his fellow community lawyers and judges through lectures under the umbrella of The Suffolk Academy of Law of the Bar Association and his participation on various boards and committees such as the Suffolk County Bar Association Board of Directors, The Suffolk County Criminal Bar Association, The Columbian Lawyers Associa tion and numerous committees of specialized interest of the associations. Justice Costello currently presides over cases in the New York State Supreme Court, civil parts. • • • • THOMAS McATEER Tom McAteer serves as a Senior Vice- President and Regional Market Head for Aetna Better Health, Aetna’s Medicaid Divi sion. He is responsible for the East Region and he has led an expansion that started with a health plan in Delaware and now in cludes plans in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Florida. Thé region has grown by over 200% under Tom’s direction. The Medicaid division came with Aetna’s acquisition of Schaller Anderson, a nationally recognized leader in the health care industry with over $3.2 billion in spending at risk or under management. Prior to joining Schaller Anderson, Tom served as the President and CEO of Vytra Health Plans. In a thirteen-year career at Vytra, Tom played an executive leadership role in growing the plan from annual revenues of $70 million in 1993 to over $375 million in 2005. As CEO he led efforts that returned the plan to con sistent profitability while gaining NCQA (National Committee on Quality Assur ance) and URAC (Utilization Review Accreditation Committee) and developing a national reputation for best in dass customer service. In 2001 Tom facilitated the sale of Vytra to HIP Health Plans and Tom assumed the additional responsibilities of Executive Vice-President for Brand Leadership as well as joining the Executive Committee of the enterprise. In this role he was responsible for Marketing, Sales and Promotion with a staff of 450 and an annual budget of over $75 million. Before joining Vytra, -Tom served as the Chief Deputy County Executive in Suffolk County New York and prior to that as the Director of Human Resources for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Tom has served on many not-for-profit boards inducting the Long Island Chap ter of the Nature Conservancy, the Long Island Association, the Long Island Phil harmonic, Friends of Karen, the Hofstra University Honors College, the Suffolk Community College Foundation and Partners Advancing West Islip Students. He is also the Past Chair of the Long Island Coalition of Fair Broadcasting. Tom has received numerous awards for his commitment to public service including; the 25th annual Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award, the Long Island Association’s Medal of Honor, Dowling College’s Distinguished Citizen Award, the Long Island Arthritis Foundation’s Life Enrichment Award and the Suffolk Community College President’s medal. He was inducted into the Long Island Softball Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. Tom earned his BA and MBA from Hofstra University where he taught Business Ethics in the Graduate School of Business in 2006. In 1995, he completed Man aging the Enterprise a post-graduate program at Columbia University School of Business. In 2000, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of Commercial Sciences from Dowling College. He resides in West Islip with his wife, Barbara and his daughters, Caitlin and Megan. • • • • H. AUSTIN SHELDON JR., P0STHUM 0USL7 H. Austin Sheldon Jr. relocated to West Babylon from Albany in the early 1940’s with his wife Peggy and daughter Ann. He was an insurance safety inspector assigned to the New York Area for Utica Mutual. In 1946, their family was made complete when his son H. Austin Sheldon III was bom. In 1950, Mr. Sheldon took a part-time position as District Clerk with West Baby lon Schools, that position quickly became a full-time one when he also took on the role of Business Manager. He held those posi tions for over twenty five years and retired in the late 1970’s. Retirement was short lived when he was appointed to serve West Baby lon Schools and the community again as a Board Member from 1981 until his own death in 1989, including serving a term as Board President. During his years as Business Manager and District Clerk, his responsibilities in cluded overseeing all financial matters of the district, and supervising the cafeteria and janitorial staffs for each of the schools. On behalf of the district, he worked dosely with the building contractors in erecting each of the schools that are cur rently utilized today. He also implemented the original purchasing system within the business office. He was beloved by all and in his time was often referred to as “Mr. West Babylon” In addition to all he did for the West Babylon Schools, he was actively involved in efforts for the Salvation Army, the Odd Fellows and the Lions Club. After WWII, he volunteered to serve as a spotter for the Civilian Air Patrol. His greatest joys were his wife Peg, children Ann (Don) and Austin (Madeline) and his six beloved grandchildren; Wendy, Megan, Billy and Kerri Muffly, and Kim and Karen Sheldon. His lifelong dedication to community service set an example for friends and family. He is remembered for his contributions to the community, his great sense of humor, but mostly for his love for West Babylon Schools, its staff and especially the students. In the parking lot at the West Babylon High School, a memorial walk was es tablished by the West Babylon Beautification Society in the place where hiS office building once stood.
