The Catskill Chronicle

LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY (April 20, 2011) – When New Hope Community decided to hold a golf tournament on May 23, 2011 at the “Big G” of Grossinger’s in Liberty, they titled it “The First Annual Wallace Berkowitz Cup.”

People associated with New Hope, local business people, and many others will recognize the name of the honoree as a dedicated humanitarian and a brilliant businessman.

"Family was at the heart of who he was, and everything else flowed from that," according to Dale Berkowitz, the youngest of his three daughters. Wally was a true renaissance man –he loved to travel, seek knowledge, and forever tinker with mechanical objects such as his extensive collection of antique clocks.

Wally Berkowitz never wanted to be in the limelight. As a matter of fact, he would be in vociferous objection to holding a golf tournament named after him. “His plan was for others to succeed,” said Zane Morganstein, long-time friend and business colleague at Associated Mutual Insurance Company in Woodridge.

New Hope’s Executive Secretary Mrs. Louise Domingo echoed this sentiment: “Wally Berkowitz never wanted any publicity or acknowledgment for what he did.” During her tenure note-taking for the Board when they both arrived in 1989, she watched him grow in his work from Member to Chair from 1994 to 2004. She observed how he respected everyone during the meetings and made sure that all opinions were not only voiced, but heard.

The person that best knows the difference Wally Berkowitz made at New Hope is its founder, Daniel Berkowicz. He became friends with Wally in the early 1970’s just prior to his creation of the facility. In 1989 when the opening on the Board became available, Dan and good friend, Cissy Blumberg, both thought that Wally would be a great addition because of his understanding of financial challenges and his “good heart.”

In the next thirteen years, New Hope’s founder watched with pride as Wally offered his skills as “a diplomat, an accountant, and, most of all, as a human being.” He gained the respect of all families by his perfect balance of sensitivity and keeping a focus on the need for growth in the community.

Surely, Wally Berkowitz, who also loved sports and was a fine athlete as a youth, would be at the first tee of The Wallace Berkowitz Cup on May 23, shuddering at seeing his name on a banner at Grossinger’s Golf Course.

His supportive spirit will always be a part of New Hope’s efforts, and we can be sure he would be encouraging his family, friends, business associates, and neighbors in the Sullivan County community and beyond to play in the tournament, attend the awards ceremony and dinner and to sponsor a variety of opportunities to make this event special.

You can honor Wallace Berkowitz’s memory and support New Hope Community while having fun. Journal sponsorships are available, too. Call Briana Wood, Community Development Associate, at 845-434-8300, ext. 308.