APRIL 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 43
Ricky, Ellen, and Harvey enjoying a concert at Long Beach. Concerts are something the family enjoyed all summer, as Ricky responded to the music.
FIGHTING FOR RICKY
BY MICHELLE GABRIELLE CENTAMORE
Born December 31, 1933, Harvey Weisenberg was a police officer, special education
teacher, elementary school assistant principal, restaurant owner, coach, lifeguard,
and an accomplished politician.
He served for 13 years on the Long Beach City Council and 25 years as a New York
State assemblyman, during which time he was responsible for more than 337 bills
signed into law. For more than 50 years, he was a devoted husband to his recently
deceased wife, Ellen, and a loving father to their now 60-year-old son, Ricky, who is
challenged with cerebral palsy. Weisenberg’s recently published autobiography, For
the Love of a Child, My City & My Mission by Square One Publishers, is a love story that
encompasses extraordinary accounts and heartfelt sentiment about Weisenberg’s
own remarkable personal and professional l WHAT’S INSIDE ife. continued on page 48
44 PARENTING 46 TIPS
PETS
47KINDNESS
ACTS OF
FAMILY & EDUCATION
FOR THE LOVE OF A CHILD: FORMER LAWMAKER HARVEY WEISENBERG REFLECTS ON ADVOCATING
FOR SON, THOSE WITH DISABILITIES
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