TRIBUTES TO A SR. LEADER Ridgewood Remembers Peter Cardella, 97 by Robert Pozarycki Ridgewood seniors and civic leaders mourned the loss of Peter Cardella, co-founder of the local senior center that bears his name, who died last Tuesday, Nov. 25, at the age of 97 following an illness. For much of his adult life, Cardella dedicated himself to serving people, from assisting earthquake victims in Italy to elderly residents in Ridgewood and surrounding neighborhoods. The son of Italian immigrants from Sicily, he also worked to promote Italian heritage and culture to New Yorkers. Born in 1917, Cardella was among the inaugural graduating class at Ridgewood’s Grover Cleveland High School. He would later enlist in the U.S. Army and served stateside during World War II, according to his son-in-law Joe Ferretti. After receiving an honorable discharge, Cardella opened up the Cardelmar ladies’ coat and suit factory, which operated along Manhattan Avenue in Williamsburg. Meanwhile, he continued to reside in the Ridgewood area. His factory played an important role in helping hundreds of Italian families recover from the devastating Belice earthquake that rocked northwestern Sicily in January 1968. The tremor destroyed four towns, killed at least 231 people and left more than 100,000 people homeless. Ferretti noted that Cardella spearheaded an effort from the U.S. to permit the immigration of hundreds of Sicilian families stateside, offering many of them temporary jobs at his factory. Working with other New York City businesses, Cardella helped the temporary employees find permanent work elsewhere, then brought additional Italians to America and, subsequently, his factory. These efforts led the Italian government to bestow upon Cardella the title of cavaliere— The Order of Merit of the Italian -SEE CARDELLA ON PG. 27- TIMES, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 • 6 Fed Judge Tosses Trustees’ Lawsuit Last Effort To Overturn Removal by Robert Pozarycki Six ousted members of the Queens Borough Public Library board of trustees won’t return to their posts after a federal judge threw out their lawsuit against Queens Borough President Melinda Katz on Sunday, Nov. 30. To many observers, this was the inevitable outcome of the suit filed in August by attorneys representing Jacqueline Arrington, Joseph Ficalora, William Jefferson, Grace Lawrence, Terri Mangino and George Stamatiades. Soon after briefs were filed, a federal judge denied the trustees’ request for an injunction blocking their removal and immediately restoring them to the board. The trustees sued Katz along with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and New York State claiming their dismissal violated their constitutional free speech rights. Acting with new authority set forth in legislation enacted in June, Katz removed the six in July after they rebuffed calls for reform. Specifically, the six members resisted an April resolution to -SEE LAWSUIT ON PG. 27- Suspect Booked For Sunnyside Mugging by Robert Pozarycki Detectives cuffed a Bronx man on Tuesday, Dec. 2, who allegedly worked with another suspect to mug an elderly man inside a Sunnyside bank lobby in October, law enforcement sources announced. Police identified the perpetrator as 29-year-old Thomas Fullwood of Williamsbridge Road. His alleged accomplice remains at large as the Times Newsweekly went to press Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 3. Reportedly, the robbery occurred at 9:23 a.m. on Oct. 26 inside the Chase bank at 46-10 Queens Blvd. Authorities said the victim, an 81-year-old man, withdrew cash from an ATM when Fullwood -SEE ARREST ON PG. 26- Seizure Behind Wheel Led To F. Hills Crash A driver reportedly suffered a seizure behind the wheel and lost control of his car, which crashed into two others along Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills on Monday afternoon, Dec. 1. Fire Department sources said the accident occurred at 4:15 p.m. near the intersection of Metropolitan Avenue and Trotting Course Lane. Members of Engine Co. 319, the 112th Precinct, the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps and EMS units responded to the scene. Paramedics removed the seized driver to a local hospital for treatment of injuries not considered life-threatening. No other injuries were reported. (photo: Allen Epstein)
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