Hispanic Of The Year Award Announced In West Haven

Written by Michael P. Walsh

WEST HAVEN, CT — West Shore Fire Department Deputy Chief Rafael Zayas will receive the city’s Hispanic American of the Year award at the fifth annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi announced.

Rossi and the West Haven Hispanic Heritage Committee will honor Zayas, the son of Puerto Rican-born parents, at noon Friday at City Hall, 355 Main St.

The committee bestows the award annually on a Hispanic resident who epitomizes service in West Haven’s thriving Hispanic community.

“It’s a proud moment being here in West Haven — I wasn’t expecting this award,” said a humble Zayas, who will mark his inaugural year of service with the West Shore Fire District on Oct. 1.

Zayas, 48, will celebrate his Puerto Rican ancestry with dozens of friends, loved ones and firefighters, along with an array of dignitaries and descendants of folks from Puerto Rico and Latin America.

Committee members and West Haven officials led by Rossi will escort Zayas to the steps of City Hall for his special recognition. A Latin-flavored lunch will follow.

West Haven’s diversity is its strength, Rossi said, and Zayas is a testament to the American dream.

“I am thrilled to announce Deputy Chief Rafael Zayas as our Hispanic American of the Year,” Rossi said. “He is an outstanding individual, and I thank him for his dedicated service to the community with the West Shore Fire Department.”

In observance of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15-Oct. 15, West Haven recognizes the important legacy of Hispanic Americans and the inspiring contributions they have made to the culture and history of the United States.

Hispanics have had a profound and positive influence on the civic and cultural life of America through their strong commitment to faith and family, hard work and public service. They have enhanced and shaped the national character with centuries-old traditions that reflect the multiethnic and multicultural customs of their community.

Hispanic Heritage Month, which traces its roots to 1968, begins each year on Sept. 15, the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile also celebrate their independence days during that period.

The term Hispanic refers to Puerto Rican, South American or Central American, and other Spanish cultures or origins regardless of race. On the 2020 census form, people of Spanish, Hispanic or Latino origins could identify themselves as Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or “another Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin.”

Rossi said Zayas personifies the noble qualities of serving his vibrant community and carrying on the proud traditions of Puerto Rico — as well as the rich tradition of Puerto Ricans in the fire service.

Zayas retired last year from the New Haven Fire Department after nearly a quarter century of service as both a firefighter and officer, including most recently as a deputy chief and a battalion chief.

While on the job in the Elm City, he received five unit citations for work at fires.

For two decades, Zayas represented his fellow Puerto Rican smoke eaters as a member of the New Haven Hispanic Firefighters Association.

As the association’s president from 2014 to 2021, he was instrumental in organizing Thanksgiving food giveaways, toy drives and Three Kings Day celebrations in Greater New Haven’s Hispanic community. He also distributed back-to-school supplies and organized a scholarship banquet for high school seniors from New Haven.

Rossi lauded the civic-minded Zayas, whom she called a man of faith and service, for his devotion to the city and its robust Hispanic community.

Zayas is also known for his volunteerism at his house of worship, Christian Community of Restoration to the Nations, or CCRN, a nondenominational Christian church in Hamden.

At the City Hall event, Rossi will present him with a Puerto Rican flag and a mayoral citation for his good works.

Zayas will also receive an embroidered “Hispanic American of the Year” jacket from Rossi and a General Assembly citation from Milford Democratic Sen. James J. Maroney, the Senate’s deputy majority leader whose district includes West Haven, on behalf of the city’s delegation.

The cultural event will include remarks by Public Works Commissioner Tom J. McCarthy, the master of ceremonies. Before a blessing, Ana Garcia will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the Puerto Rican national anthem, “La Borinqueña,” followed by remarks by Rossi.

Zayas was born in New Haven to Domingo and Raquel Zayas. His father hails from the town of Orocovis in central Puerto Rico and his mother from the town of Hatillo on the island’s north coast.

Zayas was raised with his older sister and younger brother on Spring Street in New Haven’s Hill neighborhood and graduated from Wilbur Cross High School in 1992.

His father worked in the maintenance department at the former St. Regis Health Center in the Elm City, and his mother worked in the food service department at New Haven Public Schools. Both are retired and live in Hamden.

Zayas is a graduate of Gateway Community College.

He and his wife of nine years, Catalina Guzman Zayas, have a 1-year-old son, Ethan, and live in West Shore.

PHOTO CAPTION — West Haven Mayor Nancy R. Rossi announces West Shore Fire Department Deputy Chief Rafael Zayas, left, as the city’s Hispanic American of the Year on Thursday at City Hall. Joining them are West Shore Board of Fire Commissioners Chairman Robert Bruneau, third from left, and Public Works Commissioner Tom J. McCarthy. Rossi and the West Haven Hispanic Heritage Committee will honor Zayas at noon Friday on the steps of City Hall, 355 Main St. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)