Hillsborough Residents Among County's 21 'Outstanding' Women Recognized

Friday evening at The Imperial in Somerset, Somerset County's Commission on the Status of Women presented their Outstanding Women Awards. These awards are presented annually in celebration of Women's History Month.

"There were over 70 nominations this year," said chair Paula Morasco. The women's accomplishment's touched the lives of county residents in many ways.

Honorees must either live or work in Somerset County. "This year's 21 winners were chosen and included amazing women from ages 14 to 89," she added.

“The 21 honorees represent a cross-section of backgrounds, abilities and endeavors,” Somerset County Freeholder Mark Caliguire, commission liaison, said earlier in announcing this year's honorees. "It is our pleasure to recognize them for the many contributions they have made to their communities.”

Among the honorees was Judith Sullivan, Township Clerk and Township Administrator in Bedminster. Donna Dourney-York of Hillsborough, executive director of Girls on the Run of Central New Jersey, also was in the spotlight.

89-year-old lauded for many decades of charity fundraising that brought in millions

The oldest honoree was Nancy Buck Pyne, of Peapack-Gladstone, credited with being responsible for raising more than $50 million for charities during her 89 years of life.

She has been an advocate and trustee of the Jacobus Vanderveer House in Bedminster, a supporter of the Visting Nurses Association of Somerset Hills in Basking Ridge, and has volunteered with the Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack-Gladstone and other causes.

Two high school students also were included on the list.

At the March 11 Bernardsville Borough Council meeting, Mayor Lee Honecker publicly commended the four women who either live or work in Bernardsville, or both.

Those honorees included Peggy Katzenberger of Lebanon, who has been a teacher and is now director at The Palmer School in Bernardsville; Kaye Paragano, a member of the Bernardsville Garden Club and civic chair, who recruits new members and leads many of the projects to place plantings and to beautify the borough; Dr. Vedrana Gjivoje, a resident and co-owner of the Bernardsville Veterinary Hospital, who also is a part of the local HeartWorks "acts of kindness" organization and a volunteer at the Morristown soup kitchen; and Carol Ann Winder, director of the Somerset County Bar Association and Bar Foundation, who's membership more than doubled in five years.

Other honorees included:

• Viktoria Wargo of Hillsborough, a special-eduation teacher who produced a documentary "Touched by Autism" showing how the Hillsborough community embraces autism.

• Lorrie Baumann of Branchburg, director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness who co-developed a professional development program to educate teachers who work with students with psychiatric disorders.

• Dawn Kettling of Bedminster was honored as an entrepreneur as owner of Blooms of the Hills.  She also was the treasurer for Friends of the Shelter and volunteers with the Samaritan Homeless Interim Program (SHIP).

• Dianne Leoni of Hillsborough, an elementary math teacher for more than 25 years, helped create a Coin Tiles game that helps children lean about coins and make change.

• Debra Joren of Watchung serves as chief of staff for State Senator Kip Bateman, assistant secretary of the NJ State Senate and is a member of the Watchung Borough Council.

• Chairwoman of the Somerset County Democratic Party since 2007, Peg Schaffer of Bedminster is also a partner in the Bernardsville law firm Shain, Schaffer and Rafanello.

• Alyce Brophy, of Milford, is the president and CEO of the Community Visiting Nurses Assosciation in Somerville. 

• Dorothy DeMaio of Far Hills has been a dean and professor at the Rutgers School of Nursing for 14 years. She founded the first nurse practitioner program and the first mobile unit for child health care.

• Morgan Dluhy, a fourteen-year-old honors student at Somerville High School, founded "Kids 4 Callum" to raise money for a neighboor, Callum Benderoth, a 2 year old with a rare spinal disease. She has raised close to $10,000 for the family through pizza, baked goods and T-shirt sales.

• Donna Dourney-York, of Hillsborough, founded a non-profit Heathly, Active, Responsible Kids (HARK) in memory of her father who died of ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. She is the excutive director of Girls on the Run of Central New Jersey.

• Annmarie Simeone, of Woodbridge, is a labor and employment attorney with the law firm of Norris McLaughlin & Marcus P.A. of Bridgewater.

• Alieta Eck, MD, of Franklin, co-founded the Zarephath Health Center, a volunteer clinic for the poor in Zarephath.

• Judith Sullivan of Bedminster has more than 30 years of public service for the township including roles in the Police and Public Works Departments in Bedminster Township. She later became assistant and is now Township Clerk and Township Administer in Bedminster.

• Nicole DeSario, a Montgomery High School senior, started MASK Theater - Montgomery Advocates for Solidarity and Kindness to help educate students about the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships.

• Jane Fidcaro of Raritan, facilitates and acts in productions by Magic Mirrors, is a member of the Raritan Historical and Cultural Committee and Somerset Historical Society and is a founding member of the Raritan Garden Club. 

• Bev Glockler, of Montgomery, has been an EMT-B with the Montgomery Emergency Medical Services squad for over 25 years responding to over 4000 calls.  She has been a crew chief for over 22 years and serves as a trainer and mentor for new EMTs.