Two more names of folks who have selflessly given of their time and efforts to serving their community will be placed on the village’s Wall of Honor in Leonard Park.
Harry McCartney and Ralph Vigliotti are the latest unpaid volunteers to be recognized.
They will be joining notable local figures such as Stanley Bernstein, Mel Berger, James Gmelin, Fernand “Bud” Jobin, and Bill Stewart.
The Village Board voted unanimously on July 20 to approve McCartney’s and Vigliotti’s installation.
(Petitions with 50 signatures for each nominee were submitted to the Leonard Park Committee, which reviewed the applications, unanimously supported them, and passed them on to the Village Board. Former village trustee Peter Grunthal collected signatures on behalf of the Rotary Club of Mount Kisco.)
McCartney, who had served as the village’s historian for years, is a member of the Conservation Advisory Council and a former member of the Recreation Commission.
As founder, and still a leader, of the local Mount Kisco Trail Team, he organizes local nature and history education walks.
“Every single senior in this town, or close to all of them, have spent plenty of time with Harry as he’s conducted real and virtual walks for folks,” noted Trustee Tom Luzio.
He is also a member of the village’s Tree Preservation Board and a former Little League coach.
McCartney is a retired IBMer who has lived in the village for 55 years. His wife, Linda, was an administrator of Northern Westchester Hospital’s Institute of Aesthetic Surgery and Medicine and of The Breast Institute.
“If you don’t know Harry, get to know him. He’s well-deserving of this honor,” Luzio said.
Asked to comment on being included on the Wall of Honor, McCartney said: “What makes me feel so grateful is the opportunity that I had to volunteer on a number of different things with people in the community who are off the charts in terms of dedication and the spirit of giving. This is a reflection on them also."
Vigliotti, president of the Mount Kisco Historical Society, served on the Village Board as a trustee and deputy mayor. He sat on the Planning Board for 23 years.
(Unfortunately, those contributions couldn’t be counted because trustees receive a substantial salary.)
He’s been a vital member of the Historical Society since 2000. and he was inducted into Westchester County’s Senior Hall of Fame in 2024.
The society’s efforts made the village’s recent celebration of its 150th anniversary a great success, according to Luzio.
“I’m fortunate to count both these individuals as friends,” he added.
Vigliotti, a Mount Kisco resident for 48 years, is a retired Yonkers High School principal. His wife, Diane, is a retired director of Fox Lane High School’s academic center.
They have three sons, Marc, Jonathan, and Greg. Jonathan is an author and a CBS News national and foreign correspondent who has spent two decades reporting from the front lines of the climate crisis, around America and across the world.
“It has been a lifelong commitment to give back to the community that has given so much to me and my family,” Vigliotti said in a prepared statement. “This recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects the dedication of so many people alongside of me over the years. I share this honor with my family, friends, fellow volunteers, and residents of the village who supported and inspired me over the years.”
Extending “heartfelt thanks” to the folks who nominated and selected him for the “very special honor, he added that it was a privilege “to be recognized among the distinguished individuals whose contributions have help shaped the history and the future of our village.”
“Preserving Mount Kisco's history while helping guide its future has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and I am truly grateful for this recognition,” Vigliotti said.
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