Three Sisters Get the Unanimous Nod
By Maureen Rossi
Just two weeks after Kings Park holds their annual St. Patrick’s Day parade on the first Saturday in March, the Kings Park St. Patrick Day Parade Committee gathers to plan the following years event.
A Herculean effort, it has been run since its inception by Kevin Professor Denis, a well-known and popular philanthropist who owns a very homey diner where everyone knows your name. He was the first Chairman of the Committee; the torch has now been given to Kevin Johnston who is a Board of Education Trustee and former beloved teacher in the Kings Park district.
“The Parade Committee thanked Kevin The Professor Denis for his extraordinary efforts as Chairman of the Committee, as one of its founders he excelled raising the necessary funds for the parade which features more
than twenty bagpipe bands, fire departments, floats and dozens of organizations,” said Johnston.
During the Committee’s first meeting in addition to choosing the new Chairman they also chose next year’s Grand Marshalls who happen to be three sisters. They are the McWilliam sisters (Cathy Donnelly, Barbara Griffin and Marge Stajk). A unique honor that includes three siblings whom all attended St. Joseph’s School when it was open. Johnston says their parents Edward and Margaret McWilliams moved from County Carlow Ireland settling in Kings Park where they opened the Park Diner in 1944.
“The Parade Committee noted that each sister donated time and efforts towards various charitable endeavors, especially as members of the Ladies of Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 3,” Johnston explained.
The annual Grand Marshal Ball will be held at Flowerfields on Friday November 18th and consist of the presentation of the McWilliams Sisters, Irish music and dance, raffles and a live band. The 2017 St. Patrick’s Day parade will be held on Saturday March 4th. Johnston said it may be new but it’s one of the largest on Long Island and many pipe bands say the love the Kings Park parade because it’s generally the first one of the year and the community has such strong Irish roots.
As the torch is passed to Johnston, he says it is with great honor he accepts it and that he has enormous shoes to fill. “Kevin Professor is just one in a million, he put his heart and soul into the parade – he was one of the people who helped get it off the ground, he worked tirelessly on it year round,” he continued.
An làmb a bheir, ‘s i a gheibh.
The hand that gives is the hand that gets.