Borough President Vito Fossella Presents Alice Diamond With Albert V. Maniscalco Community Service Award

Borough President Vito Fossella presented the Albert V. Maniscalco Community Service Award to Alice Diamond, a longtime supporter of the cultural arts on Staten Island and one of the key founders of Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden.

The Albert V. Maniscalco Community Service Award, established in 1986, honors our ninth Borough President. Maniscalco’s tenure from 1955 to 1965 saw the creation of the Greenbelt and the construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. His namesake award celebrates civic-minded Staten Islanders who have dedicated their lives in service for the betterment of their community.

“Alice Diamond is synonymous with Staten Island culture,” said Borough President Fossella during an intimate gathering in his office surrounded by Mrs. Diamond’s family and friends. “In fact, she is Staten Island culture. Everything that her fingerprints are on has blossomed and made this borough a better place.”

Mrs. Diamond is the wife of Richard E. Diamond, the late publisher of the Staten Island Advance, and the mother of Caroline Diamond Harrison, who succeeded her father as publisher of the Advance, Alison D. Levasseur, and Richard E. Diamond Jr.

She has been a driving force on various boards of cultural organizations.

In addition to her work at Snug Harbor, Mrs. Diamond has held multiple board positions and played important roles at the NYC Advisory Commission of Cultural Affairs; the Staten Island Chapter of the Red Cross; the Lynne Robbins Steinman Beautification Foundation; the Historic House Trust of NYC; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Greenbelt Conservancy, and the Staten Island Foundation.

Mrs. Diamond was also instrumental in the creation of the Carousel for All Children at Willowbrook Park, which continues to be fully accessible for the enjoyment of people of all abilities.

Borough President Fossella called Mrs. Diamond “the best that Staten Island has to offer” and in a fitting tribute, she was presented with the Maniscalco Award 40 years after her husband received the first Maniscalco Award in 1986.

“When we choose a recipient for this award, we look at Staten Island’s landscape of a half million people and say, ‘who truly embodies the spirit and virtue of this borough?’” said Borough President Fossella. “Alice does so without ever asking for any attention, without ever giving up. Like a quiet force of nature.”

Mrs. Diamond accepted the award with the dignity and grace she is known for.

“It was Ralph Lamberti who created this award to memorialize Al Maniscalco,” said Mrs. Diamond. “Both men were my friends. And the first recipient of this award was more than just my friend. Thank you for letting me share this honor with him and with my family.