Northampton’s Pete Palestina and George Lange named first Wall of Honor Award recipients
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
On a newly erected, miniature stone wall in Northampton Township Municipal Park, the local legacies of two men will live forever. This is the Wall of Honor, a fresh initiative in the community to recognize residents who have made a lasting impact through their work and volunteerism.
The permanent structure was unveiled on the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 25, when families, friends and local officials turned off the Eagles game for something that was a definite win. Led by supervisor Dr. Kim Rose, the inaugural Wall of Honor Award ceremony named Pete Palestina and George Lange as the first two recipients. Both earned proud spots on the Wall in the form of gleaming bronze plaques, which etched their names into Northampton history for years to come.
“The Northampton Township Wall of Honor is an award to recognize individuals who have made lasting contributions to the community and have contributed to the quality of life for the residents of Northampton Township, Bucks County,” said Rose.
In 2017, the board of supervisors solicited nominations from the public, and recruited and appointed leaders to serve on the Wall of Honor Committee. According to Rose, a member of the committee, the group reviewed 14 nominations before unanimously recommending Palestina and Lange to the board.
“To be considered for this prestigious award, nominees must have been a resident during the time of community service, contribution or accomplishment,” Rose explained. “They must have participated as a volunteer in activities and/or accomplishments that benefited or have had a positive impact on the lives of the residents of Northampton Township, demonstrated qualities of leadership and community spirit, and would be considered a role model.”
When taking into consideration Lange’s and Palestina’s decades of unwavering dedication to the community, it’s easy to see why they were unanimously chosen. Lange, a resident of more than 20 years, is a leader and member of the Northampton Day Committee, member of the Northampton Township Lions Club, driver for Meals on Wheels and member of the Addisville Reformed Church’s Band of Brothers.
Palestina, on the other hand, served on the board of supervisors for 24 years. He is a current member of Marine Corps. League Patriot Detachment 1230, Northampton Township Veterans Advisory Commission and Northampton Day Committee, volunteer coordinator for the Bucks County Senior Games at the James E. Kinney Senior Center, and former member and chairman of the Southwest Bucks County Solid Waste Disposal Advisory Committee. He also served on the township’s Planning Commission from 1981–83 and the Cable TV Committee in 1981.
In addition, Palestina is the coordinator of the Northampton Township Patriots Flag Program, which honors local military serving in harm’s way, and the Fire Safety in the Home Contest, which has taken place for 35 years in conjunction with the Council Rock School District.
Present at the ceremony on behalf of state Sen. Tommy Tomlinson was policy director Ryan Skoczylas, who gifted Lange and Palestina with citations.
“You get to see what a wonderful community it is. You get to see how great the people are, and it’s simply because of men like Pete and George,” Skoczylas said. “Their commitment to their community is unbelievable. It’s constant. It’s nonstop. They thrive to make sure Northampton is the best that it can possibly be.”
Attendees then heard from former congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, who was present on behalf of his brother, Brian.
“When Brian was thinking about running and made the decision to run for the United States Congress, I was talking to him about the different communities throughout the 8th District, now the 1st District, specifically Bucks County,” Fitzpatrick said. “I described Northampton Township really as the garden spot of Bucks County, a beautiful place which has developed so well as the county’s developed around it. It never forgot its history, never forgot its people.”
Fitzpatrick went on to explain how the township has everything one could ever want in a community — safe neighborhoods, good schools and affordable housing.
“As great as all those things are, the best part about Northampton Township is the people, the people that make it up,” he said. “It’s a great thing from time to time for the community, in all of that activity and all of the great things that are happening in Northampton, to just take a step back and thank some of those individuals that make Northampton in Bucks County such a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire in.”
After an energetic countdown led by Rose, the bronze plaques emblazoned with the names, photos and accomplishments of Lange and Palestina were revealed to cheers and applause. Both took a few moments to share their thoughts on being the first recipients of the Wall of Honor Award.
“Words cannot describe the feeling of gratitude,” Palestina said. “I moved here from Philadelphia in 1978 and was immediately impressed with how our local government works compared to what I left in Philadelphia. Here, the smallest voice is heard by your local officials who go out of their way to render assistance. It was something I wanted to be part of.”
Though ever humble, giving credit to his fellow supervisors, Palestina named the Patriots Flag Program and Fire Safety in the Home Contest as his two proudest achievements. Lange shared a similar sentiment, expressing thanks to his grandson who traveled from York to be there.
“I had no idea this was coming,” he said of the award. “It was just out of the blue so I was totally surprised. I just hope others of you will keep on doing things in the township because you never know when your turn will come.”
The Wall of Honor is located inside the Municipal Park, 281 Hatboro Road, Churchville. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
