In a special ceremony on Oct. 19, W.T. Clarke High School graduates Daniel Fisher Jr., Class of 1964, and John Pessala, Class of 1967, were inducted to the school’s Hall of Achievement.
At the biannual ceremony held in the school’s Little Theater, Nassau County Legislature Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves was on hand to present the inductees with special citations, and Principal Timothy Voels offered congratulatory remarks. He explained that the Hall of Achievement was established by the school’s planning and management team in 2007 to pay tribute to graduates who have demonstrated outstanding character, dedication and leadership and whose lives and accomplishments serve to inspire others.
During his time at W.T. Clarke, Mr. Fisher, a lifelong resident of the Town of Hempstead, was an active member in DECA, worked in the school store and participated in chorus and the Glee Club.
A veteran of the United States Navy, Mr. Fisher, who is retired, was elected as Hempstead Town Clerk in 1980, and introduced computerization in 1982 to the town clerk’s office to provide faster, more reliable and efficient service to the public. As registrar at the Town of Hempstead, he issued and maintained birth certificates for residents, and issued marriage licenses and certificates, as well as other licenses and permits.
In addition, Mr. Fisher helped preserve and catalog historical documents in the town clerk’s archives, some files even dating back to 1644. He has received numerous accolades for his management expertise, and received the “Excellence in Local Government” award from the New York State Archives and Records Administration. He continues to reside in Westbury, where he and his wife, Rita, raised three children.
Mr. Pessala, who was born in Finland, was adopted and moved to the United States with his new family at the age of five. While at W.T. Clarke High School, he excelled in and outside of the classroom, and was the starting center on the basketball team. After graduating from the school, he attended Cortland State University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in history education in 1971. While serving as a high school history teacher in Smithtown, he earned a Master of Arts degree from Hofstra University in 1974 and later earned a Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University in 1979.
A member of both the Nassau County and New York State bar associations, Mr. Pessala entered into private practice and later secured a position in the Nassau County executive’s office. In 1994, he was elected as a Nassau County District Court judge and in 1995 he worked as a family court judge, where he remained until his retirement in 2006.
Mr. Pessala has attended college fairs and advised high school students on their future careers. He also initiated a project within the family court, where he collected books from private homes and made them available to patrons in the family court waiting room. Adults and children were encouraged to read while waiting for their appointments and appearances, and permitted to take the books home. Mr. Pessala has remained a positive role model for high school and college students through his open-door policy in both his home and chambers.
At the ceremony, Mr. Fisher, who was joined by his wife, Rita, and granddaughter, Nova Mae Capace, received an honorary plaque for his official induction to the Hall of Achievement. Although Mr. Pessala could not attend, his wife, Elizabeth, daughter Anne and son Alexander accepted an honorary plaque on his behalf.
Identical plaques were added to the Hall of Achievement wall in the school’s front lobby, where they will remain among other honorees.
The East Meadow School District congratulates Mr. Fisher and Mr. Pessala on their induction into the Hall of Achievement.