Elant names 2006 polo picnic honorees

Goshen — The not-for-profit Elant senior health and housing network will honor John (Jack) Goodreds and former U.S. Congresssman Benjamin Gilman and his wife, Georgia, at the Fifth Annual Polo Picnic to be held on Sept. 10. Proceeds from the charity event at the Blue Sky Polo Club will benefit the Elant Foundation. Elant will honor Goodreds and the Gilmans for their humanitarian spirits and life-long commitments to enhancing the health and well-being of the people of the Hudson Valley. Goodreds, the retired CEO of Ottaway Newspapers Inc. will receive the Elant Signature Award for his commitment to enhancing health care and housing for the elderly through volunteer service, vision and philanthropy. The Gilmans will be awarded the Elant Flame of Excellence for their leadership and dedication to improving the lives of others. “The individuals we have chosen to honor this year are true pillars of our community,” said Elant President and CEO Donna G. McAleer, “They have made immeasurable contributions to the people of the Hudson Valley and demonstrated unwavering support of Elant’s not-for-profit mission.” Prior to his appointment as the CEO of Ottaway Newspapers in 1986, Goodreds served as the organization’s financial vice president and operating vice president. Goodreds also has served as the director of the American Press Institute, The Bruedan Corporation and Kendell Communications, Inc. He is the founder of the Goodreds Group, a management firm that does consulting work with the newspaper industry. Goodreds is a longtime member of the Elant, Inc. Board of Directors and has been a member of the Arden Hill Hospital Board. Gilman represented the 20th District of New York in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 30 years. From 1995 to 2002, he served as the chairman of the House International Relations Committee. From 1975-1977, he was a member of the Select Committee on Prisoners of War and Missing in Action in Southeast Asia, and later served as chairman of a task force on that issue. Gilman was a congressional delegate to the United Nations under Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick in 1981, and was appointed a member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial council in 1993. He is a member of the American Legion, the Jewish War Veterans, the Masonic Veterans and many other civic organizations. Georgia Gilman is the vice chairman of the Gilman Group and has been an educator and small business owner. She is the former chairman of the Middletown Planning Board, president of the Women’s University Club and a former Republican county committeewoman. Gilman has served as a member of the Washington Meridian’s Board of Directors and as a member of the International Neighbors Club of Washington, D.C. Polo spectators will enjoy an outdoor cocktail party, music and an afternoon luncheon served under tents.