Thurman Munson has been gone for forty three years, however no amount of time ever takes away the pain. I have always said that to know him was truly to love him. Inside of that Yankee clubhouse we were all his family and he always felt so good about that because he had our back and he knew that we had his.
Like every year at this time, I look forward to the Thurman Munson Award Dinner.
The 42nd Annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner will take place at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers (23rd Street at West Side Highway) in New York City on Monday night, March 7, 2022 benefiting AHRC New York City Foundation. This year’s award recipients are World Series champions, pitcher Jeff Nelson (1996, ’98, ’99, 2000) of the New York Yankees and outfielder Mookie Wilson (1986) of the New York Mets, seven-time Olympic Gold Medalist in swimming Katie Ledecky, and soccer standout NY-NJ Gotham FC forward Margaret Purce.
Julia Yager Spillman-Gover, CEO of The Eklund|Gomes Team at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, will receive the M. Anthony Fisher Humanitarian Award.
The gala remembers the late great Yankees captain and catcher Thurman Munson and has raised more than $18 million for the AHRC NYC Foundation which supports programs that enable children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives.
Joining in the celebration is a stellar lineup of sports dignitaries that includes baseball notables Bobby Valentine, John Flaherty and Nelson Figueroa, ever-popular Knicks guard John Starks, and a trio of New York Football Giants Super Bowl champs who are previous ‘Thurman” recipients: Hall of Famer Harry Carson, Chris Canty and Karl Nelson.
Tina Cervasio, lead sports anchor for FOX 5 in New York, will be the Master of Ceremonies.
The Thurman Munson Awards are presented annually for success and inspiration on the fields of play, and community spirit off the field.
Thurman’s widow Diana Munson is an honorary chair who has supported AHRC NYC and its fund-raising efforts through the Thurman Munson Awards for four decades.
For media inquiries contact John Cirillo/Cirillo World by email at [email protected] or text 914-260-7436.
For tickets call 212-249-6188 or email [email protected]. Tickets may be purchased online at https://www.ahrcnycfoundation.org/munson/.
AHRC NEW YORK CITY was founded in 1949, AHRC NYC is a family-governed organization, supporting neurodiverse children and adults, and is one of the largest non-profits in the nation, with 5,000 staff serving over 15,000 individuals. The organization strives to empower people who are neurodivergent to lead full and equitable lives and envision a socially just world, where the power of difference is embraced, valued and celebrated. Recognized by Forbes as a Best Midsize Employer in America two years in a row, AHRC NYC honors its legacy and continuously grows through a culture of curiosity, creativity and optimism.
I am proud to say that we will be announcing in May of this year, the formation of the Thurman Munson Baseball Organization. This program will introduce to a new generation of kids the beauty of baseball, playing the game with good sportsmanship and the heart and soul of who Thurman Munson was.
I would like to thank Diane Munson and her incredible family because since 1969 they have been sharing Thurman with the Yankee Universe.