SMART sends our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of deceased Local 28 (New York City) brother and Executive Board member Anthony Lee Gonzalez. A GoFundMe fundraiser has been established to help Anthony’s family; read an excerpt from the GoFundMe below, and make a donation here.
“On Tuesday, July 11, 2023, our beloved Brother Anthony fell victim to senseless gun violence. Despite numerous efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead on July 13, 2023 at 2:11 p.m.
“Anthony was very special to everyone he interacted with. He was a loving son, a doting father to a 16-year-old daughter, and a devoted union brother. There was nothing Anthony loved more than being a union sheet metal worker. At the time of his passing he had 16 years and 8 months of service.
“We ask that during this time of sadness you find it in your hearts to help and keep the family in your prayers.”
In September 2022, SMART Local 280 (Vancouver, British Columbia) led the SMART Army’s involvement in the annual Terry Fox Run to raise money for cancer research. Fox was a Canadian athlete and cancer research activist who, after losing a leg to cancer, embarked on a cross-Canada run in 1980 to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Although cancer eventually forced him to end his quest, and ultimately cost him his life, his efforts resulted in a lasting legacy in Canada and around the world.
“For 143 days, Terry Fox ran a marathon a day,” Local 280 Business Representative Jeff Lind explained during an episode of SMART News. “He ran through rain and snow and wind, humidity. He stopped in almost 400 towns and just talked about why he was running. He was starting at 4:30 in the morning and usually didn’t finish until about 7pm at night.”
Watch Jeff Lind discuss the Terry Fox Run on SMART News.
“He’s a legend in Canada,” Lind added. “And I think we all know somebody who’s been affected by cancer. So … if I look at SMART Army as a whole and our SMART membership, internationally, that was something I looked at and I thought ‘What can we all do together?’ You know, being in a union, the solidarity behind it … I thought, this is something we could do not just in Canada with the locals, but across the International.”
The Local 280 SMART Army team exceeded its $1,000 fundraising goal during the 2022 run, raising $1,575 for the Terry Fox Foundation to fund cancer research. And in spring 2023, the Terry Fox Run honored the local’s participation with a Certificate of Appreciation plaque, writing: “We are grateful for your team’s no-quit attitude, for setting a positive example for others, and for showing compassion for cancer patients.”
WheatonLocal 898 in Boston will be holding the Donnie Wheaton Memorial Golf Tournament on Oct. 5 at Maplegate Country Club in Franklin, Mass. Holes are available for sponsorship by SMART TD locals for $150. A 42-year employee for Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, which became Keolis, Wheaton served as Alternate Legislative Director for New England and was tremendously active in the union. He passed away unexpectedly in January at age 62.
NEWARK, N.J. — Jennifer “Cookie” Doyle reports that SMART Transportation Local 60 will hold a “Railmen for Children” charity bike run July 28. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and goes until 11 a.m., when motorcycle riders will start the run. The cost of this event is a donation of $20 per person. The ride begins and ends at the Tramontin Harley-Davidson, 482 Hope Blairstown Road, Hope, NJ 07844. Riders will be fully escorted by the Blue Knights NJ8. Food and a live band will be provided after the ride concludes. All members and locals of SMART are welcome to attend. All signups will be done the day of the event. For questions, contact Doyle at 973-219-2968. Event T-shirts are available in red, blue, orange and tan for $15 each. See James Tufano or Richie Fryer in Hoboken or email rfcrm16@gmail.com and include your name address size and color. Established by New Jersey Transit conductors and engineers, Railmen for Children brings joy and laughter to more than 300 special needs children each year via the “Santa Claus Express.” All proceeds from the bike run goes to support the Santa Claus Express.
The UTU’s Long Island Rail Road General Committee of Adjustment GO 505 is hosting it annual golf classic on May 13 to benefit families on Long Island affected by autism. The gold classic will tee off at 9:30 a.m. at the Hamlet Wind Watch Golf & Country Club in Hauppauge, N.Y., and GO 505 is seeking both sponsors and participants for the event. The cost for participation in the tournament is $225 per person, which includes breakfast, 18 holes of golf with cart, drinks, snacks, cocktails and buffet dinner with dessert. Four sponsorship levels are available ranging in cost from $150 to $600. To download a tournament registration and sponsorship form, click here. A portion of GO 505’s golf tournament proceeds will support Autism Speaks, a leading autism science and advocacy organization dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism. “We look forward to spending a day in solidarity with members from our organization as well as other labor organizations in our area. We also appreciate the support and friendship of businesses and associates we work with every day to provide safe and efficient transportation on Long Island,” said GO 505 General Chairperson Anthony Simon. The number of tournament participants is limited. All golf reservations will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, contact GO 505 Vice General Chairperson Vinnie Tessitore at (631) 661-3500. To learn more about Autism Speaks, visit www.autismspeaks.org.
