On Saturday September 8th, 2018, the Sewanhaka High School (Floral Park, NY) football team and Athletic Department held a special halftime ceremony dedicated to the memory of alumnus and NYPD Police Officer Anthony T. Dwyer, who was killed in the line of duty on October 17, 1989.
Anthony, who graduated Sewanhaka in 1984, played both lacrosse and football for the Indians, wearing jersey #72 during his tenure. Inspired by retired NYPD Police Officer, Brothers Before Others member/Trustee and Long Island resident, Lenny Caputo, the school decided to honor Anthony and his sacrifice by retiring his jersey number. It was the first time in the school’s history that they bestowed such an honor to any alumni. Accompanied by Lenny and other local BBO members, the Dwyer family was invited onto the field and presented with a replica jersey bearing Anthony’s name and number.
In the school’s own words: “Retiring an athletes number is an honor that a team bestows upon a former player, usually after the player has left the team, retires from the sport or has passed. Once the number is retired, no future player from the team may wear that number as their own. Such an honor is often reserved for players who had extraordinary athletic careers, went above and beyond on and off the field, impacted their community or, as is the case with Anthony, died prematurely under tragic circumstances. From this day forward, no varsity player will ever wear #72 for the Indians. Anthony’s jersey will be hung and prominently displayed on school grounds.”
When BBO founder/President Michael J Burke found out about the ceremony that was taking place in Anthony’s honor, he immediately contacted BBO member/partner, Philadelphia Police officer and forensic sketch artist, Jonny Castro. Since 2016 and the one year anniversary of the line of duty death of Philadelphia Police Officer Robert Wilson III, Jonny has been creating one of a kind portraits honoring American heroes, both sworn and civilian. In order to further honor Anthony, Jonny completed a portrait that was able to be presented to the Dwyer family along with the jersey.
Michael recalled, “I worked with Tony. I drank with Tony; And like many others, I laughed with Tony. I miss him dearly and we, as an organization, were proud to play a small roll in honoring him. A special thanks has to go to our Long Island Trustee, Lenny Caputo. Without Lenny’s involvement and vision, this event never happens. Lenny is an example of how far this group has come; that our members are taking this mission, personalizing it, and bringing it local to them.”
In addition to honoring Anthony and because of the approaching 17th anniversary of 9/11, the school took the opportunity to recognize alumni who were lost that day:
William Steckman – Class of ’62
Edward Schunk – Class of ’65
FDNY Firefighter Bruce Gary – Class of ’68
Eamon McEnaney – Class of ’73
FDNY Firefighter Kenneth Kumpel – Class of ’76
David Leistman – Class of ’76
NYPD Police Officer Ronald Kloepfer – Class of ’79
As BBO grows, the members and the board continue to exemplify what it truly means to ‘never forget’. Every time the bar gets raised, another member like Lenny will raise it again. We are collectively proud of Lenny, humbled by the sacrifice made by Anthony, and grateful to Anthony’s family for the sacrifices they continue to make in Anthony’s name.
For More Information On Anthony Dwyer:
https://www.odmp.org/officer/4424-police-officer-anthony-t-dwyer
https://www.guidestar.org/profile/11-3142786
For More Information on The Sewanhaka High School Indians:
https://www.sewanhakaschools.org/shs
A full catalogue of Jonny Castro’s work can be found on both FB/Instagram by searching: “Jonny Castro Art”