AIAC Chairman Receives the Ellis Island Medal Of Honor
For Immediate Release
May 18, 1924 – New York, NY: The Ellis Island Honor Society conferred the Ellis Island Medal of Honor on L. M. Levie, American Industrial Acquisition Corporation Chairman, on May 18, 2024 at a black tie dinner and awards ceremony on historic Ellis Island in New York Harbor. The Ellis Island Medal of Honor ranks among the nation's highest awards. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have officially recognized the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and each year Medal recipients are memorialized in the Congressional Record.
The Ellis Island Medal of Honor celebrates Americans who are selflessly working for the betterment of their communities and the nation.
Dr. Memet C. Oz served as Master of Ceremonies for the evening gala, which featured a formal champagne reception, military color guard procession, dinner, awards ceremony and musical entertainment by the Victory Belles singers. Following the solemn awards ceremony, the medalists and their guests were transported by ferry to a position in New York Harbor directly facing Liberty Island, where they were celebrated with a twenty minute fireworks show in the skies above the Statue of Liberty.
In addition to Mr. Levie, the 2024 Ellis Island Honor Society medalists included the following individuals:
David Rockefeller, Jr., Trustee, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Director, Rockefeller Capital Management, Trustee, Museum of Modern Art
Susan Rockefeller, Trustee, Peggy McGrath Rockefeller Foundation
Priscilla Presley, Co-Executor, The Elvis Presley Estate
Whoopie Goldberg, Actress, commentator and producer, winner of the Emmy, Grammy, Tony, and Academy Awards and of the Mark Twain Prize
Michael Milken, Chairman, the Milken Institute, the Milken Family Foundation, and the Milken Conference
Hon. Calista L. Gingrich, President of the Gingrich Foundation, Former US Ambassador to the Holy See
Hon. Rob Portman, Member of the Board of Directors of the Bechtel Corporation and the Proctor & Gamble Company, former Congressman and Senator from Ohio, US Trade Representative, and Director of the Office of Management and Budget of the Executive Office of the President
Sharon Bowen, Chair, New York Stock Exchange
Dr. Christopher L. Eisgruber, President and Trustee, Princeton University
Tom Rogers, Founder of MSNBC and CNBC
Hon. Paula J. Dobriansky, former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs and the President’s Envoy to Northern Ireland
General Joseph F. Dunford, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, United States Department of Defense
Dan Gilbert, Founder and Chairman, Rocket Companies (NYSE:RKT)
Reta Jo Lewis, President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Import-Export Bank of the United States
Philip O. Ozuah, MD, PhD., President and CEO, the Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
In prior years, Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients have included Presidents Ronald Reagan and eight other Presidents of the United States, Senator John McCain, Dr. Henry Kissinger, General Colin Powell, Apple CEO John Sculley, Google Chair and CEO Eric Schmidt, Carlyle Chair David Rubinstein, World Bank Chair Ajay Banga, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, Disney Chair Michael Eisner, Chrysler Chair Lee J. Iacocca, Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, Civil Rights Leader Rosa Parks, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Sports and entertainment medalists have included Muhammad Ali, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Arnold Palmer, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow, Kirk and Michael Douglas, Gregory Peck, Martin Scorcese, Paul Simon, and Gloria Estefan.
Mr. Levie was recognized for his contributions as an industrialist and philanthropist. Upon learning of the award, Mr. Levie stated, "I am deeply honored and humbled to receive the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. This distinguished recognition not only reflects my personal journey but also rewards the collective hard work and support of thousands of my associates and their families in the AIAC Group of companies and foundations and the loyalty of our cherished customers, suppliers, professionals, and communities in which we are privileged to be corporate citizens. I am accepting the Ellis Island Medal of Honor on their behalf and in tribute to their long term diligence, devotion and dedication. I sincerely thank them all. This is truly their award.”
In commemoration for the occasion, Mr. Levie composed the following poem, which he presented to the Chairman of the Ellis Island Honor Society:
A Tribute to Ellis Island
By L. M. Levie
From distant shores, they braved the sea,
To glimpse the light of Liberty.
Through Ellis Island’s storied gate,
Twelve million passed to immigrate.
Their tears of turmoil, sorrow, toil
Are found in Ellis Island’s soil.
Tears turned to joy for freedom’s prize.
Their hopes and dreams would reach the skies.
The gateway to our country grand;
America is freedom’s land.
A melting pot, a tapestry,
All woven from diversity.
So let us honor those who came,
To gaze a torch of golden flame.
They loved their newfound nation, dear.
Because of them, we now are here.
On the evening of the preceding day, May 17, medalists and their guests were treated to a reception, silent auction, formal dinner and a concert by leading Broadway performers of songs from the hit musicals Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Funny Girl, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. On the morning of May 19, the day following the awards ceremony, AIAC and the AIAC Foundation sponsored breakfast for Ellis Island Honor Society Trustees, Advisors, Medalists, and their family members.
About the Ellis Island Honors Society
The Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS) is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the vital role of immigration in American prosperity and culture. Established in 1986, the Society commemorates the enduring spirit of those who immigrated to the United States during the Ellis Island era. The Society’s annual award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, acknowledges individuals who have demonstrated a profound commitment to enhancing the nation, be it through professional, cultural, or civic contributions.
Since its inception, the Medal of Honor has been bestowed upon a broad array of outstanding Americans. Notable past recipients include Presidents Ronald Reagan and William J. Clinton, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and other distinguished leaders across various fields such as education, the arts, sports, and government, all of whom have integrated principles of freedom, liberty, and compassion into their life’s work.
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About AIAC
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) is a diversified industrial group with manufacturing and distribution sites in 24 countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. AIAC has acquired and grown non-core subsidiaries and divisions of Boeing, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Johnson Controls, Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, Visteon, Carlyle, Ahlstrom, Tolko, Groupe Suez, Groupe Rexel, and many other leading multinational corporations.
AIAC Corporation manufacturing companies serve companies and governmental entities worldwide in all major sectors, including aviation, space, defense, automotive, truck, rail, marine, petrochemical, solar, nuclear, food, confectionary, beverage, civil engineering and infrastructure, commercial construction, mining, dredging, disaster relief, education, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. AIAC companies manufacture materials, components, assemblies, packaging, equipment, and finished products. In addition, AIAC companies are exclusive, authorized distributors of leading branded industrial and consumer products throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
Of note, AIAC purchased Boeing Canada in 2005, and has produced over 10,000 unique components for every Boeing jet plane ever since, reliably serving Boeing from manufacturing facilities in North America. A leader in ultra high precision jet engine component manufacturing, AIAC companies also produce 2,200 fan blades and blisks for each jet engine produced by GE, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and Honeywell. AIAC companies produce the critical automotive wire and cable for Tesla, GM, Ford, Chrysler-Fiat, Toyota, and Nissan.
In connection with its kraft paper manufacturing interests, AIAC controls and sustainably manages 22 million acres of Manitoba, Canada forestland, an area equivalent in size to the nation of Hungary.
AIAC companies serve thousands of municipalities on four continents by designing, manufacturing and distributing building, street and highway signage and illumination products.
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About AIAC Philanthropy
AIAC and the AIAC Foundation support a wide range of nonprofit, nonsectarian, bipartisan organizations which promote international conflict resolution, disaster relief, economic development, environmental sustainability, and exploration. The exploration-focused nonprofit organizations which they actively support include the Explorers Club, the National Geographic Society, the Royal Geographical Society, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Space Society, and the United States Space Foundation.
AIAC’s other beneficiaries include the Appeal of the Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation Inc., the Asia Society, the Atlantic Council, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - Gates Philanthropy Partners, the Bretton Woods Committee, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Carter Center, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, the Foreign Policy Association, the Institut Française des Relations Internationales, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Crisis Group, the International Rescue Committee, the Japan Society, the JFK School of Government of Harvard University, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the Sierra Club, and the Trilateral Commission.
For further information, please see:
https://www.aiac.com/our-values
Media Contact:
Isabel Carro-Toro, Vice President
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
+34 689 295 827 (Spain)
+ 1 787 244 3175 (USA)
icarro-toro@aiac.com
