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Published: March 16 2012

Fort Lauderdale - The City of Fort Lauderdale celebrates four deserving citizens with the Citizen Recognition Awards. The honorees include:

Honored Founder - Dr. Calvin Shirley
Dr. Calvin Shirley is a Broward County pioneer in medical care. His contributions to this community are too many to name. Dr. Shirley is a retired physician that specialized in obstetrics/gynecology and family practice. He served in this capacity for fifty-four years as his legacy stands he has birthed generations of black families.

Dr. Shirley was an accomplished physician. He was one of first four black physicians in Broward County to have his own medical practice. He was the first medical advisor to the Sickle Cell Foundation; the first and only black physician to receive the coveted Heideman Memorial Doctor of the Year award; he was the first black physician to serve on the Executive Board of the Florida State Health Planning Council; and the first of the original black physicians in Broward County admitted to the staff of Broward General Hospital.

Dr. Shirley is also affiliated with many organizations that rooted in the Fort Lauderdale community. Of significance, Dr. Shirley is one of a few living founding members of the Fort Lauderdale Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., which was chartered in 1954. He served as the first Polemarch (president) of this chapter. Dr. Shirley's affiliations also include being a 32nd Degree Mason; a Shriner of Kazah Temple #149; and a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity of Alpha Rho Boule.

Exemplary Former Employee - Earnest Jones
Earnest Jones began his career with the Parks and Recreation Department in 1981 as a Park Ranger I and was promoted to Park Ranger Supervisor in 1986, a position he held until his retirement in August 2009.

As a city employee, Earnest was active in numerous safety and security studies for Northwest Fort Lauderdale and Holiday Park. He served on several citywide committees and taskforces for labor relations, radio communications, cultural diversity and teen coalitions. He was also active in the 1996 $35 million Park Bond initiative. Earnest and the park rangers were involved with the coordination and supervision of temporary facilities for the homeless at Holiday Park and later downtown across from City Hall.

He is a 20-year member of the Florida Recreation and Park Association (FRPA), a certified Park and Recreation Professional and is the former chair of the FRPA's Ethnic Minority Interest Section. He also presented park security sessions locally to FRPA's District V membership as well as statewide at the annual FRPA State Conference. Moreover, he has been a presenter at the National Recreations and Park Association.

Earnest Jones continues his involvement with the City's Parks and Recreation programs through Carter Park and Osswald Park by mentoring and Optimist football.

Earnest is a shining example of an exemplary city employee.

Citizen of the Year - The Late Richard Mancuso
Richard Mancuso was a resident and an active citizen for over 30 years. He served on numerous boards and committees for the City to include: Neighborhood Recognition Committee, Citizens Volunteer Corps (C0-Chair for 11 years), Re-Districting Committee in 2000, Neighborhood Development Code Reform Co-Chair, Director and Officer of the Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations, and honoree of the Downtown Development Authority for his commitment to the downtown and surrounding communities.

He served on the City Manager search committee as well as the Police Chief Search committee. He was instrumental in working with the City Building Department in identifying methods to reduce the time it takes to obtain appropriate permitting.

He was a strong advocate for public transportation and has participated at both the City and County level in public outreach to educate residents on about the importance of supporting public transportation. Because Richard did not drive, he was a frequent user of public transportation and walked the City observing the needs.

Richard was active in his homeowners association serving as its President for several years. He was a longtime participate in the Florida Neighborhoods Conference on behalf of the City of Fort Lauderdale as well as an active participant in Neighborhoods USA.

He participated in his District over the years and as a downtown resident, he played an active role in identifying methods to expand police districts to ensure a safer downtown area with faster response times.

Richard Mancuso was fair and a level-headed advocate who is well respected and admired by his friends and business associates. He was open for discussion and debate and made decisions only after doing his homework regarding a subject. His love for Fort Lauderdale and his commitment to his city and community made him stand out from the crowd. His dedication extended to the entire city and he will continue to be a true example of a distinguished and devoted citizen.

Distinguished Citizen - Nuccia McCormick
Nuccia McCormick has been a supporter of many civic and cultural organizations since her arrival in Fort Lauderdale in 1986. Her most profound cause that she has dedicated her efforts to is the Fort Lauderdale Sister Cities program. She is responsible for the revitalization and growth of this program for the past 25 years, which now includes 14 (fourteen) Sister City relationships throughout the world.

She founded the Thomas W. McCormick Foundation 15 years ago to specifically provide scholarships to teach our students about other cultures through the foreign exchange student program under the Fort Lauderdale Sister City program.

Nuccia embodies the spirit of international hospitality and her tireless efforts have greatly improved the quality of life in our city and cities abroad.

This year's honorees represent a cross-section of the City's diverse population. Dr. Calvin Shirley, Earnest Jones, Nuccia McCormick, and the Late Richard Mancuso all truly represent the best that the City of Fort Lauderdale has to offer.