2024 Honorees
Our 2024 Honorees
Pamela and John O’Connell are 29-year residents of Port Washington whose community involvement has long been grounded in their dedication to the PWPL. After the O’Connells moved next door in 2002 (close enough to tap the Library’s Wi-Fi if theirs goes out!), the Library became part of the fabric of their family life. John became an elected Trustee for 14 years and served as Vice President and President of the Board of Trustees. Pam has been a board member of the Friends of the Library (FOL) for nearly 20 years and currently serves as President. Their children—Mariel, Luke, and John Jr.—were Library summer employees and volunteers.
Pam, a graduate of Hofstra University, earned her Masters from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and embarked on a 25-year career as a writer and editor. Pam has been an adjunct faculty member at the J-school and was a print columnist for The New York Times writing on digital culture. She was a dedicated school volunteer, including nine years as Cultural Arts chair at Weber. Pam currently serves on the board of the Baxter’s Pond Foundation and is the organizer of Summer Together, which funds summer camp scholarships for Port children in need. Among her proudest accomplishments on the FOL board are initiating the twice-yearly Paperback Swap, helping to grow the FOL’s signature Book & Author Luncheon, and working to meet the needs of our diverse and intellectually curious community.
John graduated from Fordham University and earned his JD from Columbia University, where he was an Articles Editor on the Law Review. After a federal court clerkship, John served as a litigator in private practice. John joined Goldman Sachs in 2006, where he worked for more than 17 years before retiring in 2023 as Managing Director and the Global Head of its Regulatory Practice Group. During his time on the Library’s Board of Trustees, John helped oversee the installation of the library’s solar roof, the renovation of the children’s room, and the creation of the multi-year plan to upgrade the library’s physical plant, among other milestones. He was a long-time member of the Board’s budget committee, which consistently produced fiscally responsible budgets during challenging economic times. John is most proud of helping to lead the generational transition of Library leadership upon the retirement of Nancy Curtin and Corinne Camarata to Keith Klang and James Hutter. John treasures the friendships forged during his time on the Board and continues to miss two trustees we have lost, Myron Blumenfeld and Joseph Burden.