First Posted: 3/20/2014
Vice President Joe Biden talked about his Irish roots and the 600-plus listening knew exactly what he meant.
A native of Scranton, Biden was the featured speaker at the 100th anniversary dinner of the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Monday at The Woodlands Inn.
Honored at the dinner were Shawn Casey, DDS, as “Man of the Year” and Charlie Grimes, who received the “Swingle Award” for his work in the community. Joseph J. Joyce, Jr. was presented the “Achievement Award.”
Attendees were decked out in tuxedoes and suits with green ties and boutonnieres. Bag pipers played and Irish tunes were piped in over the sound system as everyone awaited Biden’s arrival. The vice president had made an earlier stop at Terry’s Diner in Moosic where he chatted with every customer in the place, asking them to share their concerns and to offer support and the promise of a better future.
At the dinner later, Biden was impressed with Pittston Mayor Jason Klush.
“Look at this guy,” Biden said before starting his speech. “He looks like he just came off a Hollywood movie set. Wow.”
Mayor Bob Boyer of Wyoming Borough took his grandson, Kyle Zeller, to the dinner. Zeller, 11, is a fifth-grade student at Greater Nanticoke Area.
Zeller said getting to see and hear the vice president was “pretty crazy.” He said Biden’s visit was the talk of his school all day long.
Asked if ever thought of becoming a politician, Zeller was quick to say, “Sure, I think I would like that.”
Attorney Joe Quinn said Biden’s appearance was “special” for the region.
“Joe Biden has been an outstanding public servant,” Quinn said. “He has never forgotten his roots in Northeastern Pennsylvania.”
Frank Costantino, of Duryea, said Biden’s appearance was “a big event” for the area.
“What an opportunity it is to see Vice President Biden here in our county,” he said.
Edward Hart, president of the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons, said the honorees made up a special group of people who have played integral roles in the organization over the years. In addition to Casey, Grimes and Joyce, Hart thanked Bill Burke, Joe Heffers and Patrick Bilbow for their work on the dinner.
Casey, 44, said he was impressed with Biden’s speech.
“What an honor to have the vice president here,” he said. “He really hit home with his message.”
Hart said the organization was working on bringing Biden to the dinner since the day after the 2013 event. Hart’s son, Edward, served as grand marshal, and his nephew, Michael Falcone, was the dinner’s general chairman.
Biden was introduced by his close friend, Stephen Cozen, founder of the Cozen O’Connor Law Firm in Philadelphia, who called the vice president “a street guy” who possesses the Irish gift of gab.
When Biden got to the podium, he said he was surprised that the Friendly Sons couldn’t find an Irish guy from Pittston to introduce him.
“So you got a Jewish guy from Philadelphia?” he asked. “I’m starting to wonder about this group.”
Biden’s speech centered on his mother, grandfather and great-grandfather who all instilled in him a sense of pride in being from Northeastern Pennsylvania and for his Irish heritage. He referred to himself as “Kitty Finnegan’s son Joey” and he talked about how thousands of Irish men, women and children bravely made their way across the Atlantic Ocean to America in search of a better life.
“How many poets, writers and leaders, like John F. Kennedy, were lost on those ships in the 1800s?” Biden asked. “Think about their sacrifices and their determination in coming here and all their contributions to this great country.”
Biden talked of self-worth and equal treatment for all and how loyalty was the highest value in his house in Scranton. He said his mother taught him what it meant to be Irish — family, faith and courage.
Injecting humor several times during his talk, Biden said his family moved to Delaware when he was 10 years old because after living six block from the Casey family, “We knew only one of us was going to make it.”
He told the Friendly Sons that when he dies, Northeastern Pennsylvania will be on his heart.
“May the hinges of friendship never grow rusty,” he said.
At Terry’s Diner, Carsyn Cole, 9, a third-grade student at Holy Rosary Elementary School in Duryea, told Biden about her basketball abilities and her grades. She said Biden was “nice” and he seemed interested in how she was doing.
Terry Holmes, the 57-year-old owner of Terry’s Diner, aid Biden spoke to every customer in the diner and described the vice president as “a normal guy.” He told Holmes it was “nice to be home again.”
Biden held a pre-arranged meeting in another room in the restaurant on the Affordable Care Act. He met with seven people working to sign up others for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, before the March 31 enrollment deadline.
The vice president said he wanted to talk about “what it is that has worked and hasn’t worked” and “what you think we should be doing.” He noted more than 4 million Americans have enrolled in health insurance plans through the federal and state exchanges since Oct. 1.
While the vice president was at Terry’s, his wife, second lady of the U.S., Dr. Jill Biden , spoke to guests at the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel in Scranton during the Dress for Success Lackawanna 15th Anniversary Luncheon Celebration Monday afternoon.
