For Outstanding Contribution to Our Community, Province and Country
Christine Whelan, FEO, March 20, 2025, VOL. 6 ISSUE 14
On Tuesday, March 4, three Fort Erie residents received a King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of their extraordinary dedication, exemplary service, and profound contributions to Canada’s advancement and its people’s well-being. There were 22 recipients between Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie.
Rick Doan, Cathy Dennahower and Anna Annunziata received emails from Tony Baldinelli, MP, inviting them to a ceremony at Delhi Hall in Niagara Falls to receive their medals.
Three days later, I met with Rick and Cathy to hear about their experience. Both appeared very humbled by the recognition.
Rick introduced Cathy to me by telling me about how he had met her.
“Going way back when Paul Kassey and I were working on several projects in Crystal Beach — the anchor, the propeller, the plaques — we had events for these presentations that attracted many people. There was always this one person, after everyone had left and we were packing up, that stayed behind and would come up to us. She would say, ‘I would like to thank you for everything you are doing for Greater Fort Erie. It’s just marvelous.’ So, after the second time she did this, I asked Paul who that red-haired lady was. He didn’t know.”
It wasn’t until they connected through the Point Abino Lighthouse committee that he found out it was Mrs.Dennahower.
When asked how this experience began for him, Rick explained, “I was suddenly asked by a friend in November to write down all the things that I’d done over the years. He said if I wrote everything down and submitted it, I might win this medal.”
Doan spent a weekend digging up the information and records on everything he has done with and for the community. He was shocked at the long list he accumulated.
“It was a real pleasure to volunteer on all these committees, donating my time to help people learn about the area’s history.” He added, “There is much more history around this area than people realize.”
“He submitted the list but didn’t know anything about the process or how long it would take. “One day, I received an email of acceptance and I almost fell off my chair.”
His first thought was, “Well, this can’t be.”
He called his wife right away. “I told her, ‘I can’t believe I would get this. There are a lot more people greater than me.” He was seriously humbled and honoured.
Rick didn’t know until later that Mrs. Dennahower had nominated Rick.
However, Cathy herself was met with quite a surprise. “When my daughter, Beth, brought home the literature about the King Charles III Coronation Medals, I thought, ‘Oh, thank heavens he got word and he’s been accepted.’ I was happy about that.” Cathy thought her daughter had given her follow-up information about Rick’s nomination.
“Beth asked me, ‘Did you read it? Read it again, Mom.” Cathy laughed. “So, I did.” She looked across the table at me with eyes showing the shock all over again. “I couldn’t believe it. It was an amazing surprise!”
Tony Baldinelli had nominated her.
Rick Doan
Rick shared a story about when he was young, before his days of raising his family, when he would head to downtown Ridgeway to buy black-and-white postcards for $.05 because he was, even then, drawn to local history.
He now advocates for Ridgeway’s history being easily accessible to anyone interested: “That’s why I started the Facebook Page, Ridgeway, Ontario, History.”
“Now we have over eight thousand members with thousands and thousands of items that can easily be found by typing a keyword in the Search feature. That’s why I started the lighthouse page, too, to make the information more accessible and interactive.”
While Mr. Baldinelli presented Doan with his medal in front of the large room of people, he remarked, “These stories and items would have been lost and not treasured as they are today, if not for the dedication of Rick.”
The list of Doan’s accomplishments and involvements is lengthy — from serving three years on the Town of Fort Erie Museum Board and nine years as President of the Point Abino Lighthouse Preservation Society, with another two years as Vice-Chair, to facilitating the restoration of several lighthouse artifacts and eleven years of conducting lighthouse tours.
Cathy Dennahower
Between 1952 and 1989, Cathy taught thousands of children and new Canadians in positions ranging from Kindergarten Teacher to School Principal at our local Catholic elementary schools.
During the ceremony, Mr. Baldinelli spoke of hearing many stories from local residents, reminiscing “their more favourite and important teachers in their lives”.
During our conversation, Cathy shared a little of her experiences, all these years later, with visits from her past students and having lunches with them now that they are in their 60s and 70s.
Mrs. Dennahower has also served as a director on numerous agencies including Crime Stoppers Niagara, Winterfest, and for Heart and Stroke Niagara.
After retirement, she served as Chair of the Greater Fort Erie Sports Wall of Fame for 15 years.
“My dad was the first name on the wall” she told me. Cathy’s father, Michael McMahon, was an NHL player from the Montreal Canadiens.
Anna Annunziata
When Tony Baldinelli presented Anna with her medal, he described her as a community fixture in Fort Erie for over 50 years.
She constantly gives of her time and energy to those less fortunate, be it as a community volunteer or through her more than 28 years of public service through her previous work in Tony Baldinelli’s office and the offices of Tim Hudak and Rob Nicholson.
While presenting Anna’s medal, Mr. Baldinelli shared that residents could also share stories “on the important role our Fort Erie Constituency Office played in assisting them and that Anna was a tremendous asset to our community.”
He continued, “From her early days as a member of the Italo Canadian Women’s Club or the Our Lady of Victory Parent Teachers Association, she has forged a path of community building and problem solving on behalf of every organization she’s ever been a part of.”
Anna is also a valued member of the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee for the Town of Fort Erie.
The ceremony
The ceremony was held at Delhi Hall in Niagara Falls. Rick described the hall as so fancy. “I wasn’t expecting so much extravagance.”
He noted, “When we got there, and I began to recognize some of the other people receiving medals, again, it was hard to believe. I was included with these people!”
Rick described the experience of being walked in. “Peter Cotton piped all 22 of us into the large room to be seated. He did a good job.”
The King Charles III Coronation Medal was created to commemorate His Majesty King Charles III’s coronation on May 6, 2023. The medal will be awarded to 30,000 deserving individuals.
The Celebration Carries On
Friends and family are celebrating Cathy’s 90th birthday on March 22: 2:00 – 5:00 pm at Bridgewater Country Club at 700 Gilmore Road. Cathy would love to see any of her many past students stop by to wish her a Happy Birthday.
