News & Press Releases

Triangle Shirtwaist Memorial Group Welcomes New Board Member

December 20, 2010

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Memorial (TSFFM) announced that Art Wilcox of the NYS AFL-CIO has been named to the Board of Directors of the not-for-profit organization.

“We are enormously pleased, honored, and fortunate to count Art on our board,” said James McCarthy, TSFFM’s President, “and look forward to the additional vitality his participation will bring to our plans and efforts as we approach the 100th commemoration of the tragic 1911 fire.” The fire on March 25, 1911 claimed the lives of 146 young men and women garment workers, mostly immigrants.

Organized nine years ago, TSFFM’s mission is dedicated to sustaining the connection between the Triangle fire and the current need for vigilance in workplace safety and improvement of workers’ compensation benefits. The organization also sponsors college scholarships for children of injured workers.

TSFFM’s annual fund raising dinner is scheduled for Friday, March 25, 2011 at the NYC Fire Museum. Details are in progress and will be announced.

“It’s the responsibility of every citizen,” Wilcox stated, “to understand history and its lessons and, for me, this is an opportunity to further that dialogue and participate in a truly worthwhile cause. TSFFM has certainly done its job and I appreciate the opportunity to work with my colleagues on the Board.”

“With Art’s participation, particularly at this historical juncture,” added Barbara Levine, TSFFM’s Vice President, “we and our Triangle Scholars can look forward to benefiting from his experience and efforts.”

TSFFM has awarded $264,000 in scholarships to 73 individuals many of whom are recipients throughout their undergraduate studies. In the Academic Year 2010-11, twenty-three students were Triangle Scholars, TSFFM’s largest class to date. Eight recipients are siblings from four families and one is a graduate student. The Triangle Scholars attend public and private institutions across New York State from Buffalo to Long Island.

John Sciortino, TSFFM’s Scholarship Chair, noted, “Our success has been greatly increased through our Named Scholarship project – TSFFM matches a $1,000 donation – by which a contributor honors a colleague, friend, or family member. We had eight Named Triangle Scholars this year.”

Images courtesy of Cornell University

TSFFM, a recognized 501 ( c )(3) organization incorporated on December 2, 2002, was established to memorialize the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of March 25, 1911, its impact on changing New York State labor laws, and its role in the creation of the Workers' Compensation law. TSFFM seeks to educate the general public regarding workplace safety and to provide scholarships for the children of workers who died or were permanently disabled as the result of workplace accidents or illnesses.