Tickets to New York for governors take on new meaning

It's been six months since the twin towers of the World Trade Center were attacked. And it's been nearly four months since a group led by Irvine's Community Services Commission chairman went to New York to offer support.

The patriotism is still flowing though, as governors of the nation's 50 states hand out two Delta Airlines nonstop tickets to New York to people who helped the nation navigate its darkest hour.

The idea to give tickets to each governor was spawned by Irvine businessman Mitch Goldstone, as part of his trip to New York in November.

The goal of the trip - dubbed Economic Patriotism in Irvine and Coast to Coast - was to rejuvenate tourism in New York and to revive faith in the nation's airline industry.

Goldstone initially envisioned having as many governors as possible attend the event, which was held over Veteran's Day weekend and drew visitors from 23 states.

But some governors were concerned over possible contribution conflicts. So the idea changed.

Instead, the governors would be charged with finding citizens of their states who displayed patriotism and embodied their state's spirit.

Here's a sampling of the winners:

*Florida Gov. Jeb Bush gave his tickets to Dan Regelski, director of a small business development center in southwest Florida. Regelski helped small businesses in his area negotiate the rough economic times caused by the Sept. 11 attacks.

*Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening passed along his state's tickets to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, which is headquarted in Emmitsburg, Md. The organization provided counseling and crisis management services to families and co-workers of fallen firefighters at the World Trade Center. Visit the foundation's Web site at www.firehero.org.

*Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns presented his tickets to Richard Paulsen, a 28-year veteran of the Lincoln Fire Department. Paulsen is a member of Lincoln's search and rescue team, which aided in recovery efforts at the World Trade Center.

*Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne gave his tickets to ML Technologies president Fred Miyasaki for his role in helping in the nation's recovery. His company has created 165 jobs since Sept. 11.

*Michigan Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus was on the radio in January inviting citizens to write 100 words or less nominating someone in Michigan who best represents the American spirit. The winners of the tickets were Mike Dulaney and Mark Hawkins. Dulaney is General Motors' plant manager in Flint and Hawkins is the chairman of the local United Auto Workers chapter. Their plant donated two pickup trucks to New York Fire Department and several other GM plants around the nation followed suit.

*New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson gave his tickets to the Rev. Michael Shea, a chaplain for the New Mexico National Guard since 1983. Shea spent more than two weeks offering spiritual and emotional comfort to families affected by the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon.

*Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist awarded the tickets to police officer Edward Cherry, who assisted in New York's recovery and also in Tennessee's anti-terrorism efforts, including anthrax threats.