Sandy McCauley Honored As West Haven’s Irishwoman Of The Year

Written by Michael P. Walsh

WEST HAVEN, CT — Mayor Dorinda Borer presented former school nurse Sandy McCauley with a navy blue jacket embroidered with her new distinction, “Irishwoman of the Year 2024,” during festivities observing the city’s 31st annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on Friday, March 15.

Borer also presented McCauley with other tokens of appreciation, including a mayoral proclamation declaring “Sandy McCauley Day” in West Haven, and delivered remarks praising the city’s top Irishwoman for “devoting her time and talents to our close-knit Irish American community.”

In addition to Borer reading the proclamation citing McCauley’s dedication as a “goodwill ambassador of all things Irish,” the ceremony featured the unveiling of a Kelly green street sign designating City Hall’s Campbell Avenue entrance as “Sandy McCauley Square” until next year’s celebration, when the longtime Westie will pass her title to a fellow person of Irish ancestry.

At the start of the 25-minute program, last year’s recipient, retired West Shore fire Capt. Richard “Woody” Beirne, received his retired sign to take home.

The West Haven St. Patrick’s Day Committee each year recognizes an Irish resident or couple who exemplifies service in the city’s deep-rooted Irish community.

“This award means the world to me, not just as an individual but as a proud representative of the vibrant Irish community here in our beautiful city,” McCauley told the crowd, many donning Aran sweaters and other Irish garb on a partly sunny and mild day.

As the sound of Celtic music played by a bagpiper filled the air at the cultural event in honor of Ireland’s patron saint, McCauley toasted her forebears with dozens of friends and loved ones, along with a sea of shamrock-clad dignitaries and descendants of folks from the Emerald Isle.

McCauley, a long-standing member and volunteer of the West Haven Irish American Club, said she was “deeply honored and humbled” to receive the city’s “Irish Person of the Year” award.

“I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the selection committee for recognizing my contributions, and I share this honor with all the incredible people who inspire me every day,” she said. “From our shared heritage to our shared dreams, this award symbolizes the strength and resilience of Irish people everywhere.”

McCauley continued: “Today I can proudly say that I am not only lucky enough, but I am also honored enough to be standing before you as the Irishwoman of the Year. As we celebrate today, let us remember the words of the great Irish writer Oscar Wilde, who once said, ‘I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.’

“So let’s raise a glass to the best of times, the best of friends and the best of Irish luck! Thank you all, and may the luck of the Irish be with you always.”

McCauley and her younger sister were born and raised in Huntington, Indiana. She graduated from Huntington Catholic High School in 1962, followed by the St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in 1965. She moved to West Haven in 1966.

At the midday ceremony, Borer also presented an Irish flag to McCauley, a resident of the city’s Richmond Avenue neighborhood. Just offstage, sitting in the front row, son Sean McCauley, daughter-in law Erin Reilly McCauley and grandson Logan McCauley, 8, all of Milford, looked on with great pride as their mother and grandmother was feted.

McCauley’s daughter, Terri Graf, and her grandsons Collin Graf, 21, and Justin Graf, 16, all of Lincoln, Massachusetts, were unable to attend.

Among those attending were 2024 Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Queen Sarah Parlato, of East Haven, Honor Attendant Emily Burke, of Hamden, and Queens Committee Chairwoman Siobhan Dacey, also of Hamden.

The opening procession was led by members of the West Haven Police Honor Guard and bagpiper Tom Neville of the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums.

After 2013 Parade Queen Fiona Stewart, of West Hartford, sang beautiful renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the Irish national anthem, “Soldier’s Song,” retired Pastor Mark R. Jette, West Haven’s 2010 Irishman of the Year, offered an Irish blessing.

The invocation was followed by remarks by St. Patrick’s Day Committee member David Coyle, the master of ceremonies, and state Rep. Bill Heffernan, D-West Haven, who presented McCauley with a General Assembly citation on behalf of the city’s delegation.

Lou Mangini, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s senior staffer, also presented the honoree with a certificate of special recognition.

Borer then issued laudatory remarks about McCauley, a former member of the Connecticut Association of School Nurses who was its School Nurse of the Year in 2000.

“It’s not a surprise that you were the Nurse of the Year, because you for decades worked to make sure the children of our city were healthy,” said Borer, the city’s 2014 Irishwoman of the Year. “You went beyond the work day to make sure the children in our city were well taken care of, so we’re very grateful for that.”

The mayor followed by reading the proclamation to McCauley: “Sandy’s achievements demonstrate the hope, grit and resolve of the Irish. At this special observance, two days before St. Patrick’s Day, let us pay tribute to the extraordinary mark that Irish Americans like Sandy McCauley have made on our nation, our state and our city.”

The program also featured a moving performance of “America the Beautiful” by the bagpiper Neville, who dedicated the rendition to McCauley, a long-standing member and volunteer of the Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee.

McCauley is an integral member and fundraiser of West Haven’s Irish club and Greater New Haven’s parade committee and has served as a marshal in many “wearin’ o’ the green” parades in downtown New Haven. She was last year’s recipient of the committee’s prestigious Cornelius Driscoll Award for outstanding public service.

McCauley is widely known for her work as a school nurse and volunteer. She served West Haven Public Schools for more than three decades, retiring in June 2023, and was a fixture at after-school enrichment activities. She continues to serve the school district as a substitute nurse.

McCauley was a member of Local 1547 of the West Haven Federation of Teachers and School Nurses and is a former president of the School Nurses union. She was recognized as an “Everyday Hero” in 2012 by the American Federation of Teachers union.

A self-described local and state history buff, McCauley serves as the treasurer of the West Haven Historical Society. She also helps raise funds for the society, headquartered in the historic Poli House at 686 Savin Ave.

McCauley is a longtime member of the Savin Rock Fireworks Committee and has served as a co-chair for several years. She is responsible for raising funds and securing permits for the annual pyrotechnic show — the city’s largest one-day event, launched off the Bradley Point shoreline.

McCauley’s propensity for volunteerism has included serving as a Girl Scout troop leader, a member of the West Haven High School Band Parents Association and a member of the St. John Vianney Ladies’ Guild.

West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer, right, cheers as Irishwoman of the Year Sandy McCauley pulls off the shroud revealing the Kelly green street sign designating City Hall’s Campbell Avenue entrance as “Sandy McCauley Square” for the next year at the 31st annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on Friday, March 15. The cultural event is presented by the West Haven St. Patrick’s Day Committee in honor of Ireland’s patron saint. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Former West Haven school nurse Sandy McCauley, left, receives an embroidered “Irishwoman of the Year 2024” jacket from West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer and St. Patrick’s Day Committee member David Coyle, the master of ceremonies, lead the procession of federal, state and city dignitaries and committee members. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

West Haven St. Patrick’s Day Committee co-Chairs Glenn and Joanne Conlan, the city’s 2011 Irish Couple of the Year, are all smiles in the procession with 2013 Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Queen Fiona Stewart, along with 2024 Parade Queen Sarah Parlato, Honor Attendant Emily Burke and Queens Committee Chairwoman Siobhan Dacey. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

West Haven St. Patrick’s Day Committee member David Coyle, the master of ceremonies, delivers remarks about West Haven Irishwoman of the Year Sandy McCauley as, from left, Lou Mangini, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s senior staffer, and state Rep. Bill Heffernan, D-West Haven, look on. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

2013 Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Queen Fiona Stewart, of West Hartford, sings a beautiful rendition of the Irish national anthem, “Soldier’s Song,” as, from left, West Haven Irishwoman of the Year Sandy McCauley, Mayor Dorinda Borer and master of ceremonies David Coyle look on. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer, left, puts her right hand over her heart as “The Star-Spangled Banner” is sung and the West Haven Police Honor Guard presents the American and Connecticut colors. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Retired Pastor Mark R. Jette, West Haven’s 2010 Irishman of the Year, offers an Irish blessing as 2024 Irishwoman of the Year Sandy McCauley bows her head. Jette formerly served St. Lawrence and St. Paul churches in West Haven and Sacred Heart Church in Suffield. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

From right, 2024 Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Queen Sarah Parlato, of East Haven, with Honor Attendant Emily Burke, of Hamden, and Queens Committee Chairwoman Siobhan Dacey, also of Hamden. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Retired West Shore fire Capt. Richard “Woody” Beirne, West Haven’s 2023 Irishman of the Year, receives his retired sign to take home from master of ceremonies David Coyle as West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer, left, looks on. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

West Haven Irishwoman of the Year Sandy McCauley receives a General Assembly citation from Rep. Bill Heffernan, D-West Haven, on behalf of the city’s delegation. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

West Haven Irishwoman of the Year Sandy McCauley receives a certificate of special recognition from senior staffer Lou Mangini on behalf of U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer, the city’s 2014 Irishwoman of the Year, reads and presents 2024 Irishwoman of the Year Sandy McCauley with a proclamation declaring “Sandy McCauley Day” in West Haven. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

Bagpiper Tom Neville of the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums plays a Celtic rendition of “America the Beautiful.” (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

West Haven Irishwoman of the Year Sandy McCauley is gracious in her remarks thanking the St. Patrick’s Day Committee for the city’s “Irish Person of the Year” award. Looking on are, from left, West Haven Democratic state Rep. Bill Heffernan, Mayor Dorinda Borer, the committee’s honorary chairwoman, and committee member David Coyle, the master of ceremonies. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

West Haven Irishwoman of the Year Sandy McCauley is all smiles below her newly unveiled street sign with, from left, daughter-in-law Erin Reilly McCauley, son Sean McCauley and grandson Logan McCauley, 8. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

West Haven Irishwoman of the Year Sandy McCauley pauses below her new sign with, from left, Mayor Dorinda Borer, daughter-in-law Erin Reilly McCauley, son Sean McCauley, grandson Logan McCauley, 8, and master of ceremonies David Coyle. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)

This press release was produced by the City of West Haven. The views expressed here are the author’s own.