Miracle on the Hudson

MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON
January 15, 2009

On January 15, 2009, the ditching of the US Airways jet in the Hudson opened to the country and the entire world a window of just how wonderful the people of NY Waterway are. Although the major share of the credit deservedly belongs to the ferry crews who actually performed the rescue which was a miraculous record of lifesaving, many, many more of our NY Waterway and restaurant employees contributed much beyond this essential step. It seemed to me that God prepared all the components of the happening in such ways that made the colossal outcome so stunningly obvious to all people everywhere. It was clearly the most important event in NY Waterway history, eclipsing so very grandly the several monumental emergency evacuations for which we had become famous: the 9/11 operation, the 2003 blackout and many more of a lesser scale. This one was the grandest of all and I am so proud of all of you throughout the entire company. My family joins me in giving you our profound gratitude, respect and admiration. In a certain sense, I would have expected no less because through the last several years I have observed our operations to have evolved in quality on a constantly upward basis. We are better than we have ever been!

The honors have poured in and likely will continue. Our customers are so very proud of you and constantly speak to me about the rescue, and more so your overall brilliance in performing the service in all its detail so very professionally. Yes, people see all we do very insightfully, and appreciate your good work. The rescue was the shiny highlight of a lifetime of effort and work, however. I always think, and sometime preach my credo, my feeling, that there is no calling higher on a human scale than that of protecting life itself. Beside all the niceties of hospitality, the kindness, the courtesy, the cleanliness and competence of our work, the most overriding priority is that of the safety, the comfort and the enjoyment of our customers which build such loyalty and job security.

And sorry friends, my colleagues, I thank all of you for being you - for being the best model for dedication and for all the refinements we have achieved which exemplify the talent it took to have performed this rescue in such an outstanding way. God blessed us and chose for us to have been there to do the miraculous work. We did it as a team - a team of champions.

God bless all of you - and profound, most profound thanks.

Sincerely,

Arthur E. Imperatore, Sr.