LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION paying tribute to the life and accomplishments of Joseph Wershba, renowned journalist, Long Islander, and distinguished citizen

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to citizens of the State of New York whose lifework and civic endeavor served to enhance the quality of life in their communities and the great State of New York; and WHEREAS, Joe Wershba died on Saturday, May 14, 2011, at the age of 90; and WHEREAS, A pioneering newsman, Joseph Wershba was born in Manhattan on August 19, 1920, the eldest son of Louis and Martha Peskin Wershba; and WHEREAS, He attended and was also the editor of the college newspaper; after graduating, he served his country as a member of the United States Army during World War II; and WHEREAS, In 1944, Joseph Wershba joined CBS News as a radio news writ- er on the overnight shift; while there, he met Shirley Lubowitz; the happy couple married in 1948; and WHEREAS, During the 1950s, Joseph Wershba worked for Edward R. Murrow's "" program; his interview with Air Force Lieutenant Milo John Radulovich aired on October 20, 1953, and helped raise public concern to blind purges of potential communists in the federal govern- ment; and WHEREAS, From 1958 until 1964, Joseph Wershba served as a columnist and featured writer for the NEW YORK POST; there, he wrote investigative pieces on President John F. Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald and his early days in ; and WHEREAS, Joseph Wershba subsequently received a Pulitzer Prize nomi- nation for his efforts on a story about Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963; and WHEREAS, In 1968, Joseph Wershba became one of the six original producers of "," and helped launch the popular news program; he went on to become an Emmy Award-winning producer of "60 Minutes"; and WHEREAS, Joseph Wershba earned multiple Emmy Awards during his years with the weekly series; in addition, he earned an Emmy Award for his collaborations in 1971 on the piece "What Happened in Tonkin Gulf," and in 1978 on the piece "Teddy Kollek's Jerusalem"; and WHEREAS, The 2005 movie "Good Night, and Good Luck" was based on CBS's "See It Now", and Robert Downey, Jr.'s portrait of Joseph Wershba; and WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of compassion, Joseph Wershba leaves behind a legacy which will long endure the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to all he served and befriended; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to pay tribute to the life and accomplishments of Joseph Wershba, renowned journalist, Long Islander, and distinguished citizen; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran- smitted to the family of Joseph Wershba.