The four people honored Saturday night at the Elks's Club annual Awards Night all have one thing in common: their concern for the fellow man.

The club, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, held its award banquet Saturday, where it bestowed its Police Officer of the Year, Firefighter of the Year, Volunteer Firefighter of the Year and Citizen of the Year.

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR:

Fred McCarthy is a U.S. Army veteran and has been Commander of American Legion Post 88 for the past seven years. He has been a member of the Hamden Veterans Commission for seven years and a member of the American Legion Department of Connecticut Personnel Committee.  

Fred was instrumental in bringing the Vietnam Veterans Moving Wall to Hamden in 2007. He has coordinated the collection of nine tons of supplies to send to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Fred has been responsible for arranging the yearly Christmas luncheon for the V.A. Errera Center in West Haven. He has supported the organization, No Veteran Left Behind, in Ansonia with clothing collections for homeless veterans.

In conjunction with the Governor’s Foot Guard and the Hamden Elks Club, Fred arranged for the American Legion Post 88 to hold a fundraising dinner for the American Warrior Project which raised enough money to send 18 WWII veterans to visit their memorial in Washington.

Fred has worked on the Veterans Tax Exemption program in the Town of Hamden which is now in place. He has also been active in obtaining funding for the rehabilitation of the Veterans Memorial Pavilion at Brooksvale Park in Hamden.

Fred has been involved in assisting more than 100 veterans in obtaining their enrollment and benefits in the Veterans Administration.

Fred has lived in Hamden for more than 30 years with his wife, Kay, and their dogs. In the warmer months, he’s very active in his garden.

POLICE OFFICER OF THE YEAR:

Patrolman Stephen Baris grew up in West Orange, New Jersey and moved to Milford, CT in 1993. He attended the University of New Haven after graduating from Saint Joseph’s High School in 1995.

Steve left college to become a Milford Police officer in 1999 at 21 years old. He graduated from the Milford Police Academy in 1999 and worked as a Milford Police Officer until 2002. In 2002, Stephen transferred to the Hamden Police Department. 

Since 2002, Stephen has worked in the Patrol Division, the Street Crime Unit and was assigned to the FBI Safe Streets Gang/Violent Crimes Task Force for 14 months. In 2009, he left the Street Crime Unit to return to the Patrol Division where he has been working ever since.

Steve is a certified Field Training Officer. He is a member of the Emergency Services Unit and the Hamden Police Honor Guard, which received numerous commendations, several unit citations, and letters of recognition and received a United States Attorney award for a case worked while assigned to the FBI.

Stephen resides in Oxford with his wife Michelle and 2-year-old daughter Emma. Emma will become a big sister sometime in March. He loves spending time with family, including the dog, Nemo, a great dane, and doing work around the house.

FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR:

James (Jay) McCarthy’s commitment to Fire Service began at an early age as a Junior Member of the Madison Hose Company of the Madison Volunteer Fire Department at the age of 16.

He was hired by New Haven Fire Department in 1998 and served as Fire Fighter/Paramedic until he was hired by the Hamden Fire Department in 2001.

Jay was previously assigned to Engine 2/Rescue 2 and Squad Company 1 and is currently assigned to Engine 5, Rescue 1 on Whitney Avenue.

He completed the Emergency Medical Technician Program at South Central Technical Community College in New Haven (now Gateway) in 1992, has been certified as a Connecticut State Certified Paramedic since 1995, graduated from the New Haven Fire Academy in 1999 and has attended the New Haven Sponsor Hospital Paramedic Program.

Jay has worked as a EMT for Madison Ambulance; as an EMT, then Paramedic for American Medical Response New Haven Division 1994-2001.

He is member of the New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society and resides in Madison with wife Anne and son Jack.

VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR:

George Hindinger joined the Dunbar Hill Fire Company #8 in 1978 following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who was a founding member of the Company.  

He has served in every line officer position and has been Captain of Company #8 for the past 20-years.  

He holds various Connecticut certifications and has also participated in training classes at the National Fire Academy in Maryland.

During his career, he has responded to numerous structure and brush fires, water evacuations and many other various types of rescue operations.  He loves serving the Town of Hamden and especially augmenting the career department in whatever capacity he can.  

He is especially proud of all of the members of Company #8 as well as members of the other two volunteer companies who have gone on to become career emergency services personnel.

George, along with his family, owns and operates Hindinger Farm, a 120-acre fruit and vegetable operation on Dunbar Hill Road in Hamden, since 1893.  He serves on the board of and is a member of many various agricultural organizations.  

George and his wife Denise reside in Hamden and have two children; Rachel, who is a kindergarten teacher at Helen Street School in Hamden and Will, who is a student and baseball player at Southern Connecticut State University.