NEWS |
145-99: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE , DECEMBER 7, 1999
A gala grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting for the new offices of the USO General Douglas MacArthur Memorial Center will take place Wednesday, December 8, at 4 P.M., in the terminal's main lobby on 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue.
The ceremony will feature song and dance act performed by the organization's popular, critically acclaimed group, the USO Entertainment Troupe of Metropolitan New York. The four former state beauty pageant titleholders will present excerpts from their Andrew Sisters-styled salute to Broadway holiday show, in costume. There will be a formal presentation of colors by the U.S. Marine Corps and a reception.
"We are very happy to welcome this esteemed organization to our bus terminal," said Cedrick Fulton, Bus Terminal Manager. "We're proud to be associated with this world-class organization."
Eugene V. Lombardo, Executive Director of the USO of Metropolitan New York, said, "Three years ago, the USO left the Times Square area. As the area regains its rightful place as an international entertainment hub, it's only right that an organization that has aided and entertained American military troops and veterans for 58 years be part of its cultural reniassance. This bus terminal, with its superb location and appealing atmosphere, gives us the perfect opportunity to do so."
The USO (or United Services Organization) of Metropolitan New York was founded in 1941 by the U.S. Congress. It is a voluntary, civilian nonprofit organization devoted to exclusively serving the human needs of military personnel and their families in the New York tri-state area. Its centers provide services to the men and women of the armed forces with free and discounted tickets to educational, entertainment and sporting events and other recreational activities. These centers also assist discharged veterans in finding employment opportunities. Meals are provided to vets in need during the holiday season and its entertainment troupe travels the region year-round, performing at V. A. hospitals, nursing homes and military bases in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.
In recent years, the Port Authority has added amenities and upgraded the terminal's retail environment for the benefit of the 180,000 travelers who use it each day. Restrooms were improved and attendants added. Elevators and escalators are being upgraded. New lighting and signs brighten the terminal and classical music is regularly piped through the terminal's public address system.