RyeCity REVIEW THE
May 13, 2022 | Vol. 10, Number 19 | www.ryecityreview.com
Accused abuser found dead By MIKE SMITH Sports Editor
A fitting tribute Members of the Harrison and Rye community celebrate the life of Andrew Gurgitano prior to a May 10 game between the Huskies and Garnets. Each year, the two rivals square off in a memorial game dedicated to the memory of Gurgitano, a Harrison baseball player who passed away in 2014 at the age of 16. Photo/Mike Smith
County recognizes May as Mental Health Awareness Month On May 1, County Executive George Latimer officially launched May as “Mental Health Awareness Month” in Westchester. Latimer announced the annual recognition would appear in digital form outside the Westchester County Center for the month of May. A banner will also be displayed in the entranceway of the Michaelian Office Building, in addition to a series of other initiatives spearheaded by the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health. The message of Mental Health Awareness Month is that mental health wellness is for everyone, and there are practical tools that everyone can use to improve mental health. “This is one of the few occasions I get as County Executive to officially declare May as Mental Health Awareness Month in Westchester,” Latimer said. “The importance of this event is obviously promoting good mental health, which is more relevant today than ever as we continue to face the impacts of the pandemic as a community. There
is a stigma that is often attached to mental health needs, and we want to take time this month to turn the conversation towards wellness and resilience.” This year, in recognition of Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, which ran from May 2-6, Latimer announced the county’s recent award of a New York State Office of Mental Health System of Care Expansion Grant. This grant will allow Westchester to establish a Children’s Cabinet. The Children’ Cabinet, consisting of county departments and key stakeholders, will be charged with strengthening collaboration between the various child-serving systems. This will be accomplished by using a strategic framework to better share data, promote best practices, and identify gaps in meeting the needs of children and families. “It is because of a lack of education and communication that mental health issues are still so prevalent, I hope that discussions and involvement like this will help to remove
the stigmas surrounding mental illness and encourage young people to reach out and seek help for themselves and those around them, as it did for me when I struggled with the aftermath of the pandemic,” said Sarah Nabi, a sophomore at Hendrick Hudson High School. Mental Health Awareness Month is a nationwide effort to address and overcome the stigma associated with mental health needs. One in five people will experience some type of mental health illness during their lifetime, but everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health. As part of the county’s efforts to promote May as Mental Health Awareness Month, the county Department of Community Mental Health is launching a “Tweet a Day for May” campaign, sharing information about events, ideas and resources. Posts will be accessible by going to: Twitter at @WestchesterDCMH, Facebook at @ westchesterdcmh and Instagram at
westchester_county_dcmh. “The mental health of all Westchester County residents is a top priority,” said Michael Orth, county Department of Community Mental Health commissioner. “The pandemic continues to take a toll on everyone’s mental health. Knowing the signs and symptoms and who to link to if you are concerned about yourself or a loved one is an important first step in getting help.” Other training and awareness events for May as Mental Health Awareness Month will include Mental Health First Aid Training throughout the month, NAMI of Westchester Walk on May 14, a community training forum, “Supporting People with Mental Health and Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders Involved in the Justice System on May 13, and many other events. For additional information on resources and training programs, contact the Department of Community Mental Health at 995-5220. (Submitted)
Edwin Gaynor, the former catholic school teacher and coach implicated in a slew of sexual abuse cases throughout Westchester, has died, the Review has learned.Gaynor’s death—just weeks before the Ossining resident was scheduled for a deposition—has thrown a wrench into the proceedings of the Child Victims Act lawsuits that have been filed against him. Now, the case will have to proceed without any testimony from the man who has been accused of molestation by more than 35 plaintiffs. Gaynor, 87, was found dead in his apartment on May 2 by Paul Puccini, a retired Mount Vernon police detective tasked with serving the accused sexual abuser with court documents pertaining to the lawsuits that named Gaynor, the Archdiocese of New York and several local catholic schools as being complicit in a decades-long plot to cover up Gaynor’s sexual abuse. Puccini estimated that Gaynor had been dead for some time before his body was discovered. “After a few seconds, I was able to smell the scent of a dead body. As a retired police detective, I have been around decaying corpses before and recognized the smell,” wrote Puccini in an affidavit. “I then walked about five to six feet into the apartment and
saw his dead body … he looked like he was turning black and in the beginning stages of decaying.” The retired detective also noted that there was blood on Gaynor’s face and hand. Puccini had been at Gaynor’s residence to serve him with documents notifying the former teacher that he had been held in contempt of court for refusing to sit for a deposition and ordering Gaynor to appear at the Ossining Town Court on May 16 to submit his testimony. Since legal action was initially taken against Gaynor in November 2019, numerous plaintiffs have come forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct over a period of time that stretched more than four decades and included stops at local parishes, including Immaculate Heart of Mary in Scarsdale and Holy Rosary in Hawthorne. The former teacher and coach had repeatedly refused to testify in his own defense, citing poor health and advanced age. In October 2020, he was held in contempt of court for the first time. Gaynor’s refusals to be deposed, court shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and unsuccessful motions by his co-defendants to have him declared unfit to defend himself in the civil suit, led to several delays in the legal proceedings. GAYNOR continued on page 8
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