Villa Veritas event will honor late founder

Villa Veritas Foundation's annual dinner dance on Oct. 21 in New York City will honor the life and legacy of founder James Cusack, who died in June at the age of 87.

Cusack, who worked in the addiction treatment field for nearly five decades and had more than 60 years in recovery, received the prestigious Father Joseph C. Martin Award for Professional Excellence in 2012. In remarks to the audience at the National Conference on Addiction Disorders (NCAD) upon receiving the award that summer, Cusack said, “I've been told that I've touched a lot of people's lives. But I think it's been the reverse. I've been privileged to be touched by other people.”

The Long Island nonprofit also will honor the contributions of Sister Peggy Murphy and Sister Mary Ann Cyrnik at its October event; both were instrumental in guiding the formation of what was launched as Veritas Villa. The dinner dance event will begin at 7 p.m. on Oct. 21 at the Terrace on the Park in Queens.

Cusack and his wife Sue were the first treatment administrators in New York to house alcoholics and drug-addicted individuals in the same residential setting. He also played an important role in establishing credentialing and treatment standards in the state.