Harrison Beautification Foundation, Inc

501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

Bill Zito Donates Area Benches

in Memory of Wife and Former Cop 

By Carla Rose Arnone 

Photo by Helen Pesce 

Caption: Claire Zito, 7, sits atop one of two benches dedicated to her mother’s memory.

There are few bonds in life as strong as that among police officers.

Bill Zito, a Bronx-born Harrison resident who was a product of the Harrison Schools, met his wife, Carolyn Stiers-Zito, when they were partners on the force in Hollywood, Fla. After 10 years in South Florida, the couple moved to the Seattle, Wash., where Stiers-Zito spent seven years on that squad and Zito stayed on for two, before starting a second career in TV news.

In 2000, when a job at ABC New York became available, Zito returned to Harrison with his wife to find friends and family more than welcoming. Stiers-Zito, who came from a family of cops, was immediately impressed by the Harrison Police Department (HPD). The pair got to know the HPD well throughout the years not only because of their shared police background, but also because Stiers-Zito suffered from an ongoing illness during which time the HPD was overwhelmingly helpful.

Told by doctors that having a child wasn’t likely, the couple was delighted when their daughter, Claire, was born that year.

Five years later, in 2006, Stiers-Zito passed away at the age of 44. Zito said the Town of Harrison, the HPD and Parsons Memorial Elementary School rallied around them, with a huge turnout for the funeral, complete with a police honor guard.

“The HPD put on a more impressive showing than anything I had ever seen,”  Zito said. “Chief [David] Hall and [Captain] Anthony Marraccini and the cops who worked the wake and the funeral were incredibly supportive.”

In fact, after his wife’s passing, Zito made donations to the ambulance corps and to the police association, but he wanted to do more — something that would remind Claire of one of the family’s favorite things to do: going to the park.

In 2007, Zito spoke with Christine Baldoni, formerly of the Harrison Beautification Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization he came to know when he was asked to speak at a Harrison Rotary Club meeting regarding his work at ABC. The foundation’s mission is to support beautification efforts for Harrison, creating and implementing initiatives to enhance its physical and aesthetic beauty.

So that Claire would have a place to think good thoughts about her mother — as opposed to the sad feelings that accompany a cemetery visit — Zito decided to purchase two park benches for public use and make the donation to the foundation.

After determining where he wanted to install them, he spoke with the foundation’s vice president, Helen Pesce, who advised him on how best to place the benches physically in that circle. They then met with the Department of Public Works.

“It’s nice for Claire and Bill to be able to have a special place to remember Carolyn,” Pesce said. “The benches add more beauty to the existing area, and the foundation would like to thank them for donating them for all to enjoy in her memory.”

The benches are enhanced with perennials and paving stones and surround the Amelia Earhart Dedication, where Bruce Avenue meets Sunnyside Drive, in a perfect circle, at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock.

“I told Claire that for Carolyn, the sun rose and set around Claire, which is why on one bench, you have the sun rising, and it setting on the other bench,” Zito said. He visits the benches on Sunday afternoons with his daughter, who calls them “Mommy’s benches.”

Zito commended the Department of Public Works for doing such a fine job. “It’s so much more than I expected,” he said. “This money came to me in an unexpected and sad way, but it’s money well spent. Nintey-nine percent of people who use these benches won’t know who Carolyn was, but they’ll know she was someone who mattered to many.”

And his wife would have approved. “It’s by the courthouse, where small-town justice is dealt with a heavy hand — that’s how she would’ve done it,” Zito said.

“My wife was impressive. She was the poster child for what a woman can do — strong and independent. We worked in the toughest precincts in Florida, similar to many neighborhoods on the NYPD beat. She was the kind of person who’d elbow a robber on the street, cuff him, then come home and bake brownies from scratch,” Zito said.

While Claire doesn’t remember her mom in uniform, Zito said it means a lot to her that HPD officers say hello and look out for her.

“This town is as safe as it is because of the police department. I could never adequately repay the kindness they have shown us,” he said.

He went on to say that Harrison is unique because the residents, not just the HPD, fight to keep it that way. “I’ve seen third, fourth and fifth generations of families in Harrison,” Zito said. “And when I returned here, I saw that some people never left and others left and came back — there’s a lot to be said for that.”

            For more information on the Harrison Beautification Foundation, visit www.harrisonbeautification.org.