The Leslie C. Quick, Jr.
Leadership Award Recipients 2003

The American Ireland Fund is proud to honor John Duffy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. and Thomas F. O’Neill, Principal of Sandler O’Neill Partners, L.P. as recipients of The Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Leadership Award.

This award was named for the late Mr. Les Quick, a generous benefactor to the Fund both here in New York and Palm Beach.

Both Keefe, Bruyette & Woods and Sandler O’Neill suffered tremendous losses at their World Trade Center headquarters on September 11 2001.

Both firms have since embraced the challenge of rebuilding, and in doing so, epitomize the Irish American qualities of quiet strength and tenacity. When approached by the AIF for this honor, it is not a coincidence that both men insisted upon accepting the award on behalf of their respective firms rather than as individuals.

John Duffy has been active in the AIF New York Dinner by serving on the Chairman’s Committee for the past three years. Initially John served on the Committee alongside his KBW Co-CEO, the late Joe Berry who perished on 9/11.

This year, we are pleased that Joe Berry Jr. of KBW has followed in his father’s footsteps by serving on the committee with John. John has recently published, Triumph Over Tragedy, which tells the powerful and compelling story of KBW’s destruction and rebirth after the attacks on the World Trade Center.

John was an Irish America Wall Street Top 50 honoree and serves on the board of the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business, University College Dublin. Tom O’Neill, was a critical part of Sandler O’Neill both before 9/11 and during the reconstruction which followed.

In 1988, Tom along with Herb Sandler and Jimmy Dunne founded Sandler O’Neill. From that time until the attacks on the World Trade Center, he and his partners worked hard to build one of the premier investment banks in New York City. Not only did they construct a strong firm, in a very real sense they created a close-knit working environment which more closely resembled a family than a business.

After Mr. Sandler perished in the attacks, Tom O’Neill and his partners marshaled Sandler O’Neill’s remaining resources to rebuild the company. The commitment of Tom’s wife, Carol, to personally attend as many funerals and memorials for Sandler O’Neill employees epitomized the company’s supportive and committed family spirit which only grew stronger in the face of such adversity.

In addition to his involvement with The American Ireland Fund, Tom O’Neill is associated with The Irish American Partnership and ICCUSA.