Gordon and Henry MacAdam

Co-chairs of the rural schools project.

see the “About Our Mission” page for their personal message concerning this project.

 

Al and Judy Wolkoff

Judith Morse Wolkoff: I was born in the Hamilton Avenue Hospital in Monticello in 1942 and have continued to live in Sullivan County my whole life. I retired from the Bank of New York as a Branch Manager after working in banking for 31 years. Prior to that I worked in bookkeeping for Schmidt’s Wholesale and Kelly Candy Company, both in Monticello.   I am a past member of the Rock Hill Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, serving in various offices. I am also a past and charter member of the Rock Hill Ambulance Corps, having served six years as an EMT.  I am a member of the Sullivan County Historical Society and currently serve as Treasurer. I volunteer at the museum in Hurleyville in genealogy or whatever assistance may be needed. I have worked for the past 15 years as an election inspector for Sullivan County, Monticello Central School District, and the Village of Monticello. I live in Rock Hill and have been married to Allan Wolkoff for 38 years. We have five children and five grand children.

 

Allan: I was born in the Bronx, New York in 1942 and moved to Sullivan County in 1968. I retired from the structural steel and general construction field having worked on many commercial buildings in Sullivan County including Cablevision Industries headquarters, Frontier Insurance headquarters, Sullivan County Community College, and most of the county’s famous resort hotels.  I have been a member of the Rock Hill Fire Department for 47 years, having held the offices of Chief, President, and Commissioner. I am currently the Secretary/Treasurer of the Rock Hill Fire District.  I am a charter member of the Rock Hill Business and Community Association and served 10 years as a member of the Monticello Central School District Board of Education.  I was appointed Historian for the Town of Thompson in January 2014.  I live in Rock Hill and have been married to the former Judith Ann Morse for 38 years. We have five children and five grand children.

 

Patrice Chester

Patrice is the Deputy Administrator for the Town of Thompson.   In her position, she serves as our project liaison to the William G Pomeroy Foundation, and all official interaction is conducted through her.   She has served in her position since October 2016.  Previously,  she served as a member of the town’s Planning Board for twenty years.  She lives in Rock Hill with her husband Stewart, and they have an adult son Devon.

 

Mary Ann Berens

 

Mary Ann Drobysh Berens grew up just north of Monticello and is a Monticello High School graduate, as are most of us on the team.  She is a professional title searcher who owns her own business in Monticello.   It is her responsibility to research and verify   the deeds to each piece of property on which the schools were situated.    This verification is one of the mandatory requirements of  the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, who is providing the funding for the cost of the signs.

Suzanne Cecil

I retired from teaching in 2001 from the Benjamin Cosor Elementary School in Fallsburg, NY after a teaching career of over 30 years.  I am not a local person who has spent a lifetime or generations in Sullivan County  nor have I come  up to mountains from the “city” in the summer. My move to Sullivan County was job related.

I grew up in Syracuse, NY attending Central High School. I graduated from SUNY Oswego and a have a Master’s Degree from SUNY New Paltz and one from Iona College.

My husband Leo, also a retired teacher, and our three children lived in the Town of Thompson, and my children have since moved to other states and even other countries to follow their employment interests.

Currently,  I volunteer at the Sullivan County Historical Society in Hurleyville as well as serve as its board president.  At the museum I assist those who are looking for information about their family history or looking for information about various aspects of Sullivan County. I also serve as Vice-President of the Sullivan County Retired Teachers Association.

I have always had an interest in history and have enjoyed reading the historical markers found along the highways wherever I have traveled. Years ago, I started collecting pictures of  historical markers.  Today, my emphasis is on the signs of Sullivan County with a special interest in those that will be placed as result of the Town of Thompson “One Room Schoolhouse” Project.”

 

Paul Lounsbury

Paul grew up just 500 feet from the Columbia Hill School where his father, grand, great grand, and great great grandfathers  and their families attended school!  This school was established in 1838!  Paul’s ancestors were involved in the management and operation of the school from its founding,  right up until its last day in 1943, as his Grandfather, Daniel Webster Lounsbury was the final trustee.  All of the business records from the entire history of this school remained in the possession of his paternal family, and Paul inherited these records from his father in 2013.     These are the only known records of any of the twenty schools of this project, or possibly from any school!  He considers himself as very fortunate to have grown up on the family property and was able to spend his teenage years helping on the Lounsbury farm (with its owner at the time).

Paul presently lives in Grahamsville NY with his wife Kathy.    Paul provides the computerized record keeping of the project, edits and places the captions on each of the photographs that have been collected from those representing any of the twenty schools.   He also creates the PowerPoint presentations that are used as the committee is invited to address various civic groups along the way.

 

Jack Spangenberg

Jack Spangenberg, 14, is Paul Lounsbury’s grandson.  He lives in New Albany, Ohio ( a suburb of Columbus).  Jack is a member of the his school’s tennis  and swim teams, and he is very involved in his local parish in New Albany.    Jack is a self-taught computer whiz who is producing our website.  He is also the “most handsome” member of the team (second only to Gordon!”)