Historical Society to honor the contributions of three members

Warwick - Three Warwick residents - Anna and Harold Wilson, and Nell Rothschild - will be honored by the Warwick Historical Society at its annual dinner meeting at the Warwick Valley Country Club on Saturday, April 21. The trio will be recipients of the Elizabeth Sanford and Madison Lewis Award for their outstanding service over the years, according to Historical Society President Sheila Warner. Harold Wilson has been a member of the Historical Society for more than 43 years. As a steadfast volunteer, he has overseen the organization’s buildings and grounds. In instances of emergency repairs, or routine or long-term maintenance on society properties, he was there to arrange with contractors for work to be done, Warner said. Wilson was born in Warwick in 1924 on the John Sanford Maple Terrace farm on Maple Avenue. His father maintained an active dairy operation which Wilson took over in later years. After retiring from the dairy business in 1962, he took responsibility for much of the maintenance of the Warwick properties of the Madison and Elizabeth Sanford Lewis family, including what is today the Lewis Park. It was Lewis who invited Harold and Anna Wilson to join the Society in 1964. Anna Wilson, another Orange County native, was born in Greenville to a dairy family. She graduated from Middletown High School. She and Harold were married in 1945 and will celebrate their 62nd wedding anniversary in June. For many years she was employed by the Warwick branch of the County National Bank, which became the Bank of New York. For several decades she was an officer of the Historical Society, serving as the treasurer. Together, the couple has been involved in just about every aspect of the operation of the club, Warner said. Nell Rothschild was born on a farm in Iowa and came to New York after graduation from Drake University. She earned an M.A. from New York University in personnel and college administration and for decades she served as the dean and registrar at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn. She and her husband, Dave, built a weekend house in Warwick shortly after World War II and in the 1960s it became their year-round residence. Rothschild served as a trustee of the Warwick Historical Society for more than two decades and was especially active in the area of membership. She was also a docent for years at the Society’s 1810 House museum. The Society, which currently has more than 400 members, observed its centennial last year.