High School alumni contribute to ‘Shingle House” restoration

WARWICK — The alumni of the Warwick Valley High School Classes of 1943, ‘44, ‘45, ‘46, ‘47 and ‘49 are donating $1,885.45 to the restoration of the “Shingle House” on Forester Avenue.

In 1959, the Class of 1949 held its first class reunion at “The Linden House” in Greenwood Lake. After several reunions of the Class of 1949, the Classes of 1943, ‘44, ‘45, ‘46 and ‘47 approached the members of the ‘49 to consider combining their classes to hold future reunions.

That is how it all began. The reunion committee consisting of Mildred Sudman Askham, Evelyn Rumsey Card and the late Percy Card, Ann Marie Welling Demetroles, Marion Hall Pierson, the late Patricia Sinsabaugh Gerstner, Virginia Poteat Rudy, Robert Ball, Claire Miller Garcia, Janet Sinsabaugh Folino, Joan Sinsabaugh Putnam and the late Harold Schofield Jr.

Many happy hours were spent organizing and, of course, a lot of down time, reminiscing about their high school days.

Reunions were held in various locations and fun was had by all. Following each reunion whatever money was left over was deposited in the bank for future reunions. This sum of money accumulated to the amount that we are now donating to the Historical Society of the Town of Warwick.

“Our alumni felt it would be a good idea to return this amount of money to the Historical Society of the Town of Warwick,” wrote Joan Putnam in her press release about the donation, “where all our roots are.”