Mount Moor dinner honors gulf veterans
Subject
West Nyack, Cemeteries, Veterans
Creator
Source
Date
1991-06-05
Text
FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS
BY MARIE DILLON
[Photo]
Victor Roque of Orange and Rockland and Hezekiah Easter,
president of the Mount Moor Association.
Mount Moor dinner honors gulf veterans
The Mount Moor Cemetery Association dedicated their second
annual awards dinner to the men and women who served in the Gulf war.
The dinner was held last Sunday at Bishop's Restaurant in Tappan.
The association was chartered in 1940, inspired by the West Nyack cemetery for black war veterans.
The cemetery was founded in 1849 when James Benson and his wife Jane transferred a parcel of land in West Nyack to William H. Moore, Stephen Samuels and Isaac Williams, trustees of the "Burying Ground for Colored People," which was the name of the cemetery at that time.
Six years later, another parcel was transferred to the trustees, completing the cemetery as it is known today.
Soldiers from as far back as the Civil War are among those buried in the cemetery, which was recently designated as a town historic site by the Clarkstown Town Board.
Speaking at the dinner was Victor Roque, vice president, general counsel and secretary for Orange & Rockland Utilities, Inc. He praised the association's preservation efforts.
"From the Civil War to the Korean conflict, the soldiers interred at Mount Moor are a testament to the willingness of black Americans to fight for what's right and to hope for what
can be. They lived in an imperfect world as we do now. But for us, their grave markers should be signs of hope rather than despair," said Roque.
Noting the symbolic importance of Mount Moor, association president Hezekiah Easter said, "It is essential at this time in our history to recognize that many people of diverse racial and
ethnic, origin have participated in the building and strength of the United States.'
The money raised from the dinner will be used for the maintenance of the cemetery: "At this time the cemetery
is not being maintained but next year we guarantee it will be cared for," said Bea Fountain, association treasurer.
BY MARIE DILLON
[Photo]
Victor Roque of Orange and Rockland and Hezekiah Easter,
president of the Mount Moor Association.
Mount Moor dinner honors gulf veterans
The Mount Moor Cemetery Association dedicated their second
annual awards dinner to the men and women who served in the Gulf war.
The dinner was held last Sunday at Bishop's Restaurant in Tappan.
The association was chartered in 1940, inspired by the West Nyack cemetery for black war veterans.
The cemetery was founded in 1849 when James Benson and his wife Jane transferred a parcel of land in West Nyack to William H. Moore, Stephen Samuels and Isaac Williams, trustees of the "Burying Ground for Colored People," which was the name of the cemetery at that time.
Six years later, another parcel was transferred to the trustees, completing the cemetery as it is known today.
Soldiers from as far back as the Civil War are among those buried in the cemetery, which was recently designated as a town historic site by the Clarkstown Town Board.
Speaking at the dinner was Victor Roque, vice president, general counsel and secretary for Orange & Rockland Utilities, Inc. He praised the association's preservation efforts.
"From the Civil War to the Korean conflict, the soldiers interred at Mount Moor are a testament to the willingness of black Americans to fight for what's right and to hope for what
can be. They lived in an imperfect world as we do now. But for us, their grave markers should be signs of hope rather than despair," said Roque.
Noting the symbolic importance of Mount Moor, association president Hezekiah Easter said, "It is essential at this time in our history to recognize that many people of diverse racial and
ethnic, origin have participated in the building and strength of the United States.'
The money raised from the dinner will be used for the maintenance of the cemetery: "At this time the cemetery
is not being maintained but next year we guarantee it will be cared for," said Bea Fountain, association treasurer.
Original Format
Newspaper article
Collection
Citation
Marie Dillon, “Mount Moor dinner honors gulf veterans,” accessed April 29, 2024, https://rocklandroom.omeka.net/items/show/49.