On Monday, Dec. 9, Tom Schroeder was named Town of Marlborough Resident of the Year in a presentation at town hall.
Schroeder, the Town of Marlborough’s historian and past commander of the Viebey-Sutton Post 124, American Legion, is the first person honored in an award program launched early this fall. The award recognized Schroeder’s hard work, dedication, leadership, and volunteerism in the community, and for serving as an exemplary role model for the townspeople.
“It is a great honor to have you become the first resident of Marlborough to be honored – and the first name to go up on the plaque at Town Hall,” said Town Supervisor Scott Corcoran. “Tom always has ideas and suggestions – and he always follows through with them. He does so much for this community as well as for the veterans in our community and in the county. We couldn’t have chosen a better person for this award.”
Schroeder was nominated for the award by Arlette Zambito, the co-chair of the Marlborough Recreation Committee. “Tom has always been a staple in our community, a veteran, and a volunteer on various projects throughout his lifetime,” she noted in her nomination letter. “Most recently Tom has helped at the Civil War Cemetery by donating his time to help get the headstones back to their original state. I have seen Tom at the farmers markets or at other local events where he is always quick to hang a sign or offer a helping hand in any way possible – and always with a smile on his face.”
Zambito said she appreciated working with Schroeder on Recreation Committee activities and town events, and she praised his friendly demeanor and willingness to teach others. “He is one of the kindest, most humble people I have ever worked with,” Zambito said. “Tom makes our town a better place to live. He is an exemplary role model of what resident of the year should look like. That is why it is an honor and a pleasure to nominee Tom as the Town of Marlborough’s Resident of the Year.”
Schroeder served in the Vietnam War in the President’s Honor Guard, 3rd infantry. Upon returning home, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Marist College, then worked for IBM for 25 years. Upon retiring he dedicated his time to serving the community and to local veterans’ groups.
For more than 20 years, Schroeder has organized the town’s annual Memorial Day Parade as well as its Veterans Day ceremonies. In addition to serving as commander of Post 125, Schroeder served as commander of the Ulster County American Legion. Besides serving as town historian, he has worked as the town’s parks superintendent for 18 years.
“My first response on learning about the award was, ‘they must have made a mistake!’” said Schroder. “I really love my town, and I want to make it a better place. It’s really a pleasure to live here and I’m proud of my community.”
The award was the brainchild of Councilman Manny Cauchi, who had no difficulty securing the votes from other board members to get it started. “We had about ten nominees and they were all great, so it was a tough choice to make,” said Cauchi. “I want to encourage those nominees to please reapply for next year. We have some really outstanding residents in Marlborough and we want to get them all the recognition they deserve.”