George F. Baker High School remembers

This Memorial Day, school honors the lives of five men killed in the line of duty, By Nancy Kriz TUXEDO — Officials said today’s Memorial Day program at George F. Baker in Tuxedo honors the fallen military men and women who have served this country while helping students understand their role of honoring those who died. This year’s program recognized five men with ties to the Tuxedo school. Along with students, faculty and staff, invited guests and family members of those honored attended the program. The lives of those lost were respectfully remembered in remarks from speakers. While this year’s ceremony spotlighted Marine Lance Cpl. Scott Lynch, who was killed in Afghanistan in Oct. 2010, an equally important part of the event was the unveiling of a plaque to honor the five men who died in the line of duty to this nation or to their communities: Marine Lance Cpl. Scott A. Lynch Lynch was a member of the George F. Baker High School Class of 2006. He participated in Drama Club, band, chorus, baseball and received awards for his artwork. After graduating, Lynch studied law enforcement at Orange Community College and Rockland Community College. He was a member of the Greenwood Lake Arthur Finnegan American Legion Post 1143. Lynch enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2008 and was killed in action on Oct. 6, 2010, while serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He had received a Meritorious Service Medal and was awarded the Purple Heart. The Scott A. Lynch Memorial Scholarship was established in 2010 to recognize a graduating senior from George F. Baker Tuxedo High School who has demonstrated interest and involvement in the fine arts (visual arts, performing arts) and has financial need. Army 1st Lt. Louis E. Allen Allen was a beloved science teacher at George F. Baker High School. During his tenure, he served with the Army Reserves in New York after the Sept. 11 attacks. He was later mobilized with the 42nd Infantry Division for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Allen was killed on June 8, 2005, while serving in Tikrit, Iraq. The school’s flagpole was dedicated in his memory in 2006. Tuxedo School District officials said Lou Allen was Scott Lynch’s favorite teacher. Marine Sgt. Eric F. Nicholson Nicholson served as a sergeant in the Marine Corps and as a South Carolina State Trooper First Class. He enlisted in the Marine Corps prior to graduating from George F. Baker High School in 1991 and was on active duty from 1991 through 1995. Nicholson continued to serve in the Marine Corps Reserves from 1995 until his death in 2000. He worked for the South Carolina Highway Patrol for two and a half years, and died on Dec. 6, 2000, while pursuing a bank robber. The dedication of the plaque was so significant to the South Carolina Highway Patrol authorities that police officials sent two officers to represent the group and to escort Nicholson’s widow — who lives in Greenville, S.C. — to today’s ceremony. Army Sgt. Joseph J. Smith Smith served as an Army sergeant and was a member of the George F. Baker High School Class of 1964. He was an honor student and All-American athlete who played on the school’s baseball and basketball teams. Smith went on to graduate from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He began graduate studies at the State University of New York at Brockport but left when drafted into the Army in January 1970. While in the Army, Smith was awarded the National Defense Service Medal. While stationed in Vietnam, he became ill after exposure to Agent Orange. Smith returned to the U.S. and died on June 1, 1970 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. D.C. Army Spc. 4th Class Samuel T. Morrow Morrow was a student at George F. Baker High School who enlisted in the U. S. Army in 1964. He was one of five brothers serving simultaneously in either the Army or Navy. Morrow served in the motor pool for the 101st Army Cavalry Air Mobile Unit and was stationed in California and Germany. Morrow later served in Vietnam, where he was killed in action on July 23, 1966. He was awarded the Purple Heart. High School Principal Denis Petrilak said the school has been holding Memorial Day programs for a number of years since the death of Lou Allen, a science teacher at Baker. But this is the first year the school will dedicate a plaque in memory of the five men who died in the line of service. “I hope it provides some small message of support to the families that their family members are not forgotten and they are a cherished part of our community,” said Petrilak. “That’s what we hope we’re passing onto our students.” There’s another message too. “Many students know what Memorial Day is but they didn’t have a good appreciation of what it means,” Petrilak said. “It’s not just about the beginning of summer or hot dogs or sales at the store. It’s remembering people who have given the ultimate sacrifice and have given us the lifestyle we enjoy today.”

I hope it provides some small message of support to the families that their family members are not forgotten and they are a cherished part of our community.” Denis Petrilak, principal, George F. Baker High School