N.Y. members find retirement is all about community service

Teacher, librarian determined to preserve their hometown

Now that David and Mary McTamaney are retired, they are more active than ever.

The McTamaneys have always considered themselves community activists, but when they retired from the Monroe-Woodbury school district in Central Valley, N.Y., they began devoting more time to restoring and preserving their hometown of Newburgh.

The McTamaneys, members of the retiree chapter of the Monroe-Woodbury Teachers Association, an affiliate of the New York State United Teachers, grew up in Newburgh, a hamlet on the banks of the Hudson River.

David, a Vietnam veteran, had returned from the war and decided to teach. He spent most of his 30-year career teaching English and computer applications at Monroe-Woodbury High School, retiring in 2001. Mary, a professional librarian, was the school district’s library coordinator for five years before she retired. Today, she works part-time as the Newburgh city historian.

“We both love our community. We have seen it go through hard times, and now it’s time to give back,” says Mary. Her husband agrees: “Being a schoolteacher was the best thing I ever did. I didn’t retire because I was burned out. It was time for me to do some things I never seemed to be able to do.”

The McTamaneys’ civic work has earned them many awards. In fact, David was named citizen of the year by Historic Newburgh for his efforts to get a veterans memorial built. Mary did the research for the monument, which stands on Leroy Place and lists the city’s casualties from each war of the 20th century.

Recently, the two received a community service award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. David was honored for his work with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh, and Mary for her historic preservation efforts.

“I miss teaching tremendously,” David admits, “but I feel helping to revitalize my community is good, too. It’s all been rewarding for me.”