Our Founders

In May 1995, an article appeared in a Newburgh, N.Y. newspaper about interest in building a Purple Heart museum in Enfield, CT. A local man, Patric Morrison wrote a Letter to the Editor explaining why the museum belonged in the Newburgh area. The letter got the attention of Everett Smith, a local newspaper publisher, who brought the issue to the attention of Lt. Gen. James D. Hughes USAF (ret.), NYS Senator William Larkin and veterans advocate Joseph Farina, who together formed The Genesis Group.

Together the four men worked for eleven years to bring the Hall of Honor to fruition. Finally, on November 10, 2006, The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor was dedicated with much fanfare just north of West Point, New York, at the historic site where General Washington first warded the Badge of Military Merit – the precursor to the Purple Heart. The National Purple Heart Honor Mission’s advocacy continued and, in 2017, Senator William J. Larkin Jr. and Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that New York State would invest an additional $10 million for upgrades to the Hall of Honor.

Leadership

Sen. William Larkin

Senator William J. Larkin Jr. (February 5, 1928 - August 31, 2019) represented the Hudson Valley including West Point, Newburgh and New Windsor, where the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, is located as a member of the state Legislature for 40 years. Larkin began his career in public service at the age of 16 when he began his military career as a Private in New Guinea and in the Philippines Operation of the Pacific Theater of World War II.

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Joseph Farina

Joseph Farina (January 26, 1921 - December 27, 2018), was a founding member of the Genesis Group and instrumental in the formation of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. A native of Newburgh, New York, he attended Newburgh schools graduating from Newburgh Free Academy in 1939. While serving in the military, he attended the U.S. Army Morse Code School and attended DeForest Institute in Chicago after his discharge from military service.

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LtG Donald Hughes

Duty, Honor, Country: those three “hallowed words” are an apt description of the lifetime of service of Lieutenant General James D. Hughes (July 7, 1922 - January 12, 2024). From his West Point graduation in June 1946 until his military retirement in 1981, and throughout a subsequent civilian career, General Hughes demonstrated these ideals daily. In fact, they guided him through his exceptional record of achievements.

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Everett W. Smith

A native of Suffolk County, Long Island, N.Y., Everett Smith (July 17, 1942 – December 20, 2023) began a career that has spanned forty-nine years in the newspaper business with the Long Island Daily Press. In 1979 he and his wife Mary founded The Sentinel, a twice-weekly newspaper that serves most of eastern Orange County, N.Y. In 1990 he founded Sentinel Printing Services, Inc., a commercial printing operation. He continues to serve as Publisher of The

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