Honoree Michael Del Vecchio with Philomena Dunn, Regent of the Hudson River Patriots Chapter, DAR.
By Mary Hoar, City of Yonkers Historian
On Sunday, October 15th, the Hudson River Patriots Chapter NDAR honored Yonkers resident Michael Del Vecchio with its prestigious Good Citizen Award for 2023! The award was presented at a very appropriate location, the Yonkers Historical Society’s Sherwood House Museum on Tuckahoe Road, one of the few restored pre-Revolutionary tenant farmhouses remaining in the metropolitan area.
On learning of Michael’s Eagle Scouts projects to honor the forgotten Revolutionary War Patriots buried in St. John’s Cemetery, the Hudson River Patriots Chapter decided he was more than worthy of this esteemed award. He investigated each patriot buried in St. John’s, determined the exact location of each grave and marked every soldier’s resting place with both a flag and a Revolutionary War Medallion.
As part of the award ceremony, Michael read the names of all the Revolutionary War soldiers buried in St. John’s cemetery.
When asked why he selected this undertaking for his Eagle Scout project, he told those gathered he wanted to do something significant, that was important to our American history. The soldiers buried at St. John’s are so important to our history, although laying in unmarked graves, some with stones coved by time; he wanted to rectify the ravages of time and give our patriot soldiers the acknowledgment and appreciation they deserved.
He received both a certificate and a pin commemorating this important recognition, one of the most significant the chapter awards.
Michael’s parents are Cindy Pramann and Michael Del Vecchio, Sr.; he is a recent graduate of Archbishop Stepinac High School.
The Hudson River Patriots Chapter was formed in 2001 by merging three Rivertown chapters, Yonkers’ Keskeskick Chapter, Tarrytown Chapter and the Hastings’ General Jacob Odell Chapter.
