Hyde Park Historical Society President 1998-2020
Mrs. Patsy Costello held the longest running term as President of the Hyde Park Historical Society in our history.
She could not believe it herself. She tried to find a successor, but there was no one that had the courage to step up to fill those shoes.
She ran our society almost singlehandedly with scheduling, planning, correspondence, organization, and an enthusiasm that was hard to beat. She brought all of those skills with her from her employment experience at IBM and applied them to her everyday life. Every single one of us respected and looked up to Patsy to ensure that everything we did as an organization was seamless.
Patsy was a true Hyde Parker, and always spoke about her experiences growing up here, and was always happy to share her knowledge about Hyde Park as she had lived the history she recalled and also shared it through walking tours throughout the historic areas of Hyde Park to point out various sites and tell about their history. She documented historical accounts from the records in the Historical Society Museum archives and made these pieces of history available for our future generations to enjoy. She did so meticulously and made sure we all followed her prescribed ways in doing so.
Patsy was also a member of ERVK Friends Committee at Val-Kill and often attended functions there to honor Mrs. Roosevelt. She could tell many stories about living in Hyde Park when Mrs. Roosevelt was considered “just another one of our neighbors.” She enjoyed giving back to her community and was honored to receive the Val-Kill 2007 Friend’s Candlelight Award! Patsy was delighted to be named Grand Marshall of the Town of Hyde Park Independence Day Parade in 2021.
Patsy was our friend and neighbor and touched so many of our lives in so many different ways. We will remember her kindness and generous heart forever. Thank you Patsy.