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The honor and recognition is bestowed each year on a veteran in each Senate District who has not only valiantly served our country in the military but also has distinguished themselves in civilian life.
“Jack Harrington served his country before and during World War II, and continued that service to the community for 60 years in White Plains, said Stewart-Cousins. "He helped train servicemen prior to World War II, served at headquarters in London, and was a Marine. Here in White Plains, he also served with distinction, striving to preserve history as President of the Historical Society. He also fought to preserve open space as well. The Greenway Trail bears his name and is a lasting legacy. It is my honor to place in his name onto the honor roll in the State Senate’s Veterans’ Hall of Fame.”
John W. Harrington (Jack) was born Nov. 18, 1919 in Oswego. He graduated from Oswego High School in 1937, and enrolled in the Oswego Normal School - NY State University to attain an industrial arts degree. With World War II approaching, Marine engine companies were looking for skilled men to train navy crews for PT and gunboats.
Harrington was assigned to the U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships,11th Amphibious Force/Combined Operations in London. He enlisted in U.S. Marine Corps (1946-49) and became a staff sergeant in Washington, D.C.
Harrington served aspPresident of the White Plains Historical Society for 22 years. He also was a member of the White Plains Conservation Board, chairman of the White Plains Comprehensive Plan Committee and a member of the White Plains School District Annual Budget Committee.
Harrington was instrumental in founding the White Plains Greenway Committee in 1996. The committee oversaw the transformation of a former railway line and dumping ground into a widely used walking trail, earning him the nickname, the “Father of the Greenway.” In 2012, the city named the trail “The Jack Harrington Greenway Walking Trail.”
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