New Mount scholarship honors former senator William Larkin

Sen. William J. Larkin Jr. and his wife, Patricia Kurucz McGuirk Larkin, seen here attending the 2014 Mount Saint Mary College Leadership Gala.

Mount Saint Mary College is proud to announce the creation of the Senator Bill Larkin Memorial Scholarship for full-time students who are studying to become teachers. 

Sen. William J. Larkin Jr. sat in the New York State Legislature for 40 years, representing various districts in the Hudson Valley. A longtime area resident, he passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on August 31, 2019. He was 91 years old and had spent 75 of those years serving his country and community.

The annual scholarship, for students on the Education track at the Mount, will be awarded to an incoming full-time, first-year student, or a continuing student who is enrolled full-time. The award is renewable, as long as the student recipient continues to meet the eligibility requirements.

The scholarship was made possible through the generosity of Sen. Larkin’s wife, Patricia Kurucz McGuirk Larkin, a retired teacher from the Newburgh Enlarged City School District. 

Sen. Larkin was born in Troy, N.Y. on February 5, 1928 and volunteered for the draft at the age of 16. He saw combat in New Guinea and the Philippines during World War II and then served in combat in the Korean War. By the time he retired, Sen. Larkin had earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, the Legion of Merit award, and seven Army Commendation medals. He also received seven Battle Stars, one for World War II and six for Korea. 

Following his retirement, Sen. Larkin served for more than four decades in the New York State Legislature, starting in the Assembly in 1979 and moving on to become a NYS senator in 1990.

Sen. Larkin was a charter member of the Genesis Group, which founded the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor located in New Windsor, N.Y. He also initiated the campaign to create the Purple Heart Forever Stamp. Both of these efforts took over a decade to complete.

He was also a member of the Catholic War Veterans, Knights of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and the Disabled American Veterans, and an honorary member of the West Point Society of New York. In addition, he was a long-standing member of the Orange County Citizens Foundation and a recipient of the prestigious Ottaway Medal.  

Sen. Larkin was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by Mount Saint Mary College in 2014 for his service to his community, state, and country.

If you’re interested in supporting this scholarship, please contact Nikki Khurana-Baugh at 845-569-3216 or at Nikki.Khurana-Baugh@msmc.edu