A bench in Krieger Elementary School’s lobby honors the memory of three alumnae and the lasting connections created at the school.
A group from the Krieger Class of 1975 recently worked with the school’s PTA and leadership to donate and dedicate a bench in memory of the Crown Sisters – Jane, Nancy and Susan, graduates of the school in 1972, 1973 and 1975, respectively. The group also donated $575 to the PTA, which will be used to support a future event or initiative that will not only support students’ experience but honor the sisters.
The bench was officially dedicated March 18 with about a dozen visitors in attendance, including their sister, Mary Crown, her husband, William Ellis, and members of the “Krieger Alumni Bench Team,” among others. While some of the visitors remain local, others came in from as far away as California.
Sue Bernstein was inspired to do something to honor her friend, Susan Crown, shortly after she died in November 2021. She attended the 40th reunion for the Poughkeepsie High School Class of 1982, where the reunion committee honored late members of the class, including Susan, by displaying their graduation photo next to a dedicated candle. Shortly after, Bernstein noticed at an elementary school near her current home of Alexandria, Va., a bench had been donated by classmates of a late friend, and the idea to do the same at Krieger crystallized. Nancy Crown had passed in 2016 and, after Jane Crown died in February 2024, the project was expanded to honor all three.
Bernstein called it “a blessing to reconnect with friends throughout the project and at the dedication,” noting not only the contributions of “Bench Team” members Bill Maserjian, Jean Sherry, Brian Mulvey and Josh Newman, but that more than $2,100 was raised through a GoFundMe. “When we were kids,” the GoFundMe description reads, “the Crown sisters – Susan, Nancy and Jane – so different but so similar in their ability to make and keep friends, occupied a central place in our little Poughkeepsie universe.”
The bench “is a meaningful addition to our building,” Krieger PTA President Jeromina Topaloglu wrote in a letter to the team of alumni. “It stands as a reminder that when we leave Krieger, we still remain in the fabric of our school community. It will be cherished by our students and staff for years to come.”
The bench is engraved “May the loving memories of these wonderful Krieger alumnae watch over the next generation of Krieger students as they go forth and bring as much joy and love to their friends and families as Susan, Nancy and Jane did to theirs.”
