New Windsor, N.Y.

Marie Sarcka of New Windsor, a retired school administrator for Oakland Academy in New Windsor and longtime resident of the area, entered into rest, Friday, July 7, 2000, in St. Luke’s Hospital, Newburgh. She was 92. The daughter of the late Timoleon and Ourania Stasinopoulos, she was born Sept. 4, 1907, in Preakness, N.J. She was the widow of John S. Sarcka, who passed away in 1989. Mrs. Sarcka graduated from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania in 1929. She served as a volunteer for Oakland Auxiliary Ambulance Corp in New Jersey. Always involved with education for children, she ran the stable and riding team for Oakland Military Academy for Boys in Oakland, N.J. from 1935 through 1961, where her husband was headmaster. In 1963, the prep school moved to the site of the former Plum Point Hotel in New Windsor and became the Oakland Academy. After the closing of the prep school in 1972, she ran the Oakland School of Horsemanship in Plattekill, where numerous children and adults learned to ride and show horses. Survivors include three sisters, Ethel Stampul of New Windsor, Ann D’Angelo of Glen Rock, N.J. and Alice Brinster of Chapel Hill, N.C.; two grandchildren, Debbie Sarcka Wenner of Fort Montgomery and David Sarcka of New Windsor; and two nephews, of New Windsor and Peter Penny of Ocala, Fla. She was predeceased by one son, John W. Sarcka, who passed away in 1996; and two sisters, Barbara Penny and Freida Oldham. Cremation will take place in Cedar Hill Crematory, Newburgh. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Please contact Andy Penny at (845)561-2203 for further information. Arrangements under the direction of DiDonato-Brooks Funeral Home, 481 Gidney Ave., Newburgh.

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When “60 Minutes” asked Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington where he’d like to go for his recent interview, the actor insisted on one place: the former site of his high school, Oakland Academy for Boys in New Windsor, which closed after Washington graduated.
During the interview, “60 Minutes” reunited Washington with high school friend Andrew Penny, who now lives in a house that was once part of the academy. During their meeting, Penny presented Washington with the football jersey – No. 32 – the actor wore as an athlete at the school.
The 12-minute interview will air 7 p.m. Sunday. The New Windsor segment was filmed in October.
“I was surprised and delighted when he came back,” Penny said. “I was nervous because of who he had become. After we hugged and laughed, it was like being back in high school again. The hype made things tense, but once he was here and we met again, it was great.”
A native of Mount Vernon, Washington won a scholarship to Oakland, a private preparatory school for boys that was then located on River Road in New Windsor. He lived there through his four years of high school.
“Second and third year we became friends,” says Penny, whose uncle, John Sarcka, was the school’s owner and headmaster. “I played football and baseball with him. He was a nice guy, great personality, not quiet, big talker, great athlete and a great dresser. The first time I saw patent leather shoes, he was wearing them.”
Washington graduated in 1972 with Oakland’s last graduating class. The school closed, and it is now the Plum Point condominium community.
“The school was a big part of his life,” said Penny. “During his interview with Ed Bradley (“60 Minutes” interviewer), he mentioned the effect Oakland had on him.”
The “60 Minutes” interview comes as Washington’s most current work, “The Hurricane,” a biographical film about boxer Rubin “The Hurricane” Carter, hits theaters. Carter was wrongfully convicted of a triple murder in 1966. Denzel’s portrayal of the middleweight boxer has been praised by critics.
The film is playing in select theaters and is expected to open locally Jan. 14.