Local News

Post 25 American Legion pledges $6,250 to Community Center Fund

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NEWPORT — The Newport Community Center Fund Drive has received a pledge of $6,250 from Brewster-Gould-Lee-Rollins Post 25 American Legion.

The presentation was made Monday evening by Post 25 Commander Bruce Richardson to Newport Recreation Director PJ Lovely.

Post 25 American Legion, Sons of the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary joined together to make the pledge.

Current Post Commander Richardson was a sergeant in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1978, had two tours in Vietnam and two in Germany. In addition, he served two years in the National Guard and is a volunteer at the Veterans Administration Hospital in White River Junction.

He said that community service is an ongoing commitment for the post and the proposed new Community Center will serve Newport well in future years.

On May 16, 1919, the Argus-Spectator reported that Newport’s World War I veterans met at the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) Hall in the Richards Block to discuss forming a local American Legion Post.

On July 17, 50 men officially voted to form a Newport Post. Its first Post Commander, Harold Shepard, was a captain in the Army Medical Corps.

Meetings were held in the Richards building until 1946 when they moved to 39 Cheney St., then moved again in 1997 to 118 John Stark Highway.

Post name changes, reflecting the names of those who died in World War I, World War II, Vietnam and Iraq follow:

1914-1946—Claude J. Brewster Post 25

1947-1965—Brewster-Gould Post 25

1966-2006—Brewster-Gould-Lee Post 25

2007-Present—Brewster-Gould-Lee-Rollins Post 25

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