To the Editor:

Mary Hawley gave us many gifts. The most notable one was Hawley School. It's not only a school but a great memorial in memory of her love and dedication to our town. Many children were educated in the school and still are.

My mother graduated from there in 1924 and went on to nursing school and became a RN. She worked for Mary Hawley as an RN when she met and fell in love with my father who also worked for Mary Hawley! 

I went to Hawley along with many of my relatives. I drove a school bus for over 50 years in Newtown and had routes to Hawley. The opening of SHS shouldn't have anything to do with Hawley School.  The school has great fields and a gym for children to play sports. This build should be used for the very purpose Mary Hawley had intended it for – as a school!

Sincerely

Fred J Pendergast, Sr.

23 Riverside Road, Sandy Hook                June 24, 2015