Arthur Stampleman Receives Rye Post 128 Americanism Award

The American Legion website defines Americanism as: "an unfailing love of country; loyalty to its institutions and ideals; eagerness to defend it against all enemies; individual allegiance to the flag; and a desire to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and posterity."

In that spirit, it's pretty interesting that Rye resident Arthur Stampleman, a native Canadian who first moved to Rye in 1968, is the 2012 recipient of Post 128's honor at this year's Memorial Day program in Rye City Hall. But it's not surprising given the yeoman's effort he's put into defending the quality of life in Rye over the past year, especially for seniors.

Already an art docent at both the Neuberger Museum in Purchase and the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT, thirteen years into own his retirement, he's taken a key role at a vital community organization that's already changing the way Rye engages with the issue of growing older and remaining connected across generations.

"I'm working harder now than I ever did," Stampleman said of his retirement from a career in credit policy at Citibank.

As Treasurer of the nearly year old Staying Put in Rye and Environs. Stampleman has been hard at work growing the membership of the aging-in-place focused not-for-profit that reaches out to the communities of Rye, Rye Brook, Harrison, Port Chester, and Purchase.

One of the most important issues for seniors interested maintaining their independence and quality of life is transportation. So .

Since the beginning of the year, Stampleman has been actively lobbying to restore discontinued bus route 76 to the Milton Harbor community and its had a disproportionate impact on senior residents at Milton Harbor House.

Over the past year, Stampleman has helped organize petitions and spoken to the Rye City Council about the critical role of the bus line. He's even gone to White Plains to directly confront the Westchester Board of Legislators and County Executive Robert Astorino about the matter they continue to grind through the political mill. In large part because of the vigilance of SPRYE, the debate over bus route 76 has not gone away. Stampleman has been a faithful defender of the cause making sure the issue has not fallen off local or county agendas.

So it's more than fitting Rye Post 128 would take notice of Stampleman's committment to the community with its annual Americanism award and that SPRYE President Thomas Saunders, a member of Post 128, notified him of the honor. Stampleman will be accompanied to the Memorial Day Observance program this Monday in Rye City Hall by his wife Nancy. Their sons Joseph and David as well as their grandchildren live in California but they are all pleased with the honor as well.