School to celebrate Stapleton’s legacy
Actress born in Troy was graduate who went on to cinematic fame
TROY — The legacy of the late Maureen Stapleton, famed actress and Class of 1942 Catholic Central School graduate, will be honored beginning 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9.
And where else but at the Maureen Stapleton Theater at Hudson Valley Community College on 80 Vandenburgh Avenue.
The homage is a part of the Catholic school’s centennial year.
The pre-oscar event will be hosted by Emmy-winning film critic and 2016 Catholic Central graduate Jackson Murphy and will include a short documentary from Maureen’s son, Daniel Allentuck, along with clips from a career that spanned over 50 years, organizers said. Stapleton was born in Troy in 1925 and died in 2006 in Lenox, Mass. Her film roles, according to IMDB.COM and other sources, include Airport (1970), Interiors (1978) and Reds (1981) which brought her an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the portrayal of Emma Goldman.
Additional contributors to the March 9 event include Russell Sage College Theatre Professor David Baecker, Maureen Stapleton historian William G. Cary Jr., and executive director of the Hart-cluett Museum Kathryn Knothe Sheehan (Catholic Central Class of 1973). Lobby displays will highlight Stapleton’s career and will feature items from her work on Broadway, Hollywood and television. A panel interview will provide insights into her artistic process, her friendship and symbiotic relationship with Tennessee Williams, and her lasting impact on American theater and film, event organizers said.
“This is a unique opportunity to showcase one of our amazing alumni whose contributions to the entertainment world have resonated across the globe,” Catholic Central Co-principal Richard Harrigan said in a statement. “The relationship with her hometown of Troy influenced her life and career and we are looking forward to sharing her enduring influence in such an interactive and collaborative fashion,” he added.
In November, Stapleton received the Catholic Central Monsignor Burns Award, recognizing those whose lives and actions reflect the school’s values of personal moral development, commitment to community and service to others.
Tickets for the event are free. Due to limited seating, preregistration is encouraged and can be done on the Catholic Central School website: https:// catholiccentralschool.org/centennial-year.