The Peekskill Museum will honor Dr. John A. McGurty Jr. at its fall gala on Oct. 13 at the Factoria on John Walsh Boulevard in Peekskill. The event, scheduled for 6 p.m.-to 8 p.m., includes a cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres and open bar.
The Museum established the fundraising event last year for its 75th Anniversary, honoring past Peekskill Mayor and New York Governor George Pataki. Proceeds from the event help fund museum upgrades, such as painting the exterior and improvements to the driveway and landscaping. Tickets are $100, available through the Museum’s website or Facebook page (listed below). To accumulate more funds for the said cause, organizers can turn to fundraising ideas for charities.
The Museum is feting Dr. McGurty for his nearly four decades of health and community service to Peekskill and our Nation.
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A lifelong resident of Peekskill, he was Director of Emergency Services at NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, where a conference room is named in his honor.
He currently serves as the City of Peekskill Fire and Police Surgeon, Assistant Division Physician for the New York State Police, and Medical Director for Cortlandt-Peekskill Regional Paramedics, which he helped establish in 1997.
His U.S. Navy career spanned 35 years, initially on active duty as Medical Officer aboard USS Nassau LHA-4, and Flight Surgeon with U.S. Marine aviation. He served with many U.S. Marine Helicopter Squadrons, and as Wing Surgeon with the 4th Marine Air Wing, including two combat tour deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in 2005 and 2009.
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He later returned to active duty from 2011 through 2016 as the U.S. Marine Central Command Surgeon, and U.S. Marine Reserve Force Surgeon. He retired from the U.S. Navy as a decorated Navy Captain after 35 years of active and reserve service.
Dr. McGurty currently continues as an Emergency Department Physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital and serves as Medical Director at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.
Among his civic and community honors are the Chester Smith Award, Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and the Peekskill Elks Club award for Community Service.
Dr. McGurty is a second-generation medical practitioner following in his father’s footsteps. Dr. McGurty, Sr. practiced general medicine in Peekskill from 1948 to 1990.
- peekskillmuseum.org
- facebook.com/museum10566
- museum10566@aol.com