Newburgh honors Harold Shirley with Key to the City

The City of Newburgh used one of its highest honors to answer a local question with a public gesture: why Harold Shirley still matters here. The City Council awarded Shirley the Key to the City, recognizing a former resident whose ties to Newburgh have continued to shape civic life long after he moved away.

Shirley grew up in Newburgh, served in the United States Army, and later worked for the Newburgh Enlarged City School District and the Montrose Veterans Administration Hospital. He moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1999, but he did not sever his connection to the city. In 2002, he founded the original Newburgh, NY Reunion and served as its first president, creating an annual gathering for people from Newburgh who had relocated to the southern states.

That reunion became more than a social event. It carried a scholarship component for Newburgh Free Academy students, giving Shirley’s work a direct local impact in the city’s schools. The recognition also reflected a broader civic memory: Shirley has been involved in making sure important Newburgh figures are remembered through place names around the city, helping preserve the stories that anchor neighborhood identity.

Because Shirley could not travel back for the presentation, his sister, Marsetta Shirley, accepted the key on his behalf. She also read a letter from him that framed Newburgh not just as a hometown, but as family history, pride and purpose. Councilmembers and the mayor used the occasion to emphasize his roots in the city and the influence he has continued to have from afar.

Shirley has also drawn recognition from the NAACP. A 2023 report said the local chapter planned to honor him as one of three community pillars and that he was working toward scholarships tied to those recognitions for City of Newburgh students. That detail matters because it shows the honor was never only ceremonial. It reflected a man who turned hometown loyalty into a practical network of memory, mentorship and school support.

The presentation took place in a public civic setting, consistent with how Newburgh makes local decisions. The city says regular council meetings are held at City Hall, 83 Broadway, Newburgh, NY 12550, and are livestreamed and recorded. The City Council is the city’s lawmaking body, with seven elected part-time members serving four-year terms. In honoring Shirley, Newburgh recognized not just a former resident, but a citizen whose influence still runs through the city’s public life.