Memorial Grove to be Rededicated

Back in the 1980s members of the Kent Elementary School community wanted to create something that would serve as a tribute to Clifton Watson, the school’s longtime principal.

They created the Clifton Watson Memorial Grove to honor a beloved educator who was a leader in environmental education.

On May 29, the grove will be rededicated in a ceremony at Kent Elementary School at 11 a.m. The public is invited to celebrate the legacy of one of the district’s great school leaders.

Watson served as principal of Kent Elementary School from 1954 until 1981. After he passed away in 1984, teachers, staff and the community realized a peaceful grove would be the best way to honor the “Gentle Giant,” as he was known.   

More than 150 people attended the dedication at the time, including his widow, Susan, and children John, Kathy and Tommy. Most of his family will return on May 29 for the rededication.

Board of Education Trustee John C. Curzio II suggested the ceremony as an important way to remember some of our great school leaders.

"It is essential to remember and reflect on the legacy of exceptional school leaders, and Clif Watson was one such leader—deeply committed to students, families, and staff,” Curzio said. “This rededication serves as an opportunity to honor his exemplary qualities and to reaffirm the value that both the Board of Education and the broader Carmel Central School District community place on strong, visionary leadership in our schools."

Eric Gross, who retired after a career as a speech therapist in Carmel, was part of the group that came up with the original idea.

“After arriving in Carmel in 1965 as a freshman educator assigned to the Kent Elementary School as speech therapist, Mr. Watson became a father figure to not only me but the other four educators who joined the faculty that year,” said Gross, who writes for the Putnam County Courier. “Cliff was always caring and concerned about not only his students but his faculty and staff. When he died suddenly in 1984 at too young an age, I volunteered to participate on a committee that resulted in the grove outside our school to remember a man who left his mark on the education of scores of Carmel area children over many, many years.”

John Watson, the eldest of the Watsons’ three children, lives nearby and runs an engineering firm in Carmel.

“One of the great things about staying local, is that you have deep connections,” John Watson said. “My father had so much influence on so many people that, even today, I still run into some to stop me and say good things about him.”

Among those with good things to say are those following in his footsteps.

“Clif Watson was more than an educator—he was a pioneer in environmental learning,” said Kent Elementary Principal John Fratto. “His deep-rooted love for the outdoors led to the creation of the Kent Schools Nature Trail and the Greenhouse Volunteer program, planting seeds of curiosity, stewardship, and wonder in generations of students. His legacy continues to grow wherever children learn to love the world around them.”