By Kyle Wind, Freeman staff
03/19/2008
SAWKILL - Town of Kingston Supervisor Frank A. Brogden died at Benedictine Hospital in Kingston on Monday following what town Councilman Edward Gaddy called "a valiant battle with cancer." He was 60.
Brodgen, a Republican elected to a second two-year term last November, was described by friends, colleagues and loved ones as a dedicated public servant. His wife of 40 years, Suzanne Brogden, said he "dearly loved being town supervisor," and said she thought his public service helped keep him going through his illness over the past three years.
Councilman G. Ernest Smith, the deputy supervisor, is expected to be appointed supervisor at the Town Board's regular meeting Thursday. Smith, 71, a nine-year member of the Town Board, previously worked in production control for IBM.
Prior to taking office as supervisor in January 2006, Brogden served as a town councilman for two years. He also served as Sawkill fire chief for six years, was a 35-year member of the Sawkill Fire Co., and was a town of Hurley police officer for 10 years.
"His history of public service is second to none," said Gaddy. "He was one of those rare, honest people who didn't mince words, a shoot-from-the-hip kind of guy. He was involved with politics, but he wasn't political."
Brogden belonged to the Ulster County Republican Committee; the Ulster County Supervisors and Mayors Association; the Ulster Fire Rescue Training Association, which he served as director of adjunct instructors; the Ulster County Arson Task Force, of which he was a founding member; the East Kingston Volunteer Fire Co.; the Ulster County Fire Chiefs and Line Officers Association; Ulster County Firemen's Association; and the Ulster County Fire Police Association.
"He had an incredible drive - he was the type of guy to work on something until he got it done," said Town Justice Richard Alberstadt, who had been friends with Brogden for 35 years. "He was outspoken and not afraid to grab the bull by the horns."
Alberstadt cited the new town hall as a project driven recently, in large part, by Brogden.
Voters approved a $500,000 bond to build a new town hall in October, and "the building is now being built" by Cocraft, a prefabricated building manufacturer near the Wallkill state prison, according to Smith.
Mrs. Brogden said she wished her husband could have seen the town hall project completed, but said "his spirit will live there."
"He had a gruff exterior, but he was really a teddy bear beneath it," Mrs. Brogden said. "If you ever saw him with his grandchildren, you would understand."
Besides his wife and grandchildren, Brogden is survived by a daughter Michele Cordero of Saugerties; a son, David, of Sawkill; two sisters, Mary Cortez Hertica of Kingston and Dorothy of Pennsylvania; a brother, William, of Pinellas Park, Fla.; and many nieces and nephews.
The funeral is scheduled for noon Saturday at Simpson-Gaus Funeral Home, 411 Albany Ave., Kingston. The Rev. Carol Hamm will officiate. Burial will be in St. Anne's Cemetery, Sawkill.
©Daily Freeman 2008
Supervisor Woerner's statement, "I am deeply saddened by the loss of Supervisor Brogden. Over the last two and a half years, Frank became a close and trusted friend. My prayers are with his family during this difficult time."
