Here, below, is the text of the profile of Clara Morthland Hasbrouck, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame here on Saturday.
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Clara Hasbrouck
Clara Hasbrouck served for seventeen years as a member of
Frost Valley’s Board of Trustees, after succeeding the influential trusteeship
of her late husband Dr. William E. Morthland. The Frost Valley/Morthland
connection had been made first through the fine art of Catskills trout fishing;
the
Working with Woody English, the legendary
President of the Board of that era, she promulgated the commitment to the Castle’s
preservation and its permanent use for schoolchildren and summer campers as a living-learning
lab for encountering local social history.
Morthlands had purchased property in Woodstock and it wasn’t long before
they had discovered our beautiful Neversink River, long a mecca for serious
fishermen and -women in the area. When Clara succeeded Bill as a trustee, she
was asked to take responsibility for sorting through the furnishings of the
recently acquired home at the Straus-Guggenheim estate, “the Straus House.” She
dispatched that project so selflessly and so well that before long the
Forstmann Castle was added to her portfolio. “When I took over the Castle, it
was a mess,” she recently recalled. “Draperies were falling off the rods. Everything
needed attention. It was a great challenge to me, and I like challenges, and
that’s why I developed an enduring interest in the fate of this historically
important building.” Working with Marie Hess and Executive Director Halbe Brown,
Clara spent arduous days sorting through the Castle attic, removing truckloads
of junk, rediscovering important pieces in the dust, and (not incidentally)
ridding the place of bats. Clara had been an active member of National Trust
for Historic Preservation, and now she persuasively applied its principles of
conservancy to Frost Valley’s unique place in Catskills history.
Clara was for decades a successful corporate accountant,
holding various positions over the years such as assistant corporate treasurer
and office manager. Later she took clients and directed a thriving personal
accounting business, handling more than a dozen trust funds. Following Dr.
Morthland’s death, Clara married Brigadier General Sherman Hasbrouck, who later
passed away in 2002. Clara retired, remarkably, at 88 years of age.
Now a nanogenarian, she has lost none of her
acute interest in what Frost Valley does for children and families. “Frost
Valley has a genuine purpose,” she recently remarked. “It serves adults and
children and does it so well. I want people to know what an inspiration it was
for me to work on behalf of Frost Valley. It was and is a happy place.”
[At right: General Sherman Hasbrouck. When he died at 103 years old in 2002, he was the oldest West Point graduate alive.]
Those who visit the Forstmann Castle today will discover a
lovingly conserved and restored mansion—its balconies rebuilt by hand, its
complex roof secure, its grand porch strengthened and renovated, its remarkable
peg-and-groove floors polished and immaculate. As one enters this astonishing
piece of history—all the more astonishing for its being part of a camp—one
encounters, in part, the legacy of a strong woman who knew not just how but
also why she wanted to help. By unanimous vote of the Frost Valley Board of Trustees,
we honor Clara Hasbrouck at her induction into the Frost Valley Hall of Fame
for her unwavering commitment to preservation and stewardship. We note that
when she first saw the state of the old house, her first thought was this: “A
friend in need is a friend indeed.” Today we honor
her as a friend indeed—not just a friend of our stately mansion but
of everyone at Frost Valley who cherishes stewardship as a core value.
