New York Military Academy

New York Military Academy (NYMA) is a college preparatory, co-ed boarding school in the suburban town of Cornwall, 60 mi north of New York City, and one of the oldest military schools in the United States. Originally a boys' school, it started admitting girls in 1975.

History
New York Military Academy was founded in 1889 by American Civil War veteran and former schoolteacher from New Hampshire Charles Jefferson Wright, a former Commandant of Cadets of the nearby Peekskill Military Academy. Wright's successor, Sebastian Jones, presided over the academy from 1894 to 1922, guiding it during its most critical period of growth from a young and small institution of 48 cadets, through a disastrous fire in 1910, and throughout an extensive reconstruction program.

During the years 1959 to 1963, the superintendent was Nelson Dingley III, a veteran of World War I and World War II. On October 12, 1963, the school's drill team participated in the Columbus Day Parade, led by commanding officer Donald Trump, who spent five years at the school, beginning in 1959, when he was 13.

In some of its early years, the campus also hosted a non-military "NYMA Lower School" for grades one through six.) The academy previously admitted students as early as the fifth grade. Gradually throughout the mid-to-late 1990s, grades five and six were no longer accepted. By the 1999-2000 school-year, the academy only accepted students from the seventh grade on. Today, the school is Grade K-12.

Over time, the campus expanded from 30 acre to a peak of 550 acre, and enrollment peaked at 525 students during the 1960s. Girls have been admitted since 1975. NYMA is a member of the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States as well as several other school associations.

The campus also has been host to popular camps like Camp All-America into the 1980s and currently the NYMA Leadership Program.

2010-2015 Financial difficulties and sale
Due to financial problems and enrollment that had dwindled to 145 students, the school was scheduled to close in June 2010. However, a group of alumni and local business people created a plan to save the school, raising almost $6 million of financing in a matter of weeks, and expecting to sell off some less-utilized portions of the campus.

On March 3, 2015, NYMA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and the academy failed to open in September 2015 for the school year. Instead, it headed to bankruptcy auction, where on September 30 it was  auctioned for $15.825 million to the Chinese-owned Research Center on Natural Conservation Inc., a non-profit corporation led by billionaire Vincent Tianquan Mo, Chairman and CEO of SouFun Holdings, an NYSE-listed company, also operating as Fang Holdings Ltd., one of China's largest real estate internet portals. The foundation also purchased the nearby E.H. Harriman Estate in 2011 and the former Pace University's 37-acre campus in Briarcliff Manor in 2017.

Re-opening
After spending millions of dollars refurbishing the campus, supporting instruction and making capital improvements, the school reopened on November 2, 2015, with "a handful of returning students" and a recruitment drive. For 2016–17, the academic year began with a total of 29 students. By 2019 the school had grown to a size of 100 male and female Cadets both day and boarding with 12 nations represented and an additional 1,000 students attending special programs throughout the year.

Location


The school is located in the town of Cornwall, New York, and uses the mailing address of the village Cornwall-on-Hudson despite being just outside the official village boundary.

Geographically, the academy is in the Hudson Highlands, at the foot of Storm King Mountain, just west of the Hudson River and 6 mi north of West Point.

NYMA is approximately 60 mi north of New York City, or about one hour by car. This places NYMA in the Mid-Hudson region of the Hudson Valley, which is accessible by airplane (Stewart International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Albany International Airport), as well as train (Metro-North), bus (Short Line), and automobile.

Student life
The days at NYMA typically begin at 6:00 am and end at 10:00 pm. Cadets attend classes that match their needs during that time and also participate in interscholastic or intramural sports, activities, and study hall. During closed weekends, cadets are expected to attend additional leadership training, drill & ceremony, and maintain the appearance of their respective barracks. Upon gaining the opportunity for an open weekend, cadets in good academic standing can apply for weekend furlough. Along with Academics, Athletics, and Leadership, the fourth "pillar" of cadet life is Character, reinforced continually by the Cadet Honor Code that NYMA shares with West Point.

Organization
The structure of the Corps of Cadets is adjusted depending on the number of students enrolled at the academy. As a military school, the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) was previously a key component, but is no longer active. Participation in the school's military program is required to graduate. The battalion has typically consisted of:
 * Command Staff
 * Band Company (not currently active)
 * Line Companies: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Foxtrot and Golf
 * Delta troop or "D-troop": a cavalry unit drawn from the equestrian program (not currently active)

Athletics
NYMA has competed in Football, Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, Bowling, Lacrosse, Rugby, Swimming, Softball, Track & Field, Volleyball, Cross-Country, Wrestling, Tennis, Rifle Team, Golf, Drill Team, and Raiders. Every cadet is generally required to compete year-round. The school's mascot is the Knight. Teams have competed in the Hudson Valley Athletic League, a member league of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC). NYMA is reigning champion of New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference Basketball "D" class 2018. In 2019, NYMA expanded its accomplishments to not only include the boys New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference Basketball "D" class championship but also won the girls NEPSAC championship class "E" as well.

Hazing
In earlier decades, NYMA's official regulations permitted a certain level of hazing and physical discipline by supervisors and older cadets, although the academy's senior administrators were forced to resign after a particularly severe incident in 1964.

While hazing later became forbidden by the school's rules and policies, a lawsuit was settled in which it had been claimed that physical and emotional abuse in the form of hazing had taken place in 2005. NYMA cited adverse publicity from the 2005 incident as one of the reasons the school nearly closed in 2010.

Notable alumni



 * Robert (Tex) Allen, Class of 1924, actor
 * Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, Class of 1923 (did not graduate), last descendant of Abraham Lincoln
 * Bob Benmosche, Class of 1962, president and CEO of insurance companies MetLife and AIG
 * James E. Briggs, Class of 1924, general in U.S. Air Force
 * Les Brown, Class of 1932, bandleader
 * Daniel Cassidy (1943–2008), author
 * Francis Ford Coppola, Class of 1956 (did not graduate), Oscar-winning film director
 * Richard J. Daronco (1931–1988), federal judge
 * Art Davie, Class of 1964, founder of Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Fairleigh Dickinson Jr., Class of 1937, businessman and politician
 * Troy Donahue, Class of 1954, actor
 * William C. Eddy (1902–1989), pioneer of electronic technologies
 * Homer Gilbert (1909–1943), a.k.a. "Knuckles Boyle," professional football player
 * John A. "Junior" Gotti, organized crime figure
 * Johnny Green (1908–1989), composer and Oscar-winning music arranger
 * Lew Hayman (1908–1984), Canadian football coach
 * Robert Douglas Heaton (1873–1933), politician
 * Matt Joyce, Class of 1989, professional football player
 * Alexander Julien, Class of 2006 (did not graduate), musician, member of Vision Eternel
 * Harold F. Linder, Class of 1917, banker and ambassador
 * Tarky Lombardi Jr., Class of 1947, politician
 * Jack Luden (1902–1951), silent film actor
 * Johnny Mandel, Class of 1944, Grammy- and Oscar-winning composer and arranger
 * Robert B. McClure, Class of 1915, general in U.S. Army
 * Joel Rivera (born 1978), politician
 * Alfred Sieminski (1911–1990, did not graduate), politician
 * Donald B. Smith, Class of 1965, general in U.S. Army
 * Stephen Sondheim, attended 1940–1942, Tony-, Grammy-, Oscar- and Pulitzer-winning composer and lyricist
 * Bob Stiller, Class of 1961, founder of Green Mountain Coffee
 * Albert Tate Jr., Class of 1937, judge
 * Donald Trump, Class of 1964, 45th President of the United States, businessman, television personality
 * Spencer Tunick, Class of 1985, photographer

Major buildings

 * Academic Building
 * Davis Chapel (contains the second-largest theater pipe organ in New York, custom-built by M.P. Moller in 1927)
 * Jones Barracks (Partially closed)
 * Booth Library
 * Scarborough Hall
 * Pattillo Hall
 * Riley (formerly Dingley) Hall
 * Dickinson Hall (Closed, not currently occupied)
 * Alumni Gym and Pool