About the Post

Upon the return of a considerable number of World War II Veterans, an active member of the community and Veteran of World War I, Lee Wiles, brought together those interested to organize a veterans' organization in the Town of Rush. The first meeting of the Stevens-Connor American Legion Post No. 1330 was held at the Rush Town Hall on September 6, 1945. The Post Charter was granted in December 1945 with sixty charter members.

The Post purchased the one-room schoolhouse located at 2611 Pinnacle Road in 1946. The schoolhouse was known as Rural District No. 2 and was founded in 1881. The Post was named for John H. Stevens, K.I.A. (killed in action) on July 17, 1944 and John F. Connor, K.I.A. on January 27, 1945. Ironically, both boys attended District School No. 2 through eight grades. Also, John Connor's mother, Mae Sheldon Connor, was a teacher in the school before her marriage.

Through the dedicated efforts of the members, many improvements to the Post Home have been made over the past sixty years. Major efforts include a new addition to the main building in 1954 and a large modern kitchen complex in 1961. In 1986 we completed a project providing additional storage space as well as new restroom facilities. These accomplishments were made possible by the loyal participation of the Steven-Connor Ladies Auxiliary over more than forty years. Their most popular activity was the annual smorgasbord held at the Town Hall for up to 800 people. The auxiliary charter was retired in 1986.

The Stevens-Connor Post has grown over the years and with 155 members, was honored as "Post of the Month in March 1986," chosen from 16,000 Posts with more than three million members in the United States.

In addition to carrying on its traditional American Legion commitments to the National, State, and County Legion organizations, the Stevens-Connor Post has actively and consistently encouraged and sponsored many youth programs as well as participated in many town functions and projects. The Post is especially dedicated to the fundamentals of service to the community with emphasis on local youth programs such as Boy Scouts of America Troop 334 and the American Legion-sponsored Boys' State Program.

Veterans of all wars buried in a Rush cemetery are honored yearly by placing an American flag on their grave. The annual Memorial Day Parade commemorates their service to our country. Veterans from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Indian War, Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korean conflict, Vietnam conflict, Persian Gulf, Iraq and Peacetime are buried in Rush. We continue to examine records to include those we may have inadvertently overlooked.

Any veteran who is eligible is invited and encouraged to join the Stevens Connor American Legion Post #1330. For continued success we must provide first rate service to our veterans. Active participation and increasing membership will send a message to our government leaders that veterans’ rights must be preserved. Any veteran who is eligible should contact Bill Gaffney at 533-2407.

The Stevens-Connor Post is proud of its history in supporting these community service programs while upholding the Preamble to the American Legion Constitution.

Preamble to the Constitution of the American Legion

For God and Country, we associate ourselves together for the following purposes:
To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America;
To maintain law and order;
To foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism;
To preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the great wars;
To inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation;
To combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses;
To make right the master of might;
To promote peace and good will on earth;
To safeguard and transmit to posterity the principle of justice, freedom and democracy;
To consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.

American Legion Membership Eligibility and Property Tax Exemption for Veterans

War/Conflict	Service Dates for American Legion Membership Eligibility	Service Dates for Town and County Property Tax Exemption Eligibility
World War II	December 7, 1941 - December 31, 1946	December 7, 1941 - December 31, 1946
Korea	June 25, 1950 - January 31, 1955	June 27, 1950 - January 31, 19551
Vietnam	February 28, 1961 - May 7, 1975	February 28, 1961 - May 7, 19751
Lebanon/Grenada	August 24, 1982 - July 31, 1984	2
Panama	December 20, 1989 - January 31, 1990	2
Persian Gulf	August 2, 1990 - TBD	August 2, 1990 - TBD1

¹As determined by New York State law.
²A veteran who is a recipient of an Armed Forces, Navy or Marine Corps expeditionary medal may qualify.

Dollar Limits of Exemption for Veterans Residing in the Town of Rush:

• War Vet -- 15% of assessed value to $120,000 or $18,000.
• Combat Zone Vet -- Additional 10% of assessed value to $120,000 or $12,000.
• Disabled Vet -- Percentage of assessed value equal to one/half of service disability rating to a maximum of $60,000.

For More Information about the New York State Property Tax Exemption, visit the New York State Division of Veterans' Affairs.