You Can Help
Donations from people like you help HVRL continue its mission to support agriculture in the Hudson Valley and throughout the Northeast.
Your support ensures the lasting health and vitality of the region’s farmers and their continued prosperity in the years to come. A memorial fund to honor our member Harold Albinder has been established at the request of his family. Harold and Hudson River Fruit Distributors have provided decades of support for HVRL’s ongoing research and innovation.
Lois Hurlock Crist
Memorial Fund
April 24,1927 – July 19, 2025
Lois Hurlock Crist passed away July 19, 2025, at the age of 98. Lois met her husband Edward Crist, 3rd generation Hudson Valley farmer, while skiing with the Newburgh Ski Club. They were married in 1952 and enjoyed a full and loving marriage until Ed’s passing in 1998. Instilling a deep sense of honor, patriotism, work ethic and spirituality in their 3 children & 6 grandchildren was a priority. Lois thoroughly enjoyed her 12 great grandchildren.
Lois loved the farm and enjoyed taking an active part in growing the apples. With energy and enthusiasm she pruned apple trees, kept honey bees, & inspected apple picking during harvest. Lois also took CA readings when that meant driving to the apple storages daily & manually extracting the air sample to measure the oxygen and CO2.
Lois was also a concert violinist with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, a founding member of the Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, and taught violin using the Suzuki method.
When she was not farming or playing music, she enjoyed swimming, sailing, skiing and generally being outside; especially with family & friends. From swimming just about anywhere, to running “Grammy Camp” for her grandchildren, to ski trips with apple growing friends, 10th mountain division friends, or golf cart rides on the farm, Lois had a zest for life that impacted everyone around her.
Donations made in Lois’s name can be made using the "donate" link above (please include a note for that purpose) or may be sent by mail to: HVRL Inc PO Box 727, Highland NY 12528
Mr. Harold Seymour Albinder Memorial Fund
APRIL 6, 1938 – JUNE 21, 2025
Harold Albinder, a fearless force in agriculture, business, and life, passed away peacefully on June 21, 2025, at the age of 87. A visionary, a talker, a doer—Harold lived every day with relentless determination, bold ideas, and a passion that never dimmed.
Born on April 6, 1938, in Brooklyn, Harold Albinder was the son of Isadore and Ida Albinder. From an early age, he had a love for growing things—starting with his windowsill garden—and it blossomed into a lifelong career in agriculture. In 1957, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he developed the discipline and resilience that shaped the bold, driven man we all came to admire.
After his service, Harold focused on building a life centered on family, hard work, and purpose. He married Lucila, the love of his life, and together they raised four children—Jacob, Danny, Lia, and Ari—passing on to them his values, tenacity, and spirit.
Harold poured his passion into agriculture and entrepreneurship, founding Hudson River Fruit Distributors in the Hudson Valley. He didn’t just grow apples—he cultivated opportunity, always striving for excellence, honesty, and integrity. One of his greatest points of pride was Southern Vermont Orchards, a farm he acquired in the 1970s and cared for deeply. A respected leader in the apple industry, Harold was known for building strong, lasting relationships with growers, championing innovation, and treating everyone—from the orchards to the office—with genuine respect and care.
Donations made in Harold’s name can be made using the "donate" link above (please include a note for that purpose) or may be sent by mail to: HVRL Inc PO Box 727, Highland NY 12528
Memorial Funds have been established in honor of the following individuals, if you'd like your donation to be added to one of these funds please include a note
Coy Memorial Fund
Bowman Memorial Fund
Raymond K. Bowman, 82, of Rexford, NY owned and operated Bowman Orchards in Rexford from 1952 until 2004, when his son Kevin took over. Ray started the Clifton Park Fire Prevention Bureau and wrote the original fire prevention codes for the town of Clifton Park. Ray also served as the chairman of the Saratoga County Soil and Water Conservation District, was director of the New York and New England Apple Institute, the NY Farm Bureau, and was listed in the 2003 Clifton Park Who's Who honor roll.
http://www.bowmanorchards.com/
Hepworth Memorial Fund
A lifelong farmer, Garry Hepworth was born in 1933, graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in pomology, and, after moving away from his family farm in Milton, lived and farmed in California, Washington, Idaho, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. In retirement, to take it easy, he was a contractor in Lake Worth, FL. His legacy of farming lives on with his family, where the seventh generation continues to farm the same land in Milton.
Lawrence Memorial Fund
Robert Renwick Lawrence was a lifelong farmer and Town of Newburgh resident. Born in 1925, for over 25 years he and his wife ran the the dairy farm that his grandfather farmed since 1872 while raising 5 children. In the late 60's Bob and Vonnie made the difficult choice to sell the dairy farm and start over. In 1971 they opened Lawrence Farms Orchards which eventually evolved from commercial sales orchards into a popular Pick Your Own farm.
Bob was very active in the farming community. He served many on the Orange County Fair Board, was a life time member of the Orange County Farm Bureau and a 4H Alumni and supporter. He was a long standing member of Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Hudson Valley Research Lab, the NYS Horticultural Society, Little Britain Grange and the Hudson Valley Draft Horse Association.
Jody was born in 1957 in Poughkeepsie he grew up in Highland and spent his life working in the apple industry as President of his family business, Pavero Cold Storage. Jody was extremely passionate about his work and could always be seen driving his forklift around at the Cold Storage. He was known for his loving kindness and generosity. He loved spending his vacation time at the family house in St. Martin. In his leisure time, he enjoyed driving around in his sports cars, playing golf, and spending time with his loved ones. He had a deep love for music, especially the Beatles.
Porpiglia Memorial Fund
Joseph P. Porpiglia (1931 - 2014) a lifelong resident of Milton, NY married Madeline (1929-2016) in 1951. They spent their lives in Milton where they raised their family and where Joseph was a passionate Fruit Grower and sales manager for FMC Corporation.
Truncali Memorial Fund
Vito Truncali was born in 1932 to Italian immigrants who had settled in Marlboro in 1920 with the dream of building a fruit farm. Vito, his parents and 5 sisters did just that. His farm was his pride and joy and if he wasn't working, he wasn't happy. One of his greatest accomplishments was his invention of the Applejack. In 1970 he earned a patent for this self loading trailer that is used to transport apple bins, making the process much more efficient.