Annette Baumgarden is President of the Oakwood Heritage Foundation. She is a retired Art Teacher who taught in the Niagara Falls City School District. She has a background in Arts, culture, history and hospitality. She works at Shea's Performing Arts Center. She feels Oakwood is an historic, artistic, cultural treasure with spectacular architecture that must be preserved and appreciated.
Darlene Sprague - Treasurer
Darlene Sprague is a member of the Oakwood Heritage Foundation. She retired from the Niagara Falls City School District as the Administrator for Information Services after 16 years. Prior to that she worked for the Moore Research Center on Grand Island for 22 years as a Manager of Technology Solutions. Sprague is an alumna of State University at Brockport and holds a BS in Computer Science and Business Administration. She is an Executive Board member and past President of the Greater Niagara Frontier Council, Boy Scouts of America where she has volunteered for 29 years. She is also the School Board President for St. Peter’s RC School in Lewiston. Darlene is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Niagara. She is a resident of Niagara Falls. Her son is serving in the US Navy and is married with a son and another child due soon. She has been visiting Oakwood Cemetery since she was a little girl and has found the cemetery a place of peace, history and quiet reflection.
Marcia Capone - Board Member
Marcia Capone is the Administrator for Assessment in the Niagara Falls City School District. She holds both a Bachelor and Master’s Degree in Opera Performance from Indiana University and a Master’s in Educational Administration from the University of Buffalo. Prior to her career in education, Capone was a principal singer with the Rome Opera Festival in Rome, Italy where she sang numerous mezzo soprano roles. A native of Western New York, she is committed to preserving its rich historical past for future generations. Recognizing the deep connection between art and nature, she values the significant architecture found in Oakwood Cemetery which is enhanced by the natural beauty of its grounds. The value of Oakwood cannot be overstated as it provides a glimpse into the rich tapestry of prior generations who laid the foundation for our city. Capone currently resides in Niagara Falls with her husband and two sons.
Laura Fitzgerald - Board Member
Laura Fitzgerald is excited to join the Oakwood Heritage Foundation Board. As a lifelong taphophile, she served as the Director of Interpretive Programming & Volunteer Coordinator for Buffalo’s Forest Lawn Cemetery for three years and continues to give talks in the community on local historical figures and the art and symbolism found within cemeteries. Currently, Laura works as the Director of Operations & Grants Management for Preservation Buffalo Niagara, the region’s only full-service professionally staffed preservation organization, empowering Western New Yorkers to champion historic preservation as a means of creating a more culturally rich, vibrant, affordable, and sustainable community. She appreciates the quaintness of Oakwood and loves learning the many life stories of the residents interred within its gates.