Steven Sultan Scholarship

Steven “Stevie” Sultan was born on Valentine’s Day, 1921 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He moved to East Greenbush, New York with his family when he was a young child and grew up on a dairy farm with his seven brothers and sisters. Stevie was a standout baseball, basketball and football player and a graduate of Castleton High School. After graduation, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked for several years planting trees in New York and Washington.

After graduating from welding school in Washington, Stevie worked as a welder there for several years. He was drafted to play professional baseball in Washington, D.C., but decided to enlist in the Army instead where he served as Staff Sergeant in Air Force for three years during World War II. He was a gunner on a B-17 when his plane was shot down over Germany. Stevie sustained serious injuries, including the loss of his eye. Despite his injuries, he managed to save another soldier’s life and spent the next 22 months as a prisoner of war. When the war ended, Stevie returned to the U.S. where he spent more than a year in the hospital recovering from his injuries and the horrendous treatment he received as a prisoner. He was awarded the Purple Heart along with other commendations.

After he was released from the hospital, he attended Hudson Valley Community College in the early 1950’s and earned a degree in Carpentry and Woodworking. He built several houses, including two for his brother and sister, and then worked as a cabinetmaker for Millbrook Kitchens. He was considered a fine craftsman. Stevie also purchased over two hundred acres of land in East Greenbush, near the farm where he grew up. He built and operated a golf driving range for a couple of years to generate funds to fulfill his dream of developing a 9-hole golf course. It took him over 12 years of working nights and weekends to complete Pheasant Hollow Golf Course – it opened for business in the summer of 1982. Stevie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the winter of 1983 and passed away shortly thereafter, in May of 1983.

His life centered on his love of family, hard work, good humor, vision for the future and dedication to helping others – always giving and never asking for anything in return. Almost every Sunday, the family would gather at Uncle Stevie’s house in East Greenbush to work, play, laugh, and enjoy one another’s company. He was a truly special individual who inspired his family and all who knew him by his presence and the simple manner in which he lived his life. He was an advocate for education, a businessman, a skilled craftsman and, most importantly, a caring person who knew the importance of family and exemplified it everyday.

His family created this scholarship fund in memory of Steven Sultan so his memory will live on and his life continue to be an inspiration for others.