Meet this year’s St. Patrick’s Day grand marshal

Virginia Tyson was selected by Chamber of Commerce of the Moriches to be their grand marshal for the 2026 St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

She said growing up in Center Moriches has always been an adventure filled with great memories shared with family and friends. She attended school, K-12, in Center Moriches and graduated in 1971. Then, she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in early literacy at Dowling College.

In 1977, she married Bill Tyson and they have two children, both graduates of CMHS. They also have five grandchildren, with one in kindergarten being the start of the fourth generation in the Center Moriches school system.

She was elected to sit as a member of the Center Moriches School Board for 12 years and was also elected to serve as a trustee of the Center Moriches Library Board for 32 years.

Like the generations before her, she said that she feels fortunate to have grown up and then raise a family in this community.