There are four vehicles involved in an accident at West Main Street and River Street, Batavia.
All occupants are out of the vehicles and walking around, according to a first responder.
City Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE 5:45 p.m.: Two more ambulances requested to the scene to evaluate patients.
Batavia PD is looking for a person of interest in association with the theft of benches from a local business.
The name of the business nor location were released by the department.
The person of interest and vehicle associated with that person are shown in the photos.
The bottom photo is of a bench identical to the ones that were stolen.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Nicole McGinnis at (585) 345-6350 or the Batavia Police Department's confidential tip line at 585-345-6370.
A 37-year-old Batavia woman admitted in Federal Court today to wire fraud in a case that involves her possession of unemployment benefit cards in the names of other people.
Danielle Tooley faces up to 30 years in Federal prison and a $1 million fine when she is sentenced in August.
A state trooper uncovered the fraud during a routine traffic stop in Bergen on Nov. 24 in which he first discovered evidence of crack cocaine and then during a search of the vehicle found six NYS unemployment benefit cards in the vehicle's center console.
According to the trooper, he observed a crack pipe with white residue in the vehicle. Tooley admitted at the time that she had crack cocaine in the vehicle's center console. As he prepared the vehicle to be towed, he recovered the cards made out to individuals other than Tooley. He turned the cards over to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Federal authorities investigated and found that Tooley had withdrawn money from bank accounts associated with the benefit cards.
Prosecutors say that Tooley used the COVID-19 relief program to perpetuate her fraud.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Labor Racketeering and Fraud, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Mellone; the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Todd Allen; the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Jeffrey Burr; the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Sharon B. MacDermott; and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Barry Chase.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 17, 2022, at 3:30 p.m. before Judge Wolford.
What began as an innocent conversation at a parent meeting has turned into a new role and title for Tina Bak of Oakfield.
During the meeting that also included Susan Zeliff, who with her husband owns and operates The Goose and founded Warrior House, Bak learned that the wheels were not yet in motion for an upcoming benefit for the nonprofit.
“We were just chit chatting at the last PTO meeting that I came to — she has let us use the Goose … and she told me that she wanted to have this benefit during garage sale weekend in June, and hasn't started planning it yet. We got together and met like a couple days later, and I started calling around for donations,” Bak said during an interview with The Batavian. “She's like, ‘holy smokes, you're on a roll.’ She goes, you're not just my volunteer, you're the fundraiser coordinator.”
Bak has had great success in getting donations, with the total being more than 200 items for an upcoming basket raffle. Generous businesses have wanted to be part of the fundraising effort for this cause, and Bak has collected goods from “Buffalo to Rochester, and everywhere in between,” she said.
The event is an open house and basket raffle for Warrior House, and runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at The Goose, 33 South Main St., Oakfield.
Warrior House is a concept as much as a location. In fact, it stemmed from a conversation by the Zeliff family when deciding what to do with a farmhouse on a piece of property the family purchased. The original mission and location have changed and expanded, moving from Orleans to Genesee County and, in addition to supporting men and women veterans, it includes a food pantry, community center, meeting room, seasonal hunts and school supply, toy and clothing drives.
As of this past fall, the Zeliffs purchased the former Camp Hough property at Silver Lake, so they could also provide additional camping opportunities for veterans and their families. (See related article here.)
Proceeds from the basket and 50/50 raffles will help offset costs of community events such as paint nights, monthly community meals and arts and crafts activities for adults and children, all free of charge to the public.
“It’s been kind of fun, it’s just an exciting thing to see what we've secured. This is going to be a huge raffle. We've got something for everyone,” Bak said. “We've got dinner, and restaurants and entertainment, and just fun gift cards … we’ve got something for literally everyone.”
Golf packages worth up to $425, Maid of the Mist tickets, wine tours, an exercise bike, pizza for a year from Santino’s, a $250 Target gift card, Jim Kelly autographed football, $100 cash, NFL and NHL signed memorabilia, a GLOW YMCA family membership for a year in Batavia are just some of the raffle items.
Or maybe Stokoe Farms admission, Oliver’s, Alex’s Place and Eli Fish Brewing Company gift cards, a Valle Jewelers bracelet, a Miss Buffalo cruise, a Mary Kay beauty basket and a Batavia Downs Gaming stay and play package are more enticing.
For higher value items, tickets are $1 each, $5 for six or $10 for 12, and remaining basket raffle items are $5 for a sheet of 26 tickets or $10 for three sheets. A 50/50 raffle will be $1 per ticket, $5 for six tickets or $10 for 12.
The Goose has become the central hub for many activities and events, and it has been getting some major touch-ups this past year. Some grant monies have helped to pay for renovations, including a commercial kitchen still in progress, Bak said.
The site has been topped with a new roof, while inside renovation progress is near completion. The food pantry, which has its own location within the building, and the Community Room, are still in progress, the bathrooms are finished and a commercial kitchen is nearing the finish line. Another addition, probably for next summer, will be a Farmers Market location within the building.
The food pantry helps out 50 to 60 families each month, and a Christmastime toy and clothing drive helped out untold numbers of folks during that season. A common phrase nowadays is food insecurity, which simply means that folks are struggling to make ends meet, pay their bills and also put a meal on the table for the family.
It’s all “pretty cool,” Bak said.
“We hope to see it being used by the community for events, dinners, activities, and by groups to who need a space for meetings or other activities,” Bak said. “We are excited to have this project come to fruition. We would not be where we are now without the donations from our generous sponsors."
For more information, email thegoose33@aol.com or call (315) 730-0606. Tickets may be purchased during the open house or online with Venmo or PayPal. When ordering online, indicate if the purchase is for the 50/50 or basket raffle. A gallery of baskets are online for viewing at The Goose on Facebook. For online orders, pay to Susan Zeliff and @warriorhousewny
Photos: A large display of baskets are being prepared in the Community Center at The Goose in Oakfield. Photos submitted by Tina Bak.
GLOW YMCA made a tough decision when it opted to sell the rustic Silver Lake Camp Hough more than a year ago, Chief Executive Officer Rob Walker says.
But it has all fallen into place with the purchase by Peter Zeliff Jr. and wife Susan, Walker said. The Zeliff couple plan to offer the nearly 11-acre site to veterans and their families, and have agreed to allow a weekday camp for children during the summer.
“We are so thrilled, absolutely thrilled, that our donors and supporters were so gracious to them. We're very proud that it's going to be used in a way that we hoped it would be used. And that's through the Warrior House, which is another not-for-profit that's going to invest in it,” Walker said Tuesday to The Batavian. “You know, it was a tough decision, but a necessary one for us as an organization. But with that there's a silver lining here and that it's going to stay, more importantly, a children's camp, and it's going to stay with an overnight opportunity for military families. And that's pretty powerful.”
Operational revenue losses, coupled with a COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, created a financial gap that YMCA officials had to address, he said. After conducting some studies, GLOW YMCA partnered with Greater Buffalo Niagara’s branch to provide another option for kids wanting a full resident camp experience, he said. That will be available at Camp Weona in Wyoming County.
“As a whole, the industry really struggled, especially, like I mentioned, after COVID. It's just been a slow kind of decline,” he said, explaining Camp Hough’s new role. “Importantly, too, in addition, because of (the Zeliffs’) perspective and joint respect and cooperation in this, making sure the asset is used in the best possible way, they are allowing us to run a YMCA summer day camp on the property.”
Even though YMCA is no longer the owner, the nonprofit, in partnership with the Village of Perry, will run day programs Monday through Friday at the Silver Lake campground as of June 27, he said.
The proceeds from the Camp Hough sale will be reinvested into the Batavia-based YMCA’s expansion and work at the Healthy Living campus, he said. Abatement has begun, evidenced by construction flags, with ongoing demolition at Cary Hall.
“They're in the final stages of asbestos removal. They're taking that stuff out,” Walker said. “They've been working at that for about a month. And that's expected to come down next month.”
The Batavian will provide more details about the YMCA project in the near future. Meanwhile, the Zeliffs plan to offer the Camp Hough property, with 480 feet of waterfront, to veterans and their families as a camping retreat. Mrs. Zeliff did not return a call made to her for additional comments as of Tuesday evening.
For more information about Warrior House, go to http://www.warriorhouseofwny.com or see the related article here.
2014 File Photo of Camp Hough.
In Genesee County Court today, Matthew T. Zakrzewski faced the metaphorical equivalent of Door 1, Door 2, or Door 3.
Only Door 1 was already open. It contained a maximum prison term on his arson charges of 10 years.
Behind Door 2 is the possibility of 20 years in prison, and behind Door 3 is a jury trial and a possible 40-year prison term if convicted.
Zakrzewski rejected Door 1 because he had done his own research and apparently believes he can beat the five possible felony charges pending against him.
While Zakrzewski's case has not yet been presented to a Grand Jury, he is currently charged with:
District Attorney Kevin Finnell communicated to Zakrzewski's attorney, Fred Rarick, a plea offer that would have Zakrzewski admit to two arson felonies in exchange for a sentence cap of 10 years in prison.
Initially, Zakrzewski accepted the plea offer but after "doing his own research," Rarick told Judge Melissa Cianfrini, Zakrzewski decided there were defenses available to him that might help him beat the charges at trial.
For example, Rarick said Zakrzewski believes he can claim he was drunk at the time of at least one of the crimes and use that as a valid defense.
Rarick said he regrets that there is no way, while Zakrzewski is in the Genesee County Jail, that the attorney could show him video the prosecution could present that purportedly shows Zakrzewski in the act of committing a crime. In his professional opinion, Rarick said, it would be hard to convince a jury, based on that evidence, that Zakrzewski was intoxicated. He isn't stumbling around or displaying other signs of clear inebriation.
In court on Tuesday, Finnell said that if Zakrzewski did not accept the pending plea offer by the end of the hearing, it would be withdrawn, and the cases against him would be presented to a Grand Jury. If indicted, the best plea offer Zakrzewski could hope for was a 20-year prison term. If that was rejected, Finnell noted, and Zakrzewski was convicted at trial, he would face a maximum prison term of 40 years.
Zakrzewski told Cianfrini that he understood the offer and the consequences of rejecting it.
He also said that, based on Rarick's apparent belief that Zakrzewski would be convicted of the charges, he wanted a new attorney.
Cianfrini explained to Zakrzewski in multiple ways that the court had no authority to force the D.A. to reinstate a rejected plea offer, and that once it was withdrawn, it was entirely at the descretion of the District Attorney to decide what, if any, other plea offer might be made.
"It will be out of the court's hands," Cianfrini said. "It is on the District Attorney's authority. The court cannot compel the District Attorney to make a plea offer."
Zakrzewski said he understood that.
She also explained that Rarick had a law degree and passed the bar.
"He has many years of criminal defense experience," Cianfrini said. "His job is to make an assessment of the case based on his training and experience and offer you advice."
"Do you have a law degree?" she asked Zakrzewski.
"No," he said.
Cianfrini told the defendant, "You don't have the background or the training and experience, but it is absolutely your decision." She wasn't trying to influence his decision, she said, but wanted only to make it clear the limits of the court's authority and that once the decision was made, it couldn't be undone.
"His job is to look at the evidence and advise you," she said. "When he tells you things, he's not working against you. He's telling you based on his experience and training, this is what he thinks."
Rarick said that while in his professional opinion Zakrzewski should accept the plea offer, he was ready and willing to assist Zakrzewski in pursuing his right to challenge evidence, make motions, and mount a defense.
After the discussion, Zakrzewski agreed, at least for the time being, to keep Rarick as his attorney.
The 42-year-old Zakrzewski is accused of setting a chair on fire at Washington Towers in mid-January. Later in January, he was accused of starting a fire at a residence on Bank Street earlier in the month. He was later arrested in connection with a reported mid-January fire, also on Bank Street.
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A Batavia man facing a manslaughter charge for allegedly letting the mother of his children die of a drug overdose entered a not-guilty plea in County Court on Monday.
Makeen Ithna-Asheri, 61, is accused of buying drugs for Anda Ithna-Asheri, 61, and then when she overdosed, he allegedly failed to provide aid.
Police were called to the Ithna-Asheri residence at Northside Meadows at 9:32 p.m., Dec. 31, to investigate a report that two adults had overdosed in the presence of their children.
When patrols arrived, Anda Ithna-Asheri was already dead. Emergency responders administered several doses of Narcan to revive Makeen Ithna-Asheri, according to police.
The children were reported to be aged seven and 10.
Last week, Ithna-Asheri was indicated by a Genesee County Grand Jury on counts of manslaughter in the second degree, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th.
Ithna-Asheri entered a not-guilty plea to all charges.
Motions in the case are set to be argued at 1:45 p.m. Aug. 9 in Genesee County Court.
Judge Melissa Cianfrini continued Ithna-Asheri's confinement status at $50k bail, $100k bond, and $150k partially secured bond. Still in jail on the same bail.
A Basom resident admitted in County Court on Monday that he stole a vehicle and assaulted a police officer in exchange for a potential prison term of no more than seven years.
Justice C. Coniglio, 31, of Basom, entered guilty pleas to grand larceny 3rd for stealing a 2013 Chrysler 2000 and assault 2nd in connection with an incident at his home on Bloomingdale Road, Basom.
His plea deal caps his sentence at 1 1/3 to three years on the grand larceny conviction and 3 1/2 to seven years on the assault conviction, with the sentences to run concurrently.
The plea satisfied pending charges of resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration.
Coniglio was arrested on April 25 on the grand larceny charge and on July 23 on the assault charge.
The assault charge seemed to stem from an incident that also involved Jarrett C. Coniglio. Jarrett hit a neighbor, while on the neighbor's property, over the head with a beer bottle and then was involved in the fight with deputies that led to one of the deputies being bit by K-9 "Frankie." The deputy suffered a puncture wound.
Last week, Jarrett was sentenced to five years in prison.
Justice Coniglio will be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 30. In the meantime, Judge Melissa Cianfrini ordered that he remain held in the Genesee County Jail on $20,000 bail, $40,000 bond, or $60,000 partially secured bond.
Press Release:
Kiwanis Club of Batavia will be hosting its annual Independence Day 5K on Monday, July 4 at 9 AM at Centennial Park. The club is so excited to bring this event back in person after hosting a virtual event last year.
You can register here
Proceeds from the race will be distributed to the Autism Nature Trail at Letchworth State Park, Batavia City School Foundation for the Community Schools Program, and lastly the Kiwanis activity fund which supports community events such as our Easter Egg Hunt, Thanksgiving Morning Skate and others.
We can’t wait to see you there!
A two-car motor vehicle accident is reported in the area of 986 Bloomingdale Road, Basom.
There are fluids leaking and one person has a possible leg injury.
Alabama Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE 3:28 p.m.: Pembroke and Indian Falls dispatched mutual aid.
UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: Minor injuries. Responding units can continue non-emergency.
Press Release:
The Batavia Police Department is looking for help in identifying a person of interest in a larceny at Tops Supermarket which occurred on June 2 at approximately 10:05 a.m. Anyone with information on the identity of the person in the photo is asked to contact Officer Christopher Lindsay at 585-345-6350, the confidential tip line at 585-345-6370. Please do not post tips on Facebook or Twitter as the posts are not continuously monitored.
The Batavia Muckdogs (3-1) plated an eight-inning run to break a 5-5 tie with the Auburn Doubledays at Dwyer Stadium on Monday in a game that was delayed a couple of times due to rain.
In the eighth, Brian Fry doubled to open the frame, advancing later in the inning on a double steal after Daniel Burroway had reached base on an error. Fry scored on a sacrifice fly from Alec Maag.
Fry was named player of the game after going 4-4, scoring twice and knocking in a run. The sophomore at the University of Toledo and from Medina is now hitting .533 on the season.
Tyler Cannoe had a hit and two RBIs and Burroway had two RBIs.
The winning pitcher was Trey Bacon. The Santa Fe College sophomore started in left field but took the mound in the seventh inning and gave up only one hit, striking out four, over three innings.
Joshua Milleville, from Lockport and attending Fairleigh Dickinson University, made his first start of the season. Milleville escaped a tough spot in the opening frame. He hit two hit batters, gave up a single and a sacrifice fly to score one run before he recorded his first out. He only gave up one more run in 3 2/3 innings of work, striking out three while surrendering seven hits. Batavia's Alex Hale came on in relief and gave up four hits, two runs and walked two over 2 1/3 innings.
Eddie Rives took the loss for Auburn.
Top photo: Brian Fry with a stolen base in the first inning.
Photos by Howard Owens
Auburn shortstop Cooper Erickson scores the first run of the game in the first inning while Batavia catcher Alec Maag waves off a throw to the plate.
Third baseman Jerry Reinhart.
Fry singles in the first inning.
Starting pitcher Joshua Milleville
Second baseman Fry fielding a ground in the first.
Jerry Reinhart fouls off a pitch in the second inning.
Josh Leadem, attending the University of Rochester, grounds out to third in the second inning.
Extra hitter Liam Ward, from Albion and attending Niagara University, fouls off a pitch in the second inning.
Reinhart, Caleb Rodriguez, and Fry during the National Anthem.
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Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of talks with City Manager Rachael Tabelski regarding updates on various city initiatives.
It was one thing to be working when COVID-19 hit, and one had to figure out a system for being remote at home. But for City Manager Rachael Tabelski, she was hired for the assistant manager and city manager positions during the pandemic, which meant not having all of the regular in-person meetings with key professionals. She recently attended her first NewYork Conference of Mayors meeting, live and in person.
“Overall, it was very good and very informative. It was nice to actually meet other managers around the state, and talk to them about what they have going on in their community, ” she said during an interview with The Batavian. “So it was really, really, for me, extremely helpful, because for two and a half years, I really couldn’t meet anybody out there.”
The Batavian talked with Tabelski for updates on city projects, vacancies and future insights. Her assistant manager position has been open for a few weeks now, and resumes have been coming in, she said.
“I think it's great to see so many folks interested in the position and in the job and how it's going to move forward,” she said. "And I sincerely thank The Batavian and your articles, because I think that's helpful for candidates to see the news of what's going on in the community, and thoughts and goals and vision I have for that job. So I think that's really neat. And I think the news outlets in Batavia, actually, knowingly or unknowingly, play a big role in how we can recruit for qualified candidates both at city and county levels of government.
“Because people who read the stories that you write about what is going on in the community, what positive changes we may be making, what problems and issues we're trying to tackle. They read all that before they come and apply for a very high-level job like assistant city manager,” she said. “And so credit to our residents and our news agencies for showing the best side of Batavia out there that there is a lot of progress going on. There's a lot of investment and that government teams are a place people would want to come work for, especially here in the city.”
Batavia’s driving force …
“I think it's great that there's a lot of positive momentum in our community surrounding the downtown development projects. The hospital being under Rochester Regional Health, their new buildings, their new offerings for health care here, I think, is huge,” she said. “I think the school district plays into the idea of locating somewhere as well. If you were coming from out of the region to locate here, you'd be looking at the school district, we'd be looking at the prospects for the future, or is it a growing city? Did we have good numbers on the last census track? Do we have programs aligned to keep people here and in their homes? Or to help people qualify to buy homes? Do we have a highly educated population? You know, what percentage do we have graduating high school and college? All those factors play into any job seeker when they're looking for a new opportunity.”
At first blush, it certainly seems as though the city is displaying at least some of those characteristics. Batavia City Schools placed in the top half of all districts across the country in the latest U.S. News & World Report. A local realtor is conducting a workshop next month to assist prospective homeowners with the process. Projects are in various stages of completion to provide new, affordable housing, restaurants, jobs and a second brewery.
Though there also seem to be gaps, by city and county officials’ own admission. There is no large venue to serve as event space; JC Penney’s, a dependable staple and anchor for the former mall, has left; and there are sections of black space within empty buildings where the lights have been turned out.
Housing needs -- from permanent to temporary ...
An upside is the impending Ellicott Station, with expected completion to be in the summer of 2023. Geared towards lower-income folks, the complex should serve the needs of “certain service sectors” and seniors, Tabelski said, with “really nice housing” and an opportunity for the occupants to hang onto some of what they earn or receive from Social Security.
Housing developers conducted a market housing study and identified a price point for housing in this area, she said. That doesn’t mean Batavia is sufficient without the higher, market-rate housing developments, she said.
“So I think sure, if they've proven there's a need for it, and they're going to rent those all out, then there absolutely is a need for high-quality rentals at those certain price points. I also think there's still a big need for market-rate housing. The question is, can a developer come in and get a return on their investment on a building that works for them at the market rates?” she said. “And I think someday, yes, they will be able to. In the COVID building season, it might be a little more difficult.”
As for empty buildings — the former JC Penney, for example — what would serve the city best? Tabelski referred to a report from 2010 that stated there wasn’t a market for a boutique hotel downtown, and officials have heeded that advice up to now.
“I absolutely disagree with that statement. I think with all of the investment going on with the YMCA and the different offerings, and the theater, with the hockey rink, that there is a need, and a small boutique-style hotel or micro-hotel could be very successful in our downtown,” she said. “I think it's one of the next steps in our development process. So again, the exact people that live here and they spend money in retail restaurants, then they have family come in to visit, and now there's a hotel in the downtown. And not to even forget our international students from GCC, they may have friends and family that fly in to see them. Certainly, they could stay at the other hotel offerings that are there, but this might be an opportunity to bring them more into our downtown and more into an urban atmosphere than on the outskirts.”
A wedding (or similarly large special event) party house would also be very successful, she said. Or perhaps both of those ideas.
“In our downtown, we've talked about it for a long time, it would pair nicely with a boutique hotel,” she said.
Another housing need, though, has more to do with longer-term, temporary situations. We are missing “the larger manufacturing corporations” in need of fully furnished lodgings for new employees in training, she said.
“For them to stay in, for maybe a three, four or five months period, which I consider a corporate housing-type market,” she said. “We talked about this when I was at the IDA, and now I continue to see it happening, that they'll need to go to the outer suburbs of Buffalo and Rochester to find something fully furnished, a corporate housing-type opportunity. So I think that's another opportunity the city has, to develop a unique piece of the market and have more people staying here. And when I say the city, I do mean the private sector, not the actual city of Batavia, just to be clear, where someone could make a return on their investment and have a product out there that supports the manufacturers and their employees that come over for kind of longer-term stays. There's a lot of positive opportunities even after we get all these DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative) projects done, there's going to be a lot more to continue to work on.”
Last word on the vacant Penney building was that a real estate developer from California purchased the property and is shopping it around to local developers. Meanwhile, designs are being made for the new police station, to be just across the street at another Alva Place and Bank Street parking lot.
Next up: The city manager discusses the police station, ice rink, shopping experiences
Top 2022 file photo: City Manager Rachael Tabelski gives an update during a City Council meeting, and Tabelski participates in the ceremonial groundbreaking shovel toss for Ellicott Station.
Several gunshots were reportedly fired at houses on Bethany Center Road in the Town of Bethany sometime after 9 p.m., Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday, the Sheriff's Office reports.
The incident occurred between Mayne Road and Raymond Road.
There is no known motive for a targeted attack, officials said.
A two-door dark blue car with a loud exhaust was reportedly observed in the area driving up and down Bethany Center Road at approximately 8:30 p.m., Saturday.
There were no injuries reported.
Anyone with information that may assist in the ongoing investigation is asked to contact Investigator Ryan DeLong at (585) 343-5000, extension 3572 or ryan.delong@co.genesee.ny.us.
The Pavilion Hall of Fame inducted three new members on Friday: Jack McGee, a veteran of WWII, Diane Davis Torcello, a banker and community activist, and TJ Majors, a NASCAR spotter.
The family of McGee received a U.S. flag, which had been flown over the Pentagon. Torcello shared stories of her work and volunteer contributions. Majors was unable to attend because of a NASCAR race the next day, but a video showing him work was shared with the audience, which included students from sixth through 12th grade.
The Pavilion Central School Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 2013. It recognizes outstanding PCS alumni who have achieved distinction in their lives and chosen fields after high school through significant contributions to their career, community, or through personal achievements, providing incentives for current and future students.
Below, are biographies provided by the Hall of Fame committee:
TJ Majors
TJ Majors was born in Pennsylvania but grew up in East Bethany and attended Pavilion schools, graduating in 1999. He developed an interest in racing at a young age as both his father and grandfather had successful racing careers in Pennsylvania. By the time he was in high school he became very involved in online racing. He was very successful and competed at a high level. During this time, he met aspiring NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt Jr. The two chatted online, and this led to a friendship. During final exams in his senior year, Dale Jr. was scheduled to do a test at Watkins Glen racetrack, so he invited TJ to come down and watch the test. The test was during final exams in June, so after taking a morning exam, TJ headed to Watkins Glen and spent the day with Dale, Jr. TJ was disappointed a few days later, when he missed the Watkins Glen race, which Dale Jr. won, in order to attend his Pavilion High School graduation!The two developed a friendship and when TJ mentioned that he wanted to try to go racing for real, Dale helped him purchase a Cups Light car, which he raced in Western New York and Ontario, Canada. After a couple of years of racing in that series, TJ decided to move to North Carolina. Dale and another friend made the trip to Pavilion to gather TJ and his belongings and move him to the south. TJ’s friendship with Dale Jr. continued to grow, and after working for a few race teams, in 2007 TJ became Dale Jr.’s spotter.
In NASCAR racing, the spotter has a very important job. They are usually situated on the roof of the grandstand and are continuously on the radio with the driver to tell them where all the cars are around them. They are racing at up to 200 miles per hour in vehicles with very limited visibility. A spotter is probably the third most important person on a NASCAR team, behind the driver and the crew chief. The position would be comparable to being an Offensive or Defensive Coordinator on an NFL team. TJ has the skill, confidence, patience, and concentration necessary to keep his driver out of trouble for a 3 to 4-hour race. One mistake by him, and his driver, as well as many others, could end up in a wreck.
TJ continued as a spotter until Dale Jr.’s retirement in 2017 winning 9 races including the Daytona 500 together. For the 2018 season, TJ was hired by Penske Racing to be the spotter for Joey Logano. Over the next four years, they won 9 races and the 2019 NASCAR Championship. For the 2022 Season, TJ has moved to the RFK Racing Team and is spotting for another of his best friends, Brad Keslowski. He also spots for NASCAR’s Truck Series driver Hailie Deegan and in the Xfinity driver Brandon Brown.
TJ is considered one of, if not the best spotter in the business, and it is rare that he is not mentioned at least once in a NASCAR race broadcast. Over the years, he also spotted for several other drivers in various series including Danica Patrick.
In addition to his work as a spotter, TJ hosts one of the top-rated NASCAR podcasts called “Door, Bumper, Clear”. It is part of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media, and usually airs on the Monday after a race. TJ periodically refers to his roots in Pavilion and remains a die-hard Buffalo Bills fan.
PFC Jack McGee
Born in 1921, Jack, along with his parents and six siblings, moved from Perry, NY to Pearl Creek in 1931. He attended Covington Center School until it closed in 1938 and consolidated with Pavilion Central School, from which Jack graduated in 1940.Jack was an active student throughout junior and senior high. He excelled academically, regularly making the honor roll. During high school, he was a member of the student council, participated in the drama club and ran track. Jack was a member of the Future Farmers of America and worked at several area family farms while attending school. His senior photo in the high school year book read “I am slow of study but quick at play.” Jack’s name on the honor roll, however, suggests that he may have been too modest about his academic abilities.
After working a short time in Buffalo, Jack was inducted into the Army in 1943. Upon completing infantry training, he was sent to France in June 1944. There, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, the legendary “Thunderbirds”, with whom he served as a machine gunner. The exploits of the 3rd Battalion are chronicled in the book “The Liberator,” which later became a popular television mini-series.
Jack’s unit courageously fought the German Nazis in central France and southern Germany through 1944 and 1945. In January 1945, during a period of record low temperatures, his unit fought a major battle with an elite German SS Division in northeastern France. Known as “Operation Nordwind,” it marked the final major offensive of Hitler’s army.
On Sunday, April 29, 1945, Jack’s battalion liberated 32,000 internees from the first and most infamous of Hitler’s Concentration Camps in Dachau, Germany. Among those freed were a physician named Dr. Walter Heumann and his wife. The Heumanns eventually made their way to the United States and settled in Pavilion. In a world of totally unexpected connections, Dr. Heumann opened his practice on Rt. 63 -- directly across from the school.
Unknown to Jack at the time, he had returned the favor of his PCS education by liberating an imprisoned doctor who would one day administer the annual physical to thousands of PCS students. Out of all the medical exams he gave, there's no telling how many potentially life-threatening conditions “Doc” Heumannn may have detected and helped to resolve.
Unfortunately, Jack never returned to see how his service had so directly affected his own hometown. In May 1945, shortly after the war in Europe ended, Jack was killed in an accident while still on duty in Germany. PFC Jack McGee is buried in the American Battlefield Cemetery in Lorraine, France along with ten thousand other, brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who died in Europe during WWII. His combat awards include the prestigious Combat Infantry Badge and Bronze Star Medal.
Honoring PFC Jack McGee is a tribute to every courageous PCS alumnus who has ever served, or will one day do so. Jack's admission to the PCS Hall of Fame is a symbol of honor, bravery, and sacrifice -- attributes that make members of the PCS community proud.
Diane Davis Torcello
Diane D. Torcello is Senior Vice President of Community Banking for Western New York at Tompkins Community Bank, a role she has held since 2013. Diane’s primary focus is the management of the retail sector of the bank, developing operational procedures to ensure proper compliance, coordinating operations with related management functions, and overseeing the Bank’s 16 branches spread throughout Western New York. She resides in Pavilion with her husband, Ralph. They have two sons, two daughters in law, and three granddaughters.Diane has more than thirty years of banking experience. Before being appointed to her current role at Tompkins, Diane was a Branch Manager for the market’s largest branch. Prior to that, she held the positions of Regional and Branch Manager for Wyoming County Bank and The Pavilion State Bank, as well as serving as a Commercial and Mortgage lender. She attended GCC, the Pennsylvania Banking Association School of Commercial Lending, The New York State Banker’s Consumer Lending School, and many other banking programs.
Diane is a proud Pavilion Central School graduate from the Class of 1980. While in high school she was class Vice President, a field hockey Genesee Region All-star, a cheerleading Section 5 Champion, and was involved in various student activities such as band, yearbook, and the school play. Through these activities, Diane built the leadership skills she utilizes in her career today, empowering others and leading by example.
As an adult, Diane has been very active in the community. Though Diane believes that her family, friends, and career are at the core of her success, she also considers her volunteerism to be one of her most significant personal accomplishments. Some of the things she has been involved in are Parish Finance Committee, Religious Education, Children’ Home Committee, United Way, and the Genesee County Business Development Committee. She is especially proud of her 14 years as a member of the Board of Trustees at Genesee Community College, two of those years serving as Chair. Her personal passion for education and professional development led her to chair the Presidential search committee to replace a long tenured president of the college. She worked towards making GCC a welcoming place for traditional and nontraditional students and a place that provides state of the art facilities for community use.
A true team-player, Diane considers her most significant professional accomplishment to be her role in the professional development of others within Tompkins. Diane makes a conscious and consistent effort to ensure that she is mentoring others to help them reach their best professional potential. She feels the most pride at work when she can replace herself in a role with someone that she has mentored.
Diane’s efforts to better the community she cares about have not gone unnoticed. She was a 2016 Women in Business Award winner from the Batavia Daily News, a 2014 New York Community College Trustee’s Donald M Mawhinney Trustee Leadership Award recipient, and a 2000 40 Under 40 Buffalo Business Award winner from Buffalo Business First and has received many banking awards.
Diane feels the excellent education she received during her years at PCS provided the foundation for her success. The faculty and staff served as role models and taught important lessons on how to be a productive and caring member of the community.
Submitted photos.
Sunday’s Notre Dame High School graduation ceremony was filled with thank-yous, encouraging quotes and acknowledgments for those who played a part in the celebratory finale.
For Salutatorian Lucia Sprague, the day was about expressing appreciation for everyone from her fellow students to faculty members.
“When writing a speech, I wanted to thank … the teachers and staff, so we could succeed and prosper to the best of our ability. Thank you for devoting your lives to the pursuit of knowledge,” she said at Resurrection Parish. “To our families, thank you for nurturing us and never giving up on us. By being here today, you are supporting the young men and women that you love and cherish. To our coaches, thank you for the hours you have put in, molding us as accomplished athletes. The lessons you have taught us on the field and in the court are some of the best lessons (we had). To my fellow seniors, you have all made it so far and be proud of yourselves. I could not be more grateful.”
Co-valedictorians Gavin Schrader and Nathaniel Brew also were full of thanks for family members, friends and school staff. At the risk of being redundant, Brew wanted to emphasize a phrase that he figured everyone has already heard some 20,000 times.
“High school has been some of the best and worst years of my life. People tell you to grow up, but also enjoy life because it goes by so fast. I’m grateful for everything Notre Dame has done for us,” Brew said. “And for the 20,000th and first time, ND is a family. Good luck to our graduating class.”
The Class of 2022 — decked out in yellow gold and navy blue — received that final certificate of accomplishment for not just the last four years at the Batavia-based private school, but for the 13-year journey of an important educational career, Principal Wade Bianco said.
The journey doesn’t happen without the support of others, though, he said. He asked that, first the grandparents, followed by parents, and finally faculty, staff and coaches to stand up and be recognized for the pivotal roles they had within each graduate’s success story.
Families make sacrifices to send their children to Notre Dame “and help us lift them to achieve their dreams,” he said, and school employees provide leadership to get the job done.
“You don’t become rich working at Notre Dame, but you know where you do? You get rich in your heart, your mind and your soul …you get the experience of working with these kids.”
An avid reader, Bianco often likes to share positive messages that he gleans from various writers. His advice, from Henry Ford, Dr. Seuss and many others, included that, before you act or react, think; earn before you spend; wait before you criticize and try before quitting. He encouraged students to never stop questioning, whether it’s directed at college professors, politicians, or even themselves.
“My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to be: your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,” he said, continuing to borrow from motivational quotes. “Obstacles are the frightful things you see who you take your eyes off the goal. Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.”
Be open to all of the possibilities out there, he said, to anything that their futures may bring, while also celebrating today’s achievements. And, perhaps the most notable quote of all, for when pursuing challenges that seem too daunting.
“Try one more time,” he said.
Top photo, left to right is Notre Dame Assistant Principal Mike Rapone, Salutatorian Lucia Sprague, Co-Valdictorians Nathaniel Brew, Gavin Schrader, Director of Academic Advisement & Communications Kristen Gomez, Principal Wade Bianco
To view or purchase photos, click here.
Photos by Steve Ognibene
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