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Genesee Community College Inducts Four New Members to Alumni Hall of Fame

By Howard B. Owens

Note, yesterday we picked up an item from WBTA about Wanda Frank being inducted into the GCC Alumni Hall of Fame.  Here's the full press release from GCC:

Genesee Community College is inducting four new members to its Alumni Hall of Fame on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 4:30 pm in the Conable Technology Building, North Lobby at the Batavia Campus.

"The Alumni Hall of Fame serves two important purposes," said Patti Pacino, Alumni Affairs Coordinator. "It recognizes the accomplishments of former students and their exceptional business and civic contributions. And it serves as an example for current students to see these highly successful alumni and know that their remarkable careers began right here at Genesee."

The 2009 Genesee Community College Alumni Hall of Fame inductees are:

Wanda Frank (Class of 1997) - Wanda is currently a radio personality on WBTA 1490 AM radio in Batavia, NY and hosts her own show on Wednesday mornings. Wanda went back to school as an adult student to complete a degree in Theatre Arts from Genesee. She served for 10 years as the executive director of the Genesee Arts Council. She is very active in local community theatre, including Batavia Players, Rotary and Genesee Community College's theatre programs.

Ellen (McCarthy) Ryan (Class of 1976) - Ellen was one of the first supporters of Genesee when it was established in 1965. She completed a Registered Nursing degree and worked for many years at Saint Jerome's Hospital. She was vital to the creation of Hospice Care in the local community and continues to support its efforts. She is active with the Genesee Community College Foundation by attending varying events, as well as supporting two endowed scholarships, the Michael T. Ryan Fund for the Future and the Michael T. and Ellen M. Ryan Scholarship for Excellence.

George E. Schaefer (Class of 1976) - George is currently the clerk of the Norfolk Circuit Court Clerk's Office in Norfolk, Virginia. After obtaining his Bachelor's degree from SUNY Brockport in 1978, he earned his J.D. from Ohio Northern University of Law in 1984, and launched his career in education as a social studies teacher. In the early 1990's, he shifted his profession and began his distinguished tenure within the Virginia legal system. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar Association and the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association. He is very active in his local community, including sitting on various school boards, local churches, and the Knights of Columbus.

Paula (Miller) Schaefer (Class of 1979) - Paula is presently a member of the Virginia House of Delegates 87th District - Norfolk since January 2005. She serves on many committees including the Science and Technology Committee, Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee and the Joint Subcommittee Studying Land Use Development. For several years, Paula was a news reporter and substitute anchor for WTKR-TV 3 in Norfolk, Virginia. She is an active member in the Norfolk community and is a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

Past inductees into the Genesee Community College Alumni Hall of Fame include: Joseph H. Bell '79, Monica Dawson '72, Jerry Reinhart '71, Lori Stupp '89, Paula Savage '76, Margaret Weissend '99, Ann M. Bell '88, Steven G. Hyde '82 and Gary Maha '76.

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