by Linsey | Jul 24, 2019
The Hamburg Boy’s Golf teams dominated Western New York for twelve consecutive years, coached by Hamburg Wall of Famer, Jim Henneberg. In the twelve-year stretch the Bulldogs won or shared 12 consecutive division championships, and only losing 3 matches, which is an astounding 97% winning percentage! Several team records were made and broken during the streak, including the team scoring- individual match total team scoring of +4 over par for 72 holes, and the individual match school record, set by Kris Cappuzzo, of -3 under for 12 holes. This school record along with Cappuzzo winning the NYS golf champion, helped launch his induction into the Hamburg Wall of Fame in 2012. In total, there were 50 boys who were members of these twelve teams, and many of them have gone on to careers in the golfing industry. The talent level was so deep that some of the most difficult competitions came in the playoffs for starting positions among the team! That dilemma was solved by Coach Henneberg, who scheduled two opponents on the same day and devised a split squad strategy, which allowed more players to compete without sacrificing a drop in the quality of play. Many team members remain friends and look forward to teeing it up with former teammates. Golf remains one of the “lifetime sports” which can be played for decades after graduation, combining a blend of mental and physical ability, and is one of the few sports which requires a competitor to self-enforce the rules. Our Hamburg golfers displayed this high level of integrity both on and off the course.
Hamburg Boy’s Golf Teams 1988-1999 Coach: James Henneberg
Team Members: Brian Andrea Luke MacDonald Jason Ansuini Brian McElwain Rob Black Rob McElwain Adam Boland Colin Maher Jon Boland Mike Measer Pat Bowman Derek Nicholas Kris Cappuzzo Mike Pallotta Joe Centrich Paul Peccia Tim Claret’ Jason Polisoto Mike Cohoon Jeff Rapini Chad Collins Mike Rapini Kevin Devine Jason Ruh Dave Dunn Craig Saundres Kevin Edson Andy Sheffield Brad Fischer Mark Szarowicz Mike Frydrych Mike Szarowicz Ryan Gannon Chris Thuman Jason Geiger Doug Wagner Joe Gervase Brad Weaver PJ Hoak Jacob Werner Chad Hoisek Dave Will Todd Hoisek Tim Will Jim Jordan Gene Williams Joel Kenyon Andy Zemrac Jeff Kummer Bill Zoeller
by Linsey | Jul 24, 2019
In Front Sitting: Kathleen Kaney, Colleen Kaney, Amy Kane Kneeling: Gavin Bassham (little boy), Richard Bassham, Michael Kane Standing: Gail Kaney, Michael Kaney, Megan Kane, Abigail Kane, Erin Kane
Mike and Gail Kaney started their life together in the Village of Hamburg in 1969 where they chose to raise their three daughters, Amy, Katie and Colleen. During those years phrases like… Be a good citizen”, “Make your community better place- volunteer”, and “If you see something you want changed — get involved”; were heard in the Kaney house. Simply stated, add value to your life and your community each and every day. Mike Kaney served as a medic in an Intensive Care Unit in an Evacuation Hospital during the Vietnam War. For his service, he was awarded a Bronze Star.
Mike’s community involvement through coaching youth sports starting in 1970 and continues today. Mike has been involved as a coach/director for Little Cagers Basketball and coach/director and president of Hamburg Junior Baseball League. He has also served as the Chairman of the Village of Hamburg Recreation Commission. Mike’s most rewarding coaching has come from his work with the Kyle Reid Challenger Baseball League. Mike researched and presented the idea for the league for children with special needs to the Hamburg Junior Baseball League. With their support and the support of Hamburg Central School District, The Reid Family, Town of Hamburg YES program, and adult volunteers, this program is entering its 17th season this year. Getting to know the kids behind the disabilities and their families has been a rewarding part of Mike’s service to youth. Mike’s work in real estate and with the economic development committee has lead him to be an active participant in the business community. This led him to start the Village Business Advisory Council (VBAC) during the Rte. 62 reconstruction project in Hamburg. He has also served as a Budget Ambassador for the school district. In the early years of her marriage Gail stayed at home raising their daughters. In 1984, she went to work for Lillian Brand, as her secretary in the Hamburg Central Pre-K program, working on behalf of young children and their families. Gail continued to work for the next 25 years in this capacity, being the first contact for many families entering the school district. During recent school events for her granddaughters, she can still pick out those familiar Pre-K faces…only on bigger bodies! Whether on the baseball diamond with the Challenger League, building numerous playgrounds or chairing the Hamburg Sno-Ball, Gail volunteers to support the Hamburg Community. Gail retired, or as she likes to say, “Graduated from Hamburg” in 2009. Amy Kaney Kane graduated in 1988 as a two-sport varsity athlete (gymnastics and basketball). She continued her education at Canisius College, BA’92, MA’94 in Education. She is married to Dr. Michael Kane and is the mother of three girls, Erin (’16), Megan (’18) and Abby (’21). Amy placed her teaching career on hold to raise her family. Along the way she has become a volunteer for the Hamburg schools. She became a member of the Hamburg Central PTSA and has held numerous volunteer/ leadership positions at UPES, Hamburg Middle School PTSA vice-president for 5 years, HHS Post Prom, a member of numerous district committees, Hamburg Bulldog Booster Club Board member, and Parent-Child Connection member. Outside of school, Amy was a Girl Scout volunteer and leader and manager for the Hamburg Monarchs G 02/03 Premier team. In 2016, Amy was honored with the Town of Hamburg Youth Bureau Mary T. Blakeslee Service to Youth Award. She will continue her volunteering within the district for years to come. Dr. Katie Kaney graduated in 1990 as a two-sport varsity athlete (tennis and basketball) and was a leader in the band and student government. Katie continued her education at UB, where she played basketball, served as VP of the Student Association and completed her BA in Biology and MBA in Healthcare. Katie pursued her doctorate in Public Health from UNC Chapel Hill in 2013. Katie has taken her family values to Charlotte, NC, where she is married to Rich Bassham and has a son, Gavin. Katie has been a volunteer for Hospice for over 20 years, served as President of Leadership Charlotte and serves on the Board of Directors of Loaves and Fishes, a local food pantry. She was recently named to join the UNC Public Health Foundation Board. She is currently Senior Vice President of Carolina HealthCare System. In 2015, Katie was awarded as one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Charlotte, NC. Though she is not in Hamburg, she continues visit often and supports Hamburg’s growth in numerous ways.
Colleen Kaney graduated in 1995 as a three-sport varsity athlete (tennis, basketball and softball). She participated in band and student government. Colleen continued on to SUNY Geneseo, BS’99 in education, receiving her MS in education and MS in administration (LIFTS program) from the University of Buffalo. Colleen started her teaching career as a Pre-K teacher in 1999, moving to a special education teacher then a classroom teacher in Room 100 at Charlotte Avenue School. In 2009, Colleen became the Director of Pupil Services. She currently serves as Assistant Superintendent for Student Services, Curriculum and Instruction for the District. She is active in the Parent-Child Connection, Town Youth Board and a member of Leadership Buffalo Class of 2012. Colleen was recently named to the 2016 Business First “40 Under 40”. She feels blessed every day to be giving back to the community that gave so much to her growing up. It is an honor to be part of this community and serve together to help it be great- Go Bulldogs!
by Linsey | Jul 24, 2019
Erin was a gifted athlete whose talents were exceeded only by her work ethic and drive to succeed! She was a 3-sport athlete, playing soccer, basketball, and softball. In 8th grade, Erin played varsity soccer and was pulled up to play varsity basketball for the playoffs. Erin went on to score 1,071 career points and won two Section VI titles in basketball. She listed winning basketball sectional titles and scoring 24 points against rival Williamsville East as two of her favorite high school memories. Erin was captain for all 3 sports teams her senior year and was named All WNY 2nd team. Erin went on to play basketball at John Carroll University.
by Linsey | Jul 24, 2019
Alison Pipitone has enjoyed an incredibly loyal following throughout her many years as a musician and songwriter in the WNY rock music scene. As of 2017 she has released nine albums of original material and has performed thousands of shows throughout the United States. Her music has a distinctly American sound- alternative rock injected with equal parts of punk, country, blues, and folk. It is true that the band (Patrick Shaughnessy, Graham Howes, Natalie Howes, Marc Hunt) can veer to the left or right of any given style, but Pipitone’s voice remains instantly recognizable at the center. Awards: Buffalo Music Hall of Fame (Class of 2017); Sportsmens Americana Music Foundation Jim Lauderdale Songwriter of the Year (2016); 17 music awards including 10 times as Top Female Vocalist, three times as Top Original Band, and two Lifetime Achievement Awards (Buffalo Music Awards, WBNY Music Awards, NightLife Magazine, and Artvoice Best of Buffalo). Alison is a founding member of the Hamburg Music Festival (501 c3), and for eight years served on the Board of Directors. As of 2017 The Hamburg Music Festival has donated over $110,000 to “individuals and organizations doing real and actionable good in our community.” Alison holds a Master’s Degree in English Literature from SUNY Buffalo State College and a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Southern California.
by Linsey | Jul 24, 2019
Nelson Morgan was born in Buffalo in 1949 thanks to the efforts of Brenn and Evelyn Morgan. Evelyn later became a much-beloved teacher at Hamburg High School, where Nelson also attended. After his sophomore year, Nelson entered the University of Chicago. After (very) odd jobs including work as a recording studio engineer, he got his PhD at the University of California at Berkeley in Electrical Engineering. After stints at National Semiconductor and at a brain research laboratory in San Francisco, he became a Professor in Residence at UC Berkeley, where he graduated 27 PhD students, and was for thirteen years the Director of the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) in Berkeley, a not-for-profit research institute closely affiliated with the Berkeley campus. At ICSI, he mentored over 60 international visitors, primarily postdoctoral researchers. He has written over 200 refereed publications, and 3 technical books, including a graduate text on audio signal processing. He received the Signal Processing Magazine best paper award, and became a Fellow of the IEEE and of the International Speech Communication Association. He was the first to use neural networks for speech classification in a commercial application. He is the co-inventor of statistical uses of artificial neural networks for speech recognition, which became widely used in commercial systems. In 2016 he was general chair of the primary conference on spoken language technology, Interspeech. After retiring from his Berkeley career, he became focused on campaign reform through empowering political volunteerism. He co-founded UpRise Campaigns, a California Social Purpose Corporation, and wrote a 4th book about its goals entitled “We Can Fix It.”.
