by Linsey | Jul 24, 2019
Elaine lived in the Town of Hamburg all my life. After graduating from that “other” high school in Hamburg, on Bay View Road, she attended Daemen College, which was Rosary Hill at the time, to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in education and math. Following graduation, it was on to Canisius College for a master’s degree in Guidance Counseling. Her teaching career started with substitute teaching positions in various school districts. A long term position opened up in 1977 shortly after the blizzard at Hamburg’s junior high school. Elaine spent the next twenty years there teaching Algebra. In the fall of 1997, she moved to the high school with the freshman class and stayed there until retirement in 2006. She continued to substitute for six more years while acting as coordinator of the Advanced Placement Program. She then served as a proctor for the exams. “It was the best job I could have hoped for in a wonderful, supportive community. My favorite experiences were seeing so many people at games, concerts, performances, and special events. My career has truly been a great blessing. Many thanks to all”.
by Linsey | Jul 24, 2019
Dawn is a WNY native, graduating from Salamanca High School. As a young mother volunteering in her children’s school, she realized she wanted to be a teacher, so she spent the next decade attending college nights and summers to earn her BA, Masters, and Administrative certification. During this time, she taught full-time in K-8 private schools, and she had the good fortune to meet and marry Jim Ryan; together, they raised seven children. She joined the faculty at Hamburg Central School District where she spent twenty-five happy years in the English Departments at the Senior and Junior High. With her colleagues, Dawn created a reading/writing workshop classroom, an exciting time of professional growth. It was also gratifying to reconnect with K-8 teachers when Dawn became the district Language Arts Teacher-Coordinator, a position she held for four years. After retirement from Hamburg, Dawn worked for SUNY at Fredonia, teaching and supervising student teachers. Jim and Dawn moved to Colorado in 2000 where Dawn began tutoring, then volunteering at her grandchildren’s elementary school. That led to Colorado certification and the opportunity to become a reading/writing specialist in Boulder Valley School District. Dawn ended her career helping children read and write in a one-room mountain school. Dawn’s most lasting legacy is her daughters, Julie and Vicki, both of whom are currently accomplished teachers, the career they turned to after succeeding in other professions. Vicki teaches in Boulder Valley School District; Julie is currently a department chair at UB. Since retirement from BVSD, Dawn has enjoyed creating volunteer writing programs in senior centers, hospice, and hospitals, work that has enriched her life. She remains grateful to Hamburg Central School District for the privilege of teaching Hamburg students. It was, in fact, the hardest job she ever loved.
by Linsey | Jul 24, 2019
Cindy was a science nerd at Hamburg High School, her love of science nurtured by her teachers and fellow students. After graduating, Cindy packed up her slide rule and trained as a geologist and oceanographer, earning a degree in geology from University of Rochester (1977) and a Ph.D. (1983) from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. She participated in several field and ship-based campaigns studying rocks from the Earth’s oceans, taught geology at Colgate University, conducted research at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, then moved to Houston, Texas in 1988 to work at NASA. Today, Cindy is Chief of the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division at the Johnson Space Center. Her division curates all of NASA’s extraterrestrial samples, including the Apollo samples from the Moon, meteorites, and samples from asteroids, comets, and the sun. In her 30 years at NASA, Cindy counts herself lucky to have worked in a variety of roles supporting science activities for human spaceflight. She trains astronauts in Earth observations and geology; managed the Image Science & Analysis Lab that provided critical information to analyze the Space Shuttle Columbia accident; and developed Earth observation programs for the Space Shuttle, the Russian Mir Space Station and the International Space Station. Field work remains a core component of Cindy’s work. She collaborates with other scientists, astronaut crews and mission control team members in field activities to test NASA hardware and science operations directed at the future exploration of other planetary surfaces like the Moon and Mars. Cindy was a member of the 2015-16 Antarctic Search for Meteorite (ANSMET) field team, collecting meteorites in Antarctica’s Miller Range for 5 weeks.
by Linsey | Jul 24, 2019
Barbara was born in Lackawanna, New York. She attended Our Lady of Victory Academy where she received its “Ideal Victory Girl” award upon graduation. Barbara went on to receive a Bachelor, and later, her Master degrees at Buffalo State University. She began her role as an educator at Charlotte Avenue School, L5. She married her husband, Donald, a star Hamburg student athlete of the ‘50’s. After six years of memorable teaching experiences, Barbara took a leave of absence to raise their four children – Julie, Janine, Paul, and Kurt, all of whom attended Hamburg Central Schools. During her leave, Barbara was active in community organizations, particularly, Hamburg Little Theater, through which she received several stage performance awards. In 1976, she returned to teaching at Union Pleasant Elementary School, L5 and L3. She claimed her return to education offered her new and challenging opportunities to focus on children’s needs. Through creative planning, she believed, learning could be exciting, inspiring, and enjoyable, while also meeting students’ academic needs. Barbara incorporated the use of drama, nature, notable classroom guests, and numerous visits to local business, social, athletic, and government sites into her teaching programs. She continued to focus on her goal until her retirement in June, 1998. Barbara is grateful to her colleagues, administrators, parents, and students who supported and inspired her work.
