by Dawn Kane | Nov 4, 2022
Everyone loved Mr. Kosha. He was the cool 5th grade teacher at Pleasant Avenue School. He also made learning fun. You got to play seat ball in Mr. Kosha’s classroom AND he rode a motorcycle. No doubt many a 4th grader secretly hoped to have Kosha’s name written on their report card as their teacher assignment for the following year. He treated the kids with respect, made them laugh, and always had a story to tell.
Dick Kosha was born in Lackawanna, New York in 1948 and grew up in Blasdell. “I attribute my interest in teaching to my freshman year at Northern Michigan University,” said Kosha. Upon graduation in 1970, Dick was hired to teach 5th grade at Union Pleasant Elementary School. With a teaching career that spanned 37 years, Kosha was surrounded by a wonderful and dedicated staff at the Union Pleasant School. “I was proud to have been on a faculty with so many talented, supportive, and creative educators,” recalled Kosha.
For the first 18 years of his teaching career, Kosha also served the community he grew up in as a Village of Blasdell Police Officer. “We were lucky to have so much energy when we were young,” said Kosha.
Retired from both careers with his lovely wife Pam, Dick enjoys traveling and spending time with their son Jason, Jason’s wife Lauren, and their 2 grandsons Michael and Harry, who live in Merrick, New York. “They have enriched our lives,” said Kosha. He also continues to be an avid hunter and loyal Bills fan.
“I am very grateful for the many years I taught and fortunate to have been a part of a wonderful institution in Hamburg and a proud member of a superb faculty,” recalled Kosha. “I am blessed to have had a great career in education. In 37 years of teaching, I feel like I not only touched a lot of lives, but those lives and experiences will forever be held close to my heart. Thank you Hamburg Central.”
by Dawn Kane | Nov 4, 2022
Diane always wanted to be a teacher. Because she excelled in math, she entered D’Youville College to become a Mathematics teacher, but after her freshman year and 2 calculus courses later, she switched her major to Spanish, her other favorite subject. After teaching Spanish for 35 years, she realized it was a wise decision. Diane went back and earned her math certification which helped her secure a position at the Hamburg JHS. Initially she taught ninth grade Spanish and subsequently the new Spanish 7th and 8th grade courses for which she and her colleagues developed a new curriculum. It was a successful “no-textbook” program with 20 units of personally crafted material by Diane and her colleagues. A great deal of teacher collaboration went into the development of these inaugural courses that included a variety of core topics. The course was executed in a conversational way that allowed the students to become adept in conversing/reading/writing about everyday activities.
For a few years Diane taught 10 classes of Spanish 7 on alternating days. Despite teaching 10 classes of the same course, she never got bored. She recognized that each student was unique and that each class had its own personality, so she accommodated for the needs of each class.
Diane was asked to split time between the JHS and SHS. At the SHS, Diane taught multiple Spanish classes, from Level 1 to 4AP. Due to her versatility, she even taught a French 1 class when asked. She worked with dedicated professionals in her department at both schools, Carol Nelson, Bill McCormick and Patty Hall, who shared both ideas and materials that would enhance the learning environment.
An accomplishment she cherishes when teaching Sp4AP was providing students with an alternate way to obtain college credit. Each year several students who could not fit level 5AP into their schedule, took and passed the difficult Spanish CLEP test and earned college credit. Also rewarding was having several of her former students become Spanish teachers themselves, one currently at the HS. Further, she enjoyed being a Spanish Club leader hosting several fun activities for the students.
After retiring from Hamburg, Diane went on to tutor the homebound and teach Spanish at Hilbert College & ECC South for several years.
Diane recently celebrated her 45th wedding anniversary with her husband, Eugene. She has two married daughters, Michelle and Lisa, and two granddaughters. Teaching has been a very rewarding career and she could not have made a better career choice. She is now enjoying retirement, spending time with her family.
by Dawn Kane | Nov 4, 2022
After graduating from Hamburg High School in 1965, Phil Grigsby attended Oberlin College where he met his future wife, Jan. They married in May 1969 and spent the next two years serving in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, West Africa. In September 1971, Phil pursued the Master of Divinity degree at Yale Divinity School and was ordained a minister in the United Church of Christ. For the rest of the decade, Rev. Grigsby directed Christian Community Action, a New Haven nonprofit.
In summer 1981, the couple moved to Davidson, NC, and Phil began working for CROP-Church World Service developing CROP hunger walks in the Carolinas. The Charlotte CROP Walk became the largest in the country. In 1986, they moved to Schenectady where Grigsby began a 33-year tenure as Urban Agent (aka, Executive Director!) of the Schenectady Inner City Ministry (SiCM), leading the organization that helped feed thousands of local residents. Phil grew SiCM from nine churches to over 50 area churches, all working together to assist the underserved population of Schenectady. According to friend and colleague Rabbi Matt Cutler, SiCM is one of the strongest not-for-profit organizations in the community thanks to the dedication and leadership of Phil Grigsby.
In addition to his commitment to the SiCM food pantry, Grigsby also worked diligently to abolish racial divides in Schenectady County. As the executive director of SiCM, he fostered a program dedicated to providing a safe environment for youth and adults to challenge issues relating to race and diversity called “Schenectady County Embraces Diversity.” He worked hard to help others be heard, treating everyone he met with dignity, regardless of what their situation was. When it came to these issues, Phil Grigsby truly was man ahead of his time. He left a legacy of commitment to justice, equity and peace that will continue to be a significant foundation for SiCM’s work,” said current SiCM Executive Director and CEO Amaury Tanon-Santos.
Phil was also a frequent presence at City Council meetings, never shying away from controversy and “speaking truth to power” on behalf of citizens whose voices are rarely heard. Collaboration with the larger Capital Area religious community was a persistent theme in his work. He was a core force in the founding of the Capital Region Theological Center.
In his spare time, Phil studied and taught the work of Father Henri Nouwen, a Dutch priest he’d worked with at Yale. Phil and Jan were dedicated fans of Tanglewood to which they made annual pilgrimages to hear their favorites from James Taylor to Ludwig van Beethoven. An active member of Emmanuel Friedens Church, Phil chaired the church Council for several years. Phil passed away in November 2021. He leaves his wife Jan; sons, Matthew and Christopher; a brother, Bill, and numerous nieces and nephews.
by Dawn Kane | Nov 4, 2022
Rudy was born in Hamburg, NY to two German immigrants. He went on from HHS to earn his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, landing his first role with Calspan Corporation in 1964. He began his career with the Flight Research Department but moved into Automotive Safety for the balance of his career.
During the Blizzard of ’77, Rudy, along with 2 colleagues from Calspan, launched MGA Research Corporation, which designed and built crash test facilities, equipment and instrumentation, and became a world leader in independent safety testing and equipment solutions.
Rudy was recognized for his brilliant engineering mind and thinking outside of the box to solve complex problems. He also had a passion for challenging others to perform their best. He strove to ensure the success of not just the company but the employees with whom he worked alongside. He would never give up on a challenge or problem presented to him.
Career accomplishments include design/build the first crash simulator sled test outside the US, 1 patent and another pending (both in the automotive safety field), working with a number of foreign automakers such as Kia & Hyundai to bring their vehicles up to US Safety Standards, and opening the MGA Proving Grounds in Burlington, WI. Rudy’s legacy continues to live on in many ways, through his children, his colleagues & employees, customers, and anyone that knew him. Rudy was always an engineer at heart and took those principles into his hobbies of archery & woodworking whereby he designed and constructed his own long-bows and arrows. In his spare time, you could find him reading, hunting, fishing, or just enjoying a hike in the woods. Rudy passed away in 2006.
by Dawn Kane | Nov 4, 2022
This is the second boys’ soccer team to be inducted in the Wall of Fame as a “team of distinction,” joining the 1968 team with this high honor. “JT’s Raiders” as they called themselves in the 1975 yearbook, were led by Coach John Thomas, compiled an overall season record of 18 wins – 1 loss. Co-captains Tom Ketterer and Jim Durr, led the team to the 1st Section VI overall championship ever, by beating Kenmore West 2-1, solidifying the Bulldogs claim the rank of #1 for WNY. Despite Section VI not being able to participate in the New York State championships in 1974, sports writers still listed Hamburg as the overall NYS ranking of #4 in all of State. The team had great balance both offensively and protecting the goal, as the Bulldogs outscored their opponents by a dominating 68 goals for while allowing only 18 goals against. Remarkably, remembered Co-captain Ketterer, in no less than 9 games during the season, the purple and white scored the game’s first goal within one minute from the start of the game!
The offense was led by Bob Minkel and Billy Young while the defense was defended by goalie Jim Durr, Carl Villarini, Todd Rice, Helmuth Wolf, and Tom Ketterer. Eight members of the championship team received post season honors. Named to the ECIC All-Start Team: 1st team: Jim Durr, Billy Young, Tom Ketterer, Carl Villarini, and Bob Minkel. 2nd team: Helmuth Wolf, Todd Rice, Alex Lopez. Tom Ketterer also received All-WNY, All New York State, and regional All-American honors. Bob Minkel also received All-WNY honors. Five players from this team went on to play soccer in college
Hamburg Boys soccer continued to dominate Section VI for many more years, but none achieved the success that the 1974 did in gaining the rank of #1 at the end of year in Western New York.
