Locals: People and Businesses in the News

RIDING IN STYLE: Though the Fourth of July has come and gone, we wanted to share this wonderful photo by Andy Puritz (at right) of Stan Fox—this year’s City of Oneonta July 4 parade grand marshal—waving as he travelled down Main Street with John Brooks in his 1957 turquoise Chevy convertible.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVERS: SUNY Oswego recently recognized several Otsego County residents as high academic achievers on its President’s List and Deans’ List for the spring 2023 semester. President’s List students are those attaining semester grade-point averages of 3.8 or higher while carrying required academic credits. Students on the President’s List include Lena E. Greene of Edmeston, majoring in meteorology and applied mathematics. Deans’ List students are those attaining semester grade-point averages between 3.3 and 3.79 while carrying required academic credits. Students on the Deans’ List include: Aimee L. Cook, Cherry Valley, zoology; Grace C. Kelley, Worcester, accounting; Jessica Phillippe, Oneonta, cinema and screen studies; Zachary R. Sluyter, Richfield Springs, criminal justice; and Samuel L. Solomon, Richfield Springs, technology education.

ICE CREAM ACCOLADES: Jerry’s Place Ice Cream and Grill of Hartwick has been awarded the title of Upstate New York’s #1 Ice Cream Destination by travel writer “Big Chuck” D’Imperio in a recent article published on CNY News. The article, dated July 27, showcased several ice cream parlors in New York State, and Jerry’s Place emerged as the author’s clear favorite. D’Imperio was captivated by the enchanting flavors and delightful offerings that set Jerry’s Place apart from other ice cream establishments in the region. “We are beyond honored and humbled to be recognized as the top ice cream destination in Upstate New York,” said proud owner Jeff Braswell, a Culinary Institute of America graduate. “This achievement is a reflection of the passion and dedication of our team to serve excellent ice cream while crafting delicious sundaes, shakes, banana splits and some of the best classic Americana-inspired food in the area.”

NEW HIRES: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties has welcomed two new employees to its team in recent weeks. Marcie Foster of Cooperstown is the organization’s new horticulture and natural resource educator. Foster has coordinated a Women’s Outings Group at the Clark Sports Center, and her 14-year-tenure at the Otsego Land Trust included outreach, development, land protection, stewardship, and community education. Foster has a BA in geology from SUNY New Paltz, and she has continued coursework in wetlands plant identification and delineation at SUNY Oneonta, and in botany at SUNY Cobleskill. Foster is also a licensed real estate salesperson for Bluestone Country Real Estate in Oneonta. Erich Keena of Middleburgh is CCESO’s new agriculture and food systems program manager. He most recently served as county program technician for USDA Onondaga County Farm Service Agency. Keena worked for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County as their agriculture economic development specialist and, prior to that, spent seven years in Sichuan, China studying and teaching English. Keena grew up in the Capital Region and has a BT in agricultural business management from SUNY Cobleskill. CCESO is a non-profit community education agency, affiliated with Cornell University as part of the national land grant university system. CCE staff helps preserve Otsego County’s vast agricultural heritage, protect ecological infrastructure, support families, and provide youth opportunities for community service and research-based education in science, technology, engineering and math.

DIRECTOR AT DMC: The Destination Marketing Corporation has announced the appointment of Ryan West Geraghty as its new marketing and communications director. Geraghty is the former managing director of Paperkite, a digital marketing and creative agency located in Otsego County. While on the Paperkite team, she worked to identify and capitalize on traditional and emerging marketing trends, providing clients with creative solutions to drive their marketing goals forward. Geraghty brings with her a passion for fostering collaborative partnerships and an innovative work environment and, as a resident of Oneonta, she is thrilled to bring her love of Oneonta and passion for the arts to the DMC. She has extensive experience in the event industry—producing hundreds of live events throughout the area and in the U.S.—along with a love of the arts, serving as executive director of the Catskill Symphony Orchestra. In her new role, Geraghty will lead and oversee all of Cooperstown/Otsego County Tourism and Schoharie County marketing and communication efforts. “Ryan’s broad industry knowledge and exceptional leadership skills make her a powerful addition to our team,” said Cassandra Harrington, president and chief executive officer of DMC. “We’re confident that under her direction, we’ll continue to break new ground in how we market and communicate our offerings to both current and prospective travelers, local businesses, and residents, and foster a unique and personalized experience for everyone.”

KEY AWARD WINNERS: Elmira College announced this year’s recipients of its annual Key Award on Tuesday, September 5. A tradition that dates to 1935, the award is presented to outstanding students in their junior year of high school or preparatory school. It recognizes high scholastic achievement, leadership, citizenship and participation in extracurricular activities. Local recipients included Angelina Torres of Oneonta, Haylie Lund of Edmeston, Kelsey Jicha and Tori France of Cooperstown, and Shane Johnson of Richfield Springs. “This award is given to students with the potential to excel academically, serve as leaders and go on to enjoy success in life,” said College President Charles Lindsay. “We hope they will choose to make Elmira College their place.” The Key Award is sponsored by the EC Alumni Association. Founded in 1855, Elmira College is a private, residential liberal-arts college offering 25 majors, an honors program, 17 academic societies and 16 Division III varsity teams. Elmira is a Phi Beta Kappa college and is top ranked for student internship placement. It is also home to the Center for Mark Twain studies, which attracts Twain scholars from around the world.

SUMMER SCHOLAR: Amanda Plows of Hartwick was named to Southern New Hampshire University’s summer 2023 semester Dean’s List. SNHU’s summer term runs from May to August. Full-time undergraduates with a GPA of 3.5 to 3.699 are named to the Dean’s List. SNHU is a private- nonprofit university with more than 170,000 students worldwide. It offers 200 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs, available online and at its 300-acre campus.

ALUMNI AWARDEES: Dr. Kristin Jones of Oneonta is one of five members of the Hartwick College comm-unity selected to receive a 2023-2024 Alumni Award. The honor salutes graduates and current faculty or staff for their service to the college and Hartwick community. Professor of Economics and Honors Program Co-Director Jones was named the College’s Outstanding Employee for the creative and deliberate ways in which she has integrated alumni into her classroom experience. She has been successfully connecting students in her classes to Hartwick alumni for years, even before it became a tenet of FlightPath, the college’s flexible and personalized approach to education. Starting in 2018, Jones has partnered with Director of Planned Giving Pat Dopazo to connect students in her Honors Seminar with alumni. Last year, Jones volunteered to design and pilot one of the college’s first SOAR Capstone courses, during which each student interacted with about 15 different alumni. Because of her thoughtful and deliberate work, many of her students have benefited from true mentoring relationships. Jones has been with Hartwick since 2005, and has also served as the economics department chair and as a member of Faculty Council. Other winners this year are: Rob Carpenter ’88 of Monkton, Maryland, who will be presented the Meritorious Service Award for demonstrating outstanding loyalty and effective service to the College; David Ryan Polgar ’01 of New York City will be named the winner of the Distinguished Alumnus Award, given to a graduate who has distinguished themselves through outstanding achievements in their professional career, civic, and/or charitable activities; Rejoice Scherry ’13 of Plymouth, Vermont, earned the Outstanding Young Alumna Award, given to a graduate of the last decade who has shown exceptional competence, performance, and achievement in professional or volunteer activities; and Scott Weber ’11 of Rochester has earned the Outstanding Volunteer Award, which recognizes those who have demonstrated outstanding and sustained volunteer service for the college. The group will be celebrated at an on-campus ceremony on Friday, September 22. “We are so proud of this year’s awardees, and look forward to celebrating with them on campus during True Blue Weekend 2023,” said Director of Alumni, Parent and Family Relations Kimberly Hastings.

NEW PALTZ PLANS: Brandon Gardner (right), a member of the Oneonta High School cross-country team that took the Section IV Class C title last fall, has begun his freshman year at SUNY New Paltz. According to his great-aunt Maddy, Gardner plans to major in mechanical engineering and will be running both track and cross country. “He told me he liked the program and the college, and is looking forward to being a member of the team. I am so proud,” Maddy said. (Photo provided)