Meet Hall of Honor Inductees
On Saturday, HCS' inducts the third class into its Hall of Honor. Meet the newest members.
Some of the best and brightest ever to walk the halls of HCS will be honored Saturday as the third class of inductees are added to the school's Hall of Honor.
The ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday in the school auditorium.
This year's inductees include:
- John V. Griffith HCS class of 1965. President of Presbyterian College in South Carolina;
- Charlie Getchonis HCS class of 1960. Long-time teacher and Hamilton Mayor;
- Jeff Dinski HCS class of 1995. Running his own online company;
- Kathleen Mogelgaard HCS class of 1991. Adviser for international environmental and peace initiatives;
- Dean Chapman HCS class of 1968. Presbyterian Minister and doctor of internal medicine;
- Paul Howes HCS Class of 1977. Clinical psychologist.
2010 induction ceremony coverage
2009 induction ceremony coverage
Meet this year's inductees:
Dean W. Chapman
Dean was a member of the Hamilton class of 1968. While in school he was very active in sports, playing football and baseball. Dean was also an accomplished musician, playing in the band and earning high ratings on two instruments at the state level. He was also a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. From high school he went to Oberlin College making the dean’s and president’s lists, and graduating with a B.A. degree in English in 1972. He started a career in professional landscaping and after 10 years returned to the academic scene at the Columbia Theological Seminary andearned his Doctor of Divinity in 1982, becoming a minister in the Presbyterian Church. He served in this capacity for 21 years in the Orlando, FL area. During that time he authored two books. His work inspired him to help others who were suffering from poor healthand he returned to school where he earned a medical degree from the University of Florida in 2007. Dean was awarded the Hippocratic Award for unselfish devotion to patient care. In 2007, after long hours and at the age of 61, he began to practice internal medicine in Vermont. Dedicated to his need to help others, Dean has volunteered for numerous projects first here in Hamilton at the First Baptist Church and then in Florida at nursing homes in his community. He practices internal medicine and continues to do volunteer work at a student-run free clinic, earning him the Equal Access Clinic Services Award. Dean enjoys music, travel and birding. He has two grown children and currently lives with his wife in South Burlington,VT.
Jeffrey J. Dinski
Jeff Dinski graduated from Hamilton Central School in 1995. He was the salutatorian and also won that year’s Senior Athlete of the Year Award, as he captained football and basketball teams and was a key member of the league champion golf team. He was also the senior class president, Student Council president, and editor of the Emerald Press. He was in the National Honor Society. All of his achievements throughout high school prepared Jeff for continued success at Princeton University from which he graduated in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering and later at Harvard where he earned an MBA with honors. As an undergrad, he wrote for The Daily Princetonian, earning the coveted sports editor position. As awriter for NBC sports, he won an Emmy for NBC’s outstanding live sports coverage of the 2002 Olympics. He also covered the French Open, Wimbledon and Notre Dame football. Later, Jeff helped start ESPN’s first live morning show, Cold Pizza, where he served as head writer and a producer. More recently, Jeff served as Director of Business Development for Comcast Interactive Media. Currently,Jeff is the co-founder and COO of an e-commerce business called Gaggleofchicks.com and lives in Philadelphia with his family.
Charles Getchonis
Charlie was born and raised in Hamilton and is a 1960 graduate of HCS. He was active in sports, playing on the basketball teams as well as the football teams that won the 1959-60 Center State Championships. He was also a four-year member of the band and orchestra. He graduated from SUNY Oswego in 1965 with a B.S. in education and in 1965 began his career at the Madison, Canastota and Chittenango BOCES program. From 1967 he taught drivers education and technology for 34 years at Chittenango Central School, also serving as senior class advisor for 15 years. A popular teacher, the school yearbook was twice dedicated to him by his students. He retired from teaching in 1999. His dedication to Hamilton is reflected in his service to the community. Elected to four terms as the village’s mayor, he has also served on the boards of the Village of Hamilton and the Town of Hamilton. As a member of Rotary he served as its president and he was a former president of the HCS Sports Boosters Club. His involvement in Hamilton continues to this day as he serves on various village committees overseeing local projects. His three children are all HCS graduates and Charlie resides in Hamilton with his family.
John Vincent Griffith
John Vincent Griffith graduated from Hamilton in 1965. While inschool he ran track, was a member of the band, orchestra, and choir, and was active in theater productions and the honor society. He earned his undergraduate degree in religion from Dickinson College, a master of divinity degree from Harvard University, and his Ph.D.from Syracuse University. His career eventually took him into higher education where he has held the positions of dean and vice president at Davidson College and president of Lyon College. In June of 1997, he was the unanimous choice of the Presbyterian College Board of Trustees to be its 16th president. During his tenure the College launched a $160 million campaign, established a doctoral program in pharmacy, recruited a Confucius Institute, and positioned the college to transition from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I. He has also served on executive boards on the state and national levels for Independent and Presbyterian Colleges and Universities. Because of his interest in development and strategic planning, he has served on boards and chambers of commerce in the communities in which he has lived. He is an ordained Presbyterian Minister (PCUSA) and a member of Trinity Presbytery. He enjoys yoga, water sports and reading and is an avid artist. John has two grown children and hecurrently lives with his wife in Clinton, SC.
Paul Howes
Paul, a 1977 graduate of Hamilton Central School, finished fifth in hisclass and was very active in all aspects of school life. He was afour-sport athlete: football, ice hockey, tennis and track. He was captain of both the hockey and football teams in his senior year. In addition to sports he was an accomplished French horn player with the wind and brass ensembles and the orchestra from eighth grade forward. Paul was a member of the Syracuse Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Utica Symphony Orchestra, and the Colgate Orchestra. His talent earned him NYS all–wind ensemble honors during his senior year. His musical talents were also on display as the leading role in the HCS musical productions for three years. He attended Amherst College and graduated magna cum laude with a BA in psychology while playing four years of varsity ice hockey. Paul continued his passion for all things musical, playing in the college orchestra and singing in the men’s a cappella group, serving as itsdirector in his senior year. He completed his advanced degrees, psychology (1985) and Ph.D. in psychology (1989) and was an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Rochester from1989 until 1992. Paul is now in his 21st year in private practice as a clinical psychologist with his focus being kids and families. He still performs in an a cappella group called the “Bowties” and serves as the group’s musical director. He married a fellow HCS grad, has two grown children, and currently lives with his wife in Fairport.
RSS 2.0 Feed
