RFH 2010, Cover Stories, HCS News

Seven Join HCS Hall of Honor

Sat, Jul 02, 2011

There they were:

a theologian turned college president;
an Emmy-winning reporter/writer turned Internet entrepreneur;
a landscaper turned Presbyterian minister turned doctor;
a teacher turned mayor;
an international expert on population and climate change issues;
a successful psychologist;
and a fixture at HCS and one of the men most responsible for the creation of the Hall of Honor

As emcee Superintendent Dr. Diana Bowers said, "All of them are members of the HCS family," and as of today, all enshrined in the school's Hall of Honor

On a perfect July afternoon, friends, families and past Hall of Honor inductees gathered in the HCS auditorium to see the seven latest members enshrined.

Having their plaques added to the wall between the gymnasium and the cafeteria were:

• John Vincent Griffith, introduced by Dave Berkey;
• Charles Getchonis, introduced by his son Scott;
• Dean W. Chapman, \introduced by Fred Howe;
• Jeff Dinksi, introduced by his father Ed;
• Kathleen "Katie" Mogelgaard, introduced by Dick Carroll;
• Paul Howes, introduced by Stu Dodd and Matt Behler.
• and Tim Noel, a surprise inductee, introduced by Dick Lenhardt.

After the other six inductees were honored, Bowers and Dick Lenhardt, a member of the Hall of Honor committee, recognized Noel for his many years of contributions to the school. He was a bus driver for HCS and has, for many years, been a scorekeeper for most of the HCS athletic events. Noel and Lenhardt were instrumental in getting the Hall of Honor started; in fact, Noel sold a boat of his and used the proceeds as seed money in the hall's first year.

To a person, each of the inductees commented on the specialness of HCS and the village in which they spent their formative years.

"I have tried to recreate what it was like growing up in Hamilton in ever community in which i have lived," said Griffith, HCS Class of 1965 and today president of Presbyterian College in South Carolina. "This is a place where you are known, and held accountable.

Another inductee, knows a bit about Hamilton. Getchonis, HCS Class of 1960 and a teacher for 34 years, was its mayor for four terms. In his remarks, Getchonis said it was good "... to be in a position to do something for the village you love -- it doesn't get any better than this."

His son Scott echoed his father's outlook: "I feel fortunate to call Hamilton my home town."

The Chapman family are no strangers to the halls of HCS. Dean Chapman, Class of 1968,  was a student here while his father was principal; his brother Dana was principal at HCS as well. After his parents did a few months apart, Chapman left the Presbyterian ministry and went to the University of Florida Medical School at the age of 52. He graduated at the top of his class and now is a hospitalist practicing internal medicine in Vermont.

"I am astounded by the quality of the people that this school has produced over the years," he said.

Jeff Dinsky is one of those people. After graduating from Princeton, he was a writer for NCS and t hen ESPN and today runs an online site for new mothers called Gaggle of Chicks.

"This was a place to learn to do different things," said Dinsky, Class of 1995. "There are an incredible amount of people who are really invested in your long-term success."

Dinsky said three such people at HCS were Nan Washburn and two previous Hall of Honor inductees Gary Rider and Tom Blackford.

In introducing Katie Mogelgaard, Dick Carroll said he was waiting for a return email from her about some of the details about the induction. When she did hget back to him, she apologized for the delay: she was in Bangladesh when he had sent his email. Listing all of the country Mogelgaard visits in her work on climate change and population issues, Carroll said, " her office is the planet."

Mogelgarrd, who graduated in 1991, recalled "the kind of attention we got from teachers and the time they took to cultivate your potential." She cited several teachers, including Washburn for instilling a love of language and Rick Hanson, her girls basketball coach, who taught her the value of teamwork.

"So many things that are still with me today started here at HCS," she said.

Stu Dodd and Matt Behler co-introduced Howes. All were members of the Class of 1977. Combined they provided the comedy relief of the afternoon.

Howes, who said "my roots in Hamilton run deep," confessed to three things as part of his induction acceptance speech:

1. In second grade he punched a classmate in the nose ... a girl.
2. In a hockey game, he carried the puck into the goal ... with his foot.
3. His senior year, he was part of a failed plot to steal the large bell in front of the school.

Howes also led the audience in the singing of the alma mater.

Following the ceremony, the Emerald Foundation provided an ice cream social for those who attended.

Here are the iscriptions on the inductees' plaques:

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.

Kathleen Anne Mogelgaard

Katie graduated from Hamilton Central School in 1991. She participated in all musical groups, was in Masquers, was on the Hamiltonian 1991 core staff, and in National Honor Society. She played on the first HCS girls’ soccer team, was All-CSC, as well as playing basketball and running cross country and track. In 1995 Katie, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, graduated from the College of William and Mary with a B.S. in environmental science. She earned masters’ degrees in public policy and science from the University of Michigan in 2004. As Assistant Director of Government Relations at the National Audubon Society she worked on international conservation policy issues. As a Population-Environment Fellow at the Population Reference Bureau, Katie conducted research onhealth, population, and the environment in Asia and Africa. She coordinated efforts on population-environment at the National Wildlife Federation and the Union of Concerned Scientists, and has served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Boston. She currently is a lecturer at U. of Maryland and Senior Advisor for Population, Gender and Climate Change at Population Action International in Washington, D.C. She plays in a symphony and bluegrass band, and is a mentor with the DC Big Brothers Big Sisters program.