Where are they now?

By: Brian J. O'Donnell

The purpose of this new feature is to reacquaint our readers with high school graduates who have moved from our area and faculty/staff who have retired. My original intent was to limit this to those graduates and retirees from the Watkins Glen Central School District, but I have been asked to include those from Odessa-Montour as well. I am happy to include Odessa-Montour, but if someone with more experience in that district than I would like to take over the O-M information, please contact me and that can be arranged.

For this new feature to be successful and continuing on at least a monthly basis, I really need the help and assistance of the graduates and retirees to contact me and submit the information (name, high school graduation year or years of employment, current residence -- city & state, college (to include any activities/clubs/athletic teams), family (spouse and children), current employment, membership in any organizations, volunteer work, etc. I cannot research this information, so I am very dependent upon information being sent to me at: brianodonnell74@yahoo.com

I would also appreciate it if readers would share the purpose of this feature along with my e-mail address with your classmates and friends, asking them to contribute information as well.

(As an aside, I have been contacted by a retired College Professor who is writing a book on a now-defunct College -- Shelton College, formerly known as National Bible Institute). The institution began in 1907 in New York City under the leadership of DON ODELL SHELTON and was eventually named in his honor. It seems as though Mr. Shelton was born in Odessa circa 1867. Information on him is sketchy at best and the author for the proposed book is looking for any Shelton family members who may yet be living in the area to contact him at: BillDavisCBC@gmail.com to provide any biographical information available.)

OK -- now moving on to "WHERE ARE THEY NOW?"

#1: NICK PARADISO: Watkins Glen High School Class of 1957 and went on to Syracuse University on an academic scholarship; at WG Nick was Student Council President and Class Vice President for four years; he appeared in the Senior Play and received the Northrup Foundation Award; married wife Terry in 1967 and had three children: KRISTEN who passed away in 2000, NICK III who is Vice President for Governmental Relations at National Heritage Academies in Grand Rapids, MI, and Dan, a union mason living in Rock Stream. Son Dan has four children who are or have been in the WG School District; NICK worked for the State University of New York, retiring as Vice President at the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry. He has served on School Boards in Guilderland and Syracuse and holds or has held membership in a variety of professional and community organizations. After retirement in 1996 NICK moved back to the Finger Lakes area and now shares his time between Watkins Glen and Sebring, Florida. Since 1996 NICK has been on the Town of Reading Planning Board, two Committees of the Schuyler County Legislature, consulted at SUNY Binghamton, volunteered at the Central New York Charter School for Math & Science, led 2001 National Conference on Charter Colleges in New York City, consulted with the NYS Charter School Institute, serves as Emeritus Member of SUNY Human Resources Association and been a Board Member of the WGCS Alumni Association. NICK has visited Alaska and Hawaii and numerous additional states, and played "an awful lot of golf."

#2: MICHAEL AUGUSTINE: Watkins Glen High School Class of 1997. MICHAEL joined the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Scott Air Force Base (Illinois) for a four-year enlistment. He holds an Associate Degree in Information Management from the Community College of the Air Force and is completing his Bachelor's Degree in Computer Information Services (Computer Forensics specialty) from DeVry University. MICHAEL resides in St. Charles, Missouri with wife JAMIE and two-year old daughter VIOLET. He currently works for the Ferguson Florissant School District as an IT Specialist in St. Louis, MO. Additionally he has written Major League Baseball analysis for "Rant Sports" and for "Bronx Baseball Daily" as well as high school classmate JESSE SCOTT'S football blog.

#3: JESSE SCOTT: Watkins Glen High School Class of 1997. JESSE joined the U.S. Air Force in 1999 and has been stationed at Offutt AFB (Nebraska), Langley AFB (Virginia) and RAF Molesworth (England).Currently JESSE is Training Manager at the 2nd Systems Operation Squadron at the Air Force Weather Agency on Offutt Air Force Base. JESSE also owns and edits a Big Ten Football blog on Fox Sports' Yardbarker Network called KnowItAllFootball.com AND he is a Member of the Football Writers Association of America. He holds an AAS Degree in Information Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force (received in 2005) and graduated with a BS in Business Administration from Columbia Southern University in 2008. He is now working on his MBA. JESSE currently is living in Omaha, Nebraska with wife GINA and two children -- LONDON, age 5 and ELIOT, age 1. JESSE reports that he and GINA celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary this past August by renewing their vows on the Watkins Glen Pier with fellow Class of 1997 grads MATT CLARK, JED DICKERSON, MIKE AUGUSTINE, MIKE MC NANEY and JOHN "CHUCK" BRAME in attendance.

These are the first three in this series of "Where Are They Now?" Hope you've enjoyed reading about them. Look for others in future columns. I'd love to hear from retired faculty/staff members also. Please send your information to: brianodonnell74@yahoo.com

Photo in text: Brian J. O'Donnell