Reunions for 2019 and Please Share Yours

Posted by amherstalumnioffice on 2019-02-19
Posted in: Events, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

It is never too early to start planning.

Please contact the Alumni Office with any info you have on reunions for 2019 to post here and on the alumni reunion page. We can also provide you with a contact list for your class, print mailing labels and help promote on our social media accounts.

(716) 362-8259 – alumni@amherstschools.org

The Alumni Foundation also encourages you to sign-up on our website and update your data in our records. You can do that by following this link.

http://www.amherstalumni.org/Sign-In.htm

Here’s a list of reunions we have setup for 2019:

Save the Date Amherst Central High School Class of 1969

50th Reunion Celebration will be September 14, 2019

At the Buffalo Yacht Club

Approximate cost of $60 per person

Please set up your database profile at amherstalumni.org by clicking here—>   http://www.amherstalumni.org/first-time.cfm

Connect with classmates and read our 50th reunion updates!

The reunion committee will plan a weekend (9/13 – 9/15/2019) of activities, post a listing of local hotels, and list suggestions for our gift to Amherst Central High School from the Class of 1969

*Please set up your profile by November 19th, 2018

Thank You!

Your 50th Reunion Co-Chairs Ellen Marshall & Tina (Vispi) Robertson

Hard to believe it’s been 45 years!  We decided to keep it simple for this reunion – we’ll save our energy for the 50thin 2024!  Hope to see you in July!

THURSDAY, JULY 18 – 7 PM

Old Home Days – Island Park – Meet outside the beer tent – look for the orange and black balloons.

FRIDAY, JULY 19 – 1 PM

Golf Tournament @ Grover Cleveland Golf Course

Contact Tom Brunner to register:  tdbrunner524@aol.com

FRIDAY, JULY 19 – 7:30 PM

Local Grille (Wehrle Golf Dome) – 8230 Wehrle Drive, Williamsville

Cash Bar & Finger Food 

The rest of the weekend is free to do some Buffalo things on your own:  Riverworks, Canalside, Remodeled Brunners! Etc. 

Donations are appreciated to cover postage, printing and finger food for Friday night.  Make checks out to:

ACHS Class of 74 Reunion

Send to:  Lori Rohloff, 479 Evergreen Dr., Tonawanda NY 14150

IMPORTANT:  Make sure your contact information is correct on the Amherst Alumni Foundation’s website:www.amherstalumni.org  

We will only be doing one mailing (postcard reminder) in April so watch for that.

Class of ’74 Facebook page link 

https://www.facebook.com/AmherstHighSchoolClassof1974/

Any questions?  Your committee:

Tom Brunner  tdbrunner524@aol.com

Cindy Diem  716-863-4452

Debi Baker Feary 716-830-0386 debifeary@roadrunner.com

Cathy West Lefko 716-491-8278 catherinelefko@yahoo.com

Lori Rohloff 716-481-6325 loriateacher@yahoo.com

Sue Hens Smith 716-440-3438 soozeeq@verizon.net

Terri Rahill Wincott twincott@roadrunner.com

 

Save the date!!!

40th Reunion events will be scheduled July 25 through July 28.

Our highlight event will be on Saturday July 27th:  Dinner at the popular Big Ditch Brewing Company, downtown Buffalo.

If you have NOT received our “Save the Date” email, PLEASE register your information TODAY, so as to not miss out on future emailings!

http://www.amherstalumni.org/first-time.cfm

Please “Save the date”.  We are looking forward to seeing you at the 40th Reunion!!

Your ACHS 40th Reunion Committee

 

Saturday evening, come join your classmates at the brand new Thin Man Brewery space in Buffalo!  Hors d’oeuvres will be served throughout the evening (Assorted cheeses, charcuterie, seasonal fruit, crudites with dips, ‘Barrel & Brine’ pickles, and fresh baked pretzels with beer cheese and other dips) as well as beer, wine and soda.  Coffee and tea will also be available.  In addition there will be a taco bar for something a bit more substantial.

Don’t worry – for those not quite into the craft beer scene there will be the obligatory Labatt Blue.  This is an adults only event but please feel free to bring your spouse, partner or significant other!

Location: Thin Man Brewery – 166 Chandler Street in Buffalo

Date: Saturday, July 20th

Time:  6PM-9PM

Cost: $45/person  *Please submit payment no later than May 1, 2019 so we can finalize numbers – the earlier the better. The deposit on the space is non-refundable.  Tell your friends and classmates you are still in touch with, especially those not on Facebook. You can copy/paste this information or the link below. It has all the information plus hotel info for out of town folks and recommendations for Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

Payment Options:

  • Venmo @ Jen-Hardy-4
  • Paypal – gabemau@yahoo.com or 7169031089 or paypal.me/achsreunionclassof94
  • Good old fashioned checks are also accepted – please make them out to Jen Hardy and mail to 138 Woodridge Avenue, Buffalo NY 14225
  • Apple Pay @7169031089 (*apple charges a fee to you to do this)

https://achsclassof94.wordpress.com/

Joan Light ’46, financial planner and wife of former Buffalo News editor

Posted by amherstalumnioffice on 2019-02-14
Posted in: News, Obituaries. Tagged: . Leave a comment

LOCAL COLLERAN MURRAY

May 4, 1929 – Feb. 12, 2019

Joan M. Light, a financial planner and wife of former editor and vice president of The Buffalo News Murray B. Light, died Tuesday in her home in Buffalo. She was 89.

The former Joan Marie Cottrell was born in Buffalo. She was a 1946 graduate of Amherst Central High School and attended the University of Buffalo and the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she studied marketing.

“Mom was somebody who was a very smart, sharp, witty person,” said her son, Jeff Light, who is publisher and editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“And opinionated,” added her daughter, Laura Light Arbogast, for many years a medieval scholar at Harvard University, cataloging ancient manuscripts in the Houghton Library.

“She was very politically educated. Really, the whole household was. We were people who argued at the dinner table,” Light Arbogast said.

“I think she was known in many circles. At a time when women weren’t supposed to say what they thought, she was not overshadowed by my dad. She had her own opinions and she wasn’t intimidated by other people. She said she knew what she believed in and she was very happy to argue in a public way, though, politely. I mean, she was also a lady,” Light Arbogast added.

While she was willing to be outspoken, her children said their mother projected an air of elegance and being fashionable.

Mrs. Light met her future husband, Murray Light, not long after he came to Buffalo from Brooklyn in the late 1940s, according to Jeff Light.

Out on a blind date, they went bowling, he said. They were married in 1954.

Jeff Light said his mother started out as an accountant for a couple of small firms. In 1984, Mrs. Light – by then a certified financial planner – became a tax analyst for Sovran Self Storage, now Life Storage, a real estate investment trust in Williamsville. Previously, she had been a senior tax specialist with Main Hurdman accountants.

In 1987, Mrs. Light was promoted to vice president of operations and investor relations for the firm. She retired in 1996.

In 1986, she was elected president of the Western New York Chapter of the International Association for Financial Planning.

She was a Buffalo Club member and served on the board of the American Red Cross Western New York Chapter.

“She was a very good golfer. She belonged for years to the Wanakah Country Club in Hamburg,” said Jeff Light. “She also was a really good bridge player.”

Her husband, who rose through the ranks at The News as swing editor, assistant makeup editor, assistant news editor, news editor and managing editor for news, was promoted to editor in 1979, a post he held until he retired in 1999. He died in 2011.

Another daughter, Lee Light Monier, a supervising nurse for blood collection for the American Red Cross, died in 2003.

Survivors, in addition to her son and daughter, include six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial Mass will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 16 in St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 160 Court St.

Courtesy of the Buffalo News – Read Original

High School Business Teacher Looking for Alumni to Speak to Class

Posted by amherstalumnioffice on 2019-02-06
Posted in: News. Tagged: , . 1 Comment

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Christina Evans, Amherst Central High School business teacher, is looking for alumni to come to her class and speak to students.

This would be a great opportunity for alumni to connect with the tigers of today.

Here is a message from her.

Hello! I am reaching out to our awesome alumni to see if any would be interested in coming in to do a guest speak to our students. I am a business teacher and I teach Career and Financial Management and Entrepreneurship.

I would love to have people from different professions come talk about their career. I like to give the students a chance to meet people who work in different industries and ask them questions. It is always special for the students to especially hear from Amherst Alum.

If interested, feel free to drop me an email at cevans@amherstschools.org or call my cell at 716-417-6962.

Best,
Christina

 

70th Annual Operetta Gala Dinner Invitation

Posted by amherstalumnioffice on 2019-01-23
Posted in: Events, News. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

Dear Amherst Community, and families of the Operetta:

I’m very excited about all of the efforts put forth towards Amherst’s 70th Annual Operetta Production, 42nd Street. The orchestra sounds great, the set pieces are taking shape, the tap dance numbers are getting cleaner and cleaner. Throughout the music wing, you can find kids painting, singing, dancing, building, helping each other, practicing jazz licks for the pit – it’s all very inspiring. Behind the scenes there are many parents helping with patron ad sales, ticketing (more to come shortly), helping with set construction and costumes. We are so very grateful, and could not accomplish this without all of these contributions of time and talent.

42nd street poster

To celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Operetta – let me say that again (and leave the sentence incomplete) – the 70th Annual Operetta! 1950, Snyder – the school building was not even 20 years old. The Kensington expressway didn’t even exist yet. It was a different America and a different age, yet the faculty and students of this district staged the very first Amherst Operetta on the very same stage that we know and love. It was Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, truly an “Operetta” in the grand style. Shows from the “Golden Era” of Broadway were either brand new productions or hadn’t even been written yet! I can’t help but feeling a sense of awe and mystique – wondering what stories the walls of that room could tell if they could… What an awesome responsibility it is to continue this tradition, and perpetuate the opportunities it has created for seven decades of Amherst youth.

Certainly we much cherish and celebrate the past, but it is equally about celebrating the current moment – the current purveyors responsible for passing on this great tradition for the future yet to come. Imagine what production might play on this stage 70 years from now – in 2089. It seems preposterous, but I would suspect 2019 seemed equally unfathomable to a high school kid in 1950.

If you have not already seen the invitation on the Alumni Association website or on the High School’s Facebook page, it is my privilege to invite you to the 70th Annual Gala Dinner prior to the Friday evening performance of 42nd Street. The school cafeteria will be fully decorated with a red carpet, full round tables, linens and china, catered by Damon Ayer (MS Vocal Director Erin Scudder Ayer’s husband), owner of the fabulous Mason’s Grille 52 in Hamburg. The attached invitation describes the buffet dinner, and how to purchase the dinner through the Alumni Association.

We hope you will join us, and then enjoy the fruits of our students’ work as they present the 70th Annual Operetta!

Most respectfully and appreciatively yours,
Justin T. Pomietlarz,
Producer, Vocal Director, Accompanist
Amherst Operetta Association

Gala Information:

JOIN US for an elegant catered dinner as we celebrate the Amherst Operetta Association’s 70th annual production!

AMHERST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8TH 2019

This special event will be held in the High School Cafeteria, which will be enhanced with past Operetta memorabilia, a 70th Anniversary Red Carpet photo mural, and complete linens and china. Each guest will also receive a special gift!

  • GUESTS OF HONOR
    • Posy Dayton and Frank Cecala
  • THE EVENING’S EVENTS
    • 4:45 – 5:30 pm | mingle
    • 5:30 – 7:15 pm | dinner

At 7:30 pm, use your ticket (purchased separately)* to attend the evening’s performance of 42nd Street.

MENU

  • Assorted Cheese and Cracker Boards, Garden Salad, and Freshly Baked Dinner Rolls
    • Served family style at each table

BUFFET

  • Portabella Filet of Sirloin
    • Grilled hand cut filet of sirloin, crowned with a marinated portabella mushroom fresh tomatoes and crumbled bleu cheese
  • Honey Mustard Panko Chicken
    • Fresh breast of chicken coated with honey mustard and panko bread crumbs, oven baked then finished with a sweet raspberry reduction drizzle
  • Garden Pasta
    • Angel hair pasta, sautéed mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, baby spinach, grilled squash and basil pesto, finished with a hint of lemon and Romano (vegetarian)
  • Oven Roasted Baby Red Potatoes · Fresh Seasonal Vegetables Assorted Dessert Trays · Soda and Coffee

Buffet catered by Damon Ayer, proprietor of Mason’s Grille 52 in Hamburg and spouse of Middle School Vocal Music Director, Erin (Scudder) Ayer.

$60 PER PERSON

Tables of 10 can be reserved for $600

To make your reservations and pay for this event:

Click here to download reservation form to mail—>

You can also pay and reserve online with credit/debit card by using PayPal button below. (Online reservations are $62)

You can also visit the Alumni Office, Room 103 in Amherst Central High School Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00am to 1:00pm or Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 8:30pm.

*Tickets to 42nd Street are not included in the dinner cost, and must be purchased separately through the High School Box Office at (716) 362-8345 after January 28. Amherst Alumni can order tickets by clicking here—>

*Tables of 10 can be reserved for $600 reservations must be purchased through the Amherst Central Alumni Foundation and then have your table or other seating requests directed to Nan Ables, Vice Principal at nables@amherstschools.org.

Michael Wesley Collins ’96, software architect and avid yoga practitioner

Posted by amherstalumnioffice on 2019-01-18
Posted in: News, Obituaries. Tagged: . Leave a comment

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By Anne Neville  Buffalo News | Published  | Michael Wesley Collins took just one or two community college computer classes, but became a highly skilled software architect, innovator and entrepreneur, his family said.

He had seriously studied yoga for just about a decade. But after immersing himself in the practice, he soon became a talented practitioner and teacher, traveling the world to share and learn yoga.

But he will be best remembered for the charismatic personality that enabled him to connect easily and deeply with people, said his family.

Mr. Collins, of Buffalo, died unexpectedly in the home of friends near Rochester, with whom he was staying, on Jan. 9, 2019, after a long struggle with mental illness. He was 40.

He was born April 3, 1978, in Buffalo. His family moved around during his childhood, said his younger sister, Christine Collins-Schwinger, but they settled in Amherst, where Mr. Collins graduated in 1996 from Amherst Central High School.

He studied biology at Binghamton University, where he belonged to the Binghamton Crosbys, an all-male a cappella group. In 1998, he performed with the group at Carnegie Hall in the National Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. He graduated from Binghamton in 2000.

After graduation, Mr. Collins lived in New York and North Carolina with Kristy Miller, who would become his wife and the mother of his children. In North Carolina, his sister said, “he took just one or two software programming classes in a community college, then he decided that’s what he wanted to do and sort of built up his career.”

After they married, they returned to Buffalo, and Mr. Collins began working at LocalNet around 2003. After a few years, he took a job at Synacor Inc., where he spent more than seven years as a software architect.

“He was brilliant, and such a fast learner when he decided he was going to learn something,” said his sister.

Mr. Collins earned an MBA from the University at Buffalo in 2008.

In 2014, he worked with Sean Parker on the video chat platform Airtime, and in 2015, he worked as an independent contractor for PayPal.

Mr. Collins took a yoga class in college, then became an avid yogi around 2009, said his sister. In a short time, “He became a yoga master,” she said. He studied for years with world-renowned prana vinyasa practitioner Shiva Rea and branched out into other types of yoga. “He was so proficient,” said Collins-Schwinger.

He made many trips to Mexico, and also visited Nepal, India, Indonesia and Thailand to explore, experience and practice yoga, his family said. He also taught yoga classes in Buffalo, Bali and Thailand, among other places he visited. He returned home in October 2018 after his final trip, which was to Israel, his sister said.

Mr. Collins was an avid dancer who often posted videos of himself on social media, said Collins-Schwinger. “He would sing to anybody,” said his sister. “He was a world traveler, and sometimes he would just get out his ukulele and sing to the people who were around him.”

He was open to new ideas and loved to learn new things, said his family. “He was incredibly charismatic and charming,” his sister said.

Mr. Collins was deeply spiritual, founding and leading the “Church of One Divine Love: The Church of Unity Under One God of Love,” which was tied to his yoga practice.

“He will be missed,” his family said.

Besides his sister, Mr. Collins is survived by a daughter, Anna; two sons, Drew and Bailey; his mother, Mary Collins Sanborn; and his stepfather, Robert Sanborn.

A memorial service will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday in Central Park United Methodist Church, 216 Beard Ave. Memorials may be made to Central Park United Methodist Church or the Mental Health Advocates of Western New York.

Courtesy of the Buffalo News, read original by clicking here—>

Obituary, click here—>