Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Kelly Borrello, and State Sen. George Borrello at Adam Miller Toys and Bicycles during Shop Small Saturday. Photo by Howard Owens.
State Sen. George Borrello and Assemblyman Steve Hawley, both small business owners themselves, demonstrated their support for locally-owned businesses in Batavia on Saturday -- part of the national campaign, Shop Small Saturday -- by stopping at a half-dozen local businesses.
“Independently owned businesses make our downtowns more vibrant, spur additional growth, employ our neighbors and contribute to our tax base,” Borrello said to The Batavian. “In addition, every dollar spent at a small business has a greater multiplier effect. Many local shops rely on local suppliers and services and also contribute to local charities and community organizations."
Their stops included Oliver's Candies, YNGodess Shop, Charles Men's Shop, Batavia Bootery, Valle Jewelers, and Adam Miller Toys and Bicycles.
Borrello's wife, Kelly, accompanied the two legislative representatives on their rounds.
Nerds Gone Wild at Labor Daze Music and Food Festival in Oakfield in 2023. Photo by Howard Owens.
If the raucous audience reaction at Labor Daze at the end of this summer is any indication, the kids, the parents, and even the grandparents are going to go wild for Nerds Gone Wild on Saturday at Batavia Downs.
The Nerds struck cover-band-formula gold a decade ago with a theme that falls somewhere in between the traditional bar band and the now trendy tribute band. Call it a "concept band," though Nerds Gone Wild founder and CEO Eddy Tabone still likes "tribute band."
"I don't disagree with that (the term concept band)," Tabone said. "You're right. The reason we're an 80s tribute band is that right now tributes are so hot. I want to make sure that we don't get lost when people are searching for us, I don't want them looking for, they may be looking for an 80s tribute, so I want to make sure that word is included, so when they Google it, we show up."
Nerds Gone Wild's concept is to make the 1980s fun again -- with over-the-top-colorful costumes that play off the cartoon stereotype of nerds (think Steve Urkel, Sheldon Cooper, or to go right to a rock-and-roll source from the 1980s, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick) and the high-energy and stagecraft of the post-New Wave era.
"Basically, it is just like a buffet, a buffet of all the 80s stuff,” said Tabone. "We have a little bit of New Wave. Top 40. We do a hair band set. We do a ladies of the 80s block. We do a dance medley."
Audience participation is a big part of the concept. At some point in the show, kids are invited onto the stage to dance with the band. When the Nerds play the Rick Springfield hit, "Jesse's Girl," there is usually a young woman from the audience on stage, and the lyrics of the chorus are changed to that lady's name.
Band members never stay stationary for very long -- dancing, jumping, skipping across the stage, and interacting with audience members.
"We just try to capture, you know, like superheroes, the superhero look with a professionally done gimmick, and then, contagious fun," Tabone said. "We're playing the music to create that vibe that was in the 80s."
The concept of Nerds Gone Wild started floating around the brain of Tabone years ago, at least the idea of doing a 1980s tribute band.
"I've always been a 1980s guy," said Tabone.
For 35 years, he's led a cover band called Route 66 (that band still gigs), and then about a decade ago, a WNY band that played mostly 1980s hits called it quits.
"I heard they were breaking up, and I said to my wife. 'What a shame," said Tabone, who is retired from the beer industry and has started his own talent agency (he's looking to connect with musicians in Genesee County). "I said, 'I gotta put this 80s project together.'"
Then he took a trip to California.
"My sister-in-law turned me onto a band in Southern California, and they dress like nerds, and I said, There it is," Tabone said. "I came back to Buffalo and started asking people, and they go, 'You're crazy.' 'It's never gonna work.' It all came together, and we debuted with a lineup and had our first show in August of 2013."
Yes, the Nerds did celebrate its 10th anniversary this year, and it's progressed from a band "that's never going to work," that intended to only play a show or so a month, to a band that plays up to 95 shows a year and has been selected three times by readers of the Buffalo News as "The Best Live Band in Western New York."
With that kind of success, a band can host its own Eastern Caribbean Cruise on the Norweigan line, as they will do for the fifth time this March.
After a break for the pandemic, Tabone said, "We're back on the seas again where we do this Cruise with Nerds Gone Wild, where people from Buffalo or Rochester or wherever get to come on a cruise with us. We have a special dinner with them. We take some photos. We do a private performance for them on the ship. And then, on the last day at sea, we do a show for the cruise line."
The band's current lineup is Tabone, aka "Eugene" (his Nerd name) on drums and vocals, John "Gilbert" Gibbon, on bass, guitar, and vocals, Ed "Milton Wild" Wyner, lead vocals and guitar, Brian "Irwin" Beaudry, keyboards, keytar, vocals, and Eric "Barney" Rovner, lead guitar and vocals.
To find out more about the band and the cruise, visit nerdsgonewild.com.
The show at Batavia Downs in the Park Place Events Center is open to all ages -- kids will go wild for the engaging and interactive entertainment, but it really is an all-ages show, so kids should bring their parents and grandparents, who will be equally entertained. Doors open at 7 p.m. The Nerds take the stage at 8 p.m. And the best part, admission is FREE.
"After a long, long Friday and Saturday of shopping, you want to take a break and come down and close your eyes and relive the great music of the 80s," Tabone said.
Nerds Gone Wild at Labor Daze Music and Food Festival in Oakfield in 2023. Photo by Howard Owens.
Nerds Gone Wild at Labor Daze Music and Food Festival in Oakfield in 2023. Photo by Howard Owens.
Nerds Gone Wild at Labor Daze Music and Food Festival in Oakfield in 2023. Photo by Howard Owens.
Nerds Gone Wild at Labor Daze Music and Food Festival in Oakfield in 2023. Photo by Howard Owens.
Father Ivan arrived in Batavia in 1986 at St. Mary's and became parish priest when St. Mary's and St. Joe's merged in 2008.
Over his nearly four decades of service to the community, Father Ivan has led a migrant ministry, and a prison ministry and served at the VA Hospital.
Trujillo was ordained in Jamestown in 1990 and became an assistant at St. Mary's in 1986.
As a young man in Bolivia, Trujillo was inspired both to the ministry and to serve the poor. While studying philosophy in school, he was mentored by the rector, who was a Jesuit with a passion for caring for poor people. That example led Trujillo into the ministry, the priest told The Batavian in 2013.
As a result, a good deal of Father Ivan's work in Western New York was with the poor and less fortunate. He worked with the poor and sick in his own parish, ministered to inmates at Attica and Wyoming correctional facilities, and worked with migrant workers in Genesee, Orleans and Niagara counties.
Rev. Trujillo will lie in state on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. and Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. at Resurrection Parish/St. Mary's Church, 18 Ellicott Street in Batavia, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. Most Rev. Michael William Fisher, Bishop of Buffalo, will be the Principal Celebrant. The interment will be private in Grandview Cemetery in Batavia.
Hoops runs in the McCulley Family DNA, and that trait was fully on display on Tuesday in Rochester when cousins Callie and Amelia took the court against each other for the first time in their respective college careers.
Callie is in her final year, as a fifth-year senior and the University of Rochester. Amelia is just starting at William and Smith College. Both young women helped their respective Notre Dame squads win Section V titles and both scored more than 1,000 points in their high school basketball careers.
Callie graduated in 2019 and Amelia last year.
U of R got the win on Tuesday, 83-72. Calle scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Amelia scored five points and had three rebounds.
Good music was part of the Thanksgiving celebration at Ri-Dans in Batavia on Wednesday night with the Rusty Fisher Band and the Growlers Blues Band both taking the stage.
A bicyclist has reportedly been hit by a car on West Main Street, Batavia, between Bogue and Woodrow.
City Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE 2:09 p.m. by Joanne Beck: The patient was initially unconscious, but came to and is being examined by Mercy EMS and is likely going to be transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.
More than two dozen football players from Genesee County made the West's roster for the Eddie Meath All-Star Game, which was played Monday at U of R's Fauver Stadium.
The East beat the West 21-6.
Genesee County players on the West roster:
Trent Woods, Alexander
Clayton Bezon, Alexander
Case Hill, Alexander
Landyn Thomas
Cole Grazioplene, Batavia
Mekhi Fortes, Batavia
Brian Calderon, Batavia
Damon Linzy, Byron-Bergen
Anthony Leach, Byron-Bergen
Max Wilson, Byron-Bergen
Tony Piazza, Le Roy
Jackson Fix, Le Roy
Drew Strollo, LeRoy
Cal Koukides, Le Roy
AustinPangrazio, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba
Ashton Bezon, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba
Bodie Hyde, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba
Angelo Penna, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba
Tyson Totten, Pembroke
Jeremy Gabbey, Jr., Pembroke
Sean Pustulka, Pembroke
Jaden Mast, Pembroke
Brennan Royce, Pembroke
Joe Bauer, Pavilion
Tyler Brady, Pavilion
Austin Cummings, Pavilion
Ella Mattice of Le Roy participated as a cheerleader.
A structure fire is reported at 2993 Batavia Oakfield Townline Road, Oakfield.
Oakfield Fire dispatched.
UPDATE 4:44 p.m.: Second Alarm. Town of Batavia Fire and East Pembroke Fire dispatched. A person reportedly trapped in the structure. Alabama Fire to fill in at Oakfield Hall. Mercy EMS dispatched.
UPDATE 5:15 p.m. Joanne Beck: One occupant and two dogs were rescued from the structure safely. No other occupants are in the home. No flames and only light smoke are on scene at this time.
The fire is under control, and responding fire departments are starting the overhaul.
UPDATE 7:43 p.m.: The scene commander was Chad Williams, first assistant chief of Oakfield Fire. The first chief on scene confirmed that there was a structure fire and a person inside, along with two dogs. That chief and a state trooper coaxed the occupant out.
A neighbor had reported the fire and the occupant was apparently unaware of the fire.
Williams said the first engine on scene arrived quickly.
He said, "We made quick work into the house and ended extinguishing the fire, knocking down the base of it, and we made some headway to find where it was located." He said the fire appeared to have started with or near a wood stove.
The occupant was checked by medics and had no apparent injuries.
Asked about the quick work of the firefighters to knock down the fire, Williams said, "That's that's what we trained for. We don't get these very often. A lot of folks, when we do this training, they're like, 'oh boy, why do we got to keep doing this training?' But you know, once that training kicks in, it's like muscle memory. It just kicks in. It's second nature. They go in they do what they got to do, and then everybody comes out unscathed."
Scoring more than 100 points in a game is one way to ensure you punch your ticket to a state championship game, and that's how the Pembroke Dragons did it on Saturday, beating Section III's Frankfort-Schuyler Maroon Knights 107-64.
"I started my coaching career as a modified assistant for Batavia Football in 2007 I can honestly say I have never seen anything like this game in my entire career at any level of football," said Pembroke's head coach, Brandon Ricci.
The Dragons did it all on the ground -- not even arching a punt across the field.
Tyson Totten ran for 626 yards and 10 touchdowns. Ricci called his performance, "one of the most spectacular displays of athleticism in Dragon history."
Fullback Caleb Felski gained 146 yards and scored three touchdowns. He converted five two-point conversions.
QB Vijay Dhanda also ran for a TD.
The score by quarter:
1st quarter 28-16
2nd quarter 51-42
3rd quarter 91-56
4th quarter 107-64
Defensively the Dragons were led by Felski with 14 tackles, while Totten and Sean Pustulka each had 11. Jayden Mast, Jayden Bridge, Octavius Martin, Caleb Kimmel, Vijay Dhanda, and Jacob Johnson all had five or more tackles. Tyson also added an interception, while Pustulka had two picks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble on the day.
The Dragons take a 12-0 record in 8-man football when they play for the state championship in Cicero on Friday. They will meet another undefeated team, the Moravia Blue Devils, from Section IV.
Le Roy QB Tommy Condidorio sweeps around the left end. Photo by Ed Henry
A touchdown 16-yard pass from Payton Bradley to Isaac Maddox with six seconds left in the Far West Regional broke a 13-13 tie, giving Salamanca the win 21-13 and delivering Le Roy its first and final defeat of 2023.
Scoring up to that point had been tit-for-tat on Saturday. Le Roy scored in the first quarter on a one-yard run by Drew Strollo, and Jack Currin converted the point-after. In the second, Arlen Newark scored on a 45-yard pass for Salamanca. Newark also kicked the extra point.
Le Roy answered two minutes later on a 3-yard run by Strollo, but the PAT kick was blocked.
Midway through the third quarter, Salamanca knotted things up on a 33-yard Isaac Maddox run but also had its kick blocked.
For Le Roy, Strollo gained 68 yards, scored two touchdowns, gained 17 yards on three receptions, and on defense had five tackles.
Tonny Piazza gained 77 yards on 19 carries. Tommy Condidoria was 4-7 passing for 12 yards. Holden Sullivan and D.J. O'Geen had six tackles each on defense.
The Oatkan Knights finish 2023 with an 11-1 record. That 11th win was the program's record-setting 16th Section V title.
Drew Strollo (far right) puts the Knights on the scoreboard with a one-yard rush at the end of the first quarter. Photo by Ed Henry
The Le Roy defense swarms to the Salamanca's back. Photo by Ed Henry
Battles in the trenches were the order of the day. Photo by Ed Henry.
Le Roy’s Xavien Walker breaks up a potential score at the goal line. Photo by Ed Henry
Batavia Downs Gaming President and CEO Henry Wojtaszek presented representatives from the Rochester Veterans Treatment Court with a check for $7,000 to help support their efforts of assisting Veterans within the court system.
On Oct. 21, a Vets night dinner was held at Batavia Downs in conjunction with a night of live racing. Proceeds from live and penny auctions were collected in support of the Rochester Veterans Treatment Court.
“We are appreciative to Sean Schiano from Batavia Downs for thinking of us, “said Ray Melens, Lead Mentor for the Monroe County Veterans Court. “The funds are so important for us to continue our work as we look to assist Veterans who find themselves within the court system. We strive to identify and treat the underlying issues facing many Veterans to help them get back on the right path.”
“Veterans have a special meaning for Batavia Downs, “said Wojtaszek. “So many of our own employees volunteered their time, as well as donated many of the baskets for our Penny Auction. One of our directors, Michael Horton, was the auctioneer for the live-action which helped raise additional funds.”
Following his personal meeting in China with President Xi Jinping last month, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today detailed how the new deal President Biden has struck with China to crack down on the scourge of fentanyl could be a major step forward to curb the opioid crisis in New York, but said now more than ever it is imperative to hold China accountable and ensure there is compliance with their commitments.
“The agreement President Biden has announced with China is a long overdue step which has the potential to help cut off the supply of fentanyl at its source and stop this drug before it ever enters our country and hits the streets of New York, but now it is more vital than ever to hold China accountable for the commitments they have made,” said Senator Schumer. “Fentanyl has wreaked havoc in New York and across America, with this crisis stemming in large part in China, where large chemical companies openly and illicitly sell precursor chemicals to buyers in places like Mexico, where it is manufactured and illegally shipped to our most vulnerable communities here in NY. During my visit to China last month, we were pointed and direct with President Xi, I told him the devastating impact I have seen the opioid crisis have on New York families. I am pleased to see China take what could be a major step forward to cut off the flow of fentanyl, and I am going to be watching like a hawk for progress.”
Specifically, Schumer explained China has said it will take new action to enforce its own regulations against the companies that make precursor drugs in a major step to potentially cut off the flow of this deadly drug. A similar notice to the industry in 2019 led to a drastic reduction in seizures of fentanyl shipments to the United States from China. Schumer said the U.S. also has information that that PRC police have taken law enforcement action against Chinese synthetic drug and chemical precursor suppliers. As a result, certain China-based pharmaceutical companies ceased operations and have had some international payment accounts blocked. This probably represents the first law enforcement action against synthetic drug-related chemical sellers by Chinese authorities since 2017.
In addition, China and the United States will be launching a counter-narcotics working group to bolster law enforcement and information sharing to cut off the flow or precursor drugs and illicit fentanyl. The U.S. and China have both said they will also start working on an ongoing basis at the senior level to directly address this crisis and start working closely together to carry this initiative forward. In conjunction, Schumer said these long overdue steps have real potential to reduce the flow of these drugs into the United States and places like New York, and ultimately save lives.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R, C -Batavia) recently criticized the Clean Slate Act, a proposal that would seal the criminal records of recently released convicts. This week, the measure was signed into law by Gov. Hochul. Supporters of the bill argue this will help incarcerated individuals get jobs after they’ve served their time and combat racial bias in the state’s criminal justice system. Critics, however, have said this will make it virtually impossible for employers, landlords and other business owners to fully vet their incoming employees and tenants. Hawley is frustrated because reckless policies like the Clean Slate Act are giving criminals a free pass and making communities less safe.
“This is yet another example of the Majority in Albany imposing their radical ideology on everyday New Yorkers,” said Hawley. “We live in a country where criminals are treated like victims, and the people who are hurt by these crimes are put to the side. Public safety is not something we can afford to mess around with. We need to return to a system where we respect the rule of law and hold criminals accountable for their actions.”
Press release from Sen. George Borrello:
“Governor Hochul’s signing today of the Clean Slate Act is more confirmation that catering to criminals and the radical wing of her party is more important than the safety and concerns of New Yorkers who have repeatedly cited rising crime as the state’s number one problem.
This misguided law will allow criminals – even serial offenders -- to have their records automatically sealed after a specified time period. Serious crimes like manslaughter, armed robbery, domestic violence, and arson are among the crimes that will be hidden from employers and landlords, placing countless unsuspecting individuals in harm’s way.
There already exists a process for sealing criminal records that has reasonable safeguards to assure that the individuals in question don’t pose a public safety risk. Yet, like with all the criminal justice reforms passed in recent years by Albany Democrats, reasonable policies and reforms have been rejected and replaced with reckless versions.
This law is another slap in the face to New Yorkers who are watching their safety and quality of life rapidly erode.”
File photo of Genesee Society of Model Engineers in Oakfield in 2018. Photo by Howard Owens.
Press release:
The Genesee Society of Model Engineers will host the club's 21st Annual Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the club's facilities located at 50 Main Street (Rte. 63), Oakfield, N.Y. 14125 (above the M&T Bank). The "FREE" event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Stairway access only.
The club's facilities feature operating layouts in O Gauge (Lionel), HO, and N. Club members will be available to answer your model railroading questions. This is a great family-oriented event filled with photo ops and fun for kids of all ages.
"The Christmas holidays seem to bring back those childhood memories of a model train and miniature village around the Christmas tree," said club president Mike Bakos. "Our members are busy keeping the tradition of trains and the holidays alive. We invite you to visit and enjoy one of Genesee County's best-kept secrets."
This year's Open House will be one of the many events featured as part of Oakfield’s Christmas in the Village celebration, along with many other family-oriented activities taking place in the village throughout the day.
The Genesee Society of Model Engineers is located at 50 Main Street (Rte. 63), Oakfield, N.Y. (above the M&T Bank) and is open Tuesdays from 7 until 9 p.m.. Business meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month. Visit www.gsme.org. Like us on Facebook.
Command Sergeant Major William Joyce (U.S. Army, Retired) of Pembroke, and the Genesee County Veterans Services Officer, upon his induction into the New York Senate Veterans Hall of Fame on Friday at Botts Fiorito American Legion Post No. 576 in Le Roy. Photo by Howard Owens.
It was obvious on Friday that Bill Joyce is a man surrounded by a family that loves him, and he loves his wife, daughters, and grandchildren.
But he also loves the veterans he serves.
"I can remember the Christmas parties and some of the fondest memories of my sparkly little dress with my sparkly little shoes," said his daughter Jacqueline Joyce. "Watching my dad's troops laugh and joke with him. And the random memory I have of him holding a newborn baby and sitting next to him and watching him look down in awe. It was in that moment I understood. This was his second family. That was what resonated with me. This is my dad's second family, his veterans."
Joyce served in the US Army on active and reserve duty for 40 years. He is a retired New York State Police mechanic and quartermaster. Since 2012, he has been Genesee County's Veterans Services Officer and, by all accounts, performing his duties above and beyond the call of duty.
Both because of his service to his community and to veterans, on Friday, United States Army Command Sergeant Major William Joyce (Ret.) of Pembroke was inducted into the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame Friday by New York State Sen. George M. Borrello during a ceremony at the Botts Fiorito American Legion Post No. 576 in Le Roy.
Joyce's three daughters, Verna Cromwell, Jacqueline, and Amanda Werner, with their mother, Susan, and children in the audience, gave speeches at the ceremony honoring him as a father and a man committed to service.
"His transition to VSO only seemed like the next move for him to continue taking care of his boys, his soldiers and his veterans," said Jacqueline, who herself served in the military, the U.S. Air Force and is currently a member of the Air Force reserve. "As a VSO dad has helped countless veterans in any part of the world. In his time, as VSO, he has taken pride in making Memorial Day and Veterans Day more memorable. He takes pride in securing Batavia PD to block off traffic at the Upton Monument and having flags placed for the fallen when their names are read (at the War Memorial at (Jerome Center) improving the experience for the families observing. Most importantly for me, I get to spend half the day with my hero, laughing, joking, sweating, freezing, and getting soaked, similar to last Veterans Day, where my boots had to be disposed of because they were so soggy."
In his opening remarks, Borrello noted the sacrifices Joyce and his family made because of his commitment to serve his country.
After training at Fort Dix in 1972, Joyce entered an Army that was winding down involvement in Vietnam. He was stationed as a Specialist Fourth Class in Germany to guard the Eastern Border when Czechoslovakia was still communist and a Cold War threat to Western democracy.
"After his active tour ended in 1975, he returned home and began a 40-year civilian career with the New York State Police," Borello said. "He also resumed his military service by enlisting in the Army Reserve to continue defending his home and country. In the reserves. He rose through the ranks to become a Command Sergeant Major. He had several deployments overseas to Bosnia, to Iraq twice, and to Afghanistan. The deployments in the Middle East carried particular risks and often involved breaking down the doors of suspected terrorists and going into the mountains to find their training sites. These deployments were also long, 15 months or more, requiring them to be away from his wife and daughters for long stretches of time. He missed birthdays, holidays, school concerts, and much more."
As a soldier, Joyce has been awarded a Bronze Star, the Iraq Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, and two NATO medals, among many other honors from the U.S. Army.
Joyce's daughters recalled those deployments as times of concern and absence but also of love.
"In the late 90s, things started to get more serious," Cromwell recalled. "I can remember my parents listening to the conflict of Kosovo and Bosnia on the radio while we were getting ready for my school Christmas concert. It would only be a few months later that Dad would leave us to go to Bosnia for nine months -- the longest time he'd ever been away to my memory. I still have the letters he wrote and emails I printed. He may have been half a world away, but he was still very much a part of our everyday lives. This would continue to be the case for his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. But this time, it was daily phone calls before school and before bed."
Cromwell said her dad was never bothered by being the father of three daughters.
"Sure, I witnessed people asking him about wanting a son, but it's a core memory for me of him replying, 'There's nothing you can do with three boys that you can't do with three girls.' And he was right," Cromwell said. "There were many mornings driving to school listening to Army cadences. I still sing these from time to time and was absolutely thrilled on Christmas when my mom dubbed the cassettes on a CD for us. There's truly nothing like hiking through a state park and belting out, 'Don't let your dog tags dangle in the dirt.'"
Both Cromwell and Jacqueline recalled most fondly their father's assignment to Colorado Springs. The weekends were filled with trips to Pike's Peak, Garden of the Gods, the Great Sand Dunes, Denver, and other points of interest in the area.
But Joyce wasn't inducted into the Hall of Fame just because he's a good family man. He was inducted because of the tireless work he has done for veterans.
"It is his policy to never refuse help to a veteran no matter their circumstances or where they live," Borrello said. "In fact, he has assisted veterans from as far away as California, Texas, Germany and even the Philippines."
Joyce has a reputation in the veterans' community for getting things done that few other VSOs can accomplish.
"Among his many achievements are two cases where he was able to secure 100 percent disability ratings for terminally ill veterans in record time, one within 24 hours and another within 18 hours to make government work that fast. God bless you. That's amazing. Those veterans died with peace of mind knowing that their spouses would receive critically needed survivor benefits."
Kathleen Ryan, a retired VA social worker, said she regularly gets calls from veterans throughout the region looking for help dealing with the Veterans Administration. As a result, she still speaks to Bill Joyce at least once a week.
Ryan is the person who nominated Joyce for the Hall of Fame.
"He never says no," Ryan said. "I don't know, anybody, and I've been in the business for a long time -- I'm a veteran -- I don't know anybody who has worked as hard in the daily grind of veteran work. We're talking about the daily grind of things that come in the door. And Bill has never said no."
She recalled a recent example of Joyce's dedication to serving veterans. She got a phone call from the wife of a veteran who couldn't get the help he needed from another VSO, so Ryan called Joyce.
"I call in the county service officer, and he says, 'I don't do home visits,'" Ryan said. "I say, 'this guy who is going to die is Vietnam Vet One Bravo, which is an infantry unit. He's got his house set up, the living room was set up with a hospital bed. His wife is there, and this man is going to pass any moment. He can't get in the car and go to Livingston County. It was a Thursday. I called up Bill. He says. 'I've got it. I'm going to Albany. I got to be in Albany on Friday, meet me -- because I live in Rochester -- meet me on the Thruway.' I said, 'Okay.' We met at the Cracker Barrel in the parking lot. I got the paperwork. I've got the medical. I got everything. It's a Friday, Bill took it Saturday ... and he did all the work. By Monday, this guy was 100 certified and he had never even been seen in the VA. Never. And his wife now has spousal benefits and has all the things that she needs. And this man was able to pass away knowing his wife was going to be taken care of."
Assemblyman Steve Hawley noted that Joyce has never traveled to Washington D.C. with other veterans on Hawley's annual Patriot Trip, which is a testament to Joyce's commitment to veterans.
"It's four days and three nights," Hawley said. "He really just doesn't want to travel any more. He's traveled around the world serving our country. But he wants to stay right here every single day, helping our veterans, and for that, I respect him."
County Manager Matt Landers, with his oversight over county finances, noted that some might object to Joyce helping veterans who are not residents of Genesee County.
"Some could argue because Mr. Bill Joyce is paid for with Genesee County resources, that were helping veterans from outside of the county," Landers. "That's not even a discussion that I could have with Mr. Joyce, because there is no border for veterans. So Mr. Bill Joyce attracts them from far and away, and we support his efforts to support any veteran that is in need, whether they come across our boundary or border or he goes to them to wherever they are."
Then turning to Joyce with a smile, said, "Just please, limit the number of countries you visit."
Verna, Jacqueline, and Amanda, all expressed how proud they are of their father.
"I could think of no one more deserving of this recognition than my dad, from the love he has given his family and the dedication and care he has given to the community of veterans, he has shown," Verna said. "He can do many different roles and excelled greatly at them. He is the prime example of 'Army - Be All You Can Be' because he has been in every way possible."
Jacqueline said, "Dad held many titles -- son, brother, husband, father, friend and soldier, and, specifically to me, my hero."
Amanda said she's inherited a title from her father, "Bill Joyce's Daughter."
"I'm Bill's youngest daughter," Amanda said. "'Bill Joyce's Daughter' is an alternative name I've gone by my whole life, even more commonly than my actual name, because he's a person that everybody knows. No matter where I am, I'm recognized by that title at least once. That's a testimony of how many lives he's touched throughout his many phases of life.
She concluded, "This award presented to him today comes with no surprise to the many that know him. He's passionate about the work he does, always sees any given task through and gets the job done like no other. On any given day, but especially today, I continue to proudly carry the title of Bill Joyce's Daughter."
Bill Joyce and State Sen. George Borrello. Photo by Howard Owens.
The grandchildren of Bill Joyce leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Photo by Howard Owens.
Photo by Howard Owens.
Kathleen Ryan, the person who nominated Bill Joyce for the Hall of Fame, speaking. Photo by Howard Owens.
Genesee County Legislature Chair Shelley Stein. Photo by Howard Owens
County Manager Matt Landers. Photo by Howard Owens.
