Byron-Bergen Alumni Hall of Fame

Press release and submitted photos:

Byron-Bergen Central School District has named two alumni to its Hall of Fame for 2019. Kenneth Hay (Class of 1966) and Dennis DeVelder (Class of 2001) join the ranks of other distinguished Byron-Bergen alumni honored with a place in the Alumni Hall of Fame for their achievements after graduation.

The Byron-Bergen Alumni Hall of Fame recognizes the accomplishments of the district’s graduates, providing young people with positive adult role models and showing that graduates of Byron-Bergen can achieve high levels of accomplishment in their lives.

This honor is in its 16th year and has become part of the school district culture. It is a permanent reminder to students about the outcome of hard work and diligence.

The 2019 Byron-Bergen Alumni Hall of Fame inductees will be honored at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27, in the Byron-Bergen High School Auditorium.

The two inductees will spend the day visiting with Byron-Bergen students and will be sharing how their school experience influenced their lives. The inductees will briefly speak to students and receive their Alumni Hall of Fame plaques during the school’s National Senior Honor Society induction ceremony.

Kenneth Hay – Class of 1966

While attending Byron-Bergen, Hay participated in Concert Band, Concert Choir, Yearbook Club, and Wrestling. After graduating high school, Hay received his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Fredonia State College, after which he continued with graduate work at Fredonia, Brockport and Geneseo state colleges, and the University of New Hampshire at Durham.

He taught music at East Irondequoit, Alexander and Batavia school districts. He started working as Batavia City High School band director from 1982 until his retirement in 2003, being named Music Department chairman in 1991. Hay was instrumental in Batavia’s concert and marching bands, jazz ensemble, and the musical pit orchestra.

For many years, he organized the Pageant of Bands in Batavia to show the musical talents of high school bands. He directed the pit orchestra for Batavia Rotary Club productions for many years.

Hay served as president of the Genesee-Wyoming Music Educators’ Association and was a member of the New York State School Music Association. Accolades include Paul Harris Fellowship (awarded by the Rotary Club), University of Rochester’s Teaching in Secondary Schools Award (1995), and recognition by Warner School of Education as being a Teacher of Excellence (2003).

Hay shared his musical passion inspiring students to "make music, not just play music," and serves as a positive role model for the youth of Byron-Bergen.

Dennis DeVelder (Class of 2001)

While at Byron-Bergen, DeVelder participated in Baseball and Golf. After graduation, DeVelder worked for his family’s lawn care business until July 2008 when he was diagnosed with brain cancer. After recovering from brain surgery, DeVelder began taking classes online at Monroe Community College. He eventually earned his associate degree and went on to pursue his bachelor’s degree in Finance at SUNY Brockport.

DeVelder was inducted into Tau Sigma Honor Society and underwent a second brain surgery prior to graduation in May 2012. Following radiation treatment in the summer of 2012, DeVelder was hired at The Villa of Hope, an organization that provides trauma-informed care for youth and families in Rochester. DeVelder remains employed there as a senior accountant.

He is passionate about raising money for cancer research at Wilmot Cancer Institute, co-chairing “The Coop Cup for Brain Cancer Research” (a golf tournament raising money for brain cancer research and a scholarship at Byron-Bergen in Clint Cooper’s name – another Byron-Bergen alumnus) and participating in the Annual Wilmot Warrior Walk with his family.

Living life to the fullest, DeVelder is an inspiration to the youth of Byron-Bergen.