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- Category: Hall of Fame
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Sally Shields is being inducted into the Hall of Fame for her career acheivements with the school district, her dedication to the students and families of the city, and her support of the Alumni Association.
Sally graduated from Cardinal McCloskey High School in Albany. She has a B.S.in Elementary Education from the College of St. Rose and a M.S. in Remedial Reading Literacy from SUNYA. She has an additional degree in Educational Administration also from St. Rose. She holds permanent NYS certifications in Nursery, Kindergarten and Grades 1-6; School Administration and Supervision, and as a School District Administrator.
Prior to coming to Rensselaer, Sally taught in Parocial schools in Albany and South Carolina, then worked for the Albany City School District as an Elementary and Jr. High School teacher, then as an Administrator for several years. Sally came to the Rensselaer School System in 1996 as Principal of Van Rensselaer Elementary School. During her tenure there, she garnered a $600,000 Literacy Grant from the Charitable Leadership Foundation for Improvement of the Elementary Literacy Program. The school was also recognzed by the NYS Education Department for 2 yrs. as a high-performing, gap-closing school for state assessments. She was an innovator for implementing a full-day literacy-based, pre-K program as well. Other programs started by Sally were the Principal’s Favoite Book, several field trips, and merit programs such as the Bucket Fillers and Star Students.
Sally was the first female to be appointed Superintendent of the Rensselaer School District in 2010 and will be retiring this year. Amoung her achievements while superintendent are : the Distant Learning Program at the high school and a Career Technical Education Program in Solar Technology. Students completing this progam will receive a certificate of Technical Endorsement from the NYS Education Department and Engineering credits from Hudson Valley Community College. Sally doesn’t just stop at her job description. She goes over and above, contributing to city programs such as Concerns-U, Circles of Mercy, and St. Paul’s Shelter in the name of the faculty and staff of RCSD. She plants flowers in front of school and helps out needy students. Since the inception of the Alumni Association in 2011, Sally has given her full support of our programs, meeting with us yearly and as needed, approving our goals and initiatives. She has attended as many of the alumni association’s events as possible.
Sally was nominated by alumna and 2015 Hall of Fame inductee, Alumni Association President, Lynne Beiermeister. She and her husband Sam have two daughters and live in Delmar.
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Kristopher “Fibbs” Remington is being inducted into the Hall of Fame for his entrepreneurship and volunteerism to the citizens of Rensselaer and Brant Lake.
Kris is an alumnus of the class of 1994, which gives him the distinction of being the youngest inductee to the Hall of Fame thus far. His high school career involved being on the J.V. and Varsity football and baseball teams.
Following high school Kris attended both Hudson Valley and Schenectady Community Colleges before going into the family business started by his father Michael, Remington Blacktop. Following the sudden death of his father, Kris took over the business and subsequently expanded it to include construction, snowplowing and buying, renovating and leasing properties. The business covers the counties of : Albany, Columbia, Essex, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Warren and Washington to name a few. Kris runs his business like a true hometowner, hiring from within the city. Many of the properties he has purchased at auction, thus placing them back on the tax rolls. One of the most prominent is the Margaret Thather House on Broadway. Kris’ reputation as a fair landlord puts his properties in high demand.
Kris invests in his communities. In the winter of 2016-17, he assisted the elderly and veteran population of Rensselaer with snowplowing at little or no cost to them. On many occassions the City Public Works Department has referred citizens to Kris for issues like water in their basements. His reputation brought him the “Citizen of the Year” award in 2017. He and his business are known for being generous donors to the Boys’ and Girls’ Club, Little League and political campaigns.
Kris was nominated by his friend and relative, alumna and Alumni Association Vice President, Deborah Reimann’74. Kris and his wife Christine reside on John St. in Rensselaer.
Kris Remington was nominated by Deb J Reimann
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Rev. Dr. Carolyn Bellamy Lester is being inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame for her dedication in obtaining her degree and following her calling into ministering to her community.
Carolyn was an alumna of the class of 1966. In high school she belonged to several clubs: Theta Sigma Nu, Tri-Hi-Y and Psi Kappa Gamma and was in Drama Club for a year and on library staff her junior year. She won both a shorthand and typing award also her junior year.
Carolyn worked for the State of New York for 31 yrs, in the Departments of Parks and Recreation, and in Health.
Carolyn earned her BA degree from RPI and MA in Pastoral Studies from St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry. She was ordained in 2006. She earned another Masters in Divinity and a Doctoral in Ministry and Transformational Leadership from Colgate Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, NY in 2010. While in school she was the President of the Black Student Caucus and recipient of the Martin Luther King Fellows scholarship.
While a minister, she gave the sermon at the 2014 Genesee Baptist Church Pastor Appreciation Sunday service and spoke at the Friendship Day ceremonies at the Penfield United Methodist Church in 2016 to name a few. Her LinkedIn Profile contains so many endorsements they are too many to list.
Carolyn was nominated by Karen Garhartt ’72, with Carolyn’s brother David Bellamy and sister Pearl Haggary. Carolyn passed away last year at the age of 69. She was predeceased by her husband, Lenon, father Oscar Bellamy, Jr., and siblings Melvin and Pamela. She is survived by her mother Carrie Bellamy, two sons, Stefan and Aikee Lester, 3 grandchildren, and siblings Noris Vines, Oscar III, Ronald, Pearl Haggary, Darlene Thomas, Leslie Fiol, Derome and David.
In her yearbook her ambition said “To adjust my life so that I can make the best of my capabilities.” She certainly lived up to that.
Pearl Haggray, her sister Darlene Thomas, and brothers Oscar and David Bellamy accept the award for their sister, Rev. Dr. Carolyn Lester, posthumous. Karen Troxell Garhardtt '72 nominated Carolyn with Pearl and David.