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- Category: Hall of Fame
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Frank H. Allen is being inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously, for his lifelong community service benefiting the residents of Rensselaer and West Sand Lake.
Frank lived in Rensselaer from 1947-1960. Frank belonged to the Van Rensselaer High School class of 1952. He joined the Rensselaer Fire Department after marrying Nancy Baldwin in 1954. He moved his family and built a house in West Sand Lake in 1961, joining the Fire Department and Rescue Squad. He also was very involved with the town government serving on the Zoning Board of Appeals from 1971-2009, functioning as their chairman and secretary. Frank’s reputation was so well known that in the late ‘60’s he was contacted by some folks in Rensselaer to assist them in organizing a volunteer ambulance corp. He lent his expertise even though he worked two jobs, at the NYS Department of Criminal Justice Services, and as owner/operator of Frank’s Key and LockShop, and volunteered extensively in WSL. Frank was also a volunteer Rensselaer County Auxiliary Police Officer who fingerprinted children for safety programs at the Schaghticoke Fair among some of his duties. He served the county and the village for over 30 years. When Frank was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis he did not let it stop him from his volunteer work. Fighting pain and weakness, he continued to help the village. Some of Frank’s awards include the Rensselaer County Executive Commendation, Sand Lake Citizen of the Month, Devoted Volunteer Award from the WSL Fire Company and the MDA Northeastern Personal Achievement Award. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 76, leaving his wife Nancy, fire children and eight grandchildren. Frank was nominated by his daughter, Tabitha Marie Allen Tufano of West Sand Lake.
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- Category: Hall of Fame
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Hometown Heros is the brainchild of Bill Harrison, a RCSD employee and former serviceman who wanted a way to honor his fellow countryman and women who have served. He pitched the idea to Tessa Sedlar, secretary of the Alumni Association (at the time) and Elementary Art Teacher at Rensselaer and the project was born. It's purpose is to honor the men and women, from our families, school and community that served our country in the military. It also serves to educate students about school and community ties to war and peacetime service of our country.
Bill and Tessa create the profiles of our Hometown Heros and have artfully displayed them on the walls of the main hallway of the school. Each profile identifies the Hometown Hero with their photo, branch of service (with a different colored ribbon), years served, rank and if they are an alumni, their graduating year or years enrolled. Hometown Heros especially honors Rensselaer school alumni but the service person does not have to have been an alumnus e.g. if you are an alumnus, faculty member or employee of RCSD, you can submit a friend or relative's profile.
If you or your loved one (living or deceased) wishes to be part of the Hometown Heros project, please bring or send that profile information to:
Original photos will be returned, but copies are preferred. A formal military portrait in uniform is preferred, but if not available, candid photos can be used.
The next time you are in the vicinity of the school, please stop in and see this wonderful tribute to our community's service personnel.
Vietnam Veterans is a listing of the Hometown Heros having service time in Vietnam.
City of Rensselaer Veteran Banners
3/15/2017 10:12:00 AM
It’s almost Banner Season again! The City Planning Department will be taking orders for new banners starting in April and displaying those already purchased for the Memorial Day Parade.
As a reminder: Banners will be displayed and returned to the owner after 3 years (typical wear and tear). Due to the overwhelming volume of banner orders the city cannot guarantee specific location requests. Thank you for your patience and support with recognizing the Veterans of the City of Rensselaer.
Alumni honoring our service members on Memorial Day while spreading the word about our Alumni Association.
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- Category: Hall of Fame
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JOHN RUCKER was nominated by alumnus James Konstantakis '69, a former sports writer now retired news editor. John is being inducted into the Hall of Fame for his outstanding athletic accomplishments, bringing both pride and prominence to his school and community. John is an alumnus of the Class of 1961. His high school basketball record is among the best in the school’s history.
John helped lead VRHS to the Section 2 Class C championship in the 1959-'60 season and was named the team's Most Valuable Player. That year, and the following year, he was also named to the Knickerbocker News All-Star Suburban Team, which included Albany, Schenectady and Troy areas, and in 1960-'61, he was named to the All-State team. Following high school, John went to Columbia Basin Junior College in Paco, Wash., where he was also named the team's MVP. In his second year at CBJC, he was one of the team's co-captains and helped lead the team to the league championship with a perfect 27-0 record. In 1965, John transferred to the University of Idaho where he was the university's 2nd leading rebounder and team's 3rd leading scorer. In 1966, he led Idaho in rebounding and was the team's 2nd leading scorer and was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Star team. Upon graduation, John signed a professional contract in 1968 to play in the French National League where he helped the team to the Division II Regional championship playing for Alsace Lorraine's Auboue team.When John arrived in France, his coach told him that scoring 15 points a game wouldn't cut it. John scored 46 points in his professional debut! In 1969 & 1970, John moved on to play for the Division I Gaffenstaden/Strasbourg team and finished the season as the league's 3rd leading scorer. John returned to Rensselaer and played briefly for the Schenectady Wedekinds, a professional travel team comprised of college greats from the Capital District and across the U.S. In 2003, John's Columbia Basin's Jr. College team was inducted into the Northwest Athletic Association's Junior College Hall of Fame for its perfect season. Then in 2013, John's basketball prowess was recognized when he was elected into the prestigious Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame, giving Rensselaer two players so honored. (Barry Cavanaugh was elected in 2012.) In his travels, John has played with and against former NBA stars Lenny Wilkens and Elgin Baylor.In addition to his stellar athletic career, John has served the City of Rensselaer for several years on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club and has helped other organizations as well.