Greater Amsterdam School District Hall of Fame announces 2021 inductees

The Greater Amsterdam School District Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2021, which will be inducted on Oct. 1 in a ceremony at the Perthshire banquet facility on Route 30.

This year’s induction class consists of Harrison Wilson Jr., William Marks, Louis Rosemarino, Bob Cudmore and Stephanie Boice Podolic in the Academic wing, along with Giuseppi Lanzi, Mike Angelotti, Bob Noto, John “Jack” Tracy and John Los in the Athletic wing. This year’s Legacy Team honoree is Amsterdam’s 1970 football team.

Wilson, a member of Amsterdam’s class of 1943, spent a half-century in the academic world, including a 22-year stint as the president of Norfolk State University from 1975 to 1997. Also a star four-sport athlete when in college at Kentucky State, Wilson — who died in 2019 — is the grandfather of Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Cudmore, the valedictorian of Amsterdam’s class of 1963, has spent nearly 60 years as a broadcaster and historian in the Capital Region. He has authored four books on the history of the Mohawk Valley, and has written more than 700 of his “Focus on History” columns for The Daily Gazette since 2001.

Rosemarino was a beloved math teacher in Amsterdam for more than 30 years whose legacy includes never having a single student fail a NYS Regents exam. Rosemarino was also devoted to numerous community organizations.

Boice Podolic, a 1975 Amsterdam graduate, spent 33 years as a music teacher in the Greater Amsterdam School District, the last 17 of those as director of the Amsterdam Marching Rams and music director of the AHS spring musical. She is the founder and director of the Mohawk Valley Chamber Ensembles and in 2020 was named conductor of The College of Saint Rose Symphonic Band.

Marks, a 1992 AHS graduate, attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1996. He served at sea on cruisers, destroyers and aircraft carriers, and served in top positions at the Pentagon, including as the Navy’s Chief of Media and as senior spokesperson for the Department of Defense on intelligence issues, working on special projects for both then-Vice President Mike Pence and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. He left military service after 22 years to join Facebook as a regional manager for community development in the western United States, where he has administered more than $10 million in grants to more than 200 schools, charities, small businesses and non-profits.

Tracy worked in Amsterdam schools for 40 years, including 38 as varsity baseball coach, where he mentored a pair of future major league players in Roger Bowman and Mac Kuczek. In 1927, he started the Amsterdam football program and spent its first four years as head coach, posting a 22-6 record and winning the team’s first league championship.

Angelotti, a 1992 AHS graduate, was a star football and track and field competitor for the Rams. On the gridiron, he was a three-year all-area selection on both offense and defense, averaging 10 yards per carry at fullback while serving as the lead blocker for fellow Hall of Famer Justice Smith. Angelotti played football for one year at Army and one more at Penn State before his football career ended due to concussion issues.

Lanzi, a member of the class of 2010, won 246 wrestling matches at Amsterdam, capped off by the only undefeated state and Federation championship season in school history. In 2009-10, Lanzi — who now works in his family’s restaurant business — went 42-0, won the prestigious Eastern States Classic and was voted the most outstanding wrestler at the state tournament after winning the Division I 152-pound championship.

Los’ career in Amsterdam was relatively short, but after being named varsity football coach in 1969, he led the team to a 23-7 record, with a pair of league titles. His 1970 team, the recipient of this year’s Legacy Team award, won Amsterdam’s first league title in 22 years — including an historic victory over longtime rival Mont Pleasant.

Noto, a 1973 AHS graduate, spent 35 years as a teacher, coach and athletic administrator in the district. He served as a girls’ basketball, volleyball and baseball coach, and was also a longtime assistant coach for the football program, including on the 1995 and 2005 state championship teams. Noto also approached the district with the idea of starting the GASD Hall of Fame in 2014 and served as its first chairman.

Cost for attending the induction ceremony is $45 per person, or $35 for members of the Legacy Team and current Hall of Famers. Cocktail hour will begin at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and the induction ceremony. For more information, email [email protected]