Amherst Central High School: A Legacy of Achievement
Amherst Central High School (ACHS) in Snyder, New York, boasts a rich history of academic, athletic, and artistic excellence. As the sole high school within the Amherst Central School District, ACHS has fostered a tradition of cultivating talent and shaping future leaders. This article highlights some of the school's notable alumni and the accomplishments that have brought distinction to both themselves and their alma mater.
A Foundation of Excellence
Established in 1983, the Amherst Central Alumni Foundation plays a vital role in supporting student experiences, particularly those that broaden horizons or involve community service. The "Amherst Athletes Hall of Fame" was a joint venture of the Amherst Schools and The Amherst Foundation. In June of 1987, Bob Welch, assistant principal at the High School, set up a steering committee made up of Amherst Alumni and Amherst coaches for the purpose of formulating the Amherst Athletes Hall of Fame. The original steering committee included Dave Dengler, Bob Hettler, Bonnie Hobson, Fred Machemer, Duke McGuire, Rocky Nagel, Rick Walsh, Lois Ward, Debbie Weihrich and Gerry Wright. This Committee met for the first time on July 22, 1987 and set up the qualifications necessary to be nominated for the Hall of Fame. The Athletic Hall of Fame nomination form will remain open with an April 1st submission deadline for each current year inductees. Any form submissions that are submitted after the deadline will be reviewed for subsequent year nominations. Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.
Distinguished Educators and Administrators
Donald W. Munson: A name synonymous with Amherst Central High School, Donald W. Munson dedicated 35 years to the Amherst Central School District. Serving as an industrial arts teacher, guidance counselor, assistant principal, and, most notably, principal for 19 years (1961-1980), Munson left an indelible mark on the school. He was inducted into the Buffalo State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986. His support of the athletic program helped expand varsity, junior varsity and intramural athletics within the district. Munson hired and supported many dedicated teachers and great coaches. He was awarded the Distinguished Educator Emeritus Award by the Amherst Central Alumni Foundation in 2004. Munson, who earned his degree from Buffalo State College in 1945, was a talented collegiate athlete in cross country. Running four years of varsity cross country for Buffalo State College, he set five course records as a sophomore. He won the Amateur Athletic Union (“AAU”) National Junior Cross Country Championship in 1943 and was the Niagara District AAU Cross Country Champion three times. Sadly he passed away Feb. Donald's son, Garry, a 1962 ACHS graduate, recalls that as a student at Amherst, he remembers his father attending multiple Amherst sporting events during all sports seasons after completing a busy day in his office at Amherst.
Nancy Riccio: Another influential figure in Amherst Central School District, Nancy Riccio served as the Director of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics. Her leadership contributed significantly to the development and success of the school's athletic programs.
Kenneth Butka: Math Department Chair at Amherst Central High from 1992 - 2014, Ken also served as a class advisor and coach athletics for many years.
Read also: Comprehensive Guide to Amherst
Fred Machemer: a 1958 ACHS alumnus, Fred taught chemistry at Amherst Central High School for 30 years.
Cleta Schermerhorn (posthumously): a graduate of the Conservatory of Music at Ithaca College, Cleta taught music at the Lancaster School District and founded their band program.
Athletic Standouts
Kim Rustay: A gifted athlete, Kim Rustay excelled in both baseball and soccer, earning All ECIC Division 1 All Star status. Kim Rustay was on a path to be drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1967. Instead, his parents had him go to Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky where he earned his bachelor of arts degree in physical education with a history minor in 1971. While there, he was a four-year letter winner in baseball and three years in soccer. He was recognized as a three-time MVP in baseball and as a three-time MVP (defense) in soccer. Athletics continued to play a key role in his life after college. He was a free agent pitcher with New York Yankees-West Haven Double A. From 1994-97, he was the head baseball coach at Transylvania University and led the revival of the program. He cites his greatest achievement as raising two wonderful children, Kyle and Kari, and being happily married for 30.5 years to his late wife Virginia and 12.5 years to wife Vicki. He is a founding member of Central Kentucky Soccer Officials Association. For 23 years, he has refereed soccer as a high school and college official. He has served as a baseball recommending scout for Pittsburgh Pirates for 15 years and the Minnesota Twins for three years. He recalls that playing for coach Hettler in Amherst was always an experience. "I can remember to this day when he would always say 'kinda hazy' which was his way of saying whether the game was on or not," he said.
Victoria Mitchell: Currently the director and head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country/track and field at the University at Buffalo, Victoria Mitchell oversees all aspects of the program including coaching, recruiting, budgeting, scheduling, home competitions, camps and clinics. Before coming to UB in 1999, she also taught physical education and was the head cross country and track and field coach at Holy Angels Academy in Buffalo. She recalls that in late September 1984, she ran the one mile Presidential Physical Fitness Test in physical education class with Mrs. Carol Fitzpatrick. "I was not competitive, but I did want to impress Mrs. Fitz by being the fastest in the class," she said. "Shortly after finishing the timed mile, Mr. McAllister, the boys PE teacher, came over and was talking with Mrs. Fitzpatrick. The next day, I met Mr. O’Donnell and running started. Mr. Bob O’Donnell (XC) and Mr. Brad Tichenor (Track) had a profound impact on my development. They recognized my strengths that I did not know I had. They challenged me but they knew just the right balance to keep me onboard. It is clear I was not an outstanding athlete in high school, but they did not mistake my quiet introverted personality for lack of enthusiasm or commitment. As a student, athlete and coach she has experienced much success and recognition. She graduated magna cum laude in 1991 from SUNY Cortland with a bachelor's degree in physical education. As a professional athlete, she was on the Nike Team Boston (’93-94), Brooks Running Team (’94-’98), Reebok (’98-01), Fila USA Team Discovery (01). A two-time USA Olympic Trials Qualifier in 1996 for the 10,000m and 2000 Marathon, she was also a six-time USA Track & Field National Championship Qualifier, 10,000m (’93, ’94 ’95,’96,’98,’99). During her NCAA collegiate career, she was a 7-time NCAA Individual National Champion (2 x 1500m, 3000m, 3 x 5000m, 1 x 10,000m, 1 x Cross Country) and a 10-time NCAA All-American. As a coach at UB, her teams were MAC Individual Conference Champions: 2004 Women’s 10k Champ, 2004 Women’s XC Champ, 2011 Men’s Steeple Chase Champion, 800m Women’s Champion 2013, 2014, 2015 (indoor and outdoor), 2016 Freshman of the year in Cross Country. Twenty of her runners were named NCAA All Americans. At Amherst Central High School, she was voted team captain and team MVP of all three sports; was a WNY Scholar Athlete, voted All-American Honorable Mention for Girls Lacrosse, voted 1st Team All Western New York for Girls Lacrosse. As part of the Division I Lacrosse program at Canisius College, she was the only player in Canisius College Women’s Lacrosse history to receive 1st Team All-MAAC honors all four years of play. She held NCAA Division I records for ground balls in a season, caused turnovers in a season and caused turnovers in a career. She was selected to represent New York State and play on the NYS National 1st Team at the National Lacrosse Tournament. She was selected to the MAAC Lacrosse League All-Academic Team. She was recently inducted into the Canisius College Athletic Hall of Fame for Women’s Lacrosse. During her freshman year after a basketball game, a woman introduced herself as the girls lacrosse coach and asked her if she had any plans yet for the spring. "Since being a member of the track team in middle school, I hadn’t even considered trying out the new sport offered known as lacrosse," she said. "She told me I would be a great fit for the sport. She told me to come to tryouts and said 'just watch, you are going to love it and be my defensive star.' I am so glad she took the time to reach out and instill that confidence in me right from the start. I will forever be grateful that I chose to leave my comfort zone and take a chance on something new. That decision has brought me tremendous happiness and success and ultimately opened many doors to new opportunities and experiences throughout my life.
Mark Rubin: Safety for the St.
Read also: Impact of Amherst's Endowment
Accomplished Professionals
Dr. John Schriver ’55: Nationally recognized in the area of emergency medicine. Dr. Schriver helped establish two academic departments of emergency medicine at Yale University School of Medicine and Oregon Health Sciences University.
Dr. Gary Ginsberg ’80: Lawyer, American political operative and corporate advisor who worked as Assistant Counsel to President Clinton. After a time as senior editor and counsel at George magazine, Mr. Ginsberg was Executive VP of Global Marketing and Corporate Affairs at News Corporation.
Tom Hambridge ’79: Grammy winning singer, songwriter, producer and drummer. Tom’s production work includes duets or solo projects with Eric Clapton, Keith Urban, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Kid Rock, BB King, and many others.
Jeffrey Gundlach: Founder of DoubleLine Capital LP
Katie Robertson: journalist, The Associated Press Names a New Top Editor
Read also: Getting into Amherst: Scores
Angela Coniglio: Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.
A School Committed to Excellence
Amherst Central High School's commitment to providing a well-rounded education is evident in its diverse programs and activities. The school is known for the high quality of their music program. Instrumental music instruction comprises an Orchestra Department (Mainly String Instruments) and a Band Department (Mainly Wind Instruments). The Band Department consists of Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Ensemble, as well as smaller sectional ensembles. The Orchestra Department consists of Symphony Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, Operetta Pit Orchestra, Sinfonia, and smaller chamber ensembles. The Amherst Drama Club produces two performances each school year. The fall production features notable, often classic plays such as A Christmas Carol, It's a Wonderful Life and The Diary of Anne Frank. Amherst also has a prominent Operetta program, and has been producing operettas annually since about 1932. For the 2020-2021 school year, the Amherst Operetta Association performed Strawberry Fields. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, it was decided that a smaller opera would be performed in lieu of a traditional operetta performance. 'Strawberry Fields' consists of only eight main roles, as well as a small ensemble. Amherst supports many sports and is a Section B school. The school has a turf athletic stadium, the Dimp Wagner Athletic Field, which serves as the home playing surface for the Amherst Tigers football, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse, women's field hockey, and many JV and modified teams. Amherst had a championship men's hockey team (ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation in 2009) and women's lacrosse teams, producing multiple Division I athletes every year. The men's hockey team won the section six championship on February 28, 2010. This team made league history by winning the championship as the last place seed coming in. It also boasts championship tennis, field hockey, and basketball programs. Their field hockey team has had much success in the past ten years. The team won the Far West Regional Championship game in Medina, NY against Pittsford-Sutherland High School with a score of 2-1 and advanced onto the State Championship for Class B in Vestal, New York on November 20, 2009.
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