PCS Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 2015
Jay Brooks
Pavilion has never looked better or provided more wonderful memories of the past than when it is seen through the eyes of Jay Brooks. Whether it is his paintings or his videos, Jay’s dedication to the preservation of the Pavilion of the past has been the delight of many of its residents. The deep connection to Pavilion started when he was involved in many activities while attending Pavilion Central School. As a member of the graduating class of 1984, Jay had participated Chorus and in High School Band, Pep Band, Stage Band and Marching Band. His athletic participations included wrestling, cross country and ski club. He was a member of National Honor Society, and Student Council. Even at this level, he was a standout artist, receiving awards for his art work.
Jay attended Carnegie Mellon University and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1988, followed by a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University in 1990. He began his teaching career in South Bronx and Bronx until 1993 when he began his current teaching position at the Monticello High School, in Monticello NY. Jay says, “Since I am a teacher, and I love to see my students succeed, I consider their achievements my achievements”. He has seen five of his former students become full time art teachers, some students graduating from prestigious art school, namely Cooper Union, Pratt School of Visual Arts and Fashion Institute of Technology and countless other students who have art related careers.
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Jay is a professional artist, well known in his hometown. His solo exhibitions in Perry and GOART! In Batavia featured an historic theme of Pavilion entitled “Home”. Many of his paintings hang in the homes of people in this area. Whether the paintings are landscapes of the Pavilion area, hometown heroes, businesses or the railroad, Jay has captured, with wonderful detail, the essence of Pavilion. His honors and awards have come from art exhibits at the Oxford Gallery in Rochester, Maresella Gallery in Skaneateles, as well as Galleries in downstate New York, and New York City’s Chelsea area. Four of his paintings were selected for the “Arts for the Parks” Top 100 competition in Cody, Wyoming. Corporations have his artwork in their collections. They are featured in US Department of State, Hallmark Cards, The Equitable Corporation and Pfizer, to name a few. He has been a visiting artist and lecturer at the Art Society in Wilkes-Barre, PA., and featured in “American Artist Magazine” in their February 2004 issue.
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The Communities in which Jay has lived have benefited from his talents in other areas. He volunteered at the homeless shelter and food pantry at St. John Divine Church in New York City, been in community and summer stock theater productions, as well as a civil war reenactor for the 56th regiment New York State volunteers. His latest passion is as a bassist and cellist for the “Old Time Fiddlers” of Honesdale, PA. He has been with this nonprofit group for the past 12 years. This group promotes old music and dance alive while providing fundraisers for local churches, fire departments and grange halls. He has performed live on stage with violinist Shane Cook from “Bowfire”, and country artist Tim Crouch, who is the fiddle player for Alan Jackson.
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The Facebook page of hometown doings and the short videos he has produced of Pavilion musicians, the transition from steam to diesel on the B& O railroad, Pavilion veterans, and images of Pavilion show his desire to preserve the town of Pavilion’s history.
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Jay lives in Callicoon, NY with his wife Sondra and their two children Amelia and Curtis.
Denise Buck Duthe
Denise Buck Duthe graduated from Pavilion Central in 1972. While attending PCS she was very involved in all aspects of the music program. Concert and Marching Band, Choir, Solo Festival and participation in the All County Bands and Choruses were among the musical activities that captivated her desire to seek a degree in Music Education. Drama Club, High School Musical, Future Teachers of America, Model Congress and American Field Service were some of her other activities. She also participated in Student Council, was a class Officer and was a member of the National Honor Society. Involvement in sports, too, added to her busy High School life with her participation in Field Hockey, Volleyball and Track and Field and Intramurals. It’s understandable that she received the highest points for participation.
After graduation, Denise attended Roberts Wesleyan College and graduated in 1976. While pursuing her B.S. in Music Education degree, Denise was involved in the Wind Ensemble, Women’s Choir and Chorale. She participated in Student Government and was selected as the Cultural Life Director. It was in that capacity that she arranged and sponsored arts and cultural activities for the entire student body and brought the Rochester Philharmonic to the college for the first time. She also produced and sponsored the first musical at the college that was totally produced, directed and performed by students.
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After graduating from Roberts Wesleyan, Denise taught music for the Attica Central School District from 1976-1989. She produced and directed a 4th grade musical every year and found funding for Fine Arts at the Prospect Elementary School. She arranged to have performers come from Rochester, Buffalo and surrounding areas. She continued working on graduate studies at, Nazareth, SUNY Geneseo and University of Buffalo.
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In 1989, Denise began teaching at the Elementary school for the LeRoy Central School District. With her developing involvement in area Fine Arts, each year she found funding and grants for many cultural arts presentations for the Elementary School. Sixth Graders went to the GEVA Theater each year to see “A Christmas Carol”, 4th graders took Fine Arts Trips to Rochester and students in every grade level 1-6 were given a chance to participate in concerts or recitals.
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In 2000, Denise was named Director of Music at LeRoy Central for grades K- 12. She produced and directed High School Musical Productions from 2000 -2010 and ensured that HS groups saw professional performances throughout the Rochester, Buffalo and Toronto area. A group, “The Good Knights”, an All-Male a cappella group, was formed in 2004 and enjoyed performing in a variety of venues, one of which was performing for the NYS School Board Convention in Buffalo. She has also been a guest conductor for the Genesee-Wyoming Music Educator’s All County Elementary Chorus. The community of LeRoy enjoyed the accolade of being designated as one of the “Top 100 Communities in the USA” for music education. It was no surprise that Denise was nominated as RPO Music Educator of the Year.
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When Denise retired in 2010, she had the freedom to pursue a dream of playing the harp. She began studying the harp in 2011 and now studies with the principal harpist for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Grace Wong. She uses her harp playing talent to perform at weddings and recitals at Hochstein School of Music in Rochester as well as nursing homes in the area. She continues to be an adjudicator for the Rochester Broadway Theater League, reviewing High School musicals throughout the area.
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Denise lives in LeRoy with her husband Don, a retired principal, whom she has been married to for 38 years. They have two grown sons, Mark and his wife Keri and Ryan, both successful businessmen. Since retirement, Denise has continued her commitment to LeRoy by volunteering at Grace’s Kitchen, serving community meals and was elected to the LeRoy Central School Board of Education in 2013.
Bob McVean
Anyone who knows basketball at Pavilion Central is aware of the 1964 Section V undefeated Championship team. Bob McVean was the starting point guard on that team and that began his involvement with basketball on many levels. After graduation from PCS in 1964, Bob attended Canisius College for two years before transferring and graduating from Brockport State College in 1969 with a B.S in Health and Physical Education and an M.S. in Health Education. Following his college graduation Bob taught health, biology and physical education at Holley Central, Byron-Bergen Central and Sodus High School. He has coached varsity basketball at Byron-Bergen and was an assistant basketball coach at Hobart College for four years. He was the Men's Basketball Coach at Eisenhauer College for five years where he was also a PE and Wellness instructor. Subsequent to that, Bob has been the Men's Basketball coach at Rochester Institute of Technology for thirty-two years.
His achievements at RIT are numerous, many of them record breaking. In 2013 Bob became the 32nd coach in Division III history to win 500 games with a career coaching record of 531-401 in 37 years. He currently ranks 13th on the NCAA Division III list of active coaches with 531 victories. He is the all-time leader in coaching wins in RIT men's basketball history (473) and has led the RIT Tigers to 19 consecutive winning seasons from 1991-2010 with six 20-win seasons in the last 16 years. In 1997 Bob led the Tigers to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, the deepest showing in the tournament in RIT basketball history. In 1995, 1996 and 1997 Bob's RIT teams were ranked 1st in the East Region in the NCAA Tournament.
In 2011 Bob was inducted into the RIT Athletics Hall of Fame and in 2014 he was inducted into the prestigious Frontier Field Walk of Fame. The College Basketball Officials Association has honored Coach McVean and the RIT Basketball program twice (1999, 2005 and 2013) with the Schoenfeld Sportsmanship Award which is presented annually to the team that best exemplifies sportsmanship, character, and ethics—traits that both Bob and the RIT basketball program have always valued. He has been Coach of the Year in 1980 for the NAIA, six times for Empire 8, and for the NCAA East Region in 1995 and 1997. Bob currently serves on the NCAA Division III National Basketball Committee and is the regional congressman for the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Bob has always shared his love of his sport with others. He was the Director of the Bob McVean Resident Basketball Camp from 1978 until 2007. He established the Bob McVean Day Camp in 1985 and it continues today. He has hosted Bob McVean Varsity and J.V. Tournaments from 2002 until the present. He also speaks several times a year at various camps, clinics and banquets. His supporters—players as well as coaches—say that “Bob's teams always reflect his competitive nature and his solid core values”. “He stresses self-discipline and time management, but is also a player's coach who cares about us off the floor as students and men.”
Residing in Penfield with his wife Debbie Swartz McVean, they have three children, Carrie, Tara and Scott and six grandchildren.