The John Mancuso Memorial Committee recently met at the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF) to finalize plans for acknowledging Mancuso's contributions to the Dunkirk High School community.
A detailed memorial plaque will be placed in what will be the Memory Garden in the courtyard of the Dunkirk High School. The ceremony unveiling the plaque is scheduled for Sept. 13 at 5 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
Mancuso served the Dunkirk City School District from 1956 1989, as a social studies teacher, football coach and high school principal. He was well known for his contagious school spirit and his commitment to the students at Dunkirk High School. He and his wife established the John J. & Helen B. Mancuso Scholarship Fund at the NCCF. Since 2006, the fund has awarded $64,000 to students pursuing careers as social studies teachers at SUNY Fredonia.
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Submitted photo
Planning the memorial for John J. Mancuso are, left to right, Jay Warren, Gunnar Bankoski, Carol Bleck, Diane Hannum and Steve O’Brien.
The Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Group has been working to raise funds to complete the Memory Garden.
The garden was originally planned by students Gunnar Bankoski and Kat Carr as a way to remind people of the message of SADD and to carry on the memory of those who have passed away.
The SADD group works to raise awareness and to educate and empower students with the tools they need to make positive decisions in their life.
Contributions are welcomed and can be sent to Carol Bleck, care of Dunkirk High School, 620 Marauder Drive in Dunkirk.
The NCCF was incorporated in 1986 as a tax-exempt charitable organization. Since its establishment, the NCCF has distributed more than $8.3 million in the community through its various grant programs. It is an organization inherently committed to enriching the northern Chautauqua community and encouraging local philanthropy. For more information on the NCCF, visit www.nccfoundation.org or call 366-4892.
