‘Be the Hero’ scholarship winners announced

The winners of the “988 Be the Hero” scholarship include residents of Chautauqua County who are pursuing a degree in the medical or mental health field. On June 2, the board met to review the essays, and the following winners were chosen.

Katherine “Kayde” Fitzgerald has been awarded the $1,000 scholarship to continue her coursework for clinical mental health counseling. Fitzgerald is currently the school counselor at the Brocton Central School. Upon graduation she plans to remain in Chautauqua County as a clinical mental health counselor.

Additional $500 scholarships were awarded to Makartnee Mortimer, Westfield; Hailey Ehmke, Brocton; Abigail White, Clymer; and Laken Raynor, Bemus Point.

The “988 Be the Hero” scholarship has given away more than $18,000 over a six-year period to deserving students. Any Chautauqua County resident who is pursuing a degree in the medical or mental health field, regardless of age, is encouraged to apply.

Patriot marker dedications planned

Members of the Sons of the American Revolution will be dedicating a Patriot Memorial marker on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Red Bird Cemetery, Route 380, and on Saturday June 27 at the Greenwood Cemetery in Stockton at 11:30 a.m. The public is invited to come and honor those veterans who fought for American freedom 250 years ago. The markers are fully funded by the William Pomeroy Foundation.

Genealogical Society recaps, sets meetings

Chautauqua County Genealogical Society has announced its speaker schedule for the coming months.

— March 16 — The group remembered Wayne Leamer and his contributions to the Society. He passed Dec. 8, 2025.

— April 15 — Andrew Kolstee gave an update on the inventory of material acquired with the passing of Leamer.

— May 20– David Dengler, funeral director at Larson-Timko funeral home in Fredonia spoke on “how to use funeral home records for genealogical research” as well as estates and costs.

— June 17 — Sue Sanders, from Arkwright, will speak on her work on St. Eustatius Island for The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. She will include info on the part of the Dutch families, and their genealogy and the “First Salute” and involvement in the American Revolution.

— July 15 — Cindy Washington Riggle will recount the journey of her maternal grandparents Alba and Evelyn Mathis Griffith.

— Aug. 19 — Picnic, to be announced.

— Sept. 16 — Todd Langworthy or Hezikiah Barker will be speaker. To be announced later.

— Oct. 21 — Meet at Barker Museum for 6:30 business meeting; at 7 Max Walters will speak on new exhibit.

— Nov. 18 — Holiday get together; Norm Carlson will give a short rendition of the continuance of the America 250 Expo theme for the next few years.

Talk on county Poor Farm is Monday

SHERIDAN — The Sheridan Historical Society will host a talk on Chautauqua County’s Poor Farm on Monday evening. The building will open for the exploring of exhibits at 5 p.m. prior to the talk, and the program will begin at 6:30pm.

The talk will be presented by Michell Henry, Research Historian for the state Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. She researched the poor farm records when she served as Records Manager for Chautauqua County. She is a state Registered Historian who holds a master’s in Anthropology and a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies. The talk will cover how and why the poor farm was opened as an improved solution for providing support for those who could not provide care or support for themselves or their families.

The Sheridan Historical Society is located at 2702 Route 20 at the corner of Center Road. The Society will hold more talks and events throughout the summer, as well as open house hours. Please visit the website, SheridanHistorical.org, for more information on the Sheridan Historical Society and a schedule of other upcoming events.