2018 Wall of Honor Bios
James Branck
James Branck is being recognized in the areas of Technology and Business, he is a member of the Frankfort-Schuyler Class of 1960.
Mr. Branck attended Mohawk Valley Technical Institute, now Mohawk Valley Community College, and received a degree in mechanical engineering.
He was employed in the Drafting Department at General Electric in Utica, where he was awarded two patents for his work on Show and Tell, a toy record player and filmstrip viewer.
Mr. Branck was awarded six additional patents while at PAR Technology Corporation as a senior design engineer working on point of sale (POS) terminals. He worked on the first POS Terminal with a touch screen and designed a terminal that had to be inconspicuously placed under counters at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
He also served on the Frankfort-Schuyler Central School District Board of Education for 10 years, serving as a board member, Vice President and President.
Mr. Branck was described as “a great mentor,” “prideful of his work,” and it has been said “he provided leadership, levity and words of encouragement.”
Mrs. Jana Lambert, Mr. Branck’s daughter, accepted this recognition in his honor.|
Joseph P. Cristiano
Joseph P. Cristiano is being recognized in the areas of Business and Commerce. As a member of the Frankfort-Schuyler Class of 1958, Cristiano attended MVCC and SUNY, where he earned degrees in business management. Later he attended Baldwin Wallace University, where he earned his MBA in the High Honors Program, in the area of system organization.
He spent 23 years with the Sherwin-Williams Paint Company, where he served in several management positions, including: director of training and development, national sales manager, director of advertising and merchandising, vice president of store operations, and finally division president.
In 2003, he founded, and is currently the CEO of the Northern California Entrepreneur Mentoring Group, which has offered pro bono mentoring and business assistance to over 400 entrepreneurs worldwide.
Currently, he is the co-owner and co-chair of Better Homes and Garden Tri-Valley Realty and serves as the chairman of board for the Bank of San Francisco and is a member of the Napa Community Bank Board.
He is a member of the Polytechnic University Industrial Advisory Council and also served on the Editorial Advisory Board of Coatings World Magazine.
He has served as President of the New York State Jaycees and was selected for the annual Distinguished Individual Service to Community Award presented by the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce.
Steve McMurray
Steve McMurray, member of the class of 1991, is being recognized in the areas of Community Service and Business.
Mr. McMurray received his BA in Political Science and Broadcast Journalism from S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
He has worked at WKTV Channel 2 in Utica since 2002, where he started as an assistant manager, became news director for eight years, served as station manager from 2012-2014 and is currently the vice president and general manager.
Mr. McMurray has been recognized by the New York State Broadcasters Association, earning the Best Newscast award in 2003, the Best Locally-Produced Show Award in 2003 and the Outstanding Live Sports Coverage Award in 1996 and 1997.
He has also been recognized by the Associated Press Broadcasters, earning the Best Newscast Award in 2003, recognition for the 9/11 Remembrance Special in 2002 and Outstanding Sports Coverage in 1997. The American Cancer Society presented him with the Media Award in 2001; and he has awarded the Les Diven Media Award for Outstanding Boilermaker Coverage.
Mr. McMurray is also a member of the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Frankfort Fire Department, a past assistant fire chief for the Frankfort Fire Department, a member of the Frankfort Kiwanis Club and a Frankfort youth baseball coach.
Dr. Angelo Pedulla
Dr. Angelo Pedulla is being recognized in the area of Medicine.
Dr. Pedulla graduated from Frankfort-Schuyler in 1998, he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Le Moyne College and received his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse in 2006.
His post-doctoral training included his residency in internal medicine at the University of Rochester and a fellowship in cardiovascular disease, also at the University of Rochester.
Dr. Pedulla specializes in clinical cardiology, caring for patients in an out of the hospital. He has additional training in echocardiography studies, including exercise and pharmacological stress testing, transesophageal echo, vascular ultrasound and nuclear cardiology.
His awards and recognition include:
- Bauman Award Finalist in 2013
- American College of Cardiology (New York) Fellow Representative 2010
- Le Moyne Dean’s Scholar
- Le Moyne Leadership Scholarship
- Department of Medicine Fellows Teaching Award Nominee, 2010 and 2011
He has published several journal articles regarding the treatment of heart disease and has presented at several symposiums.
James Wallace
Mr. James Wallace, a member of the class of 1974, is being recognized in the area of Government.
After graduating from Frankfort-Schuyler, Mr. Wallace received a Bachelor’s Degree from Alfred University. Since 1991, he has served as the county administrator for Herkimer County, supervising 27 department heads with over 650 employees and operating on a budget near $100 million. Mr. Wallace is responsible for day-to-day implementation of County policies and procedures.
Prior to serving in his current position, he was the director of the Herkimer County Employment and Training Program where he was responsible for the development and implementation of training programs for economically disadvantaged, handicapped and dislocated persons.
Under his leadership, Herkimer County is becoming a thriving area for business opportunities and growth. The Tractor Supply Distribution Center, Hale Manufacturing Center, Heidelberg Bakery Expansion and Fiberdyne Labs are simply a few of the many successful businesses established in our County under his direction.
Mr. Wallace is a member of the Herkimer-Oneida Community Foundation Workforce Investment Board, Mohawk Valley Economic Development District Board of Directors, Herkimer County Persons in Need of Supervision Board and several others.