Port Byron Reds

Sports history certainly is a bit of a stretch for me but while researching our school mascot I found a couple articles about the Port Byron Reds.  This was a name unfamiliar to me:

Port Byron Chronicle 1951-1952
fultonhistory.com

The team formed around 1951 and headed by Andy Sorendo.  It was considered a County team and had an impressive opening season.

Auburn Citizen 1953
fultonhistory.com

School Logo

Our alums ask great questions on our alumni facebook page!  The question raised was about when the school torch logo was first introduced,  The Port Byron Library has a wonderful collection of yearbooks, while not a complete collection, one can learn a great deal by viewing them.

The Class of 1940 holds credit to being the first class to design their own custom logo for what at that time was called "The Phoenix", the annual yearbook. 

The library does not have the yearbooks for 1941 to 1943 so were not sure if this gap was due to the war or if it is just that they have not had donations for these years.

If anyone has a year book for 1941 to 1943, please check the cover and inside pages to confirm what logo was used and if the torch appears yet.  Please post your feedback to the alumni facebook page.

The torch logo does appear on the 1944 year book, now called "The Byronics".

The 1950's would bring a name change to "The Panther" but it wasn't until 1959 that the animal that would become our mascot appeared on the cover.

The yearbook staff called themselves "The Panther Club", so it would appear the school mascot's roots came from the yearbook club, who produced a circus themed yearbook in 1959, resulting in the panther appearing on the cover for the first time.

I've Been Working On The Railroad

When they say the best gifts come in small packages, it's true!

Today my nephew handed me an envelope containing something very special from my recently deceased brother Ray, known to many of us as Bub.

He once worked on the railroad, the same industry as our Grandfather Oliver B. Wilson who retired as a section foreman on the New York Central.  He lists many of the names of locals that he worked with and thought readers would enjoy a glimpse of Bub's reminiscences about these hard working days of his past.  Thank you Justin for this wonderful gift about your Dad's personal history.