Chautauqua Sunrise by Doc Hamels
Our November 11 meeting featured a heartfelt Veteran's Day rendition of club singing, "America", and acknowledging our Veterans in the group. Following the sing-a-long and expressions of gratitude, Doc Hamels gave an animated presentation about Chautauqua Sunrise--a weekly talk show that airs in Chautauqua County. It originates from the Access Channel 5 studios in Mayville, NY and is Hosted by Doc. Click 'more' below...
For those without access to Cable Channel 5, Chautauqua Sunrise segments can also be found on YouTube! Additional information and upcoming program schedule can be found at the Chautauqua Sunrise FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/chautauquaSunrise
Having Doc Hamels give our program this week was a treat for all of us, as he has been a long-time member of our club and is now the Assistant District Governor for our area. By his own admission, Doc's bio is as follows:
Dr. John P. Hamels was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. After completing his B.S. in Education he was hired by the then, Chautauqua County BOCES as a Special Education Teacher. He taught for 15 years and then moved on within the system to Special Education Training Specialist, Assistant Principal, Principal, and Regional Administrator. During this time he received his M.S. in Education, Certificate of Advanced Study in Administration and Ph.D. in Education. After 29 years with BOCES, he was tapped for role of School Superintendent at Ripley Central School from where he served 5 years before retiring. Presently he is an Adjunct Professor for the Early Childhood and Continuing Education Departments at JCC.
Throughout his professional and retired career, Dr. Hamels has served on numerous committees and boards of directors, most notably, Chautauqua Opportunities, the Children’s Safety Education Village, Chautauqua County Planning Board and the Westfield Memorial Hospital. He was recently appointed Town Councilman for the Ripley after stepping down as an elected Fire Commissioner. He is a Master Mason in Olive Lodge in Sherman, NY.
He has been an active member of the Westfield-Mayville Rotary Club since 2003, having served as Secretary for five years and Past President. He is in his second year in the role of Assistant Governor and serves on the 7090 District Club Visioning Team.
Dr. Hamels is the recipient of the following awards: “The Friend of Education Award” from the Chautauqua County School Boards Association, “Citizen of the Year” from the Ripley Grange, “Mason of the Year” from Summit Lodge, and the “Jacob Morton Award for Community Service” from Olive Lodge. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.
Dr. Hamels is also a familiar personality on his show, “Chautauqua Sunrise“ on Cable Access 5 TV and writes a monthly column,” “From Out of the West” for the Silver Magazine in the Post Journal. Throughout the region, he can be found playing music with other musicians or solo.
Dr. Hamels is married to his patient wife of 33 years, Barbara. They have four children, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
