Two more faces will greet Schalmont High School students next year and serve as role models for what they can achieve. The Schalmont Central School District on Wednesday, June 6, inducted alumni Frank Gesek and Thomas Kernozek to its Wall of Distinction, which now showcases 17 alumni portraits. The Wall of Distinction was launched in 2007 to honor alumni who have made significant contributions to their school, community or country. Class of 1974 graduate Gesek said he was honored to join the Wall of Distinction and credited the district for helping shape his future. After graduating, Gesek earned two bachelor’s degrees in biology at Union College and pharmacology at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. He continued his education and earned a doctorate degree in pharmacology/physiology from Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University, then completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia and specialized in nephrology, which is medical science dealing with kidneys. He now works as chief of pharmacy at the White River Junction Veterans Administration in Vermont. He expressed fond memories of Schalmont. “It was a great environment to get an education and it is one of those things that you carry with you. Not just the actual education, it is also the camaraderie that you always remember and carry forth,” Gesek said. “It was just a great environment not only to grow up in, but actually to grow and go forward in college.” Gesek in high school explored his love of music and was a member of orchestra, choir and stage band. He also played in local rock and county bands. Money he earned from performances helped him pay for college. Gesek said he had “great” music, science and math teachers and they inspired him to reach the next level and “go further.” He recalled getting “00” on his report card for his first regents exam and his mother said “You failed,” but he called the school and found out he received a perfect score. The report card could only hold two digits, so the one got cut off. Gesek has received the National Kidney Foundation’s Joseph Shankman Award, the American Cancer Society’s New Investigator Award and the American Society of Nephrology’s Career Enhancement Award, in addition to several research grants. Gesek lives in Lebanon, N.H., with his wife Jacqueline, and they have three children, Alan, Jennie and Maria. “I always thought … I can only teach my example and I hope I inspired my kids,” he said.
Accepting the award for Kernozek was his mother, Martha, who said she was “overwhelmed” that her son was selected for the honor. “A sincere thank you on behalf of my son, Thomas, and his family, my family, for this great honor,” she said during the ceremony. “I am sure his dad is smiling up above. It is a wonderful honor.” She said her son was unable to leave his job as a tenured professor at the University of Wisconsin, where he also serves as the director of the La Crosse Institute for Movement Science. He earned his bachelor’s degree in education and graduated cum laude from SUNY Cortland. He earned a master’s degree in kinesiology from Illinois State University and a doctorate of philosophy and a post-doctorate fellowship in kinesiology at the University of Minnesota. Kernozek was recognized in “Who’s Who in Medicine and Science” and was named a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. His research has been published in more than 60 physical therapy and sports medicine journals and he’s given presentations at various international and national conferences and research institutes. He is a Class of 1982 graduate and lives in La Crosse, Wis., with his wife, Ilene, and has two children, Erik and Nicole.