9 inductees announced for Olean school district’s Wall of Honor | News

Michael Domboski, William Gabler and Steven Suib make up the Class of 2020. Jon K. Baker, Dave Carucci, Ryan Coss and Kathryn Leigh Kenney are the 2021 honorees. This year’s inductees will be Ruth Elmore Howard and James M. Stitt.

DOMBOSKI, a member of the class of 1968, served the Olean community for 22 years with a specialty in oral and maxillofacial surgery, and special emphasis on trauma and reconstructive surgery of the facial skeleton and associated adnexa.

Domboski is the founder and Director of the Franciscan Health Care Programs established at St. Bonaventure University from 2001 to 2013 to develop dual admissions programs for health field students with Professional Graduate Schools such as George Washington University School of Medicine, Upstate Medical Center at Syracuse University, University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, LECOM School of Pharmacy and D’Youville College Doctorate in Physical Therapy Program.

Domboski served as an adjunct professor in biology at St. Bonaventure from 2001 to 2008. He has published and lectured numerous professional award-winning medical and dental articles.

GABLER, a member of the class of 1970, began his law career as a Monroe County public defender before returning home to Olean to open a private law practice. He spent 28 years as a Family Court Magistrate in Cattaraugus County and served as a Salamanca City Court Judge.

Gabler is a member of the New York State, Erie County and Cattaraugus County Bar Associations, including a term as President in the Cattaraugus County association. He held teaching positions in business law and accounting at St. Bonaventure University, Jamestown Community College, Empire State College and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

Following his parents’ example of a strong work ethic and dedication to the community, Gabler has served on the Olean High School Alumni Association Board for 28 years and provided volunteer legal counsel for people in need.

SUIB, a member of the class of 1971, is an expert in the field of organic chemistry as a professor of chemistry at the University of Connecticut who is a highly sought-after speaker delivering over 40 lectures annually. He is a prolific researcher and writer of over 744 journal publications and seven books.

Suib has 80 patents to his credit and has been awarded millions of dollars in grant funding. He is the recipient of 28 major honors and awards and holds numerous editorial and consulting positions.

Suib joined the University of Connecticut in 1980 and has remained there for his entire career focusing on teaching, research, outreach and administration. In the spirit of reaching chemists on all levels, he has worked with and trained leaders in the field of chemistry as well as children and minorities.

BAKER, a member of the class of 1958, taught for 20 years at Washington West Elementary and in 1985 became Ivers J. Norton’s Elementary Principal until retirement in 2000. He was a respected Olean coach for JV and Varsity basketball, JV and Varsity baseball, Girls Varsity softball and assistant Varsity football Coach. He was inducted in the OHS Athletic Wall of Fame in 1996.

Baker served as Cattaraugus County Legislator from 1995 to 2007. He was a member of the Cattaraugus County Community Service Board (Mental Health) since 1995 and the Olean Bureau & Division of Youth and Recreation Board. He’s received the Service to Youth Award, Olean YMCA “Salute to Olean” Award, Distinguished Public Service Award and the Key to the City of Olean Award.

CARUCCI, a member of the class of 1978, has a passion for athletics led to a career in sports officiating at various levels from youth to college. He was inducted in the OHS Athletic Wall of Fame in 2014, is a supporter for the Olean Sports Boosters, a past member of the Olean Youth Bureau, coached youth football, baseball and basketball and volunteered as head Olean tennis coach.

Carucci is the longest-standing member of the Chamber of Commerce and has served on the Civil Service Commission and Sheriff Advisory Board. Serving as Mayor of Olean from 2006 to 2009, he was instrumental in refurbishing the William O. Smith Center and Bradner Stadium as well as bringing the Gus-Macker Basketball Tournament to Olean. Co-founder of the Olean City School District Foundation, raising over $100,000 since its creation.

COSS, a member of the class of 2001, has been a West Virginia Army National Guard since 2002, serving as Logistics Officer, Major. He is a former senior logistician for a Field Artillery battalion of over 350 soldiers and a company commander managing a logistics company of 125 soldiers. He completed two combat tours, a command tour and maintains active Secret Security clearance.

Director of Operations since 2020 at Mylan/Viatris Pharmaceuticals, Coss serves on the core leadership for 1,600 employees. He serves as adjunct professor of Global Supply Chain Management at West Virginia University.

Coss’s honors and organizations include United Way Emerging Leaders, Caterpillar Powering Up Leadership Development, Erickson Trophy recipient, American Public University Deans List, Army Logistics University Commandant’s List, West Virginia National Guard Officer’s Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Military Officers Association of America.

KENNEY, a member of the class of 1943, became the first African American social worker for the Cattaraugus County Dept. of Social Welfare in 1952 after teaching in South Carolina. She transferred to the Child Welfare Unit as an adoption specialist in 1956.

In 1966, Kenney became Director of the Olean Public Schools Head Start Program and in 1968 became the first African American to teach full-time for the Olean school district. She taught 3rd grade at Olean’s Hillside and later Boardmanville Elementary schools, was honored as Teacher of the Year in 1976 and retired in 1984.

Kenney is an active community member of a number of local organizations. She is an officer of The Links Inc., an organization founded to meet the challenges of the African American community. She is known for her Black History Month performance of former runaway slave and Olean resident, Sarah Johnson.

HOWARD, a member of the class of 1983, worked in the senior management level for the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins Health system from 2012 to 2019. She instructed administration and physicians on culture change, managing diversity, customer service excellence and emotional intelligence.

Howard collaborated with global partners to develop customer service training programs for the United Arab Emirates. She served as a consultant, and later creator/director of the Organizational Development Dept. at Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore, Md. from 2002 to 2012.

Howard values hard work, responsibility and compassion, learned from her parents and reflected in civic involvement through the Baltimore County Commission for Women, Baltimore’s Black and Jewish Community, as well as her work as a volunteer and recruiter for Baltimore’s charities such as the Eastside Homeless Shelter. Mentoring at-risk youth is one of her most valued contributions.

STITT, a member of the class of 1991, began working for Honda of America in 1995 and returned to Olean in 1997 to work for his family’s business, Cutco Cutlery Corporation, as a process control and quality engineer and rose through the ranks to become Cutco’s president in 2013 and CEO/President in 2017.

Stitt has continued his family’s business legacy to actively engage in the community through both volunteer and service leadership organizations. He was honored with the YMCA Salute to Olean award in 2011 and the United Way Volunteer of the Year award in 2003

Stitt serves on the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation Board, the Greater Olean Chamber of Commerce Board and the United Way Board as well as volunteering for Rebuilding Together community projects from 1997 to 2019.