Knights of Distinction Luncheon

Before 118 members of the Windsor Central High School Class of 2018 walk across the stage to receive their diplomas, three distinguished graduates returned to their alma mater for the Knights of Distinction luncheon.

NY State Assemblyman Harry Bronson, Class of 1978, Hunter College Athletic Director Terry Wansart, Class of 1977, and attorney Erin Van Vleck, Class of 2008, are they latest to be honored as Knights of Distinction. Their return to Windsor Central High School was a mix of memories and messages for this year’s graduating class.
 
Harry Bronson, Terry Wansart, and Erin Van Vleck 

“It’s truly and honor and humbling at the same time,” said Bronson, who represents the Rochester area in the State Assembly. “I essentially moved away in 1978. But my roots here are my stability and foundation. Having this honor highlights that connection.”

Wansart is in her 37th year at Hunter College, and has been Athletic Director since 1988. She played volleyball and softball at Windsor.

“This brings back a flood of memories,” said Wansart. “I’d tell students to dream big. I think sometimes in rural, smaller areas you can get a constriction of imagination. But dream big, focus small on all of the steps you have to go through, and believe in yourself.”

Van Vleck is the youngest of this year’s Knights of Distinction class, but there are a number of lessons in her journey in the ten years since graduating from Windsor. She earned her Juris Doctor from Cornell University Law School, but not before stops at Broome Community College, Binghamton University and the State University at Buffalo.

“I took a lot of criticism going to BCC but I discovered my interest in law and criminal justice in my two years there. Then, I went to BU and Buffalo, another state school, before going to Cornell,” said Van Vleck. “I had a chip on my shoulder, worked hard and finished in the top five of my class.”

After graduating from Cornell, Van Vleck became a judicial law clerk for the Alaska Court of Appeals. She opened her own firm in Fairbanks before returning to the Binghamton area. She currently works for the Legal Aid Society of New York.

“I didn’t graduate with the mountain of debt and that’s allowed me to take jobs that don’t necessarily make me a ton of money but let me serve the community,” said Van Vleck. 

Bronson is the commencement speaker for the WCHS Class of 2018 and looks forward to sharing important messages with the graduates.

“I want them to savor the moment and realize that this is a significant accomplishment. But not withstanding how significant the accomplishment is, or any of the others that will come in the future, realize that it’s your connection to the people around you that’s most important,” said Bronson. 

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